The Harbinger Debate

The Harbinger By Cahn, Jonathan

There have been many articles written about the new book now on the best seller list called The Harbinger by Jonathan Cahn.  There is now a lot of articles written in opposition to what he is saying.   I can't figure out why some very respected people would come out so violently against the book.  It is almost as bad as how some come out violently against the doctrine of the Rapture. 

I had Rabbi Cahn on my show several weeks ago.  He has been on many shows from many points of view and has been gracious to go on shows with host who have written against his book.  So let me go over what the objections are and what should be our response in the Christian community.

First of all it is the Character of the prophet.  While I disagree that this would ever occur in the real world, remember this book is a book written as Faction.  Faction is a fictional story written around facts in the real world.  The fictional character is a prophet.  I did get a chuckle out of Stan Johnson at the Prophecy Club as he kept insisting that this was an Angel.  Stan, it was a fictional character and you can call him whatever you want.  As a fictional story it was horrible.  I do like Dan Brown because he has a great story line in his fiction.  With Dan Brown, you can't trust the facts that he is trying to present.

The Second objection is over replacing America or the church for Israel.  Isaiah 9:10 as you read it deals with the nation of Israel.  Jonathan, being Jewish by descent, doesn't disagree with that.  The primary meaning for Isaiah is 9 is the nation of Israel. But the further question is is this a one time fulfilled prophecy or not?  If you study prophecy like I have for nearly 40 years now, You will learn several things.  One is that prophecy is throughout the Bible.  Starting in Genesis 3 where it prophecies the seed of the woman crushing the seed of the serpent riight up until John, says "Even so come quickly", The Bible is 4/5ths history 3/5ths of which is prophetic.  As you read the Torah, first five books of the old testament, you will see prophecy being told as history.  When Moses is being told to strike the rock and the speak to it, you will see prophecy being made in that Moses was punished for not doing it correctly and thus ruining the prophetic story line.  Jesus is the rock.  He was struck on his first coming.  On his second all he will need to be done to get the water of life is to speak to him.  The challenge on Old Testament prophecy is not that you have primary meaning but that you sometimes have secondary meanings.  The Rabbis will some times say that a passage can have four meanings.  The literal, the symbolic, the allegorical and the hidden.  Literal is always primary so you have to study a passage to get the rest.  Jonathan has done that in giving us a secondary meaning on Isaiah 9:10.
The Jewish mindset on prophecy is prophecy is pattern, not necessarily like the Greek mindset of prediction fulfillment.  

Many dispensationalist will not agree with what I just said.  I have heard some preachers say that Matt 5-7, sermon on the mount, was written for a Jewish audience.  Hogwash.  If it is in our Bible, it was written for us.  We need to study it.  Isaiah 9 is in our Bible we need to study it.  Is it written for today?  I didn't think so until the harbingers started showing up.  So as a prophecy with multiple meanings, this is one that could fit.

Let's look at the Context of Isaiah 9.  In Isaiah 9:6, we have the famous pass about Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given....7. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end upon the throne of David...".  Verse 6 was fulfilled in his first coming, verse 7 will be fulfilled in his second coming.  So we are jumping around on the time line here and then it goes to the current situation in Israel in verse 10 with the "Bricks are Fallen..".  Isaiah is famous for this.  Isaiah 61:1 Jesus quotes in Luke 4,  quoting verse 1 and then sitting down saying it was fulfilled.  He doesn't read verse 2 which was part of the days required reading because that was still for a future time to be fulfilled.

Finally we have to look at the message of the Harbinger.  The message is that judgement is coming to America and we need to repent.  By standing up and saying to ignore the book because it has bad theology is like saying that that guy trying to save you from the truck barreling down the road is doing it wrong because he tackled you with his head behind your back instead of in front like your football coach taught you how to do in Junior high.  Wow.  The man is trying to save you and your country and you want to fight him on semantics.   Jonah went to Nineveh and preached 40 days and you will be judged and they repented.  Jesus said that "they will stand up in the last day and Judge this generation because a greater then Jonah is here."   They will also judge this generation because I think that Jonathan is a better preacher then Jonah.  Jonah didn't even like the people he preached to.  Jonathan has a genuine care about this country and the people he preaches to.

Agree or disagree with Jonathan's theology.  The message of the story is one that needs to be heeded by all who will read it.  America is in need of repentance.  I started this blog as an attempt to get America to repent.  America is not repenting.  This book documents that fact.  America will fall into judgement.  It is now up to you to repent and be saved from the wrath that is to come.