Will the church experience the tribulation, or will Jesus come for His church before this period starts? Revelation 3:10 is one of the most discussed verses in this debate. In this article, we examine the verse from the original Greek text, its biblical context, and the central arguments for a pretribulational understanding.
Because you have kept My word about patient endurance, I will also 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)c
Revelation 3:10 — A Promise to the Church
The promise in Revelation 3:10 is written to the church in Philadelphia as a representative of all believers. It is one of the clearest verses in the Bible indicating that the church will not experience the tribulation period — also known as Daniel’s Seventieth Week. The Christian church is never instructed to prepare for the tribulation. We are urged to wait for Jesus. Many passages in the New Testament point in the same direction:
You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. (James 5:8)
And to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. (1 Thessalonians 1:10)
So that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 1:7)
Waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. (Titus 2:13)
But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. (Philippians 3:20)
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. (John 14:3)
And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears we may have confidence and not shrink from Him in shame at His coming. (1 John 2:28)
The Letters to the Seven Churches
The letters in Revelation 2 and 3 can be interpreted as describing the history of the church from the apostolic age to the return of Jesus, with the seven churches corresponding to successive periods of church history. In letters to four of the churches, we find a reference to Christ’s return: Thyatira (2:25), Sardis (3:3), Philadelphia (3:11), and Laodicea (3:21).
This may suggest that what characterized these four churches in their time will also characterize the church when Jesus returns. Revelation 3:10 is written to the church in Philadelphia, and represents some of the last words Christ has spoken to us. It is therefore fitting that He also addressed His imminent return.
Revelation 3:10 — Examining the Greek Text
Bible scholars of different persuasions have interpreted this verse and reached different conclusions about the timing of the Rapture. Is this a promise of divine protection through the tribulation, or a promise of divine protection by keeping believers entirely out of the tribulation?
To answer this, we can examine the original Greek text. The Greek phrase used is τηρήσω εκ (tēresō ek) — “keep from.” Those who believe the church will go through the tribulation (post-tribulationalism) argue this means the church will be preserved in the tribulation. We believe it means preserved from the tribulation (pre-tribulationalism). One view implies protection while living through the tribulation; the other means being in heaven during that entire period.
Challenges with Post-Tribulationalism
Several difficulties arise when Revelation 3:10 is interpreted to mean that God will preserve the church through the tribulation. First, it becomes very difficult to explain the great number of martyrs during the tribulation (Revelation 6:9–11; 20:4). One cannot claim God will preserve believers through the tribulation while reading about so many martyrs.
Second, it is hard to maintain that believers during the tribulation will be kept safe when we consider all those throughout church history who have suffered tribulation and persecution. We have no such promise of earthly protection — in fact, Jesus Himself said: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
We believe the explanation lies in the fact that the martyrs described in Revelation are not part of the New Testament church, but rather people who come to faith after the Rapture. Revelation 7:4–8 tells of the 144,000 sealed from the twelve tribes of Israel, chosen to be God’s servants. Reading this alongside Isaiah 66:19 and Matthew 24:14, we see a connection between them and the great multitude described in Revelation 7:9–17 — the result of their evangelistic work. This innumerable multitude from every nation and tongue has paid the ultimate price for their faith in Jesus; they have become martyrs (Revelation 13:15).
Only by keeping those who believe during the church age — and who are taken in the Rapture — separate from those who come to faith during the tribulation, does Revelation 3:10 make full sense.
What Does “Keep You From” Mean?
We believe Revelation 3:10 means that the church in Philadelphia — and by extension all believers — would be kept entirely outside of what was coming. But what was coming? The rest of the verse gives the answer: “the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.”
What Is “The Hour of Trial” in Revelation 3:10?
Throughout the Gospel of John, his epistles, and Revelation, the Greek word ώρα (hōra, “hour”) often denotes a period or era rather than a specific hour of the day. In Revelation 3:10, the Greek uses a definite article before “hour” — “the hour of trial.” This refers to a specific, well-known period of testing that the original readers would have recognized.
Since this period of testing is not further described, it is most likely a period already familiar to the Christians in Philadelphia — the one Daniel refers to in 12:1: “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.”
Jesus also refers to this period in Matthew 24:15–21: “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place — let the reader understand… For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.” Jeremiah 30:7 calls it “a time of distress for Jacob, yet he shall be saved out of it.”
God’s program for Israel and for the church are distinct. That God has a different plan for the church than for Israel is foundational to interpreting biblical prophecy. The church will not experience God’s wrath. Israel will pass through divine trials to awaken the unbelieving remnant of the Jewish people to turn to Yeshua for their personal and national salvation.
Since Revelation 3:10 was given to the church in Philadelphia, and Jeremiah 30:7 describes God’s plan for Israel, these two passages must not be conflated. Revelation 3:10 underscores that the Christian church will be exempted from the entire period we call the tribulation.
What Does “Is About to Come” Mean?
The phrase “is about to come” means it could come at any moment, without specifying when or how far away it is. A clue may be found in Revelation 3:11: “Behold, I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.” The reference to Christ’s coming and the crown believers will receive on that day — the day Christ comes for His bride — makes it clear that Revelation 3:11 speaks of the Rapture.
There is thus a direct connection between the promise in Revelation 3:10 (being spared the tribulation) and Revelation 3:11 (Christ’s coming). Christ comes to bring the church to heaven. Therefore, the church is no longer on earth when the tribulation begins. Christ’s promise to the church in Philadelphia applies equally to every part of His church, which is why it is written: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 3:13).
What Does “The Whole World” Mean in Revelation 3:10?
The Greek word used for “world” here is οἰκουμένη (oikoumenē). It can sometimes mean “the inhabited world,” and at other times “the entire world.” An example of the former is Luke 2:1: “A decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.” An example of the latter is Acts 17:31: “Because He has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness.”
Those who believe Revelation 3:10 means the church goes through the tribulation argue that “the whole world” refers only to the local inhabited world, and that the trial in view was a past, localized historical tribulation in the early church — not a future global tribulation before Christ’s return. However, the same word is used in 1 John 5:19: “We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” Surely no one would argue that only the “inhabited world” lies in the power of the evil one. The church has a promise to be kept from the trial that is coming upon the whole world.
Who Are “Those Who Dwell on the Earth”?
The phrase “to try those who dwell on the earth” — in Revelation, this expression is used specifically of unbelievers. In Revelation 13:8 and 17:8, “those who dwell on the earth” refers to those who worship and follow the beast, and whose names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
The phrase “those who dwell on the earth” appears 11 times in 9 verses in Revelation (3:10; 6:10; 8:13; 11:10 [twice]; 13:8, 12, 14 [twice]; 14:6; 17:8). Examining each occurrence other than 3:10, they all refer to a specific group of hardened sinners who are fixed in their rebellion against God. The expression is used exclusively of this group during the tribulation period. The trial is not directed at the church — which by then is in heaven — but at the unbelievers remaining on earth during the tribulation.
In contrast to “those who dwell on the earth,” Revelation speaks of “those who dwell in heaven” — the church that Jesus has already taken up: “Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!” (Revelation 12:12). “And it opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming His name and His dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven.” (Revelation 13:6)
Although the church is kept from this specific trial, that does not mean believers escape all forms of tribulation in this life. “If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” (John 15:18–19). “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2 Timothy 3:12). It is biblical truth that the church is not spared from various forms of suffering in this age — but it will be spared from the specific trial described in Revelation 3:10.
Why Will the Church be Kept Out of the Tribulation Period?
It is also noteworthy that the church’s patient endurance through trials now is itself the basis for the promise of being kept from the tribulation. “Because you have kept My word about patient endurance, I will also keep you from…” (Revelation 3:10a). Christ grounds His promise in the fact that His saints have already endured their testing, and He will not subject them to the period designed to test an entirely different group of people.
Summary
Revelation 3:10 is one of the most important texts in the debate over the Rapture. After examining the Greek text, its biblical context, and parallel passages in the New Testament, we believe the verse points clearly to the church being kept outside the coming tribulation period.
He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20)
Frequently Asked Questions
How should Revelation 3:10 be interpreted?
We understand Revelation 3:10 as a promise that the Christian church will not experience the tribulation period.
Will the church go through the tribulation?
No — not as we understand the Bible.
What is the difference between pretribulationalism and post-tribulationalism?
Pretribulationalism: Jesus raptures His church to heaven before the tribulation begins. Post-tribulationalism: Jesus returns after the tribulation, and the church remains on earth during that entire period.
What does the phrase “keep you from” mean?
It means the church will not experience the period we call “the tribulation.”
What is Daniel’s Seventieth Week?
Based on our interpretation of Daniel 9:24–27, there is a gap between the 69th and 70th week, and the 70th week coincides with the tribulation period.