Question: Doesn't Rev 3:10 Prove that the church will escape the tribulation?

Answer: No, next question? Seriously, please understand that I am not 100% sure that my position is correct. I also have not worked out every detail. My mission, in discussing this topic is not to convert anyone to my position, my mission is to make people think a little, and study a little, and work through these things themselves, rather that blindly accepting things their pastor said, or they read in a Hal Lindsay book or Left Behind novel. Be a Berean, search the word daily to see if these things are so. I am not here to create certainty, I am attempting to inject doubt. Regarding Rev 3:10, I will give it my best shot.

Rev 3:10

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 upon the earth.

Let's look at this verse from several angles:

Because(Hóti)	you have guarded(eteéreesas)	the (tón)	word(lógon)	patience(hupomoneés)	of my (mou)
I also (kagoó)	you (se)	will keep (teereésoo)	from (ek)	the (teés)	hour (hoóras)
of the testing  (toú peirasmoú)	that (teés)	shall (melloúsees)	come (érchesthai)	upon  (epí)	the (teés)
land (oikouménees)	all (hólees)	to test (peirásai)	those  (toús)	that reside (katoikoúntas)	upon (epí)
the (teés)	ground (geés)

 To but the above Greek into an order that makes sense in English:

Because you have guarded the word of My patience (perseverance) , I also will keep you from the hour of the testing (trial) that shall come upon all (the) land to test those that reside upon the ground (earth).

That is as literal as I know how to make that verse from the Greek. I am not a Greek scholar, and do not wish to imply otherwise. Generally, I trust the translators just fine, and they did a good job here, but sometimes, one can discover nuances in the original languages which are not obvious in English. I wanted to get the Greek on the page, for later reference.

If I understand your question correctly, that you think this verse is saying words to the effect that "I will remove you out of the tribulation". If it says that, then my position may well be wrong, but there are several problems with assuming that this is what is being inferred. For example, keeping from (ek in the Greek), does not imply removal, allow me to quote from Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words:

"As to whether the ek here denotes "out of the midst of " or "preservation from," this is determined by the statement in 5:9, the context of which makes clear that believers are to be delivered from (not "out of") the divine wrath to be executed on the nations at the end of the present age". The context there was not Rev 3:10, but it does show that ek can mean preservation in the middle of, not removal out of, depending on the context. In the context of Rev 3:10, the subjects are either removed from or protected in the hour of testing. Nothing in the verse demands either interpretation.

Another problem is, there is nothing here that necessitates that the hour of testing, is necessarily the tribulation, that I can see.

So far, there is no removal specifically mentioned, and the tribulation is not identified, but there are other problems. This hour of testing, is upon those who dwell upon the earth. Looking at some similar phraseology.

The world and all the inhabitants in it.

Luke 21:34-36

34 "Be on guard, that your hearts may not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day come on you suddenly like a trap; 35 for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth. 36 "But keep on the alert at all times, praying in order that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."

In all of these cases, those who dwell on the earth, are those that will suffer the wrath of God. I have never seen a verse, that equates the wrath of God, to the great tribulation. Post-trib believers agree with pre-trib believers that Christians are not subject to God's wrath. Even Luke's verse above, has something you may want to notice. In it, Jesus instructs to pray to have the strength to escape all these things. Notice the language about the day coming suddenly like a trap. That is language that pre-tribbers usually apply to the coming of the tribulation. I have a question, Why would the Apostles need to pray about having the strength to escape something that pre-tribbers claim the church will not be here for? Just Asking.

Having looked over some verses, let's go back now and consider one more thing from the Greek. We focused on the word "ek". It is a preposition, probably not the best part of speech to base a case on, How about looking at a verb,  an action word? The word "keep" (teereésoo), has, as it's root, tereo, which generally means to guard or to preserve. When you think about it, it goes well with what we learned about ek. The idea here, I believe, is that they will be preserved or protected in the midst of the hour of testing. Works for me.

I know, that as usual, I am long winded, so please allow me one more item to note. We grab onto this verse as though it is a promise to the church in general. In the context in Revelation, it is written to the church at Philadelphia. Why do we suppose that this is us? Why not take a look at a 'promise' to another church?

Rev 3:14-18

14 "And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: 15'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I would that you were cold or hot. 16'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. 17'Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,

Now, I do not want to sound like a pessimist, but that seems more like the church in general in my country.

Summary on Rev 3:10

Is there good reason to apply this promise to us?

Is the great tribulation clearly mentioned here?

Is any sequence or timing even given here?

Is there a reason to assume, based on the language, that any kind of removal is picture? One might also note, that the same author (John) used this same Greek language (ek tereo) in his gospel, where Jesus is giving His high priestly prayer, John 17:15: - "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one." There the idea is not to take them out of the world, but to protect them in it.

The answer to those questions is clearly "no". If we are to discover a pre-trib rapture in the Bible, it will have in some other verse, but thank you for your question, it was a good one.

Omegaman