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From the Berean Call Newsletter
written by T. A. McMahon
As was noted in part one of this series, prophecy is a very important ingredient in the Bible. In a general sense, the entire Bible is prophecy because God has given mankind His words through His prophets. It is also God foretelling what will take place in the future. That forecasting is what God presents to set Himself apart from the false gods that mankind is deceived into worshiping. God alone knows the future events, which He has declared hundreds and even thousands of years before they take place. Moreover, His foreknowledge of such events, revealed in more than a quarter of the Scriptures, is proof of the supernatural origin and nature of the Bible – that it is indeed God’s communication to mankind (Isaiah 42:9; 46:9-10; 48:5).
Prophecy is often a warning regarding what lies ahead so that believers can discern the times and take appropriate action. This gives unbelievers the opportunity to repent in order to avoid God’s judgment. Noah, a preacher of righteousness, was told by God that He would destroy everything that lived upon the earth by a flood (which didn’t come until about 120 years later) and that He would save Noah and his family; He told Abram that his descendants would remove the Canaanites from their land because of their wickedness, an event that took place four centuries later; Joseph was able to interpret the dream of Pharaoh warning of the famine to come upon Egypt in seven years, and then he was given a plan to keep the Egyptians from potential starvation; Jonah warned the Ninevites of God’s impending judgment unless they repented, which they did. Yet most of the Old Testament prophecies from Genesis 3:15 through Malachi 3:1 anticipated the first coming of Israel’s Messiah and have been fulfilled perfectly by Jesus Christ.
Prophecies in the New Testament primarily address events associated with the time period of the Second Coming of our Lord. Matthew 24 begins with Jesus characterizing that time with a warning of great deception, including false christs, false prophets, and lying signs and wonders. It then foretells “great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened” (vv. 21-22). The book of Revelation supplies some of the Tribulation details as God pours out His wrath in judgment upon the earth. There will be a conquering army of the Antichrist, world war, worldwide famine, the death of half of the world’s inhabitants (Revelation 6:8, 9:15), the massive martyrdom of believers, worldwide physical catastrophes involving mountains moved out of their places, and mankind trying to hide itself from God’s judgment. Of those who turn to Christ and are martyred for their faith during the Great Tribulation, Scripture tells us, “the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes” (Revelation 7:17).
So there is good news and bad news in biblical prophecy. The best of the good news was the first coming of Jesus in order to pay the full penalty for our sins and to reconcile us to God by our faith in Him alone. Having received the gift of eternal life, the next best prophetic good news for a believer is the first phase of Christ’s Second Coming, known as the Rapture. The Apostle Paul refers to that event as the believer’s “blessed hope,” which we are to anticipate with joy because Jesus is returning to take us, the bride of Christ, to Heaven for a wedding: “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). “For our [citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). “And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God” (Revelation 19:9). That is indeed good news.
Sadly, when a professing or true Christian sets a date for the Rapture to take place, an act that is contrary to what the Bible teaches (Matthew 24:36, 44; Mark 13:32; 1 Timothy 6:14-15), and that event fails to happen, people grow disillusioned and the good news becomes bad news. In some cases, the date setting arises out of a sincere desire for Christ to return for His bride. At other times, it comes from the pride of having an alleged insight into a biblical interpretation that no one has discovered before. Although both predictions may be sincere, they are sincerely wrong and have caused physical and/or spiritual problems among those who believed their erroneous teachings.
No matter who brings the false teachings, some experience disastrous consequences from them. In the 1980s, millions believed the calculations of former NASA scientist Edgar Whisenant regarding Christ’s return through his booklet 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988 and his other misfires in 1989, 1993, and 1994. Also in the ’80s, Southwest Radio Church published Apocalyptic Signs in the Heavens, which saw catastrophic consequences for the earth due to the “Jupiter Effect,” a planetary alignment that would purportedly alter our solar system. Just prior to that, Southwest Radio’s David Webber and Noah Hutchings co-authored Is This the Last Century? published by Thomas Nelson. Based in part on Hal Lindsey’s calculation that the Rapture would take place in 1981, they concluded that the seven-year Great Tribulation would begin soon after.
Although many conservative Christians considered the “rapture and doom” prognosticators to be sensationalists, attitudes changed as the turn of the century drew near. The increasing talk of a worldwide computer meltdown was too much for many Christians to brush off, especially when Y2K concerns were being raised by respected evangelicals such as James Dobson, Gary North, Jerry Falwell, Jack Van Impe, Chuck Missler, and many others. The year 2000 made its debut in grand fashion when the world, rather than hunkering down, began celebrating the new century with spectacular fireworks. On the other hand, many of those who were misled by church leaders suffered “survival” consequences: losses from selling their homes, quitting their jobs, and relocating to the country, along with the expenditure of large amounts of money for stockpiles of survival food, firearms, generators, and other survival equipment. Many were overtaken by fear, and some succumbed to suicide over their financial losses.
Fast-forward to 2012 and the Mayan Calendar scare, another “prophesied” end-of-the-world apocalyptic nightmare that turned out to be wrong. Fear is often the response of those who have no hope, not having put their trust in Jesus, the only One who can make us eternally secure. Sadly, even many of those who claim to have a personal relationship with Christ by faith alone demonstrate by their actions that their trust is elsewhere.
Of course, we are not saying that we shouldn’t be prudent in making preparations for potential disasters whether they are natural, technological, or financial. Having a one- or two-week supply of food and water on hand could be very helpful, especially if one lives in an area that is prone to weather-related catastrophes. A reasonable amount of accessible cash may also be practical. In most cases, however, to go much beyond this may lead to a self-oriented “survivalist” mentality, which is at odds with the examples and instructions of the Word of God. Stockpiling food or turning to gold for survival could create an attitude of selfishness, especially when others in the disaster are without and in great need. To share, or not to share, that is the biblical question. Does one protect his goods at all cost? Scripture tells us, “And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise” (Luke 6:21). Who would deny that they would want someone to share their food with them if they and their families were hungry? Furthermore, the Bible tells us how we are to treat our neighbors and even our enemies: “Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink” (Romans 12:20).
Believers need to think such things through in the light of Scripture, particularly since our days are loaded with fearmongering false prophets and some “survival food” con men preaching certain doom. The latest to conjure up forthcoming dark clouds on the horizon are those who promote the teaching that there may well be a combination of two prophetic events taking place in the year 2015 that could result in unprecedented physical cataclysms and financial crashes. The use of italics for “may well be” and “could” is given to note that those purveyors of disasters have used such language in order to cover themselves from being accused of false prophecy. Even so, those “disclaimer” terms are lost in the hyperbole of their fear mongering.
The two leaders in this alleged confluence of biblical tribulations are Jonathan Cahn (The Mystery of Shemitah) and Mark Biltz (The Blood Moons). They are supported by a cast of false teachers and sensationalists and their associated organizations that include Jim Bakker, Sid Roth, John Hagee, Pat Robertson of the 700 Club, and Joseph Farah of WorldNetDaily, to name but a few.
What then of the biblical significance of the so-called mystery of shemitah and blood moons? There is none in the context in which Cahn and Biltz present them. Cahn promotes shemitah as a universal principle that applies to all nations and “their financial and economic realms.” No. Shemitah was given exclusively to Israel as a blessing should God’s chosen people follow His commandment. It involved obeying the seventh day of the week as a day of rest and every seventh year as a year of rest. God promised to make provision on the sixth day and year to supply the Israelites’ needs during their day/year of rest. Also, during the seventh year there was to be a “release” of all the debts of the Israelites. Jonathan Cahn further compounds the central error that he taught in his book The Harbinger by applying a law of God to America – a law that applies only to God’s exclusive covenant people: the Jews. This is false prophecy in the sense that it seriously misrepresents the Scriptures. Cahn is heavily promoted by WorldNetDaily, which heralds him as a modern-day prophet and revealer of “The Ancient Mystery That Holds the Secret of America’s Future.” Joseph Farah, WorldNetDaily’s chief, is the producer of Cahn’s documentary Isaiah 9:10 Judgment, and the website is a chief supporter of Cahn’s books.
The blood moons teaching of Mark Biltz is also false prophecy because, as with Cahn’s abuse of Scripture, Biltz forces the biblical term into his own agenda. The Bible clearly applies the conditions and the consequences of a blood moon (singular) to the seven-year Tribulation period: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken” (Matthew 24:29); “I beheld when he had broken the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; and the stars of the heaven fell unto the earth” (Revelation 6:12-13). If Biltz concurs that the “blood moon” verses take place during the Great Tribulation, then 2015 must occur in the latter part of the Tribulation. What does that indicate for a Pre-Tribulation Rapture? It either took place in 2008 and was a partial Rapture, or it will be a Post-Tribulation Rapture, neither of which is biblical.
If Cahn’s and Biltz’s beliefs were merely a matter of false teachings that are of the faith-wrecking kind among the multitudes of those who buy into their unbiblical assertions, it would be tragic enough. They have, however, become the latest tool of the evangelical fearmongers as they apply their prophetic distortions to alleged soon-coming financial crashes and physical catastrophes worse than any thus experienced on the earth. Their promotional appearances with Jim Bakker, as just one example, would give credibility to the snake oil pitchmen of yesteryear (2 Peter 2:3). After Biltz declares, “I think we have one year to really prepare for what God [has] coming,” Bakker responds, “It’s time to get ready. That’s why God has called me to tell you to store food…you don’t have to order from us to hear the Word of the Lord. But you should have food….What are you gonna do when the stock market crashes?….We have the Morningside recipes….We have the Year of Food for $550 dollars….One of these days it will all be gone. One more event…I’m telling you, if we have a big earthquake on the West Coast or say a volcano going on, or something major, there will not be any food left for months and months….We have…’The Time of Trouble’ offer, and that’s a seven-year food offer, and that’s for a donation of $3,000…[that’s] 7,700 meals.” Biltz adds that what’s ahead is the “Super Bowl of human history and people need to get ready and that’s what I believe these are signs of” (http://jimbakkershow.com/video/mystery-sevens/). Joining the false signs-and-wonders teacher Rodney Howard-Browne for his Celebrate America Conference, Jonathan Cahn told the audience, “The financial collapse of the US dollar may happen on Sunday the 13th of September 2015 corresponding to the 29 of Elul 5775 on the Hebrew calendar, the next shemitah of the 7 year cycle.”
WorldNetDaily devotes numerous pages to selling survival food as well as self-defense and preparedness gear. Thomas Horn, author of Nephilim Stargates, is another distorter of biblical prophecy who claims that the Nephilim have returned and who also sees blood moons as a foreboding of things to come. As CEO of SurvivorMall.com, his website features hundreds of supplies to supposedly help Christians to be prepared for the last days.
What’s wrong with the present conjured-up scenarios that relate to pending catastrophes? Will there be a time of utter devastation that the world hasn’t experienced since Noah’s worldwide flood? Yes. However, it will happen according to God’s chronology and not according to man’s ideas about when it will happen and how to prepare for and survive it. The timeline is given in the Scriptures, beginning with Christ’s returning for His bride (believers in Him) to take them to Heaven prior to the time of Jacob’s trouble, the Great Tribulation, during which God pours out His wrath upon the entire world. Even a cursory reading of what takes place as presented in the Book of Revelation clearly shows the futility and folly of imagined survival tactics. No, survival during the Great Tribulation will be only by God’s miraculous intervention for those who come to Christ during that time period. Prior to the Tribulation, believers are “to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come,” keeping in mind that “God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him” (1 Thessalonians 1:10; 5:9-10).
Our living together with Him involves pleasing Him in every way, and our waiting involves opportunities by His grace to be fruitful and productive with joy as we look for our “blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).
TBC
Part one can be found HERE
BACK TO GENESIS: LAYING A FALSE FOUNDATION
Excerpts below taken from The Berean Call:
Source
http://www.thebereancall.org/content/back-genesis-laying-false-foundation
The biblical foundation laid by God in Genesis 6 has been shifted from man’s personal sin to a focus on invading gods and demonic DNA, and where Christ’s prophecy concerning “the days of Noah” is altered to fit the Nephilim scenario. Additionally, in the emerging Nephilim Eschatology the Genesis 3:15 account is also abused, and reinterpreted along the lines of “Serpent Seed” adherents to fit this false end-time message. Tom Horn, the biggest purveyor of the Nephilim Eschatology scenarios, has explained how Genesis 6 and Genesis 3:15 are mixed together to create the new hybrid Serpent Seed doctrine.
Daniel’s verse [Dan. 2:43] troubled [Chuck] Missler and [Mark] Eastman because it seemed to indicate that the same phenomenon that occurred in Genesis chapter 6–where non-human species or “non-seed” mingled with human seed and produced Nephilim–would happen again in the end times. When this verse from Daniel is coupled with Genesis 3:15, which says, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed [zera, meaning “offspring,” “descendents,” or “children”] and her seed,” an incredible tenet emerges–that Satan has seed, and that it is at enmity with Christ.[4] [brackets in original]
The “Satanic seed” mentioned above is taught to be a literal, physical, and biological “Serpent Seed”–one that is genetically passed on to successive descendents by the devil and his supposed actual physical offspring. This is completely at odds with the context and actual teaching of the Genesis 3:15 passage and is a deviant view.
In subsequent writings, Tom Horn continues this theme by postulating that the coming Antichrist will be an actual biological descendent of Satan. This forms the basis of the newly emerging Nephilim Eschatology heresy:
“Given the abundant and universal prophecies that the ‘end times’ will witness what we have been calling a ‘reopening of the gates of heaven’ and the descending of a ‘savior,’ it’s important to note that from the Middle Ages forward, many church leaders have believed that the Antichrist would ultimately represent the return of the Nephilim–the union of a demon and a human….Phobos clarifies this for Joe in our novel, The Ahriman Gate [AG]: ‘Joe raised the special container with a heavy sigh. “So, if Apollyon is somehow embodied in Apol, we could actually be carrying the embryo of the Antichrist here?”‘
“That’s correct. According to the Bible, the Antichrist will be ‘the son of perdition,’ the male progeny of the Greek apoleia, or Apollyon. The implication couldn’t be clearer–the Man of Sin will be the physical offspring of the destroyer demon, a transgenic of the highest order.” [AG, pp. 326-327]….
The above excerpt appeared in an online advertisement for Tom Horn’s 2007 book, Nephilim Stargates: the Year 2012 and the Return of the Watchers. It is important to observe the mechanics of this quote. Horn has included his fictional narrative, The Ahriman Gate as if it were a credible source, blending it into his revived “Serpent Seed” teaching.
This strange mixing of fiction and nonfiction is becoming a familiar trend in evangelical authors. It appears to be a highly effective and emotive method of promoting themes that are opposed to the Word of God. Fiction characteristically engages the reader by its imagery and fantasy that provoke feelings and emotions. Researcher Christine Pack picked up on this trend in her recent review of The Harbinger:
“Much like William P. Young’s troublesome book The Shack, The Harbinger also has a fictional character who is teaching things that are contrary to Scripture, but which the author wants to claim as truth. Of course, when pressed on the biblical problems with the teachings, both Young and [Jonathan] Cahn have resorted to saying, But it’s only a fictional character! The problem with this is that Young and Cahn both personally believe what they have written, and are seeking to teach a wide audience of readers what they believe to be true, while hiding behind the label ‘Fiction’.”[7]
[4] Tom Horn, “THEY — PART THREE,” posted June 30, 2011;
http://www.raidersnewsupdate.com/they3.htm/
See also Thomas Horn, God’s Ghostbusters, Chapter 6, “DO ALIEN/HUMAN HYBRIDS WALK AMONG US?”, Defender Publishing, Crane, MO 2011, pg. 148.
[5] Tom and Nita Horn, Anomalos Publishing, Excerpt from Nephilim Stargates: The Year 2012 and the Return of the Watchers, [clip] Beware the Coming Superman-Savior?
[6] Thomas R. Horn, Nephilim Stargates 2012: the Year 2012 and the Return of the Watchers, Anomalos Publishers, Crane, MO, 2007, pp. 186-187.
[7] Christine Pack, The Sola Sisters website, “A Commentary on The Harbinger”;
http://solasisters.blogspot.com/2012/06/commentary-on-harbinger.html
http://herescope.blogspot.com/2012/07/the-serpent-seed-nephilim.html
[TBC: The “Serpent Seed” teaching was taught by Latter Rain preacher William Branham. Though killed in a car accident in 1965, Branham’s teachings live on in such groups as the Kansas City Fellowship, IHOP, and those promoting the “Joel’s Army” teaching.]
Discerning Reviewers of “The Harbinger”
by David Troxell
There has been considerable controversy and diverse opinions about reviews of the book, “The Harbinger” by Jonathan Cahn . “The Harbinger” is a book in fiction format.
And, in addition, much criticism has been directed at recognized authors and discernment teachers who examined this book according to the Word of God, and drew various conclusions –
So, to help the Body of Christ, I have written this “Short Biography” note to recognize (and applaud) the diverse and multifaceted lives of the reviewers who have spent years in The Word, and many years of discernment research.
The format is simple – Short Bio – Article Review Link
Some of their closing remarks include:
* Jeremy James – “It will reinforce the modern trend of interpreting Bible prophecy out of context and without proper regard to the totality of God’s Holy Word.”
* T.A. McMahon – “We also need to pray for and encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ that we all might be biblically discerning regarding the latest agenda, movement, trend, or popular book that is adversely influencing multitudes in the body of Christ.”
* Larry DeBruyn – “As this review and commentary indicates, while I do believe there is much in Jonathan Cahn’s assessment that harbingers, like a sword of Damocles, are hanging over America’s head, I do not believe, for biblical and theological reasons stated, that they (the harbingers) are in anyway imbedded in the forth-telling prophecy of Isaiah 9:10, or in its context.”
* Gary Gilley – “At this point the author massages Scripture and current events in an attempt to prove that God’s judgment on the United States has been hiding in these verses from the day they were given by Isaiah, but have now been unlocked by the careful investigation of Cahn.
Nothing could be further from the truth and, even more importantly, once someone decides they can cherry-pick verses at will, change the meaning of these texts to fit his theories and use random hermeneutical methods, anything can be ‘proven.’ ”
* Dave James – “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.”
* Berit Kjos – “Rabbi Cahn calls his message “The Ancient Mystery that holds the secret of America’s future,” but it’s no mystery to those who are familiar with God’s warnings through Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel and other Old Testament prophets.
Their words and insights demonstrate God’s concern for His wayward people and His loving forgiveness when we humbly repent and return. We would be foolish to ignore them, and wise to heed them.
We have posted a list of warnings and prophecies on these three pages: God’s Warnings for our Times, Fulfilled Prophecies and Prophets who mislead their flock. Even though Rabbi Cahn only mentions one such warning, there are countless others. Many are far more explicit and appropriate for our times than Isaiah 9:10.”
* Jack Kelley – “In summary, it’s not the Church’s job to save America. Our job is to store up treasure in Heaven by helping those who can no longer help themselves on Earth. In this way we show forth the light and love of the Lord in this dark and dying place. Selah”
* Joseph Chambers – “I am overwhelmed with the church’s utter lack of discernment. The so-called prophet in this book is utterly possessed with all the characteristics of the occult. Almost every action of a Psychic Practitioner is evident in his book. His use of Scriptures from Jewish history and the application of those Scriptures to the New Testament era is “Replacement Theology”. On and on goes the list of this book’s Luciferian thinking.”
* Christine Pack – “Does The Harbinger hold clues to helping America find her way back God? In my view, Jonathan Cahn’s book is “hooking” those Christians in America who are burdened over the rising tide of immorality in our country, and who desire for America to repent and come back to the Lord. This is not a wrong or wicked desire…..it’s just that, it might not play out that way, in God’s sovereign plan. And this desire can become problematic, especially when Christians begin linking with non-Christians (as Jonathan Cahn did with Mormon Glenn Beck) in an effort to force those desires to come to fruition.
“Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14)”
* Ken Silva – “This brings me to the critical issue I spoke of earlier: Is Jonathan Cahn trying to have his cake and eat it too? In other words, is TH really prophesy or is it fiction? He cannot have it both ways, which it appears to me he is trying to do. Allowing himself to be portrayed a prophet but leaving an escape hatch open by also claiming fiction.”
Bios of Reviewers
“Berit Kjos is a respected researcher, the author of many books and magazine articles, and a concerned parent (and grandparent) who has extensively studied religious trends, today’s social changes, the roots and branches of the United Nations, the rising worldwide management system, and – most alarming of all — the transformation of the church.
Kjos first became aware of New Age and occult influences in our society at a 1974 conference on holistic health. As a registered nurse, she was interested in methods of healing, but soon discovered that the occult powers found in New Age methods brought bondage instead of true healing. As a parent, Kjos became aware of similar New Age influences in education. She began to monitor the schools for classroom programs that taught occultism and New Age spirituality, then began to share what she learned with other parents and teachers…..
Kjos’ book, Brave New Schools, surveys the scene in today’s public schools and provides guidelines for parents who are concerned about their children’s education. Kjos shows how myth, feeling, imagination, and politically correct stories are replacing truth, facts, logic, and history in the classroom. She… is also the author of A Twist of Faith, Your Child and the New Age, Under the Spell of Mother Earth, and A Wardrobe from the King….”
What’s Wrong with The Harbinger’s “Ancient mystery”?
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Dave James is a co-founder of The Alliance for Biblical Integrity and the ministry coordinator, responsible for the development of ABI. Dave served with Word of Life Fellowship from 1988 to 2009, with 16 of those years as a missionary in Hungary (1993-2009). He is the founding director of the WOL Hungary Bible Institute. Dave is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary, Word of Life Bible Institute and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.
The Harbinger: Fact or Fiction?
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Dr. Gary E. Gilley has been pastoring at Southern View Chapel for more than 33 years. He is author of four books, and has also contributed to two other books, including Dispensationalism Tomorrow & Beyond, a Tribute to Charles Ryrie.
Pastor Gilley received his B. A. from Moody Bible Institute and his M.B.S and Th.D from Cambridge Graduate School. He is a frequent speaker at Bible conferences and writes the monthly study paper, Think on These Things and is the Book Review Editor for the Journal of Dispensational Theology. He is also a board member of Brazil Gospel Fellowship Mission, Personal Freedom Outreach and New Tribes Missions.
Pastor Gilley and his wife Marsha have two adult sons and five grandchildren.
Gary Gilley Reviews The Harbinger By Jonathan Cahn
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Jack Kelley is a Christian writer with several books to his credit, including “Children’s Stories of the Bible, The Adult Version” and “The Stories of the Patriarchs” a fictionalized account of the Book of Genesis. His book entitled “The Seven Churches Chronicle” is a commentary on Revelation 2-3 that appears in eBook form on this website and is based on a research trip to Turkey and Greece, where he visited the actual sites of these churches as well as other prominent New Testament locations.
Jack was a successful management consultant who “grew up” in a main line denomination but 25 years ago experienced a radical conversion to Evangelical Christianity. Since that time he has devoted most of his time and energy to studying and teaching the Bible, conducting studies throughout the western US and serving as teacher, counselor, and lay pastor. He has led several pilgrimages to Israel and Jordan, and is the author of all the website’s articles.
These articles and his answers to questions on the Bible have been read by millions of pastors, teachers and students in over 180 countries and territories around the world and are regularly used as sermon topics and Sunday School lessons. Jack and his family currently reside on the Baja Peninsula in Mexico where they serve as volunteer missionaries. (Jack is not the former USA Today reporter, nor is he the former TV star and game show host.)
A Critique Of The Harbinger – A Critique by Jack Kelley
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Jeremy James (bio from author by way of email)
“Jeremy James came to the LORD at age 52. Raised a Roman Catholic in Ireland, he suffered terribly from its false teaching. This in turn drove him into a New Age cult at age 19, which he followed and promoted actively for the next 33 years. He published two books on the New Age and had two others accepted for publication before he was saved. He also spoke regularly at New Age events in various parts of the US, including California, Texas, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Ohio, Kentucky, N Carolina, and Connecticut, and was the official guest speaker at New Age conferences in countries such as England, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, Mexico, and Ghana.
While in Africa in 2008 he was subjected in his sleep to a vicious demonic attack which went on for about 10 minutes or so. A coven of witches had organized this attack for 1 August, one of four human sacrifice ‘feast days’ in the occult calendar. The huge hate-filled demon would have destroyed him had he not received total protection from an ‘unknown’ source. When he awoke from this terrible experience he knew he had been marked for death by practitioners of black magic but that some invisible agency had placed a mantle of protection around him. Over the following four weeks he came to realize that his Saviour had been Christ. He repented and was born again in Christ on 2 September.
Ever since then he has been trying to alert the public to the dangers of the occult and the New Age, primarily through his website www.zephaniah.eu. From his background in the New Age, he could see very clearly that much of its philosophy had already infiltrated the church and was giving rise to a false form of Christianity that had no power to save anyone. He has published detailed warnings about the false Emerging church, the false prosperity gospel, the false Word Faith church, the false Purpose Driven church, the paganized form of Christianity taught by CS Lewis, and the terrible threat posed to true Christianity by the Ecumenical movement. He has also tried to raise awareness of the dangers of the New World Order, Freemasonry, the secret Roman Catholic agenda, and the coming One World Religion that will usher in the Antichrist.”
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Joseph Chambers (born January 19, 1936) is a Classical Pentecostal and has authored six books, co-authored 2 books,[1] has written over 185 booklets,[2] and made over 18 videos[3] on various Christian related subjects and is famous for his video series, which is an exposé on Benny Hinn, Kenneth Hagin, and The False Anointing.[4] He is married to Juanita H. Chambers and has three children and six grandchildren.
He was a pastor in Tabor City, NC between 1957–1958, then Rockwell, NC between 1958-1964 He then became the pastor in Black Mountain, North Carolina between 1964-1968 – then Senior Minister in Paw Creek in 1968 where he still resides and is still Senior Pastor of Paw Creek Ministries, Charlotte, North Carolina.
“THE HARBINGER” AND RICK JOYNER By Pastor Joseph Chambers
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Pastor Larry DeBruyn
A native of Grand Rapids, Michigan (Central High School, 1962), Larry DeBruyn is a graduate of Taylor University (B.S., 1968) and Dallas Theological Seminary (Th. M., 1974) where he received the Charles A. Nash Award in Church History. He has been married to his wife for forty-three years. They have two grown sons.
A former public school teacher, Pastor Larry ministered to three local churches in Michigan, Missouri and Indiana for forty-three years. He has also taught on the adjunct faculties of Taylor University, Upland, Indiana (1979), Crossroads Bible College, Indianapolis, Indiana (1990-1999), and Word of Life Bible Institute, Tóalmás, Hungary (2006). Since 1990, he has ministered in Eastern Europe teaching several times at the Kiev Theological Seminary, assisting to plant churches in Lithuania and Ukraine, and preaching in Latvia (2011), Australia (2010, 2011) and New Zealand (2011).
In addition to contributing articles to various websites, to Christian magazines such as Christianity Today, to theological journals such as Bibliotheca Sacra and Contending Earnestly for the Faith, he has authored three books: Church On the Rise: Why I am not a ‘Purpose Driven’ Pastor (2007), Drumming Up Deception: Whether in Celebration or Contemplation– ‘Feeling’ the Beat (2008), and Unshackled: Breaking Away from Seductive Spirituality (2009).
He is an Indianapolis Colts and Indiana Pacers fan.
The Harbinger – A Review and Commentary – By Pastor Larry DeBruyn
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T.A. McMahon is president and executive director of The Berean Call ministry, editor-in-chief and contributing writer for The Berean Call newsletter, co-author of The Seduction of Christianity, America: The Sorcerer’s New Apprentice, Understand the Times , and author of Showtime for the Sheep? and Temporal Delusion .
Holder of a master’s degree in communications, he has researched and written numerous documentaries and scripted several feature films. His writing/producing for Christian videos includes The Cult Explosion, The God Makers, The New Age: Pathway to Paradise? The Evolution Conspiracy, A Woman Rides the Beast, Israel, Islam & Armageddon, and Psychology and the Church.
The Harbinger – A Matter of Critical Discernment by T.A. McMahon
* * *
Christine Pack
(edited for a more concise bio for this note)
Sola Sisters are two sisters (Christine Pack & Cathy Mathews) who were saved out of New Age Spirituality, and who now have a deep love for the Word of God. Instead of standing on the shifting ground of whatever new teaching-fad-class-book-technique-discipline-etc. to come along, we now stand firmly upon the Rock of Christ. The name of our blog comes from the rallying cry of the Reformation, because it was through understanding and studying the “Solas” that we became firmly rooted in Truth.
Sola Fide (by faith alone)
Sola Scriptura (by Scripture alone)
Sola Gratia (by grace alone)
Solo Christo (through Christ alone)
Soli Deo Gloria (to God alone be the glory)
This blog also came about because of our concern over false teachings that we realized were coming into today’s Church. Having both been saved OUT of the New Age and occultism, we were alarmed when we began to see some of the same things we did in the New Age creeping into the church……only now, these practices have been cleverly repackaged with Christian terminology, rendering them all the more deceptive.
We therefore want to sound a warning to the church today, and to encourage and equip others who might be having a similar experience in their own churches. As Christians, we must remember that God has called his people to be set apart unto him, to be in the world, but not of the world. Syncretizing our worship of the LORD with pagan practices is a practice that the LORD calls “detestable.”
A Commentary on The Harbinger Posted by Christine Pack
* * *
Rev. Ken Silva, an ordained SBC minister
(edited for a more concise bio for this note)
“THE MISSION OF APPRISING MINISTRIES
Apprising Ministries is a non-profit and tax-exempt labor extending as a fully integrated auxiliary from Connecticut River Baptist Church (CRBC). Rooted in classic, historic, orthodox Christian theology, AM, as in Awaken—It’s Morning, is actually to be a bit similar to the type of ministry done by Dr. Walter Martin (1928-1989), founder of the Christian Research Institute, only in an updated fashion. The idea is to also handle Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism, apostate Roman Catholicism as well as to deal with issues related to semi-pelagian postevangelicalism and the postliberalism of the Emergent Church in addition to counter-cult evangelism.
AM is the vision of its president, Rev. Ken Silva, an ordained SBC minister who has been led of the Lord to move beyond the typical “plus-minus” type of apologetic so common today and to return to more of the aggressive polemic an Irenaeus might use. Although what is written at AM may often be quite blunt, considering the time of rampant apostasy in which we now live, this also is by design. It needs to be understood that in Special Ops often unconventional warfare techniques become the norm.
Early in 2006 the Lord moved Ingrid Schlueter, former host of the popular radio program Crosstalk and author of the popular, but now offline, Slice of Laodicea, to give Ken Silva the Christian Research Net, which she had founded. CRN is now itself an outreach extending from Apprising Ministries with multiple volunteer contributors who are under Silva’s ministerial supervision as General Editor, four of which are also pastor-teachers themselves as he is.”
The Harbinger: Prophetic Fact Or Fickle Fiction?
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David Troxell – Editor of Discerning Reviewer Bios of “The Harbinger” by Jonathan Cahn
First Load Up – Spending Time With the Master eBook
In addition, I design software and have a unique software program and data set concept called Profile Exchanges.
Philadelphia Promise Profile Exchange
Philadelphia Promise Profile Exchange is designed to help you find discernment information on the Internet more quickly in an organized fashion.
Use a software program – Product Scope 7 – Product Scope 7 Viewer IS free to use and NO registration fee! AND a data version of a Profile Exchange provide – Pricing, product description in memo format, display product images, order links, download links, and easy ways to view multiple products by category, and more!
Just one more way to inform the Christian public of critical discernment issues. Some of my research for posts to Facebook are added to the Philadelphia Promise Profile Exchange, including “The Harbinger Biblical Reviews”.
The Harbinger, the Inverted Tree, and Why Christians need to Discriminate very carefully between Prophecy and Speculation
by Jeremy James
Trinity Root : sculpture of an inverted tree outside Trinity Church on Wall Street
“The Sephirothic tree of the Qabbalah was therefore inverted…”- Manly P Hall, The Secret Teachings of All Ages
_______________________
The Harbinger
is a best-selling book by Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, published in January 2012. The publisher’s blurb on the back cover includes the following: Is it possible…That there exists an ancient mystery that holds the secretof America’s future? That this mystery is behind everything from 9/11 to the collapse of the global economy? That God is now sending aprophetic message on which America’s future hangs? Before its end as a nation, there appeared in ancient Israel a series of specific omens and signs warning of destruction – these same Nine Harbingers are now manifesting in America with profound ramificationsfor America’s future and end-time prophecy.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/98699045/The-Harbinger-The-Inverted-Tree-And-Prophetic-Speculation
Hidden in an ancient biblical verse from the Book of Isaiah, the mysteries revealed in
The Harbinger
are so precise that they foretell recent American events down to the exact days…the 3,000-year-old mystery that revealed the exact date of the stock market collapse of 2008…the ancient prophecy that was proclaimed from the floor of the US Senate and then came true…and more. The revelations are so specific that even the most hardened skeptic will find it hard to put down. Though it sounds like the plot of a Hollywood thriller –
it’s real
.***
Fact or Fiction?
The message of repentance in
The Harbinger
is immensely important. We should shout it from the rooftops. But there are serious problems with the way the message is presented. And if we remain silent about these problems, we are failing in our duty to examine prophetic warnings, from whatever source, in strict accordance with God’s Holy Word. Americans find it very hard to accept that their nation is not mentioned in the Bible, except as one of the many Gentile nations on the earth today. Any responsible theologian who claimed that it was mentioned would be expected to demonstrate his conviction in a sound scriptural manner, in accordance with accepted principles of Biblical exegesis. But Rabbi Cahn does not do this. Instead he expresses his opinion in a fictional format and so avoids the need for traditional, legitimate scholarship. He assumes that his readers will get caught up in the flow of the narrative and will choose to believe his thesis. This would be perfectly okay were it not for the fact that he, or at least his supporters, also want his thesis to be accepted as though its truth had already been demonstrated in a sound Biblical manner. But he can’t have it both ways.
Either The Harbinger is fiction or it is fact. Since he chose to publish it in a fictional genre he is not entitled to claim that his work is anything other than speculation.
Methodology
In his videotaped talk,
The Zohar Speaks (which can be viewed on YouTube), Rabbi Cahn refers to the following passage from the Kabbalistic book, the Zohar, but then proceeds to quote it in a very selective way, as we shall see: “In the Gulgalta sit thirteen thousand myriads of worlds which move on feet and lean on them. And from that Gulgalta dew drips upon Him who is outside, and fills his head every day, as it is written, My head is filled with dew
(Songs 5:2). And from that dew which He who sits outside shakes from His head, the dead will awaken in the World to Come, as it is written, For a dew of light is Thy dew, and the earth shall bring forth thes hades
(Isa. 26:19). That dew is the light of the pale glow of the Ancient One. And from that dew exist the supernal saints, and it is the manna which they grind for the righteous in the World to Come. And that dew drips down to the field of Sacred Apples…” Idra Rabba, Zohar 3: 128b
[Quoted in The Messiah Texts by Raphael Patai, Wayne State University, 1979]
He argues that the Gulgalta (skull) in the Zohar is a reference, albeit unwitting, to Golgotha (skull), the hill of Calvary where Christ was crucified. However, a plain reading of the text would strongly suggest that such an interpretation is completely unwarranted.
The Gulgalta of the Zohar is the skull or cranial cavity of the Kabbalistic godhead in which thousands of worlds exist and from which emanations project to support a messiah-type figure in the worlds below. Here is the text as quoted on YouTube by Rabbi Cahn (which I transcribed from the audio feed):“In the Gulgalta sit thousands of myriads of worlds. And from the Gulgalta drips dew and the dew fills the world and the dead will awaken in the world to come as the dew comes forth. The dew is the lights of the Ancient One. The light of the Ancient One comes from Gulgalta and as it touches the dead come to life. From Gulgalta is the light of God bringing life from the dead…”As you can see, the differences between the actual Zohar text and the one quoted by the Rabbi are significant. I am not suggesting for one moment that the Rabbi was deliberately misleading his audience in any way, but simply showing that he did not have full regard to what the Zohar was actually saying. In his eagerness to see a connection, he found one – just as he saw a connection between the tragic events of 9/11 and a solitary verse from Isaiah.
This kind of enthusiasm may be understandable in an evangelistic forum, but it should not be accepted as a substitute for sound scholarship and careful exegesis.
The So-called Secret Destiny of America
The book has caught the popular imagination, and is fêted by celebrities like Glenn Beck, because it treats America as a nation of Destiny, a nation that has been ordained by God to play a major part in His plan for mankind. Those who hold to this view –which has no scriptural basis – have actually adopted a belief that is central to Freemasonry. Few Americans today, including readers of The Harbinger, seem to realize that their country’s history and future development has long been shaped and planned by the ultra-rich elite who control Congress (which in Masonic symbology is regarded as a Temple), as well as other key institutions in American society. Here’s the proof. Most American Masons will have read, or will at least be familiar with, a work published in 1944 by Manly Palmer Hall. This highly influential scholar is widely revered as one of the greatest authorities on the Craft. His book, The Secret Destiny of America , which is little known outside of Freemasonry, sets out the remarkably ambitious plan that the top Masonic degrees have long been following for the United States. It is worth one’s while to persevere with the following excerpts from Hall’s book since they shed considerable light on what is really happening in America today:
America cannot refuse the challenge of leadership in the postwar world .Mere physical reconstruction of ravaged countries and the reorganization of political, economic, and social systems is the lesser task we will face. The larger problem and the great challenge is in how to set up a new order of world ethics firmly established on a foundation of democratic idealism…I dedicate this book to the proposition that American Democracy is part of a Universal Plan…Thousands of years ago, in Egypt, these mystical orders were aware of the existence of the western hemisphere and the great continent which we call America. The bold resolution was made that this western continent should become the site of the philosophic empire…And so it is from the remote past, from the deep shadows of the medieval world as well as from the early struggles of more modern times, that the power of American democracy has come. But we are only on the threshold of the democratic state. Not only must we preserve that which we have gained through ages of striving, we must also perfect the plan of the ages, setting up here the machinery for a world brotherhood of nations and races…Greek mythology perpetuates the knowledge of a blessed land beyond the Western Boundaries of Ocean. In this blessed land dwelt the Hesperides, the beautiful daughters of Night, and here also at the end of each day the sun came to rest. In popular mythology the Hesperic Isles were a kind of terrestrial paradise…By the wisdom then of those gods who are eternally vigilant over the needs of man, the blessed lands of the west were set apart, for none of the great civilizations of the past rose in North America to overshadow the continent with the ruins of old tradition, or to set up the corruptions of old administrative policy…The old seer [ Nostradamus ] refers to this country under several names. He calls it the Hisparides, the Blessed Isles of the West. In another place he simply names it America. And his third designation of it is, the Land Which Keeps the Thursday. This last form is the most astonishing. For it refers to the unique American holiday, Thanksgiving, which always falls upon a Thursday. And this the only holiday which depends upon the day alone for its observance…Franklin spoke for the Order of the Quest [ the secret society behind Freemasonry ], and most of the men who worked with him in the early days of the American Revolution were also members. The plan was working out, the New Atlantis was coming into being, in accordance with the program laid down by Francis Bacon a hundred and fifty years earlier. The rise of American democracy was necessary to a world program.- Manly P Hall, The Secret Destiny of America , 1944
Curiously, the “field of Sacred Apples” mentioned in the quote from the Zohar is the same as the “Blessed Isles of the West” mentioned by Hall and Nostradamus – where the “Hesperides” serve as guardians of the Sacred Apples. Hall also makes an unsettling reference to Thanksgiving (which falls this year on 11/22).Let’s summarize what Hall is saying here: America was long ago identified by the gods as the country through which a new world order would be established. The secret society system in Europe set it up with a view to covertly bringing the rest of the world into step with its agenda. This plan is not simply man’s plan, but a divine plan – a “Universal Plan” or “plan of the ages” – that is designed to create a “world brotherhood”. Under the benign supervision of “those gods who are eternally vigilant over the needs of man”, the plan is taking shape and the “world program” is coming into being. That’s the Masonic agenda. And since high-level Masons worship Lucifer, the plan is demonic in nature. Here is how Hall himself described Masonry: “Masonry is a university, teaching the liberal arts and sciences of the soul to all who will attend to its words. It is a shadow of the great Atlantean Mystery School, which stood with all its splendor in the Ancient City of the Golden Gates, where now the turbulent Atlantic rolls in unbroken sweep…When the Mason learns that the key to the warrior on the block is the proper application of the dynamo of living power, he has learned the mystery of his Craft. The seething energies of Lucifer are in his hands and before he may step onward and upward, he must prove his ability to properly apply energy.”- Manly P Hall,
The Lost Keys of Freemasonry
(1923)
Christianity is seen as the enemy. It got in the way of Lucifer’s plan and forced the secret societies to be even more careful and secretive in pursuing their goals: “The rise of the Christian Church broke up the intellectual pattern of the classical pagan world. By persecution of this pattern’s ideologies it drove the secret societies into greater secrecy; the pagan intellectuals then reclothed their original ideas in a garment of Christian phraseology, but bestowed the keys of the symbolism only upon those duly initiated and bound to secrecy by their vows.”- Manly P Hall,
The Secret Destiny of America
( 1944)
Note that the secret society system adopts a ‘Christian’ face – “a garment of Christian phraseology” – in order to hide itself in plain sight. It also uses severe vows of secrecy to control its members and prevent information from leaking out.
Misusing Scripture
The Masons use their ‘Christian’ persona to hide the fact that they are steadily undermining traditional Christian values through the judicial system, socialist indoctrination, media propaganda, and in many other ways. They are also striving where possible to appropriate Biblical prophecy for their own purposes. British Israelism is part of this agenda, the belief that the aristocratic and elite bloodlines of both the United Kingdom and the United States are direct descendants of the lost tribes of Israel and thus the ones that will inherit the promises made to Jacob and the Patriarchs in the Old Testament. Interpretations of Biblical prophecy which fit in with this agenda are highly esteemed by the Masonic fraternity. This has the dual advantage of giving a scriptural veneer to their “plan of the ages” while at the same time opposing the LORD’s will for Israel. The 9/11 ‘prophecies’ profess to find a connection between the sycamore tree which was uprooted in Wall Street and its symbolic return some years later in the guise of a garish street sculpture outside Trinity Church. The work, an inverted tree cast in bronze and known popularly as Trinity Root, was officially installed in 2005. It is significant therefore that Manly Hall refers specifically to the occult meaning of the inverted tree: The Mysteries taught that the divine energies from the gods descended upon the top of the Pyramid, which was likened to an inverted tree with its branches below and its roots at the apex. From this inverted tree the divine wisdom is disseminated by streaming down the diverging sides and radiating throughout the world. – Manly P Hall,
The Secret Teachings of All Ages
(1928)
The mediæval Qabbalists represented creation as a tree with its roots in the reality of spirit and its branches in the illusion of tangible existence. The Sephirothic tree of the Qabbalah was therefore inverted, with its roots in heaven and its branches upon the earth. Madam Blavatsky notes that the Great Pyramid was considered to be a symbol of this inverted tree, with its root at the apex of the pyramid and its branches diverging in four streams towards the base. – Manly P Hall,
The Secret Teachings of All Ages
(1928)
The inverted or Sephirothic Tree has been exalted by magicians and occultists for centuries. For example, the works of Robert Fludd, a magus in the court of Queen Elizabeth I, include a representation of this revered occult symbol – see graphic overleaf.
The Harbinger is thus a very welcome book from the Masonic viewpoint. While I am not suggesting for a moment that its author is familiar with the “plan of the ages” and the goals being pursued by the Masons and the Vatican, his fictional speculation about Biblical prophecy plays right into their hands. It is truly astonishing that so few Americans seem to understand the forces that control their country.
The Kabbalistic inverted Tree of Life or Sephirothic Tree,from Robert Fludd’s
Philosophia sacra
, 1626

To identify Isaiah 9:10 – “The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars” – with the collapse of the Twin Towers is foolishness of a very high order. It hardly seems possible that so many Christian leaders could be taken in by this. Whatever happened to discernment? And without discernment, what hope is there for repentance? The verse in Isaiah that they should be studying is “Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name’s sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.”- Isaiah 66:5 Only the professing Christians of a truly backslidden, rebellious nation could be moved by the fate of a sycamore tree and yet not be drawn to repentance by the awful realization that – through their indifference and flagrant hypocrisy – they have allowed more than 50 million unborn children to be murdered in their country since 1973.
Jeremy James
Ireland
28 June 2012
A Commentary on The Harbinger: A Warning About The Harbinger
by Christine Pack
Source
http://www.worldviewweekend.com/worldview-times/article.php?articleid=8385
A book called The Harbinger is fast becoming a lightning rod issue among evangelical Christians, with many Christians saying it is exactly what America needs right now to “wake up” and repent, and come back to biblical truth, but other Christians documenting that Cahn quotes liberally from extra-biblical and mystical sources for his book. The cover of Cahn’s book (right) boldly claims that The Harbinger is an “Ancient Mystery that Holds the Secret of America’s Future.”
Could this be true? Could it be that there are hidden truths that need to be decoded and unveiled to Christians today? And if so, for what purpose? Cahn seems to think so, and has written a book which proclaims just that. The Harbinger is a fiction book, and features a character known as The Prophet who is slowly giving seals to one of the main characters. These seals contain messages (nine in all) which are meant to be put together as clues in a mystery, so that a final, distinct message will emerge and be revealed. This message, once decoded, is intimated to hold the secret to bringing America back to its moral center and becoming once again a Godly nation.
I have many concerns about this book, and so I will address them one at a time.
Gnosticism
There is an exchange between two of the characters in The Harbinger who are discussing a secret message from a mysterious character (“The Prophet”) in the book:
“It’s the appointed time, but not for an ancient nation. It’s time for the word to be given…..for the mystery to be revealed…..for the message to go forth. It’s the appointed time⎯but not for an ancient nation.” (The Harbinger, p 13)
Friends, anytime you see language like this, and like the language below (also from The Harbinger)…..
¡ “ancient mystery hidden for thousands of years……but now revealed”
¡ a “mystery” that holds a “secret” to our future
¡ “clues” needed to “unlock” a mystery
¡ “messages” that need to be “unveiled”
……what you are dealing with is an ancient heresy called Gnosticism.
Gnosticism is a very old heresy that teaches that the truth has to be decoded, uncovered, unlocked, unveiled, discovered.
Secret Knowledge = Gnosticism
Gnosticism is a heresy because, according to God, we are given all that we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3) in God’s word. We don’t need to decode secret mysteries, unravel sealed up messages, decipher clues, or pull back the veil on hidden things. All that we need, all that God wants us to know, is contained in the Bible. Now, I will grant that in the New Testament, Paul does talk about the mystery of Gentiles and Jews being united together in a common church and common faith (something that could have scarcely been imagined in Old Testament times). There is also the mystery of Jesus Christ, who was dimly glimpsed through types and shadows in the Old Testament, but Who was gloriously revealed in his fullness as our Savior in the New Testament. But these are mysteries which are laid open for all to see and know and understand and respond to, and not clues on a Mysterious Journey to Somewhere (which is really the more western understanding of the word “mystery”).
“I have not spoken in secret, from somewhere in a land of darkness; I have not said to Jacob’s descendants, ‘Seek me in vain.’ I, the LORD, speak the truth; I declare what is right.”(Isaiah 45:19)
As a former Gnostic, I found great comfort as a born again Christian in understanding that all that God truly wants me to know He has plainly revealed in his Word. I spent more than a decade of my life as a New Ager/Gnostic going from teaching to teaching to teaching. I lost track of how many conferences I went to, books I purchased, teachers and gurus that I sought out, all in an effort to find truth. My quest for truth was sincere, but truth proved to be surprisingly elusive to attain. By the time God saved me, I was weary. I was worn out. I didn’t have it in me to go after One More Thing. All I could think of at the end was that I wanted rest, just a little bit of rest, from all my fruitless searching. The Lord, in his infinite mercy, gave me rest by rescuing me out of the mire of man-made wisdom and giving me the elegant simplicity of his Word. There is such a lovely purity and clarity in knowing that I can rest securely in the knowledge that all that God wants me to know I can find in the Bible.
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
If you are unfamiliar with the heresy of Gnosticism, please listen to Phil Johnson in this in-depth discussion of what Gnosticism is, and see if you don’t come away from that talk thinking of The Harbinger.
Fiction? or Fiction Masquerading Itself as Fact?
Much like William P. Young’s troublesome book The Shack, The Harbinger also has a fictional character who is teaching things that are contrary to Scripture, but which the author wants to claim as truth. Of course, when pressed on the biblical problems with the teachings, both Young and Cahn have resorted to saying, But it’s only a fictional character! The problem with this is that Young and Cahn both personally believe what they have written, and are seeking to teach a wide audience of readers what they believe to be true, while hiding behind the label “Fiction.”
The Truth About America’s Future
The truth about America’s future (and the future of all nations, for that matter), is that God holds the future in His hands. Yes, we should pray, we are commanded and exhorted to pray, but ultimately, we know that our sovereign Lord will work all things together for the good of those who love him and for HIS own purposes (Romans 8:28). And sometimes, in God’s sovereign wisdom, this means that He will allow countries to fall, and nations to topple. Even, that is, nations that He has used in a mighty way to proclaim his truth to the world. I certainly do not desire to see America fall, and I pray for the leaders of this country, but at the same time, we know from the Bible that God has often used times of distress and difficulty as a means of chastening and disciplining his people.
“The kingfs heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.” (Proverbs 21:1)
When I was a fairly new Christian, I came across a resource called James Ussher’s Chronological Chart of History that helped steady my thinking in this regard. James Ussher was a 17th century Anglican bishop who painstakingly charted out the bloodline from Adam and Eve to Jesus. His chart features the Biblical timeline going across the top and the corresponding world history underneath it. It’s so amazing to look at this chart, and see God’s hand sovereignly guiding all of human history. Below the scarlet thread of Jesus’s bloodline, you see nations and kings rise and fall, rise and fall, but above it all, God’s bloodline marches steadily onward toward the fulfillment of his purposes.
As Americans, we tend to think that we are so mighty, the greatest nation on earth. Well, when you look at Ussher’s timeline, you realize that ALL these kingdoms once had their day in the sun, but where are they now? Egypt was once the mightiest nation in the world, known for the architectural magnificence of their awe-inspiring pyramids, and for taming the Nile River. Babylon, known for their acclaimed Hanging Gardens, and brilliant military campaigns led by Nebuchadnezzar. Rome, their amazing Roman roads and contributions to education and government. Where are they now? Some of them are still around, but do they rule the world? Looking at this chart is truly humbling, and it brings the deeper realization that all that is here will be one day be burned up and destroyed, when God himself creates a new heavens and a new earth. No government that exists here on earth – not even America – will be reigning in that Kingdom to come. But this is not bad news, this is glorious, good news, that should gladden the heart of all who truly love God and bend the knee to his sovereign will and purposes.
As far as America goes, all people everywhere are commanded to repent and believe on Christ for the forgiveness of sins, but that is not the basic message of this book. This book teaches that there is a secret message encoded in the Bible that needs to be decoded to be understood, and if we will only buy this book and decode this message, then we can bring America back. But as I wrote above, this is the heresy of Gnosticism. Our country does not need a “special” Gnostic teaching to tell us what we already know about repentance, salvation and the forgiveness of sins. In fact, I tend to agree with John MacArthur (When God Abandons A Nation), that when we look around us, we don’t need to wonder, will we be judged? because we are already under judgment. First came the sexual revolution of the 60s/70s/80s (Romans 1:24), then came the homosexual revolution (Romans 1:26-27), and next comes the debased mind (Romans 1:28). We are following the trajectory laid out in Romans 1, and where we are indicates not a country that is basically good and can come back to its moral center, but a country that has been given over to its depravity. So we can churn out book after book about “taking back America” and “reclaiming America” (including Jonathan Cahn’s The Harbinger), but in my opinion, America is past the tipping point. True Bible-believing Christians are in the minority in this country, and a minority is never going to reclaim a culture. We need to proclaim the gospel and snatch the few that we can from the flames.
Jonathan Cahn’s Extrabiblical, Mystical Sources
“An incredible thing, it blew me away, I found it in the mystical writings, Jewish writings, of the Zohar*….” Jonathan Cahn, discussing extra-biblical, mystical writings as his sources.
* Please note that Zohar is an extrabiblical, mystical source from which the occultic and mystical Kabbalah is derived.
The Zohar Speaks
Jonathan Cahn | Myspace Video
Jonathan Cahn Goes on Glenn Beck’s Show To Discuss How To “Save A Nation”
Harbinger author Jonathan Cahn joined Mormon Glenn Beck for two segments of Beck’s June 26/June 27 programs, and said the following things about The Harbinger:
“The Harbinger is a two and a half thousand year mystery that lies behind everything.”
“The message of The Harbinger is not to condemn, it’s to wake up and it’s to call back. This is I believe coming out now for a reason, it’s to save a nation, and to turn back.”
“We can’t maintain our blessings without God…..America is blessed as much as America follows God. If America does not follow God, you cannot expect the smiles of heaven.”
Once again, a Gnostic teaching about a “mystery” that has to be decoded, and a call for America to turn back to God. But, why is Jonathan Cahn, who is a Christian pastor, linking with a Mormon (Glenn Beck) in order to proclaim his message? Christians and Mormons do not worship the same God, and for Cahn to appear with Mormon Glenn Beck and for the two to discuss God and America turning back to God can only serve to send a very confusing message to the world about who “God” is.
Conclusion
Does The Harbinger hold clues to helping America find her way back God? In my view, Jonathan Cahn’s book is “hooking” those Christians in America who are burdened over the rising tide of immorality in our country, and who desire for America to repent and come back to the Lord. This is not a wrong or wicked desire…..it’s just that, it might not play out that way, in God’s sovereign plan. And this desire can become problematic, especially when Christians begin linking with non-Christians (as Jonathan Cahn did with Mormon Glenn Beck) in an effort to force those desires to come to fruition.
“Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14)
It looks as though Charisma magazine has been invaded by the New Apostolic Reformation with their hordes of false prophets. I realize that invaded is not a correct assessment.
Then, again, this should come as no surprise. After all, the magazine’s founder and publisher, Stephen Strang, and its long-time former editor of 11 years, J. Lee Grady (who still serves as a contributing editor), have both sat as apostles on the International Coalition of Apostles. And they continue to take part in NAR gatherings, such as a recent Awakening Conference in Anchorage, Alaska, featuring Grady.
Please read from Spirit of Error
Yet another book is being promoted from the Christian community. The reviews are out and here are what some of the well-respected ministries are saying about this book.
Paul commended the Bereans for examining everything he said. They wanted to know if what he was saying was true. If Paul was not above examination, certainly neither is the Christian book writing community.
http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/scarpatiletter.html by “a former Associate Pastor who was with Jonathan Cahn for years” Robert Scarpati
http://www.bibleprophecyblog.com/2012/07/critical-look-at-harbinger.html# by Dr. Thomas Ice
http://www.worldviewweekend.com/worldview-times/article.php?articleid=8385 (Christine Pack, Sola Sisters)
http://www.worldviewweekend.com/worldview-times/article.php?articleid=8405 Mark Dinsmore
http://www.biblicalintegrity.org/blog/2012/04/26/harbinger-fact-fiction/ by Dave James
http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/2012/harbinger.htm Berit Kjos
http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/2012/James/harbinger.htm Jeremy James
http://www.thebereancall.org/content/harbinger-matter-critical-discernment T. A. McMahon
http://gracethrufaith.com/selah/a-critique-of-the-harbinger/ Jack Kelley
http://herescope.blogspot.com/2012/06/harbinger.html Pastor Larry DeBruyn
http://apprising.org/2012/06/01/gary-gilley-reviews-the-harbinger-by-jonathan-cahn/ Gary Gilley
DiscernIt 
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