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Recently some of our readers have contacted us to ask why we take not posted a review on Jonathan Cahn's The Harbinger, a New York Times best-selling book written in a narrative fictional format presenting a dire warning for America's future. A companion documentary DVD titled The Isaiah 9:10 Judgment is also available wherein Cahn describes the happenings of 9/11 and subsequent events and unveils what he believes to be the prophetic significance of these events. The volume was brought to our attending a couple months ago when two of our authors each wrote about information technology, simply with opposing views. One was defending The Straw and its message of judgment and repentance, while the other was pointing out some deep concerns regarding The Harbinger. Afterwards, we read other critiques by other writers nosotros knew–all of those also with concerns near Cahn's book and DVD. In all these critiques, some very legitimate issues have been shared past ministries whom nosotros have respected and often looked to for insights (i.eastward.,  Kjos Ministries and The Berean Call).

At offset, nosotros were tempted non to jump into the controversy. Given the status of America today, we could understand why someone would defend Cahn'south message and alarm. The nation is in serious trouble, and a telephone call to repentance and alarm of judgment is needed desperately. Only after reading the various critiques, watching the film, reading the book, and praying about this, we felt at that place was something nosotros needed to say.

Both the book and the video presentation are quite remarkable and compelling insofar as the parallels Cahn found between the happenings of 9/11 and specifics drawn out of Isaiah nine:10 along with stock-marketplace dips and bankruptcies adjustment precisely with the Shemitah (the Sabbath Yr on the Hebrew Calendar). Also, the number 7 keeps popping up – co-ordinate to Cahn's findings, the stock-market crash of September 2008 happening exactly 7 years afterward 9/11 – at a 700 billion dollar bailout sum – at a drop on the stock market of 7% — to the amount of 777 points – on the concluding day of the Hebrew 7th year. Like the legendary WWII grafetti on the wall, "Kilroy was here," it would seem that God was possibly signifying to anyone who would notice that He is involved in the state of diplomacy of our nation.

Now, when we combine the harbingers (or signs) Cahn identifies in Isaiah nine:x along with dates aligning perfectly with the Hebrew agenda and the consistent reappearance of the number vii, these things seem to say that, by all probabilities, we have compelling show that Cahn has uncovered something more than than the mere product of chance or superstition.

Nevertheless, compelling as this all may be, The Straw has created some upheaval among several ministries. Some feel that Cahn, being a messianic rabbi, should not exist questioned due to his deep insight into the Scriptures, and any criticism is nothing less than blasphemous and anti-Semitic. Now while we at Lighthouse Trails have witnessed, to our great sorrow, anti-Semitic sentiments even among Christians, Jonathan Cahn'south beingness Jewish does not exempt him from godly discernment. So, while Scripture urges us to "Despise not prophesyings" (1 Thessalonians 5:20), it as well instructs us to "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good" (ane Thessalonians 5:21). However, forming a definite opinion on The Harbinger has been hard. Equally we accept thought virtually this, nosotros have come to realize we are dealing with a subject loaded with alien issues; hence this book maybe raises more questions than information technology answers, and it is hard not to form more than a single opinion of the book.

For example, the subject field of judgment and repentance, the underlying message of the volume, has been the rallying call of many ministries for a very long time. In the 1970s, David Wilkerson became known equally a prophet of doom considering of his dire warnings of impending judgment on America. His book Set the Trumpet to Thy Mouth speaks of Russia firing missiles on America over the Northward Pole. And, though he does non give any specifics, he indicates that America will be disabled in one hour. Today, it is not difficult to see how America could be disabled that quickly. Considering how nearly everything in America (including our vehicles) is run past computer, the EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) missile could bring business and transportation to a halt. Cardinal populated cities could be leveled through a direct-hit nuclear warhead or brought to complete confusion and anarchy by the aerial burst of the EMP. Furthermore, America's economy lonely is so unstable now, it is like a stack of dominos teetering on collapse. With the gravity of what could transpire in America, we are cautious nigh pointing out trivial and perhaps beneficial problems with The Harbinger. If for example, nosotros should find ourselves rummaging through the ashes of America, will we be and then worrying about things like the literary merit of the volume as one critic expressed? Because The Harbinger has an overall message of judgment and repentance, picking apart The Harbinger for insignificant and irrelevant weaknesses or flaws seems unnecessary and unbeneficial.

America's Covenant with God?
Nevertheless, there are things about The Harbinger that are troubling. And while nosotros do believe Cahn has built a strong instance supporting the idea that there are too many things that happened signifying God's judgment on America to be mere coincidence, there are a number of foregone premises and conclusions in the book based on assumptions rather than concrete facts and solid Scripture. Ane such premise is that God had a covenant with America similar to the one He made with Israel. While God paw-picked Israel kickoff with the hope he made to Abraham, we accept no historical tape that God initiated a covenant with America. Cahn alludes to the Pilgrim founders, then skips over to George Washington as making the actual covenant when he was sworn in as our kickoff president. Yet, at best, this was a covenant initiated by man (dissimilar the covenant with State of israel initiated past God when He picked i nation from all the other nations). And then when George Washington was sworn in, thereby sealing the "covenant," it was with his paw on a Masonic Order Bible while Freemason Robert Livingston performed the ceremony. Contrary to what many recall, George Washington was not a "prophet" of God (due east.thou. a latter mean solar day Moses) in so much that whatsoever he did was bounden with God.

When we sat down to watch The Isaiah 9:10 Judgment video, we did it with the intention of having a humble heart and an open up listen, and we certainly felt the overall message of the video–that America would exist judged if she didn't repent—was a proficient message, but, at the same time, we could not assist simply wonder at the unqualified assumptions on Cahn's part and the questions that came to heed: Did God choose to ignore our government's connectedness with Freemasonry, and did He actually take a covenant with America just as He did with Israel? And then, besides, supposing that God had such a covenant with America, why is information technology that all of the aforementioned signs (or harbingers) extracted from Isaiah 9:10 had to exist found at "ground aught" where the twin towers fell? This turns ground zero into some kind of a mystical sacred location gear up apart by God–simply would God do that with a "covenant" made nether the auspices of Freemasonry (a pluralistic surreptitious society whose members must believe in a supreme existence merely non necessarily the God of the Bible). With Freemasonry,  beliefs from many different religions are accepted. This was a foundational factor when the United states government was existence formed. Under those circumstances, how could God have made a covenant that could be likened to the covenant He fabricated with Israel? While we are sure that some of those forming the government did embrace the biblical God, in that location were also those who did not and who hoped to form a government that would encompass all religious beliefs. What's more than, leaders  of piety have defended all sorts of countries to God (e.m., England, Canada, Australia, etc),  just that doesn't mean that God is bound by covenant in these countries. What God is doing at present is looking for private hearts whose souls can exist saved out of a fallen world for His kingdom. Delight consider the reality of this.

In one respect, there was a covenant, but information technology wasn't ane between America and God—information technology was between the church building in America and God. The real covenant is with all born-again believers in Jesus Christ throughout the world as they partake of the covenant with God that started with Abraham and eventually included the church, which has been grafted into the tree that is Israel. The covenant with God at present is non with governments but rather with individuals who take become partakers of this covenant through faith in Jesus Christ.

National Repentance
The similarities and numerical signs that Cahn has identified seem too numerous to be mere coincidence, but, at the same fourth dimension, how these "signs" or harbingers are interpreted is another thing. For case, possibly some of the nine harbingers extracted from Isaiah nine:x should be more rightfully seen equally signs from man rather than signs from God. Isaiah 9:10 is a symbol of the nation of Israel's disobedience to the calamities that befell her and rather than repenting before God, Israelite leaders boasted that they would rebuild to where they would exist stronger than before. Consequently, this defiance and boasting can only be seen equally a "sign" in the sense that America is making the same mistake that Israel made (i.east., boasting of their resolve to rebuild rather than repenting before God). What's more than, Cahn sees the harbingers of Isaiah nine:ten as a call to national repentance, but if we read further, we discover that Isaiah declares, "For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the Lord of hosts" (Isaiah ix:13). In other words, God is declaring through Isaiah His acknowledgment that Israel has non and will not repent, consequently simply every bit judgment has already arrived, there is more than to come.

Jonathan Cahn

And although Cahn is correct in assuming that God in His neat mercy always gives opportunities for individual repentance, chapter ix of Isaiah is beingness mistakenly continued with being a phone call to national repentance when in fact it is a declaration of God's coming judgment. In the case for America and the church in America, the call to repentance has already gone out throughout the land. Many watchmen have issued the call to repentance for years at present. We, ourselves, at Lighthouse Trails have issued warnings over the last ten years as nosotros have pleaded with Bible colleges, churches, pastors, and organizations to flee from betrayment. For the almost part, such warnings have been met with ridicule, mockery, and disparagement.

And in spite of the many who have chosen the church and America to repentance over the years, the refuse in the spiritual status of our Christian churches and institutions has only accelerated in footstep. Nosotros say, therefore, that the door to individual repentance is always open (as God is a merciful God), simply at the aforementioned time, the coming judgment is certain and certain.

A Sure Word of Prophecy or A Mere Alert?
Frequently, what we notice today is a mismatching of a sure word of prophecy with a dire warning from God. For example, nosotros ofttimes hear today (from New Agers and emergents) that the prophecies of the Book of Revelation are merely warnings of what could happen rather than what really will happen – that we tin alter the course of the future just like the Ninevites were able to stem the tide of judgment when they heeded Jonah'southward warning of judgment through national repentance. Perhaps it is not always easy to tell when a passage of Scripture is a sure word of prophecy in contrast to a mere warning, but i of the things nosotros have noticed is that with sure words of prophecy, specifics are often given. For case, when God brought judgment upon Arab republic of egypt through the words of Moses, specific details were given on what each stage of judgment would be. God knew that Egypt would non repent fifty-fifty with multiple judgments considering He knew the condition of men's hearts. In similar manner, the Book of Revelation is more than just a threat or warning in that it gives specific details of what will happen in the future. Similarly, when nosotros expect at affiliate nine of Isaiah, we tin can see that information technology depicts specifics of things that later came upon State of israel making this a sure word of prophecy. And God gave Israel this sure word of prophecy considering He had already warned the nation and given them the opportunity to apologize – and they in their pride had rejected it. Today, America is following the aforementioned pattern past rejecting the call to repentance and boasting the aforementioned words of disobedience that Israel had said in her pride. nosotros retrieve, therefore, if Cahn is correct in uncovering signs (harbingers) of judgment on America, his fault is that of non discerning the certainty of things to come.

What Would "National Repentance" Look Similar?
This is non to say that America won't have some type of "revival" or national "repentance." Only only every bit Pharaoh "repented" earlier Moses, America's repentance volition not exist sincere and from the heart. Nosotros were trying to picture what America's repentance might look like. We got a taste of it right later on 9/11 when we witnessed a rallying call to an ecumenical interfaith patriotism; and as a issue, America remained proud but there was no true repentance. So, given the state of the nation today, here is a list of what we can envision our national repentance might look like:

A Purpose Driven 40 Days of Repentance

or . . .

The Jonah Programme: Repent in 40 Days — with invitations for New Age speakers to come and instruct the church building on how to repent.

A National Day of Mourning over our "Sins" as a Nation — where Buddhist monks, Muslims, Evangelicals, and Catholics will flock together to ask God for forgiveness for not being more than united to the universal God.

A Globe-Wide Contemplative-Prayer Repentance Twenty-four hours — where all the major Christian leaders now promoting contemplative prayer volition rally together with New Agers and Buddhists alike to meditate world-broad on that twenty-four hours, in "vibrationally sympathetic harmony," in order to experience true "Oneness" with mankind, creation, and the god in all.

St. Paul'due south Chapel at Footing Cypher

America has lost its way so far as repentance goes, and the church at large has get likewise backslider to lead the way. How tin church leaders, who don't fifty-fifty discern that contemplative spirituality is a gateway to occultism and interspirituality, show Americans how to repent? After all, a large number of Christian leaders today (and countless pastors and professors) are promoting or advocating contemplative spirituality. If you call back our examples we gave above about what national repentance might await similar sound outrageous, consider Rick Warren'southward Daniel Programme where he brought in practitioners and advocates of Reiki, tantric sex, and TM to lead people to greater health. A few years agone, if we had suggested such a affair, people would have thought it across possibility. Just today information technology is a reality. Ironically, fifty-fifty the Episcopalian St. Paul'south Chapel (located at ground zip and protected by the sycamore tree equally indicated in The Straw), the site of George Washington's inauguration and the signing of the supposed "covenant" with God, embraces the contemplative prayer motion today with its ecumenism, labyrinth, lectio divina, and interfaith/interspiritual activities.

And, consider this: How many people repenting would information technology take to stave off God's judgment on America anyway? The fundamental factor is that Israel was a theocracy (they but had one God to turn to), and the U.s. is not a theocracy. Israel was solidly nether the embrace of Judaism whereas the United States is a plethora of various religious and spiritual outlooks. Most people who actually would repent would repent within the context of their own spiritual paradigms, non necessarily the biblical one (due east.1000., what if a Mormon repented and became a more devote Mormon or a Catholic repented and showed greater devotion to the Virgin Mary). In order for The Straw to piece of work, every ane in the U.Due south. would have to become a born-once again Christian, and that isn't going to happen. Today the number of born-again Christians is relatively depression (as few as 26% are in the evangelical camp according to some statistics). We believe our perception of this controversy is logical and non based on any kind of prejudice either for or confronting Cahn.

This is not to say that Cahn's intentions of blowing the trumpet call for national repentance are not a noble endeavor, and we hope there volition be some genuine repentance by many individuals. Nosotros take likewise witnessed some churches, though a relatively few, taking a stand against the tide of apostasy. Those who see the problem should be in prayer for America and that out of American soil, we will witness a remnant who accept non bowed the genu to Baal.

Signs to Change the Hearts of Men?
While it would certainly be wonderful if The Harbinger could stir many to true repentance, we don't believe it will be nearly as constructive in doing and then as Cahn hopes. In the book, the character identified as "the prophet" commissions Nouriel (to whom the harbingers have been revealed) to exist a "watchman on the wall." The prophet tells Nouriel that "only a sound as jarring every bit [a trumpet] could save them" (p.252). In other words, the prophet is telling Nouriel that if he shares these signs (harbingers) with the people, they will heed because these signs will be then striking and remarkable. This statement of "the prophet" is reminiscent of the parable Jesus told of Lazarus (the beggar) and the rich human. You may recall that in this parable when the rich man ends upwardly in Hell, he calls out to Abraham, who is at present in Heaven, and pleads with him to send Lazarus from the dead to plead with his brothers "lest they also come into this place of torment" (Luke 16:28). The following discourse betwixt Abraham and the rich man is noteworthy:

Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; allow them hear them. And he [the rich man] said, Nay, father Abraham: only if ane went unto them from the expressionless, they will repent. And he [Abraham] said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the expressionless.( Luke 16:29-31)

Ironically enough, Jesus fulfilled the words of His ain parable because later on He rose from the dead, the religious leaders remained in unbelief. What's more, after His resurrection, Jesus did not appear to the religious leaders to testify that he was the Messiah because He knew that their hearts were prepare in unbelief. So, while Jesus' resurrection from the expressionless was a sign to the people, at the same time, during His ministry building years, Jesus discouraged the seeking of signs:

Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, proverb, Principal, we would see a sign from thee. Only he answered and said unto them, An evil and cheating generation seeketh afterward a sign; and at that place shall no sign exist given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale'south abdomen; so shall the Son of man be 3 days and 3 nights in the eye of the world. The men of Nineveh shall ascent in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: considering they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold a greater than Jonas is here. (Matthew 12:38-41)

Jesus in comparing Himself with the rebellious prophet Jonah recognized He would not be more than effective in irresolute the minds of these religious leaders – fifty-fifty if He performed signs. What is particularly commendable about the Ninevites is that they repented at the preaching of Jonah without his doing signs and wonders as Moses did with Pharaoh and the land of Egypt. It seems, therefore, that signs do little good to those whose hearts are set on unbelief. Consequently, nosotros have a bit of a trouble with the words of "the prophet" in The Harbinger when he tells Nouriel, "Just a sound equally jarring every bit [a trumpet] could save them" (p.252) when what is existence referred to is signs (or harbingers). Granted a relative few may respond, and we tin be glad virtually that.

Secrets, Codes, and Mysteries
Another concern worth mentioning is that The Harbinger does create a lot of mystery and suspense over the signs noted in the book. In fact, the front cover of the volume lonely bears the words "mystery" and "hush-hush" in the subtitle, which understandably were used equally a marketing tool. But, as a general rule, we should exist cautious about deploying such words, considering catchy every bit they may be, they have often been used in a harmful (if not occultic) way; we take, for example, the video titled The Secret which teaches that our thoughts and attitudes take a special power in shaping our destiny. Ane matter we must think, Christianity is not a mystery faith. With the Bible, what you see is what y'all get. But books have been written (e.1000., The Da Vinci Code and a host of other books) suggesting that the Bible has hidden letters totally different from what you lot see on the surface and what has been taught as the fundamentals of the organized religion.

At present, Cahn has witnessed things embedded in Scripture that he refers to as "mysteries" or "secrets," and while they may be difficult to discover, they are, at the same time, unaltering to the meaning of Scripture. For instance,  someone attending a messianic church once told us that the Hebrew discussion rendered in the King James Old Testament as Lord or Jehovah is depicted by our consonants YHWH, but the actual Hebrew characters are meaningful and pictorial – one beingness the shape of a nail, another of a manus, and the repeated consonant meaning "behold." When spelled out in that fashion the word Jehovah (or Yahweh) renders the meaning "behold the blast; behold the hand" or "behold the nail in the manus." Now we might call this a "cloak-and-dagger" or a "lawmaking" signifying that the "Lord" of the One-time Testament is the crucified Jesus of the New Testament. Simply this is non a clandestine in that it does not alter the message of the Gospel, which proclaims that Jesus Christ, who died on the Cross, is Savior and Lord. And this was never a message to be kept a underground merely rather to be proclaimed from the rooftops. Then, while Cahn may be technically right in referring to harbingers as secrets, he should be cautious of the implicitness of these words that could suggest that these findings offer new revelation reverse to what has been laid down in Scripture. Though we think Cahn must know this, there are a dandy many people who would exist delighted to larn that the Bible is really nothing more than a code book to be deciphered, and when the deciphering is washed, Jesus is no longer God come up in the flesh to die for our sins.

While God can and does give signs and we tin can detect examples of them in the Bible, Jesus told the people that they should non seek after signs. Signs can come from God, but they can as well come from man or from the Devil. According to Scripture, the Antichrist, for example, volition be a cracking worker of lying signs and wonders, and he volition take the world duped into assertive him. What we demand to do is be grounded in the Word and merely go along with what agrees with Scripture. Second Thessalonians ii says explicitly that there volition be a falling away before the day of the Lord. This means that while there may be individuals repenting to the Lord Jesus Christ, at that place is non going to be a general turning to God. On the contrary, the spiritual condition of the earth is going to grow darker. So in other words, if what Cahn says should happen–national repentance–does indeed happen, and if we are indeed living in the end times, it would actually abnegate what Paul says in Scripture.

To sum up, a national repentance where emphasis is put on a human-initiated "covenant," where "repentance" volition take identify in the context of each person'south own religious (or not-religious) paradigm, and where ii Thessalonians 2 is contradicted is not a repentance worth going later. But rather, let believers in Christ seek the God of the Bible wholeheartedly, and let us share His Gospel message to all with the hope that many will apologize of their sins and plough their hearts toward Jesus Christ Who will, in plough, open up their eyes and give them salvation and eternal life by His grace.

Nosotros so, as workers together with him, beseech y'all also that ye receive non the grace of God in vain. (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the 24-hour interval of salvation accept I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:1-2)