It Is Finished!

The most extraordinary accomplishments of men blush in comparison to the finger of our God.

Well beyond our comprehension are the magnificent workings of our God. Set against the entirety of our human experience, God has elevated rulers, overthrown mighty armies, and carefully revealed His plan and purpose to lowly men and women.

He commanded the work of the ministering angels and now has put all power and authority under His Son. Meanwhile, His incredibly complex plan is achieved, without flaw, outside the perception of mortal men. The most extraordinary accomplishments of men blush in comparison to the finger of our God.

Five unique milestones are revealed in God’s plan in Scripture.

Five unique milestones are revealed in God’s plan in Scripture. Each phase of these plans involved incomprehensible attention to detail. When a milestone is accomplished, it brings great joy to the creation and the Creator. The angels rejoice as the work is successfully completed.

God Finished His Work of Creation 

The first milestone is the creation of heaven and earth. We can’t fully imagine the brilliance of the natural creation, which we are blessed to admire daily. I took a course in college in the early 1970s called “The Bible as Literature.” I remember the professor stating that the greatest throwaway line in all of literature was, “He made the stars also.” (Genesis 1:16).

As we peer today through high-powered telescopes sent deep into our galaxy, we see images that stun scientists. The immensity of space and our tiny place in it humbles even the proudest of men. The diversity of organisms and plants was created with an intricate knowledge of their interdependence. Each detail of the thousands of unique species was designed with purpose. Finally, the pinnacle of creation was the formation of man. Man was the one part of creation with the capacity to reflect the character of God, along with a mind capable of spiritual thinking.

No wonder God commanded His people, Israel, to remember the Sabbath each week. His creative work spanned six days, after which He “rested.” So Israel was to remember this majestic work and give honor to God by a renewed commitment to holiness and obedience to Him. We, too, remember the magnificent work done on our behalf by our Lord Christ each week when we contemplate the second “finishing,” which was accomplished by our Lord. It spurs us on to be a holy people unto our God.

The Focus on God’s Son

As we know, the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden set in motion a merciful redemptive plan centered on the Seed of the Woman, the Lord Jesus Christ. The second milestone was accomplished on the cross, but we should pause here to think about the amazing work of our God and His angels to enact the progress of His plan.

The obedience of His Son in all things was essential to His plan.

His angels diligently delivered Noah and his family from the Flood’s destructive waters. God assured the patriarchs that even though they were sojourners, they would inherit the land forever through the Seed. We see the work of Jesus Christ foreshadowed in the Law. The prophets spoke of his work and how he was betrayed and suffered. David was told that his Seed would sit on his throne forever. All of these prophecies, down to the details, were executed flawlessly by God and the angels.

The obedience of His Son in all things was essential to His plan. The angels rejoiced when the promised Seed was born. Our Lord’s birth wasn’t just an ordinary birth; it was a crucial element of the plan. The angels would happily sustain him in all his trials, for his success was essential to all their work. Our humble Lord submitted to God’s will in all things. Though tempted like us, he fulfilled every detail prophesied about him. Finally, while breathing his last on the cross, he exclaimed, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). 

Jesus’s death and resurrection fulfilled many prophecies. These are the very foundations of our faith. But what was “finished?”

The New Creation

The natural creation ended for all in the grave. Recorded of all faithful and unfaithful men was: “And he died.” Mankind was powerless to reverse the consequences of sin. It would require our righteous Lord Jesus to provide another option for the natural creation. The third milestone is the establishment of the new creation in Christ Jesus. He was the “firstfruits of them that slept” (1 Corinthians 15:20), the Master of the new creation in his blood. His was not a creation of flesh and blood but the quickening of a spiritual life that no man could otherwise attain.

The Lord Jesus, resurrected and exalted by his Father, now has been given all power and authority to develop the new creation. Our Lord controls the beastly nations, preserves Israel, and directs the angelic work in our lives, graciously calling us to salvation.

James wrote about this new creation, using natural creation language. Remember, in the natural creation, God created animals after their own “kind.” The horse had a kind that was separate from the kind of the cow. God’s natural creation differentiated creatures based on their kind. So listen to what James says about the new creation.

Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. (James 1:18).

This work is what Jesus is now doing, making up the first fruits of the new creation. We are begotten, not only born. We are to be differentiated from those in the natural creation, for we are raised up with him in baptism and living on a new plane altogether. So, in addition to the work at a global level for the past two millennia, the Lord and his angels have been working at a granular level—pulling new kinds of creatures into the fisherman’s net.

But this work also has a terminus. Soon he will return to redeem his new creatures and begin the next major work on this earth. The Revelation tells us of this ending in dramatic form.

In Revelation 16, the sixth angel pours out a vial. The vial brings about the drying up of the Euphrates and the Turkish power, enabling Israel to return to the land and for the northern powers to begin forming their confederacy. Frog-like spirits emerge from the mouth of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. Then Jesus uses language that closely matches the Olivet Prophecy, warning our generation to watch.

Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. (Revelation 16:15).

by his grace, we will be with him in that day

Finally, our Lord returns. The day so longed for by the new creation has arrived. He judges the quick and the dead, and by his grace, we will be with him in that day. But still ahead is the great battle of Armageddon. Here, he demonstrates his great power and authority to the world, utterly destroying the attacking confederacy. With Israel saved and repentant, the seventh angel then pours out his vial into the air and exclaims with a great voice, “It is finished!” (Revelation 16:17 NLT—“It is done.” in other versions).

Another milestone is complete. The preparation of the first fruits has been accomplished. Jesus is now prepared to move to the fourth milestone, ruling in righteousness over all the world.

The Millennial Rule

As much as we may think we understand the magnitude of change in the Kingdom of God on earth, we must confess that we have little idea how he will transform this troubled world. There are so many things that all need attention.

The environment is in danger. Nearly a billion people are hungry. The world is filled with non-religious and anti-religious people, and billions have a confused religion. The economy must be replaced. The nations must be tamed.

All these changes represent massive work for the saints. Add to this that when Babylon and the Kingdoms of Men fall, the world weeps and laments over her. The world is not going to change easily, maybe not even willingly. 

All will know Him, from the least unto the greatest.

We can’t imagine a world governed in righteousness by our Lord. Men and women will have unprecedented access to righteous teachers. All will know Him, from the least unto the greatest. 

The Work Complete

The end of the Millennial work sees a final rebellion against the mortal believers. All the rebels are devoured by fire from heaven. The devil, the beast, and the false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire. There is a second judgment. And the victory of our Mighty God is accomplished through our Lord when sin and death are finally destroyed and cast into the lake of fire.

The complete plan and purpose of the Kingdom of God have been accomplished with the fifth milestone. The earth is finally as it should have been. The nations are gone. Sin and death have ended. The tabernacle of God is with men. All tears, sorrow and crying have been mercifully wiped away from our eyes.

Finally, we are told that he who sat upon the throne declares,

It is finished! I am the Alpha and Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. (Revelation 21:6 NLT).

Since the time the first organisms of life were placed on the earth, God has been in full control. But when a voice comes from the throne, we know that God’s plan is complete. “It is finished!” How blessed we are to have this grand vision. How vitally important it is that we redeem the time we have now to serve Him with our whole hearts.

Dave Jennings,
Simi Hills Ecclesia, CA