Revelation 3.10 says "Because thou didst keep the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of trial, that hour which is to come upon the whole world, to try them that dwell upon the earth."
Who is on the earth before the Tribulation? Both Christians and non-Christians.
Christians can't receive initial salvation by works so 3.10 is referring to those already saved who receive a blessing and other believers lose this reward. It is a conditional statement because it says "Because..." so if "thou keeps the word of my patience" that person will escape not just trial as Christians have always faced but the hour of the trial of the Tribulation itself, and the only way one can be assured of this is by rapture, for many Christians will be martyred during the Tribulation. The Tribulation last seven years. It is the 70th seven in Dan. 9.27, and all Daniel's 69 sevens are 2,520 days each (360 x 7) that pointed to when Christ would be cut off.
Luke 21.36 confirms this condition for Christians, "But watch ye at every season, making supplication, that ye may prevail to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man."
What is to come to pass to stand before the Son of man? The Tribulation -- Daniel's final seven.
And again in Matt. 24, "Then shall two man be in the field; one is taken, and one is left: two women shall be grinding at the mill; one is taken, and one is left. Watch therefore: for ye know not on what day your Lord cometh."
So the believer is told to watch. If you don't want, there are consequences. It is better to be taken by the Lord than left. If you watch you will be taken. Taken when? Taken before the important events that unfold in the Tribulation as described in the 7 Trumpets of the Tribulation. The 7th Seal opens up the 7 trumpets and the 7th trumpet pours out the 7 bowls of wrath like a lock tumbler combination to understanding Revelation.
When will this take place? Immediately after the 3 events in Rev. 6.12: "And I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the whole moon became as blood." Then that first rapture according to readiness takes place "before the throne" (7.9) before the 1st trumpet is blown in 8.7.
The great earthquake already happened. 320,000 died in Haiti in 2010 and the 4th greatest earthquake recorded in human history by magnitude was in Japan 2011. Never in human history have two earthquakes with such impact occurred back to back, year over year. The second item, in order, occurred Nov. 3, 2013 the long H3 Hybrid solar eclipse which is the rarest of all solar eclipses was the 4th since Christ and won't happen again till 2172. There are 4 kinds of solar eclipses, the rarest which is the hybrid occurring about 5% of the time. Of the hybrids there are 3 types in which the H3 is the rarest. And it is a long version which lasts for more than a minute and a half.
The 3rd item is the feast Total Lunar Tetrad 2014/15 which will be the 8th since Christ and doesn't happen again till 2582/83.
I for one am saved and can never lose salvation because the Bible says those who are born-again "they shall never perish" (John 10.28), but I can lose the reward of being raptured before the Tribulation and not be included in the 5 wise virgins to enter the marriage feast of the millennial reign over the nations for 1000 years (Matt. 25.1-13; Rev. 2,26,27, 20.4-6) before the New City and New Earth commence.
So daily I read the word of God and prepare myself that if I meet God's standards, keeping the conduct of Matthew 5-7, that I pray along with Paul that I may be accounted worthy. Paul did not pray to be saved or to be kept saved, for he knew his salvation was assured and had eternal life which could never be lost, but what he did pray for was this reward.
Thank you Jesus.
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