Rev. 3:10 - The Pretrib Rapture Clincher! by Dave MacPherson

     

When pretrib promoters are asked for a single verse proving a pretrib rapture, they invariably bring up Rev. 3:10 with a "I gotcha" look on their face. This verse says "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."
    The Tim LaHaye Prophecy Study Bible states: "This [Rev. 3:10] is the most specific guarantee from our Lord Himself that Christian believers will not go into that seven-year Tribulation period He is about to unveil (Rev. 6-18)."
    Thomas Ice, in an article titled "Kept From The Hour," writes: "I believe that Revelation 3:10 is a verse teaching that the church is promised exemption from the seven-year tribulation period, thus supporting the pretrib rapture."
    Hal Lindsey's 1999 book (the cover of which says "Hal Lindsey...Vanished Into Thin Air...The Hope of Every Believer") has this comment about Rev. 3:10 on p. 231: "The promise of being kept from the hour...[does] fit into the pattern of a pre-Tribulation Rapture scenario."
    This escaptist interpretation of Rev. 3:10 (which was never a part of any official Christian theology or organized church before 1830) can be traced, unhindered, all the way back to a 19th century British group called the Irvingites who admitted they had been influenced by young Margaret Macdonald of Scotland. In Dec. 1831 one Irvingite writer identified as "Fidus" included the following in an article in his group's journal "The Morning Watch" (pp. 260f):
    He said that after "Philadelphia" is "caught up, that which withholdeth shall have been removed; all, on pain of death, shall be obliged to receive the mark of the beast...." "...that, being translated, we may in the pavilion of God escape the desolation of the wicked one and that universal hour of trial....that as the church of Philadelphia, in preserving the word of patience, refuses to let it go; so her being preserved from the hour of trial is not her being enabled to bear it, but her being exempt from undergoing it...."
    He added that the saints are "caught up...under the second woe (Rev. 11:13)...translated before the supremacy of the man of sin...." "Thou may be translated on the morrow...."
    (Note the "pretribness" - a word I coined - as well as imminence in Edward Irving's group, the first group to publicly teach what even John Darby admitted later on was then a "new" view that had never been known before!)
    Was Darby correct? Let's see how the greatest Greek NT scholars of the past had interpreted Rev. 3:10.
    John Wycliffe: "Wherefore let us pray to God that he keep us in the hour of temptation, which is coming upon all the world, Rev. iii."
    Matthew Henry: "Those who keep the gospel in a time of peace shall be kept by Christ in an hour of temptation [Rev.3:10]."
    Albert Barnes: "...he will keep them in the future trials that shall come upon the world [Rev. 3:10]."
R. C. Trench: "...the Philadelphian church...to be kept in temptation, not to be exempted from temptation...."
J. H. Thayer: "To keep [Rev. 3:10]:...by guarding, to cause one to escape in safety out of."
    H. B. Swete: "The promise [of Rev. 3:10], as Bede says, is 'not indeed of your being immune from adversity, but of not being overcome by it.' "
    Theodor Zahn: "...He will preserve...at the time of the great temptation [Rev. 3:10]..."
    A. T. Robertson: "In Rev. 3:10...we seem to have the picture of general temptation with the preservation of the saints."
    R. C. H. Lenski: "...it [Philadelphia] shall be kept untouched and unharmed by the impending dangers [Rev. 3:10]."
    (Google "Famous Rapture Watchers" to see the sources and pages for the above quotes.)
    I would now like to quote a modern Bible scholar who reflects in his superb writings the deep Greek New Testament scholarship of the past. He writes:
"To the angel in the church of Philadelphia, the Lord acknowledges this congregation as being faithful to the name of Jesus...[and] He tells them that they will not be victimized by the 'hour of trial' [Rev. 3:10] that is going to come on the whole world for testing."
    The same scholar adds: "That 'great testing' is to include all who live on earth, and all who endure (Gr. bastazo, bearing under hardships) for His name's sake will be kept (Gr. sozo, safe, well) from the 'hour of trial,' which will be testing men's faith in Jesus Christ." He points out that true believers will not be "removed (or snatched) from earth up to heaven" before the same end time trial but "will be guarded (tereo, kept from) during the trial itself!"
    The well-known modern scholar I allude to is my good friend Joe Ortiz. And I have been quoting his excellent and timely book Why Christians Will Suffer "Great Tribulation" (pp. 87, 153).


The next time you hear persons claiming that Revelation 3:10 is proof of a pretribulation rapture, feel free to share the information in this paper with them. Hopefully they will thank you even before the "hour of trial" arrives!

Are We To Love the Sinner but Hate the Sin?

I recently received an email from a fellow Christian brother, who has been doing front-line battles in the harvest field with his wife and kids, suffering much abuse and persecution for standing true to the Gospel. He was addressing the much quoted canard that "God loves the sinner but not the sin," a retort used by many fellow Christians who are quick to judge believers who rebuke sin and sinner alike. Sadly, many believers who use this often-quoted phrase are ignorant as to what the Bible truly says about God's feelings about this issue:

(A mob of  homosexuals try to force their way into Lot's house in Sodom and Gomorrah to gang rape two angels)

"Recent Blog Response to Sodomite Activist.... concerning the issue of government forcing Christian owned and run businesses, under threat or financial ruin, to participate in events that are contrary to their Christianity

For the record, "love the sinner and hate the sin" is a quote from a born and raised HINDU name Mohandas  "Ghandi" not the Bible. (Mahatma by his followers)

Originally taken from St. Augustine. His Letter 211 (c. 424) contains the phrase Cum dilectione hominum et odio vitiorum, which translates roughly to "With love for mankind and hatred of sins." The phrase has become more famous as "love the sinner but hate the sin" or "hate the sin and not the sinner" (the latter form appearing in Mohandas Gandhi’s 1929 autobiography).

The Bible says.....

Psalm 5:4 For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.
Psalm 5:5 The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.

I, did not write it,....That's what it says!       "God HATES ALL WORKERS OF INIQUITY"...

Psalm 139:21 Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?
Psalm 139:22 I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.

Jeremiah--23:14 I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.

It seems that I am caught between shining the light of TRUTH, and not casting my pearls of wisdom before swine. Anyone who doesn't like what the Bible says will always attempt to twist it to make it say something that condones whatever they are in to.

"IF" our nation was observing the God's LAW AS WRITTEN in the Bible, stinking sodomites would not be allowed to live, much less run their mouths and cause trouble.

Leviticus 20:13 If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

Leviticus 20:15 And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast.

The practice of "loving ones neighbor" whether they be "next door" or an "acquaintance" is a Spiritual Love, "agape", that means having concern for their "eternal condition" and praying for their salvation. It DOES NOT mean taking part in their abominations. While praying for a thief or a rapist to be saved, they are likely to be shot if they are in the process of robbing or raping someone, and should be!!!!

I know, and have known, numerous homosexuals in my lifetime, and never at any point has ANY of them tried to FORCE me into participation of their lifestyle, nor I them into mine.

Notwithstanding the fact that most homosexuals do not bother anyone, and they do not want to be bothered, there is a very small minority of Sodomite Reprobates that have put their money and voice together, infiltrated, companies, political parties, and now are getting away with trampling on, and bankrupting Christian businessmen at will !!! But as much as God hates them and their deeds according to the above quoted Scripture, they are not to blame for our present state of affairs.

The blame lies with the vast majority of SORRY 501 c 3 lobotomized Christians that do not know their Bibles much less History, and God has said that "they are neither hot nor cold and he will "spue them out of HIS mouth". They stand by and do nothing and say nothing while our fellow brethren are being brought to the slaughter at an alarming rate. "IF WE DO NOT ALL HANG TOGETHER, WE SHALL SURELY HANG SEPARATELY"..Patrick Henry

It's only a matter of time before too many people are pushed too far and there will be bloodshed! When it all comes tumbling down, the blame is not with the prostitute politicians or the special interests that they have sold their souls to, the blame falls squarely on the corrupt church! God has given us a mirror image of our rotting transgressions, according to Scripture. 

SEE Jeremiah Ch 18 for a step by step commentary.

If you asked a Christian owned/run business to cater for a porn convention, a wife swapping party, bestiality club, a Sodomite parade, or any type of celebration that promotes ABOMINATIONS that God HATES, You are asking them to PARTICIPATE in your filth and debauchery, and this has NOTHING TO DO WITH AGAPE LOVE.

No store, business or vendor asks, or is aware of a buyers religion OR sexual preferences, much less how much sin they commit. In fact they would have no way of knowing what their products were being used for unless the buyers purposely run their mouths about it!!!!

If a business refused to sell to sinners, there would be no one to sell to. Any business will SELL ANYTHING TO ANY BODY.

But that's not good enough for stinking Sodomite activists, they want to FORCE Christians, TO PARTICIPATE IN THEIR ABOMINATIONS AND RUB THEIR FACE IN IT OR ELSE DESTROY THEIR BUSINESS AND LIVELIHOOD WITH THE HELP OF PROSTITUTE POLITICIANS AND JUDGES . Judgement day is coming, and HELL has no shortage of space. Bro V." [Scripture Concerning Homosexuality]

This subject matter is currently a raging debate like no other, one that occupies the minds and hearts of both sinners of homosexuality and believers. It is the duty of believers to pray for homosexuals to repent of their life-style and turn to God for healing. Those who choose to ignore the word of God on this subject matter will suffer the consequences. Like any other person who commits any form of sin, we are instructed to forgive them, rather than persecute them. God is the judge and will deal with those who continue to live in their homosexual sins and life-style. Believers have no choice but to stand fast in what God's word states about this sin; however, preoccupation with this particular malady can be draining on our spirit just as much as obsessing with the multitude of other sins that contribute to the decimation of society as a whole.

Yet, the word of God reins supreme. Many of us have close friends who practice (and live) this life-style. Those who know me and who have worked with me realize that I do not go out of my way to convict or condemn them; but they also know that I am a servant of God, one who is prepared to speak and preach all aspects of the Bible. They know that I have not made the sin of homosexuality a "cause celebre" any more than adultery, idolatry, murder, rape and the myriad of sins that are increasing at an accelerated pace. When asked by them how I feel about the sin of homosexuality, I pointedly tell them that the Bible clearly states it is a sin. I also make sue I tell them that we are all sinners, that no one is righteous as we clearly can see in Romans 3: 9-19. We all have to deal with this issue of sin (whatever is that one specific burden that continues to control us); which can only be addressed through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

In the past, I used to dismiss many issues of sin and was guilty of repeating the same mantra:

"Don't worry, Harry, God hates the sin but not the sinner."

I can't do that anymore!

For information about  this blog and the author's books, please click on Joe Ortiz