My Words Will Not Pass Away
Matthew 24:35 A new heaven and a new earth are to come, but God’s Word will remain!
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”
Matthew 24:35 NASB1995
If there is one part of Bible study that is difficult and opaque, it is eschatology, which the Oxford English Dictionary defines as “the part of theology concerned with death, judgment, and the final destiny of the soul and of humankind”.
Matthew 24 takes place after Jesus has left the temple in Jerusalem for the last time, and is giving the disciples a lesson in eschatology on the Mount of Olives (Olivet) overlooking the city. The entire chapter sets the framework for the end times as a prophesy by Jesus. Parts of the prophesy also appears in several other parts of the Bible.
For example, the words spoken by the Lord in this verse parallel Psalm 102:26 (“Even they will perish, but You endure; And all of them will wear out like a garment; Like clothing You will change them and they will be changed.”), and Isaiah 40:8 (“The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”).
As Jesus speaks in this verse, He is speaking with authority. He knows that not only will He experience death and what appears to be failure, but he also claims the ultimate victory of His Word as the truth! Bible commentator and Bishop Charles John Ellicott said:
The Son of Man claims for His own words the eternity which belongs to the words of Jehovah. The whole history of Christendom witnesses to the fulfillment of the prophetic claim. Amid all its changes and confusions, its errors and its sins, the words of Christ have not passed away, but retain their pre-eminence as the last and fullest revelation of the Father.1
In the midst of the seeming insanity of our time, isn’t it comforting to know that His Word remains as the only unchanging truth in the universe? A new heaven and a new earth are to come, but God’s Word will remain! We can cling to the Word, an eternal rock that will always lift us to greater faith as we hold tight to it.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Thank You, God, that Jesus is the risen, ascended, and glorified Word of God whose words remain the steadfast truth. I thank You that Jesus is the living Word of God, whose promises last forever. I thank You that whatever happens in this world and regardless of what trials and tribulations I might face, I have Your Word of truth to hold onto, an everlasting rock. AMEN
Ellicott, Charles John. “Ellicott’s Commentary on the Whole Bible”, by various writers, edited by Charles John Ellicott, Cassell and Company, All Rights Reserved 1905.