THE FAITHFUL AND WISE SERVANT

For millennia, believers have wrestled with the question: When will the rapture occur? Pre‑trib, mid‑trib, post‑trib—each view has its claims of Scriptural grounding, its arguments, and its defenders. Yet Scripture’s deepest call is not to speculation, but to faithfulness. Whether Christ comes before, during, or after the tribulation, the command is the same: be ready, be steadfast, be found so doing.

Revelation 3:10 — The Promise of Being Kept

“Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.”

This verse is often cited as evidence for a pre‑tribulation rapture. But beyond debates, its heart is clear: those who keep the word of Christ’s patience will be kept. Patience here means endurance—steadfast loyalty under trial. It is not passive waiting, but active obedience. The promise is not for the careless or lukewarm, but for those who remain faithful. "If you love me, keep my commandments." John 14:15

Meat in Due Season — Faith That Matures

“Who then is a faithful and wise servant… to give them meat in due season?” (Matthew 24:45–46)

The faithful servant does not simply avoid sin. He feeds others. He gives “meat”—the deeper truths of God’s Word—at the exact time they are needed. This is meat faith: maturity, discernment, wisdom.

Hebrews 5:14 – “Strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age… discerning both good and evil.”

James 1:22 – “Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only.”

Meat faith is what sustains them, and God's poor in Spirit, milk-level believers, through the tribulation. It is the seal of maturity, the mark of discernment, the strength to resist deception and endure trials. It is God’s provision “in due season” for His household.

Discernment and maturity are fruits of salvation through Christ Jesus, not the cause of it. Those who grow from milk to meat (Hebrews 5:14) show evidence of the Spirit’s work in them, but it is Christ alone who saves.

Those with discernment do not endure alone. They are called to feed others in due season—to strengthen those who are still babes in Christ:

Hebrews 5:12 – “Ye have need that one teach you again… for every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness.”

1 Corinthians 3:2 – “I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it.”

The faithful and wise servant sustains the household, giving meat to those who are ready, and patiently guiding those still on milk. In tribulation, this ministry of nourishment becomes vital: the mature, discerning and faithful uphold the weak, protect the vulnerable, and strengthen the wavering.

The Light in the Darkness

“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.” (Matthew 5:14)

Why would God remove the light of the world before its darkest hour?

The church is called to shine in the world’s darkness.

Tribulation is the world’s darkest night, full of deception and trials.

Removing the church before that moment would leave the world without living witnesses of truth.

Instead, Scripture shows the faithful shining in tribulation:

Daniel 12:3 – “They that be wise shall shine… and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars.”

Revelation 7:14 – “These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes.”

The light shines brightest when the night is darkest. God’s people are present, sealed, and faithful, bearing witness until Christ returns.

Whether or not, however, the rapture is pre‑trib, mid‑trib, or post‑trib, the promise is the same:

Those who keep His word of patience will be kept from the hour of temptation, one way or another.

Those filled with meat-level discernment, who feed others with meat in due season, helping sustain those still on milk, will be blessed.

The faithful servant is not idle. He is found so doing when the Master comes—serving, obeying, feeding, enduring. The timing of the rapture matters less than the posture of readiness. Jesus wants us to live today as if the rapture is today. The debate over timing will continue, but the heart of Scripture is clear: faithfulness, maturity, endurance, and service. The Lord is coming and blessed is the servant whom He finds so doing.

The faithful and wise servant will be kept from the hour of temptation: Whether it means they will be "kept" by having their eyes wide open and discerning good and evil, to sustain them and others through the tribulation, or they will be whisked away so they do not have to endure it, is irrelevant. Because whether pre‑trib, mid‑trib, or post‑trib, the promise is sure. So, grow into discernment. Keep the word of His patience. Feed others with meat in due season. Sustain those who are still on milk. And live each day as if the trumpet could sound at any moment.

That being said, the scriptural evidence is clear and abundant for a post-tribulation gathering. After all, we are the light of the world:

Why would God remove the light before the End? If there is any hope for unbelievers, or for the wavering to return to Him, we must shine our light in the darkest hour.

The scriptural proof for a post-tribulation gathering:

⏳ Daniel: The Foundation

Daniel 7:21–22 – “I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints…”
→ The saints endure tribulation until God intervenes.

Daniel 12:1 – “And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was… and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.”
→ Deliverance comes after great tribulation, for those written in the book of life.

🌑 Jesus’s Teaching

Matthew 13:30 – “Gather ye together first the tares… but gather the wheat into my barn.”

At harvest (the end), the wicked are removed first, then the righteous gathered.

Matthew 24:29–31 – “Immediately after the tribulation… they shall see the Son of man coming… and he shall send his angels… and they shall gather together his elect.”

The gathering of believers happens after the tribulation, at Christ’s return.

✨ Marking and Sealing

Ezekiel 9:4 – “Set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations…”

→ God marks His faithful before judgment.

Revelation 7:3 – “Hurt not the earth… till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.”

→ Believers are sealed for protection during tribulation.

🔥 Revelation’s Judgment

Revelation 13:8 – “All that dwell upon the earth shall worship him [the beast], whose names are not written in the book of life…”

→ Choices during tribulation reveal who belongs to Christ.

Revelation 20:12, 15 – “…the dead were judged… whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

→ Final judgment separates the faithful from the condemned.

Revelation 21:27 – “…but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

→ Only those marked and faithful enter the New Jerusalem.

The scripture shows a consistent theme: tribulation first, then Christ’s return, then separation of tares and wheat, with believers marked and preserved.

Again, Faithful and Wise Servant, give them meat in due season. Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

May He open eyes to see, ears to hear and hearts and minds to understand. Amen.

See also my blog titled, The Millennial Reign, for God's Word to me about Christ's return. All Glory to God in the Highest, always!