by

Wilfrid C. Meloon

The arsenal of weapons that Pretribulationists use to “shoot down” the Post-tribulationists, is a very impressive but presumptuous array. Among those “weapons” none is impressive as their list of “proof texts”.

At first sight, it looks legitimate, it appears to be very persuasive and with other fundamentalists or conservatives, it is accepted as “the” proof positive because “the Bible says so.”

The principal of using “proof texts”, however, can be and is, very much overworked. And it is not only overworked but is often abused in that the user does not follow up by explaining that verse. Now, we are not entirely opposed to using proof texts. If someone suddenly asked me, is the one thing God requires in order to be saved?” I imagine without much hesitation that I would come back with the answer, “Faith!” and give a couple “proof texts”—“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved” and “without faith it impossible to please God”. I would probably quote Ephesians 2:8 and 9, “For by grace ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not of works any man should boast”.

But, in giving these texts, I am considering the overwhelming evidence of the entire the Word of God, that supports this conviction. This thought, this teaching, this is part and parcel of the whole message of God; there are not just a few isolated texts here and there that “seem” to say this.

This, I fear, is what pretribulationism is based on—a few isolated texts here and there that by themselves could be interpreted to mean that Christ is going to come back before tribulation period for His church, before His second coming.

I have in my files a personal letter from John F. Walvoord, one of the leading exponents today in the United States of the pretribulation theory, sometimes designated “dispensational premillennialism”. In essence he says, “There are no explicit scriptures, only implicit”. Many pretribulationists will not admit this, but say that there scriptures which specifically teach the “fact”—they say—that Jesus Christ is coming before the tribulation, or, the church will be raptured before the tribulation.

One of their “favorites” is the verse 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.”

Practically every book that is written, every article published that is trying to build scriptural support for pretribulationism, will use this verse. We will not take the here to show that it is a proof-text for their use by quoting from other authors; believe me, it is so accepted. Some will say it “proves” pretribulation; others will say it pretribulation, but all dispensational premillennialists will use it to strengthen their case.

DOES IT REALLY EITHER “PROVE” OR “IMPLY” THIS THEORY?

Let us deal with the word “imply” first. If—I say “if”!—the position of the pretribulation teachers were specifically taught elsewhere, if there were no question about the fact Christ really is coming before the tribulation to rapture out His church, then, this verse could possibly be used to say that. We agree then with Walvoord’s assumption, that it is an “implicit” scripture, But—it then cannot be called a “proof-text”! I repeat, if it is agreed that it alone, standing alone, taken alone, is only implicit, rather than explicit, surely the doctrine of pretribulationism must look elsewhere for “proof.”

Secondly, let us look at it as a “proof text”, which is the way most pre-tribulationists look at it. at it. Does it “prove” the dispensational dogma of pre-tribulationism?

To use this as a “proof-text,” they have to assume two things:

1. That the “hour of temptation” is referring to the “Great Tribulation” period 7 years (or 3 ½, they do not agree on this, either!) and,

2. That “keep thee from” means “take out of” or “rapture to heaven”.

Not only do they have problems in “proving” the above two basic principles, there are others. If the 7 churches, for instance, of Revelation 2 and 3 represent seven consecutive “church periods”, and this Revelation 3:10 is only in the 6th period, it would mean one whole church period has to come after the rapture! This is rather obvious, so they have devised several “schemes” of interpretation so they can still use this verse as a pre-tribulation “proof-text”. Some say the last two churches run concurrently (though none of the other 5 do!) and only the believers of the true church (Philadelphia) will be taken up, and apostate church (Laodicea) will not. Others say that the true church is now existing, when the rapture occurs, the Laodicea church will then come into existence as the apostate church which goes through the Tribulation period.

Another problem is their insistence that “keep thee from” means to “take out of” and yet most pretribulation advocates teach strongly that the church will not enter the period at all. We will never get into it, they say. Now, how can we be “taken out of it” if we were never in it? Think about that!

Most of these interpretations are simply gratuitous to the pre-tribulation position altogether too “convenient”! They also bring out too many other problems in dealing with chronology which we cannot go into here.

We feel the context, the true meaning of original words is the real “key” to a core understanding of these words in Revelation 3: 10.

First: Does the “hour of temptation” mean “The Great Tribulation period”? We have no way of knowing for sure, because the scriptures do not say. We can only assume, that is all anyone can do. But, considering the context, considering the words themselves, we are inclined to agree that “hour of temptation” is synonymous with “The Great Tribulation.”

The Greek word for “temptation” is “pierasmos” and is used only this once in the Revelation. It really means “trial” or “testing” whereas “tribulation” is from the Greek word “thlipsis” and means “attrition; a squeezing”. It is the same root as for “trouble”.

The word “pierasmos” and its various translations is not even used by pretribulationists anywhere else in scripture to refer to the Great Tribulation. I doubt, seriously, if it can be proved, I say “proved” that this “hour of temptation” is referring to the same period of time, but seeing I believe it does, we will not labor the point. But—once again because of this lack of “proof” that it is referring to the same period of time, Revelation 3:10 cannot be a “proof” text! If—I say “if”—somewhere else the Word said, “I will keep thee from the Great Tribulation period” then, of course, this Revelation 3:10 could be used to teach the same thing.

Second: Does “keep thee from” mean “take out of” or “rapture to heaven”?

Let us first look at the rather obvious facts! The word “rapture” does not appear anywhere in scripture! It is a word chosen first by dispensationalists around 1830, when Darby first promoted the “pre-trib” idea, having gotten it from a little lady, probably in her teens, who had a “dream” or vision of successive raptures, depending on one s spirituality. Today it is called “selective rapture” or “partial rapturism”. He rehashed the views proposed by her and Edward Irving into a more inclusive event, and taught, for the first time, as even men like Walvoord admit, that all Christians, ready or not, will be raptured before the tribulation.

The word “rapture” comes from the Latin, a root form which is also the root of the word “to rape”! Now, maybe you know why I don’t like the word “rapture”! Oh, I often use it because of what it has come to mean; I believe in the “rapture” or translation of the saints to meet Christ in the air (1 Thess. 4: 13-18), but to believe in the “rapture” is not synonymous with being a dispensational premillennialist, a “pretribulationist”.

The issue in this little “piece” is not about that, however, but can Revelation 3:10 be used as a “proof-text” for pretribulationism? Can the words “keep thee from” mean “take out of” or “rapture to heaven”.

In the Greek the structure is “tereso ek” for “keep thee from”. Pretribulationists make most of their “hay” from the little Greek word “ek” insisting that it means “out of”. Most of their “scholars” will just not dig deep enough, or, they are deliberately misleading! I will give them the benefit of the doubt and say “they just do not dig deep enough”.

Anyone can see from a concordance that the word “ek” is very common. Indeed, it is used over 800 times. Of those 800 here are some translations, just a few of the 25 different ways it is translated: “among” 5 times, “at” 3 times, “because of “ 3 times, “by” 55 times, “from” 182 times, “of” 402 times, “on” 10 times, “out of” 131 times, and “with” 25 times, and others. From this it is seen that it does not necessarily mean “taken out of” or “raptured up to heaven”.

“I will keep thee from” is the simple translation in practically all the translations available today! Not a single one says “out of”!

But, “ek” can mean that, and it is translated so many ways, depending on the context, it is not a reliable reference point to “prove” anything! Let us go deeper into the context; look at other words, etc. Is there another place where this entire phrase, not just the word “ek”, but “tereso ek” is used? Yes, there is.

In the “Lord’s prayer”—not the model He gave to His disciples—but in John 17 our Savior’s actual prayer to His heavenly Father for us; in verse 9 He says, “I pray for them which thou hast given me”. In verse 11 He says, “These are in the world. . . while I was with them in the world I kept them . . . they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world”. “In the world” but “not of the world”.

Now, notice verse 15. “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil”. First, the phrase “keep them from” is exactly the same except the third person “them” is used instead of the second person “thee”. The Greek structure is the same! “tereses autous ek” in John 17:15, “tereso ek” in Revelation 3:10. And yet, Jesus in John 17:15 said “I pray NOT that Thou shouldest TAKE THEM OUT OF the world”. So, here “keep them from” is the exact opposite of “take out of”, Jesus said so!

Some argue thus, of course, because they have to defend their cherished position, “Oh, but Jesus is not talking about the Great Tribulation period here, he is talking about the church age!”

I could not care less about what the subject is, that is a matter of exposition. The fact is, the Greek words “tereses autous ek” and “tereso ek” cannot mean “take out of”, regardless of when it is! Actually, who is to say that He is not talking about the same time? Even dispensationalists (except the ultra-dispensationalists who make a separate dispensation of the 7 year tribulation period; or 3 ½) admit that that last period is still a part of the same age, or dispensation, and Jesus said, “Lo, I am with you even unto the end of the world (age)”. The Great Tribulation is just an extension of the present day so really Jesus’ prayer for us that we might be “kept” will be just as valid then as it is now!

Our meaning of this verse, then, is not postulated on the use of the word “ek” only, but “tereso ek”, and that does not mean “take out of” but, as all translations put it, “keep from”.

Pretribulationists ridicule our exposition of that verse, by sneering, “You see, that does not mean ‘preserve in’ it means ‘take out’.” They are very vociferous about this! They use such “illustrations” as Rahab, the harlot, who was “delivered”—which they say means “raptured to heaven”—and yet Rahab is a perfect illustration of the post-tribulation view, because she was not raptured, but protected and preserved from. They use Lot in Sodom as a “type” of the raptured saints, but Lot was not “taken out of up to heaven” at all. Indeed, Lot becomes a perfect illustration (type, if you please) of the post-tribulation view, because he was protected, preserved and guided by God —on earth! They use Noah as an example of the coming “rapture”, but Noah is a perfect example of the preservation of the saints on earth, not “raptured to heaven” any more than Rahab or Lot was!

We come back to this word “tereso”—and here is a fact no pretribulationist will dare to look at, much less enter into his writings anywhere. Strongly teaching that it is “against the principles” of God to allow the church to go through tribulation—which, of course, is not true—they deny that the Bible teaches that God will preserve us during that time on earth. “No! Sir! He is going to ‘take us out’!” They argue vociferously, that we are kept not from the temptation but from the hour of temptation, that is, during that time we are not even here! Post-tribulationists argue, we are here but protected and preserved—just as God has always done for His people, the Jews in Egypt during the plagues becoming a very good illustration, with many similarities. God “kept them from” the plagues, so will we be “kept from” the seals, vials, trumpets and their woes, the “tribulation” of men, for God will “recompense trouble to them that trouble you”.

Will he preserve us? Is that God’s promise?

In the writings of Leon Wood, is the rapture next?, he says: “If the writer of scripture had wanted to express the idea of preservation, he surely would have used a preposition here meaning ‘during’, or ‘through’, or ‘in’.”

You see, they are staking too much on the simple little preposition “ek”. That can mean too many things to be “proof” of anything, but how about the word “tereso”?

Turn with me in your Bibles to Jude 1, the first verse of Jude and we read, “. . . to them which are sanctified by God the father, and preserved in Jesus Christ and called”. That word “preserved” there is the same Greek word “tereso” as used in Revelation 3:10!

We anticipate the argument, “Oh, but that has nothing to do with the second coming of Christ! We believe Christians are preserved now, God can and does preserve us when He sees fit to—now!”

What they are saying is, that God is able to do this for us now, but He won’t be able to then! So, we turn to another verse, 1 Thessalonians 5:23 where the entire context is about the future, prophetic things. We read, “I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless. . .” There’s that word “tereso” again! It means “preserved” and is so translated here! But, lest you think this does not refer to the future, read the rest of the verse, “. . . be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” It can’t be more explicit than that!

If it is unto the “coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” it means right through the tribulation period we will “be preserved”! Yet, this very thing pretribulationists explicitly deny. Why don’t they dig deeper into the Word? They only go so far; no farther; else their “proof-texts” begin to fall. If it had said, “. . . be preserved unto the rapture of the church” we post-tribulationists would have to bow out! But it says, clearly, “unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”. “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world (age)” or “full end of the age”.

Providence Baptist Ministries © copyright_date PBM Desktop Publications © copyright_date All rights reserved Revised: May 24, 2010