“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, IT IS FINISHED (capitals mine): and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost (died).”

John 19:30

GREAT JOB JESUS!

I am sure you are well aware of the very last Words spoken of by the man Jesus as He hung dying on the Cross as THE human sacrifice for all of our worldly sins. The Bible records the total of the seven various things He said while on the Cross, the last of which was, “It is Finished.” What exactly did He mean when He uttered these words? Did He only mean, “I will now die”? Or, was He referring to something MUCH bigger? Did His death finish something?

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, GOD SENDING HIS OWN SON (capitals mine) in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh, That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

Romans 8:1-4

We know clearly from the Bible that “… all men have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God” and “The wages of sin are death”. Only by God sending His only Begotten Son Jesus Christ to this world in human form; to live a sin free life; and then to be the sacrificial Lamb in atonement for all of OUR sins have we been given the opportunity for eternal Salvation with Jesus in Heaven. But, we MUST FIRST accept the sacrifice Jesus made! Jesus knew very well that He would be wrongly accused and crucified for something He did not do. But, as the Innocent Lamb, He willfully bore our sins and died for our eternal Redemption.

So, when Jesus cried out “It is finished” He was referring to the fact, in fulfillment of God’s Plan for mankind’s salvation His role as the Sacrificial Lamb was FINISHED. He lived His life sin free and died for our sins. While alive, that was His purpose. At the moment of His death, His earthly role was FINISHED!

“And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, IT IS DONE (capitals mine).”

Revelation 16:17

Wait a minute! I thought Jesus said it was FINISHED when He died on the Cross. Why at  the end of the Last Days does “…a great voice” now say “It is DONE”? To put this in perspective we must look at these two very distinct events. When Jesus uttered His proclamation “It is FINISHED” he was dying on the Cross at Calvary. When the “…great voice” said “It is DONE”, we see the casting of the Seventh Vial upon the earth in the Last Days, the very last wrath from God on an unbelieving world at the end of the 7 year Tribulation Period. What is it that is now DONE?

Throughout the Bible there are many prophecies regarding the Last Days and what to expect. Throughout the Book of Revelation, which specifically talks about the Last Days, we are told exactly what all the punishments on this world will be for its evil ways and its rejection of the gift of salvation from God. Whether it is the Beast, Satan, the False Prophet, the Mark of the Beast, the Abomination of Desolation, multiple earthquakes, famines, pestilences, Armageddon, etc. we are told exactly what to expect, even proclaiming HALF of the world’s population will die during this 7 year time period. When all that has been prophesied to occur actually happens, “…the great voice” will tell all “…it is  DONE”. Personally, I like the sports analogy of the batter in baseball who keeps fouling off the pitches until he strikes out in the first inning. Just because his plate appearance at that time is finished DOES NOT mean the game is done! The game is done only when one team finally wins in the 9th inning (or overtime if tied).

Interestingly, if you Google the words “finished” and “done” you will see in today’s English, they can be substituted for each other, BUT if you examine what they meant when translated hundreds of years ago the word “finished” was an adjective and the word “done” was a noun. So, what difference does that make? Again searching Google, you will see the explanation. An adjective (“finished”) DESCRIBES a noun. In other words, I believe the difference in the use of these two different words is when Jesus said “It is FINISHED” He was describing what God meant when He said “It is DONE”. It ultimately required the (FINISHED) death of Jesus on the Cross as a sacrifice for God’s Ultimate Plan to eventually be DONE!

When Jesus said “It is FINISHED”, he was dying on the Cross at Calvary around 33 A.D., His life on earth was finished, but His Purpose for being sent and His Sacrifice still lives on today! When God (“…the great voice”) proclaims from His Throne in the Temple of Heaven “It is DONE”, He is saying the unbelievers time is up. The game is over! We won’t get another chance at bat! The game is done! Jesus fulfilled God’s Plan with His death and resurrection. Only much later (at the end of the Tribulation), when mankind has either accepted His gift or has not, did God finally tell all, “It is Done.”

“For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.”

Hebrews 10:26

IT IS DONE! Jesus died for our sins so we won’t have to BUT we must first accept His gift in the same way a convicted murderer MUST accept the pardon from the governor to escape his execution. If he does not accept the pardon, the execution will take place! It is that simple! Jesus died for our sins. We must accept His “pardon” and look to change our evil ways. IF we will do this, we will spend eternity in Heaven with Him. If we don’t, Hell awaits! Something so simple is also so comforting, to know we cannot earn our way to Heaven. We only must admit to our sins and ask Jesus to forgive us. That’s it! If we only do that, God’s Promise to us is DONE! If you are as comforted as I am knowing my salvation is there to accept, please help me to do what we are ALL instructed to do, and that is to “…therefore comfort one another with these words.”

May God Bless you!