Save Me!

You know, it's common for humans, when our life is threatened, to say, Save me! Help me! I'm hanging off a cliff. I'm down in a well. My life is endangered. Save me! When finances fail, we scramble around and we beg, please, help me. When our health fails, gotta do something. Save me! When our marriage fails, gets into hot water, wow, life goes upside down. Somehow, somebody save me, save us. When tribulation comes, and we are in the crosshairs, save me is on the lips of those would-be martyrs.

Today, I want to ask you a question. What do you need to be saved from? What do you really need to be saved from? And when do you need to be saved from it? We live in a world that pretty much expects release from all of our problems. We anticipate and are fairly certain that whatever we get into, we can get out or somebody can get us out of it.

But is that the case? And when the chips are really down in any of these situations, can we expect to be saved from them? And if so, at what point in time? Today, I'd like to take a look at the topic of save me, from a human standpoint and also from an eternal standpoint. We are humans and we get ourselves into certain situations. There was once a person whose mate abandoned the faith, just almost out of the blue. They were in the church and they were going along fine and everything was great. But the husband started to deviate and started to go nuts, crazy, religiously.

And there was months of discussion. The wife pleaded. Everybody tried to work with him. Nothing could dissuade him. He began drinking heavier, began partying with friends in society. His life began to be filmed with kind of raunchy entertainment, sort of going and accepting and doing any and everything, it seemed. His prime recreation was on the Sabbath, Friday night and Saturday.

And he began to really put strains on the marriage, because the wife was trying to keep the Sabbath. Holidays with the kids became an issue. All kinds of strains. Extreme stresses on the marriage included rivals. When she wasn't there, when he was out in other places with other people, and the member's spouse kept praying and kept saying, Save me! Save me from this nightmare! But a savior never came. And so she saved herself. And she went with him. And they haven't been seen in probably 20 years.

A hardworking young member with a good job, married within the church. Things were going well. His job was excellent. They had children. Big family, actually. Lots of property. All the toys that accompany that type of a situation. Good recreation. They went to the feast in various places around the world. And one year after he came home from the feast, he was told by his boss, You're fired. You're fired. I told you not to go to the feast, and you went anyway.

Your job is over. And this man, who had a very good job, struggled to find work. Oh, he could get little jobs here and there, but nothing that would support his property, nothing that would support their lifestyle, nothing that would support all the things and the loans and the toys and everything that they had. The bills began to pile up. They got behind on the mortgage. The car got repossessed. Small jobs came along, but nothing like that company job that he'd once worked for.

Saved me, they prayed. Oh, all the way through it. They had members pray, and they were praying. They were doing everything they possibly could. But a savior never came. And so he saved himself. And he went back and got that company job. And he's working on the Sabbath, and he's working on the Holy Days. And they haven't been seen in the church for over 30 years. A few years ago, I was driving past a former member, somebody that I was close to, and I was driving through that part of the state. And I hadn't been up there in a long time, and I thought, I know this person left the church, and this person used to run a big company, and we were very close at one time.

I'll just drop in and say hi. At that point in time, I myself was on half salary because of the finances of the church, and I was contemplating starting my own company, which I eventually did, and working part-time in advertising. Well, this individual I found surprising. He and his wife. They were retired, wealthier than ever, big properties, doing fine. And during the discussion, I happened to mention, he says, well, what are you doing?

I'm with the church, but I'm on half salary, and looking to start up a business, and you're very successful in business. Here was his advice to me. Give up on the church, and take care of yourself. That's his advice. That was all the advice he gave. You and I find ourselves in life at certain crossroads, at certain difficulties, at certain challenges, and at those challenges, we do all that we possibly can, and we don't necessarily have a savior from it. We don't necessarily get saved out of them. Whether you have or not, so far in your life, there is a time coming that will be the worst time ever on earth for all humans.

Jesus Christ prophesied that it's going to be the worst of the worst, and it's going to engulf humanity on a massive scale. It's a time that will threaten life, that will threaten health, that will threaten finances, and that will threaten faith.

And what do you think is going to be on the minds during the Great Tribulation? Save me! Save my life! Save my health! Save me! My finances! My ability to survive! Save me! Save my faith! And people will seek a savior. The descendants of the twelve tribes of Israel are going to go into a condition that they haven't experienced for many, many, many years.

In Jeremiah 5 and verse 15, we learn here that God is going to finally be filled with false platitudes wrong motives, wrong deeds, and it's going to punish. Jeremiah 5 and verse 15 says, Behold, I will bring a nation against you from afar. O house of Israel, says the Lord, it is a mighty nation. It is an ancient nation.

He's referring to a rod of his anger, the ancient nation of Assyria, a nation whose language you do not know, nor can you understand what they say. Their quiver is like an open tomb. They are all mighty men. And they shall eat up your harvest and your bread, which your sons and daughters should eat. They shall eat up your flocks and your herds. They shall eat up your vines and your fig trees. They shall destroy your fortified cities in which you trust with the sword.

All of your defenses and all your military apparatus and all your defensive systems and whatever it is that you have, these things, won't save you. Won't save you. Nevertheless, in those days, says the Lord, I will not make a complete end of you. There is going to be a remnant that will come out of the house of Israel that will repopulate the area of Palestine. In verse 19, and it will be when you say, Why does the Lord our God do all these things to us?

Then you shall answer them, just as you have forsaken me and served for in God's in your land, so you shall serve aliens in a land that is not yours.

This is repeated in chapter 15, verses 5 through 9, chapter 15, verse 14, Jeremiah 16 and verse 13, Jeremiah 17, verse 4. These are sure prophecies that are coming upon the nations that you and I are familiar with, of being the descendants of the twelve tribes that God called His people at one time.

In Matthew chapter 24, verse 9, this all-of-that prophecy that Jesus Christ gave shows more detail of this period of trouble that is coming on the whole earth. When we look at this, we find that it is a terrible time for humanity. It puts everybody in a real tough situation.

Matthew 24, beginning in verse 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. Now that's talking about the church. That's talking about the people of God. In verse 10, and many will be offended and will betray one another and will hate one another. And then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. Why? Because people seek a Savior when they're having problems, when they're having troubles. People will be saying, Save me, and they will be praying for a Savior. They'll be looking for a Savior to get out of all these things, and false Saviors will arise, false prophets. And they will run after them in order to get out of their situation. In verse 22, And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved, meaning saved alive. But for the elect's sake, those days will be shortened so that there will be a remnant saved alive. If we go back to Revelation 9 and 6, we see that the saints are in the crosshairs of Satan during this event that really is all ascribed to him. This time of great persecution, great tribulation. Revelation 9, look at verse 6, In those days men will seek death and will not find it. They need to be saved. In fact, they'll say, Maybe I can just take care of this myself. I want to die. They will desire to die, and yet death will flee from them. And the God of this world is going to tear this world apart. We find in Revelation 12 and verse 12, Therefore, rejoice, O heavens, you who dwell in them, but woe to the inhabitants of the earth. If you live in the heavens, great. If you're a spirit being, then you rejoice. But if you live on the earth and the sea woe to you, for the devil has come down to you having great wrath because he knows that he has a short time. Who goes through the great tribulation? Just the world? Can you and I expect to be saved out of it? To not? Oh, well, we don't have to worry about that. We're in the church. Are we just expecting that we have no problems in life? Let's go to Luke chapter 21 and verse 24. Luke chapter 21, beginning in verse 24. Talking about the same time here from the account of Luke. It says, and they will fall by the edge of the sword and be led away captive into all nations. We've read that back in Jeremiah. Led away captive into all nations. This is the time that it takes place. And Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. And that's three and a half years. It's going to be a lot of anxiety.

There will be signs in the sun and the moon and the stars and on the earth distress of nations. And perplexity, sea and waves roaring, men's hearts failing from fear, and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift your heads because your redemption draws near. It's going to be some tough times for the saints until Jesus Christ finally returns. Going on in verse 34.

But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing drunkenness in the cares of this life, that that day come upon you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare, like a trap that just springs shut. It will come quickly as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth, all those who dwell. Verse 36. Watch. The Greek word means keep awake, like a watchman at night. You be alert, therefore, to your spiritual condition and what's important in life. And pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass and to stand before the Son of Man. You want to be saved? Do I want to be saved? Sure we do. Well, there's a way. There's a process. Who goes through the tribulation? We see that everybody who is alive at that time lives through that period. But some could escape. Some could escape. But go to Revelation chapter 3 and verse 10. Revelation chapter 3 and verse 10. Here Jesus talks to one of the churches. He says, Because you have kept my command, what was his command? To love God with all your heart, soul, and might, to love your neighbor as yourself. You've kept his command and persevered in it. I also will keep you from the hour of trial, which shall come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth. Again, there are some who will avoid this particular testing. We go back to Revelation chapter 12 and verse 12. No, that's not what I want. I want to go down to verse 14. Revelation 12 and verse 14. But the woman being the church was given two wings of a great eagle that she might fly into the wilderness. That means an uninhabited place. To her place, a place that God calls her place. Where she is nourished. She doesn't nourish herself. Somebody nourishes her. For a time, that's one year, times, that's two years, Adam together with the half a time, that's three and a half years.

So this great tribulation, the time of the Gentiles, and this place of safety are all in the same time period of three and a half years. And they are protected there from the presence of the serpent or from the devil. So there's a principle here that we see. God saves genuine, repentant Christians who are doing their best to pursue godliness. And those who are persevering at it and doing Christ's command fall into a little different category than the rest. And that's good news. We see in Isaiah 55, verses 6 and 7 how this principle works. Isaiah 55, verse 6 and 7. It works kind of like this. You and I now don't have any pressures on us. So how are we living our lives? Are we pursuing godliness? Are we doing it with perseverance? Because we really want to and repenting is what we like to do. Or will it take some great trial to artificially propel us into saying, Save me and I'll do anything you tell me. I'll overcome sin. I'll repent. Just save me. Well, here in Isaiah 55, verses 6, let's see what God says from his perspective. Seek the Lord while he may be found. God is very available now. Call upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return to the Lord and he will have mercy on him and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. God saves and works with people who are genuine. The human view, though, is I don't have to really work until I'm in trouble. That's when I really need to kick into high gear and show that I'm serious. When I get in trouble, then save me. But God says, no, you're in trouble because you do things that get yourself into trouble. Your sins get you into trouble and there's a cause and effect. You need to learn the lesson. You need to learn. You need to repent. You need to change. Then that'll solve a lot of your problems. Jesus Christ is our Savior and it's very common today when anybody has a problem, boy, open the book of songs and start saying, save me! David used the term save about 34 times in the Psalms. David's life was being threatened all over the place, even by his own family members. David was a righteous man. David had an assignment by God. And God worked with him and he did save him. Jesus Christ is the Savior, but the Savior of whom? We just say, oh, well, I have a problem, therefore, save me! Jesus, save me! Help me! That's what you're there for. That's your job, after all.

You know, I've been doing things and now I need to be saved from them, whatever it is. But who is Jesus the Savior of and of what? Do we just sort of create our own artificial box like Christian society does and put Jesus in there and sort of, that's his box. That's what he does. And when we need him, we go get him out of the box. In Matthew 1 and verse 21, what Jesus is the Savior of is revealed to us. It's very important that we understand what he is the Savior of. And this is defined for us as it was stated to his stepfather to be before his birth. The angel appeared to Joseph and here in verse 21 says, And she, Mary, will bring forth a son, and you shall call his name Joshua.

That is his name in English is Joshua or Jesus in the Greek or Messiah in the Hebrew. We have Yeshua, I'm sorry, in the Hebrew. But you will call his name Jesus as we say today.

For, why? For he will save, notice, his people from their sins. He will save his people from their sins. That is who the Savior saves and that is what he saves them from. When we ask the question, who goes through the Great Tribulation, we can't just say it's the world. Because probably more people will be in the first resurrection who are called during the Great Tribulation than all of the ones who have ever been called before that period of time. Let's go back to Revelation 12. We'll begin in verse 17. Revelation 12 and verse 17. Right after we read that the church, as we know it, is taken into the wilderness for three and a half years, we find in verse 17 that the dragon was enraged with the woman.

This continues to be the church. And he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. What about those individuals? What's it going to be like for them to have the focused fury of Satan let loose on them? They are part of the true church, it says, and they keep the commandments of God.

In chapter 13, in verse 6 through 10, here we find a beast who opens his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, his tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. And it was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. Now you have the great, horrible beast of revelation focused on you, and granted power to make war on you, and to overcome you, to win that war, is what that word means.

And authority was given to him over every tribe, every tongue, and every nation, all those who dwell on earth will worship him, whose name have not been written in the book of life of the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world.

So everybody is going to be pushed into this system of compliance. Verse 9, if anyone has an ear, let him hear. There's a message here for us. There's a message in advance for us. And if we will listen, lend an ear. He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity, and who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword.

Here is the patience, or the perseverance, and the faith of the saints. The perseverance and the faith of the saints. They endure this. They go through this. And it's a very, very challenging and difficult time for them. In verse 11, we find that it's a terrible time for them because it seems now, in this time, according to what we've read before, they're not now fearing God today, right now, as you and I sit here.

They're not loving God and fellow man as they should. Somehow they are called, converted, or at least their conversion advances during that time. What kind of pressures will they face? Verse 11, then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he exercised all the authority of the first beast in his presence and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast. He performs great signs. In verse 14, and he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.

He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand and on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast or the number of his name.

So here we see a great constriction on what you can believe and what you can do, and a requirement, most possibly, most probably, to disobey God in worshipping the beast, and also a requirement in order to buy and sell to disobey God. So you're boxed in at every corner, and also if you don't do these things, then you will be killed.

Again, people will have unimaginable circumstances and be calling out, Save me! Whether I am there or not, I have no idea. I don't know what the future holds for anybody.

But I do know that there's a principle in the Bible in Isaiah chapter 59 and verse 1. Isaiah chapter 59 and verse 1 says, Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that he cannot save. Well, we cry out now, we'll cry out then, people will cry out then, Save me! The Lord's hand is not shortened that he cannot save, nor his ear heavy that he cannot hear.

But your iniquities have separated you from your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he will not hear. There's this principle restated in a different way.

We have to be genuine. And whenever people suffer, no matter what their state, they seek a Savior. Back in Matthew chapter 24 again, verse 11, during this time when there's intense persecution on the church and people are being given up, delivered to tribulation and killed, it says in verse 9, Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.

People who are suffering always seek a Savior from that suffering.

False prophets will deceive many, and because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. Verse 13, it's in this context that Jesus said, But he who endures and perseveres through all of this to the end shall be saved.

Not going to be saved out of it. He who endures it all to the very end of it or the end of that person's life, that individual will be saved then.

Now, wouldn't you think that a person who is so desirous to get out of it and is trying everything possible to get out of it would have a hard time enduring to the end, continuing on without some kind of anguish, perhaps despair even in that situation?

In the Bible, we see that even the faithful are typically not saved out of their trials.

You think, oh, yeah, sure they are! Well, you get anointed, you get healed, you have a problem, you call on God, he bails you out, sure they are. Well, what about the apostles? Why did all of them get killed? Why did John the Baptist, I'm sorry, John the Apostle, the only one that we know of that was not killed, why did he end up as a prisoner in exile on an island?

Why did so many of the prophets die? Why did so many people down through time that have supported God not? Why did the Apostle Paul go through all that he went through and then had some kind of a death in the end? You know, he appealed to Caesar, but the Caesar he appealed to was the most crazy, ruthless, maniacal Caesar in history.

And he knew he was appealing to a madman. And when he went there, this is the Caesar that would stand up in the colosseums at his own seat at the colosseums, and they just needed lots and lots and lots of people to kill and have gobbled up by animals and have sword fights and wars and everything just for the gore of it and have people lit as torches. You know, just unimaginable cruelty. And this was the Caesar that Paul appealed to. A Caesar who, when they ran out of people, would point out at the audience who came to watch, would point out at the audience and the troops would go take that section of the audience and put them down, kind of spice it up a little bit, and let them be the fodder for the day.

What do you think happened to Paul? There are some trials that we can control, our health, our employment, hopefully poverty, the book of Proverbs, relationship, put the laws of love into application. There are some things that we can avoid, but there are others that we cannot control, and that is true persecution, true religious discrimination in the workplace, in schools, wherever people just somehow get it in their heads to persecute you.

There's not a lot you can do about that. Those are the real trials that the Bible often talks about. Well, when persecution and religious discrimination happens to us, what should our response be? Save me!

Oh, and if you don't save me, well, then what? Well, maybe there isn't a God. This isn't fair. Why is this happening to me? Maybe I have to bail myself out? Do you have to save yourself? Do you not find it? Well, maybe I can lie a little.

I can fudge a little. I can just work on the Sabbath a couple hours, just on this emergency ox of the ditch situation that will save my job. I can just tell a fib, yeah, I really am. I don't really keep the Sabbath so you don't have to shoot me. I'm kind of bowing to your image, you know?

Kind of a thing. Got a little mark, but I don't believe in it. I don't know. You play games like that. Let's go over to Daniel 3, verse 13. Daniel 3, verse 13. Here's an example of a true mindset, proper response. It says in verse 13, Nebuchadnezzar, here you have the most powerful emperor of the first empire, and he is in a rage and fury, it says. And he gave the command, focused on three individuals, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, to bring these things to him. So they brought these men before the king, and Nebuchadnezzar spoke to them, saying, is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image that I've set up?

Now, here's what I've got cooking for you. If you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, the flute, the harp, the lyre, the sultry, and symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I've made, good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning, fiery furnace. Now, how many of you want to burn to death as the way you die?

See it? Show of hands? You know, people just really... something about burning to death. People rather jump out of buildings than, you know, here comes the fire, and I think I'm going to jump. And away they go. We just don't like the idea of burning. So here's the burning, fiery furnace. And who is the God who will deliver you from my hands? So we're going to do this, maybe this afternoon, two o'clock, three o'clock, tomorrow at five, whatever, he's got it all set up. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to take time to answer you in this matter.

You don't have to go through all that symphony stuff. Nope. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning, fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O King, but if not, but if not, if no Savior comes, let it be known to you, O King, that we do not serve your gods, and nor will we worship the gold image that you set up.

That's it. There is no discussion. That's it. Now, they were not saved from being thrown into the fiery furnace. They went in there right in the heat of it all. The fact that they didn't burn up was a miracle that God provided.

But they demonstrated who they really were and what they really believed, no matter what the circumstance. Remember what Jesus came to save us from. He came to save us from our sins, or more precisely, from the penalty of our sins, to take away our sins so that we did not have to die eternally. He did not come to save our physical life. He didn't come to perpetuate your health, your life, your wealth, your prosperity, your happiness, whatever.

Sometimes God intervenes, and He does, and it's a beautiful thing when He does. And sometimes God does not intervene. But God is not here to intervene and save us, because no matter what happens, the end result is the same for the faithful. The end result is always the same for the faithful. We are so focused on this human life, because it's all we have. I've only known this life, and that's all I know. And I kind of like it. I like to hang on to it.

But the end result of whether you're saved out of something physical or not saved out of something physical is the same for the faithful. We read in Hebrews 11, in verse 33, Hebrews 11 and verse 33, about the faithful.

Some of these faithful who through faith subdued kingdoms worked righteousness. Notice that. They worked righteousness. Obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, like Daniel and the lions did. Quenched the violence of fire. Scaped. You know, they didn't get burned up there with the fire. Scaped the edge of the sword. Out of weakness were made strong. Became valiant in battle, turned to fight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead, raised to life again. Here we go. We expect to be saved. The next word is others. Others were tortured. Not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection. The same thing happens to all the saints. A better resurrection. That's the focus. The kingdom of God and His righteousness. That was their focus.

They were stoned. They were sawn in two. They were tested. They were slain with the sword. You know, when that stuff's coming down on you and you're saying, Save me and it doesn't come, what happens? What's that like?

Remember, there was a record.

I don't know if it's a centurion, but a Roman military person was given an assignment by Caesar Domitian to go and find these people of the way. And we believe we're the true Church of God back in that early time, before Christianity, the so-called Christianity thing got going in Rome.

This is about 130 AD, 150 AD, somewhere in there, if my memory serves me correct. And the correspondence back from this individual went something like this. Caesar, I have come here on your orders to torture and kill these people one by one to get them to renounce their faith. And I've done unimaginable cruelty to the men and to the women, and yet they die happily solid in their faith. And he said, my stomach just won't take any more. I'm just really turned off from this whole affair that you've sent me down here for. Now, what was it like for those individuals?

Here we see individuals being dealt with like that. Others who wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains and dens and caves of the earth. And they said, where's my home and where are my clothes and where's my car and save me from this mess?

And all these, having obtained a good testimony through the faith, did not receive the promise. They weren't saved out of it. They didn't receive the promise of salvation either at that time. They did not receive the... well, they had the promise, but they did not receive what was promised. So we see here what God is looking for is to save faithful people. But it's not always what we would term being saved, is it? The faithful actually are always saved. Every time, never fail. They're not always saved from the ordeals of this life, but they are always saved from the penalties of their sin.

And their faith is demonstrated sometimes by perseverance, by endurance to the end, to their end. Remember Jesus said, He who endures to the end, the same person shall be saved. Let's take a look here in Revelation 7 and verse 9 about a very honorable group of people that I've alluded to. And now let's read about them in Revelation 7 and verse 9. You can only take your hats off to these individuals, and God certainly respects them. After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number. That means nobody could number it. This is called the Inuberable Multitude. So it's a group, it's the Church of God that is so big, no one could number it.

Now today we can say we've got 11,576 people attending the Feast of Tabernacles. No, I'm sorry, attending Sabbath services every week on a regular basis. You could say, you know, maybe 20, 30. Back in the old days we counted up as high as 200,000. We can put a number on them pretty easy. Those are countable. If you counted all the people back through time in the small church that happened, you could put a number on that. It wouldn't really be all that many as far as what history has shown us and what the Bible has told us.

It's a small elite group that God has chosen to call at this time. But here is a group that is so large, no one could number it. And these come from all nations, all tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands. In verse 13, then one of the elders answered and said to me, Who are these arrayed in white robes? And where did they come from?

And I said to him, Sir, you know. And he said to me, These are the ones who came out of the great tribulation and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. They died in the great tribulation. They came out of it. They were probably called during it or got serious during it. And then they made their robes white in the blood of the Lamb, and therefore they are before the throne of God. Notice the end result here. These are not awful people who have to go to the great tribulation.

No, these now, when Christ returns, are before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His temple. The end result is the same. Did they get saved in this life? No. Not out of their physical state. But did they get saved? Yeah, they got saved. They are with Him in the temple in Jerusalem, and He who sits on the throne will dwell among them, and they shall neither hunger anymore, because they were hungry, or thirst anymore, because they were thirsting, and the sun shall not strike them nor any heat, because there were some terrible, terrible things with the sun and heat that they went through.

For the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. These are some of the promises that we see in Revelation 21.4, and they are being applied to the church, to this huge group of people. In Revelation 14, verse 12, here is the patience, or actually it's the perseverance of the saints.

Here is the perseverance of the saints. See, the point here is we have to persevere in righteousness. We have to endure doing good to the end. Here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. That is what God is looking for. That's what God can support. Sometimes in the short run, always in the end.

But verse 13, when he says, here is the perseverance of the saints and those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, blessed, verse 13, are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. That's what's coming in the tribulation. There are tough, tough, tough times ahead for people. You know, the encouraging thing about the innumerable multitude is they all succeed in the worst of times. They all succeed. So many of them succeed, you can't even number them. We always think, well, I don't know if I'd make it. They all make it. It's amazing.

Faithful are not tested beyond what we can bear, and you'd be surprised to guess what we can bear.

I'd shudder to think sometimes what people have to go through in Satan's world, and certainly I wouldn't wish that on anybody, myself, you, anybody. It's just a terrible thing that happens. But in 1 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 13, we see that God is involved, even when the suffering comes along. He's not going to let any faithful, true Christian fail, just because there's too much pressure, too much persecution. He's not going to say, well, wow, you almost made it. You were hanging in there right to the end, and it had a really good attitude and everything, but oh well.

No, what does it say here? No temptation has overtaken you, except such as is common to man. But God is faithful and will not allow you to be tested or tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape that you may be able to bear it.

What does God teach us about being saved?

When we're in desperation, when you're in the worst situation you can imagine, what does God teach us about that?

When we're in desperate circumstances, when we're at the end of our rope.

I know a woman who checks in every now and then, says, hey, I see some things going on in the world.

Is this the tribulation starting now? I want to know. I've got a gun, and I'm going to take myself out. No, no, calm down. This isn't it.

Okay. That's serious. Just, you know, people don't want to go through it. But what does God teach us about what we are going to do when we are in desperate circumstances where we're really, really concerned?

Matthew 6, verse 25, here's what Jesus tells us. It's a principle, something that we should really internalize.

As we close up this topic, it's important that we keep in mind what is important and what is not important.

We understand this clearly and carefully.

When it comes to save me and the need to be saved, what do we want to be saved from?

And when do we want to be saved? Matthew 6, verse 25, therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life.

Huh. That's a different perspective, isn't it? Because that's the one thing we all worry about. That's all we think we have. He says, don't worry about your life.

Do not worry or be over-anxious about your life, or about what you will eat, or about what you will wear.

Hmm. God is teaching us here that this life is temporary, and it's not about this life, and it's not about getting saved out of our circumstances that are physical. Going down to verse 32, For after all these things the non-believers seek, they're worried about their life. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But you seek first the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God, and His righteousness.

Now if you have a burning desire to be in the kingdom of God, and to be righteous like God, then you're not going to be over-anxious about this life, are you? And if something takes it, or someone takes it, or somebody causes you to be set back, this isn't the kingdom, is it? This isn't what we're all about. If we're seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, then He says all these things shall be added to you, either in this life or the next life. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow. Why? Because tomorrow will be beautiful? No. For tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. There will be problems, there will be trials. Deal with today's, one day at a time. Deal with today's troubles, get through them. Tomorrow will have its own troubles. But don't be focused on trying to get saved out of our human, physical circumstances. Desire to be saved in the kingdom of God and having His righteousness. In conclusion, we were created and put on this earth to be saved. That's why we're here. We're actually here to be saved. And that's God's focus, is to save us. It's life's only purpose. There is no other purpose of your life or my life or any life other than to be saved. To have somebody ride in and save us out of dire calamity, and that dire calamity is called the Lake of Fire.

Jesus Christ is the way, He's the truth, He's the life. He is the Savior. And those who really believe in Him and back that up with deeds and progress, overcoming, they will be saved by Him. He gave us that model prayer outline, and that directs us, that directs our mentality, directs our life towards being ready to be saved.

I'd like to conclude by reading something one of the New Testament writers wrote. It really sums it all up for us. Half-brother of... well, no, actually, this is going to be Jude. Jude. Jude 4, verse 20. There's no chapter, so you can kind of name your own. I'll try it for you today. Jude says in verse 20, Let's notice, you beloved, you who are beloved of God, you who are the apple of God's eye, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit. Here are some sincere individuals, those who are genuinely now calling upon God, those who are genuinely overcoming and going through testing now. He says, verse 21, Keep yourselves in the love of God. He didn't say, Go get yourself in the love of God, or go try to find the love of God. You're already in the love of God, and those of you who are serious in walking this way, keep yourselves in the love of God. That is, our goal is to love God, to love our fellow man, and retain and remain with this love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Not unto some limited, short-term saving, but unto eternal life.

Verse 24, Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling, keep you from failing, keep you from falling short of being successful, and who is able to present you faultless without sin before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior. There's where the saving comes, who alone is wise be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Brethren, we need to be saved, but let's really have a strong focus as we come up towards the Passover to the death of our Savior. Let's have an understanding of what he came to save us from, and let's be actively participating in that process. Whereby we will be counted worthy to escape the ultimate death penalty and to live with God in his kingdom forever.