Partners in Crime

Nathan was a super scholar of Torah and Kabbalah. He focused on the writings of Moshe Cordovero and the Zohar, as well as Abraham Abulafiyah and Isaac Luria. 

Months before their special meeting in 1665, Nathan had his own special revelation when he was deep in prayer and meditation:

Narhan saw by his ascetic practices and rituals, in a vision he saw the face of Shabbtai Zvi in the heavens on a chariot, a merkavah, and it was clear to him that this was the Messiah to come... 

Proactive Waiting

But in the vision itself he was prohibited to speak of the Messiah, but rather to actively sending out letters and directives for “tikkun” practices, tikkunim.

These were songs and prayers of repentance before the redemption, sent to his own followers and to other communities, items from Lurianic Kabbalah! 

Now Nathan was himself a catch, and people from all over the land came to him, and he would help them by his tikkunim that he issued, and they would be filled with inspiration.

And that is why and how Shabbtai Zvi came to meet Nathan! So that in fact Nathan would help Shabbtai Zvi with his emotional problems, the severe spiritual anguish and such. 

Meshing of Ideas

Let's just make sure we are on the same page - 2 spiritual men, with intense religious experiences - separately, come together, and it is a perfect fit - the experiences, the personalities and giftings. That is how it happened.

They met and spent weeks together. Nathan described to Shabbtai Zvi that he was the Messiah and his feelings of anguish are actually because of his higher messianic neshama. 

On top of that, his feelings of anguish are Lurianic style descending for the sake of ascension, special and significant messianic missions to release rashimo, the sparks from the evil husks.

As the Messiah, Nathan said to Shabbtai Zvi based on Luranic Kabbalistic concepts, that he would overcome the great serpent, the top symbol or creature of the kingdom of impurity. 

Prophetic Testimony

“Those who know me can testify truthfully from a young age until this day…  I have kept the Torah and meditated upon it day and night thanks to G-d and never have I pursued material lusts and daily I would add more ascetic practices and torture in all my efforts and did not enjoy anything material for the sake of this gospel… 

I studied Torah purely until I was 21 and then did the general tikkun taught by the holy A”ry… and he comes to be purified, the heavens assist him, and sent holy angels and pure souls to tell me many things from the secrets of Torah… 

And that year after my power arose in me from seeing the angels and holy souls… and I was closed inside a special room in holiness and purity after praying quietly but weeping greatly, deep in supplication, behold a wind passed my face and my hairs stood up… 

And I saw divine visions all that day and night and then prophesied total prophecy as one of the prophets - behold said the LORD… like Maimonides said, the prophets would in their hearts have the interpretation of their prophecies in a way that left no doubt in the prophecy… 

And since then I did not see such great visions until this day and the word is in my heart covered until the redeemer declares himself in Gaza and signs as the Messiah and then I was allowed by the Angel of the Covenant to make known what I had seen and understood its truth by all the signs given by the Ar”y.”

Letter by Nathan of Gaza

Return of the King

That year, on the eve of Shavuot, Shabbtai Zvi went into a deep depression and Nathan the Prophet on the other hand was once again struck by ecstatic revelation: while a group of them were singing a poem and dancing he fainted, and those around him heard all sorts of voices, and when he woke he told them that Shabbtai Zvi is the King of Israel.

Those people, in that group there, they were the first messianic believers, from that day onwards. And the messianic declaration was from that day on spread actively. And Shabbtai Zvi would walk from place to place in ecstasy, as Messiah.

Nathan led the operations of spreading this messianic gospel with disciples who wrote letters to Jewish communities in the area and declared the redemption is now and people must repent in order to ease the pangs of the Messiah. 

Hordes and hordes came to him, to Nathan, to receive tikkunim. He smoothly kept composing those tikkunim and sening them ALL over the Jewish diaspora. And many important persons also quickly came and joined the messianic movement.

However, in Jerusalem, there was argumentation, because several people there knew him at the time he lived among them. So, Shabbtai Zvi and Nathan of Gaza got up and made that trip to Jerusalem - and there they canceled the fasts! 

From there they decided to go separate ways - Shabbtai Zvi went through Syria, where he was received in celebration and praise, en route to Ismir, his hometown, while Nathan returned to Gaza to manage his messianic repentance enterprise, by letters mostly.