But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved./Matthew 24:13

[WalterandDebbie]

24:1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.

24:2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

24:8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.

24:10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand

24:16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:

24:17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:

24:18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

24:19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

24:20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

24:22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

24:23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

24:25 Behold, I have told you before.

24:26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

24:27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

24:28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

24:31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

24:32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:

24:33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

24:34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

24:37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

24:38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

24:39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

24:40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

24:41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

24:42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

24:43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

24:44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

24:45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?

24:46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

24:47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

24:48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;

24:49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;

24:50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,

24:51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

Are we to assume that those who don't endure in their faith to the end won't be saved?

I see the weeping and gnashing of teeth as the penalty for not enduring to the end (vs. 51). Some people insist not enduring to the end simply means you'll lose kingdom privilege. Well, I can't argue that hell certainly is a loss of kingdom privilege, alright.

 

[Willie T]

It still staggers my imagination how that chapter, so clear in its wording, could have become SO misunderstood and misrepresented.

 

[Malachi]

24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Evidently, this verse is not crystal clear to many who believe that salvation -- eternal life -- is in view, and assume that this has something to do with losing one's salvation. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Therefore we need to back up, look at the context, look at the teaching on salvation, and then clearly understand what the Lord said. That word "endure" is the Greek word hupomeno [Strong's 5278]which means to stay under, to undergo, to bear trials, to have fortitude, to persevere, to endure. So we know that this is speaking about the trials and afflictions of believers in this world, and their perseverance through those trials.

That word "saved" is the Greek word sozo [Strong's 4982] which can mean (1)save, (2) deliver, (3) protect. (4) heal, (5) preserve, (6) make whole. So the issue really is what should it mean in this context and in view of the biblical doctrine of salvation?

Salvation is by grace through faith in Christ and His finished work of redemption (Eph 2:8,9). It is THE GIFT OF ETERNAL LIFE (Rom 6:23), not of works, not of endurance, not of patience, not of anything relating to us, but purely because of God's grace and mercy based upon what Christ accomplished at Calvary and in His resurrection (Titus 3:4-7). This being the case this verse has nothing to do with our eternal salvation.

The context is verses 4-12 which include deception (vv 4,5), wars and conflicts (vv 6,7), famines, pestilences, earthquakes (v 7), persecution, hatred of Christians, and martyrdom (v 9), betrayal and hatred by many (v 10), false prophets and their deception (v 11), the increase of sin and evil in this world (v 12), the decrease in love for God, and Christ, and Christians (v 12).

What the Lord is saying is basically Christians who patiently persevere as Christians through all of this will be DELIVERED. Delivered from what? Experiencing the Tribulation and the Great Tribulation (vv 15-22). This corresponds to Rev 3:10 "Because thou has kept the word of MY PATIENCE, I also will keep thee [preserve thee] from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth". This is, in fact, an indirect allusion to the Rapture of the Church before the Tribulation Period.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

That word "saved" is the Greek word sozo [Strong's 4982] which can mean (1)save, (2) deliver, (3) protect. (4) heal, (5) preserve, (6) make whole. So the issue really is what should it mean in this context and in view of the biblical doctrine of salvation?

Salvation is by grace through faith in Christ and His finished work of redemption (Eph 2:8,9). It is THE GIFT OF ETERNAL LIFE (Rom 6:23), not of works, not of endurance, not of patience, not of anything relating to us, but purely because of God's grace and mercy based upon what Christ accomplished at Calvary and in His resurrection (Titus 3:4-7). This being the case this verse has nothing to do with our eternal salvation.

It is a salvation secured through 'faith', not a salvation secured through 'nothing'. The faith that saves is identified by the works it produces. That is why works are used to identify and confirm saving faith. Works that do not endure to the end signify a faith that has not endured to the end. Salvation is not secured by nothing. You have to have faith to be saved. No more faith, no more salvation.

 

[WalterandDebbie]

Are we to assume that those who don't endure in their faith to the end won't be saved?

I see the weeping and gnashing of teeth as the penalty for not enduring to the end (vs. 51). Some people insist not enduring to the end simply means you'll lose kingdom privilege. Well, I can't argue that hell certainly is a loss of kingdom privilege, alright.

Habakkuk 2:4
Habakkuk 2 King James Version (KJV)4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.
I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.
2 And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.

3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.
5 Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people:

6 Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his! how long? and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay!

7 Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be for booties unto them?
8 Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoil thee; because of men's blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein.
9 Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil!
10 Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people, and hast sinned against thy soul.

11 For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.
12 Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and stablisheth a city by iniquity!
13 Behold, is it not of the Lord of hosts that the people shall labour in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity?
14 For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.
15 Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!

16 Thou art filled with shame for glory: drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered: the cup of the Lord's right hand shall be turned unto thee, and shameful spewing shall be on thy glory.
17 For the violence of Lebanon shall cover thee, and the spoil of beasts, which made them afraid, because of men's blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein.
18 What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols?
19 Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it.
20 But the Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.

Jude 1-25.
Jude 1-25King James Version (KJV)3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

1 Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:
2 Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.
3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

5 I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.
6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
8 Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.

9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;

13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.

17 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;
18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.
19 These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.
20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

22 And of some have compassion, making a difference:
23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

 

[Malachi]

It is a salvation secured through 'faith', not a salvation secured through 'nothing'.

Salvation is by grace through faith in Christ and His finished work of redemption (Eph 2:8,9).

 

[Jethro Bodine]

Salvation is by grace through faith in Christ and His finished work of redemption (Eph 2:8,9).

That's right. You have to have faith to be saved by grace. But somehow grace came to be known as you don't have to have anything to be saved.

What you don't have to have in order to be saved is a righteousness in and of yourself. People take that to mean you don't have to have any righteousness at all. They will be sorely disappointed and surprised on the Day of Wrath.

The signature of saving faith is righteous behavior. Not perfect behavior. Faith leaves footprints behind that, because of what the nature of faith is, must be left behind.