Jesus said something special to the angel of the church in Philadelphia. He said:

Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth (Revelation 3:10 New American Standard Bible).

When you think about it, what Jesus is talking about is the opposite of the great, end-time falling away. He's telling the angel of this particular church that, because they have remained steadfast and faithful to His words, He will keep them from experiencing the persecutions of the great, end-time tribulation. I don't know about you, but these words encourage me. You see, the church that was at Philadelphia in John's day no longer exists. But, the angel that Jesus was speaking to is still around. So, I like to think that, at least in spirit, I'm a member of that church.

I don't connect this passage, as some do, to the rapture of the church. However, if I'm wrong and we get raptured before the great tribulation begins, you won't find me complaining. But, unfortunately, I don't think it's going to happen as we might wish. Keep in mind, Jesus' promise was said to only one church out of seven. He wasn't promising an escape for all believers, only to those who remained steadfast. And if you recall, the rapture is for all believers.

This brings us to something I might share. Sometimes I'm asked how I understand the coming antichrist's rule -- if I think it will be the same world-wide. If what we now see forming in Europe is the beginning of the antichrist's kingdom, then the power he could wield might be explained by circles within circles. The inner circles could be where his power would be the greatest. The outer circles could be where his power the weakest. Recently a member of our discussion board posted the following image from NATO's Website. It revealed what it was I was trying to describe perfectly. Notice, at the very center of power, we find the 10-nation Western European Union. The outer reaches of power would reside in the United Nations.

The really interesting thing for me is, at the center of this power we find the Western European Union's Recommendation 666. If you recall, this document recommends to the Council of the European Union that their High Representative be given emergency powers. Now, here's my question: If the U.S. withdraws from Iraq in 2009 as expected, what happens if the doomsday predictions come true  -- the entire Middle East region explodes into sectarian chaos?

The bottom line is, I believe there could be places where the coming antichrist's circles of power won't completely reach. And, I believe for some who live in these outer areas, it be may be exactly as Jesus said:

Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth (Revelation 3:10).

So, what ever you do, stay tuned!!