THREE HEAVEN AND EARTH MOVING STATEMENTS FROM GOD’S
MOUTH SETTLE THE QUESTION WHETHER HIS WORDS ARE PRESERVED
Our Lord Jesus Christ declared three times in Matthew
24:35, Mark 13:31 and Luke 21:33 the same words, "Heaven and earth shall
pass away, but my words shall not pass away." This settles the question
whether His Words are preserved or not. Scholars who miss this statement
but argue from other angles are missing the woods for the trees. If Jesus
guarantees that His Words will remain longer than heaven and earth which
He has created, its preservation will last longer than the creation.
Two instances in the Bible will illustrate our point.
After God had written the Ten Commandments on two tablets of stone, Moses
broke them in anger when he came down from the Mount and saw the children
of Israel worshipping instead a golden calf they had made. Then God said
to Moses, "Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will
write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which
thou brakest" (Exod 34:1).
The second instance is recorded in Jeremiah Chapter 36.
God told Jeremiah to write in a book words that He had spoken to him
against Israel and Judah and all nations. Then Jeremiah called Baruch, his
secretary, to write in a book Jeremiah’s words from the Lord and read them
to King Jehoiakim and all in the LORD’s house. When the king heard it, he
cut up the book with a pen knife and burnt it. But God’s Words came to
Jeremiah after all the words that were in the first roll had been burnt by
King Jehoiakim. Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch who
wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah "all the former words that were
in the first roll," which Jehoiakim, king of Judah, had burned in the
fire; and there were added besides unto them many like words. God’s Words
cannot be broken (John 10:35) but only be preserved.
Rev Dr Timothy Tow is the principal of Far Eastern Bible College, and
pastor of True Life Bible-Presbyterian Church.