My words will not pass away
What does it mean that Jesus’ words will not pass away (Matthew 24:35)?
Creation displays remarkable consistency according to the God-ordained laws that govern it, such as the sun rising in the east and setting in the west. Yet, according to Jesus, the truth of His teaching is more certain than night following day: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Matthew 24:35, ESV). The contrast Jesus makes between the eventual destruction of the earth and the permanent nature of His words highlights the unchanging nature of the truth He speaks.
Jesus makes this powerful statement in the Olivet Discourse, so named because He was sitting on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem when He spoke it (Matthew 24:3). In the segment of the discourse where He teaches on the signs of the end of the age (Matthew 24:3–35), Jesus explained that when a fig tree starts to grow leaves it’s a sign that summer is near. Likewise, when heaven and earth pass away, indicating that judgment is near, followers of Jesus can take comfort in the fact that Jesus’ words will never perish (Matthew 24:32–35).
Jesus’ statement about the inevitable destruction of the heavens and the earth reflects the Bible’s teaching on this topic in both the Old and New Testaments. Understanding creation’s fate sheds light on the contrast Jesus makes in Matthew 24:35. For instance, Isaiah reports that, in the end times, the earth will be destroyed: “The earth is utterly broken, the earth is split apart, the earth is violently shaken. The earth staggers like a drunken man; it sways like a hut; its transgression lies heavy upon it, and it falls, and will not rise again” (Isaiah 24:19–20). Although the present world, which God cursed because of sin (Genesis 3:17–19), will come to an end, Isaiah reveals that a new, uncursed world will arise: “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind” (Isaiah 65:17; cf. 66:22).
In the New Testament, Peter’s description is even more detailed than Isaiah’s: “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed” (2 Peter 3:10). He adds that creation will experience renewal: “But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13). Furthermore, in the book of Revelation, echoing Isaiah and Peter, John writes, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more” (Revelation 21:1).
The heavens and the earth aren’t eternal, but the words of Jesus are. When He says His words will never pass away, Jesus builds on His teaching about the words of God in the Sermon on the Mount: “For I tell you truly, until heaven and earth pass away, not a single jot, not a stroke of a pen, will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” (Matthew 5:18). Jesus’ statement in Matthew 24:35 about the eternal nature of His words reveals that they are of the same nature as the Father’s words, inscribed in Scripture—they stand forever (e.g., Psalm 119:160).
Isaiah 40:8 foreshadows the contrast Jesus makes in Matthew 24:35: “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” One day the sun, moon, and stars will cease to exist, and the earth, sea, and sky will perish. Yet Jesus’ words will not pass away. They are eternally fixed, reflecting the unchanging character of God (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8). As the psalmist says, “Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end” (Psalm 102:25–27).
