Page 52 - The Rapture Question by John F. Walvoord

The Historical and Hermeneutical Basis of Pretribulationism

other doctrinal areas and therefore contend for a literal Mil­
lennium.
In a somewhat less degree the same hermeneutical differ- “I
encc is seen in the prctribulational versus the posttribulational
positions. Pretribulationism is based on a literal interpretation
of key Scriptures, while posttribulationism tends toward spir­
princi-
itualization of the tribulation passages. This is seen princi­
pally in two aspects.
Posttribulationists usually ignore the distinction between
Israel and the church much in the fashion of the amillenarian
school. The reason for this is that none of the tribulation T-
passages in either the Old or New Testament ever mention the
“church,” or the ecclesia. In order to prove that the church is
in the tribulation period, it is necessary to identify key terms
as equivalent to the church. Hence, Israel becomes a general
name for the church and in some contexts becomes an equiv­
alent term. The term elect is taken to be equivalent to the
church, regardless of the limitation of the context, and saints
of all dispensations are considered as members of the true
church. In order to make these various terms equivalent, it is
necessary to take Scripture in other than a literal sense in
many instances—the use of Israel as equivalent to the church
being an illustration. The proof that the church is in the
Tribulation requires a theological system that spiritualizes
many of its terms, and posttribulationists brush off a more
literal interpretation as too trivial to answer.
MacPherson, for instance, wrote in connection with the
“elect” of Matthew 24:22, “There is nothing here to indicate
who the elect are, although there is every likelihood the term
refers to the Church, inasmuch as of the fifteen other occur­
rences of the word elect in the New Testament, one refers to
Christ, another to certain angels, and there is no sound reason
for supposing the other thirteen do not refer to the Church, or
individual members of the Church.”12 While admitting that
the word elect does not always refer to the church, he stated
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