"It is Finished!"


When Yeshua (Jesus) therefore had
received the sour wine,
He said,
"It is finished":
He bowed His head,
and gave up the spirit.

John 19:30




The Apocrypha - II Esdras

[According to most scholars the dates given for this document (II Esdras) are as early as 586 B.C.E. to 120 C.E. (A.D.). It was written in Hebrew, and was also known as Fourth Ezra as well. All the verses in Red should be compared with the Scripture text that follows.]

II Esdras Chapter 1
1. The second book of the prophet Esdras, the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, the son of Shailum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub,
2. The son of Ahijah, the son of Phinhas, the son of Eli, the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, the son of Arna, son of Uzzi, son of Borith, the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar,
3. The son of Aaron, of the tribe of Levi; which was captive in the land of the Medes, in the reign of Artexerxes king of the Persians.
4. And the Word of the L-RD came unto me, saying,
5. Go thy way, and shew My people their sinful deeds, and their children their wickedness which they have done against Me; that they may tell their children's children:
6. Because the sins of their fathers are increased in them: for they have forgotten Me, and have offered unto strange gods.
7. Am not I even He that brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage? but they have provoked Me unto wrath, and despised My counsels.
8. Pull thou off then the hair of thy head, and cast all evil upon them, for they have not been obedient to My Law (Torah), but it is a rebellious people.
9. How long shall I forbear them, into whom I have done so much good?
10. Many kings have I destroyed for their sakes; Pharaoh with his servants and all his power have I smitten down.
11. All the nations have I destroyed before them, and in the east I have scattered the people of two provinces, even of Tyrus and Sidon, and have slain all their enemies.
12. Speak thou therefore unto them, saying, Thus saith the L-RD,
13. I led you through the sea and in the beginning gave you a large and safe passage; I gave you Moses for a leader, and Aaron for a priest.
14. I gave you light in a pillar of fire, and great wonders have I done among you; yet have you forgotten me, saith the L-RD.
15. Thus saith the Almighty L-RD, The quails were as a token to you; I gave you tents for your safeguard: nevertheless ye murmured there,
16. And triumphed not in My Name for the destruction of your enemies, but ever to this day do you yet murmur.
17. Where are the benefits that I have done for you? when ye were hungry and thirsty in the wilderness, did ye not cry unto me,
18. Saying, Why hast thou brought us into this wilderness to kill us? it had been better for us to have served the Egyptians, than to die in this wilderness.
19. Then had I pity upon your mournings, and gave you Manna to eat; so you did eat angels' bread.
20. When you were thirsty, did I not cleave the Rock, and waters flowed out to your fill? for the heat I covered you with the leaves of the trees.
21. I divided among you a fruitful land, I cast out the Canaanites, the Pherezites, and the Philistines, before you: what shall I yet do more for you? saith the L-RD.
22. Thus saith the Almighty L-RD, When you were in the wilderness, in the river of the Amorites, being athirst, and blaspheming My Name,
23. I gave you not fire for your blasphemies, but cast a tree in the water, and made the river sweet.
24. What shall I do unto thee, O Jacob? thou, Judah, you would not obey me: I will turn Me to other nations, and unto those will I give My Name, that they may keep My Decrees.
25. Seeing you have forsaken Me, I will forsake you also; when you desire Me to be gracious unto you, I shall have no mercy upon you. (See Hosea)
26. Whensoever you shall call upon Me, I will not listen you: for you have defiled your hands with blood, and your feet are swift to commit manslaughter.
27. You have not as it were forsaken Me, but your own selves, saith the L-RD.
28. Thus saith the Almighty L-RD, Have I not prayed for you as a father his sons, as a mother her daughters, and a nurse her young babes,
29. That you would be My people, and I should be your G-d; that you would be My children, and I should be your Father?
30. I gathered you together, as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings: but now, what shall I do unto you? I will cast you out from my face.
31. When you offer unto Me, I will turn My face from you: for "your" Solemn Feast days, "your" new moons, and "your" circumcisions, have I forsaken.
32. I sent unto you My servants the Prophets, whom you have taken and slain, and torn their bodies in pieces, whose blood I will require of your hands, saith the L-RD.
33. Thus saith the Almighty L-RD, your Temple is desolate, I will cast you out as the wind doth stubble.
34. And your children shall not be fruitful; for they have despised My Commandment, and done the thing that is an evil before Me.
35. Your houses will I give to a people that shall come; which not having heard of Me yet shall believe Me; to whom I have shewed no signs, yet they shall do that I have Commanded them.
36. They have seen no Prophets, yet they shall call their sins to remembrance, and acknowledge them.
37. I take to witness the grace of the people to come, whose little ones rejoice in gladness: and though they have not seen Me with bodily eyes, yet in spirit they believe the thing that I say.
38. And now, brother, behold what glory; and see the people that come from the east:
39. Unto whom I will give for leaders, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Hoseas, Amos, and Mich, Joel, Abdias, and Jonah,
40. Nahum, and Abacuc, Sophonias, Aggeus, Zachary, and Malachy, which is called also an messenger of the L-RD. AGI

Verses
28-40, are the important parts of this text. The names of the prophets listed in the last two verses are not all spelled the same as in the KJV of the Bible. However, these are the same prophets. Take note that the last prophet Malachy (Malachi), is called the messenger of the L-RD.


Malachi 3:1 "Behold, I will send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me: and the L-rd (sovereign - human or divine: master, lord, owner, Adoni) whom you seek, shall suddenly come to His Temple, even the Messenger (also used of a prophet, priest, King, ambassador, or teacher) of the Covenant, whom you delight in: Behold, He shall come, saith the L-RD of hosts.


In this verse we really see
"two messengers," one was John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Messiah, and the other is the L-rd Yeshua, the Messiah. He is our Prophet, High Priest, Ambassador, Teacher, and our King!

Now, Yeshua speaking as G-d, tells us the same things as the above verses in the Gospel of Matthew. Yeshua speaks about the "hypocrites" of His day. Hypocrites here in this text, is really a Hebrew idiom for "Actor" - someone who pretends to be something he is not. Such were many (not all) religious Scribes and Pharisees of Messiah's day.


Matthew 23:1-39
1 Then spake Yeshua to the multitude, and to His disciples,
2 Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:
3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders (fringe - tzitzits') of their garments,
6 And love the uppermost rooms at Feasts, and the chief seats in the Synagogues,
7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
8 But be not you called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Messiah; and all you are brethren.
9 And call no man your Father upon the earth: for one is your "Father," which is in Heaven.
10 Neither be you called Masters: for one is your "Master," even Messiah.
11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
13 But
woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you shut up the kingdom of Heaven against men: for you neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
14
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayer: therefore you shall receive the greater damnation.
15
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, you make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
16 Woe unto you, you
blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the Temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the Temple, he is a debtor!
17 You fools and
blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the Temple that sanctifieth the gold?
18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever swears by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.
19 You fools and
blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?
20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, swears by it, and by all things thereon.
21 And whoso shall swear by the Temple, swears by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.
22 And he that shall swear by Heaven, swears by the Throne of G-d, and by Him that sitteth thereon.
23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of HaTorah, judgment, mercy, and faith: these you should have done, and not to leave the other undone.
24 You
blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
26 Thou
blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
27
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like unto white wash sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
28 Even so you also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
29
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you build the tombs of the Prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,
30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the Prophets.
31 Wherefore you be witnesses unto yourselves, that you are the children of them which killed the Prophets.
32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
33 You serpents, you generation of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of hell?
34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you Prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them you shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall you scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom you slew between the Temple and the altar.
36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.
37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the Prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and you would not!
38 Behold, your Temple is left unto you desolate.
39 For I say unto you, You shall not see Me henceforth, till you shall say, Blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the L-RD.




In 70 C.E. (A.D.) the Temple in Jerusalem was burned, and the treasures of the Temple were carried off, just as Messiah Yeshua foretold. Their Temple was left desolate, and the Jewish people, scattered among the nations.


II Esdras I believe, was written before the death of Messiah, and that when Yeshua Messiah spoke these words, all who heard reflected on this text of II Esdras.
Here Yeshua is using a method of interruption called 'Remez' (hinting at something), that they would have known. No one can say that Yeshua did not identify "Himself" as the "Father" in this passage, He did!


On the cross
when Yeshua cried out "It is finished" - the die was cast! Blindness in part fell on the nation of Israel. In the above chapter (Matthew 23:1-39) the word "blind" is used by Messiah Yeshua 5 times. The number 5 in Hebrew is the letter "Hey" - and means: that which reveals, the Holy Spirit. This is also the Scriptural number for Grace in both Old and New Covenants. Only G-d's Holy Spirit, can reveal the truth of the Cross and Messiah last words to our hearts.

"It is finished!
I paid for your sins with My own Blood!

I did it once, and it was for all!


How to Become a "Believer" in Messiah Yeshua




Mayim's Endnote