There is not a man living who does not know that he is going to die unless Jesus comes first, and he is raptured away. We know that eventually death will overtake us, but we do not know when. However, Jesus Christ was like no other man that ever lived—He knew when He would die, and He knew how He would die. 

Yet Jesus Christ, knowing this, set His face in that direction and let nothing stop Him. He marked the path that led to His death and never let anything turn Him aside. Every miracle He performed, everything He did, every soul He blessed, every healing He performed was done as He walked the path that led to Calvary. Every step of the way He knew that eventually He would go to Calvary and die there. 

We find Jesus, as John records it in chapter twelve of his gospel, staring and looking into the fullness of death, knowing that in just a short time He would be put to death. Knowing this, He says, "Now My soul is troubled" (John 12:27). In other words, My heart is aching within Me. What shall I say? Shall I say, 'Father, save Me from this hour?’ It was a struggle, a fight between the physical man and that Man of God who knew that He had to die. This was when the physical would like to have turned back and said, "Don't go." But Jesus said, No, but for this cause, for this very purpose, I have come to this hour. In other words, He was saying that everything He had done previously to this moment was in preparation for this moment. 

Had Jesus Christ met with defeat before this hour, if He had been defeated in any area before this moment, there would have been no reason to go to Calvary because He would not have been a Savior. Up till this moment He had won every victory. He had met Satan in combat. He had come face to face with the demon powers, and He had defeated them. He had marched the road, and He had marked the path. Step by step He led Himself closer and closer to Calvary. Now as He stands just a few hours before His death upon the cross, He stands as the victor in every area. 

It is in a situation like this that it is important to remember that it is not the first battle you win that counts. It is not the first victory but the last one. It is not always how you begin, but it is how you finish. It is not how you start this race; it is how you finish it. That is the thing that really matters. 

Now Jesus is coming down to His final battle with the powers of hell. He is coming down to this final confrontation. He faces the Garden of Gethsemane, knowing the agony and the anguish that He will face there. He knows how His soul will cry and yearn within Him. He goes from there to that hall where He is to be punished and brutally beaten. From there, He goes to Calvary.  He envisions all of this because there are no secrets to the Lord Jesus Christ. He knew what lay ahead for Him; He knew what the hours held for Him. 

In that moment, as He stared into the face of this battle, I believe he was saying, The healings I performed, the people I blessed, that was not the ultimate goal of My coming. That was not the primary reason why I came; that was not the deepest concern when I came. All of these things were wonderful as I healed the little woman that was bent over, as I helped the man by the pool, and as I healed the blinded eyes. As I spoke to the demons to set the man free, that was not the ultimate goal of My coming. But for this very cause, this was the main reason. This was the ultimate purpose. This is why I have come. This is it!

Everything that Jesus had done up to this point would have been in vain had He not gone to Calvary. It was there that the supreme price was paid. Had Jesus turned back at any point, it would have meant defeat. It would have meant loss for you and for me. 

In this Passover and Resurrection season let us keep our hearts very sensitive to the Holy Spirit as the depth of Jesus' sacrifice pierces our hearts. May we become the Bride of Christ that is without spot or wrinkle as Jesus prepares to come for His church. The time is short. Satan is full of rage!  But the Holy Spirit is ready to be poured out upon every son and daughter of Father God who thirsts to live in holiness and power for the final harvest and battle of the ages. Be ready!