Derek Prince - Purchase Your Salvation With Endurance
We’ll turn back to Matthew 24. The verse that I quoted was verse 14: This gospel of the kingdom shall be proclaimed in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come. But the verse before that says: But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And Jesus has been speaking about all the problems and troubles and agonies that are coming on the nation. And then He says: He who endures to the end shall be saved. That’s the English translation but the Greek is more specific. It says: he who has endured to the end shall be saved. In fact, it’s more specific than that. Jesus says: he who has endured to the end, this is the one who will be saved.
The English translation doesn’t bring it out sufficiently and vividly. Who will be saved? The one who has endured to the end. So you’re saved now. But to stay saved you have to endure. Luke 21, which is a parallel passage, it’s again the discourse that Jesus gave. He says in verse 17 and following, Luke 21:17: And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake... Obviously that must refer to Christians because it’s people who are hated for the sake of the name of Jesus. That’s one of those promises people don’t put in their promise box!
The next promise maybe you do: ...but not a hair of your head shall be lost. Now that refers to the resurrection because lots of Christians who were martyred, their bodies were totally destroyed. But in the resurrection, if you make it through, you’ll come out with a full head of hair. Not one hair missing! That’s a guarantee from Jesus. Then He says: In your patience possess your souls. But that really does not render the meaning. I’ll give you my version, the Prince version. By your endurance purchase your souls. I mean, you can check if you want to but I have looked at the words. That’s my understanding of it.
In other words, what is the price you have to pay for the salvation of your souls? In one word, endurance, that’s right. You see, there are things we have to buy but not with money. There’s other currency with which we buy some things. In Isaiah 55:1 it says: Come, buy wine and milk without money, without price. You have to buy them but not with money. In the parable of the wise and the foolish virgins, the foolish who did not bring enough oil, the wise said to them: Go and buy oil. But while they were buying the bridegroom came and they missed it. But the oil we always understand to be a type of the Holy Spirit. You cannot buy the Holy Spirit with money but you have to buy the Holy Spirit with prayer, with seeking God, with time spent in the word. Otherwise, when your lamp runs out you’ll have nothing to refuel it with.