Easter Countdown: 9) It Is Finished (Bill & Gloria Gaither)

At number 9, a really new discovery for me. I've been listening to the Gaithers for a year or two now but only came across this song on a CD (yes they still exist!) I got for Christmas. Written by Bill and Gloria Gaither in 1976, this song tells of the battle that was won by the Lord Jesus on the cross and how his victory sets us free.

Gloria Gaither describes their desire to write a song on this theme after hearing a powerful sermon by B. R. Lakin on "It Is Finished" (John 19:30). (On a personal note - this was the theme the very last time I heard my Grandad preach before he died in 1999.)

In 1975, the Vietnam War had just ended, having caused widespread destruction and division and there had recently been news of an American soldier who had been found on a Pacific island, unaware that the Second World War had ended 30 years earlier! These events inspired the Gaithers to write this powerful song.

Over the years the Gaithers have been responsible for writing and performing some wonderful music. Bill continues to lead his Gaither Vocal Band and they have put on regular Homecoming events featuring some of the best known and loved figures in gospel music.

In this video, Bill Gaither himself sings the opening verses, followed by Russ Taff. Then Guy Penrod and David Phelps (possibly my two favourite Christian singers - more of them later in the countdown!) take it through to it's victorious conclusion.

Jesus could exclaim "It Is Finished!" knowing that He had won the battle over Satan, over sin and over death. And that victory is ours too - "Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:57). We still face battles in our lives, some of them very challenging, but ultimately they are already won because nothing can separate us from God's love (Romans 8:39).

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"It Is Finished"

There's a line that is drawn through the ages

On that line stands an old rugged cross

On that cross, a battle is raging

To gain a man's soul or it's loss

On one side, march the forces of evil

All the demons, all the devils of hell

On the other, the angels of glory

And they meet on Golgotha's hill

The earth shakes with the force of the conflict

And the sun refuses to shine

For there hangs God's son, in the balance

And then through the darkness he cries

It is finished, the battle is over

It is finished, there'll be no more war

It is finished, the end of the conflict

It is finished and Jesus is Lord

Yet in my heart, the battle was still raging

Not all prisoners of war had come home

These were battlefields of my own making

I didn't know that the war had been won

Oh, but then I heard the king of the ages

Had fought all the battles for me

And that victory was mine for the claiming

And now praise his name, I am free

It is finished, the battle is over

It is finished, there'll be no more war

It is finished, the end of the conflict

It is finished and Jesus is Lord