Because you have kept my admonition to endure steadfastly, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come on the whole world to test those who live on the earth.Revelation 3:10

This verse is often used by proponents of a pre-tribulation rapture as a proof-text to show that the Church will be removed from the earth (raptured) before the tribultion.

Philadelphia Wasn't Raptured

Keep in mind that the words in Revelation 3:10 were spoken specifically to the historical church at Philadelphia. We should ask, then: In what way was the church at Philadelphia kept "from the hour of testing"? If pre-tribulationists are to be consistent, then they must say that the church at Philadelphia should have disappeared at some point in history, in the same way the Church is supposed to disappear (be caught up) at the Rapture. However, there is nothing in history to suggest that the Philadelphia church was ever raptured or disappeared, nor have I ever heard someone argue that these things happened. It seems that claiming Revelation 3:10 teaches a pre-trib Rapture, then, makes Christ a liar!

Philadelphia Went Through the Hour of Testing

It follows from the last point that if Christ did indeed keep the historical church at Philadelphia from the hour of testing, Christ kept them through the hour of testing, rather than removing them from it, in perhaps the same way that Noah was protected during the flood, while the world around him was destroyed in judgment.

Why Philadelphia?

Why should we apply only Philadelphia's section to the entire Church, and not others? A consistent hermeneutic would require that we also apply to the Church the words written to the other 6 churches. That is, we should say:

  • We cannot tolerate evil, hating the Nicolaitans, yet have departed from our first love, and our lampstand will be removed if we do not repent. (Ephesus, 2:2,4-6)
  • We are poor and suffering and will be imprisoned for 10 days. (Smyrna, 2:9-10)
  • We follow the teachings of Balaam and the Nicolaitans, and if we do not repent, Christ will make war against us. (Pergamum, 2:14-16)
  • We are steadfast and have great deeds, yet we tolerate Jezebel. (Thyatira, 2:20)
  • We have a reputation of being alive, but are dead, and our deeds are not complete (Sardis, 3:1-2)
  • We are lukewarm and will be spit out of Christ's mouth. (Laodicea, 3:15-16)

Obviously, there are problems with applying all of these to the Church as a whole. For instance, Ephesus hated the teachings of the Nicolaitans, but Pergamum followed them. The problem here is that the current Christian Church, for the most part, doesn't even know who the Nicolaitans were. Even ignoring this fact, how can the church hate the Nicoalaitans (Ephesus), and at the same sime follow them (Pergamum)? Another contradiction: Will we be kept from the hour of testing (Philadelphia), or will we be spit out (Laodicea), with Christ making war against us (Pergamum)? Lastly, if Revelation 3:10 is to be applied to the whole Christian Church, should it not apply also to the other 6 historical churches addressed in Revelation? Of course it should. However, we read that some of those in Smyrna will be imprisoned by Satan for 10 days, and that some will have to endure even to the point of death, rather than being "kept from the hour of testing." This contradicts a pre-trib reading of Revelation 3:10.

Ambiguous Wording

Pre-tribulationists often assume that the "hour of testing" is the tribulation of Daniel's 70th week. First, it has already been noted that the historical church at Philadelphia endured through their testing, indicating that the "hour of testing" is probably not part of Daniel's 70th week at all (pre-millennialists, both pre- and post-trib, agree that Daniel's 70th week has not yet come). Second, the word "hour" is used elsewhere in Revelation to indicate the final judgment, rather than the tribulation before it (Revelation 14:7). Thus, it seems that the identification of "the hour of testing" as the tribulation is questionable at best.

Pre-tribulationists who use this verse to support their view also tend to assume that keeping the church from the hour means complete removal from it. Besides the arguments already given above against such a view, the wording itself might indicate protection through, rather than removal from, the testing. The only other time the words "keep...from" are used in the New Testament was, as in Revelation, also written by John, also spoken by Jesus:

I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but that you keep them safe from the evil one.John 17:15

Here, Jesus is specifically asking not that believers would be removed from the world, but that they would be kept safe.

The pre-tribulationist will clearly have to look elsewhere to make his case for a pre-tribulation rapture. Revelation 3:10 does more harm to their view than good.