MY SCRIPTURE STUDIES

My Scripture Studies
Seek God. Engage with His voice in the Bible and start in the beginning.

November 03, 2011

It is Finished...

John 19:30

It's a common tradition today for some to think: “It is finished, the law was "hung on the cross.” 

But just what "law" was hung on the cross?

Some say it is God's covenant commandments for mankind, the Torah given to Israel and the aliens and strangers sojourning with them,  to spread to the world which is the "teaching and instruction" of God, the constitutional principles for life in The Kingdom of God.

I once thought the same of the law, that it was finished. I didn't know it was the Torah. 

I thought: the law... “it is finished,” but then when I looked at the Bible from the beginning and God's words, all of them plainly showed me something that did not fit in with my belief because my presumption on "the Law" begin one away with was flat out wrong.

In my Scripture studies I found after I finally understood that God "does not change" that the Torah is The LORD's teaching and instruction. I learned that Jesus was actually explaining the Torah with great meaning in His teachings as He was teaching the heart and Spirit into the Word of God.

Soon I found that one key to understanding His heart and Spirit was that it's time to put Jesus back in the synagogue to know that The LORD God gives us His teaching and instruction for living because He loves us and He never changes His mind about that. 

Soon I realized the concept of change is that I must change and return to "the faith which was once delivered." 

In the Torah (the teaching) Almighty God gives us, there are some easy instructions that serve as unchanging principles about how we are to live near in relationship with The LORD and with others.


It's the original message of the adversary 
to fall for the idea that God does not mean what He says 
or that He changes. Don't listen to that message any longer.


We are to go beyond that and seek the spirit and heart of His words. We are to live them out with self control, gentleness, kindness and goodness as we walk in God's righteous teaching and instruction.

Many know the story of Israel. When I realized that adultery against God (idolatry) was the national sin of northern Israel after Solomon’s reign, my understanding grew (see Jeremiah 3:8). It was the sin of a harlot nation that ultimately caused our Creator to toss the ten tribes out of the Promised Land by a divorce decree just as Adam and Eve were put out of Eden.

Just read what Yeshua (a.k.a. Jesus) taught:
“You have heard that it was said by them of old time, You shall not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.” Matthew 5:28
Here, we see Yeshua’s godly view. He is teaching on the 7th instruction witnessed in Exodus 20:14, Leviticus 20:10 and Deuteronomy 5:18 which if you think about it… He gave in the first place, after all He is One with God, the Creator, the Word of God!

He was speaking about adultery, a blatant sin, just as deliberate sin against God that results in death. Yet with His teaching, Yeshua "expanded" the depth of the words of the Torah, He "explained" it under His authority that the crime against God’s voice is not just a physical act but a matter of the heart and soul. In doing this, Messiah Yeshua filled this commandment with greater meaning.

Did He “finish it”? Did He do away with it?

Of course not!

When Yeshua came at the appointed time, He lived His whole life and kept every jot and tittle. Not once did he sin. Yet the Romans nailed Him to that tree. And in so doing, the judgment that should rightfully fall upon mankind was legally transferred to this innocent lamb, God in the form of a man.

By His death on the cross and His resurrection, He redeemed us from our turning against the instruction and teaching of God and the ultimate curse of deliberately breaking it that began in Eden that was what's hung on the tree at Golgotha. 

The cross was not the end.

If we think the Torah was hung on the cross we miss the Gospel message in Leviticus. There we learn that sacrifice is not the death. The sacrifice is the blood offering before the presence of The LORD, the death is before the offering of atonement outside the Tabernacle.

By the quickening miracle life giving power of our Creator God, Yeshua lives in resurrection power and He has overcome the death of Adam and lives interceding as King and High Priest in the Order of Melchizedek just as the book of Hebrews describes. 

He kept and is keeping the Torah of God, in the High Priestly duty and privilege to enter the Holy of Holies of Heaven to expiate sins of the people of Israel wearing only white linen garments, forgoing the the elaborate priestly vestments just as Stephen saw him as Kohen Gadol in the Holy of Holies in the Sanctuary on High standing before the very Divine Throne of Glory:
"But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” Acts 7:55-56
Nothing in His life was or is Torah-less. His death by Rome's guard occurred just outside the walls of Old Jerusalem, but the enemy's death plot failed in God's perfect plan carried out in the First Fruits' power of resurrection to eternal life given to Messiah Yeshua by Almighty God on the 3rd day. On the 40th day of the Omer count He ascended to the Heavenly throne room of the most Holy of Holies as High Priest King in the order of Melchizedek and he will return just as David declared in Psalm 110 as King and High Priest in the Order of Melchizedek.   

You have to believe to receive.

Yeshua showed the heart’s dimension to the eternal words written in stone. He did this by telling us that adultery is also committed by lusting after another. Jesus was teaching the promise of the Spirit of Torah given to Ezekiel. A Messianic promise of the 'heart of Torah' so important, so critical that it was given not once but twice so that we would not miss it:
“And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 11:19

“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26
This great promise also tells us that God will give us love, joy, peace, patience and kindness. He will share His humility, mercy and faithfulness with us.

We must know, that with Messiah, we can receive the gift of eternal life because He did hang the penalty of death on the crucifixion tree. That decree was annulled by His resurrection.

Yeshua finished what began in the garden.

The penalty given in the beginning near the tree of life for deliberately and willfully opposing God’s teaching and instruction. This is the law and rule of Eden that only He can annul, one that can be "finished", but only by mercy and grace from 'The One' that declared it.

That is why God gave us the instruction in the Torah of the adulterous wife. It is the parable teaching that says the woman found guilty of adultery may not marry another man while her first husband he is still alive. The dilemma is raised in Jeremiah 5:7. Yeshua gives us the promised solution, the appointed "visit":
"Shall I not visit for these [things]? saith YHVH: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?" Jeremiah 5:9
The prophecy of Messiah's visit as the son of God is amazing and powerful, beyond belief. He came so that the harlot lost sheep can be re-married as "the bride of Messiah"! He had to die by His own unchanging word given to both Adam and Moses. He promised to finish that penalty in the beginning by crushing the head, the authority of the deceiver, an authority over the world given to him by Adam which is physical death.

God is life. His word, His Torah is the "book of life" He lives by. This life principle is one of the reasons we can read these words:
Malachi 3:6 For I YHVH do not change, therefore you, O sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Luke 24:27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Yeshua Messiah.

For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words? John 5:46-47
Moses was given the amazing prophecy of this teaching by God's word at Sinai and Moses, like Messiah was honored by God to convey this great truth to us:
“whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.” Deuteronomy 18:19
Because of God's incredible promise of life through His gift of grace, we can show our love and worship of Him by choosing to walk in the Spirit and path of His righteous word which is the truth of the covenant of peace (shalom). 'Shalom' means peace which is filled with greater depth by it's Hebrew meaning which is not only peace but "completeness, safety, soundness, health, prosperity, tranquility and friendship"!

HalleluYah we can see Shalom when we break the language barrier!

This "shalom" blessing is why we are given these eternal words at the end of His unchanging word:
"Here is the patience of the saints: here [are] they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Yeshua." Revelation 14:12

"Blessed [are] they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." Revelation 22:14
The Bible tells us Yeshua (Jesus) did not “do away” with adultery as a sin, yet he filled it up, He amplified it with greater meaning and application in our lives and our relationship with Him and others around us. May we be like Him and hearken to His words by living and walking in “the covenant of peace” in His footsteps.

So that we could understand, James taught about the death covenant:
"Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." James 1:15
This is why Paul teaches that when we walk in faith we are children of Abraham (Galatians 3:7), walking in His blessing, in the covenant of peace and friendship (marriage) with God and mankind just like Abraham did. This walk is ours to choose because:
“He was wounded far our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed.”
Ezekiel gives us the prophecy we will soon see fulfilled when he writes of the descendant of David our Messiah and our future with Him beginning in the millennium Kingdom of God:
“And David my servant [shall be] king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, [even] they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever: and my servant David [shall be] their prince for ever. Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore. Ezekiel 37:24-28
That is why His disciple, the one we call John wrote so much on this:
And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 1John 2:2-4

And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us. 1John 3:24

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 1John 5:2-3

And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it. 2John 1:6
The remaining issue is that in the end, the same dragon that deceived Eve in the garden will also oppose God's children as we seek to walk the walk and talk the talk. But He gives us the spiritual armor to wear. Here’s the witness:
And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Messiah Yeshua. Revelation 12:17
The apostle Paul teaches in Ephesians that God gives us this armor to wear to protect our heart: “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Please read all of Ephesians 6.

Yet, what many do not realize is that the armor of "righteousness" that protects our heart is the Torah of God, His teaching and instruction. The conclusion is, our savior declared that not one jot or tittle of the law would ever fall or change so long as heaven and earth remains to exist, He declares this truth for good reason. See Luke 16:17 & Matthew 5:18.

The message is that we are to come "dressed in righteousness" and "in the spirit" if we are to be a participant in the wedding party. The Psalmist spoke of this:
"My tongue shall speak of Your word, For all Your commandments are righteousness." Psalm 119:172
Scripture teaches us that those who have received Messiah Yeshua and His salvation within their lives are redeemed from the high penalty, the death curse our Creator warned Adam of in Genesis that was hung on the cross by Yeshua (see Colossians 2:14), yet we must also know that our Savior instructed His disciples and all of His followers to follow His Torah as a walk of life.

Being “Under the Law” of sin and death declared in the garden is the law for those that reject Him, the law of death that results from rejecting His instruction just and Eve and then Adam did.

The truth is that if one is no longer “under the law” of death or the religious requirements of men, then that person is released by Messiah This release was accomplished as Jesus drank the cup of bitter water in place of His bride. He nailed the curse against the unfaithful divorced bride to the cross. This is what is described by God in Hebrew as the 'torah of qin'ah' or "the law of jealousies" of God for His people in Numbers 5. There we see the great teaching of God - setting the stage of the bitter water of the cross where The Lord becomes the kinsman redeemer, the strong man, the recompense as we read:

"But if the man have no kinsman to recompense the trespass unto, let the trespass be recompensed unto The LORD, even to the priest; beside the ram of the atonement, whereby an atonement shall be made for him." Numbers 5:8

After this mighty declaration, God gives the instruction and picture of the adulterous bride. This is a big part of the "mystery" of the gospel that many have missed because they have not yet returned to the Torah, the teaching of The Almighty. You see, if you follow Messiah, what was "nailed to the cross" is the penalty of our past, not God's law, His Torah, His marriage vow.

It is really interesting that the Hebrew word for "wife" or אִשָּׁה "ishshah" is comprised of the Hebrew letter 'Shin' between the 'Aleph' and 'Tav'. The 'Shin' of "Sheen" represents teeth as in the mouth misrepresenting God. After all, Eve agreed with Satan's lie and misquoted God's instruction with her words just as many do today. Yet, despite that there He is the Almighty, the Alpha Omega of Revelation 1:8, the Aleph Tav, the Creator, the beginning and the end.

God tells us many times that He is a jealous God.

We see this in Exodus 20:4-5 and again in Exodus 34:14. We see Moses repeat this over and again in Deuteronomy. Just look at Deuteronomy 4:24, Deuteronomy 5:9, Deuteronomy 6:15 and Deuteronomy 32:21. Joshua warns us as well in Joshua 24:19. The prophets Ezekiel and Nahum also declare this.

The 'shadow picture', the mystery of the vinegar drink at the cross is seen in the teaching of the jealous husband described in Numbers 5:14. Read the whole chapter, don't stop or you may miss the Messiah in the text there.

Messiah Yeshua is the graphic symbol for the husband of the redeemed adulterous bride. He drank the bitter water on her behalf so that she would not have to. Yeshua tasted death for her so that she could be reconciled to Him as a husband. He did this so that "...the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then she shall be free" ( see Numbers 5:28). That is a big part of the mystery of why Messiah had to die for the sins of the world!

Yeshua (Jesus) removed the death penalty of sin and unwound the religions of men, he drank the bitter water by taking on death and He conquered its penalty by His resurrection! "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" 1Corinthians 15:55

We can believe on His redemptive work at the cross in faith and follow after His walk in life because we love God. This is seen in Revelation 14:12:
"Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus."
God considered Himself the "husband" of Israel after He spoke His wedding vows, the Ten Commandments. His covenant relationship was established at Mount Sinai, but Israel broke it so He had to make another way for restoration of relationship.

This picture is why He is called the God of Israel. To demonstrate His fulfillment of the curse of Numbers 5, Messiah Yeshua drank the vinegar, the bitter water in the place of His adulterous bride at the cross. This is shown in Matthew 27:47-48 just as He pointed the crowd of onlookers to His fulfillment of the great song of King David, Psalm 22.

The very reason He shouted out the very first verse of Psalm 22 to those before Him because at that time, that was exactly how any one referred to a Biblical passage, by quoting the beginning of it. After all, we have to remember there were no chapter or verse numbers!

Jesus wanted the crowd and you to recall the Psalm and He declared it when He said: "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"

After these words, a Roman Centurion declared Him the son of God, (see Mark 15:39 and Matthew 27:54) and through His reference to the Psalm, the Redeemer of the world told the crowd and the world that they, that we could know what happened on that Passover day in the fulfillment of that Psalm of David:
"I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones: they look [and] stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture. But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me." Psalm 22:14-19
Yeshua, drank the bitter water so that the bride, all Israel and sojourners would not have to suffer its curse. This is also the prophecy of Psalm 69:21. That entire Psalm is a second witness written by King David about the work of the Passover cross.

It is why Messiah Yeshua declared: "It is Finished!"

It is why He read and preached the good tidings, the Jubilee gospel of peace declared in Isaiah 61:1:
"The Spirit of YHVH God is upon me, because YHVH hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek ; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, to proclaim the acceptable year of YHVH (The Lord)" Luke 4:14-21
And this is why the letter writer Paul declared:
"And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!" Romans 10:15
Because of this gospel of peace, we “get to” follow in His commandments and live set apart in holiness and peace with God's Word because the penalty of willful transgression is resolved by the Lamb of God's blood that was spilled on the wood.

Walking in God's word is how we are to draw near to Him, how we are to show him we love Him. It is much the same as children show their Father they love and respect Him. They do this by following His advice, His teaching and instruction that is there to protect them and guide them as a loving, caring parent.

So let's not confuse tradition with our Lord's teaching, it is why he taught the Pharisees:

“Then Pharisees and scribes came to Yeshua from Jerusalem, saying, “Why do your disciples disobey the tradition of the elders? For they don’t wash their hands when they eat bread.” “He answered them, “Why do you also disobey the commandment of God because of your tradition?” Matthew 15:1-3

Now we know, if we just think about the act of adultery with another, we transgress the royal law of God which was given complete spiritual meaning, the heart of Messiah. If we consider this to the depth and core of its meaning, we must ask: is it not deceptive to assume of the Torah (teaching) of God “It is finished”? If so, then wouldn’t the actual act of adultery now be OK? After all, its hung on the cross… We must wake up and know that thinking is one reason we have so much divorce today as we fall away.

Adultery is a grievous sin against God (idolatry) and mankind (lust). They are very much the same and the spiritual application is filled up with greater meaning when it includes what is in one’s heart.
“Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law (Torah).” Romans 3:31
One of the signs that our societies are is in a state of falling away, of decay and destruction is based on the subtle, yet deceptive thinking that God’s principles, His Kingdom constitution of life walking near Him, in His path no longer matters. This is the falling away we are warned so gravely about. Paul tells us something we need to see in Romans 1:5:
"We have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name's sake"
This is well worth repeating because so many just speed read past the message not pulling the word into the intent of our heart and understanding that he teaches which is... When grace is received it brings about obedience.

This is why Yeshua warned us after His expansion of the sin of adultery… was He just kidding around? No, He was dead serious when He said:
“And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.” Matthew 5:29-30
No sane person wants to cut their hand off do they? So, we need to listen to His plain word, His Torah, His teaching and instruction for life with our heart's open to His message.

THE TRUTH IS, the law hung on the cross – is the law of death, not the law of life and blessing. 

The curse of sin, "it is finished" if we - choose life - choose to follow Messiah in faith. When we do this, we show Him we love Him in our righteous deeds. God offers life, His life for those that repent, return to Him and turn away from our deliberate rejection of God's word, our grievous unpardonable, defiant sin.

Make no mistake about it, deliberate sin against God will always be punishable by death, all willful perverse sin against God or mankind carries the ultimate penalty. But our Savior provides us His awesome gift of grace, mercy and life through His resurrection.

Though he pitched his tent in the "sin cities" of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot understood that he had to leave before it was too late (Genesis 19:19). Moses understood this too (Exodus 15:13).

Our Creator protects us with His instruction.

It is a blessing, a gift so precious that he gave His life to "finish its penalty" so that we do not continue to ignore His voice, eating from the tree of good and evil and face His curse of death, but instead the tree of life and His blessing.
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shall not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shall surely die. Genesis 2:17
God's living word, which represents the "tree of life" gives us the promise. He offers to give us all a release from the death penalty and take it away so that we may too live with Him in victory over death, in resurrection to eternal life with Him in the garden, New Jerusalem.

Praise God it will be finished.


I pray you will accept His gift of redemption, accept Him, return to Him and show the world you are set apart in His grace and mercy, that you love Him by your patient walk of faith in His covenant of peace and the light of His unchanging teaching and instruction so that Hosea's words are for another.
"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children." Hosea 4:6
Today is the time. If you know you need to get your life right with God, don’t wait for tomorrow, get it right with Him now!

What does this all mean? 

It's time for you to repent and return to God's voice, return to hear and do His word and walk in the faith of His Kingdom path so that you can ready your lamp for your coming assignment. 

It means we need to know "Who is the One Called Jesus.

Consider a prayer: Please, God guide me by your Spirit as to what I should hear and do.

It's time to repent and return to God's voice, return to hear and do His words and walk in the faith of His Kingdom path so that you can ready your lamp for your assignment. 

Stretch out your hand, and take from the tree of life, and live forever.

Open a Bible, read it, listen to God's voice and do Yeshua's teaching about the forever jots and tittles. 

You can learn how the things which are written in the Torah, the Prophets, and the Psalms are concerning Messiah and you can teach others to live life like Jesus, it's love in God's way:
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." John 3:16-17
Today is the time, open your eyes if you're dead in your own valley of dry bones.

Look up and you'll recognize Messiah from Abraham's promise passed on to Isaac and Jacob as written by Moses in the Torah. You can see Him too in the Prophets and the Writings.

Repent and walk your Emmaus Road with Messiah. Study the Scriptures He taught every Sabbath that are filled with doing life God's way in the Kingdom, and tell others about Him. Be a gatekeeper until the house is complete.

Shalom.