Did the Heavens and Earth Already Pass Away

ARE WE STILL WAITING FOR THE HEAVENS AND EARTH TO PASS AWAY?

What does this actually mean? Here’s the scripture:

For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Matthew 5:18

This is one of those passages we often read without stopping to consider the full weight of what Jesus actually said. Jesus connected three things together: Heaven and earth passing. Not one jot or tittle passing from the Law. All things being fulfilled.

So what exactly is a jot and a tittle?

A jot refers to the smallest letter. The Greek word is iōta, corresponding to the Hebrew letter yod, the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet.

A tittle was even smaller. It referred to a tiny stroke or projection on a Hebrew letter that could distinguish one letter from another.

In modern language, Jesus was essentially saying, Not even the smallest letter or the tiniest stroke of the Law will disappear until its purpose has been completely accomplished.

That creates an important question. If the heavens and the earth Jesus spoke about have still not passed away, then according to His own words, neither has one jot or tittle of the Law. The Old Covenant Mosaic Law is still in effect!?

You cannot say the Law has passed while insisting that the heaven and earth Jesus connected to that Law are still waiting to pass thousands of years later.

Jesus did not say:

The Law will pass at the cross, but heaven and earth will pass thousands of years afterward.

He tied them together. Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law. And notice the final phrase: “till all be fulfilled.” This is covenant language. i believe we need to get familiar with covenant language.

Throughout the Old Testament, heavens and earth were used in connection with God’s covenant people and covenant order.

Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.

Deuteronomy 32:1

Moses was not speaking to the atmosphere and the dirt. He was addressing Israel under the covenant.

Isaiah used the same language when speaking about God’s covenant work.

And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people.

Isaiah 51:16

Notice the connection: planting heavens, laying the foundation of earth, and saying to Zion, Thou art my people. Heaven and earth could describe a covenant world.

That helps us understand Jesus.

He was standing in the closing last days of the Old Covenant age, but the Law, temple worship, the priesthood, the sacrifices, the feast and Jerusalem were still functioning.

The cross accomplished redemption, but the New Testament also describes a 40 year covenant transition that was still taking place. So overlooked.

In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

Hebrews 8:13

Notice the language. Even after the cross. The old covenant did not immediately stop at the cross. It was old. It was decaying. And it was READY to vanish away. And the writer did not say it had already completely vanished when Hebrews was written.

That old covenant world finally reached its judgment when Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed in their generation. The system centered perfectly around the Law, temple, priesthood, sacrifices, until earthly Jerusalem was removed.

This is why Jesus could say:

Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Matthew 24:35

Using time relevance, only one verse earlier He gave the time frame:

Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

Matthew 24:34

There is that word again. Fulfilled. Matthew 5 says the Law remains until all is fulfilled. Let this sink in. Matthew 24 says that generation would not pass until all those things were fulfilled. The pieces fit together.

This was never the destruction of God’s physical universe. Remember this is covenant language. It was the passing of an old covenant world and the establishment of the new.

And this matters greatly. Because if Matthew 5:18 is referring to the literal planet and physical universe, and they have obviously not passed away, nor ever will, then by Jesus’ own words not one jot or tittle has passed from the Law either. Then is it still existing?

Again, so that has to mean the entire Mosaic system would still stand.

Circumcision. Dietary rules and regulations. Feast days. Levitical priesthood. Animal sacrifices. Temple worship. Every jot. Every tittle.

You cannot keep the physical heaven and earth of Matthew 5 while throwing away the Law Jesus connected to it.

We often link the old Mosaic system was completely over when Jesus said “It is finished.” But Jesus was not referring to that standing temple system, he was speaking of the final atoning sacrifice. Legally the cross was the beginning of the end of that Mosaic system but the removal was roughly one generation later.

So, the Law reached its intended goal in Christ, the Old Covenant age came to its conclusion, and God’s people now live in the reality of the New Covenant. The kingdom was fully established after the first order was eradicated.

The question is not whether God’s physical creation disappeared.

The question is: What heaven and earth was Jesus talking about?

Once again, when we understand the covenantal language, Matthew 5:18 becomes incredibly clear.

So, the old heavens and earth passed. The Law was fulfilled. The old covenant administration of death vanished away.

And the Kingdom of Christ forever remains, thriving and expanding so let’s be apart of that.