Join Cherri Campbell as she navigates the profound meaning behind ‘It is finished’—a declaration that reshaped history. In this thought-provoking episode, Cherri unpacks the spiritual and historical significance of Christ’s crucifixion, analyzing the statement’s implications on ancient sacrifices, and how this signaled the completion of an era and the dawn of a new covenant.
Good morning. Welcome to Victorious Faith. I’m Cherri Campbell. This morning, I’m going to continue sharing with you the message that I’ve been sharing with you for the last several broadcasts that I preached in one of our Victorious Faith services called What Happened from the Cross to the Throne. And this is a study of the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. And if you would like to listen to this message again in in its entirety or share with your friends and family or download the notes. You can go to my YouTube channel, which is under my name, Cherri Campbell, C-H-E-R-R-I Campbell, C-A-M-P-B-E-L-L. And there in the top category called radio broadcasts, you will see this message called what happened from the cross to the throne. If you click on the video, then in the description box below the video, you will see the link to download the notes. I encourage you to download them and follow along with them and look up these scriptures and study them for yourself. Now, join me in our live service. We’re part six of what happened from the cross to the throne. When Jesus said it is finished, he was declaring the end of the sacrifices. the end of killing the bulls and the goats and the lambs, the end of animal sacrifices. It is finished. No more offering of sacrifices because the ultimate sacrifice has been paid. All sacrifices are finished forever. Number three, it was also a word, tetelestai was a word used in the business world to describe the full payment of a debt. the debt is paid in full. Like when you stamp paid in full on a note, that’s exactly what it was. And so when a debt had been fully paid off, the parchment on which the debt was recorded was stamped that said tetelestai, meaning paid in full. So when a criminal was sentenced… They had a sign over their head of the charges written against them for why they’re being crucified. This one’s a murderer. This one was a thief. Whatever crime they committed, whatever they were found guilty of was put on a parchment and hung above their head as they hung on the cross. That was the bill of charges against them. It is what they are being crucified for. It was the indictment against them, what they are guilty of. And so we remember they put a sign over Jesus’ head too. And it was the accusation, what he was found guilty of, and it was also the sentence. Sometimes a criminal would be sentenced to 15 years of prison. It would be written down 15 years of prison, whatever. So when the sentence was… fulfilled, like if it was a prison sentence, 15 years in prison, then that parchment stating his sentence would be stamped, tetelestai, paid in full. Our sentence was nailed to the cross, Colossians chapter 2. When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code. The King James says, blotting out the handwriting of ordinances against us. The complete Jewish Bible says the bill of charges, the regulations that stood against us. He removed it by nailing it to the execution stake. The new American standard, he canceled their certificate of debt, the new living, the record of charges. He took it away, nailing it to the cross, Colossians 2.14. Hallelujah. Glory to God. So he nailed all of our sins and the accusations that were against us. All that Satan, the accuser, the brethren could say to God, this one sin. They did this. They they lied. They cheated. They stole. They committed adultery. They’re unfaithful. You know, all that was written against us. It was put up on there on the cross and Jesus paid the price and it was stamped. Tetelestai paid in full. Hallelujah. Glory to God. And it is finished means one more thing in classical Greek. It also depicted the turning point when one period ended and a new period began. when one period ended and another period began. So when he cried, it is finished, it was the turning point in the entire history of mankind. For at that moment, the old covenant was completed and fulfilled, and the new covenant began, and it became the great divide in human history in which men can now come to God freely and become sons of God. Hallelujah. Glory to God. Hallelujah. So that was all in… The statement, it is finished. Jesus laid down his life. They could not take it away from him. His life from him. Philippians 2, 6 through 8. He humbled himself, became obedient to death. John 10, 17 and 18. Jesus said, I lay down my life. No one takes it from me. And in John 19, 30, he gave up his spirit. They could not take his life because he was not guilty. He would never have died. Because he himself was sinless. He would never have died. But he gave up his life and humbled himself and became obedient to death. He gave himself over to death. And then in his death, Matthew 27 talks about the darkness from the sixth hour. That was 12 noon until the ninth hour. That’s three o’clock in the afternoon. Darkness came and then there was an earthquake. And by the way, I don’t have time to go into this now. It’s again, it’s on the radio programs. And I talk about when did Jesus die? Now we celebrate Good Friday. And people traditionally say he died on Friday. But Jesus said he would be dead for three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Well, you count from Friday to resurrection Sunday morning. That’s not three days or night. I think everybody, even down to kindergarten, has figured that out. But why do they say Friday? Because it’s also written that before the Sabbath day, they had to take him down off the cross. And that’s what confused everybody. But do you know what? All you have to do is go back and read the Old Testament. They were in the middle of a feast week. A feast week. It was the feast of Passover. And there was what was called a special Sabbath. It was not the Saturday Sabbath. It was the special Sabbath of the feast. And so during feast week, you’d have two Sabbaths. You’d have Saturday Sabbath and the special Sabbath of the feast. So by my research and calculations and study, I would say that Jesus died on Wednesday. And it became dark from noon Wednesday until three o’clock Wednesday. Then you know that the disciples came and asked for his body. It had to be off the cross by sundown. But even the Jews said, we’ve got to get these bodies down because the Sabbath begins at sundown. Whenever sundown was, it would change, you know. So at sundown, the special Sabbath, it was not the Saturday Sabbath. It was a special feast Sabbath for the Passover week. And so they had to have his body off the cross by sundown. So the disciples came and took his body away and they wanted him put in a tomb so that they could go and then honor the Sabbath day starting at sundown. And they would have to stay in their homes from sundown to sundown and observe the feast and the Passover, all that they did on that special Sabbath. Then you’ll notice that the women were going to prepare his body. They had to make herbs. So then they could work from Thursday sundown to Friday sundown because it was just a general workday. But then the Saturday Sabbath began on Friday sundown. So there were two Sabbath days that week. And that’s what fools people because it was before the Sabbath. They had to get this body off until they thought it was the Saturday Sabbath. But it was not Saturday Sabbath. It was the special Sabbath that was an additional Sabbath in that week. And so they would have taken his body down before sundown on Wednesday. They would have all gone to their homes from Wednesday sundown to Thursday sundown. From Thursday sundown to Friday sundown, they can work a regular workday. They can prepare. Oh, they had to prepare the spices. It takes time to prepare mummification. You know, prepare all the spices. So they would be in, ladies be in their homes preparing, preparing, preparing. And then they all have to stop and put everything aside at Friday sundown. and then honor the Saturday Sabbath until Saturday, Sunday, and then they’re free to go out again. And early on the first day of the week, the women went out to the tomb trying to find him and he was gone. So praise the Lord. But there you see, as I understand it, and from my study, now some people would say different Thursday, but that way I also see it is that that’s three days and three nights, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Thursday, Wednesday night, Thursday night, Friday night. Well, why don’t you say Saturday night, Cherri? Because let me show you one other thing that I have questioned. I’m not saying that I’ve got this all right. I’m saying I’ve studied it a lot. And our tradition is that he rose on Sunday morning. The Bible doesn’t say that either. The Bible says the women went to the tomb on Sunday morning and he was gone. It doesn’t say he rose on Sunday morning. And so being that three days and three nights, Wednesday night, Thursday night, Friday night, after the Saturday Sabbath at sundown, it would have been the completion of the third day. He could have been raised from the dead anywhere from Saturday sundown onward. He could have been raised from the dead at 6 p.m., 7 p.m., midnight, 2 a.m., whatever, which would not have counted as a full night that Saturday night because we don’t know when he was raised. And that’s another thing that people get confused about because they assume that he rose on Sunday. No, the women went on Sunday. He wasn’t there, but we don’t know when he was gone. And so it could have happened any time after Saturday sundown to finish the three days, three night period. You understand? Praise the Lord. So the darkness came over on Wednesday from noon to the ninth hour. And the earthquake came. The temple curtain was torn into from top to bottom. And that was a miracle because it’s like, what, eight inches thick. No man can tear it. It had to be God and was torn from top to bottom. And it was like 15 feet tall. And so that had to be God saying that the way into the Holy of Holies is now open. Glory to God. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. So then Jesus went into hell. You got to get this story to its climax. Hallelujah. Jesus went to hell. Now, some Christians will say Jesus didn’t go to hell. He only went to paradise. No, he had to go to hell because the punishment for sin is hell. And if he didn’t pay the price, you would still be going to hell. If he didn’t go to hell, you would still have to. Because hell is the punishment for sin. He had to go to hell. He had to go to the lowest of the bottom of the pit. And so there’s so many scriptures here. I’m out of time to give you, but I’ll give you references. Revelation 20, verses 1 through 3, the bottomless pit is called the abyss. Jesus went to the abyss. It’s recorded in the Hebrew. It’s the word Sheol. Psalm 18, back in the Psalms, 18.5, the cords of Sheol entangled me. That was hell. That was the underworld. That was the pit. The place of no return. The cords of Sheol entangled me. Psalm 88, 6. You have put me in the lowest pit. In the darkest depths. That was not paradise. Isaiah 53, 12. He was numbered with the transgressors. He was not numbered with the righteous. With the transgressors in his death. Matthew 12, 40, Jesus himself testified as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the fish. So the son of man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. What you just heard was part six of a message that I preached in one of our victorious faith services called what happened from the cross to the throne. And we will continue this message again tomorrow. So join me again tomorrow. And remember, God loves you. You are blessed and highly favored by the Lord.
