Page 87 - The Remnant Bride

again in the time of tribulation that is coming upon the world. Yet those children of God

who are friends to the world, who have embraced the idols of the world, will not be kept
from this time.

If we look at the verse again that was written to the church of Philadelphia, and we
examine the phrase “I will keep you from the hour of testing,”” we find that the word ‘keep’

is derived from the Greek word ‘tereo’. Strong’s Dictionary of Greek words has this to say
about this word:

NT:5083

tereo (tay-reh'-o); from teros (a watch;); to guard (from loss or injury, properly, by
keeping the eye upon...)

How perfectly this fits with what we have read about the 144,000. They are not

removed from the earth during the Tribulation, but they are watched over by God as He
guards them from all loss or injury. We can see this same pattern played out in numerous

instances throughout scriptures.

God preserved Elijah during the three years that He punished Israel with a drought
so severe that no rain fell during the entire period. First God provided water for Elijah at
the Brook Cherith, and the ravens brought him his food. Later God sent Elijah to a widow,

and her oil and grain never ran out as long as Elijah dwelt with her.

Similarly, God protected Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when they were cast into
the fiery furnace. The guards and soldiers who cast them into the furnace perished from the
heat of the flames, but these three came back out and did not even have the smell of smoke

on them. We could also speak of Lot and his family’s protection when God destroyed the

plains of Sodom and Gomorrah, and of Noah and his family when God destroyed the earth
with a flood. The pattern is clear. God makes a distinction between the righteous and the

unrighteous when He sends His judgments upon the earth.
One of the clearest passages of scripture that shows the importance of being prepared

ahead of time for the return of the Lord is the parable of the wise and foolish virgins. Many
saints who have slumbered spiritually while the hour grew late, and who have bedded down

with the world, will find that it is too late to remedy the situation when the Lord appears.
As the five foolish virgins who failed to keep oil in their lamps, these foolish saints will rush