Introduction:

When Jesus cried out, "It is finished" in John 19:30, many assume He meant the entire Old Covenant system was done. But is that really what scripture teaches? Or was Jesus referring specifically to the completion of His once-for-all sacrifice, while the Old Covenant itself continued until the judgment of Jerusalem in 70 AD?

What Was Finished on the Cross?

John 19:30 "So, when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, 'It is finished!' And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit."

Maybe when Jesus cried, "It is finished", He was simply referring to His once for all sacrifice being finished, and then He bowed His head and gave up the ghost. He completed the offering of Himself, the Lamb of God, just as He was sent to do. The debt was paid. The atonement was secured. But the Old Covenant system still stood, both physically and functionally.

The Greek word for "finished" is G5055 - teleō, which means to end, complete, execute, discharge a debt, accomplish, or expire. Jesus finished the sacrificial mission, but the Law and its priestly system had not yet passed away. The temple still stood, sacrifices continued, and the apostles still operated within a transitional phase of the covenants.

What Did Jesus Finish "on Earth"?

John 17:4 "I glorified You on the earth by accomplishing the work which You have given Me to do."

Jesus finished the earthly mission the Father gave Him. He preached the kingdom to Israel, healed the brokenhearted, revealed the Father, and prepared His disciples for what was to come. His mission as the suffering servant was completed on earth.

But many of the outcomes and kingdom purposes were fulfilled from Heaven after the cross. From His throne, He continued to reign, judge, and bring about the covenantal transition from Old to New. Preaching the kingdom to Israel, healing the brokenhearted, revealing the Father, and preparing His disciples for what was to come. His mission as the suffering servant was completed on earth, but many of the outcomes and kingdom purposes were fulfilled from Heaven after the cross.

Here is what He completed on the earth before His death:

• 1 Timothy 1:15 – To save sinners (by offering Himself as the sacrifice)
  
  

• Romans 3:25 – To demonstrate righteousness
  
  

• Galatians 4:4-5 – To redeem those under the law
  
  

• Matthew 20:28 – To give His life a ransom for many
  
  

• John 18:37 – To bear witness to the truth
  
  

• Luke 4:18-19, Isaiah 61:1-2 – To preach to Israel, heal, and proclaim liberty
  
  

• John 3:16 – To bring eternal life
  
  

• Matthew 5:17 – To fulfill the Law and the Prophets (begun on earth, consummated in judgment)
  
  

But here is what was fulfilled or carried out after the cross, from Heaven:

• The preaching of the gospel to all nations – Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15, Acts 1:8
  
  

• The destruction of the works of the devil – 1 John 3:8 (completed in judgment)
  
  

• The judgment on Israel and the temple – John 9:39, Matthew 24:2
  
  

• The fulfillment of all that was written – Luke 21:22
  
  

• The resurrection of the dead – 1 Corinthians 15:23-26
  
  

• The removal of the Old Covenant world – Hebrews 12:26-28
  
  

• The full revelation of the New Jerusalem – Revelation 21:1-2
  
  

Jesus fulfilled every earthly task He was sent to do on earth, and then continued to fulfill covenant transition and judgment from His throne in Heaven. The final proof of "It is finished" came with the end of the Old Covenant in 70 AD.

Was the Old Covenant Fulfilled at the Cross? Not Yet.

Let's look at the scripture that proves the Old Covenant was not fulfilled at the cross.

Hebrews 8:13 "When He said, 'A new covenant,' He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is about to disappear."

• Written long after the cross
  
  

• The Old Covenant was obsolete, but had not yet disappeared
  
  

• It was about to vanish, pointing to the destruction in 70 AD
  
  

Hebrews 9:8-10 "The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing, which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience, since they relate only to food, drink, and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation."

• The temple still stood
  
  

• Rituals were still performed
  
  

• The time of reformation had not yet arrived
  
  

Matthew 5:18 "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter shall pass from the Law, until all is accomplished."

• The Law remained in force until all was fulfilled
  
  

• "Heaven and earth" represents the Old Covenant world, which passed in 70 AD
  
  

Acts 21:20 "You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law."

• Even after the cross, Jewish believers were zealous for the Law
  
  

• The system had not yet been removed from practice
  
  

Galatians 4:30 "But what does the Scripture say? 'Drive out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not be an heir with the son of the free woman.'"

• Paul's analogy shows that the Old and New existed together
  
  

• The full "casting out" came with the temple's destruction
  
  

Luke 21:22 "For these are days of punishment, so that all things which have been written will be fulfilled."

• Jesus ties the fulfillment of all prophecy to the judgment of Jerusalem
  
  

The Transfiguration Declares the End of the Old

Luke 9:30-35 Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus, then vanish. The Father says, "This is My Son, My Chosen One, listen to Him!"

• The Law and the Prophets disappear
  
  

• The focus is now on Christ alone
  
  

• Deuteronomy 18:15: "It is to Him you shall listen."
  
  

The Temple Had to Fall

Matthew 24:2 "Not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down."

Matthew 24:34 "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place."

• The temple was the visible heart of the Old Covenant
  
  

• Its fall in 70 AD marked the end of the system
  
  

The Book Is Complete

The Book of Revelation closes the story by revealing the judgment on the Old Covenant system. It shows the harlot city (Jerusalem) judged, the old heavens and earth passing away, and the New Jerusalem (the bride, the Church) coming down. This is the final picture of the covenantal shift, and it confirms that all things written were fulfilled just as Jesus promised in Luke 21:22.. The harlot is judged. The old heavens and earth pass. The New Jerusalem is revealed. This is not future. It happened when all that was written was fulfilled, just as Jesus said in Luke 21:22.

Conclusion:

So what did Jesus finish at the cross?

• He completed His once-for-all sacrifice
  
  

• He sealed the New Covenant in His blood
  
  

• He fulfilled His earthly mission
  
  

But the Old Covenant did not fully pass away until its physical expression, the temple, was destroyed in 70 AD.

Hebrews 9:26 "But now once at the consummation of the ages He has been revealed to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself."

The consummation of the ages did not happen at the cross. It happened at the end of the Old Covenant world.

He whom the Son sets free is free indeed. It is finished, truly and completely, in Christ. And that finish was made visible to the world in 70 AD.