The Greatest Two Days

Jesus finished His last supper with His disciples and then headed for Gethsemane, His place of prayer. He went there often to pray and no doubt knew He would spend His last night there. As He began to pray, the agony became intense. His battle in Gethsemane lasted for three hours. He agonized in prayer, so much so that, at a certain point, the capillaries burst in His face and eyes. Even His pores began to ooze blood. He pressed through the agony until He was able to say, “Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours be done, Father.” Angels then came to minister to Him. 

Soon after, the guards came and arrested Him. Betrayed by a friend, a follower, a member of His ministry team, He was scourged. He was beaten with a cat of nine tails 39 times. The lashes whipped around him and tore the flesh from His bones. It was said that after the beating by trained soldiers, He was unrecognizable. Isaiah 52:14 says, “His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness.” By those stripes, we are healed.

But it wasn’t over yet. The soldiers then pressed a crown of thorns into His head. They plucked out portions of His beard. He was beaten, cursed and mocked. They spat on Him. He bore our shame. In that condition He was presented before Pontius Pilate, who, I think, hoped the appearance of this man would evoke some mercy. It did not. They cried out for the release of a thief, instead. Jesus had only ever done good. He had healed lepers, opened blind eyes, forgave sinners, gave loved ones back to the grieving. There is no natural explanation for what was happening, except that the people were under a demonic stupor. This was the greatest battle between Satan and mankind that has ever taken place. All the stops were pulled out by Satan to try and win this battle. 

Still, Calvary awaited this sinless man. The place of the skull. Golgotha. Outside the city. Everything that happened in those six hours on Friday fulfilled scripture. The clothing He wore. The piercing of His hands and feet in crucifixion. The sign over His head. The soldiers gambling for His robe. His forgiveness of the thief hanging next to Him. Then, the Father turning His face away from His Son for the first and last time in all eternity. Jesus was separated from the Godhead, as He took on all of our sin. The earth grew dark, then He uttered His final words, “Father, into Your hands, I commend My spirit.” The earth quaked, the graves opened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. Man would never have to be separated from God by rote, form, and ritual ever again.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16; ESV)

Give Him 15 minutes in prayer:

• Take a few minutes and consider Christ’s work on the cross. Think about what He has done for just You. Now, contemplate what He has done to set all of humanity free from Satan’s hand.
• Repent of any known sin. It seems impossible not to when we read again all He went through to redeem us.
• Thank Him again for that work! Thank Him for making all things new! Thank Him for this season of awakening and harvest we are now in!
• Make declarations about this Great Harvest of the Ages season. Recount the work of the cross prophetically into the atmosphere.
• Remind the Father that He said Jesus’ inheritance was the nations, the people groups, of the earth. Call for the fulfillment of that promise.

A prayer you can pray:

Lord, thank You for what this season represents. Thank You for the strength we feel in its very atmosphere. Thank You for the spirit of awakening that is here. We thank You for the “new” we are moving into. We thank You that we are not stuck in the past, but we are in a process, a journey, of moving forward into new beginnings. Things are new every morning. We are even in a new season with You where everything all around the earth is about to change. The Great Harvest of the Ages is about to begin. It even has begun. Nations will turn to You. Strongholds that have existed for centuries, millennia, will come down now. Millions will come to You. The Spirit of Revelation will permeate the atmosphere over entire cities and nations; entire people groups; entire races. We will see demonic spirits broken off of them and a Spirit of Revelation will open up their eyes to see You. We say, “This will be the greatest hour for the message of the cross; the message of Yeshua; the message of Messiah; the message of He Who came to die for all—all people and every people group.”

Father, we ask for all the nations as His inheritance. You said He could have them. You announced there would be people there of every tribe and tongue and nation. We say, “Not one word will pass away until it’s all fulfilled.” We celebrate this day, even as they celebrated His entrance into the city. We grieve the pain He had to endure on our behalf. We repent. We celebrate what He accomplished. We celebrate Who He is and Who You are and who He has made us. We give You a shout of praise in Jesus’ name! Amen.

Today’s decree:

Not our will, but accomplish Yours through us in Jesus’ name, Father!