"salvation" Christ brings, which is beyond question never ending. Once (Heb. 9:12) it is used of the "redemption" that Jesus Christ secures for us by His blood. This redemption is never ending. In fact, the chief point of contrast in the context in this case is between the temporary redemption secured by the _constantly repeated_ sacrifices of the Mosaic ritual and the never ending redemption secured by the perfect sacrifice of Christ made _once for all_. Once it is used of the "inheritance" that those who are in Christ receive (Heb. 9:15). Here again beyond a question it is never ending. Once it is used of the "_everlasting_ covenant" through Christ's blood contrasted with the _temporary_ covenant, based on the blood of bulls and goats, given through Moses. Here again it necessarily and emphatically means never ending. That is the very point at issue. Once it is used of the "everlasting kingdom" of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (II Peter 1:11), and we are told in Luke 1:33, "of His kingdom there shall be no end." Once it is used of "everlasting gospel" (or good news) and that, of course, also never ends. Once it is used of the "everlasting God" (Rom. 16:26) and He certainly endures not merely through long ages, but without end. Once it is used of the Holy Spirit who is called "the eternal (or everlasting) Spirit," and He certainly endures, not merely through long ages, but throughout an absolutely endless eternity. This covers fifty-nine of the seventy-two times it is used, and in these fifty-nine instances the thought of endlessness is absolutely necessary to the sense, and in not a single one of the thirteen remaining times where it is used is it used of anything that is known to end. If usage can determine the meaning of any word then certainly the New Testament use of this word determines it to mean _never ending_, or, as Thayer defines it, "_without end, never to cease_, everlasting." Nor is this all, God Himself determines it to mean _never ending_: He defines it to mean never-ending by specifically using it in contrast with that which does end. For example, in 2 Cor. 4:18 we read, +"While we look not on the things which are seen, but the things which are unseen: for the things which are seen are temporal+ (literally, for a season); +but the things which are not seen are eternal."+ Here the whole point is that the unseen things in distinction from the seen which are _for a season_ are for a _never ending duration_.