Revelation 7:14 "...came out of the great tribulation..."
Revelation 7:14 "...came out of the great tribulation..."
This verse is proof of evangelism during the Great Tribulation. And, horribly, victims of murderous persecution who were professing followers before the "end of the age". I assert there is no Rapture. There is no scripture saying this event will happen before the Great Tribulation. Therefore, the white-robed multitude in Chapter 7 are those who "washed their robes and made them white with the blood of the lamb". (verse 14). Prior to being in an assembled multitude, they starved, were thirsty, and suffered from exposure. I My study suggests a review of Revelation 3:10 for context.
The analysis of Revelation 3:10, where Christ promises the faithful church in Philadelphia, "I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth," is central to understanding the nature of preservation during the Great Tribulation. The precise meaning of "keep you from" is ambiguous, leading to two major theories regarding survival.
The factual language of the promise centers on the core verb and preposition:
The verb "keep" means to guard, hold, or preserve.
The preposition "from" means out of or from.
The resulting ambiguity regarding the mechanism of this preservation—whether it is removal from the time period or protection within the time period—is the source of all subsequent theories.
The Exemption Theory interprets the phrase "keep you from the hour of trial" as signifying total removal from the period.
This theory infers that being "kept from" means that the faithful followers will be exempt from the entire event, implying a pre-tribulation survival or separation. This is the strongest textual implication for removal, interpreting the preposition as separation from the time frame itself.
The Preservation Theory holds that "keep you from the hour" means active protection and endurance during the event.
This theory interprets the phrase as the promise that followers will be preserved or protected out of the sphere of the judgment's destructive power while physically remaining on Earth during the hour of trial. This aligns with other instances of divine guardianship within Revelation.
Under the textua lingua approach, Revelation 3:10 provides a promise of preservation, but the mechanism of survival (removal versus protection) is not explicitly defined. This inherent ambiguity ensures that the ultimate survival of the followers remains conditional upon their fidelity, regardless of the chosen timeline interpretation.
The promise is not an unconditional guarantee; it is a direct, reciprocal response from the Dynamic God, making the protection conditional upon the believer's active choice.
The divine response is conditional upon the preceding human action: "Because you have kept My word of patient endurance ." This requires the believer to continually maintain their commitment and actively endure opposition.
The consequence of this faithful action is the promise: "I also will keep you from the hour of trial." The use of the same root verb emphasizes the covenant reciprocity: because they guarded His word, He will guard them.
The choice of the verb (to guard/preserve), rather than stronger verbs for sudden rescue ( a rapture), supports the inference that the mechanism is one of guardianship and preservation within the trial, aligning the survival with the requirement of patient endurance.
The requirement of patient endurance is reinforced by contrasting it with the historical failure of the emancipated Hebrews.
The Exodus generation failed to display patient endurance, frequently murmuring and choosing to retreat to the bondage of Egypt when faced with hardship in the wilderness (Numbers 14:3). Their failure was a lack of faith that undermined the Dynamic God's purpose for their journey.
The Philadelphia church's required response is the antithesis of the Exodus failure. Their protection is contingent upon continual active fidelity. Survival during the hour of trial is granted only to those who endure the wilderness condition of persecution, confirming the Dynamic God honors the active, enduring choice of faith.
Conclusion
The promise in Revelation 3:10 is an ambiguous but powerful statement of preservation that is entirely conditional. The choice between exemption and protection is interpretive, but the requirement for patient endurance is absolute. This conditional survival underscores the Open Theism foundation, confirming that the ultimate outcome is sustained by the Dynamic God's reciprocal response to the believer's ongoing commitment.
References:
https://www.gotquestions.org/church-in-Philadelphia.html
This analysis focuses on the psychological and spiritual state of those who realize they were not "raptured" at all and the resulting impulse to evangelize. This aligns with the necessity of an active Christian witness during the Great Tribulation that results in the white-robed multitude (Revelation 7:9-17).
The textua lingua does not describe the initial psychological state of those may consider themselves "left behind," while others were raptured but the surrounding context of the seals provides a factual environment for their realization:
Absence of Secrecy: The events of the first four seals—war, economic collapse, famine, and death (Revelation 6:1-8)—are massive, visible, global catastrophes. The reality of the Tribulation sinks in not through the sudden disappearance of others, but through the overwhelming, objective proof of global judgment.
The Catalyst: The realization is likely solidified by the cosmic upheaval of the Sixth Seal, where all people, rich and poor, acknowledge the impending catastrophe referred to as the "wrath of the Lamb" (Revelation 6:16-17). This universal confession confirms that the end-time prophecies have begun.
An inference that professing followers realizing they were not "taken up" will advance into an excited state and try to warn others is a plausible mechanism for the emergence of the vast, white-robed multitude.
Source of the Multitude: The uncountable multitude factually "come out of the great tribulation" (Revelation 7:14), confirming that massive conversion occurs during the judgments. This conversion requires an active witness.
The Agents: While the primary, protected agents are the 144,000 sealed and the Two Witnesses, the witness of the newly converted is not forbidden. The realization by those who were "left behind" (the "left-behind church") that the time is urgent, combined with the presence of the supernaturally empowered agents, could easily result in spontaneous, high-risk evangelism.
The Risk: As previously established, evangelism during this period is inherently risky and sans divine hedge for unsealed individuals. The text describes the persecution of those who "come out of the great tribulation" (Revelation 7:14) and the martyrdom of those who refuse the mark of the Beast (Revelation 20:4), confirming that such activity carries the highest potential cost.
My observation from this scenario is when the "signs" of the end times mentioned by Jesus and recorded in Matthew 24.