Page 54 - The Rapture Question by John F. Walvoord

The Historical and Hermeneutical Basis of Pretribulationism
tendency is to minimize its severity and avoid any detailed
exegesis. This is seen particularly in the exegesis of Revelation
6-19, While pretribulationists generally adopt a futuristic and
realistic interpretation, carrying with it a high degree of
literalism in exegesis, posttribulationists follow any one of sev­
eral methods of interpretation which avoids a literal and
futuristic exegesis. Very popular among posttribulationists is
the historical interpretation of Revelation in which its
prophecies of the Tribulation are relegated to the past trials of
the saints. Berkhof, for instance, in his treatment of the Tribu--'
lation avoided any specific interpretation of the Book of Reve­
lation as a whole.13
Premillcnarians who are posttribulationists usually do
the same. MacPherson wrote in this vein, “Why cannot it be
consistent with the divine purpose for the Church to go
through the Tribulation without being compelled to feel the
full force of it, even as the Israelites went through the plague­
period in Egypt? . . . The way of escape might take the form of
a partial exemption from suffering.”14
This concept of the church going through the Tribulation
but not feeling its full force is repeated again and again in
posttribulational literature. Arthur Katterjohn, for instance,, i
avoided some of the more pointed teaching on suffering in the
Great Tribulation, but he admitted, “The Great Tribulation
will levy a heavy toll on all who resist the worship of Anti­
christ.”15 Later, in dealing with the bowls of God’s wrath, he
held that the wrath is only on unbelievers.16 Variations of this
concept are also advanced by Robert Gundry and many
others.
Reese has a different slant on the same subject by de­
claring that “immediately before the Day of the Lord falls, God
can call His saints to Himself, without the necessity of an
additional advent a generation earlier.”17 He went on to ex­
plain, “That is, the righteous shall first be removed and then
the judgment shall fall.” 18 In effect, Reese was denying that
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