Revelation 3:10

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.

This is one of the great prophecy verses in all of Revelation. Jesus says to the church at Philadelphia, “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience…” What is the word of His patience? Second Thessalonians 3:5 helps us with that. It speaks of being established in the patient waiting for Jesus Christ. In other words, Philadelphia is a church that is not only holding to the Word, but is also waiting for the Lord.

That fits this church perfectly. Philadelphia is the church interested in Bible prophecy. In the earliest centuries of the church, the Second Coming of Jesus and the catching away of the church were central themes in preaching and writing. But then interest in prophecy faded for a long stretch of church history. Why? Because people began saying that Israel could never return as a nation, that the Jewish people could never have a national identity again, that the prophetic passages had to be symbolic, that the Middle East could never really matter that much.

But now we see why that part of the world matters so much. Economically, militarily, politically, the eyes of the world are constantly drawn there. What once sounded impossible no longer sounds impossible at all. And suddenly the prophetic Word, neglected by so many for so long, stands before us with fresh force.

Then Jesus says, “I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation…”

That phrase matters greatly. The word translated “from” is ek, meaning out of. Jesus is not merely saying He will preserve them through it in the sense of leaving them inside that hour untouched. He is saying He will keep them out of that hour. “You at Philadelphia, you who have little strength, you who have kept My Word, you who have not denied My Name, you who have patiently waited for Me, I will take you out of that time yet to come.”

I think that is such a precious promise.

And notice carefully what He says next. “Which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” This is not just a local trouble in Philadelphia. It is not merely a passing wave of persecution in one region. This is something global. It is a time that comes upon all the world. It is a defined hour, a coming period, a worldwide testing.

And to me, only one event fits that description. The Tribulation.

That is why I believe the church is the company that will be taken out of the hour of temptation that shall come upon all the world. Jesus is not talking here merely about being comforted in hardship. He is talking about being kept out of a specific time period of global trial. That is why this verse has always stood as a key promise in understanding the rapture of the church.

Think about how tender that is. The Lord knows the weakness of His people. He says to Philadelphia, “You have a little strength.” He does not deny it. He does not rebuke them for it. He simply acknowledges it. But then He promises that those who have kept His Word, who have not denied His Name, and who are waiting for Him will be kept out of that coming hour.

I like that. The promise is not based on the church being mighty. It is based on the Lord being faithful.

So Philadelphia becomes a church marked by prophetic expectancy. They are not merely studying prophecy to fill notebooks or win arguments. They are waiting for Jesus. They are keeping the word of His patience. They are living with the awareness that He may come at any time.

Beloved, that is how prophecy ought to affect us too. It should not make us strange. It should not make us proud. It should make us patient. It should make us watchful. It should make us hopeful. It should make us long for Jesus Christ.

And it should steady our hearts with this promise: there is an hour coming upon all the world, but the church of Jesus Christ will be kept out of it.

That is not escapism.
That is expectancy.
That is not fear.
That is hope.
That is not speculation.
That is the promise of the Lord to those who keep the word of His patience.