Strongs Concordance: SAVED : 4982. sozo, sode'-zo; from a prim. sos (contr. for obsol. saos, safe); to save, i.e. deliver or protect (lit. or fig.):--heal, preserve, save (self), do well, be (make) whole.
Deliver or Protect from what? Nothing in the definition says anything about eternity or immortality or ascending to heaven and we dont want to assume things that it plainly does not say. Remember John 3:13 "No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. If you look at some other scriptures, it can help define what we will be saved from?
Rom 5:9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. -- Saved from wrath This is translated from the same Greek word 4982 sozo as in Mark 16:16. Also notice:
2 Pet 2:5 and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; -- The same Greek word to describe Noah being protected (saved) from the flood. The same word cannot mean saved eternally in one verse and not in the next verse.
Jude 1:5 But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having SAVED the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe ." --This is again is the same Greek word and it clearly does not apply to eternal salvation if God later destroyed them, they were only delivered from Egypt. No human can count on his eternal salvation until he stands before the Throne of Christ. No Christian is eternally saved right now. Read Mark 16:16 again, it says will be saved future tense. You can still blow it. There is a second death. Lets look into Revelation where God delivers those that are saved
Rev 7:4 Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees till we have SEALED the servants of our God on their foreheads.
Rev 9:4 They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the SEAL of God on their foreheads. What does sealed mean?
Sealed: 4972. sphragizo, sfrag-id'-zo; from G4973; to stamp (with a signet or private mark) for security or
preservation (lit. or fig.); by impl. to keep secret, to attest:--(set a, set to) seal up.
Notice that it is a sign or mark for the purpose of security or preservation from the harm that is coming on the earth, Gods wrath, [Matt 24] that was mentioned above Rom 5:9 . . . we shall be saved from wrath. . . So the people that will be saved will have a seal (stamp, signet or mark) A sign on a business tells you who is inside, who owns that store, and who those employees serve. If it says McDonalds or K-Mart you know exactly whats inside. So as God looks down on man, how does he distinguish who his true servants are? Does he look at the Catholic church who has put down his Word and made their own tradition? Incidentally there are only 2 words in the NT that have a numeric value of 666 by adding up the values of the Greek letters that make up the word and those two words are wealth and tradition The Vatican is the wealthiest religious institution on the face of the planet and they honor tradition rather than scripture.
Eph 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were SEALED for the day of redemption This Scripture says that we are sealed by the Holy Spirit.
How do you get the Holy Spirit? How do you know if you have it?:
Acts 5:32 ". . . so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him
Acts 2:38 Peter said "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Repentance and baptism are conditions to receiving the Holy Spirit. Repent of what? Sin? 1 John 3:4 sin is the transgression of the law. Can you continue to have and on going affair and think that God will extend his Holy Spirit to you? Can you be a serial murderer? Can you worship other gods? Can you break the 4th commandment every week?
Exo 31:13 . . .'Surely My Sabbaths [Gods 7 Annual Holy Days are also called Sabbaths as well as the 7th day of the week] you shall keep, for it is a SIGN between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you. 14 'You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. 15 'Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. 16 'Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual [H5956; prop. concealed, i.e. the vanishing point; gen. time out of mind (past or fut.), i.e. (practically) eternity;] covenant.
So again a sign that identifies you to God as being obedient to his commanded Sabbaths.
Not all commandment keepers will be saved - PROTECTED:
REV 22:13 Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman [true church] who gave birth to the male Child.
14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.
15 So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood.
16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.
17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, 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.
The burden of proof that 'saved' means eternally immortal is on you...
Deliver or Protect from what? Nothing in the definition says anything about eternity or immortality or ascending to heaven and we dont want to assume things that it plainly does not say. Remember John 3:13 "No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. If you look at some other scriptures, it can help define what we will be saved from?
Rom 5:9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. -- Saved from wrath This is translated from the same Greek word 4982 sozo as in Mark 16:16. Also notice:
2 Pet 2:5 and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; -- The same Greek word to describe Noah being protected (saved) from the flood. The same word cannot mean saved eternally in one verse and not in the next verse.
Jude 1:5 But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having SAVED the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe ." --This is again is the same Greek word and it clearly does not apply to eternal salvation if God later destroyed them, they were only delivered from Egypt. No human can count on his eternal salvation until he stands before the Throne of Christ. No Christian is eternally saved right now. Read Mark 16:16 again, it says will be saved future tense. You can still blow it. There is a second death. Lets look into Revelation where God delivers those that are saved
Rev 7:4 Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees till we have SEALED the servants of our God on their foreheads.
Rev 9:4 They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the SEAL of God on their foreheads. What does sealed mean?
Sealed: 4972. sphragizo, sfrag-id'-zo; from G4973; to stamp (with a signet or private mark) for security or
preservation (lit. or fig.); by impl. to keep secret, to attest:--(set a, set to) seal up.
Notice that it is a sign or mark for the purpose of security or preservation from the harm that is coming on the earth, Gods wrath, [Matt 24] that was mentioned above Rom 5:9 . . . we shall be saved from wrath. . . So the people that will be saved will have a seal (stamp, signet or mark) A sign on a business tells you who is inside, who owns that store, and who those employees serve. If it says McDonalds or K-Mart you know exactly whats inside. So as God looks down on man, how does he distinguish who his true servants are? Does he look at the Catholic church who has put down his Word and made their own tradition? Incidentally there are only 2 words in the NT that have a numeric value of 666 by adding up the values of the Greek letters that make up the word and those two words are wealth and tradition The Vatican is the wealthiest religious institution on the face of the planet and they honor tradition rather than scripture.
Eph 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were SEALED for the day of redemption This Scripture says that we are sealed by the Holy Spirit.
How do you get the Holy Spirit? How do you know if you have it?:
Acts 5:32 ". . . so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him
Acts 2:38 Peter said "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Repentance and baptism are conditions to receiving the Holy Spirit. Repent of what? Sin? 1 John 3:4 sin is the transgression of the law. Can you continue to have and on going affair and think that God will extend his Holy Spirit to you? Can you be a serial murderer? Can you worship other gods? Can you break the 4th commandment every week?
Exo 31:13 . . .'Surely My Sabbaths [Gods 7 Annual Holy Days are also called Sabbaths as well as the 7th day of the week] you shall keep, for it is a SIGN between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you. 14 'You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. 15 'Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. 16 'Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual [H5956; prop. concealed, i.e. the vanishing point; gen. time out of mind (past or fut.), i.e. (practically) eternity;] covenant.
So again a sign that identifies you to God as being obedient to his commanded Sabbaths.
Not all commandment keepers will be saved - PROTECTED:
REV 22:13 Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman [true church] who gave birth to the male Child.
14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.
15 So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood.
16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.
17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, 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.
The burden of proof that 'saved' means eternally immortal is on you...