Yeshua’s Pre-Trib Prayer – Commonly Called the LORD’s Prayer

Matthew 6:9-13 – “You, therefore, pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven! May your Name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us the food we need today. Forgive us what we have done wrong, as we too have forgiven those who have wronged us. And do not lead us into the time of trial, but keep us safe from the Evil One. For kingship, power and glory are yours forever. Amen’.”

Have you ever considered Yeshua’s Prayer to be a prayer asking Yahweh /Yeshua to keep you from the Time of Jacob’s Trouble, from the Tribulation Period? If not, then perhaps you should:

Time of Trial / Testing / Temptation
Matthew 6:13 – “Do not lead us into the time of trial [Testing / Temptation].”
Luke 11:4 – “Do not lead us into the time of trial [Testing / Temptation].”
The most common translation of Matthew’s and Luke’s scriptures is translated “into temptation” by at least nine Bibles. The word translated temptation is the Greek word peirasmos [πειρασμός G3986] which means: a putting to proof or adversity. This word, peirasmos, is equivalent to the Hebrew words massah [H4531 מַסָּה] which means: testing, or trial, and ‛inyân [H6045 עִנְיָן] which means: to travail, or to be afflicted.

I appreciate most the New Revised Standard which translates it more accurately as: “into the time of trial” or the Complete Jewish Bible which translates it this way: “into a time of hard testing”. The footnotes of the NET also agrees that it may be translated: “into a time of testing.” Both are valid translations of the Greek word peirasmos.

Many consider this part of the prayer to only be a request to be kept from sin, but it is more accurately a request to be kept from a time of testing or trial.  This is succinctly stated in other scriptures, including Matthew 26:41 – “Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial”, Mark 14:38 – “Keep awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial” and Luke 22:40 – “Pray that you may not come into the time of trial,” which again, most Bibles poorly translate as “into temptation.”

Begging The Question
The question, then to ask, is: “When is the time of temptation, testing, or trial?” and scripture answers this quite well – “For that day will come like a snare on all those who dwell on the surface of all the earth. Therefore be watchful all the time, praying that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will happen, and to stand before the Son of Man” – Luke 21:35-36.

That “day,” or period, is called by various terms and titles throughout both Old and New Covenants:
• The Tribulation Period
• Daniel’s 70th Week
• Day Of The LORD
• Day Of Christ
• Day Of Wrath
• Day Of Indignation
• Days Of Vengeance
• The Hour of Trial
• Time Of Jacob’s Trouble
• Time Of The End
• The Lamb’s Wrath
• The Great And Terrible Day Of The LORD

When that day comes, Yahweh promises: “I will keep you from the time of trial [peirasmos G3986] coming upon the whole world to put the people living on earth to the test [peirasmos G3986]” – Revelation 3:10.
Almost all translations use the phrase “hour of trial (ESV, NIV, NRSV), time of trial (CJB), hour of testing (HCSB, HNV, NASB, NET, WEB), or time of testing” (NLT) except the King James versions which stubbornly continue to translate it hour of temptation.

Again, the same Greek word, peirasmos [G3986] used in Yeshua’s prayer, which is more accurately translated testing or trial – not temptation.

Evil / Evil One
Matthew 6:13 – “Keep us safe from the Evil One.”
Again, “keep us safe from evil” is a common translation of Matthew’s and Luke’s scriptures, translated this way by several Bibles. There are many more translations, however, that translate it more accurately this way: “Keep us safe from the Evil One. Interesting to note that the newest translation of the KJV, the NKJV, also now translates it Evil One!

The word poneros [πονηρός G4190], most generally translated evil, can be a specific and personified reference to the devil, Satan, as it is in this verse where it is written as τό [G3588] poneros [G4190]. Tό poneros is used the same way in Matthew 5:39 – “Do not resist the evildoer”, Matthew 5:37 – “Let your word be ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no.’ More than this is from the evil one”, Matthew 13:38 – “The weeds are the people who belong to the Evil One”, and Matthew 13:49 – “The angels will go forth and separate the evil people from among the righteous.”

All of these, “the Evil One, evildoer, or evil people”, are valid translations of the Greek words tό poneros [G3588 G4190]. The word poneros [G4190] when used alone in these verses cannot be translated simply as “evil”.

Conclusions
Luke 21:36 –“Pray that you will have the strength to escape all the things that will happen and to stand in the presence of the Son of Man.”
2 Timothy 4:18 – “ The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and bring me safely into his heavenly Kingdom.”
Revelation 3:10 – “Because you did obey my message about persevering, I will keep you from the time of trial coming upon the whole world to put the people living on earth to the test.”

Yeshua’s Prayer is definitely a prayer asking Yahweh / Yeshua to keep a person from a Time Of Trial that keeps that person safe from the Evil One. While this can be applied to daily occurrences, it most definitely can and should be seen as an urgent request to be kept from the Tribulation Period, the Time of Jacob’s Trouble, which Yahweh promises to do (Revelation 3:10).

Final Comment
Matthew 24:42 – “ So stay alert, because you don’t know on what day your Lord will come.”
Until that time, we are to stay alert, anxiously awaiting his appearing. This warning is repeated many times in Matthew 24:42; Matthew 25:13; Mark 13:33; Luke 12:40; and 1 Thessalonians 5:6.

Final Thought for 2024
Time is short – Yeshua Ha’Mashiach is coming soon. So, what are we to do while we wait for our Lord and Savior, Yeshua, to appear?
Watch And Be Ready: Matthew 24:42, 25:13; Mark 13:33; Luke 12:40, 21:36; 1 Thessalonians 5:6
Pray And Be Ready: Luke 12:40, 21:36; Matthew 24:42, 25:13; Mark 13:33; 1 Thessalonians 5:6
Purify Oneself: 1 John 3:2-3
Abide In Yeshua: 1 John 2:27-28, 3:2, 4:13-16; Jeremiah 31:34; Hebrews 8:11; Mark 8:38
Look For His Coming: Hebrews 9:28;Acts 1:11; Titus 2:11-13; Isaiah 25:9

Slides or an Essay can be seen or downloaded here:
https://raptureparty.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/pretribulation-prayer-slides.pdf
https://raptureparty.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/pretribulation-prayer-essay.pdf