Does Revelation 3:10 Promise a Pre-Trib Rapture?

Some believe Revelation 3:10 provides evidence of a Pre-Tribulation Rapture. The verse talks about how the church of Philadelphia will be kept from the hour of testing. Some interpret this as a promise to remove the Church before the start of the tribulation.

Are Pre-Tribulation Rapture supporters right to draw support from Revelation 3:10? I will provide my thoughts in this article.

Revelation 3:10 Video

Revelation 3:10 Analysis

Does Revelation 3:10 promise the removal of the Church in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture? I believe it does not. Let’s take a look at verse 10:

“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)

The Greek word for “kept” in verse 10 means to “guard from loss by keeping an eye upon”.

This definition implies the church of Philadelphia will be protected during a time of difficulty and conveys nothing about the church being physically removed from the time of difficulty.

The hour of temptation or testing mentioned in Revelation 3:10 refers to the great tribulation when people must decide if they will follow Christ or follow the Antichrist. The persecution that Christians will endure throughout the great tribulation represents the “wrath of Satan”. It is not the wrath of God.

Also, not everyone will be a member of the church of Philadelphia at the time of testing. Revelation 2 and Revelation 3 describe 7 churches. I believe these seven churches reflect 7 types of churches that existed throughout history and will exist during the end times. Not everyone will attend a church as good as the Church of Philadelphia at that time.

The Promise of Revelation 3:10

Overall, Revelation 3:10 promises faithful believers of the church of Philadelphia a degree of protection from the testing that others will endure. These believers receive protection because they’ve already proven themselves. We have seen throughout the Bible how God can protect His people as chaos takes place around them.

  • For instance, God protected the Israelites as the plagues of Egypt took place around them. A similar thing may happen during the tribulation.

Revelation 3:10 is not a verse that I would use to defend the Pre-Tribulation Rapture position because it does not promise the physical removal of any believers.

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Wayne Croley
Wayne Croley

Hi! I’ve studied and written about Bible prophecy since I was a teenager. My goal is to make Bible prophecy easy for you to understand while avoiding the sensationalism seen elsewhere. I am the author of several end time books, including Prophecy Proof Insights on the End Times, a comprehensive book about the end times. I hold an M.B.A. and degrees in Managerial Economics and Political Science.

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  1. Your wrong this is only speaking of philidelphia to the chosen ones the elect 7,000… All this is biblical.. you forgot smryna has to endure prison and some will be killed ..
    Here’s scripture about Jesus returns or the “rsptue” IMMEDIATLY it says after the tribuaaltom which we are actually currently in.
    .”We’re in the trib not to mention the scripture

    Matthew 24:29-31
    29Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

    Joel 2:31
    31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come.

    1 Thesalonians 4:13-18
    13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, 2 lest you sorrow tas others uwho have no hope. 14 For vif we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him wthose who 3sleep in Jesus.

    15 For this we say to you xby the word of the Lord, that ywe who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are 4asleep. 16 For zthe Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with athe trumpet of God. bAnd the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 cThen we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them din the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus ewe shall always be with the Lord. 18 fTherefore comfort one another with these words.


    Revelation 2:10-11
    10Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life

    Revelation 3:10-11
    “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. 11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown”

    Romans 8:31-33
    31What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35Who shall separate
    us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36As it is written:

    “For Your sake we are killed all day long;
    We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

    37Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.38For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

    Luke 9:23-27
    23Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross [b]daily, and follow Me. 24For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? 26For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man willo be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels. 27But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.”

    Zechariah 13: 8:9
    8And it shall come to pass in all the land,”
    Says the Lord,
    “That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die,
    But one-third shall be left in it:
    9I will bring the one-third through the fire,
    Will refine them as silver is refined,
    And test them as gold is tested.
    They will call on My name,
    And I will answer them.
    I will say, ‘This is My people’;
    And each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’ ”

    James 1 :2-5 2 minutes
    2My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3knowing that the testing of your faith produces [a]patience. 4But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be [b]perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him

    • You don’t have to convince me that the Church will be on the earth in the tribulation and that the Rapture will take place after the tribulation. I agree with you.

      The purpose of this article/video was to tackle a so-called “proof” text of Pre-Trib, which actually does nothing to prove the Pre-Trib theory.

  2. What about the church smryna? They in revaltion are said will be thrown in prison and some killed.. Philadelphia represents the elect .. the 7,000 of chosen ones “many are called few are chosen” so no not all believers will be taken out of it’s actually talking about the Antichrist when the Antichrist will either be worshipped or If not those who don’t beheaded. Cause we are already in the tribation. And here’s verses that tell IMMEDIATELY after the tribation of those times Jesus comes and versa about all the tribulation we will have to go thru.

    .”We’re in the trib not to mention the scripture

    Matthew 24:29-31
    29Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

    Joel 2:31
    31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come.

    1 Thesalonians 4:13-18
    13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, 2 lest you sorrow tas others uwho have no hope. 14 For vif we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him wthose who 3sleep in Jesus.

    15 For this we say to you xby the word of the Lord, that ywe who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are 4asleep. 16 For zthe Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with athe trumpet of God. bAnd the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 cThen we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them din the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus ewe shall always be with the Lord. 18 fTherefore comfort one another with these words.


    Revelation 2:10-11
    10Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life

    Revelation 3:10-11
    “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. 11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown”

    Romans 8:31-33
    31What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35Who shall separate
    us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36As it is written:

    “For Your sake we are killed all day long;
    We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

    37Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.38For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

    Luke 9:23-27
    23Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross [b]daily, and follow Me. 24For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? 26For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man willo be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels. 27But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.”

    Zechariah 13: 8:9
    8And it shall come to pass in all the land,”
    Says the Lord,
    “That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die,
    But one-third shall be left in it:
    9I will bring the one-third through the fire,
    Will refine them as silver is refined,
    And test them as gold is tested.
    They will call on My name,
    And I will answer them.
    I will say, ‘This is My people’;
    And each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’ ”

    James 1 :2-5 2 minutes
    2My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3knowing that the testing of your faith produces [a]patience. 4But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be [b]perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him