Matthew 10.22 and 24.13 both have this promise that he who endures to the end will be saved. It is stated in a context of persecution, and both contexts could refer to the days leading up to the coming of Christ, but especially the Matthew 24 context.
10.22 reads, 22 “And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.”
24.9-13 reads, 9“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”
What is this salvation being promised?
It is common for Christians to apply this to eternal salvation: you must endure to the end of your life in faith or you were never really saved to begin with or you lose your salvation.
Those who don’t agree with either view just referenced--usually those who believe salvation is by faith alone, and such faith is not indefectible—believe this salvation is a physical one and in reference to those final days of the great tribulation that lead up to the coming of Christ: those who endure in faith to the end will be physically delivered.
And in keeping with the idea of physical salvation are the words of Revelation 13.10: “ He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. “ (NKJV) These words may actually suggest otherwise, but the last part about the patience of the saints could fit with the promise. There’s actually different manuscript readings of this verse that might seem more fitting, “If anyone is meant for captivity into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed by the sword, then by the sword he must be killed. This requires steadfast endurance and faith from the saints.” (NET Bible) The NET Bible agrees with a similar statement in Jeremiah 15.2, while the NKJV agrees with what Christ said in the Garden. Maybe both are represented in Revelation 13. Matthew 26.52: “But Jesus said to him, "Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.” Jeremiah 15.2 reads: “2 "And it shall be, if they say to you, `Where should we go?' then you shall tell them, `Thus says the Lord: "Such as [are] for death, to death; And such as [are] for the sword , to the sword ; And such as [are] for the famine, to the famine; And such as [are] for the captivity, to the captivity." But we know from Revelation believers will be martyred, and the reference above would indicate that if you are appointed to death or captivity, then it will happen.
I think the promise could really be a spiritual one. Jesus said in Luke 21.16-19, “ 16 "You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put [some] of you to death. 17 "And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. 18 "But not a hair of your head shall be lost. 19 "By your patience possess your souls.” The context here I believe is the persecution of the early church, but it is similar to and spoken about in connection with the days leading up to the coming of Christ. When Jesus said not a hair of the head will be lost, he didn’t mean physical hair. He also spoke of possessing their souls by patience. I believe both of these have a spiritual significance.
I think it could be a spiritual kind of salvation. I think it is similar to other statements by Jesus about Losing and saving one’s life or soul—the word “psuche” is translated “life” and “soul.” If one’s life is bound up in the temporal things of life, he will lose his life and those things—he may try to save his life by holding on to those things, but he will die and all that will be lost. But if one sacrifices the temporal for the eternal, he will preserve, find, and save his life, even in death, because those things remain and to the extent they become part of his life, his life will remain in death with those things—not a “hair…lost” would metaphorically mean the preservation of those things. Jesus is recorded using the words “save,” “find” and “preserve,” for the life that is “lost” for him.
Reference in made to Lot’s Wife in a second coming context, connected with that saying about saving and losing one’s life, Luke 17.33. She looked back. Yes, she lost her life physically, but maybe there is more to it—her life was back there in Sodom. She lingered behind, kept looking back. She wanted to save it, but she lost her life, physically, but maybe even more than that, much of who she was, her soul-life.
The saving/ losing of life is used in Mathew 10.39, which is a discipleship context that speaks of the difficulties of that commitment throughout Matthew 10. Matthew 10 is similar to the great tribulation difficulties of Mathew 24. Both Matthew 10 and 24 use the statement about enduring to the end. The “end” must be the end of the period of persecution.
All these connections about discipleship, saving/ losing one’s life, remembering Lot’s wife, and the tribulation of those days could explain the salvation that is in view.
I could see how physical life can be in view, but I think it is more of a spiritual kind of life in view--a value/ purpose of life thing.
Luke 12.23 says that life is more than food and the body more than clothing. Lot’s wife must have been looking back, wanting to hold on to the temporal. If your life is bound up in the temporal, you will lose it, physically, but its who you are. In committed discipleship, your life is more than the temporal—it is of value to God, for time and eternity. Its your identity that will remain and have reward in heaven. If you lose your life for Christ’s sake and the gospel, you will save it (Mark 8.34-37) or find it (Mat10.39, or preserve it (Luke 17.33). You will be saved.
Addendum
Jesus: "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 16.26
An absurd idea to make a point. What would it profit a person if he gained the whole world but lost himself or his life? If you were given everything this world had to offer and then died, what good would it be? Or, if you were given everything this world had to offer but lost yourself in the sense of self-worth, identity, hating who you have become. What good is it?
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