Denzel Washington: 'Number one: Put God first', Dillard University - 2015

Number one: Put God first. Put God first in everything you do. Everything that you think you see in me. Everything that I’ve accomplished, everything that you think I have – and I have a few things. Everything that I have is by the grace of God. Understand that. It’s a gift. Forty years ago, March 27th, 1975 – it was forty years ago just this past March, I was flunking out of college I had a 1.7 grade point average, I hope none of you can relate.

I had a 1.7 grade point average, I was sitting in my mother’s beauty shop. They still call the beauty shop now, what they call it? Yeah, and I was sitting in a beauty parlor. I was sitting in my mother’s beauty parlor.

And I’m looking in the mirror and I see behind me this woman under the dryer and every time she looked up – she every time I looked up she was looking at me. She was looking me in the eye, I don’t know who she was and I said you know, she said somebody give me a pen, give me a pencil I have a prophecy.

March 27th, 1975, she said boy you are going to travel the world and speak to millions of people. Now mind you I flunked out of college I’m thinking about joining the army I didn’t know what I was going to go and she is telling me I’m going to travel the world and speak to millions of people.

Well I have, traveled the world. And I have spoke to millions of people, but that’s not the most important thing, success that I had the most important thing is that what she taught me, what she told me that day has stayed with me since.

I’ve been protected, I’ve been directed, I’ve been corrected, I’ve kept god in my life and it’s kept me humble, I didn’t always stick with him but he always stuck with me.

So stick with him, in everything you do, if you think you want to do, what you think I’ve done, then do what I’ve done. And stick with god.

Number two: fail big, that’s right. Fail big, today is the begining of the rest of your life and you can be just – be very frightening. And it’s a new world out there, it’s a mean world out there. You only live once, so do what you feel passionate about, passionate about. Take chances professionally, don’t be afraid to fail, there is an old IQ test [that] was nine dots and you had to draw five lines with the pencil within the nine dots without lifting the pencil.

The only way to do it was to go outside the box. So don’t be afraid to go outside the box. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. Don’t be afraid to fail big, to dream big, but remember, dreams without goals, are just dreams. And they ultimately fuel disappointment.

So have dreams, but have goals, life goals, yearly goals, monthly goals, daily goals. I try to give myself a goal every day, sometimes just to not curse somebody out. Simple goals but have goals and understand that to achieve these goals you must apply discipline and consistency, in order to achieve your goals you must apply discipline which you’ve already done, and consistency every day not just one Tuesday and just a two days, you have to work at it.

Every day you have to plan, every day you heard the saying, we don’t plan to fail, we fail to plan – hard work works, working really hard is what successful people do. And in this text tweet, twerk world that you’ve grown up in remember just because you’re doing a lot more doesn’t mean you’re getting a lot more done.

Remember that — just because you’re doing a lot more, doesn’t mean you’re getting a lot more done, don’t confuse movement with progress, my mother told me she said ‘yeah, because you can run and play all the time and never get anywhere.’ So continue to strive, continue to have goals, continue to progress.


Number three: you’ll never see a U-Haul behind a hearse: I’ll say it again, you’ll never see a U-Haul behind a hearse. I don’t care how much money you make, you can’t take it with you. The Egyptians tried it, they got robbed. That’s all they got. You can’t take it with you, with you, and is that how much you have – it’s what you do, with what you have, we all have different talents, some of you’ll be doctors, some lawyers, some scientists, some educator, some nurses, some teachers.

Yeah, okay. Some preachers, the most selfish thing you can do in this world is help someone else why is this selfish, because the gratification, goodness that comes to you, the good feeling, the good feeling that I get from helping others, nothing’s better than that. Well one of two things but, nothing’s better than that, not – not jewelry, not big house I have not big cars, but is the joy that’s where the joy is and helping others that’s where the success is in helping others.

Finally, I pray that you put your slippers way under the bed tonight, so that when you wake up in the morning you have to get on your knees to reach them. [Applause] And while you’re down there, say thank you for grace, thank you for mercy, thank you for understanding, thank you for wisdom, thank you for parents, thank you for love, thank you for kindness, thank you for humility, thank you for peace, thank you for prosperity. Say thank you in advance for what’s already yours.

So that’s how I live my life, that’s why – [where I am today]. Say thank you in advance for what is already yours.

True desire in the heart for anything good is God’s proof to you sent beforehand to indicate that it’s yours already.

I’ll say it again.

True desire in the heart, that itch that you have whatever it is you want to do, that thing that you want to do to help others and to grow and to make money that desire that itch, that’s God’s proof to you, sent beforehand, already to indicate that it’s yours.

And anything you want good you can have, so claim it, work hard to get it. When you get it, reach back, pull someone else up, each one teach one.

Don’t just aspire to make a living. Aspire to make a difference. Thank you.

===========

Denzel Washington: 'Number one: Put God first', Dillard University - 2015
7 May 2015, Dillard University, Louisiana, USA

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you, Joy and thank you to the choir the beautiful selection. Thank you, Bishop for your prayer, John, thank you.

And thank you for inviting me, President, hip-hop President. Can you spit? Can you spit? A little bit? A little bit? Nas or Jigga. No, no! We’re in Louisiana that’s right, what is it ‘Cash Money’, All Stars. Lil [Wayne] WEEZY, not lollipop though, not lollipop. Thank you for having me.

Uh…let me take this moment to first of all wholeheartedly, I guess I can do this without my glass maybe, let me take this moment wholeheartedly congratulate each and every one of you today – you graduated. You did it. You made it. Congratulations, you did it. You did it all by yourself, nobody helped you.No…that’s not – that’s what you know, I thought when I was young I started to really make it as an actor. I came in, I talked to my mother , I said ‘Ma did you think that this was going to happen, I’m being so big and I’ll be able to take care of everybody and I can do this and I can do that’, and she said, ‘all right, stop it right there. Stop it right there. Stop it right there’.

Is that it you only knew, how many people they have been praying for you. How many prayer groups she put together, how many prayer [talks] she gave, how many times she splashed me with holy water to save my sorry behind.

She said, Oh, you did it all by yourself, I’ll tell you what you can do by yourself: Go outside and get a mop and bucket and wash them windows – you can do that by yourself, superstar.

So, I’m saying that to say ‘I want to congratulate all the parents and friends and family and aunties and uncles and grandmother and grandfathers, teachers and enemies, all the people that helped you to get where you are today, congratulations to you are.’

I’m going to tell about two to three stories. I’m going to keep it really short. I remember my graduation speaker, got up there and went on forever, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.


So I’m going to keep it short. 

THE HARBINGER AND “THE ISAIAH 9:10 EFFECT”: An Examination of the Claims of Jonathan Cahn

The nine harbingers Cahn identifies are the following:
The First Harbinger: The Breach
The Second Harbinger: The Terrorist
The Third Harbinger: The Bricks
The Fourth Harbinger: The Tower
The Fifth Harbinger: The Gazit Stone
The Sixth Harbinger: The Sycamore
The Seventh Harbinger: The Erez Tree
The Eighth Harbinger: The Utterance
The Ninth Harbinger: The Prophecy
( http://www.truthinmydays.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Harbinger-July-2013.pdf ) 
 Only four of these items are explicitly mentioned in Isaiah 9:10, viz. bricks, hewn (gazit)
stones, sycamores, and cedar (erez) trees. The verse itself can be taken as ―the utterance.‖
That leaves four that are not mentioned, but Cahn makes a case for each of them. Let us now
look at Cahn‘s explanation of each of these ―harbingers.‖
The First Harbinger: THE BREACH
According to Cahn, the first harbinger is the ―breach of a nation‘s hedge of protection.‖ God
had put a hedge of protection around ancient Israel and around America much later, and until
that hedge is removed, the nation is ―almost impenetrable.‖ But because of the nation‘s sin,
God removes this hedge of protection and allows the enemy in, leading to an “initial
strike on the land.” This initial strike is limited in scope and temporary in duration, but it
is a warning: final destruction will follow if the nation does not repent: “That first strike
is only temporary, but it‟s a warning of the, of the final destruction that will come if that
nation does not turn back.” In the case of America, that ―initial strike‖ was the 9/11
terrorist attack on the World Trade Center that killed brought down the twin towers and killed
almost 3,000 people.

THE HARBINGER AND “THE ISAIAH 9:10 EFFECT”: An
Examination of the Claims of Jonathan Cahn
©2013, by John Tors. All Rights Reserved.

THE BACKGROUND

A sensational book has taken the evangelical community by storm. First published in January, 2012, it reached The New York Times bestseller list in its second week of release(1), and has remained there ever since. Within the first year it had sold a million copies, and as of this writing, it is currently #12 on the ―Trade Fiction‖ Best Seller list of The New York Times, having been on the list for an astonishing 73 weeks.(2) The book is The Harbinger, (3) written by Messianic rabbi Jonathan Cahn.

 The Harbinger uses the same format as Dan Brown‘s monster best seller, The Da Vinci Code, that is, it tells a fictional story as a framing device to convey facts and truth; as Cahn writes on the very first page of his book, ―What you are about to read is presented in the form of a story, but what is contained within the story is real.‖4 Cahn‘s orientation, however, is diametrically opposed to Brown‘s. While the latter seeks to discredit the Bible, Cahn wants people to believe the Bible, and, specifically, warnings of judgment that is to come upon the United States of America.

The plot of The Harbinger is simple. The framing device consists of a lengthy
conversation between the protagonist, one Baruch Nouriel Kaplan, and a media personage,
Ana Goren. Kaplan tells of receiving a strange seal in the mail and then encountering a mysterious person he takes to be a prophet. This prophet gives Kaplan another seal, which will lead him to the first of a series of ancient mysteries. One by one, Kaplan is given the secret of each seal. With the third one, he discovers that the seals indicate nine harbingers of
judgment, and the key to unlocking these is Isaiah 9:10. These nine harbingers had been
manifested to ancient Israel, but they had ignored them and so had suffered destruction at the
hands of the Assyrians. Now, in some detail, it is explained that the same nine harbingers are
currently being manifested to America, who faces the same choice Israel had: repent or
ignore the harbingers and suffer God‘s wrath. Finally, Kaplan is anointed to be a latter day
watchman, parallel to Baruch son of Neriah, Jeremiah‘s scribe.
 The plot, then, is very thin, but the book is not about the plot. It is about presenting the
nine harbingers of Isaiah 9:10 and showing that these are now being manifested to America,
who needs to repent while there is still time. Cahn‘s purpose in writing this book was not to
entertain, but to wake America up to the danger it faces: ―I wrote The Harbinger as a book of hope – a call to salvation, repentance and revival.‖5 Accordingly, later in the year Cahn brought out a two-disk DVD set called ―The Isaiah 9:10 Judgment: Is there an Ancient Mystery that Foretells America‘s Future?‖

THE HARBINGER: FACT OR FICTION? by David James

THE HARBINGER: FACT OR FICTION?(Published 2012)
 For further information, see the Publisher’s website:
www.thebereancall.org.
The Berean Call
PO Box 7019
Bend, Oregon, 97708-7020
Printed in the United States of America

( http://www.verhoevenmarc.be/PDF/harbinger.pdf )

Page 2 

Contents
FOREWORD . . . 9
PREFACE . . . 12
1 INTRODUCTION . . . 18
2 DEPARTURE FROM A BIBLICAL HERMENEUTIC . . . 24
3 THEN A PROPHECY, NOW A SIGN . . . 28
4 A PROPHETIC MESSAGE . . . 33
5 THE DAVID WILKERSON CONNECTION . . . 39
6 FACTOR FICTION ? . . . 48
7 THE MYSTERY OF ISAIAH 9:10 . . . 53
8 AMERICA : A NEW ISRAEL ? . . . 57
9 MISSING CRITICAL ELEMENTS . . . 74
10 THE ANCIENT MYSTERY : THE NINE HARBINGERS . . 79
11 THE SECOND SHAKING . . . 121
12 THE ISAIAH 9:10 EFFECT . . . 127
13 THE FINANCIAL COLLAPSE . . . 132
14 THE SHEMITAH . . . 144
15 A KING AND A PRESIDENT . . . 167
16 PREPARING FOR ETERNITY . . . 177
17 THE TENTH SEAL . . . 190
18 FINAL THOUGHTS . . . 201
ENDNOTES . . . 212

Foreword

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine… II Timothy 4:3

One of the most grievous experiences in my 35 years of ministry has been the ongoing observation of evangelicals being weaned off the Word of God. What has contributed to that tragic development
for the last three decades is a myriad of programs, practices, methods, and books that have, to one degree or another, displaced the authority and sufficiency of the Scriptures. In my association with Dave Hunt over that period of time, we have addressed most of those trends and teachings in books such as The Seduction of Christianity, and for the last twenty years have documented our concerns in The Berean Call newsletters.

Although the church historically has always had to deal with false teachings and practices, the exponential rate of their influence in our day is the result of what has been referred to as the Church
Growth Movement and its dependence upon marketing to bring the lost into the church. The outcome of this very popular movement was disastrous for Bible-believing churches that succumbed to
a marketing mentality and process. Bible teaching was relegated to Wednesday evening so as not to put off the lost who showed up on Sunday. More often than not, such evening “Bible studies” featured
the popular Christian books of the day rather than the inspired Books of God’s Word. In accordance with the key principle of marketing, the lost as well as believers who were drawn to the
church (because of the attractive new programs) were viewed as consumers who were not to be offended because that might prevent them from coming back. After all, customer relationship rules in
the “seeker-sensitive, seeker-friendly” approach to church growth.

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This development, perhaps more that any other in our day, created a drift and then a swift current, pulling evangelicals away from the Scriptures. Again, the results were and continue to be disastrous.
How so? The ongoing process of weaning those who profess to be Bible-believing Christians away from God’s Word has left them terribly vulnerable to false doctrine. To the degree that a believer
has drifted from Scripture, to that degree he or she has lost the ability to discern God’s truth from “a way that seems right to a man” and to that degree will be subject to spiritual deception
(Proverbs 14:12, 16:25).

Jesus characterized the days prior to His return by telling His disciples: “Take heed that no man deceive you” (Matthew 24:4), and followed that by warning that the deceptions of the last days
would be so overwhelming that “if possible, they shall deceive the very elect” (Matthew 24:24). What is the antidote for believers? It’s quite simple. They must be disciplined in their reading and
living out the instructions of God’s Word. They must have a love for the Truth. They must become like the Bereans of Acts 17:10-11, who were commended for searching the Scriptures daily as they
evaluated the preaching and teaching of the Apostle Paul. They must be willing, by the grace of God and the enablement of the Holy Spirit, to submit to the Lord in all things.

To that end, David James has written an excellent book that will encourage every believer who reads it to grow in discernment at a time when that is greatly lacking among those who profess to be
biblical Christians. If anyone thinks this is simply a critique of a popular book that has reached the top of the New York Times best-seller list, he will miss the true value of what James has written.
It’s a short but very full course on biblical discernment that is a lesson to all of us on how we should evaluate everything we read that claims to teach about the things of God. James underscores
Isaiah’s admonition regarding discernment: “To the law and the testimony: if they speak not according to [God’s] word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20).

Not only is this an exceptional volume that covers how we are to implement Jude’s exhortation to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3), but James continually demonstrates throughout this book the Apostle Paul’s instruction to Timothy of how we are to go about correcting error as servants of the Lord: “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that
they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will”(2 Timothy 2:24-26).

It is our prayer that you will be greatly edified by what David James has written.

For the Berean Call,
T. A. McMahon
Executive Director

Preface
The Harbinger is unquestionably a publishing phenomenon of 2012. Perhaps no other book since Hal Lindsey’s The Late Great Planet Earth has gained so much national attention while challenging its readers with the need to be spiritually prepared for the coming judgment of God. As of this writing, it has been on Amazon.com’s top-100 list for more than five months and is rated at number 21 in sales rank of all books of 2012.

As I read the book I was impressed with Cahn’s passion for seeing America turn to the Lord, both as a nation and as individuals. Much of the book deals with a number of major events and issues of
national and international consequence, including the economy, politics, security, public policy, and the increasing hostility toward God and the Bible. At the same time, the author is careful to emphasize

Page 4
that none of the much-needed change in America can take place apart from spiritual change in individual hearts. On this important matter Cahn gets it exactly right. 

Along this line, there have been many reports of those who have dedicated or rededicated their lives and those who have come to faith in the Lord. I am thankful for all who have been moved to consider their relationship with the Lord and to make important spiritual decisions as a result of reading The Harbinger. In this regard, Cahn has achieved exactly what he set out to do, and I commend him for that without reservation.

As of this writing, the author and I have not met, but we have corresponded on several occasions. On April 4, 2012, I also had the privilege of engaging in a personal discussion with him by phone
that was moderated by Jimmy DeYoung (and is available for listening on ProphecyToday.com). I deeply appreciated Rabbi Cahn’s kind and thoughtful interaction, even when discussing certain points of genuine concern. One listener, a longtime pastor and good theologian, commented to me afterward that our discussion was a great example of the way brothers in Christ should handle difficult subjects and areas of disagreement, especially in a public forum. I was very thankful to hear this because that was our desire going into the conversation, and afterward I, too, felt that we had succeeded.

Although I have serious concerns about many things in The Harbinger, this critique is not about the author’s character, integrity, motives, or sincerity. And even though Jonathan Cahn and I clearly
have some welldefined differences on a variety of points, this is not personal in any way.

The purpose of this book is to bring attention to the fact that there is a better way to understand the biblical and historical evidence that Cahn has presented to support his views. My desire is to provide additional information and another perspective so that the reader will be able to more accurately discern the validity of the author’s interpretation of the Bible, his views concerning ancient
and recent historical events, and his conclusions about the relationship between the two.

HOW THIS BOOK CAME TO BE WRITTEN

On January 6, 2012, I received an email from Jimmy DeYoung (Prophecy Today), which contained a link to a segment of the January 3, 2012, 700 Club program in which Pat Robertson interviewed messianic rabbi, Jonathan Cahn, about his new book The Harbinger, which had been released that day. Based on the interview, Jimmy sensed that there might be cause for concern about the way the author was handling certain Bible passages and connecting biblical prophecy to current events.

I quickly read the book through once so that Jimmy and I could discuss it on his weekly radio program. After reading just the first few pages I began to see why Jimmy was concerned, and the more
I read, the more concerned I became. I asked two other trusted men if they would also read the book and give me their impressions (but did not discuss my concerns). After reading The Harbinger, their
observations and concerns were virtually identical to mine.

Initially I planned to write only a brief four- to six-page review of The Harbinger. However, the more I studied and interacted with the book, the longer the review became due to the extent of the
problems I was encountering, all of which I have documented extensively.

The Harbinger: Fact or Fiction? is not a book that I set out to write, but it has become clear that it is a book that needed to be written. The importance of responding to The Harbinger has been underscored by the fact that after more than five months it continues to ride high on various best-seller lists, including Amazon.com, where it consistently has ranked at or near the top of both the “Christian Fiction” and “Christian Theology” categories. A companion two-hour documentary featuring Jonathan Cahn has also been produced, which has been a top-selling video in its category as well.

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The vast majority of reviews across the Internet are
overwhelmingly positive. They reflect consistent agreement with Cahn’s conclusions, including that it would be impossible for coincidence to explain the number of exact matches between Isaiah 9:10 and events of the last decade in America. Because of these, most also accept the author’s interpretation of Isaiah 9:10 as necessarily being correct as well.

Interestingly, a surprising number of conservative evangelical voices have also enthusiastically embraced and promoted The Harbinger. I was not expecting to encounter such great differences between other conservative evangelicals and myself, since that very rarely if ever happens. In fact, prior to The Harbinger issue, I think we very likely would have all mutually supported one another’s
views on the vast majority of theological and practical matters.

A troubling development is that Mormon researchers and historians have begun to refer to The Harbinger as support for their view that America is in a covenant relationship with God—being the
Promised Land and a New Israel. This view, known as Anglo-lsraelism, is very much on the fringes if not outside of historical Christianity to the degree that it has been one of the defining characteristics of some cultic groups.

Concerning the significant number of amazingly precise corresponding events proposed by Cahn: If they really had occurred in both ancient Israel and in America, it would be rather difficult to dismiss them and provide a reasonable alternative explanation. However, closer examination reveals that in reality the proposed precise matches do not actually exist.

Perhaps the best illustration of what is happening is an optical illusion. Optical illusions cause people to think they are seeing something that doesn’t correspond to reality—and such illusions can be very convincing. Straight lines appear to be curved, stationary objects appear to rotate, circles appear to be spirals, objects appear to be larger than they are, and so on.

Optical illusions are created by manipulating the visual context to influence the way things are perceived. With the addition of certain elements, reality can be hidden, obscured, or distorted. The illusion
remains convincing until the misleading elements are removed or hidden themselves. Until this is done, it can be difficult to convince people that they are not seeing what they think they are.

I’m not suggesting that Cahn has intentionally mishandled the biblical text or manipulated the evidence in order to deceive or mislead. Although there has been some strong reaction to what little criticism The Harbinger and its author have received, this book is not intended to be an attack against another brother in Christ in any way. This is not a personal matter. I have no reason to challenge or question Jonathan Cahn’s character, his motives, or his sincerity.

I hope this critique will not be perceived as “majoring on the minors,” focusing on insignificant minutiae, and missing the forest for the trees. I fully understand and very much appreciate the overall message of The Harbinger, which is that America is on a path of destruction unless there is widespread repentance and a radical turn toward God. The United States may very well already be under God’s judgment—and if not, such judgment may not be far away. The situation is serious, and such warnings must be given with passion and clarity.

I do hope that my book will be helpful for a broad spectrum of readers — including those who have enthusiastically supported The Harbinger, those who have recognized that there are some significant problems, and those who have not yet decided for sure what they think about the book.
—David James (August, 2012

THE FIRST ONE TO PLEAD HIS CAUSE SEEMS RIGHT, UNTIL HIS NEIGHBOR COMES
AND EXAMINES HIM. — Proverbs 18:17

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CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
The Harbinger, by Jonathan Cahn,(1) focuses on a set of nine small clay discs, identified as seals, which are said to date from the eighth century B.C. and are connected with a prophecy of judgment
against Israel in the book of Isaiah (Isaiah 9:10-11). In the story, the original purpose of the seals was to authenticate that Isaiah’s message was genuinely from God. Their purpose in the present,
however, is to reveal an ancient mystery hidden in the Isaiah passage and to confirm that this revelation also comes from God.

The nine seals are given individually over a period of time to journalist Nouriel Kaplan by a mysterious figure identified only as “The Prophet.”(2) Kaplan and The Prophet are the primary characters in the book. Ana Goren, a Manhattan publishing executive to whom Kaplan tells the story of his encounters with The Prophet, also plays a role.

Although Cahn uses a fictional narrative as a framework, the book is based on what he believes are undeniable facts from the biblical text, the corresponding history of eighth century B.C. Israel, and
current events of the last decade in America. As Cahn states at the beginning of the book, “What you are about to read is presented in the form of a story, but what is contained within the story is
real.”(3)

What is real about the story is that the author believes he has discovered nine signs, or omens (“harbingers”), and an ancient mystery in the Isaiah passage that “explains everything from 9/11 to the collapse of the global economy.”(4) Furthermore, he believes that these same nine harbingers have appeared once again in America (5) beginning with the 2001 terrorist attacks. Based on Cahn’s arguments and massive amount of “evidence,” the reader is to conclude that it would be impossible for all of this to have happened by mere coincidence—and therefore the only reasonable explanation is that God must have orchestrated everything.

The overall purpose of The Harbinger is to explain that an ancient mystery revealed by these harbingers is a call to America to repent for rejecting God and abandoning the foundations upon which
the country was built. The mystery therefore also warns of the imminent danger of God’s judgment if this call is ignored.

Make no mistake—calling America back to God is a valid message and one that needs to be proclaimed. America is clearly in trouble in many ways. Cahn rightly points out that “Judgment isn’t
ultimately about nations—but people. . . . And no one is exempt. Each must stand before Him.”(6) He thus challenges his readers to understand that what is even more important than a nation facing temporal judgment is that those who do not turn to Christ are facing eternal judgment. Jonathan Cahn is to be commended for his passion and commitment to sharing this message with as wide an audience as possible.

However, because of serious flaws throughout the book, its potential dangers may outweigh the benefits. The errors may well overshadow the truth. Many of the views and ideas presented in The Harbinger have both significant exegetical and theological problems. The book may leave many of its readers with serious misunderstandings about how to appropriately interpret and apply the Word of God. Another concern is that in trying to support his conclusions Cahn appears to overstate his case, sees prophetic fulfilment where none exists, and presses details to draw parallels between historical events beyond what the facts reasonably support.

The Harbinger not only fails to reveal a mystery in Isaiah 9:10, as it purports to do, but its argument rests on faulty theology, poor methods of interpretation, and inaccurate handling of historical facts. In some cases the book is actually misleading. When studied closely, each of the proposed parallels between the events proves to be very tenuous at best and in most cases nonexistent. The “overwhelming evidence” that so many seem to have uncritically accepted simply evaporates upon closer inspection.

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In total, the evidence is like a mirage that is deceptively inviting from a distance but disappears the closer one gets. Therefore, in spite of the much needed call to repentance, the combination
of all the serious problems in the book presents a very real danger to believers and unbelievers alike.

A RUNAWAY SUCCESS

Released on January 3, 2012, The Harbinger has already established its place as one of the bestselling books of 2012. According to CharismaNews, on January 22 The Harbinger debuted at number 10 on the New York Times best-seller list in the “print paperback” category and at number 28 in the “combined print hardcover and paperback” category. In just 10 days, it had already been printed four times.

As of June 2, months after its debut on Amazon.com, The Harbinger was still ranked at number 1 in the “Christian Fiction” category, at number 1 in “Christian Mystery,” and at number 2 in the “Christian Theology” category. The Harbinger was also ranked at number 28 for all books, up from number 50 just over a month earlier. On the same date, a total of 438 reader reviews had been entered on Amazon.com—with 349 reviewers giving it a five-star rating and less than 10 percent giving it one star.(7)

The founder of WorldNetDaily (nowWND), Joseph Farah, has produced a two-hour documentary featuring Jonathan Cahn called The Isaiah 9:10 Judgment. On April 24, an email alert from WND
had the following announcement concerning the documentary:

It was just a few days ago that the epic movie The Ten Commandments, starring Charlton Heston as Moses, was ranked as the No. 1 bestselling faith movie at Amazon. In fact, it [The
Harbinger] has eclipsed The Ten Commandments multiple times since it was released last month to nationwide acclaim. And it’s back up as the No. 1 faith video or TV show at Amazon
and the No. 5 documentary of any kind.

Nor was this video losing any ground as of June 2. On Amazon.com, the The Isaiah 9:10 Judgment DVD set was ranked at number 6 in “Movies & TV/DVD/Documentary” and number 1 in the “Movies & TV/DVD/ Faith & Spirituality” category.

On the day of the book’s release, Jonathan Cahn was interviewed by Pat Robertson on The 700 Club, who said of the book, “This is one great book. . . . This is the read you need to make. . . . It is
a prophetic word.”8 When he appeared on The Jim Bakker Show, Bakker said, “I believe with all my heart this is the most important message I have ever brought in my fifty years of broadcasting to a
worldwide audience.”

In addition to The 700 Club and The Jim Bakker Show, Cahn has been featured on a number of other programs, including TBN’s Praise the Lord, Sid Roth’s It’s Supernatural, and Daystar’s
Celebration, giving the book and his ideas exposure to potentially millions of viewers.

Because of the book’s astounding success and Cahn’s far-reaching influence on so many people already, there is a need for a closer look at The Harbinger. One might wonder why such a detailed
analysis and critique is necessary for a fictional work. As Jonathan Cahn has noted, however, The Harbinger is much more than just fiction. He wrote, “what is contained within the story is real.”
Therefore, its claims need to be carefully examined.

A CAUTION CONCERNING COINCIDENCES

One of the critical premises of The Harbinger is that because of the overwhelming number of coinciding events, they cannot be coincidences, with the only alternative explanation being that these
things must have been orchestrated by God. This is probably the single most-repeated argument this 

Page 8
author has read on the internet by those commenting on book reviews and articles about the book. Not only is Cahn’s explanation viewed as the best plausible one—many, if not most proponents of
the book argue that his explanation is the only one that is even possible.

As will be shown in the pages to follow, almost none of the events even coincide, let alone show evidence of being coordinated directly by the hand of God. However, if only for the sake of argument it were accepted that these events do coincide, does that necessarily mean that God’s direct intervention is the only possible solution? The following two sets of coincidences demonstrate that
Cahn’s explanation is not necessarily the only plausible one—because truly amazing coincidences can and do happen.

Lincoln and Kennedy assassinations

This one is an old story, but worth recounting because it is so unusual. It revolves around an unusual number of coincidences that occurred between Presidents Kennedy and Lincoln in regards to
their assassination.

For example, both men were elected 100 years apart (Lincoln in 1860, Kennedy in 1960); they were both succeeded by Southerners named Johnson, and the two Johnsons were born 100 years apart
(Andrew in 1808, Lyndon in 1908). Both assassins were born 100 years apart (Booth in 1839 and Oswald in 1939) and both died before they could be brought to trial. Lincoln was shot in a theater
and his assassin was cornered in a warehouse, while Kennedy was shot from a warehouse and his assassin was captured in a theater. Finally, Lincoln was shot in Ford’s theater, while Kennedy was
shot while riding in a Ford Lincoln, and to top it all off, Kennedy had a secretary named Lincoln
(Evelyn Lincoln) while Lincoln had a secretary named Kennedy.9
The Titanic and the Titan
In what has to be considered one of the truly spooky coincidences of all time, in 1898, author Morgan
Robertson (1861-1915) wrote a novella entitled Futility, or The Wreck of the Titan, in which he
outlined the voyage of a British luxury liner, HMS Titan, that hits an iceberg while crossing the
northern Atlantic and sinks with a large loss of life—in part, due to the lack of sufficient lifeboats
onboard.
The similarities between the fictional story and the real-life loss of the luxury liner with very nearly
the same name 14 years later was extraordinary: both the fictional Titan and the real Titanic were
triple-screw luxury ships about 800 feet long that hit an iceberg in the month of April while traveling
at around 25 knots, resulting in the death of some 2,500 souls. Though not identical in every
detail (in Robertson’s story, the Titan capsizes and sinks quickly, while the Titanic remained upright
and sank slowly over the course of a couple of hours), the similarities are nothing if not amazing.10
These are just two of dozens of such stories to be found on many different websites. Does this prove
that God didn’t orchestrate the events since 9/11 as outlined in The Harbinger? No, not at all. But
they do represent a cautionary tale that does suggest that believers need to be careful about assigning
God’s actions to specific events with absolute certainty apart from special revelation from Him.
This is not at all to suggest that believers should not specifically pray for the Lord to intervene in
specific circumstances and through specific events. Neither does it mean that His people should not
give thanks and praise to Him when he answers those prayers. All should—continually. It is also
completely appropriate (because it is biblical) to acknowledge His sovereignty and recognize His
providential care in every situation because of His absolute power and immeasurable lovingkindness.
He is not a God who is far away. Rather, He is intimately involved in the affairs of this world.

Page 9
ENDORSEMENTS

JIMMY DEYOUNG
President & Founder, Prophecy Today

“David James has done an excellent job in this book, a review of the book, The Harbinger, being very careful not to bring personality into focus but instead to take a crucial look at the biblical aspects
of the book. Having read the book a number of times, David studied the hermeneutic used in the book to examine the use of a single passage of scripture taken out of context to understand what
the author had done to develop a fictional book while at the same time telling the reader that everything in the book was real.

“I believe that David did the research required to give a fair look at Jonathan Cahn’s work and, at the same time, apply the age-old truths of Bible interpretation to help any potential reader of The
Harbinger to be aware of the problems in this work. I know that David spent much time in prayer and consultation before he approached the writing of his review, and his only desire is to hold up the truth that we don’t get doctrine, or our understanding of Bible prophecy, from a fictional novel but from the Word of God, the Bible.”


BRANNON HOWSE
President & Founder, Worldview Weekend

“All across America hundreds of thousands of people have purchased Jonathan Cahn’s book, The Harbinger. By far, the majority have given it rave reviews as well as promoted it, defended it, and recommended it to everyone they know. Unfortunately, this represents a pervasive lack of biblical
knowledge and discernment in the church and is why many of us have written and broadcast our deep concerns about the book. I believe David James has used true discernment, extensive research,
and biblical hermeneutics to reveal the dangerous message of The Harbinger. James’s research also defends the authority of Scripture against the increasing trend of experience, extra-biblical revelation,
and mysticism.” [continued next page]


PAUL BARRECA
Teaching Pastor, Faith Bible Church
Vineland, New Jersey

“Whether or not you’ve read The Harbinger, you must read David James’s thorough and thoughtful response in The Harbinger: Fact or Fiction? The popularity of Cahn’s book has many Christians
wondering if the Bible contains a secret message for America enveloped in the details of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. I recognized a dangerous hermeneutic at work in Jonathan Cahn’s fast-paced novel but was daunted by the challenge of providing a response for my congregation. David James provides such a response. This book gives the reader a detailed, point-by-point analysis challenging
Cahn’s barrage of data and ‘connect the dot’ attempts. David James does this with clear biblical methodology while avoiding personal attacks against Cahn. This book is an example of the way that
Christian dialogue should be conducted.”

ROY B. ZUCK
Senior Professor Emeritus of Bible Exposition
Editor, Bibliotheca Sacra
Dallas Theological Seminary

(Page10)

“Jonathan Cahn’s book The Harbinger has been a bestseller for many months. A messianic Jew, Cahn is the senior pastor of the Jerusalem/Beth Israel Worship Center in Wayne, New Jersey. The
Harbinger presents the view that Isaiah 9:10-11 refers to the United States, and in particular to the catastrophe of 9/11 and the States’ subsequent economic problems. James masterfully demolishes
Cahn’s efforts to relate this passage to the States, pointing up numerous hermeneutical and interpretive fallacies in Cahn’s approach. Anyone interested in The Harbinger needs to note the numerous errors in Cahn’s thinking, as presented in James’s excellent analysis.”


GARY E. GILLEY
Senior Pastor, Southern View Chapel, Springfield, Illinois
Director, Think on These Things Ministries

“Jonathan Cahn’s The Harbinger is a warning to America that God’s judgment is imminent unless the country repents and turns to the Lord, and that very soon. If the book is read merely as a novel
warning our country to wake up spiritually, it has value, but the author makes immediately clear that ‘what is contained within the story is real’ (p. 7). In other words, Cahn believes that God pronounced exacting judgment on America, and that judgment is found in Scripture, specifically Isaiah 9:10-11. [continued next page]

“Cahn determines that this text in Isaiah contains a mysterious prophecy directed not to ancient Israel but to modern America. At this point the author massages Scripture, American history, and
current events in an attempt to prove that God’s judgment on the United States has been hiding in these verses but has now been unlocked by the careful investigation of Cahn. Once someone decides they can cherry-pick verses at will, change the meaning of these texts to fit one’s theories, and use random hermeneutical methods, anything can be “proven.” However, very few people will recognize what Cahn has done, and fewer still will do the hard work of investigating his interpretations.

“Here is where David James has greatly benefitted the body of Christ. He has carefully, graciously
and thoroughly analyzed the claims found in The Harbinger and found many of them lacking biblical
support and historical accuracy. James has written this book not merely to expose error but to
keep God’s people from being led astray by false teachings and improper hermeneutical approaches
to Scripture. I believe he has accomplished these goals in The Harbinger: Fact or Fiction?”


TOMMY ICE
Executive Director, Pre-Trib Research Center
Pastor/Teacher and Church Planter,
Community Bible Church, Omaha, Nebraska

“Just because something is popular within today’s evangelical community does not mean that it is biblical. The Harbinger is a popular book for many within evangelicalism that claims to provide a message from God, but it is not built upon a true biblical foundation. Dave James provides a fair biblical analysis for anyone wanting scrutiny of The Harbinger. I commend James’s book, The Harbinger: Fact or Fiction?, for those seeking the truth rather than popularity.”


LARRY DEBRUYN
Guarding His Flock Ministries

“In a fair and balanced way, Dave James exposes the eccentric biblical interpretations upon which The Harbinger is premised. He demonstrates biblical and theological inaccuracies contained in the
story created by Jonathan Cahn, one which the author claims to be partially real. James connects the dots between multiple biblical, historical, and factual problems, which gives the reader the sense
that The Harbinger has undertones of Anglo-Israelism and Christian Dominionism. Though perhaps not intended by the author, these concepts form an underlying philosophical framework upon which 

Page11

the theoretical ‘secret’ of America’s future appears to be based. For readers possessing a heart to discern truth from error, The Harbinger: Fact or Fiction? frames fundamental issues related to an
accurate understanding of Bible prophecy in our modern world. Highly recommended.” [continued next page]


LARRY J. WATERS
Associate Professor of Bible Exposition
Dallas Theological Seminary

“One of the most asked questions in biblical prophecy today is, ‘Where does the United States fit into eschatology?’ Jonathan Cahn’s The Harbinger tries to answer that question—however, he attempts to do so with many unfounded hermeneutical ‘jumps’ that cannot be sustained. Dave James goes to great lengths to debunk Cahn’s theories and offers a balanced look at end-time prophecy
and the USA. Where Scripture is silent, it is best not to impose one’s own presumptions on the text. For those interested in this subject, James offers extensive objections to Cahn’s presumptions.”

BOOK REVIEW BY DAVID JAMES The Harbinger: Fact or Fiction?

↓Page 1.

BOOK REVIEW BY DAVID JAMES
The Harbinger: Fact or Fiction?

Does Isaiah 9:10 really contain an ancient mystery that holds the secret of America’s future?

Note: This review is an abridged version of a book of the same title by this author.

Proverbs 18:17 (NKJV)
The first one to plead his cause seems right, until his neighbor comes and examines him.
________________________________
Introduction

The Harbinger, by Jonathan Cahn,(1) is about a series of signs or omens which he believes have manifested in America 
beginning with the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The author believes he has discovered an ancient mystery in
Isaiah 9:10-11 that “explains everything from 9/11 to the collapse of the global economy.” (2) Although he uses a fictional 
narrative as a framework, the book is based on what he believes are undeniable facts from the biblical text, the corresponding history of 8 century B.C. Israel and current events of the last decade in America. As Cahn states at the the beginning of the book, “What you are about to read is presented in the form of a story, but what is contained within the
story is real.”(3)

The overall purpose of The Harbinger is to call America to repent for turning her back on God and moving away from the
foundations upon which the country was built. It is also to warn of the danger of God’s judgment that this represents. Not only is this a valid message, but one that needs to be proclaimed. Jonathan Cahn is to be commended for his passion and commitment to sharing this message with as wide an audience as possible.

However, because of serious flaws throughout the book, the potential dangers may well outweigh the benefits. Many of
the author’s views and ideas as presented in The Harbinger are misguided, having both significant exegetical and theological
problems. Additionally, the book could well leave its readers with serious misunderstandings about how to appropriately
interpret and apply the Word of God. Beyond this, it is also problematic because in trying to support his conclusions, Cahn
appears to variously overstate his case, see prophetic fulfillment where arguably none exists and presses details to draw
parallels between historical events beyond what the facts reasonably support.

Not only does The Harbinger fail to reveal a mystery in Isaiah 9:10, but in spite of the much-needed call to repentance, the
book presents a danger to believers and unbelievers alike.
________________________________
A Runaway Success

Released on January 3, 2012, The Harbinger has already established its place as one of the best selling books of 2012.
According to “CharismaNews,” on January 22, the The Harbinger debuted at No. 10 on the NY Times best-seller list in the
“print paperback” category and at No. 28 in the “combined print hardcover and paperback “ category. In just 10 days, it had
gone to reprint four times. (Charisma House is the publisher of the book.)4

(1)Jonathan Cahn is the senior pastor of Jerusalem / Beth Israel Worship Center in Wayne, New Jersey. On the church’s website, it is suggested that Beth 
Israel is perhaps the largest Messianic congregation in the United States. He is generally referred to as “Rabbi.”
(2)The Harbinger, from the back cover. 
(3)The Harbinger, p. v.

(4) http://charismanews.com/us/32649-warning-book-to-america-debuts-on-two-new-york-times-best-seller-lists 

↓Page 2
As of April 26, on Amazon.com, it was ranked at #1 in the “Christian Books and Bibles - Fiction” category, at #1 in the
broader “Religion and Spirituality” category, #2 in “Christian Books and Bibles - Theology” category and at #50 for all books.
There were also 346 reader reviews of the book on Amazon.com - with 282 giving it a 5-star rating.(5)

The founder of “World Net Daily,” Joseph Farah, has produced a two-hour documentary featuring Jonathan Cahn: “The
Isaiah 9:10 Judgment.” On March 13, in an email alert, WND noted: “The Isaiah 9:10 Judgment DVD tops faith chart at
Amazon.com...It is also the No. 8 most popular documentary of any kind and the 247th most popular video for sale.”

On the day of the book’s release, Jonathan Cahn was interviewed by Pat Robertson on The 700 Club, who said of the book,
“This is one great book...This is the read you need to make...It is a prophetic word.” (6)The author has also been interviewed 
on a number of other programs as well, giving the book very broad exposure.
________________________________
Departure from a Biblical Hermeneutic

The heart of a biblical hermeneutic is the commitment to understanding the literary context of a passage. This is where
Cahn’s thesis first runs into trouble. Nothing in the context gives any indication that either Isaiah or the Lord intended for
Isaiah 9:10 to be understood as having to do with anything other than the Northern Kingdomin the 8 century B.C. Although th
the author has insisted in a moderated discussion with this reviewer that he does not believe Isaiah 9:10 is to, for or about
America,(7) the book paints a very different picture.


Although Cahn has tried to explain that the passage is only functioning as a “sign” to America, this is not a meaningful
distinction. Biblical signs are revelatory and therefore prophetic, in that they signify that something is happening oris going
to happen. And, this is exactly the way Cahn handles these “harbingers” in the book—meaning that in at least some way
he actually does see a direct connection with Isaiah 9:10.

Also, if Isaiah 9:10-11 functions to demonstrate a pattern of God’s judgment, as Cahn believes, why is it not identified as
such, either here or elsewhere in Scripture? If it is a predictable pattern as he suggests, why is there neither a precedent
nor repetition ofthe pattern in the Bible? Yet, it is the author’s contention that the nine harbingers he believes he has found
in Isaiah coincide precisely with recent historical events, beginning with the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Furthermore, there is no mention of the first seven verses in the chapter. Yet, these form a critical part of the immediate
context of Isaiah 9:10 and represent one of the most important messianic kingdom passages in the entire Old Testament.
This is a significant omission when dealing with the subject of Israel’s judgment because it includes the unconditional
promise that even in the face of the coming destruction, Israel’s future is still sure. The kingdom will still be established and
Messiah will rule from the throne of David forever.
________________________________
A Prophetic Message?

Although Cahn says he does not claim to be a prophet, he does affirm that his message is prophetic. But, what else besides
“prophet” would be an appropriate title for someone who believes he has discovered the hidden meaning of a biblical
mystery and then proclaims this prophetic message as factual? He is doing more than simply relaying a message given by
someone else. He is the originator of the message.

(5)As of April 23, 2012. http://www.amazon.com/The-Harbinger-ancient-mystery-Americas/dp/161638610X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332454190&sr=8-1

(6) http://www.cbn.com/media/player/index.aspx?s=/mp4/SUB109_JonathanCahn_010312_WS 6

(7) On April 4, 2012, Dr. Jimmy DeYoung moderated a discussion between Jonathan Cahn and this author which is available on the Prophecy Today website (www.prophecytoday.com)

↓Page 3
In the brief biography introducing the author, the back cover of The Harbinger has the following: “His teachings are seen on television and radio throughout the nation and are known for their prophetic significance and their revealing of deep mysteries of God’s Word.”

Others have also identified Cahn’s message as prophetic and him as a prophet. For example, in September, It’s Supernatural aired shows that were produced around interviews with Jonathan Cahn. Of these host Sid Roth said, “This may be—no, this is the most important prophetic show you will ever see.”8

On Amazon.com, the book description includes the following:

Hidden in an ancient biblical prophecy from Isaiah, the mysteries revealed in The Harbinger are so precise that they foretold recent American events down to the exact days. The revelations are so specific that even the most hardened skeptics will find it hard to dismiss or put down. It sounds like the plot of a Hollywood thriller with one exception... IT’S REAL. (9)
________________________________
Fact or Fiction?

Even though categorized as “fiction,” the story is prefaced by: “What you are about to read is presented in the form of a story, but what is contained within the story is real.”(10) In other words, the book conveys what Cahn considers to be biblically accurate and historically factual. However, the lines between what is fact and what is fiction is not at all clear.

For example, the story centers around a set of small clay discs that are said to date from 8 century B.C. and connected with Isaiah’s prophecy. The purpose of the nine seals is to reveal the ancient mystery and to authenticate that their message comes from God. But do these seals really exist as an archeological find or are they simply part of the fictional storyline? The answer is not clear in the story and it seems very likely that many readers will think these seals do exist, although they do not.

In addition, rather than simply adding an element of authenticity to the story, the nine harbinger seals only make things more confusing for the reader. The obvious question is, “Does this mean that the author is using them as a literary device to suggest that his views are authentically from God (though perhaps confirmed in some other way)? “Are they inherently fact or fiction?

In the The Harbinger, the nine seals are given over a period of time, to journalist Nouriel Kaplan by a mysterious figure
identified only as “The Prophet.”(11) Kaplan and The Prophet are the primary characters in the book, along with a third lesser 
character, Ana Goren, a Manhattan publishing executive, to whom Kaplan tells the story of his encounters with The Prophet.
Are The Prophet and Kaplan purely fictional characters or do they in some way represent real people? Do they represent
two different people, a compilation of multiple people or are they rather just two aspects of the same person? Given the
central role of The Prophet, is there really someone who is believed to be a prophet who gave the author his message? Or
is the answer actually somewhere between the two? Based on the way the story develops and then concludes in the last
chapter, one has to wonder if The Prophet and Nouriel Kaplan, when taken together, actually representJonathan Cahn. Are
they fictional characters or are they real?

(8) http://www.sidroth.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=10457&news_iv_ctrl=0&abbr=tv_ (at the 8:21 mark) 
(9) http://www.amazon.com/The-Harbinger-ancient-mystery-Americas/dp/161638610X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332907071&sr=8-1 
(10) Page v. 
(11) In the book, “The Prophet” is not capitalized, but it is capitalized here and elsewhere for clarity. 

↓Page 4
In the second half of the book, Kaplan has a dream about the dedication of the temple in Jerusalem which includes the
biblical king Solomon. However, when Solomon turns around, he has unexpectedly transformed into George Washington
on the Temple Mount. Is this dream just a literary device in the story or did the author actually have a similar dream?
Although he has stated that he did not have a dream as described in the book, it is clear that the idea for the dream
sequence did not develop in a vacuum. Could it simply represent Cahn’s contemplation and thought process as he sought
to arrive at a meaningful interpretation of some of the events in America over the past decade? Once again, the crucial
question is: “Fact or fiction?”

Another major issue is the interpretation of events in America since 9/11. Can the author’s interpretation of the events
rightly be considered to be facts as he apparently does? For example, Cahn believes that God removed His “hedge of
protection” from the United States which allowed the successful attacks on the World Trade Center. He also believes that
these attacks marked the beginning of God’s judgment upon the nation.

However, to claim to know these things with the absolute certainty claimed by the author is to claim insight into the very
mind of God, including His specific purposes and plans for America in this generation. Although one might speculate and
form opinions, these things cannot be known for sure unless God were to personally reveal them. So, does the author
believe he has received this necessary revelation? And if so, is he right? Is God using him as a prophet? Has God given him
special insight into an ancient mystery? Has God truly shown him that his confidence in the veracity of his conclusions and
interpretation is justified? Or does his message amount to nothing more than speculation? Fact or fiction?
________________________________
The Mystery of Isaiah 9:10: A Direct Link between Israel and America?

The author denies that he is arguing for a direct connection between Israel and America and maintains that the passage only
demonstrates a pattern of God’s judgment. Likewise, he concludes that recent event sin America, beginning with 9/11, are only parallels to that specific pattern. Yet, in multiple places the book gives the very clear impression that these are more than simply parallels and that a direct connection does exist. Based on what is clearly stated in the book, it is difficult to conclude that this is not precisely what Cahn intended to convey at the time. The following are just a few of the numerous examples.

[Ana Goren] “How could an ancient mystery have anything to do with September 11?”

[Nouriel Kaplan] “An ancient mystery behind everything from 9/11 to the economy . . . to the housing boom . . .
to the war in Iraq . . . to the collapse of Wall Street. Everything in precise detail.”12
_______________
[The Prophet] “The Assyrians are the fathers of terrorism, and those who mercilessly plotted out the calamity on
9/11 were their spiritual children, another link in the mystery joining America to ancient Israel.”13
_______________
[Kaplan] “So if the ancient mystery is joined to America, then somehow 9/11 has to be linked to the words ‘We will
rebuild.’”14
_______________
[The Prophet] “Well done, Nouriel. So what would we expect to find in Washington DC?”
(12)Page 3. 
(13)Page 38.

(14)Page 61.

[Kaplan] “Some link between this city and the ancient vow,” I said. “Somehow Isaiah 9:10 has to be connected to
Washington DC.”15
_______________
[The Prophet] “And all referring to America’s campaign to defy the calamity of 9/11, as he links it all to the
judgment of ancient Israel.
16
_______________
[The Prophet] “Solomon wasthe king of Israel. Washington wasthe first president of the United States. There was
something in the linking of ancient Israel and America, as with all the other mysteries.”17
Cahn’s belief in a direct prophetic link between Isaiah 9:10 and the United States could not be more clear. As such, the
author’s theory about this direct connection unambiguously forms the “factual” basis for the entire story.
________________________________
The Mystery of Isaiah 9:10: A Driving Force?
Not only does Cahn seemto believe that there is a connection, but he also presents Isaiah’s words as functioning as a driving
force in specific events in America over the last decade, set into motion by the attacks of 9/11. According to The Prophet,
because of the link between Isaiah 9:10 and Israel, once the pattern is set into motion, each step of the progression must
inevitably take place.18
The cause/effect relationship is also confirmed in his The 700 Club interview on January 3, 2012:
[The mystery] even has determined the actions and the actual words of American leaders. A mystery that goes
back two and a half thousand years and is a warning of judgment and a call of God—a prophetic call of God.19
This comes perilously close to being a mystical view of the prophetic Scriptures because biblical prophecies do not function
this way. Any prophecy as specific as Isaiah 9:10 also has a unique, specific future referent in view which sets parameters
and limits on what constitutes literal fulfillment. That what is being suggested about Isaiah 9:10 sounds more like a sort of
mystical incantation than a prophecy is reinforced when the author introduces the idea of “The Isaiah 9:10 Effect” later in
chapter 15.
Undoubtedly, Jonathan Cahn did not intend to give this impression. But he would not be the first person to unintentionally
confuse genuinely spiritual approaches with unbiblical and dangerous mystical ones.
________________________________
America: A New Israel?
In the April 4 discussion, as well as in email correspondence, the author has stated that he does not believe that America
is the “New Israel” or has replaced Israel in God’s program. However, a number of exchanges between The Prophet and
Nouriel Kaplan could easily leave The Harbinger’s readers with a different impression. The Prophet builds the case for the
connection by referencing the thinking and intentions of America’s founders:
Page 104. 15
Page 109. 16
Page 195. 17
Page 141. 18
Beginning at the 2:15 minute mark: http://www.cbn.com/media/player/index.aspx?s=/mp4/SUB109_JonathanCahn_010312_WS 19
6
[The Prophet] But there was one other—a civilization also conceived and dedicated to the will of God from its
conception . . . America. In fact, those who laid its foundations . . .”
[Kaplan] “The Founding Fathers.”
[The Prophet] “No, long before the Founding Fathers. Those who laid America’s foundations saw it as the new
Israel, an Israel of the New World. And as it was with ancient Israel, they saw it as in covenant with God.”20
Although the author deniesthis, the argument ofthe book seems to specifically depend on the idea that America’s founders
and early leaders had indeed established the nation to be in a covenant relationship with God similar to that of ancient
Israel. If it were not for this belief there would be no book. However, God established a covenant relationship with only one
nation through His covenant with Abraham. Abraham entered into the covenant by faith, forever establishing Israel as a
unique nation in a unique relationship with God that would be enjoyed by no other nation.
While The Harbinger does notstate that God has completely rejected national Israel, there is no reference to either modernday
or future Israel at all. This is a significant omission because the sense one gets from the book is that Israel had failed
to heed the warnings ofthe prophet and wassubsequently permanently annihilated. This impression is compounded by the
fact that there is no mention of Isaiah 9:1-7 (as noted earlier).
Granted, it is beyond the scope of The Harbinger to present a fully-developed eschatology. However, all we know from the
story is that ancient Israel did not repent and wastherefore destroyed. The story then jumps to the vision the founders had
for America to be the New Israel. Again, this gives the impression that Israel met its final end, which is precisely the warning
the author is communicating to America if there is no repentance.
________________________________
The Ancient Mystery: The Nine Harbingers
As previously noted, the fictional part of the story centers around a “mystery” connected with nine small, engraved clay
discs. The original purpose of the nine seals was to warn the Northern Kingdom of Israel of progressive stages in God’s 21
judgment as prophesied in Isaiah 9:10.
“The bricks have fallen down,
But we will rebuild with hewn stones;
The sycamores have been cut down,
But we will replace them with cedars.”22
The nine seals were “harbingers” of impending events in the passage that would take place if Israel did not heed them as
warnings—events which would ultimately lead to a catastrophic final judgment resulting in Israel’s total destruction and
collapse. And although the nine seals are only part of the fictional narrative, they do represent nine actual “harbingers” or
signs which the author believes he has identified in the Isaiah passage. He also believes that he has discovered an ancient
mystery—a pattern of judgment represented by these signs, that is being manifested once again in the United States of
America. This is what the author means when he writes, “...what is contained within the story is real.”
NOTE: A thorough treatment of all nine harbingers is being included in a book-length response to The Harbinger by this
author. Each of the nine harbingers has problems comparable to those discussed in this review.
___________
(20)Pages 18-19. 
(21)Page 9. 
(22)Isaiah 9:10, NKJV 

↓Page 7

The First Harbinger: The Breach
Concerning Israel: God’s removal of his “hedge of protection” which allowed the Assyrians to attack
Concerning America: God’s removal of his hedge of protection which directly led to the breach of America’s security,
providing an opening for the terrorists to attack on 9/11

While God protects whomever, whenever and however He chooses, a “hedge of protection” is a very specific type of
protection. Such protection is mentioned only twice in the Old Testament: once in Satan’s accusation against God
concerning Job (Job 1:10) and once concerning the nation of Israel (Isaiah 5:5). In the New Testament, it appearsin only one
parable which is also about Israel (Matthew 21:33; Mark 12:1). There is no indication anywhere in Scripture that any other
nation ever has or ever will be protected in this particular way.

In the absence of any scriptural support, how can it be claimed with any certainty that 9/11 marked the removal of God’s
hedge of protection? Furthermore, even if God ever has provided such a hedge of protection around America, is it not
possible to also argue that it is still in place? There has not been another terrorist attack since 9/11—even though the
motivation, intent and plotting to launch more attacks has continued to the present.

Also, if America enjoyed God’s hedge of protection, then what about Pearl Harbor? Hawaii was an American territory and
therefore the attack was against America and on American soil. The next year, the Japanese captured and occupied two
Aleutian islands of the Alaska territory. In the War of 1812, Detroit was captured by the British and Washington D.C. was
captured and burned. Mexico invaded Texas in the Mexican-American War. In 1993, the World Trade Center was bombed
by foreign nationals with the intent of taking down both towers. Was God’s hedge of protection not in place when these
breaches occurred? If not, when was it put into place or put back into place?

Third Harbinger: The Fallen Bricks
Concerning Israel: The bricks which were originally used to build the city walls
Concerning America: Bricks that fell from buildings when the World Trade Centers collapsed.

Fallen bricks meant the Northern Kingdom lay in ruins. However, as tragic as they were, the 9/11 attacks involved only a
few buildings, not an entire city, let alone the entire nation. And although there had been an airport security breach, this
was not a breach of America’s military defenses, even when the attack on the Pentagon is considered.

The pattern of forcing current events into the Isaiah 9:10 prophecy continues with the author’s discussion of the bricks
themselves. The fallen bricks in ancient Israel were the ruins of a destroyed city, while fallen bricks were only incidental in
the World Trade Center attacks. In fact, it has been suggested that it wasthe lack of masonry construction that allowed the
collapse of the towers.23

Fourth Harbinger: The Tower
Concerning Israel: A spirit of defiance against God when Israel would declare that the destroyed city would be rebuilt
Concerning America: The declaration by America’s leaders that the destroyed towers would be rebuilt

On the fourth clay seal is the image of a tower which is described as looking like the Tower of Babel. With nothing in the
text about a tower (more on this later), how does this fit in? In the story, it is connected with a “spirit of defiance” which
prompts the declaration by ancient Israel to rebuild the leveled city with hewn stone—and in the case of the WTCs, to
rebuild a tower at Ground Zero.

Israel knew that the Assyrian attacks were a judgment they had brought upon themselves. When they declared that they
would rebuild, they were shaking their fists in defiance of both their enemies and their God.

(23) http://www.cement.org/masonry/pp_fire_towers.asp 

↓Page 8

This is not what happened in the wake of 9/11. Yet, in both the book and the documentary by World Net Daily, the author attempts to build the case that America’s leaders were proudly and  arrogantly acting in defiance against God when they spoke of rebuilding (even though they didn’t realize it). (24) This is very misleading because although standing in defiance of America’s enemies, they were demonstrably not standing in defiance of God. 

The explanation of the ninth harbinger seems even more misleading. In the book, Cahn gives the impression that Senate
Majority Leader Tom Daschle concluded a speech on 9/12/2001 by quoting Isaiah 9:10. (25) But, that was not the end of the speech. In the documentary by World Net Daily, Cahn specifically states that Daschle closes the speech with, “That is what we will do and we will rebuild, and we will recover.”(26) However, this is not how the speech ended. There were two more sentences not shown in the documentary:

The people of America will stand together because the people of America have always stood together, and those of us who are privileged to serve this great nation will stand with you. God bless the people of America. (27)

By invoking God and thinking he was comforting Americans by using the Bible (albeit wrongly), his intent was clearly not
defiance against God—it was exactly the opposite. To fail to include or mention his last two sentences is very misleading.

On September 11, 2004, then vice-presidential candidate John Edwards was speaking at the Congressional Black Caucus
Prayer Breakfast. Cahn attempts to frame his speech as another unwitting act of defiance against God. However, an honest
reading of the speech (28) shows that defiance of God was the furthest thing from his mind. 

However, he explains that both Daschle and Edwards were defying God without realising it. In spite of their intentions, Cahn
postulates that God was inspiring them to unknowingly pronounce judgment upon America. (29) But how does he know that God is inspiring America’s leaders to prophecy? Unfortunately, he presents his speculation as fact. This is undoubtedly not part of the fictional storyline.

The author attempts to defend his theory by referencing Caiaphas, who unwittingly prophesied concerning the death of Christ (John 11:49-52) Cahn concludes that Daschle and Edwards intended to say one thing, but their words carried a far different meaning. However, that is not what happened with Caiaphas. His words were inspired to mean exactly what he intended. He just didn’t know how right he actually was. Once again, the author’s exposition of the biblical text does not stand up to scrutiny and the supposed parallel is simply not there.

Finally, Cahn appeals to the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament) to bring the idea of
a tower into Isaiah 9:10. The Septuagint has “let us build for ourselves a tower.”(30) However, this phrase is not in the Hebrew
text. 

Furthermore, he doesn’t inform his readers that in contrast to the Hebrew text, the Septuagint indicates that it is Israel that
cuts down the sycamores. And rather than planting cedars, they, too, are cut down—apparently for the purpose of building
the tower. So, the Septuagint eliminates the sixth and seventh harbingers. It is extremely misleading and ethically
questionable to pick one phrase out of a translation in order to prove a point when the passage as a whole has a very
different meaning.

(24)At the 21:10 mark, DVD #1. 
(25)Page 117. 
(26)At the 44:38 mark, DVD #1. 
(27) http://wfile.ait.org.tw/wf-archive/2001/010913/epf407.htm 
(28) http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=84922#axzz1M02bgo9D 
(29)Page 117. 

(30)Page 66. 

↓Page 9
________________________________
The Isaiah 9:10 Effect
The Harbinger is roughly divided into two major parts. Chapters 1-13 lay a foundation for the author’s arguments as he
attempts to correlate the nine harbingers of Isaiah 9:10 with events of the last decade in America as evidence for the first
wave of God’s judgment. In the second part of the book, chapters 14-22, Cahn presents a second wave of God’s judgment,
a “second shaking,” as a final warning of impending severe judgment if America persists on its present path and refuses to
repent. The “Isaiah 9:10 Effect” is introduced in chapter 15 and is used to explain the second shaking, which is the collapse
of the entire American economy. The Prophet explains the Isaiah 9:10 Effect as follows:

“The attempt of a nation to defy the course of its judgment, apart from repentance, will, instead, set in motion a
chain of events to bring about the very calamity it sought to avert.”(31)

Thus, the Isaiah 9:10 Effect is presented as having prophetic force, going far beyond a simple parallel or pattern. Cahn
believes that the Isaiah 9:10 Effect is what has driven the course of events since the 9/11 terrorist attacks:

[Kaplan] “And they connect 9/11 to the economic collapse?”
[The Prophet] “Not only do they connect them . . . they determined them . . . down to the time each would take
place.”
[Kaplan] “An ancient mystery?”
[The Prophet] “Yes, an ancient mystery upon which the global economy and every transaction within it was
determined, a mystery that begins more than three thousand years ago in the sands of a Middle Eastern desert.”

Thus, the Isaiah 9:10 Effect is presented as an inviolable principle that once set in motion, the corresponding prescribed
outcome is inevitable. Furthermore, it is discussed as if it were completely biblical, yet nothing even remotely similar to this
theoretical principle is mentioned or implied anywhere in the Word of God.

The theory of the Isaiah 9:10 effect also raises an obvious, but very important question: Are there any other prophetic
passages in the Old Testament that also function in a similar way? How many other prophecies directed to Israel can be
correlated to historical events in the United States? Is there also a “Genesis 12:1-3 Effect?”—or a “Joshua 1:6 Effect?” Are
such principles to be found throughoutthe Old Testament oris Isaiah 9:10 the only such passage (which would seemunlikely
if the Isaiah 9:10 Effect were true)?

The bottom line is this: If a theological idea cannot be supported by the Bible, then someone simply made it up.
Unfortunately, this is precisely the nature of the Isaiah 9:10 Effect—it is made up.
________________________________
The Shemitah

The Shemitah as a Mystery

In the Law God commanded that every seventh year Israel must allow the land to completely rest with no harvesting,
reaping or any other work in the fields. In addition, all who owed money to creditors were to be released from their debts
(Deut. 15:1-2). This was the Shemitah (or “release” in Hebrew).

Humanly speaking, the Shemitah should be crippling for any nation that attempted to practice it. However, Israel was not
just any nation. It was the one special nation God had raised up to be His chosen people. God would demonstrate His love
and faithfulness to Israel by providing enough in the sixth year to meet the nation’s needs the following year. Conversely,

===========
(31)Page 136.

↓Page10

Israelites would demonstrate their faith in God as individuals and as a nation by obeying the command to keep the Shemitah
and trusting Him for the results.

The author correctly has The Prophet stating that the Shemitah was never given to nor binding upon any nation other than
Israel.(32) However, in an apparent contradiction, he also believes that hidden in the Shemitah is a mystery that is now 
affecting the United States (33)—a mystery that extends to even the precise timing of events to the day.(34) He argues that God
has imposed a Shemitah upon the United States as He did when Israel had turned from Him and failed to voluntarily observe
the Shemitah for centuries. In what seems to be an attempt to mitigate this contradiction, he presents the Shemitah as a
principle as he did the Isaiah 9:10 Effect. Yet, as is true of the Isaiah 9:10 Effect, Scripture nowhere presents the Shemitah
as either a mystery or a pattern or a universal principle connected with God’s judgment.

The Shemitah as a Principle

In order to lay a foundation for the argument that the Shemitah is a principle, the author makes the following assertion
through the words of Nouriel Kaplan: “Seven years—the biblical period of time that concerns a nation’s financial and
economic realms.” While Israel was on a seven-year cycle as required by God, this statement further suggests that the 35
Bible indicates that seven years represent a natural economic cycle in general. However, once again, there are no biblical
passages to support this idea.

Furthermore, extensive internet research does not reveal any uniform conventional wisdom or consensus among
economists or financial experts that seven years is a natural economic or financial cycle (although apparently it has been
suggested a couple of times). Things are said about various cycles that range from three to ten years, but cycles of
specifically and exactly seven years apparently do not exist. And, yet, the Shemitah was precise to the exact day.

Cahn’s theory that the Shemitah is a principle thus appears to be yet another example of speculation raised to the level
of fact, which is once again misleading. Yet, the second half of the book is built on this theory.

The Shemitah as a Sign

According to Cahn, the Shemitah is not only a principle, but is also a sign which is “given to a nation that has driven God out
of its life and replaced Him with idols and the pursuit of gain. The issue is the Shemitah as a sign of judgment, the sign that
specifically touches a nation’s financial and economic realms.”36

However, if the Shemitah is genuinely a sign from God, then it is a predictor of things to come because a biblical sign is
revelatory. Therefore, if God warns that judgment will come through a particular set of events, when those events begin
to happen they signify that the prophesied judgment is underway. On the other hand, in the absence of such a prophetic
warning, even if identical events happen, it cannot be known with any certainty that God is executing judgment. For
example, even though God judged Egyptthrough a locust plague, that another region ofthe world also experiences a swarm
of locusts does not necessarily mean that those people are under judgment.

Because the Word of God does not give the required prophetic warning concerning America and the Shemitah, there is no
Scriptural basis to interpret recent events as a sign that God is imposing a Shemitah as judgment upon the nation.

=============
(32)Page 159. 
(33)Page 159. 
(34)Page 161. 
(35)Page 161. 
(36)Page 159. 

↓Page 11

The Shemitah and America

What, then, could bring someone to suggest any sort of connection between the Shemitah and America? The only potential
explanation would seem to be that the author, in some sense, believes the founders were right about America being in
covenant with God, even if not as a new Israel per se, at least patterned after Israel’s covenantal relationship with Him. This
is not to suggest that Cahn believes that national Israel has been replaced and has no future in God’s program.
Unfortunately, there seems to be a significant disconnect between whatthe author says he believes about this and the ideas
he presents in the book.

The Case for the Shemitah

The examples Cahn uses to demonstrate that America is going through an imposed Shemitah feel contrived. In contrast,
the Shemitah in ancient Israel was simple. The Israelites were not to work the land and the wealthy lenders were required
to forgive the debts owed to them by average people. When God imposed the Shemitah on Israel, He forced them to stop
working the land completely by taking the nation into captivity. And, as captives, the wealthy were brought down to the
level of their debtors and the financial system completely collapsed. The imposed Shemitah was not simply a sign, it was
the judgment itself. It meant utter devastation. Almost everyone lost almost everything.

Since the situation with America has been significantly different, the author must go to great lengths in an attempt to
support his interpretation of both the Bible and history. He has clearly done extensive research and has assembled an
impressive array of facts and figures. Because he writes and speaks with conviction and authority, he makes a case that
initially seems compelling—and one that has persuaded a lot of people that he is right.

However, upon closer examination, little of what is presented concerning America remotely resembles the Shemitah
imposed by God upon ancientIsrael. The first major component ofthe imposed Shemitah, forcing the land to lay completely
fallow, has no contemporary parallel, even if possible economic modern-day equivalents are considered. Nothing in this
regard indicates that an imposed Shemitah might be underway.

An analysis of the other major component, concerning credit and debt, reveals that the parallels proposed by the author
are not much closer. He draws his support almost exclusively from the failure of a few large financial institutions and the
response of the federal government. He cites four corporations.: Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers, and AIG.

However, this doesn’t follow “the ancient pattern.” Ancient Israel was overrun by a foreign army with everything of value
either destroyed or taken. In sharp contrast, even though the U.S. and global economy has gone through a serious
contraction and certainly many have been hurt, it has not been even close to the scale, relatively speaking, of the utter
devastation that occurred in Israel.

As the author rightly notes, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were rescued by the federal government when the Federal
Financial Housing Authority placed them under conservatorship. They did not collapse.(37)

When Lehman Brothers filed the largest bankruptcy in history after being denied a federal bailout, the U.S. and world
markets were rattled for weeks. However, the analysis in the book includes overstatements and what feels like spin in the
effort to find support. Although The Prophet states that the fall of Lehman Brotherstriggered the implosion ofthe American
and global economies, (38) the fact is that they did not implode. They were seriously shocked, even damaged, but they did not 
collapse.

===============
(37)http://problembanklist.com/fhfa-conservators-report-why-fannie-mae-and-freddie-mac-failed-0183/http://problembanklist.com/fhfa-conservators-report-why-fannie-mae-and-freddie-mac-failed-0183/ 
(38)Page 161. 

↓Page 12

Unfortunately, because the failure was staggering in terms of dollars ($639 billion in assets and $619 billion in debt), the 39
reader’s initial reaction might be that the author has made his case on this point—but he has not. If both the assets and debt
of Lehman Brothers, at $1.25 trillion are added together, this represents only an extremely small percentage of the world
economy. Even when compared to just the American economy, which has an estimated value of $188 trillion in assets,40
it comes out to only about 0.6%—a far cry from what happened when God judged Israel and imposed a Shemitah.

The author continues to try to build his case by citing the September 29, 2008 stock market crash as the “greatest single-day
stock market crash in Wall Street history.” (41)However, in only one place does the author note that it was the biggest drop 
in terms of points not in terms of percentage. At the same time, he repeats over and over that it was the “biggest crash in
Wall Street history.” The fact is that at just 7%, the drop in the Dow Jones industrial average did not even rank in the top
ten.(42)

To be fair, the Dow did drop a total of about 25% in the two weeks following the defeat of the bailout bill in the U.S.
Congress on September 29. Once again, however, this does notrank in the same league as the market collapse in 1929 when
it fell 48% in just over two months. By the time the crash had run its course, stocks had lost 90% of their value. Was God 43
imposing a Shemitah in 1929? What about the other major market crashes that are in the top ten?

Even the above examples do not exhaust the numerous overstatementsin this section, but they do give a sense of just how
statistics can be used to prove almost anything.
________________________________
King Solomon and George Washington

Confirmation of the Israel-America link

As previously noted, Kaplan, the journalist, has a dream about the dedication of the temple in Jerusalem under king Solomon
(chapter 19). Although the author has said that this dreamis simply part ofthe fictional storyline, it seems unlikely that there
is not a specific reason behind connecting Solomon and George Washington given whatis in the previous eighteen chapters.
Why does Solomon transform into George Washington on the Temple Mount? This suggests that Cahn does, in fact, believe
that there is much more than some superficial parallelism between the establishment of ancient Israel and the
establishment of the United States as an independent nation.

Although preceded by kings Saul and David, it was Solomon who built and dedicated the temple. This finalized the
establishment of Israel as a nation because it was then that God came to dwell among His people once again—not in a
temporary tent, but in a permanentstructure. So, too, the inauguration of George Washington finalized the establishment
of the United States as a nation. The factual message that Cahn believes he is communicating through this fictional literary
device is unmistakable (and not too surprising).

At this point, it would seem difficult for the author to continue to deny that he has clearly connected ancient Israel and
America together. In fact, that he believes they are linked is stated explicitly in the book:


================
(39)http://www.investopedia.com/articles/economics/09/lehman-brothers-collapse.asp#axzz1sMPT0MMA 39
(40)http://rutledgecapital.com/2009/05/24/total-assets-of-the-us-economy-188-trillion-134xgdp/

(41)Page 164. 
(42)http://money.cnn.com/2008/09/29/markets/markets_newyork/index.htm

(43)http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/bierman.crash


↓Page 13

[Kaplan] “Solomon was the king of Israel. Washington was the first president of the United States. There was
something in the linking of ancient Israel and America, as with all the other mysteries.”(44)

Mosaic or Abrahamic Covenant?

Also, despite denials to the contrary, Cahn seems to affirm, once again, that America is in a covenant relationship with God.
As part of his explanation of the dream, The Prophet says, “The nation’s ground of consecration will become its ground of
judgment.” A few pages later, Kaplan has traced the consecration of the United States to God’s purposes to the first 45
capital, New York City—and more specifically to St. Paul’s Chapel, “The place where America was dedicated to
God” —which is located at Ground Zero. 46

In other words, a harbinger had been manifested in America, just as it had been in Israel. The place of Israel’s consecration,
the temple, was destroyed, while the place ofAmerica’s dedication, Ground Zero, was also destroyed.Immediately following
the above quote, The Prophet continues: “The Temple Mount represented the nation’s covenant with God. So its
destruction was the ultimate sign that the covenant was broken.” In other words, the destruction of the place of
consecration was a sign that the nation’s covenant with God had been broken—both Israel’s covenant and America’s
covenant.

By insisting on pressing every detail as he has, Cahn has either tipped his hand as to what he really believes or has made
a serious mistake that needsto be corrected because no one could come to any other conclusion but that he is saying Israel
and the United States are both God’s chosen covenant nations. When combined with the fact that he only refers to Israel’s
destruction, but never its restoration as modern-day Israel or its future hope as the center of the Messianic Kingdom, he
gives the unmistakable impression that America actually does constitute a new Israel.

Another serious question is that of precisely which covenant was broken? Was it the Mosaic Covenant or the Abrahamic
Covenant? The foundation of America has been in view throughout the book, but it was upon the foundation of the
Abrahamic Covenant that the nation of Israel was established. If Cahn is somehow proposing that Israel managed to break
the Abrahamic Covenant, then that means God is finished with national Israel. If that is not what he is suggesting, then The
Harbinger needs to undergo some serious revisions to clear up the theological confusion caused by this ambiguity.

Confirmation of prophecy to America

In chapter 20, the author once again demonstrates that there is a discrepancy between what he now says he meant in the
book and what he actually wrote. He emphatically deniesthat Isaiah’s prophecy is to America. However, he explicitly states
that there is a prophetic word from Solomon to America:

[The Prophet] “So the message is twofold. There’s another part to it, another prophetic word, and this time from
King Solomon.”
[Kaplan] “From King Solomon to America?”
[The Prophet] “For that nation that has turned from God, for that nation from which the smiles of heaven have
been withdrawn.”
[Kaplan] “And this word came during the dedication of the Temple?” I asked.
[The Prophet] “It came when the dedication was finished”(47)
(44)Page 195. 
(45)Page 198. 
(46)Page 206. 

(47)Pages 221-222. 

↓Page 14
________________________________
Preparing for Eternity

As stated in the beginning ofthis review, the author is to be commended for his desire to proclaim a message ofrepentance
to America. His target audience is believers and unbelievers alike, which is one reason he chose to use the fictional format.
He also rightly notes that national repentance can only take place at a personal level, when people individually turn to God.
Because of this, chapter 21, “Eternity,” is arguably the most important one in the book. The challenge to be spiritually
prepared for the day of judgment is quite clear as The Prophet states: “And no one is exempt. Each must stand before Him.(48)

Unfortunately, there are some issues which diminish the impact this chapter could have. A believer, or even an unbeliever
who already understands the gospel would understand what the author is talking about. However, there are a few things
which are either not stated, are unclear or require the reader to “connect-the-dots”—a difficult task without some prior
exposure to Christianity.

Although the author does present the idea that Jesus is God in one place in the dialogue,(49) it could be easily missed by an 
unbeliever. Neither is Jesus identified as “the Son of God.”

The book does talk about God putting himself in our place, “In our life, in our death, in our judgment . . . the sacrifice”50
which is a very good statement. However, while the Cross at Ground Zero is mentioned, the connection with Jesus and what
He did is not. What is not clearly stated is that Jesus died on the cross, shedding His blood for our sins.

It was Jesus’ death that secured the forgiveness of sin and it is His resurrection that provides the sure hope of eternal life.
Paul makes it clear in 1 Corinthians 15:1-6 that Jesus’ resurrection is an essential component of the gospel and in Romans
10:9 that one must believe in His resurrection to be saved. However, there is no mention of the resurrection in The
Harbinger.

As previously noted, Isaiah 9:10 is in the context of one of the most important messianic passages in the Bible. Yet, the
problem of not mentioning Jesus’ resurrection is compounded by the fact that His return is not mentioned either. Although
Cahn repeatedly emphasizes the danger of coming judgment, nowhere does he tie it to the Second Coming of Christ. Neither
does he mention the hope of the peace that will come to the earth during Christ’s rule over the promised millennial
kingdom.

Cahn describes what someone must do to be saved:

[The Prophet] “By receiving . . . by letting go . . . by letting the old life end and a new one begin. By choosing . . . by
opening your heart to receive that which is beyond containing—the presence . . . the mercy . . . the forgiveness .
. . the cleansing . . . the unending love of God.”(51)

However, it is never explained that it is by simple faith that one “receives, lets go, chooses or opens one’s heart.” Neither
faith in Christ, nor believing in Christ, nor trusting in Christ for one’s salvation are ever discussed. Someone with no biblical
background would not understand what The Prophet means when he speaks of partaking in the infinite sacrifice.(52)
Unfortunately, the gospel is almost obscured in the midst of the many words, while things which could have made it much
more clear are missing.

=============
(48)Page 227. 
(49)Page 232. 
(50)Page 232. 
(51)Page 233. 
(52)Page 232. 


↓Page 15
________________________________
The Tenth Seal

In addition to the nine harbinger seals, there is a tenth, which is Kaplan’s personal seal. In the last chapter ofthe book, which
deals with the tenth seal, the author seems to reveal the connection between himself and Nouriel Kaplan. It actually seems
likely that Kaplan is Jonathan Cahn himself.

Kaplan is Jewish, as is the author. Kaplan is from the priestly line of Levi, as is the author. Kaplan becomes a messianic
believer in Christ, as is the author. Kaplan has been given a prophetic message by God, as the author apparently believes
is true of himself. Kaplan is commissioned and anointed to become a prophet himself, just as many are saying ofthe author.
Kaplan is to be a “watchman on the wall” to warn ofimpending judgment, just as the author sees himself. And finally, Kaplan
is encouraged to get out the message by writing a fictional novel, as has the author.
________________________________
Conclusion

Jonathan Cahn wrote The Harbinger to call America to repent and turn to God, as well as to warn the nation that it is in
danger of coming under the judgment of God if it fails to do so. This is a legitimate and very important message. He also
rightly recognizes that the danger faced by the nation is ultimately a personal spiritual matter for each American.

This message could have been communicated in any number of ways, including through a fictional novel. That is not the
main problem. The real problem arises from the way he has inappropriately handled the Word of God, from the many
instances of speculation concerning the interpretation of historical events, and from the many overstatements and
misleading statements he has made in order to make his case for an ancient mystery hidden in Isaiah 9:10.

Unfortunately, The Harbinger is a distraction from properly understanding the Word of God, particularly prophecy and so
can legitimately be characterized as dangerous. It conveys what the author believes is a prophetic message, but the book
clearly does not meet the tests for a prophetic Word from God. The Harbinger is misleading and therefore does not
legitimately achieve what it sets outto do. Believers run the risk of embracing a misguided view of Scripture and a distorted
view of history, while unbelievers will likely end up either skeptical or confused or both.

Cahn apparently anticipated that the book would encounter opposition, launching a “pre-emptive strike” against his critics:

[Kaplan] “They’ll do everything they can to attack and discredit it.”
[The Prophet] “Of course they will,” he said. “Otherwise they’d have to accept it.”
[Kaplan] “But not only the message.”
[The Prophet] “No, the messenger as well.”
[Kaplan] “They’ll do everything they can to attack and discredit the one who bears the message.”
[The Prophet] “Yes,” said the prophet. “The messenger will be opposed, vilified and hated, mocked and slandered. It has
to be that way, just as it was for Jeremiah and Baruch.”(53)

To be clear, this reviewer is not an enemy of the Word of God or of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I accept the Bible as literally
true and that all biblical prophecy will be fulfilled. I agree that America is truly on a dangerous path and could well find itself
under God’s judgment, if that has not already begun. Americans do need to repent.

===========

(53)Page 251.