Book Review: The Harbinger, by Jonathan Cahn

"The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars."  Isaiah 9:10

"The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the enternal ruls of order and right Heaven itself ordained."  George Washington, Inaugural Address, 1789

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

This book could be a red pill/blue pill moment.  90% of people who read this will conclude it's crazy.  That's fine, this review is for the remaining ten percent.

What would you say if I told you a 2,700 year old Biblical prophecy could help explain why things in America have gone so badly wrong in the past 11 years?!?  In the Harbinger Jonathan Cahn (no idea if we're related) argues that's exactly what happened.  At a minimum, events fit Cahn's hypothesis.

America began to turn away from God decades ago, when the Supreme Court issued a radical "separation of church and state" doctrine that was the antithesis of what our founders intended.  The results have been predictably disastrous: crime is up, families are in tatters, and we've torn up 55 million babies in the womb.  America's spiritual descent over the past 50 years mimics the decline of ancient Israel in the Eighth Century B.C.  (The first) 9/11, just like the Assyrian invasion of Ancient Israel in 732 B.C. was intended as a wake up call.

The Harbinger is about America's defiant vow to rebulid, and how that vow perfectly mirrors Ancient Israel's.  Isaiah 9:10, quoted above, is that defiant vow; in issuing that vow, Ancient Israel sowed the seeds of its ultimate demise.  The frightening thing is how America's actions since (the first) 9/11 are identical to those taken by Ancient Israel.

The Harbinger is based on easily verifiable events; this is just the first time they've been detailed in order.  An online review cannot do these events justice (you'll have to read the book for that), but one element warrants specific mention.  That's the location.  After (the first) 9/11, St. Paul's Chapel became famous as a sanctuary for pilgrims and rescue workers.  What few people realize, however, is that in 1789, St. Paul's Chapel is where George Washington dedicated America to God following his inauguration.  In other words, God issued His warning to America on the same ground that George Washington offered his dedication; personally.

A note to non-believers and pre-Christians: the purpose of the harbingers is to warn America, not condemn it.  I've written before about post-9/11 idolatry and how that played out in Hurricane Sandy.  How is boastful defiance working out?!?  Have things gotten better or much worse?!?  I'm just as guilty as anyone of relying on myself instead of trusting God, but when things stopped working, I changed.  If this strikes you as plausible, or if something about this just bugs you, I urge you to study deeper.  Don't take my word for anything, do your own homework.

America's crisis is spiritual; our economic, military, and political problems are symptoms of deeper spiritual amnesia.  Over the past 50 years, we've severed our connection with what made us a great nation in the first place.  From our debased culture, to our anemic economy, to our precarious international position, the results speak for themselves.  We've got to do something different.  The Harbinger, by Jonathan Cahn, might not have all the answers, but it's a damn good place to start.

Update: In the interest of open discussion, check out the take of a biblically-adept Harbinger skeptic.