12/16/2025

 

Samuel Clifford

 

Verse:

 

"Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth." — Revelation 3:10 KJV

 

"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." — Revelation 3:10 NASB

 

"Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth." — Revelation 3:10 ESV

 

"Because you kept my word in passionate patience, I will keep you safe in the time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test everyone on the earth." — Revelation 3:10 MIT

 

"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." — Revelation 3:10 NKJV

 

Greek Version:

 

"ὅτι ἐτήρησας τὸν λόγον τῆς ὑπομονῆς μου, κἀγώ σε τηρήσω ἐκ τῆς ὥρας τοῦ πειρασμοῦ τῆς μελλούσης ἔρχεσθαι ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκουμένης ὅλης πειράσαι τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς." — Revelation 3:10 Greek (NA28)

 

Direct Context:

 

In Revelation 3:7–13, Jesus addresses the church at Philadelphia, commending them for their faithfulness despite having little strength. He praises them for keeping His word and not denying His name, and He promises to set before them an open door that no one can shut. He assures them that their enemies, those of the “synagogue of Satan,” will one day bow before them and acknowledge that they are loved by Him. Unlike the rebuke given to Laodicea, Philadelphia receives encouragement and assurance, showing that their perseverance and loyalty to Christ will be rewarded.

 

The promise in Revelation 3:10 is not limited to one local congregation but extends to the entire Church of Jesus Christ. While the seven letters were originally addressed to seven specific churches in Asia Minor, their significance is broader. Revelation 2:29 indicates that each letter was meant to be heard by all the churches, and the imagery of the seven golden lampstands in Revelation 1:20 shows that these assemblies represent the whole body of Christ. The number seven itself is symbolic of completeness, underscoring that the message applies universally, not just to the original recipients.

 

The trial Jesus speaks of is not confined to a single region but is global in scope. Revelation 13:3 describes how, during the Great Tribulation, the entire world will marvel and follow after the Beast. This confirms that the “hour of trial” is a worldwide event, affecting every corner of the earth rather than being restricted to one locality.

 

Importantly, the Tribulation is directed toward “those who dwell on the earth.” The Greek word katoikountas comes from kata and oikeo and carries the sense of permanent residence or full identification with the world. This description does not fit the Church, which Scripture consistently portrays as strangers and pilgrims (Hebrews 11:13) with citizenship in heaven (Philippians 3:20). Revelation uses “those who dwell on the earth” as a technical phrase, appearing multiple times (3:10; 6:10; 8:13; 11:10; 13:8, 12, 14; 17:2, 8), and in every case it refers to unbelievers.

 

Thus, “earth dwellers” are consistently depicted as people aligned with the world system, hostile to God, worshipers of the Beast, and those who refuse to repent. The promise of deliverance in Revelation 3:10 is therefore for the faithful Church, while the trial is reserved for those who have permanently identified themselves with the rebellious world.

 

What Does “kept from” Mean?

 

The letter to the church at Philadelphia is the sixth and next to last of the seven letters in Revelation. The final letter, written to Laodicea, depicts a community that calls itself a church but from which Christ is absent, standing outside and knocking. This contrast highlights Philadelphia as the last faithful church, the one that remains true even as others depart from genuine faith. To this faithful remnant Jesus promises, “I will keep you from the hour of trial.” The Greek word translated “from” is ek/ex, meaning “out of,” and it is the root of our word “exit.” While ek often carries the idea of emergence, its usage varies by context. In 2 Corinthians 1:10, Paul describes being rescued from death, not emerging from it, and in 1 Thessalonians 1:10, Jesus rescues believers from entering wrath, not out of wrath itself. Thus, ek can mean either maintaining a state outside of something or emerging from within it, leaving room for multiple interpretations.

 

Some argue that if John had meant “to keep from,” he would have used tereo apo, as in James 1:27. Yet it is equally true that if he had meant “protection within,” he would have used tereo with en, eis, or dia. Linguistically, ek is closer to apo than to those other prepositions, and in modern Greek apo has absorbed much of ek’s meaning. When combined with tereo, ek approximates apo more than en, eis, or dia. The phrase tereo en appears three times in the New Testament (Acts 12:5; 1 Peter 1:4; Jude 21), and in each case it implies continued existence within. By contrast, tereo ek logically means to maintain existence outside. This distinction is crucial for interpreting Revelation 3:10.

 

The only other occurrence of tereo ek in the New Testament is John 17:15, where Jesus prays, “Keep them from the evil one.” Here, the meaning cannot be that believers are within Satan’s power and need protection; rather, it is that they are kept outside of his power. This parallel strongly suggests that in Revelation 3:10, the promise is to keep the church outside of the hour of testing. If so, the faithful are not preserved through the trial but removed from it altogether. The promise is not to keep them out of the trial itself, but out of the time period of the trial. They will not even be present when it occurs.

 

A serious problem with the “kept through” view is that God promises that people who are faithful will die during the tribulation (Daniel 7:21; Daniel 8:24; Revelation 7:9–16). If believers are meant to be preserved within the trial, these passages would contradict that promise, since they clearly describe faithful followers suffering and being killed during that period. This strengthens the case that the promise in Revelation 3:10 is not about protection within the tribulation but removal from its timeframe altogether.

 

The scope of this trial is global, affecting the entire world. Its purpose is to test “those who dwell on the earth,” a phrase used repeatedly in Revelation to describe unbelievers. The word “test” conveys the idea of proving something by subjecting it to stresses that reveal its true nature, much like products tested by Underwriter’s Laboratories. The Tribulation will expose the heart of sinful humanity, showing that rebellion against God is not due to lack of evidence but to willful unbelief. Instead of repenting under judgment, earth dwellers will grow bolder in defiance. The faithful, however, are promised removal before this period begins.

 

Jesus spoke these words to the historical church at Philadelphia in Asia Minor, but the exhortation at the end of each letter—“Let him who has an ear hear what the Spirit says to the churches”—extends the promise beyond its immediate audience. For believers today, the assurance given to Philadelphia carries forward as a promise of deliverance. While scholars debate whether tereo ek means removal or protection within, the linguistic and contextual evidence strongly supports the interpretation that Christ will take His faithful followers out of the world before the hour of trial, consistent with the pretribulational rapture view.

 

Does This Teach A Partial Rapture?

 

John Niemela, in his article The Interpretation of Revelation 3:10: You Have Kept My Word (CTS Journal), summarized by Dennis Rokser in Grace for the Race, argues that many English translations mislead readers because they insert punctuation and verse divisions that were not part of the original Greek manuscripts. In most translations, verse 9 ends with a period and verse 10 begins with “Because,” making it appear that participation in the rapture is conditional. Niemela points out that punctuation, chapter divisions, and verse divisions were added later by copyists, not inspired in the original text, and this placement creates confusion about the meaning of the passage.

 

Niemela contends that the period should not be placed at the end of verse 9 but in the middle of verse 10. Read this way, the text flows: Christ promises that the enemies of Philadelphia will bow before them “because you have kept My enduring word,” and then begins a new, unconditional promise: “I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is about to come upon the whole earth.” The condition applies only to the enemies bowing, not to participation in the rapture. Thus, the second half of verse 10 is an unconditional promise of deliverance, given to all believers regardless of their daily performance.

 

He further explains that while Christian conduct will be evaluated at the Bema Seat Judgment, determining rewards or loss of rewards, participation in the rapture is not conditioned on works. If one is “in Christ,” whether alive or asleep, one will be taken in the rapture. Niemela emphasizes that the Greek word hoti (“because”) rarely begins a sentence; instead, it usually follows a promise. Therefore, the “because” clause should be understood as explaining why enemies will bow, not as a condition for the rapture.

 

Niemela concludes that the unconditional nature of the rapture is reinforced by this proper reading of the text. He notes that while most English translations do not reflect this structure, the McDonald’s Idiomatic Translation (MIT) does, placing the period after the “because” clause and beginning a fresh sentence with the rapture promise. This resolves the tension that partial rapturists exploit, showing that the rapture is not conditional but entirely by divine grace. In his view, Revelation 3:10, properly punctuated, demolishes the last verse that could be used to argue for a conditional rapture.

 

Conclusion

 

In conclusion, Revelation 3:10 stands as a pivotal promise to the faithful church, assuring deliverance from the global hour of trial that will test those permanently aligned with the world system. The linguistic evidence surrounding tereo ek strongly favors the interpretation of removal rather than preservation within, especially when considered alongside John 17:15 and the broader context of Revelation. The trial is directed at unbelievers, the “earth dwellers,” while the faithful are promised exemption, not endurance. Furthermore, John Niemela’s analysis clarifies that the conditional clause in verse 10 applies to the enemies bowing before Philadelphia, not to participation in the rapture, which remains unconditional and grounded in divine grace. Taken together, the passage affirms that the rapture is not contingent on human performance but is a guaranteed promise to all who are in Christ, underscoring both the faithfulness of God and the certainty of His deliverance for His people.

 

Sources:

 

Garland, Tony. A Testimony of Jesus Christ. Volume 1. Spirit and Truth Publishing, n.d.

 

Stanton, Robert D. Kept from the Hour. Lamplighter Books, 1995.

 

Woods, Andy. “Revelation 3:10.” Spirit and Truth Teaching Series. Spirit and Truth Ministries, 16 Sept. 2018,
www.spiritandtruth.org/teaching/Revelation_by_Andy_Woods/015_Revelation_3_10/20180916_015_revelation_3_10_transcript.html.