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To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write the following:

This is the solemn pronouncement of the Holy One, the True One, who holds the key of David, who opens doors no one can shut, and shuts doors no one can open:

I know your deeds. (Look! I have put in front of you an open door that no one can shut.) I know that you have little strength, but you have obeyed my word and have not denied my name. Listen! I am going to cause those people from the synagogue of Satan÷who say they are Jews yet are not, but are lying Look, I will make them come and bow down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. Because you have kept my admonition to endure steadfastly, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come on the whole world to test those who live on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have so that no one can take away your crown. The one who conquers I will make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will never depart from it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God (the new Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven from my God), and my new name as well. The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

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Reading this passage of commendation to that church we get a picture of a body of believers who are already in hardships. There are those who are trying to shut doors on their ministry (vs 8), opposition from a "synagogue of Satan" (9) and they are in a time where they are required to "endure steadfastly". I think we can, at the outset, see that this passage doesn't seem to describe our present spiritual scene. This passage seems to describe a period of persecution much greater than what we have now.

I believe that Rev 3:10 has a twofold reference. First, that it refers to the historical church in Philadelphia in Asia Minor and their struggles to be faithful to Christ amidst vicious antagonism from both Roman government and the local populace.
 
It also has reference to the endtimes. More specifically, I believe it refers to those who  have already had occasion to prove the reality of their faith in the face of persecution. It is to Christians like these (and to us?) that the promise comes "I will keep you from the hour of testing".

A couple of things needs to be said about this verse:


1. This "hour of testing" ("horas tou peirasai") cannot refer to the Day of the Lord. Then the time for testing (trial) is gone. There is no more opportunity for refining or sifting. Rather the Day of the Lord is the time of the undiluted wrath of God on an unrepentant mankind. This "hour of testing" is the same as the "great tribulation" that is mentioned in Matt 24 and elsewhere.
2. "Kept from" ("tyryso ek") does not *necessarily* refer to being removed (raptured from) hardships. It may refer to divine protection in the midst of cataclysms. A case in point is John 17:15 where we have the same construction. In Jesus' high priestly prayer concerning us He prays:

"I do not ask you to take them out of the world, but to keep them from ("tyrysys autous ek...") the evil one."

Did Jesus ask the Father to separate the Christians of all ages from the evil one? No, we are protected in the presence of Satan (so to speak) by putting on our spiritual armor and fighting the good fight of faith. This very same phrase ("kept from") speaks, likewise, of our being kept in, not from, tribulation.