Above: the team with Nazareth in background.
9-20: NAZARETH CRY! A NEW MOVEMENT IS BEING BIRTHED
Friends of Lamplighter especially, here’s a big request. Please take time to read this posting through, and pray immediately for God’s amazing work to be fully accomplished.
Nightfall has brought a gentle breeze to a sweltering, substantive day in and around Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth. From our hotel balcony we can look over the Old City, where the King of kings grew up, as well as the Mount of Precipice, allegedly the place where town authorities tried to send Jesus over the cliff after He sat in Messiah’s chair at the synagogue and prophesied of salvation coming to both Jew and gentile.
Not too far away is Mount Tabor, where Jesus met with Elijah and Moses, and the plains of Megiddo where the last, greatest battle will be fought.
Thank you for praying for the Lord’s direction for us. Today on Mount Megiddo—or Armageddon for short—the Lord gave an unusual sign. While descending the ancient steps of this legendary fortress, I glanced down and saw my name written on a step! Now I know there are a million guys who share my name, but for “Jon” to be engraved on the steps of Armageddon was sobering, to say the least.
A Cry for Nazareth
The Spirit of Jesus has breathed into my heart an unexpected and profound love for Nazareth. This is where the angel Gabriel met with Miriam, then Joseph. Where Holy Spirit overshadowed Miriam, where God Most High was actually conceived and became flesh. Where they faced together the dilemmas of an unexplained pregnancy, both choosing life and love while facing unimaginable challenges by the grace of God.
Imagine, for instance, brushing up on parenting skills, while still a teenager, to nurture and discipline Messiah. Imagine what it felt like to watch God take His very first steps.
This town is where Jesus discovered His Father—and His own unfathomable identity in Him. Nazareth is where Jesus learned to pray, gaining such revelation that by the age of 12 even the priests in the Jerusalem Temple respected His wisdom.
All this to say… It is becoming more and more clear why The Lord suddenly redirected us to Nazareth at this time. For exactly a year now, we’ve been prophesying and teaching on the emerging Crown and Throne movement. We’ve shared our sense that this “new birth of freedom” would take place between late August and December 2013—roughly the time period from the fall feasts through Hanukkah.
And though this movement has a progressive release within the east coast of the US—as well as other parts of the nation and world—I have realized The Lord brought us to Nazareth for the “decisive moment” in history where this movement is actually birthed. Jesus chose His own hometown, during the Feast of Tabernacles, when many believe He was actually born. In the city whose backyard is the Valley of Megiddo.
Crowning His Headship
It was during this Feast that this Child’s head first “crowned” from His mother’s womb. And it is during this Feast that His “headship” will be crowned in majesty, as the Father displays unperceived dimensions of His Son’s life and calling to our world.
This has all happened so fast I have paid precious little attention to details. Abby Abildness called with a Throne Room directive, to join her team for an event called Nazareth Cry. Something about Jesus wanting a midnight cry of awakening to break forth from His hometown. We tell nobody about this, yet while we are driving to dinner with Abby and her husband Jim to discuss Nazareth Cry, a friend from Washington State calls us with a word. God wants us in Israel this September. They are so convinced of this they even pledge a significant donation towards the trip we don’t even realize we are going on!
Can’t make this up.
We have thus been preparing for this last-minute trip in a “ready, fire, aim” fashion. To the extent I didn’t even know when or where the actual conference was taking place until the thought finally crossed my mind to ask this afternoon. The conference takes place September 20—today. And would you believe the Nazareth hotel hosting the gathering is actually called “the Golden Crown!”
Seriously. You just can’t make this stuff up. I write this with tears in my eyes.
That said, Jolene and I are ever grateful for the Child who was born a King and laid His life down to redeem us all. And we are honored to walk out this unfolding journey together with you. We bear witness of your affection, generosity and prayers in this covenant land, family to family. And more than ever, we plead for your intercession.
Throne of David
Let me share with you a final perception made clear today in the hours just before daybreak. As recorded in Luke 4, it was in His hometown synagogue that Holy Spirit led Jesus to take His seat as Messiah. Two things are important. First, the seat was granted after He had overcome Satan in the wilderness temptations. Similarly, many of you are receiving thrones of authority in this season as you have overcome during the recent season of intense testing. This is a time of demarcation for you.
Second, not only did Jesus sit on Messiah’s throne in Nazareth, but it was here the angel Gabriel prophesied that this Throne would be granted to Him. “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him THE THRONE OF HIS FATHER DAVID; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end” (Luke 1:32-33).
Friends, I believe today a new phase of this covenant promise is being birthed in the earth.
In order to pray governmentally we must have and know the reaches and regions of our authority. The Lord has been opening spiritual doors of authority to me as I am trying to understand what all this means. He wants millions of hidden intercessors to step up to this call; to shifts that He is making in their lives. I have just come through a season of testing and was led to be water baptized again in July. This has made a huge difference in awakening spiritual senses to greater heights. This post has clarified what is going on.