He meant that His work of bearing sin's penalty and putting away sin was finished — complete, with nothing left to add.
Les Feldick teaches that during the three hours of silence on the cross, Christ stepped into the eternal and suffered the punishment for every human being's sin as the scapegoat. When He returned to time and cried 'It is finished,' the work of dealing with sin was done. The human race has no right to add anything to it, because the book says it is finished and complete.
John 19:30 — This is the actual moment Jesus said 'It is finished.'
Hebrews 9:26 — Shows Christ's single sacrifice put away sin once for all.
Leviticus 16:21-22 — The scapegoat ritual Les Feldick says pictures Christ carrying sins far away.
John's Gospel records that after Jesus knew all things were now accomplished, He said 'I thirst' so that the Scripture might be fulfilled, and then He cried, 'It is finished' (John 19:28-30). Luke's Gospel records His final words as 'Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost' (Luke 23:46). The Book of Hebrews says Christ 'now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself' (Hebrews 9:26), indicating that His one sacrifice was sufficient. In the Old Testament, the scapegoat on the Day of Atonement had Israel's sins confessed over him and then was sent into the wilderness, a land not inhabited (Leviticus 16:21-22).
Les Feldick teaches that 'It is finished' meant Christ completed the work of dealing with human sin and bearing its penalty. During the three hours of silence at the cross, he says Christ stepped into the eternal and suffered the punishment for every human being's sin as the scapegoat, taking our sins far, far away, never to be remembered against us anymore. When He returned, as it were, from eternity into time, He could declare that the work of obliterating sin and suffering its penalty had been completed. Les is emphatic that no human requirement should be added to this finished work. He says the human race tries to add repent, be baptized, join a church, or whatever else, but the book says it is finished and complete. He also shows that when Christ finished the work of redemption through His death, burial, and resurrection, the whole system of Law was done away with and abolished. Les contrasts the repeated sacrifices of the high priest with Christ's single, once-for-all appearance to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. He also teaches that when Christ died, reconciliation was made possible, sin was defeated at the cross, and Satan's power was broken for the believer.
Les points out that while Jesus was on the cross, there were three hours of time in which nothing was spoken. He identifies this period as when Christ became the scapegoat, carrying Israel's sins — and ultimately the sins of the world — into the wilderness, where there was no record and no geographical pinpoint. In that three hours, Les says, Christ stepped into the eternal and suffered the punishment for every human being's sin, taking our sins far away so they would never be remembered against us. Then, at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, He returned and offered His final statements from the cross, including 'It is finished.'
Les says when Christ finished the work of redemption by virtue of His death, burial, and resurrection, the entire system of Law was done away with and abolished; the Law had been given to Israel to prepare them for Messiah, but God carried out His plan of redemption anyway. He also says sin was defeated at the cross, Satan was utterly defeated, and for the believer his power has been broken. Reconciliation was made possible by Christ's death, as Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5, and Hebrews 9 says Christ appeared once in the end of the world to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
Les is emphatic that no human requirement should be added to the finished work. He says the verse Paul writes does not say 'to them that believe, and repent, and are baptized, join a church, or whatever else'; the book simply says it is finished and complete. On this side of the cross, salvation is by faith because Christ died, shed His blood, and cried from the cross that the work was finished.
The Scapegoat and the Three Hours
Les uses the Day of Atonement scapegoat to show that Christ took sins into a place where there is no record, and links this to the three hours of silence on the cross.
Jesus' Final Statements from the Cross
Les identifies 'It is finished' in John 19:30 as one of Jesus' final statements from the cross, following His cry 'I thirst,' and notes His last words in Luke 23:46.
Finished Means Complete
Les says Christ's death, shed blood, and final cry show that the work is finished and complete, and that no one has the right to add anything to it.
Stepping Into Eternity
Les teaches that during the three hours of silence Christ stepped into eternity and suffered the punishment for every human being's sin as the scapegoat, taking sins far away forever.
The Law Done Away
Les says when Christ finished redemption through His death, burial, and resurrection, the whole system of Law was done away and abolished.
Christ's Once-for-All Sacrifice
Les contrasts the repeated sacrifices of the high priest with Christ's single appearance to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
The Finished Work as the Basis of Faith Alone
Les explains that salvation by faith alone rests on the finished work of the cross, which had not yet been accomplished in the Gospels, so the disciples did not yet preach it.
Victory Over Sin and Satan
Les says when Christ died, reconciliation was made possible, sin was defeated at the cross, and Satan's power was broken for the believer.
John 19:28: After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.
This precedes the cry of completion and shows all things were already accomplished.
John 19:30: When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
This is the direct statement Jesus made from the cross.
Luke 23:46: And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.
Luke records Jesus' final words after the work was finished.
Hebrews 9:26: But now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
This verse emphasizes that Christ's sacrifice was once, not repeated.
Leviticus 16:21-22: And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.
This Old Testament picture of sins being carried away is what Les says pictures Christ's work on the cross.
Jesus meant that His work of bearing sin's penalty and putting away sin was complete. Les Feldick teaches that the three hours of silence on the cross were when Christ suffered the full punishment for every human being's sin as the scapegoat, and then He returned to time and declared the work finished.
Les teaches that during those three hours nothing was spoken because Christ stepped into the eternal and suffered the judgment that every human being deserved. As the scapegoat, He took sins far away, never to be remembered against us anymore.
Les is emphatic that the human race tries to add repentance, baptism, church membership, or other conditions to the finished work, but the book says it is finished and complete. Salvation is by faith in the finished work of the cross, not by adding to it.
Watch the Teaching: What the Day of Atonement Really Pictured — Finally Explained