Not an iota

"Until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished" (Matthew 5:18).

For some reason, I used to think that all those "iotas" and "dots" had been "accomplished" in some abstract way by Christ's first coming and that verse had been put to bed. But it is patently obvious that there are many things prophesied in the Scriptures that just have not happened yet. The sun has not turned black and the moon has not turned to blood (Acts 2:20; Revelation 6:12), to mention a couple.

Have you seen this yet: "In that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, whom the LORD of hosts has blessed, saying, 'Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance'" (Isaiah 19:24-25)? I haven't. Not on the scale suggested here.

Have you seen this yet: "Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams" (Acts 2:17)? I have seen trickles, and I know one or two prophets or spiritual dreamers, but not the outpouring.

Have you seen this yet: "At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the LORD, and all nations shall gather to it . . ." (Jeremiah 3:17)? Or this: "I will regard as good the exiles from Judah whom I have sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans. I will set my eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up, and not tear them down; I will plant them, and not uproot them. I will give them a heart to know that I am the LORD, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart" (Jeremiah 24:5-7)?

Geert Wilders, Freedom Party leader in the Netherlands, said at Manhattan's Four Seasons this month: "French is now commonly spoken on the streets of Tel Aviv and Netanya, Israel." This is because of "the worse wave of anti-Semitism since World War II." But though we have seen the migrations, we have not yet seen any widespread signs in Israel of "a heart to know that I am the LORD." Both must happen, but the latter part of the prophecy remains to be fulfilled.

In the days of Josiah, when the Book of the Law was found during temple renovations, the King trembled. He trembled because he sat down and actually read it, as I myself have been avidly reading it. And he realized that though it had long been neglected, not one word of it would fail to come to pass in its appointed time-not one blessing or curse, "not an iota, not a dot." What an awesome thing to downplay the slightest syllable of the Word of God.

And I, for one, am delighting to pray for the waist-high river of Ezekiel.

To hear commentaries by Andrée Seu, click here.