Years ago, I was a baptized member of a church whose doctrine taught about a Place of Safety that “God’s chosen people” would escape to in the latter days, just before the tribulation that would result in the deaths of 100’s of millions of people.  We were told that this place was Petra, an ancient site in Jordan, and somehow, miraculously, the 100’s of thousands of church members and their entire families–whether they were baptized or not–would all travel to this land to survive.  How we would all get there, nobody explained.  Where we would find food, nobody explained.  Where we would sleep, bathe, work or survive was never explained.  The frequent answer was “It will all be revealed to us when that time comes.”

Huh?

Looking back on those days now, I wonder how I could have been so confident of the leadership of our church that I never dug into the Bible to see if it has a say on this matter.  Turns out, it does.  And the truth about the Place of Safety is so comforting, I can’t believe I hadn’t understood it decades ago.  Here are many of the passages in the Bible which provide the answer to this question.  See if you can identify a common theme throughout.

Prov. 29:25–“The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in Yahweh shall be safe.”

2 Sam. 22:1–“And David spake unto Yahweh the words of this song in the day that Yahweh had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul:  ² And he said, Yahweh is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;  ³ The Elohim of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.  ⁴ I will call on Yahweh, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.”

Psalm 20:7–“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of Yahweh our Elohim.”

Psalm 54:1–“Save me, O Elohim, by thy name, and judge me by thy strength.”

Joel 2:32–“And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of Yahweh shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as Yahweh hath said, and in the remnant whom Yahweh shall call.”

Jer. 10:25–“Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name: for they have eaten up Jacob, and devoured him, and consumed him, and have made his habitation desolate.”

Mal. 2:2–“If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith Yahweh of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.”

Mal. 3:16–“Then they that feared Yahweh spake often one to another: and Yahweh hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared Yahweh, and that thought upon his name.”

Psalm 119:114–“Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.”

Prov. 18:10–“The name of Yahweh is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.”

As you can see, the Bible makes it perfectly clear that the “place” of safety isn’t a geographical location at all.  It is the belief in Yahweh and the unapologetic love of his holy name.  These are but a small sampling of the many verses in scripture that reinforce the importance of the name Yahweh.   It is THIS fact, of an unwavering belief in THAT name that provides sanctuary from the upcoming storm.  Yet, as Joel prophesied above, the vast majority of the people on earth will reject this obvious fact and will suffer the consequences of their stubbornness.  Only a “remnant” will have the holy spirit reveal this truth to them and that’s the small group that Yahweh will call.

The importance of this fact–the recognition of the name Yahweh as our heavenly father–was reinforced in the Old Testament by Moses and in the New Testament by Yahweh’s son, Yahshua.  Yahweh wrote, verbatim, exactly how important he deems his name when he gave Moses the 10 Commandments on Mount Sinai.  Most people will immediately recognize this 3rd Commandment:

Ex. 20:7–“Thou shalt not take the name of Yahweh thy Elohim in vain; for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.”

How many people have glossed over this verse and paid scant attention to what it actually says?  These words are unambiguous.  Yahweh himself was the author who etched these words into stone.  Moses was merely the human instrument to convey Yahweh’s words to the rest of humanity.  The words were written in Hebrew.  The original name of Yahweh has not been lost to history.  So why does the entire world reject this straightforward commandment and use whatever name they deem appropriate when speaking of Yahweh?

Yet, for centuries, theologians and religious leaders have rationalized that the 3rd commandment means we are not to use the name Yahweh as a curse word.  But, this is not what the Hebrew word “vain” means.  In Hebrew, the word “vain” is “shav”, which translates into “false”, “vapid”, or “empty”.  It does NOT define this word as “profane”.  In other words, if ANY rendering of “Yahweh” is used in replacement of the correct word, it is a false, empty identification of Yahweh’s holy name.

Putting Moses aside, in the New Testament, Yahshua himself BEGAN his ministry with additional instructions of how precious and important his father’s name is.  In the very first sermon that Yahshua gave upon the Mount of Olives, he said the following:

Matt. 6:9–“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, HALLOWED BE THY NAME.”

These well-known words make up the beginning of “the Lord’s prayer” which every Christian knows by heart.  But, have they taken its MEANING to heart?  Yahshsua himself, the son of Yahweh, in the first sermon that began his ministry on earth, explained HOW to pray.  He did not tell them to recite the words and repeat them, ignoring their meaning.  Are people keeping Yahweh’s name holy when they refer to him in any other random name except the one that he DEMANDED that we use?

Moses was the first human to have this message given to him by Yahweh.  Many prophets throughout the Bible repeated Moses’s 3rd commandment by emphasizing the importance of Yahweh’s name, as I’ve cited in the various verses above.  It’s more than something that’s sacred to Yahweh–it’s the very source of our Place of Safety when the tribulation comes.  We will not have to flee to any far-off place.  We can remain in our own homes, protected as we pray to Yahweh and honor his holy name and THAT simple deed will result in us being safe.

And it is for THIS reason that Yahshua urged us to keep Yahweh’s name HALLOWED.  It is that name that is our fortress to protect us in troublesome times ahead.

Knowing this, believers should have peace of mind beyond belief.  Our father in heaven loves us so much that he provided this fool-proof, in-case-of-fire-break-glass Place of Safety.  It doesn’t matter where you are, because as long as you have the name of Yahweh to protect you, your “safe place” is wherever you happen to be.

And it costs less than traveling to the Middle East.