From the fulfilled perspective, "until heaven and earth pass away" refers to the passing of the Old Covenant order, not the destruction of the physical universe. That covenantal "heaven and earth" passed away in AD 70 when Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed, bringing the Law to its complete fulfillment as Jesus stated in Matthew 5:18.

"Until heaven and earth pass away" sets a clear time boundary for the Law's authority. If the Law is no longer binding in the Old Covenant sense, then the "heaven and earth" Jesus referred to must have already passed. The context of Matthew 5:17-18 ties "heaven and earth" passing away directly to the fulfillment of "all" that was written in the Law and Prophets. This aligns with Luke 21:32 where Jesus said all these things would happen within that generation. Hebrews 8:13 says the Old Covenant was becoming obsolete and ready to disappear. That "disappearing" was the covenantal heaven and earth passing away.

2 Peter 3:10-13 describes the same event using prophetic language of cosmic dissolution, echoing Old Testament judgment imagery, not literal planetary destruction. In Revelation 21:1, John sees a "new heaven and a new earth", which appears after the first had passed away. The first heaven and earth represent the Old Covenant system, the new represents the New Covenant in Christ.