In early December, I began seeking a prophetic word from the Lord for 2024. He told me, "I am not going to give you a word for 2024. Instead, I am going to give you a word for the Body of Christ for a new era." He explained to me that January of 2024 would be a halftime season; marking the closure of an era and the beginning of a new one. This period would be characterized by immense transition, culminating in the discipling of nations. A supernatural metamorphosis, metaphorically akin to a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly, would occur right before our eyes.
I shared this halftime message in the first week of January with the global Bethel Church family. I explained that in professional football, halftimes are not just for rest but also for reflection, analyzing strategy, and making necessary adjustments. Often, the team that starts off behind will win the game because of the adjustments made at halftime. Coaches are evaluated on their ability to make these halftime adjustments and develop a winning strategy! Similarly, teams will review game footage from the first half to assess their performance against the opposition and how each player matches up against their counterpart.
Two weeks later, on Sunday, January 28th, 2024, the San Francisco 49ers, my team, were playing against the Detroit Lions for the NFC Championship. This game would decide who goes to the Super Bowl! To my dismay, the 49ers were down 24 to 7 at halftime. Unable to watch my team being crushed with seemingly no hope for victory, I turned the TV off. Forty minutes later, I gathered the courage to check the score and was astonished to find it tied at 24 to 24! The 49ers went on to win the game 34 to 31. I laughed out loud at the game's conclusion, reflecting on how I had told the Church in my halftime message a couple of weeks earlier that the Lord speaks to us in languages and metaphors we understand.
THE WOMB OF THE DAWN
Furthermore, in early January, I woke up at 3 am with a verse echoing in my spirit: "Your people will volunteer freely in the day of Your power; in holy array, from the womb of the dawn, Your youth are to You as the dew." (Psalms 110:3) This verse proclaims that the youth are like dew, triggering a spiritual photosynthesis where "Son" light is converted into energy. This youthful energy acts as a catalyst for the awakening of a new era's dawn. What is catalyzed by the "dew" is an outpouring of God's power, creating an army of lovers organized in "holy array"—meaning they are organized to demonstrate His glory—all happening without a "draft" because people are volunteering freely.
This revelation made a lot of sense to me because it followed a series of encounters that began on July 30, 2023, with a prophetic vision where I saw the Lord placing a trumpet in my mouth. The Lord said, "Blow the trumpet, rally the troops! I'm calling for reinforcements: business people, attorneys, doctors, intercessors, politicians, scientists, fathers and mothers, revivalists, and reformers. I'm calling educators, builders, and financiers—come help us extend the kingdom's borders into the cesspools of darkness. Let's dirty our hands with the hearts of men." Then I heard, "The kings are coming! THE KINGS ARE COMING TO HELP! Prepare for the kings who are led by the procession!"
About 2500 years ago, the Prophet Isaiah proclaimed, "Your gates will be open continually; they will not be closed day or night, so that men may bring to you the wealth of the nations, with their kings led in procession." (Isaiah 60:11) The procession, birthed from the womb of the dawn and catalyzed by the youth, is attracting kings who are bringing the wealth of their nations to fund this movement.
HALFTIME
I want to remind you that even Jesus had a profound halftime. He lived for thirty-three years but ministered for only about three of those years. A significant shift occurred when He spent forty days in the wilderness, which we might call "His halftime." It was a time to revisit His Heavenly strategy, led by the Spirit, for His earthly mission. Luke notes that Jesus entered the wilderness, "led by the Spirit" (Luke 4:1) and left it, "in the power of the Spirit" (Luke 4:14). Jesus became famous for the three years following His halftime. We know little about His first thirty years, but that halftime transformed Him and, consequently, us forever.
I love the warning Eric Hoffer gave when he said, "In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully prepared for a world that no longer exists." This quote always reminds me of Lot's wife, who looked back at the city of sin that was once her assignment. Her story is a profound illustration of how movements can become monuments, pillars of past passions. Like Lot's wife, God is leading us to a new place in the Spirit. It's imperative that we don't leave our hearts behind. Jesus said it best: "No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62).
We are about to enter an extraordinary new era, but the impact it will have on each of us individually depends on how much we value the Lord's work in our lives. This can be measured by the sacrifices we make and the cost we are willing to pay to be fully engaged in this move of God.
I would like to conclude with a story that occurred in Boston, which illustrates my point further. A man played a violin in a subway while a handful of people stopped to listen, with only a few offering up a clap. The violinist managed to raise about $30 in tips that day. What no one seemed to realize was that the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians of our time. In the subway, Joshua played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth 3.5 million dollars. Just two days before, Joshua Bell had sold out a theater in Boston, where seats averaged $100 each. The lesson is clear: it's easy to miss an extraordinary moment amid the ordinary busyness of everyday life.
SO, WE ARE EXITING HALF TIME! Set aside some time to talk to the Lord about a new strategy for the next era. This is the womb of the dawn!
