The most understandable and encouraging attribute concerning salvation is that of its permanency, after all, it is called “eternal salvation” (Heb 5:9). What part of salvation is temporary, seeing that one of the meanings of redemption is that of being saved from “eternal damnation” (Mar 3:29). Is it a sensible truism that one can be eternally saved and then not eternally saved? Thus being temporarily saved from “everlasting punishment” (Mat 25:46) is clearly a concept of an oxymoron?
Yes, but in the greater context of this forum I've been declaring that there is another sense in which "salvation" was temporary, and that was when the Law was in effect. This takes hold of a more generic form of "salvation" than is often referred to. Paul emphasized "salvation" in its technical "saved" sense, ie as a "done deal." For Paul, eternal salvation was what was important and what Christ came to do. Therefore, he would just call it, shorthand, "salvation," expecting believers to know that he was referring to Christ's form of salvation, namely eternal salvation.
But in my mind there is no debate that there was a temporal salvation under the Law, and it was not an oxymoron. "Salvation," in its generic, biblical sense referred to deliverance from enemy armies, from natural disasters, from plagues, and from a great variety of curses. In the list of the "curses of the Law" on Mt. Ebal Moses gave Israel warning about these curses of disobeying the Law. Averting these curses was indeed a matter of obtaining "temporal salvation."
If you wish to understand what I mean by "temporal salvation" you will have to define it outside of Christian salvation. Christ indeed brought eternal salvation, but before Christ, the Law brought temporary deliverance. A most obvious example might be Hezekiah's deliverance from the Assyrians. He was "saved" from the Assyrians. This was a "temporal salvation" because not soon afterwards Babylon invaded and all Israel was defeated.
Everything the Law did for Israel was temporary, because it sustained Israel only until the hope of eternal salvation was realized. All forms of atonement under the Law was a temporary provision until the next sin occurred, and atonement would be needed again. No atonement was "final" until Christ provided his own sacrifice, which never needs to be offered again. He lives forever to intercede for us.