The Bible on an Anvil Among Broken HammersBible World
24:35Matthew 24:35
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
Heaven and earth will at last be removed, but the words Christ spoke will endure forever without one word failing. They belong to His great discourse on the destruction of Jerusalem and the signs of His coming and the end of the world, in which the fall of Jerusalem stands as a type of the final destruction of the world by fire. They close the lesson of the fig tree with threefold assurance to the last generation that when all the appointed signs are seen His coming is near, even at the doors, though no one knows the day or hour. Those signs have appeared, so His coming is now at hand of a surety and the predictions are being fulfilled today. His words are therefore the only steadfast thing in the world, and receiving them and making them the foundation of character and life is like building on rock that storm and tempest beat upon in vain.
Setting and Enduring Words
The saying stands in the memorable discourse recorded in Matthew 24 and 25, spoken a short time before entering Gethsemane to bear the sins of the world. It was spoken as a partaker of human nature, wearied with the work of the day after being pressed on various subjects by those watching His words to condemn Him, and strength was exhausted in prolonging words of prediction and warning.
The discourse answers questions about the destruction of Jerusalem and the signs of His coming and the end of the world, blending the fall of Jerusalem with the final judgment and destruction of the earth. The destruction of Jerusalem serves as a type of the final destruction of the world by fire. The second coming did not take place at Jerusalem but is still future.
The prophecy traces important events from the first advent to the second, including Jerusalem's destruction, persecution, signs in the heavens, and coming in the kingdom. It sketches the history of the present dispensation to the complete restitution of all things, following the church through warfare and suffering to promised redemption, the final triumph of the people of God, the destruction of Satan and all his followers, the total and eternal extirpation of evil, and the renovation of the earth as the everlasting inheritance of the saints. It briefly covers the whole dispensation. It outlines what is to come upon the world, including the perils of the last days and the calamities approaching the cities, showing the urgency of warning a world facing coming punishment, and it belongs to teaching about the second coming and the moral depravity that would exist just before it.
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but Christ's words, God's Word, will not pass away and will endure forever. Not one word and not one jot or tittle will fail. His Word is as firm as His throne, and when earthly things are consumed His righteous rule remains unchangeable.
God's declared purposes in history will certainly be fulfilled through men who fit themselves by the characters they form to fill places for good or evil. In crisis at the right moment each acts his part and believers and unbelievers fall into line as witnesses, co-operating to accomplish God's purposes and confirming truth even without comprehending it. In the closing scenes of the day of the Lord all men, loyal or disloyal, wicked or righteous, by position and religion, act out their natural attributes and trample down one another while still carrying out the purpose of God. So Annas, Caiaphas, Pilate and Herod unconsciously and unintentionally fulfilled the purpose of God while thinking they carried out their own, and even when people pursue their own purposes God's Word and purpose stand firm and are fulfilled.
God's will in His law, His words of promise, and His holy requirements stand forever from generation to generation. They are more lasting and unmovable than the great mountains, for the God who keeps the mountains in position gives promises that cannot be moved. No earthly power or devils can make them void. They will never be changed to suit people who are unready, and everyone must be guided by His Word. Where the conditions are met God will fulfill His part even if the foundations of the earth are broken up and the heavens pass.
God preserved His written Word so that Satan and his agents could not destroy it. Near the close of time its copies would be multiplied so that anyone who wants one can read His revealed will and use it to resist deceptions.
Sure Prophecy of Coming
Christ's words about His coming will outlast heaven and earth and cannot fail, spoken to the last generation living on earth before He comes, not to reveal the day and hour but to give threefold assurance that when all the appointed signs are seen He is close at hand, that the generation to which the signs come will not pass until all is accomplished, and that His coming is at the door. The verse closes the fig-tree lesson giving an outline of what is to come upon the world in the perils of the last days, and when all these things are seen the coming is nigh even at the doors, with the sure promise that the generation who see the signs will remain until all is fulfilled pointing to His coming in glory. Alongside this certainty stands the warning that no one knows the day or hour, so the timing remains hidden while His foretold judgments and promises do not fail, and believers must watch because they know not the hour the Lord comes.
His words concerning Jerusalem's destruction were fulfilled and remained certain even when heaven and earth pass away, though the city with its towers, walls, fortresses and seemingly permanent temple appeared impregnable, and its sins and stubborn unbelief made its doom certain. The same warning about judgment applies to impenitent cities that reject messages of reproof and warning. He has given signs so followers may know when He is near even at the doors, and those signs have appeared so His coming is now at hand of a surety. The predictions of Matthew 24 are being fulfilled today with unmistakable fulfilment showing His coming is at hand and calling the church to arouse.
The prophecies of Matthew 24 must be studied and brought to the attention of all, believers and unbelievers. They are truths that decide eternal destiny, so ministers and teachers must present them and leave matters of lesser and minor consequence. They are to be explained as the foundation of faith together with the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation and the saving work of Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away sin.
Foundation for Faithful Living
The words Christ spoke, especially on the mount, are the word of God preached in the gospel and the only steadfast thing in the world and the sure foundation for life. What Isaiah foretold that the word of God shall stand forever is meant here, that His words will endure when heaven and earth pass away. Receiving Christ's words and making them the foundation of character and life makes a person like a builder of a house on rock that wind and flood and tempest and storms beat upon in vain. His word is authoritative and a solid foundation for faith, and unwavering faith in it is the only faith that will endure the perils of the last days.
Because God is faithful and keeps His promises, not one word of God will fail and His Word can be completely trusted. Those who humbly ask God for wisdom and guidance in trouble and perplexity will receive a gracious answer and will not be put to shame. People should honor Him by relying on His promises and asking Him for what they need, assured that His promise will not fail though heaven and earth may pass away.
Heaven and earth will at last be removed, and every human tie may perish and all earthly things fail. Friend may prove unfaithful to friend, and mothers may cease to cherish their own, yet Jehovah's love admits no change and remains unchanged when heaven and earth are gone. Christ is shield and hope whose Word never fails, so all who trust in Him are safe. No name that trusted in Him will ever have lost or missing written against it in the book of records, and when the battle of life is over and the book is read before the throne of God every ransomed soul will answer that he is saved by Christ's blood and victorious by His might because Christ overcame for them and achieved immortal victory for them.
God's Word is eternal and as firm as His throne, and though the heavens and earth may pass away and earthly things be consumed, His righteous rule remains unchangeable. His Word is the eternal truth that will judge every person on the great day of judgment, and Christ's teaching and example call for strict observance of every precept in God's law. The words foretelling the signs of the times were given for those who should afterward believe, to help them prepare for the great conflict. At this time, this age of the world, believers must discern those signs and reach a higher standard, and since the second coming did not take place at the destruction of Jerusalem but is still future, sinners must turn from sin and seek preparation to meet Christ at His coming.
The fig-tree lesson gives an outline of what is to come upon the world in the perils of the last days, including calamities approaching the cities, and when all these things are seen the coming is nigh even at the doors. Heaven and earth shall pass away but Christ's words shall not pass away, so His foretold judgments and promises are certain and enduring while earthly riches and architecture crumble into dust. Therefore those perishing in sin must be warned with the last message of mercy amid coming punishment, and God's warning message is urgent as the world faces coming punishment. Believers must watch because they know not the hour the Lord comes, deny self, endure tribulation and war the good warfare, and invest money lent by the Lord in gospel work rather than spending it in self-gratification unto eternal loss.
Heaven and earth will at last be removed, but the words Christ spoke will endure forever without one word failing. They belong to His great discourse on the destruction of Jerusalem and the signs of His coming and the end of the world, in which the fall of Jerusalem stands as a type of the final destruction of the world by fire. They close the lesson of the fig tree with threefold assurance to the last generation that when all the appointed signs are seen His coming is near, even at the doors, though no one knows the day or hour. Those signs have appeared, so His coming is now at hand of a surety and the predictions are being fulfilled today. His words are therefore the only steadfast thing in the world, and receiving them and making them the foundation of character and life is like building on rock that storm and tempest beat upon in vain.
Setting and Enduring Words
The saying stands in the memorable discourse recorded in Matthew 24 and 25, spoken a short time before entering Gethsemane to bear the sins of the world. It was spoken as a partaker of human nature, wearied with the work of the day after being pressed on various subjects by those watching His words to condemn Him, and strength was exhausted in prolonging words of prediction and warning.
The discourse answers questions about the destruction of Jerusalem and the signs of His coming and the end of the world, blending the fall of Jerusalem with the final judgment and destruction of the earth. The destruction of Jerusalem serves as a type of the final destruction of the world by fire. The second coming did not take place at Jerusalem but is still future.
The prophecy traces important events from the first advent to the second, including Jerusalem's destruction, persecution, signs in the heavens, and coming in the kingdom. It sketches the history of the present dispensation to the complete restitution of all things, following the church through warfare and suffering to promised redemption, the final triumph of the people of God, the destruction of Satan and all his followers, the total and eternal extirpation of evil, and the renovation of the earth as the everlasting inheritance of the saints. It briefly covers the whole dispensation. It outlines what is to come upon the world, including the perils of the last days and the calamities approaching the cities, showing the urgency of warning a world facing coming punishment, and it belongs to teaching about the second coming and the moral depravity that would exist just before it.
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but Christ's words, God's Word, will not pass away and will endure forever. Not one word and not one jot or tittle will fail. His Word is as firm as His throne, and when earthly things are consumed His righteous rule remains unchangeable.
God's declared purposes in history will certainly be fulfilled through men who fit themselves by the characters they form to fill places for good or evil. In crisis at the right moment each acts his part and believers and unbelievers fall into line as witnesses, co-operating to accomplish God's purposes and confirming truth even without comprehending it. In the closing scenes of the day of the Lord all men, loyal or disloyal, wicked or righteous, by position and religion, act out their natural attributes and trample down one another while still carrying out the purpose of God. So Annas, Caiaphas, Pilate and Herod unconsciously and unintentionally fulfilled the purpose of God while thinking they carried out their own, and even when people pursue their own purposes God's Word and purpose stand firm and are fulfilled.
God's will in His law, His words of promise, and His holy requirements stand forever from generation to generation. They are more lasting and unmovable than the great mountains, for the God who keeps the mountains in position gives promises that cannot be moved. No earthly power or devils can make them void. They will never be changed to suit people who are unready, and everyone must be guided by His Word. Where the conditions are met God will fulfill His part even if the foundations of the earth are broken up and the heavens pass.
God preserved His written Word so that Satan and his agents could not destroy it. Near the close of time its copies would be multiplied so that anyone who wants one can read His revealed will and use it to resist deceptions.
Sure Prophecy of Coming
Christ's words about His coming will outlast heaven and earth and cannot fail, spoken to the last generation living on earth before He comes, not to reveal the day and hour but to give threefold assurance that when all the appointed signs are seen He is close at hand, that the generation to which the signs come will not pass until all is accomplished, and that His coming is at the door. The verse closes the fig-tree lesson giving an outline of what is to come upon the world in the perils of the last days, and when all these things are seen the coming is nigh even at the doors, with the sure promise that the generation who see the signs will remain until all is fulfilled pointing to His coming in glory. Alongside this certainty stands the warning that no one knows the day or hour, so the timing remains hidden while His foretold judgments and promises do not fail, and believers must watch because they know not the hour the Lord comes.
His words concerning Jerusalem's destruction were fulfilled and remained certain even when heaven and earth pass away, though the city with its towers, walls, fortresses and seemingly permanent temple appeared impregnable, and its sins and stubborn unbelief made its doom certain. The same warning about judgment applies to impenitent cities that reject messages of reproof and warning. He has given signs so followers may know when He is near even at the doors, and those signs have appeared so His coming is now at hand of a surety. The predictions of Matthew 24 are being fulfilled today with unmistakable fulfilment showing His coming is at hand and calling the church to arouse.
The prophecies of Matthew 24 must be studied and brought to the attention of all, believers and unbelievers. They are truths that decide eternal destiny, so ministers and teachers must present them and leave matters of lesser and minor consequence. They are to be explained as the foundation of faith together with the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation and the saving work of Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away sin.
Foundation for Faithful Living
The words Christ spoke, especially on the mount, are the word of God preached in the gospel and the only steadfast thing in the world and the sure foundation for life. What Isaiah foretold that the word of God shall stand forever is meant here, that His words will endure when heaven and earth pass away. Receiving Christ's words and making them the foundation of character and life makes a person like a builder of a house on rock that wind and flood and tempest and storms beat upon in vain. His word is authoritative and a solid foundation for faith, and unwavering faith in it is the only faith that will endure the perils of the last days.
Because God is faithful and keeps His promises, not one word of God will fail and His Word can be completely trusted. Those who humbly ask God for wisdom and guidance in trouble and perplexity will receive a gracious answer and will not be put to shame. People should honor Him by relying on His promises and asking Him for what they need, assured that His promise will not fail though heaven and earth may pass away.
Heaven and earth will at last be removed, and every human tie may perish and all earthly things fail. Friend may prove unfaithful to friend, and mothers may cease to cherish their own, yet Jehovah's love admits no change and remains unchanged when heaven and earth are gone. Christ is shield and hope whose Word never fails, so all who trust in Him are safe. No name that trusted in Him will ever have lost or missing written against it in the book of records, and when the battle of life is over and the book is read before the throne of God every ransomed soul will answer that he is saved by Christ's blood and victorious by His might because Christ overcame for them and achieved immortal victory for them.
God's Word is eternal and as firm as His throne, and though the heavens and earth may pass away and earthly things be consumed, His righteous rule remains unchangeable. His Word is the eternal truth that will judge every person on the great day of judgment, and Christ's teaching and example call for strict observance of every precept in God's law. The words foretelling the signs of the times were given for those who should afterward believe, to help them prepare for the great conflict. At this time, this age of the world, believers must discern those signs and reach a higher standard, and since the second coming did not take place at the destruction of Jerusalem but is still future, sinners must turn from sin and seek preparation to meet Christ at His coming.
The fig-tree lesson gives an outline of what is to come upon the world in the perils of the last days, including calamities approaching the cities, and when all these things are seen the coming is nigh even at the doors. Heaven and earth shall pass away but Christ's words shall not pass away, so His foretold judgments and promises are certain and enduring while earthly riches and architecture crumble into dust. Therefore those perishing in sin must be warned with the last message of mercy amid coming punishment, and God's warning message is urgent as the world faces coming punishment. Believers must watch because they know not the hour the Lord comes, deny self, endure tribulation and war the good warfare, and invest money lent by the Lord in gospel work rather than spending it in self-gratification unto eternal loss.