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Continuing our discussion from part two, the Scriptures make it very plain that Jesus paid the full ransom price for our Salvation when He surrendered His life on that Roman cross. Upon sealing that agreement with His Father by shedding His own blood on that cross, we, His adopted children, in fact became His purchased possessions. Thus, He now owns us fully, completely and for eternity. There is simply no going back on the deal.

In short, God the Father is not going to turn around and say, "Sorry, my Son, but despite everything that you endured and sacrificed for them, I have just discovered an error in this clause of our agreement. As it turns out, you can still lose ownership of those souls. They can still back out of it if they want to." Now wouldn't that just be really ridiculous? Consider the following group of verses:

"Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."


"For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."


"Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood."


"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."


"Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men."


"In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory."


"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time."


So again, a deal is a deal, and a purchase is a purchase. The one true fact concerning this matter is that because of what Jesus did for us, we are His possessions FOREVER, and NOTHING is ever going to change that, not even our lack of faith, or our occasional straying from the flock. The Apostle Paul most certainly believed this. After all, consider what he wrote in his Epistle to the Roman brethren:

"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."


Absolutely NOTHING, my friends! Not even yourself or your own shortcomings. Do you believe it? Do you believe that God will somehow find a way to bring you back into His fold, even if you do lose faith and go astray for a while? If the Apostle Paul believed it, don't you think that we should believe it as well?

Please really think about this, friends. If, as the Futurist Christians believe, it is really possible for us to lose our Salvation by not enduring to the end of our lives -- even though that is not what those verses actually mean -- then based strictly upon the original requirements which were set down by God, where only the shedding of blood results in the remission of ours sins, Jesus would by necessity have to die again in order for us to regain our Salvation. But as we all know from the verses I shared with you in part two, that is obviously NOT going to happen. Jesus sacrificed Himself one time, and that is it. Consider what we read in the following group of Bible verses:

"And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.‭"


"For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame."


So you see, through their misguided understanding of those "endure unto the end" verses, Futurist-leaning Christians are in effect creating a rather impossible situation, and it is not only for themselves, but also for any other person who believes the same as they do. It is really a self-defeating attitude, because through said belief, they are creating an environment for their own future failure.

If you don't understand why I say this, it is because sooner or later, we all experience weak moments, and certain times in our lives when we're not truly giving our all to the Lord. There are dark periods when we feel totally discouraged for any number of different reasons. When this happens, we may even feel like we want to throw up our hands in frustration and defeat, and simply give up. Sometimes we do. Does that mean that we have lost our Salvation? Based upon everything I have shared with you in this series, I don't believe so. Do you?

Furthermore, because they apparently do not believe that we are truly sealed for eternity once we come to Christ -- as the previous verses in part two reveal -- they are, perhaps without realizing it, likewise in denial of the following verse which the Apostle Paul included in his Epistle to the brethren at Philippi:

"Being confident‭‭ of this‭ very thing‭, that‭ ‭he‭ ‭which‭ ‭hath‭ ‭begun‭‭‭ a good‭ work‭ in‭ you‭ will perform‭‭ ‭it‭ until‭ the day‭ of Jesus‭ Christ‭:‭"


In other words, such Christians are basically stating that while God indeed saved you, He is unable to keep you saved. He is unable to perform, accomplish or complete the work of Salvation and service that He started in you. If you slip up and don't endure to the end, oh well, sorry, but that's the end of the road for you, buddy. That eternal seal which was purchased with the Blood of Jesus Christ has been broken. Do you believe that? I most certainly don't. I am saved and sealed and healed and filled for eternity. How about you?

By the way, to properly understand the context of what the Apostle Paul means by "until the day of Jesus Christ" in the previous verse, allow me to refer you to my four-part series entitled "The Day of the Lord: What It Really Means" and the the seven-part series "Jesus Christ's Return: Have We Been Deceived?", the links for which you will find listed at the end of this same series.

Whether such Christians realize it or not, by categorizing Once Saved, Always Saved -- or OSAS -- as a false doctrine and a doctrine of devils as so many of them do -- I see it repeatedly happening on Facebook to my great consternation -- they are in effect committing an act of blasphemy against God's Word. Why? Because as we have already discussed, they are basically saying that God is unable to keep saved, those whom He has already saved through their faith in the atoning Sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Such folks are basically saying that Eternal Salvation and Eternal Life are not really eternal if we can so easily lose it by flubbing during a moment of weakness, and not enduring to the end. They are in essence calling God a liar, and His Word a lie. Such misguided Christians are indirectly stating that our Eternal Father is unable to keep His promises to His saved, adopted children. They are likewise calling Jesus a liar in the process as well. Consider the following group of verses and take heed:

"God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?"


"He is‭ the Rock, his work ‭is‭ perfect: for all his ways ‭are‭ judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right ‭is‭ he.‭"


"Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.‭"


"That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes.‭"


"And because I tell ‭you‭ the truth, ye believe me not.‭"


"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."


"God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged."


"In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;"


"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."


"Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son."


"He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son."


"If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."


As the Apostle John writes in the fifth chapter of his first Epistle, God the Father wants us to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that once we come to Christ, we HAVE Eternal Life. He wants us to have the confidence of knowing that not only has He heard our petition, but that He has also granted it to us as well. Furthermore, once we have Salvation, we have it, and we CANNOT lose it, because we never earned it on our own to begin with. Consider the following group of verses:

"He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may KNOW that ye HAVE eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE THE PETITIONS THAT WE DESIRED OF HIM."


As you can see, there is no room for double-mindedness when it comes to the issue of our Salvation. We simply cannot be wishy-washy about it. We cannot believe that we have it one day, and the next day for whatever the reason, we have lost it, and somehow have to try to regain it, as if that were possible. To believe in such a fashion would place a person in an absolute, constant state of fear, doubt, bondage and uncertainty. However, that is not what the Apostle John is advocating in the previous verses. He wants us to know for certain. He wants us to embrace the sure word of prophecy. Consider what the Apostles James and Peter also wrote:

"A double minded man is unstable in all his ways."


"We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:"


However, when I see these memes on Facebook where they are misinterpreting the "endure unto the end" verses, it is as if there is a sense of desperation behind them, and I know where that desperation is coming from. You see, the entire doctrine or theology of Futurism is focused in large part on the erroneous belief that Jesus will return sometime in the near future. So with these Facebook memes, it is almost as if there is a desperate voice behind them saying "I have to endure until Jesus comes! I must endure until Jesus comes! I can't fail! I can't fall! I can't backslide! I will lose my Salvation if I do not endure until the very end!" So this misguided belief in Jesus returning soon is really fuel for the fire.

Some of those poor folks believe that because that is what some of those misguided meme creators tell them to believe. I've seen some of them come right out in their comments and say "If you do not endure to the end, you are not saved. You are lost, and you are going to Hell." Such memes can really engender fear instead of faith, which may possibly be their real intention. Who knows. But whatever the case may be, it just really makes me cringe when I see such memes, because I know that they are promoting the wrong message based on a faulty interpretation of the Scriptures.

Now, please don't misunderstand what I am saying here. Of course I believe that as the Lord's dedicated soldiers and ambassadors, we should press into the Kingdom every single day of our lives in whatever way the Lord shows us. As I've stated on many previous occasions, each one of us has our particular calling from the Lord, and we should abide in it, and faithfully work in it for the Lord's glory. We need to press toward the mark, and run with patience the race that's set before us, as we are admonished to do in the following group of verses:

"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."


"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest."


"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."


"Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown: but we an incorruptible: I therefore so run, not as uncertainly: so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway."


"For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing."


"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith: who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds."


"Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil."


"Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?"


"Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain."


". . . be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."


"And, behold, I come quickly: and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be."


However, here's the thing. We should run the race of faith with peace of mind, heart and spirit, and with steady faith, and NOT with a sense of desperation as if we're surely going to end up in Hell if we somehow fail or slip up. After all, if the latter is our attitude, that just turns everything we do into a fleshly works trip, as we have discussed already.

So that, my friends, in my view, is how very serious it is to misinterpret "He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." By doing so, it is my personal belief and conviction that you are embracing a doctrine which totally contradicts what God's Word really says. Please don't do it!

My friends, as you have seen throughout this series, I very strongly believe in the practice of allowing the Scriptures to interpret themselves as much as possible. If we do this, if we take this safe approach and connect the Scriptural dots, one verse after another, the truth will eventually become clear to us, and there will be no need for us to fall back on the erroneous doctrines of men.

I encourage anyone who is reading this series to please do the same. Let the Scriptures interpret themselves instead of inventing your own misguided interpretations, or trying to force Scriptures together in order to make them conform to what you want them to say. Likewise, don't be so quick to just naively believe every unbiblical interpretation which is posted online. Diligently study God's Word and rightly divide it. Be like the Bereans and search the Scriptures in order to determine if the things you are hearing, reading or seeing agree with the Bible. Test all doctrines against the Scriptures to see if there is any hint of contradiction. Most importantly, be Spirit-led in your understanding. Consider the following group of verses:

"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."


"And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so."


"Prove [test, examine] all things; hold fast that which is good."


"Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me."


"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."


"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."


"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come."


With these thoughts, I will bring this article to a close. It is my hope that you have found it informative, enlightening, and I pray that it has been a blessing in your life as well. If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would really appreciate if you'd take the time to click or tap on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!

For additional information and further study, you may want to refer to the list of reading resources below which were either mentioned in this article, or which contain topics which are related to this article. All of these articles are likewise located on the Bill's Bible Basics web server. To read these articles, simply click or tap on any link you see below.

Abomination of Desolation: Explained!
Are You a Burning Ember for the Lord?
Are You Saved and Sealed and Healed and Filled?
Backsliding, Divine Chastisement and the Divine Agreement
Civil Disobedience and Christian Persecution
Do You Stand Up for Your Faith?
Fight Against Futurism
He Who Fights and Runs Away: Choose Your Battles Wisely
Jesus Christ's Return: Have We Been Deceived?
Modern Deception: Shall a Nation Be Born at Once?
Modern Deceptions: Return to Israel, the Fig Tree and This Generation
OSAS: Are We Once Saved, Always Saved?
OSAS: The Hebrews 10:26-27 Controversy
Please Stop Misinterpreting the Scriptures
The Battle is Not Yours Alone!
The Blood Atonement: In Jesus' Own Words
The Day of the Lord: What It Really Means
The Lord Will Lift You Up
The Misguided End of the World Predictions of Harold Camping
The Office of Prophets and Teachers
The Woman in the Wilderness and the 144,000
Understanding the Bible in Context
Who Hindered the Antichrist?

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