For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. The iota is the smallest letter of the Greek alphabet (equivalent to the Hebrew yod, the smallest letter); the dot is a small distinguishing mark on Hebrew letters. Not even the smallest element of the law will pass until all is accomplished. The until heaven and earth pass away and the until all is accomplished are both eschatological — Jesus is affirming the permanent validity of the law as a whole while indicating that its fulfillment is tied to the completion of the whole divine plan. Luke 16:17 makes the same point: it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the law to fall.

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