Until Heaven and Earth Pass Away......

The title above is an excerpt from my Master's teaching regarding the Almighty's commandments.

17 “Don’t assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For I assure you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass from the law until all things are accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches people to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5

Obviously heaven and earth haven't passed away so we know that nothing Jesus did or will do changes this.

To someone that studies only the last 1/4 of the Bible the significance probably stops there.  However, those familiar with Father's promise about the Law will find a much greater meaning.

What most miss is that Father called heaven and earth as witnesses when He made a promise:

19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, (Deut 30)

Notice that Father has called heaven and earth as witnesses that He has given a choice of life and death, blessing and curse.

Let's have a look at this verse in context starting 8 verses before:

11 “This command that I give you today is certainly not too difficult or beyond your reach. 12 It is not in heaven so that you have to ask, ‘Who will go up to heaven, get it for us, and proclaim it to us so that we may follow it?’ 13 And it is not across the sea so that you have to ask, ‘Who will cross the sea, get it for us, and proclaim it to us so that we may follow it?’ 14 But the message is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may follow it.

Father gave a command that is not too difficult or out of reach.   It is very near to us and we should not make excuses.

15 See, today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and adversity.

A choice is given.

16 For I am commanding you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commands, statutes, and ordinances, so that you may live and multiply, and the Lord your God may bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

He gives the command to obey all His instructions so that one will receive His blessings.

17 But if your heart turns away and you do not listen and you are led astray to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I tell you today that you will certainly perish and will not live long in the land you are entering to possess across the Jordan.

One that turns away and doesn't obey His Law will be disciplined severely.

19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, 20 love the Lord your God, obey Him, and remain faithful to Him. For He is your life, and He will prolong your life in the land the Lord swore to give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

Here again we see that Father calls heaven and earth as witnesses that He has given a choice of life and death, blessing and curse.

Surely this is what Jesus was referring to in the opening statement above.  Let's look at it again:

17 “Don’t assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For I assure you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass from the law until all things are accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches people to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5

 Since the context of Jesus's teaching is about the status of Father's Law, he is clearly referring to the promise Father made in Deuteronomy 30 when He calls heaven and earth as witnesses.  Jesus reminds us that heaven and earth hasn't passed away.  He goes on to say that whoever teaches against the Law would be considered least while those that practice and teach would be called great.

This notion of obeying Father's Law will seem foreign to most.   Father did know that His Law would be abandoned.  The good news, however, is that He also foresaw a return in the later years. 

From the first half of the same chapter (Deut 30):

30 “When all these things happen to you—the blessings and curses I have set before you—and you come to your senses while you are in all the nations where the Lord your God has driven you,

Once the scattered lost have experienced the blessings and curses and come to their senses.....

2 and you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey Him with all your heart and all your soul by doing everything I am giving you today, 3 then He will restore your fortunes, have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you.4 Even if your exiles are at the ends of the earth, He will gather you and bring you back from there.

And the families return to Father will all of their heart and soul OBEYING everything He had instructed them to do, He will restore their fortunes and bring them back......

5 The Lord your God will bring you into the land your fathers possessed, and you will take possession of it. He will cause you to prosper and multiply you more than He did your fathers.

The lost tribes of Israel will be brought back to the Land.  More on this in a later blog.  For now see Jeremiah 16:14-15 in context and Jeremiah 30 & 31.

6 The Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love Him with all your heart and all your soul so that you will live. 7 The Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies who hate and persecute you. 8 Then you will again obey Him and follow all His commands I am giving you today. 9 The Lord your God will make you prosper abundantly in all the work of your hands with children, the offspring of your livestock, and your land’s produce. Indeed, the Lord will again delight in your prosperity, as He delighted in that of your fathers, 10 when you obey the Lord your God by keeping His commands and statutes that are written in this book of the law and return to Him with all your heart and all your soul.

It's a love affair between Father and the people.  Once again the people will show their love to the Almighty by obeying all His commandments and He will prosper them.

After all, heaven and earth are still here.  They testify to the promise the Almighty made:  Life and Blessings, or Death and Curses.  It's your choice.  I'm sure Jesus hopes you will choose wisely.