Revelation 3:10 — Pre-trib Foundation
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Within the letter directed to the Church of Philadelphia is one of only two verses in the entire Bible that appear to teach that we will not experience the final persecution in the last days. But appearances can be deceptive, especially when we’ve been brainwashed by pre-trib scholars, pastors, books, and movies that have repeatedly told us what this particular passage means.
Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth (Rev. 3:10, NASB).
It is a complete assumption that the “hour of testing†we will be “kept from†is the 70th Week, or the Great Tribulation. When the entirety of the Bible contradicts this interpretation, it seems more than unlikely that this is what an isolated passage would be teaching.
I suggest that most have been wrong about this hotly debated section of scripture, including those who believe as I do – that we will not escape the future suffering. I even have to admit that I was wrong about this passage when I first wrote my book, wasting ten pages (pp. 87-97) analyzing the Greek meaning and the pre-trib interpretation. No such elaborate linguistic gymnastics are necessary.
While I formerly proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that that the translation, “keep you from the hour of testing,†can also be translated (according to the Greek), “preserve you while within the hour of testing,†I now reject that this is what the passage is conveying. I believe that the test has absolutely nothing to do with the Church, or the “tribulation saints,†as the pre-trib theory would call them. The test is not for the followers of Christ, but for enemies of God. The test is not the 70th Week in its entirety or the time span of the Great Tribulation, but rather, the Day of the Lord.
Think about it. If those who hold the pre-tribulation position can assume the “test†is the entire 70th Week, why can’t we just as easily assume the “test†is not the 70th Week, but strictly the Day of the Lord? There is nothing within the passage clearly answering what the “test†actually is, but there is a hint that is usually overlooked, and helps us to avoid jumping to conclusions based on complete assumptions. Notice who the test is for in Revelation 3:10.
…I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
The test is for “those who dwell on the earth.†“Yeah, so what,†you say. There are many keys within the language in the book of Revelation, and “those who dwell on the earth†has a distinct meaning that goes far beyond a simple statement concerning people living on planet earth. The phrase, “those who dwell on the earth,†is used 9 times in Revelation, and each time it is referring to those who are the enemies of God and worshipers of the beast.
All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain (Rev. 13:8).
How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth (Rev. 6:10)?
See also: Revelation 8:13, 11:10, 13:12, 13:14 (twice), 17:2, 17:8
… the simplicity of it hit me when I read the following verses. It became obvious that the test is, in fact, the Day of the Lord, and is for those hostile towards God.
When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also (Rev. 6:9-11).
We know from the above passage that God is not “judging†or “avenging†the blood of the martyrs, and is therefore not pouring out end-times wrath during the seals as pre-trib teachers would claim. But I believe there is more going on here. WHY isn't God judging or avenging the martyrs' blood by distributing wrath upon "those who dwell on the earth?" Because it's not about THEM yet! God clearly tells the martyrs to rest – or, as the NIV more accurately translates it, “wait†– until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed was completed. THEN He will judge “those who dwell on the earth.â€
Up to this point in the 70th Week, the followers of Christ have been the ones suffering [ie. the Great Tribulation], but this will soon change so that the “earth dwellers†will become the objects of suffering. It is no coincidence that the sixth seal follows His promise to avenge the death of His martyred servants and judge “those who dwell on the earth.â€
I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand (Rev. 6:12-17)?"
We know because we have seen the sign in the sun, moon, and stars that the Day of the Lord will soon follow, for the prophet Joel informed us that this sign would take place before the Day.
The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes (Joel 2:31).
The fact that the Day of the Lord cannot take place until after the sign in the sun, moon, and stars verifies that the time period previous to this is not aimed at the enemies of God, “those who dwell on the earth.†Never is there a biblical mention of end-times wrath that will precede the Day of the Lord. It is always the Day of God that evil men are warned about when the subject is concerning God’s wrath.
Since the Day of the Lord has not begun before the sixth seal, no wrath is being poured out upon the “earth dwellers,†and He is not judging or avenging the blood of the martyrs, so the “test†for them couldn’t possibly be under way, no matter what pre-trib teachers proclaim. But once the sixth seal is opened, the triple sign in the sky is displayed, and the sky opens up like a scroll, it is time for the earth dwellers to fear. It’s time for them to hide themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, and from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, because the time has come—it is NOW about THEM! The hour of testing has arrived to test “those who dwell on the earth.â€
I have connected the two passages in question to simplify what I believe is being taught.
…“How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?â€â€¦And they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also...Then God will avenge their blood by throwing those who dwell upon the earth into the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test them.
And fortunately we will be “kept from†the hour of testing, because we will be rescued from the wrath to come (1 Thess. 1:10). When we see the triple sign in the sky we will know that our redemption draws near (Luke 21:28). The sky will split apart (NASB) and recede (NIV) like a scroll (Rev. 6:14), and relief will be given to the afflicted as Christ is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels (2 Thess. 1:7). Christ will gather us from the furthest end of the earth to the furthest end of the heaven (Mark 13:27), and His presence will make the inhabitants of the earth fear for their lives and recognize that the wrath of God has come (Rev. 6:16). The test will begin, and all who have worshiped the beast will fail the test and pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day (2 Thess. 1:8-9)!
Christ and Christ is the Word of God)