Up, Up, and Away!
Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth (Rev. 3:10).
The language of this verse makes it clear that the church will not go into the Tribulation. This hour of trial will be a time when God’s wrath will be poured out upon the world. Several things verify this fact.
- The preposition from (Greek, ek) means “out of,” that is, “out of the midst of,” a clear indication that the church will not go through any portion of the Tribulation. If the writer meant to say that the church was going through the Tribulation, he could have used a different Greek preposition, dia.
- This is not just any trial, but the hour of trial, a specific season of Tribulation that is coming.
- Christ promised to “keep” (protect or preserve) the church, not in, but from this season of trial.
- Protection is granted to all believers, not just the Philadelphia church, because this time of Tribulation will come “upon all the world.”
- The phrase to try them that dwell upon the earth refers not to the church but to unbelievers who will be settled into the world’s system during the Tribulation.
Revelation: Hearing the Last Word
