Of the Great Tribulation, Jesus promised that Christians would be betrayed and killed for their faith (Luke 21:16), and then he says (in verse 18), "but there shall not a hair of your head perish." The apparent contradiction is explained when we understand, as Rayford is quoted as saying in this chapter, that "protection is not absolute".
We may die for our faith, but we will not "perish". That is the essence of "living above". There is no air-tight guarantee that we will not suffer. In fact, indications are just the opposite (II Timothy 3:12). Ultimately, our protection will be spiritual and eternal, and not necessarily temporal.
This is why a "tribulation" vision is so important for all believers, in every age. When we stop trying to escape discomfort, and start to face even death itself, we will sort ourselves out spiritually. Life for most of us today has to do with more and more comforts, more and more luxuries, and less and less preparation for death.
The Bible says of the world in Noah's day, and in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah, that they were just too busy getting married and raising families to think of the things of God; and it was because of that (and not specifically homosexuality or atheism) that God destroyed them. (Luke 17:26-30)
Even the Two Witnesses will have their limitations, as Chaim experiences in this chapter.