@{KISStheSON} STACY BACY,
THE LAST LINE is instructive…
“and he shall serve him for ever.”…
The word there translated “for ever”… can only mean he remains a slave as long as he lives. It is not “for ever” in the sense of never-ending.
It is the same problem FREEWILLers have with everlasting punishment.
There are many things in the scriptures said to last “forever”… that definitely come to an end. This slave you mentioned, the hills are said to be everlasting and also said “will be made low”… and Jonah’s time in the belly of the Great Fish was said to be 3 days and 3 nights but was also said to be “forever”, and Christ’s reign is said to last forever, but also said will come to an end (I COR 15:25)
So, when trying to determine the truth about God, who wills to save all (I TIM 1:15)… we must be willing to look at the TIME words of the Bible.
“For ever” is not necessarily “for ever”…
The words AION (Greek) and OLAM (Hebrew) are long periods but not anything like our English word “eternal”.
The punishments of the wicked are eonian.
And the rewards of the righteous are also eonian.
The end goal is for God to be all in all… not all in some. Not some in some.
But ALL IN ALL. (I Cor. 15:28)
FREEWILLers do not understand AION and OLAM… time words…
If AION and OLAM have limits, you should know it.
Of course God has no limits… as He create the eons in Christ… so says Paul. So if He created the eons, He must exist outside of the eons of time.
But slavery, mountains, Jonah’s fishy trip, Christ’s reign, and other things said to be eonian, must not be forced out of context into endlessness.
Time, is a measure of change. We have days, weeks, months, years, decades, centuries, and eons. But when God is all in all, change as we understand it, no longer exists. Not all in some… (change possible?) Not some in all… (change possible?) But ALL IN ALL… AT THE CONSUMMATION OF THE EONS.
I hope this helps.
In grace… yours.
Jones
The Ace Theological Company 