The seven churches in the beginning of Revelation
each receive a letter coming from the mouth of Jesus. Each
letter addresses that church’s present state, as well as a
future promise, both of which are relevant to us in this
lifetime. The promises given to these churches are based on the
same principle as the promises given to men like Abraham in
Hebrews 11, meaning that they didn’t get to see them fulfilled
in their lifetimes, but they will be fulfilled in the future.
Within the letter directed to the Church of Philadelphia is one
of only two verses in the Bible that appear to teach that we
will not experience the final persecution coming in the last
days. But appearances can be deceptive, especially when we’ve
been brainwashed by pre-trib scholars who 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 assumed that the “hour of testing” that we will be “kept
from” is the 70th Week, or at least the Great Tribulation.
However, when the entirety of the Bible contradicts this
interpretation, it seems unlikely that this is what this passage
is 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 admit that I was even
wrong about this passage when I first wrote my book, Who Will
Be Left Behind and When?, wasting ten pages 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 even the time span of the Great Tribulation,
but rather, the Day of the Lord.
Notice, in this passage, who the test is intended for:
…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.” 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 nine 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)
See also: Rev. 6:10, 8:13, 11:10, 13:12, 13:14, 17:2, 17:8.
I’ve been wrestling with this concept for about a year, and
recently, 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 — emphasis
mine)
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” and “avenge” the
death of the martyrs.
Up to this point in the 70th Week, the followers of Christ have
been the ones suffering, 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 God’s promise to judge
and avenge the death of His martyred servants:
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. When the subject is God’s wrath, it is always the Day of
God that the evil men are warned about.
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.
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?”…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).
For added detail and possibilities, I suggest the following
three articles.
