Augustine's unbiblical doctrine of Amillennialism

[Fitzpatrick]

The history of amillennialism can be traced to the church fathers, particularly to the allegorical interpretive approaches to the Scriptures of Origen and Clement of Alexandria. Augustine adopted and further developed this allegorical method of interpretation, especially applying it to the interpretation of prophecy. “As a result of this methodology of Augustine, the Roman Catholic Church was amillennial.

Although the Reformers did reassert the truth of several great Biblical doctrines, they did not really deal with eschatology. Thus Reformed theology as a whole has been amillennial.”

From a conservative protestant standpoint, covenant theology, systematized only within the last 350 years, continues to lend support to amillennialism. The views presented in this chapter concerning amillennialism are primarily according to the predominant eschatological views of Reformed theology, since the liberal theologians, while holding “to a form of amillennialism … are for the most part unconcerned with eschatology.”

Amillennialism simply means no millennium. Hence, the “amillennialist asserts that the Bible does not teach that there will be a physical kingdom on the earth over which Christ will reign. Hence, Israel will not experience fulfillment of the Old Testament promises of national blessing.” The term, however, does not precisely identify the amillennialists’ position, since amillennialists adhere to the view that we are now abiding in a millennium of sorts in this current Church age. Hence, some amillennialists prefer to use the term realized millennium to describe this present age.

Kerry Trahan, A Complete Guide to Understanding the Dispensationalism Controversy

 

[Icabod]

The Rapture is the event in which all who have put their trust in Jesus Christ will be suddenly caught up from the earth and taken into heaven by Him. It is set to occur at an unspecified time in the future.

The word rapture is a translation of the Greek word harpazo. It occurs fourteen times in the New Testament, and at least four meanings are assigned to it. Each of these meanings helps us to understand the nature of the event that is the subject of this chapter.

The first meaning of harpazo is “to carry off by force.” Satan and his demonic cohorts will do everything in their power to keep the saints here on earth. But Christ’s angelic forces will overpower them and carry the believers away by force, delivering them to heaven by the omnipotent power at His command. The devil is mighty; the Lord is almighty.
The second meaning is “to claim for oneself eagerly.” At the end of this present age of grace, our blessed Savior will come to claim us as His very own. He has redeemed us by His precious blood and purchased us for Himself, and He will surely come to take us to be with Him.

The third meaning is “to snatch away speedily.” This definition emphasizes the sudden nature of the Rapture. In a split second the Lord will call all believers to Himself to share in His glory—not one will remain behind.
The fourth meaning is “to rescue from the danger of destruction.” This meaning provides strong support for the belief that the church will be kept from the danger and destruction of the Tribulation.

My study of Scripture convinces me that the two most important events in world history are the first and second comings of the Lord Jesus Christ. We give great attention to His first coming, as we should, but His second coming deserves no less. In fact, I could make a strong case for an even greater emphasis on the Second Coming than on the first. For every prophecy in the Bible about the birth of Christ—His first coming—there are eight about His second coming. The 260 chapters of the New Testament contain 318 references to the second coming of Christ.

I believe there will be two stages to the second coming of Christ. First, He will come suddenly in the air to snatch up His own. This is the Rapture, the “catching up” of the church, which will occur at the beginning of the Tribulation that is coming upon the earth.
The Tribulation will be an extended time of horror, agony, and devastation like nothing ever before seen or imagined. The Rapture is God’s provision for His saints to escape the Tribulation. Jesus will return immediately before this time of world judgment to remove completely all those who have put their trust in Him. As He told the church in Philadelphia, “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” (Revelation 3:10).

The second stage of Christ’s second coming will occur at the end of the Tribulation. Revelation 19 gives us a spectacular and detailed picture of this ultimate event that signals the end of this fallen world’s history. It is also described by many other Bible writers. For example, the prophet Zechariah wrote:

Behold, the day of the LORD is coming …
Then the LORD will go forth
And fight against those nations,
As He fights in the day of battle.
And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,
Which faces Jerusalem on the east.
And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two,
From east to west….
Thus the LORD my God will come,
And all the saints with You. (Zechariah 14:1, 3–5)

The New Testament writer Jude, quoting a prophecy of Enoch, graphically summarized the purpose of the final stage of Christ’s second coming:

“Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” (Jude 14–15)

The Old Testament prophets spoke almost exclusively about the second stage of the Second Coming. The primary reason for this is obvious: The second stage is the final, climactic event in the history of the present world, whereas the first stage, the Rapture, is essentially a preliminary event that sets the scene for the second. But there is also another reason: The prophets simply did not see the first stage clearly. Their perspective on the future was incomplete, denying them the clarity to see the seven-year period of Tribulation that separates the first and second stages of Christ’s final appearance.

If it surprises you to learn that the prophets did not understand everything they wrote about, Peter explained that in addition to the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, these men also applied their own intellects to search for understanding of what was specifically revealed:

The prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. (1 Peter 1:10–11)

Some have likened the vision of the Old Testament prophets to that of seeing a range of mountains from a distance. If you have ever traveled west from Texas across the northern plains of New Mexico toward the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, you know that distance obliterates detail and flattens perspective. You may see, in the distance before you, what seems to be a double-peaked mountain. But as you approach, you begin to see that the two peaks are actually the tops of two mountains, one slightly offset in front of the other.

From their time-distanced vantage point, the prophets saw the two peaks of the Second Coming as one mountain. They identified it as the second coming of Christ with His saints, but they failed to see there was another mountain—the second coming of Christ for His saints—separated from the more distant mountain by the valley of the Tribulation.

As you will discover as you study the chart that follows, there are many distinguishing differences between the two stages of our Lord’s return. Some have described the difference between the Rapture and the Second Coming this way: “The Rapture is a movement from earth to heaven. The Second Coming is a movement from heaven to earth.”


David Jeremiah, Is This the End?

 

[DavidTree]

Darby did not invent the Premill doctrine, that doctrine actually is Biblical.

But Darby did push a false pre-trib rapture, what he referred to as a secret rapture, because he had said only those raptured would know. Darby was an associate of the Edward Irving church, which was teaching a pre-trib rapture, so most likely that's where Darby picked it up. The fact for both though, is that no such doctrine was ever preached in a Christian Church prior to their day of 1830s Great Britain. Even some of their own scholars have admitted that.

So for about 1,800 years, the Christian Church held to Christ's future coming AFTER the tribulation, which is when God's Word shows His "thousand years" reign with His elect will start, which means a pre-mill coming. And this is not simply just my opinion. Those who disagree simply do not read their Bible, but allow some charlatan to tell them what The Bible does not say to deceive them.

Darby did not invent the Premill doctrine, that doctrine actually is Biblical.

Correct

 

[SteveB]

The Rapture is the event in which all who have put their trust in Jesus Christ will be suddenly caught up from the earth and taken into heaven by Him. It is set to occur at an unspecified time in the future.

The word rapture is a translation of the Greek word harpazo. It occurs fourteen times in the New Testament, and at least four meanings are assigned to it. Each of these meanings helps us to understand the nature of the event that is the subject of this chapter.

14 times... interesting.
I have 17 in the KJV.

Total KJV Occurrences: 17

take (2)
Mat 11:12; Joh 6:15 2

by force (3)
Mat 11:12; Joh 6:15; Act 23:10 3

catcheth away (1)
Mat 13:19

catcheth (1)
Joh 10:12

shall (1)
Joh 10:28

man pluck (1)
Joh 10:28

to pluck (1)
Joh 10:29

caught away (1)
Act 8:39

and to take (1)
Act 23:10

caught up (1)
2Co 12:2

he was caught up (1)
2Co 12:4

shall be caught up (1)
1Th 4:17

pulling (1)
Jud 1:23

was caught up (1)
Rev 12:5


According to the Blue Letter Bible, the Textus Receptus shows 13.

Strong's Number G726 matches the Greek ἁρπάζω (harpazō),
which occurs 13 times in 13 verses in the TR Greek.

Mat 11:12

“And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.
Mat 13:19

“When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.
Jhn 6:15

Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.
Jhn 10:12

“But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.
Jhn 10:28

“And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
Jhn 10:29

“My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.
Act 8:39

Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.
Act 23:10

Now when there arose a great dissension, the commander, fearing lest Paul might be pulled to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and bring him into the barracks.
2Co 12:2

I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven.
2Co 12:4

how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
1Th 4:17

Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

Jude 1:23
but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire,fn hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.


Rev 12:5
She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne.


Yet another translation shows 14.

Strong's Number G726 matches the Greek ἁρπάζω (harpazō),
which occurs 14 times in 14 verses in the MGNT Greek.

Welll.... how many ever instances.....
I'm thinking that only one response matters....


Maranatha Lord Jesus!

 

[DavidTree]

The Rapture is the event in which all who have put their trust in Jesus Christ will be suddenly caught up from the earth and taken into heaven by Him. It is set to occur at an unspecified time in the future.

The word rapture is a translation of the Greek word harpazo. It occurs fourteen times in the New Testament, and at least four meanings are assigned to it. Each of these meanings helps us to understand the nature of the event that is the subject of this chapter.

The first meaning of harpazo is “to carry off by force.” Satan and his demonic cohorts will do everything in their power to keep the saints here on earth. But Christ’s angelic forces will overpower them and carry the believers away by force, delivering them to heaven by the omnipotent power at His command. The devil is mighty; the Lord is almighty.
The second meaning is “to claim for oneself eagerly.” At the end of this present age of grace, our blessed Savior will come to claim us as His very own. He has redeemed us by His precious blood and purchased us for Himself, and He will surely come to take us to be with Him.

The third meaning is “to snatch away speedily.” This definition emphasizes the sudden nature of the Rapture. In a split second the Lord will call all believers to Himself to share in His glory—not one will remain behind.
The fourth meaning is “to rescue from the danger of destruction.” This meaning provides strong support for the belief that the church will be kept from the danger and destruction of the Tribulation.

My study of Scripture convinces me that the two most important events in world history are the first and second comings of the Lord Jesus Christ. We give great attention to His first coming, as we should, but His second coming deserves no less. In fact, I could make a strong case for an even greater emphasis on the Second Coming than on the first. For every prophecy in the Bible about the birth of Christ—His first coming—there are eight about His second coming. The 260 chapters of the New Testament contain 318 references to the second coming of Christ.

I believe there will be two stages to the second coming of Christ. First, He will come suddenly in the air to snatch up His own. This is the Rapture, the “catching up” of the church, which will occur at the beginning of the Tribulation that is coming upon the earth.
The Tribulation will be an extended time of horror, agony, and devastation like nothing ever before seen or imagined. The Rapture is God’s provision for His saints to escape the Tribulation. Jesus will return immediately before this time of world judgment to remove completely all those who have put their trust in Him. As He told the church in Philadelphia, “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” (Revelation 3:10).

The second stage of Christ’s second coming will occur at the end of the Tribulation. Revelation 19 gives us a spectacular and detailed picture of this ultimate event that signals the end of this fallen world’s history. It is also described by many other Bible writers. For example, the prophet Zechariah wrote:

Behold, the day of the LORD is coming …
Then the LORD will go forth
And fight against those nations,
As He fights in the day of battle.
And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,
Which faces Jerusalem on the east.
And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two,
From east to west….
Thus the LORD my God will come,
And all the saints with You. (Zechariah 14:1, 3–5)

The New Testament writer Jude, quoting a prophecy of Enoch, graphically summarized the purpose of the final stage of Christ’s second coming:

“Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” (Jude 14–15)

The Old Testament prophets spoke almost exclusively about the second stage of the Second Coming. The primary reason for this is obvious: The second stage is the final, climactic event in the history of the present world, whereas the first stage, the Rapture, is essentially a preliminary event that sets the scene for the second. But there is also another reason: The prophets simply did not see the first stage clearly. Their perspective on the future was incomplete, denying them the clarity to see the seven-year period of Tribulation that separates the first and second stages of Christ’s final appearance.

If it surprises you to learn that the prophets did not understand everything they wrote about, Peter explained that in addition to the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, these men also applied their own intellects to search for understanding of what was specifically revealed:

The prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. (1 Peter 1:10–11)

Some have likened the vision of the Old Testament prophets to that of seeing a range of mountains from a distance. If you have ever traveled west from Texas across the northern plains of New Mexico toward the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, you know that distance obliterates detail and flattens perspective. You may see, in the distance before you, what seems to be a double-peaked mountain. But as you approach, you begin to see that the two peaks are actually the tops of two mountains, one slightly offset in front of the other.

From their time-distanced vantage point, the prophets saw the two peaks of the Second Coming as one mountain. They identified it as the second coming of Christ with His saints, but they failed to see there was another mountain—the second coming of Christ for His saints—separated from the more distant mountain by the valley of the Tribulation.

As you will discover as you study the chart that follows, there are many distinguishing differences between the two stages of our Lord’s return. Some have described the difference between the Rapture and the Second Coming this way: “The Rapture is a movement from earth to heaven. The Second Coming is a movement from heaven to earth.”


David Jeremiah, Is This the End?

I believe there will be two stages to the second coming of Christ. First, He will come suddenly in the air to snatch up His own. This is the Rapture, the “catching up” of the church, which will occur at the beginning of the Tribulation that is coming upon the earth.

Key words = "I believe"

You can "believe" all you want too!

The LORD Jesus told you not to believe such falsehood.

 

[dwight92070]

Listen to this! It stirs me to the core to have the Lord promise:

“Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the world” (Revelation 3:10).

The Lord has a special plan that will keep the Philadelphia church (and all true believers) from the worldwide tribulation which is to come!

The “hour of trial” is the Great Tribulation, you don't want to be there. Notice He does not say, “I will keep you through the hour of trial,” but “from the hour of trial.” This refers to the Rapture, when Jesus will catch away God’s people for Himself. I'm pre-Tribulational in my beliefs, and I clearly see in this promise that the church will not go through the Tribulation. How can the clarity of this promise be explained any other way?

What you really should say is that you wish that were true, because there's no evidence that the hour of trial is the same thing as a seven year tribulation or even a 3 1/2 year tribulation. There's no clarity in this verse that says any such thing. You are imagining that it means what you want it to mean. That's not how scripture is interpreted - by your wish list. Nor is there evidence that this promise to the Philadelphia church applies to anyone other than that local church. You guys say you take scripture literally, but you're not taking this verse literally, are you?

 

[brightfame52]

I heard the pre trib teaching was started by a little girl who said she had a vision that Christ was to come back twice.

 

[SteveB]

I heard the pre trib teaching was started by a little girl who said she had a vision that Christ was to come back twice.

In deference to the Bereans, and Luke's assigning them nobility for their diligence and fairness of mind (Acts 17:11), do you have a source to validate this claim?

 

[Icabod]

Key words = "I believe"

You can "believe" all you want too!

The LORD Jesus told you not to believe such falsehood.

Couple of problems, first of all it's not a falsehood. Just because you do not believe it doesn't make it a falsehood.

Then here's a list of what Jesus did say about believing.

What Does the Bible Say About Believe?

Bible verses about Believe

www.openbible.info

 

[civic]

I heard the pre trib teaching was started by a little girl who said she had a vision that Christ was to come back twice.

And amil is absent from scripture invented by men just like tulip lol

 

[Icabod]

14 times... interesting.
I have 17 in the KJV.

Total KJV Occurrences: 17

take (2)
Mat 11:12; Joh 6:15 2

by force (3)
Mat 11:12; Joh 6:15; Act 23:10 3

catcheth away (1)
Mat 13:19

catcheth (1)
Joh 10:12

shall (1)
Joh 10:28

man pluck (1)
Joh 10:28

to pluck (1)
Joh 10:29

caught away (1)
Act 8:39

and to take (1)
Act 23:10

caught up (1)
2Co 12:2

he was caught up (1)
2Co 12:4

shall be caught up (1)
1Th 4:17

pulling (1)
Jud 1:23

was caught up (1)
Rev 12:5


According to the Blue Letter Bible, the Textus Receptus shows 13.

Strong's Number G726 matches the Greek ἁρπάζω (harpazō),
which occurs 13 times in 13 verses in the TR Greek.

Mat 11:12

“And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.
Mat 13:19

“When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.
Jhn 6:15

Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.
Jhn 10:12

“But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.
Jhn 10:28

“And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
Jhn 10:29

“My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.
Act 8:39

Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.
Act 23:10

Now when there arose a great dissension, the commander, fearing lest Paul might be pulled to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and bring him into the barracks.
2Co 12:2

I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven.
2Co 12:4

how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
1Th 4:17

Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

Jude 1:23
but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire,fn hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.


Rev 12:5
She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne.


Yet another translation shows 14.

Strong's Number G726 matches the Greek ἁρπάζω (harpazō),
which occurs 14 times in 14 verses in the MGNT Greek.

Welll.... how many ever instances.....
I'm thinking that only one response matters....


Maranatha Lord Jesus!

As long as we're in it, that's what matters.

 

[Icabod]

What you really should say is that you wish that were true, because there's no evidence that the hour of trial is the same thing as a seven year tribulation or even a 3 1/2 year tribulation. There's no clarity in this verse that says any such thing. You are imagining that it means what you want it to mean. That's not how scripture is interpreted - by your wish list. Nor is there evidence that this promise to the Philadelphia church applies to anyone other than that local church. You guys say you take scripture literally, but you're not taking this verse literally, are you?

I agree with the post

“Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the world” (Revelation 3:10).

We won't be in the Hour of trial because we'll be raptured before that happens literally.

 

[SteveB]

Couple of problems, first of all it's not a falsehood. Just because you do not believe it doesn't make it a falsehood.

Then here's a list of what Jesus did say about believing.

What Does the Bible Say About Believe?

Bible verses about Believe

www.openbible.info

Just keep in mind, amill-er's only seek to believe themselves.

The existence today of the nation of Israel and the Jewish people pretty much silences the whole concept of amillenialism.
Though, I have heard over the years that amill-er's claim that God cast off the nation of Israel and the Jewish people because of the rejection of Jesus by them back when.

Thankfully, Paul deals with this in Romans 9-11, as well as those prophetic passages throughout the old testament and those in the new.

 

[SteveB]

As long as we're in it, that's what matters.

Maranatha Lord Jesus

 

[SteveB]

Just keep in mind, amill-er's only seek to believe themselves.

The existence today of the nation of Israel and the Jewish people pretty much silences the whole concept of amillenialism.
Though, I have heard over the years that amill-er's claim that God cast off the nation of Israel and the Jewish people because of the rejection of Jesus by them back when.

Thankfully, Paul deals with this in Romans 9-11, as well as those prophetic passages throughout the old testament and those in the new.

I should add Jeremiah 31:35-37...
As Jesus is YHVH the Son, he would have been the one talking to the prophets and he possesses foreknowledge, as described in Isaiah and Romans 8....


Jer 31:35-37 WEB 35 Yahweh, who gives the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, who stirs up the sea, so that its waves roar— Yahweh of Armies is his name, says: 36 “If these ordinances depart from before me,” says Yahweh, “then the offspring of Israel also will cease from being a nation before me forever.” 37 Yahweh says: “If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done,” says Yahweh.


Then of course, the Romans 11 passage really kicks the out of Israel being cast off....

Rom 11:1-6 KJV 1 I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, 3 Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. 4 But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. 5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. 6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

This is the part that blows me away....

Rom 11:28-29 KJV 28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. 29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.


Those people who claim that God is done with Israel have ignored scripture!

As one pastor I know says....

If God doesn't keep his promises to Abraham, Isaac and Israel/Jacob, we cannot, as Jesus followers, depend on Him to keep his promises to us.

But Paul makes the case that God will indeed keep his promises...

2Co 1:18-22 KJV 18 But as God is true, our word toward you was not yea and nay. 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea. 20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. 21 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; 22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

 

[The Rogue Tomato]

Listen to this! It stirs me to the core to have the Lord promise:

“Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the world” (Revelation 3:10).

The Lord has a special plan that will keep the Philadelphia church (and all true believers) from the worldwide tribulation which is to come!

The “hour of trial” is the Great Tribulation, you don't want to be there. Notice He does not say, “I will keep you through the hour of trial,” but “from the hour of trial.” This refers to the Rapture, when Jesus will catch away God’s people for Himself. I'm pre-Tribulational in my beliefs, and I clearly see in this promise that the church will not go through the Tribulation. How can the clarity of this promise be explained any other way?

God can protect people from the "hour of trial" without Jesus having to make a special secret trip to rapture them.

 

[SteveB]

God can protect people from the "hour of trial" without Jesus having to make a special secret trip to rapture them.

You assume it's a special trip, and not part of the planned process.

Isaiah 26 demonstrates it's always been a part of the plan.


Isa 26:20-21 WEB 20 Come, my people, enter into your rooms, and shut your doors behind you. Hide yourself for a little moment, until the indignation is past. 21 For, behold, Yahweh comes out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth also will disclose her blood, and will no longer cover her slain.

 

[Fitzpatrick]

God can protect people from the "hour of trial" without Jesus having to make a special secret trip to rapture them.

Protection isn't the issue "Will be kept from it" That means we won't be here.

 

[The Rogue Tomato]

You assume it's a special trip, and not part of the planned process.

Isaiah 26 demonstrates it's always been a part of the plan.


Isa 26:20-21 WEB 20 Come, my people, enter into your rooms, and shut your doors behind you. Hide yourself for a little moment, until the indignation is past. 21 For, behold, Yahweh comes out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth also will disclose her blood, and will no longer cover her slain.

Jesus only returns once.

 

[The Rogue Tomato]

Protection isn't the issue "Will be kept from it" That means we won't be here.

That's simply not true. "Will be kept from it" could mean a number of ways of not experiencing something, whether it's wrath or tribulation. 144,000 will be kept from the wrath, but they're not raptured.