From verses such as the below, a Christian may have the impression that he/she would inherit eternal life only if they endure unto the end. But that’s not the case.
Matthew 24:13 “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
The simple answer to why a person has to endure till the end to be saved, is that it is not for the Christians. A Christian does not go through tribulation, our eternal salvation is based on faith alone (without works like church attendance), and we’re once saved, always saved.
The ones who have to go through the tribulation, whose salvation depends on their faith AND works, and they have a conditional salvation based on whether or not they receive the mark of the beast, etc –> These people live in the tribulation and they are primarily Jews. This group of people have to endure til the end to be saved.
The book of Revelation indicates that the Christian church is already raptured up to heaven in Revelation 4, while the tribulation Jews are raptured – post tribulation at Revelation 11.
Matthew 24:3,21 “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? For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.”
The disciples were asking Jesus about what was going to happen at end-times context, which included the tribulation.
Matthew 24:15-16 “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:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains.”
Jesus was referring to Jews (holy place, Judaea) in tribulation.
Christians do not go through the tribulation because we do not have to work for our salvation. Christians are separated and are raptured before the tribulation. The tribulation contains catastrophic events and evil events (as never have been seen before), and it would make sense that God spares His saints from going through this.
1 Corinthians 1:7-8 “So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
In the above passage, Christians are considered blameless until the end. Jesus Christ does the confirmation and endurance for Christians. By rightly dividing verses to different people and time periods, we resolve all these confusions.
In the above passage, it refers to saved Christians.
1 Corinthians 1:2 “Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both their’s and our’s:”
For more information and how to rightly divide the word of God, so that we do not end up with contradictions and confusions such as the above, please read more about the King James Only issue and dispensationalism.