Matthew 24:35
What does Matthew 24:35 mean?
A plain-English look at Matthew 24:35 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Matthew 24:35 means
Jesus declares with absolute certainty, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." This powerful statement underscores the immutable and eternal truth of Christ's teachings. While the physical universe is temporary and will ultimately be transformed, His spoken words, particularly these prophecies, possess enduring authority and will always come to pass. It reassures believers of the reliability of His message, contrasting His divine truth with the transient nature of creation itself.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
KJV
King James Version · 1611Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949Heaven and earth will come to an end, but my words will not come to an end.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752Heaven and earth shall pass: but my words shall not pass.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but my words shall in no wise pass away.
Context
This verse serves as a profound affirmation of the authority and eternal reliability of Jesus' teachings, particularly important after a complex prophetic discourse. It reinforces the certainty of His words, creating a strong contrast with the passing nature of the physical world, and naturally transitions to the unknowability of the precise timing of His return.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Revelation 20:11
And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat upon it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
- Proverbs 30:5
Every word of God is tried: He is a shield unto them that take refuge in him.
- Isaiah 55:11
so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
- Isaiah 40:8
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but the word of our God shall stand forever.
- Jeremiah 31:35
Thus saith Jehovah, who giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, who stirreth up the sea, so that the waves thereof roar; Jehovah of hosts is his name:
- Titus 1:2
in hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before times eternal;
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