Matthew 5:17, 18
The common concepts about the end of the world are worlds apart from the meaning taught in the gospels. For example, take Matthew 5:17, 18. "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled."
To destroy the law and the prophets would be to ruin their credibility. The prophets claimed to be spokespersons for God, (2 Samuel 23:2). The credentials for a true and false prophet are clearly stated in Deuteronomy 18:18-22.
Simply put, a true prophet is one who claims to speak in the name of God and the thing which is prophesied comes to pass, as and when he said it would.
A false prophet is one who claims to speak in the name of God and the thing spoken does not come to pass. In Moses' words, the prophet has spoken presumptuously and no one need fear him.
Thus to destroy the law and the prophets would be to render ineffective their credibility by clearly demonstrating that their words failed. Elijah did this in open public debate with the false prophets of Baal, (1 Kings 18:20-40).
Till Heaven and Earth Pass
Christ promised that one jot or tittle would in no wise pass from the law till all were fulfilled. This means that everything prophesied in the law and the prophets had to come to pass. God's integrity and that of all his prophets were at stake. It's a serious issue to Bible students and to Bible critics alike.
Both the law and the prophets prophesied, (Matthew 11:13) . Nothing could fail. In fact, it was easier for heaven and earth to pass than for the law to fail, (Luke 16:17). Hence, the Lord's words, "till heaven and earth passed, one jot or one tittle would in no wise pass from the law, till all were fulfilled."
The Two Requirements
One requirement for the law to pass was the passing of heaven and earth. The second required all things to be fulfilled. Without both, neither could be accomplished.
The question arises, what is meant by the passing of heaven and earth? Surface readers immediately respond with the literal heaven and earth, that is the globe and physical world in which we live. Such reasoning is that of Adventists who hold the law as binding today. But what will we do with the animal sacrifices and all the rituals of Judaism?
Further, both the law and the prophets prophesied Jesus' return (Daniel 7:13), the resurrection (Daniel 12:2) and the judgment, (Isaiah 45:23; Romans 14:23; 2 Corinthians 5:10)
For the new testament writers they saw the end of the world as having come upon them, --in their day, (1 Corinthians 10:11). Likewise, they saw the law, i.e. the Old Covenant as having waxed old as a garment and as being nigh unto vanishing away, (Hebrews 8:13). For them, both the law and the heaven and earth were coming to an end.
While most of us look to end life on the planet in some crystal-ball-like vision the apostles and prophets saw an event in the first century, which marked the end of both, namely the overthrow of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple. See Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21.
Their words, "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near...For these are the days of vengeance that all things which are written may be fulfilled. Should someone miss that reference, the writer punctuates it with the following. Assuredly I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away, till all these things take place.
Thus the law was not destroyed, but fulfilled. Heaven and earth as used in the scriptures for the law and in eschatological texts for Judaism, passed. Christ returned and the kingdom came, all within that first century generation. To conclude otherwise, makes God a false prophet.
William Bell is a public speaker and author of the Re-Examination and other books, writings and audios on Covenant Eschatology. Visit: http://allthingsfulfilled.com