The critics of The Harbinger make much to do about nothing, because they believe that one must be in a covenant relationship with God for God to hear them or even to communicate with them and answer their prayers. This argument is flawed and misleading because it does not take into account the fact of God’s grace, a grace so inclusive that its work was established long before God set the foundation of the earth into place.
According to them, neither the United States or the land of north America upon which this nation was founded has had a covenant relationship with God as Israel has, and therefore any argument claiming that we as a nation – that is, the United States – are in covenant relationship with God because of the prayers of dedication and consecration made by those who settled this land centuries before which they made with God; is an invalid claim.
I would have believed this claim if not for one fundamental and most important fact which all critics of The Harbinger appear to overlook; the grace of God and the good works that would follow have been established long before creation. The claim which the critics of The Harbinger make, by its very nature – cleverly devilish as it is, because at first glance it appears plausible – is at its very root a patent denial of what the Scriptures teach in their totality when it comes to the work of God in human history – that is, the redemption of the crown of His creation; Man, a work which He determined to do and accomplish, and established long before all covenants came into being through the cross of Jesus Christ.
Is this affirmed by what the Scriptures teach? The answer is yes. It is affirmed by the Apostle Paul, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in the following manner:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.
(Ephesians 1:3-14)
Just on the basis of predestination (Acts 4:28) all arguments which attempt to mitigate the prayers and covenants, and compacts which a people make with Almighty God, be they Jew or Gentile, slave or freeman, pilgrim or colonialist, Puritan, Baptist, Pentecostal, Charismatic, or Non-Charismatic Cessationist; all are laid to rest with the Scriptures when properly understood and applied to each and every generation and taught correctly in light of God’s predestined will and Providence for all of Mankind. For the Gospel is not for some, but for all since Christ died for all – full and complete atonement – not partial as some would have you believe.
But let us supposed that we did not have the foreknowledge and predestined Providence of God to guide our way before us; we can still make the argument from Scripture that the very premise of what The Harbinger’s critics try to make against any claims this nation has with God to be null and void, is both specious and patently inaccurate and Un-Biblical.
The charge of a wrong hermeneutic is then turned on its head against The Harbinger’s critics by the Biblical facts laid before us. Now some may still argue as will be expected, that some are predestined for wrath while others are predestined for redemption, and they are correct in making that claim. (Romans 9:10-18) Quite true, but ALL things have been, are, and will be summed up in Christ, and on that basis alone, everything is judged. But Paul does not end there, but as if to strengthen to what extent this has been, is, and will be accomplished by God; Paul includes all things in the heavens and on earth; all things, everyone. There are no exceptions, and no conditions, no nation, race, ethnic group, or people left out, but all are summed up in Christ. (Ephesians 1:10)
I have also realized by careful study of their book – The Harbinger: Fact or Fiction?, authored by David James of the Alliance for Biblical Integrity and published by Thomas A. McMahon of The Berean Call, as well as the several postings they've made on their web sites that there are several underlying problems to their approach of Rabbi Cahn's book, and they are the following:
1.) They interpret into Rabbi Cahn's writings and teachings things neither his writings or teachings ever intended to say, though they quote him at length.
2.) They do this by loading meanings into words that the words do not possess within the context of Rabbi Cahn's book.
3.) They make semantical issues out words such as "mystery/ies," "secret/s," "prophetic," "inspired," and other adjectives employed by Rabbi Cahn, and give them meanings that Rabbi Cahn does not. Rabbi Cahn simply uses such words and phrases in the context of 1Corinthans 2. As I’ve written elsewhere before, “To the unsaved the Bible is a closed book and its context, mysteries and secrets.” Paul makes this distinction in this entire chapter.
4.) They come to incorrect conclusions based upon incorrect predetermined premises that have compromised their study with bias.
5.) They are quick to make conclusions upon their flawed data.
6.) They have and continue to promote these conclusions and these accusations against Rabbi Cahn regardless of efforts to explain clearly the meaning of what he has written.
7.) They are bearing false witness against Pastor and Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn and against his book The Harbinger, and against everyone who supports it, including WND's excellent documentary on The Harbinger; The Isaiah 9:10 Judgment.
8.) They have embarked on an all-out campaign against The Harbinger and Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, and are in full throttle mode promoting their own book against it.
9.) They claim to have allowed Pastor and Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn multiple chances to address their charges. I have spoken with Pastor and Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn about this myself. I know the man, I have looked him right in the eye, and have asked him about this; whether or not it is true. It is not. I personally know Rabbi Jonathan Cahn. I do not know these men, and it has become quite evident to me that their distrusting ways and duplicitous methods of attacking other Christians whom they disagree with doctrinally by hiding behind the mantle of "discernment" and "apologetics" is far short the of Biblical mark, though they can quote Scripture to justify what they have done.
10.) They have taken a bold yet un-Biblical approach to "discernment" by targeting a fellow believer - yes, Pastor and Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn is a mainline born again believer in Israel's Messiah, and a firm apologist for the faith.
11.) Because two or three well trusted "discernment" ministries are at play, the deception is great, because it comes from a corner of Protestant Christianity that many Christians have respected and supported through the years. It has become a veritable Trojan Horse within the very Body of Christ, to sow division and derision between Christians.
12.) They charge The Harbinger and Rabbi Jonathan Cahn with sowing division in the Body, yet The Harbinger and Rabbi Cahn's teachings came long before the current campaign of marginalization and misinformation they have embarked upon, and it wasn't until they created the controversy that the division began to arise. Therefore their charge that Rabbi Cahn started the division is false and baseless by the evidence.
13.) They (Eric Douma) have used Aristotelian Logic mixed with Cessationist/Hyper-Dispensational Theology as their hermeneutic to criticize Rabbi Cahn's teachings and his book.
14.) Because of this, their premise, their analysis based upon this premise, and their conclusions are all incorrect, and I will (Lord willing) make this plain in the book I am currently at work on and will publish in due time as the Lord wills.
15.) One other thing the critics of The Harbinger have done is accuse Pastor and Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn of Supersessionism (also known as Replacement Theology), because they confuse Rabbi Cahn’s mention of the Pilgrim’s belief in America as a new kind of “Land of Promise” – a “New Israel,” and in their Compact – the Pilgrim’s own Covenantal declaration for God’s blessings upon the land and its inhabitants as long as they keep His commandments and honor Him as their God, and George Washington’s own Covenantal affirmation for God’s blessings upon the new nation, speaking as its leader (as Solomon did when he dedicated the Temple in Jerusalem); both as being a type of their own version of covenant relationship with the Almighty, and therefore because Rabbi Cahn mentions this in his book , the critics of The Harbinger accuse him of Replacement Theology. Pastor and Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn has never taught Supersessionism, and has in fact been a critic of it wherever its reared its ugly Anti-Semitic head.
16.) They make the same mistakes the organized religious opposition in Jesus’ day made, guilt by association. Because Rabbi Cahn has appeared on some television shows belonging to ministries these people consider heretical, they have attributed to Rabbi Cahn the same.
17.) They tend to be quick to make conclusions based upon associations that have no basis in fact, yet draw those conclusions as though they were biblical; when in fact they are merely speculation of their own twisted thinking – a form of drawing at straws and boxing the wind.
18.) It is not enough for them to contend against those whom they deem “heretics” among Christian Evangelicals, they now seek to destroy and defame them, and to discredit them as much as possible. This is not Christ-like, nor is it biblical.
19.) They have misquoted at length large portions of The Harbinger without the permission of its author, Pastor and Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, or its publisher, Charisma House/Charisma Book Publishers.
20.) Through the selective quoting and omitting, and editing of sentences within the narrative, they have built a false narrative around The Harbinger to change its meaning, and ascribe to it and the phrases and words used in it meanings that neither it or its author ever intended for them to have. This is proven below in what is perhaps one of the egregious entries in this controversy.
At this writing, it is inestimable the damage these people have exacted on both Jonathan Cahn, his good name, his calling and ministry, and others associated with his ministry, but it must be pointed out, that these people have recklessly pursued them as a roaring lion pursues its prey. This is not Christ-like, and is not what the Scriptures teach. There is then a very compelling reason to listen closely when the Holy Spirit writes through the Apostle Paul the following admonition which I leave with you:
Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.
1Timonty 4:16)
The P
But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
SIDEBAR: The following article is a detailed analysis by one of The Harbinger’s critics from KJOS Ministries. The article appears at this link, but I have posted it below, and will examine it point by point. I’ve seen it before, and have read parts of it, but I am now as the Lord wills it, analyze it myself, presenting my own observations from Scripture as to it points. The link to the article was forwarded to me by a concerned reader who was unaware that I was already familiar with it. I have reposted it below with my own rebuttals and corrections below each objection cited by Berit Kjos. Kjos has written one of the most egregious articles on the Internet on this topic. It is full of false attributions and misguided and ignorant associations that she attempts to make to Pastor Cahn’s book with the Kabbalah, none of which are factual. JB
"Is it possible...
• That there exists an ancient mystery that holds the secret of America's future?
• That this mystery lies behind everything from 9/11 to the collapse of the global economy?
• That ancient harbingers of judgment are now manifesting in America?
• That God is sending America a prophetic message of what is yet to come?
• That this mystery lies behind everything from 9/11 to the collapse of the global economy?
• That ancient harbingers of judgment are now manifesting in America?
• That God is sending America a prophetic message of what is yet to come?
"Before its destruction as a nation, ancient Israel received nine harbingers, prophetic omens of warning. The same nine harbingers are now manifesting in America.... '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. ... IT’S REAL."[1]
But it's not true! Rabbi Cahn's reliance on mysterious signs, symbols and prophetic messages should be a warning to us. They illustrate his subtle blend of truth and mysticism -- and make the latter seem more significant than God's Word. As he told Glenn Beck in June, “The Harbinger is a two and a half thousand year mystery that lies behind everything.”[2]
The Harbinger has accomplished what most churches choose to ignore: It has alerted America to the Biblical consequences of rejecting God and His guidelines. By linking an Old Testament warning to a coming judgment on America, it rightfully challenges us to trust God, to know His Word and to follow His way!
Near the end of this book, author Jonathan Cahn shares a sobering reminder. Here his fictional "prophet" gives Nouriel, the main character, a good lesson on the nature of evil:
“And who is evil?”
“Those who kill, who deceive, who steal, those who hurt and abuse others.”...
“And what about you, Nouriel? Do you fit into any of those categories?”
"No."
“No,” he replied, “you wouldn’t. But remember, ‘All the ways of a man are right in his own eyes.’ It’s from the Book of Proverbs. That’s human nature.... Beware of the good Nazi.”
“The good Nazi? And what’s that supposed to mean?”
“The Nazis sent millions to their deaths out of pure hatred and evil....And yet do you think most of them saw themselves as evil?”
"No."
“And why not?... Because they compared themselves and measured themselves by the standards they themselves create....You can never judge yourself by your own standards and your own righteousness, but only in light of His righteousness.” [pp.228-229]
That part is true. So what can be wrong with a book that alerts us to evil and calls America back to God?
In spite of my appreciation for the awakening effects of The Harbinger, we have serious reasons for concern:
- Its main theme focuses on a single prophecy (ignoring all others) as the heart of an ancient mystery and the key to America's coming judgment.
- It redefines and misuses the Biblical word "vow."[3]
- The "prophet" blends truth with dreams, mysticism and a false conclusion
Let's look at each point through the filter of the Bible.
The Ancient Prophecy
Most of us remember September 11, 2001 -- "a day of destruction" in America. The two hijacked planes that crashed into the Twin Towers had unhindered access, since our usually alert air defense system had apparently assigned its pilots elsewhere on that particular morning.
The next day, September 12, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle gave a verbal response to the terrorist attacks. "We will rebuild…” he told the anxious crowd. He continued, "I know that there is only the smallest measure of inspiration that can be taken from this devastation. But there is a passage in the Bible from Isaiah that I think speaks to us all at times like this: ‘The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone; the fig [or sycamore] trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars.'" [Isaiah 9:10] [p.117]
Perhaps Mr. Daschle actually searched the Bible for a short encouraging Scripture that would bring hope to his listeners. Perhaps he didn't notice the Biblical context for that particular verse. In any case, his chosen words were heard across America, and few questioned the message.
But to Jonathan Cahn and his fictional "prophet" those were dangerous words.
That mysterious "prophet" guides the story through numerous providential encounters with his inquiring pupil, Nouriel. Using nine ancient "seals" with hidden symbolic messages, he gradually leads Nouriel toward an ominous conclusion: that the Old Testament prophecy in Isaiah 9:10-11 links America's fate to the destruction of ancient Israel. He suggests that the troubles on Wall Street, our sinking economy, and the 9-11 destruction of the Twin Towers are all rooted in these ancient words:
"The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild ..." Isaiah 9:10
The Vow
Cahn based his message on the dubious theory that Daschle's words "we will rebuild" were a prideful vow. But is that true?
No, it's not! Yet, when we read those words in the context of the entire prophecy, that conclusion may seem plausible to some:
"Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria, who say in pride and arrogance of heart:
'The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with hewn stones;
The sycamores are cut down, but we will replace them with cedars.”
Therefore the Lord shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him,
And spur his enemies on, the Syrians before and the Philistines behind;
And they shall devour Israel with an open mouth." Isaiah 9:9-12
'The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with hewn stones;
The sycamores are cut down, but we will replace them with cedars.”
Therefore the Lord shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him,
And spur his enemies on, the Syrians before and the Philistines behind;
And they shall devour Israel with an open mouth." Isaiah 9:9-12
The Israelites who heard Isaiah's words still had time to repent, yet they chose to honor their pagan idols rather than our sovereign God. But there is no indication that they made a vow to that effect. They would face His judgment -- but not for making a foolish vow. Their actual sins were pride, rebellion [against God], and idolatry. Stubborn and willful, they refused to repent.
Cahn's "prophet" would disagree. He believed that all who repeated those three words were guilty of making a prideful vow -- including President Obama and the news media. This dialogue between the "prophet" and his pupil illustrates the deception:
“...the prophecy was proclaimed on the day after 9/11. Here the nation vowed the vow to emerge stronger than before. Seven years later the vow would be undone.”
“With the collapse of the economy.”
“Yes.... And what event, more than any other, would bring about that collapse?”
“The fall of Lehman Brothers.”...
“So the economic collapse was triggered on the seventh anniversary of the proclaiming of the ancient vow.”
“Just as in ancient times the same vow would ultimately lead to the collapse of ancient Israel.”
"A very dangerous vow." [pp.179-181]
Keep in mind, this supposed vow is the main foundation for Rabbi Cahn's argument. So to check his theory, I opened our large 1905 Webster's Dictionary and found this definition:
"Vow (noun): A solemn promise made to God... by which one consecrates or devotes himself... wholly or in part to some act, service or condition."
"Vow (verb): To give, consecrate or dedicate to God (or some other deity) by a solemn promise. 'When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.' Ecclesiastes 5:4-5." (More here)
In other words, the actual Old Testament “vow” was far more than a simple statement of good or bad intentions. Failing to fulfill what was promised to God would bring serious consequences. That's why God warns His people to avoid rash or foolish vows (Judges 11:30). But I doubt that the political and media leaders of our increasingly secular nation were making any solemn promise to God when they repeated those three Old Testament words.
Twisting Reality through Dreams and Mysticism
Like God's true prophet Elijah, Cahn's "prophet" not only speaks mysterious truths supposedly from God, he also has power to transport himself in miraculous but timely ways. Does that make him more credible? Or would such fictional "miracles" conflict with God's guidance? After all, the Bible tells us that, "...no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." 2 Peter 1:19-21
"I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran. I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied..." Jeremiah 23:21
“...the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak... that prophet shall die." Deuteronomy 18:18
In Chapter 19, titled "The Mystery Ground," the "prophet" continues his lessons using the mysterious "seals" to enlighten Nouriel. As usual, the two men just "happened to" find each other in New York, near Wall Street. But this time, Nouriel has been prepared for their meeting through his own "dream." And, somehow, the "prophet" knows the content of that dream:
“The Temple of Jerusalem was the house of God’s glory,” said the prophet....
“I saw it!” I said, my voice rising in pitch....That’s what it was in the dream—the dedication of the Temple. I had a dream, and it began with Solomon leading a gathering of multitudes at the Temple....
“Yes. The prayers of King Solomon were prophetic.... The Temple Mount was the nation’s ground of dedication.”
“I saw it all in my dream.... And after the dedication, the sky turned dark and something like a storm was coming.” (pp. 197-198]
Notice that Solomon is presented as a good and faithful king. The fact that he would soon marry pagan wives and accept their occult gods was ignored. Perhaps Cahn's fictional prophet was unaware of the words God spoke through the less famous prophet Ahijah:
"Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon...because they have forsaken Me, and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the people of Ammon, and have not walked in My ways to do what is right in My eyes... as did his father David." 1 Kings 11:28-33
At the end of Solomon's reign, only two of the twelve tribes would be ruled by his son, Rehoboam. "And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days." (1 Kings 14:30) Once again, the main reason for God's punishment was rampant idolatry, faithlessness and corruption.
But let's bypass that inconvenient part of history and continue with the dialogue:
Prophet: “He was placing his hand on a Bible,” said the prophet, “to swear. ...He was taking the oath of the presidency. It was the inauguration, April 30, 1789 [in New York], the beginning of America as a constituted nation....
Prophet: “In your dream the two events were joined together—Israel's dedication and America’s inauguration." [p.200]
The mystical "seals", the hidden messages, and the supernatural knowledge of this strange "prophet" resemble the Kabbalah, a form of Jewish mysticism. Ponder these two quotes from The Harbinger:
"Then I made a trip to Brooklyn. That's where my friend was, an Orthodox Jewish man who ran a little bookstore, in back of which was a study, a library of all sorts of mystical Hebrew writings. That was his passion -- finding meaning in mystical Hebrew literature. I figured he'd be the right one." [p.240]
"So tell me what it says?'
'Blessed of God is the son of God's light, the declarer.'
'Who told you it said that?'
'A friend... a friend who specializes in mystical Hebrew writings.'" [p.242]
"So tell me what it says?'
'Blessed of God is the son of God's light, the declarer.'
'Who told you it said that?'
'A friend... a friend who specializes in mystical Hebrew writings.'" [p.242]
Many of these "mystical Hebrew writings" and strange biblical interpretations can be found in the Zohar, the written doctrines of the Kabbalah. See our updated article on "The ZOHAR and Kabbalistic Mysticism."
The next two links provide additional warnings:
Kabbalah: "'Kabbalah' is a doctrine of esoteric knowledge concerning God and the universe, asserted to have come down as a revelation to the Sages from a remote past, and preserved only by a privileged few. Kabbalah is considered part of the Jewish Oral Law. It is the traditional mystical understanding of the Torah. Kabbalah stresses the reasons and understanding of the commandments, and the cause of events described in the Torah." [www.milechai.com/judaism/kabbalah.html]
The New Kabbalah: "The New Kabbalah is a philosophy and Jewish theology grounded in the union between traditional Jewish mysticism and modern rational thought. ...the New Kabbalah seeks to uncover and further develop the philosophical and psychological significance of Kabbalistic symbols and ideas. In addition, the New Kabbalah is enriched by comparative studies and dialog between Jewish mysticism and other religious and philosophical traditions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Platonism, and Gnosticism.
"The New Kabbalah is born out of the conviction that the theosophical system of Luria and his followers promotes an open economy of thought, dialog and criticism while at the same time providing a coherent and comprehensive account of the world and humanity's role within it that is intellectually, morally and spiritually vital for us today." [www.newkabbalah.com/home.html]
A Closer look at Washington's Faith and Fears?
In his inauguration address, Washington said,
“No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than those of the United States.... It would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official act my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States a Government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes.” [p.200]
The man chosen to administer the oath was the Grand Master of Masons in New York. At least a dozen other masons participated, including George Washington himself. You may want to check some of these (outside) links [here, here and here] for a small glimpse of the spiritual warfare involved in the roots of our nation. They illustrate this disturbing synthesis of Biblical truth and occult mysticism.
Six months after his inauguration, President Washington issued his grateful Thanksgiving Proclamation. It began with this statement:
"Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor.... Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be..."
What was Washington's relationship to this lofty and somewhat impersonal God? According to Wikipedia (and my own web searches), his pastor affirmed that he often came to church. He showed respect for all religions but rarely discussed his own faith. And his titles for God sound more Masonic than Biblical, but that may be more of cultural than a spiritual issue .
Yet, as Washington became more aware of the links between American masons and the radical agenda within European freemasonry, his concern grew. He wrote the following two letters to a German immigrant:
[Mount Vernon, September 25, 1798] "Sir: Many apologies are due to you…for not thanking you, at an earlier period, for the book [Proofs of a Conspiracy, by John Robison] you had the goodness to send me."
"I have heard much of the nefarious, and dangerous plan, and doctrines of the Illuminati, but never saw the book until you were pleased to send it to me. … I believe notwithstanding, that none of the [Masonic] Lodges in this Country are contaminated with the principles ascribed to the Society of the Illuminati." [Second letter]
"…It was not my intention to doubt that, the Doctrines of the Illuminati, and principles of Jacobinism had not spread in the United States. On the contrary, no one is more truly satisfied of this fact than I am. ...I did not believe that the Lodges of Free Masons in this Country, had, as Societies, endeavored to propagate the diabolical tenets of the first [the Illuminati], or the pernicious principles of the latter [the Jacobins]...."[4]
So did our first president eventually become a Christian? I don't know, but I would like to believe he did. Like ancient King Solomon, he had great wisdom, but only God knows his true faith.[5]
Truth and Tribulation
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. Here are two examples:
Old Testament: "...it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.... that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. ... The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated.... The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow...
"But if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God... all these curses will come upon you.... The Lord will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke in all that you set your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the wickedness of your doings in which you have forsaken Me.... The Lord will change the rain of your land to powder and dust....
"The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies.... A nation whom you have not known shall eat the fruit of your land and the produce of your labor.... The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower. He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him...." Deuteronomy 28:1-47
"But if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God... all these curses will come upon you.... The Lord will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke in all that you set your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the wickedness of your doings in which you have forsaken Me.... The Lord will change the rain of your land to powder and dust....
"The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies.... A nation whom you have not known shall eat the fruit of your land and the produce of your labor.... The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower. He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him...." Deuteronomy 28:1-47
New Testament: "...all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition....Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. ...God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." 1 Corinthians 10:11-13
Notice the encouraging end of the last Scripture. Yes, we will face hard times. Remember, trials and persecution have pursued God's faithful followers through the ages. But in the midst of darkness, His light shines all the more brightly.
Through the years, most Christians in America have enjoyed relatively easy lives: no starvation, no violent hatred, no fear of torturous assaults and the deadly persecution that continues to pursue God's people in other parts of the world. But worldly comforts tend to feed spiritual complacency, and few of us have had much teaching in the school of "joyful endurance."
So let's get on with our training in Him. Let's make sure His Word is "hidden" in our hearts. Let's "put on the whole armor of God." And let's build the habit of thanking and praising our wonderful Lord through every day! Then He will truly "hide us in His tabernacle" and fill our hearts with His peace.
“Thou art my hiding place;
Thou shalt preserve me from trouble;
Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance.” Psalm 32:7
Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance.” Psalm 32:7
Notes:
1. http://superstore.wnd.com/The-Harbinger-The-ancient-mystery-that-holds-the-secret-of-Americas-future-Paperback
1. http://superstore.wnd.com/The-Harbinger-The-ancient-mystery-that-holds-the-secret-of-Americas-future-Paperback
2. Dave Hunt, "Understanding Matthew 18:15-17," July 1, 2012. http://kimolsen.wordpress.com/
3. From The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament , Volume 2: "(nãdar) make a vow. (neder), vow, votive offering. Our root connotes the act of verbally consecrating (devoting to the service) of God, i.e. vowing to perform (Gen 28:2Off.), to make an offering (Lev 27), or to abstain from something (Ps 132:2ff.).... (qalal), be bound or joined to or in” (cf. ‘ësär/’issãr “bond,” Num 30:2... shãba’ “make a statement or a promise” (with an oath invoking God and pledging something valuable)....The verb occurs thirty-one times. (nëder) Vow, votive offering. ...This noun represents either the result of nãdar, i.e. a vow, or the thing offered to fulfill a vow. ... The noun occurs fifty-nine times. "A closer description occurs in Num 30:3 where to nãdar a nëder is to swear to God with an oath (hishshaba’ she bü’â, cf. Ps 132:2) and to bind one’s self with what proceeds from one’s mouth. A néder is something promised to God verbally (Num 30:4 [H 5]). If one so promises he is obliged to fulfill [or do] his promise (Deut 23:22)." (Edited by R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer, Jr, and Bruce K. Waltke, Moody Press, 1980, pp.1308-1309)
4. "Writings of Washington, Vol. 36: *To REVEREND G. W. SNYDER." From The Foundation Forum: The Real Story of the Founders and the Illuminati, Part 2. You can read these letters on the “American Memory” section of the Library of Congress website.
5. You may want to look up the following references to Washington's faith.
● Sprague, Rev. Wm. B.. Annals of the American Pulpit. Vol. v. p. 394.
● Neill, Rev. E.D. (1885-01-02). "article reprinted from Episcopal Recorder" (PDF)] NY Times, p.3.
● Novak, Michael and Jana Novak, Washington's God: Religion, Liberty and the Father of Our Country, p. 97, Basic Books, 2007.
"Is it possible...
• That there exists an ancient mystery that holds the secret of America's future?
• That this mystery lies behind everything from 9/11 to the collapse of the global economy?
• That ancient harbingers of judgment are now manifesting in America?
• That God is sending America a prophetic message of what is yet to come?
• That this mystery lies behind everything from 9/11 to the collapse of the global economy?
• That ancient harbingers of judgment are now manifesting in America?
• That God is sending America a prophetic message of what is yet to come?
"Before its destruction as a nation, ancient Israel received nine harbingers, prophetic omens of warning. The same nine harbingers are now manifesting in America.... '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. ... IT’S REAL."[1]
But it's not true! Rabbi Cahn's reliance on mysterious signs, symbols and prophetic messages should be a warning to us. They illustrate his subtle blend of truth and mysticism -- and make the latter seem more significant than God's Word. As he told Glenn Beck in June, “The Harbinger is a two and a half thousand year mystery that lies behind everything.”[2]
CLARIFICATION AND CORRECTION: The following article from Berit KJOS is illustrative of articles that have proliferated on the Internet accusing Pastor and Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn with being a mystic, a Kabbalist, a false prophet, and other epithets from well-meaning but horribly misguided religious bigots who spend the bulk of their efforts criticizing other Christians with whom they have doctrinal and theological differences of opinion; in this case a book titled The Harbinger that is based upon a series of topical teachings Rabbi Cahn gave during a ten year period about the tragic events of 9/11, America’s spiritual heritage, and various incidents that have occurred through those years that all point as evidences of warnings, or “Harbingers” of impending divine judgment if the nation continues in the trajectory it has for the last fifty years. The Harbinger does not rely on “mysterious signs, symbols,” but he does rely on “prophetic messages,” but not as inferred from the article, but from God’s Word; specifically, from Isaiah 9:10 and the context of the history surrounding it. Indeed Rabbi Cahn’s book affirms and does not deny this history, thus he is not reading into the Scripture what is not there, but affirming a historical fact about it. Thus we read the following exchange between Nouriel and the Prophet:
(the prophet) “It was the dark shadow of the Assyrian terror that loomed over the kingdom of Israel. This was the danger against which the prophets warned. And it was only the hedge of God’s protection that was keeping that danger at bay. But that was about to change. With the nation’s descent into apostasy, it was no longer safe.”
(Nouriel Kaplan) “It was the Assyrians.” I said. “They were the ones who caused the breach.”
(the prophet) “Correct, he replied, “In 732 B.C., with the nation’s hedge of protection lifted, the Assyrians invaded the land of Israel.”
(Nouriel Kaplan) “So that must have made it all the more terrifying for the people of Israel…that it was the Assyrians.”
(the prophet) “Exactly. There couldn’t have been any clearer warning of the coming judgment than that. And when, years later, Israel’s final judgment came, the Assyrians would again be the means through which it would happen.”
(Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, The Harbinger, page 37, Charisma House Book Group)
Like ancient Israel, 9/11 was a warning that the hedge of God’s protection over our nation had been lifted, just as it was lifted from Israel two thousand five hundred years ago when the Assyrians first struck and breached Israel’s defenses.
But let us read the entire chapter to get a better understanding of the context, the pretext, and the subtext of what it says, so that the reader will come away with a better understanding of the topic under discussion:
Birth and Reign of the Prince of Peace
But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.
The people who walk in darkness
Will see a great light;
Those who live in a dark land,
The light will shine on them.
You shall multiply the nation,
You shall increase their gladness;
They will be glad in Your presence
As with the gladness of harvest,
As men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
For You shall break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders,
The rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian.
For every boot of the booted warrior in the battle tumult,
And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,
On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.
(Isaiah 9:1-7)
The Dual Fulfillment of This Prophecy
We will now see the first of a dual fulfillment of Scripture in two historical events, but since we are examining the 9th chapter of Isaiah, we come to this one. It is interesting to note that the prophetic throughout Scripture is tied eschatologically to either the First or the Second Coming of Christ. Here in the 9th chapter of Isaiah, specifically versus 1-9, we see the promise of the Jewish Messiah being a light of revelation to the Gentiles – that is, the nations – and under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Matthew applies this part of Isaiah’s prophecy to Christ’s visit and ministry in the region of Galilee where Gentiles predominated in numbers among the Jews who lived that region. (Matthew 4:15-16) Dr. Michael Rydelnik explains the context of this prophecy in light of the histories (B.C. and A.D.):
“After giving hope to the house of David that the promise of the Davidic covenant was secure, as would be seen in the birth of Immanuel (7:13-15), Isaiah proceeded to identify when the Son of David would come. He described the time of judgment to fall on Judah (Isaiah 8) when Judah would be ‘dejected and hungry’ and would ‘see only distress, darkness, and the gloom of affliction’ (8:21-22). At that time it will be said that ‘the people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness’ (9:2). This light was the Son of David described in Isa 7:13-15. He was the child who would be born and given four glorious, twofold titles: ‘Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace’ (9:6). He would sit ‘on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain I with justice and righteousness from now on and forever’ (9:7). Just as this future king would be called Immanuel, indicating His deity, so also would the other throne titles reflect His divine nature. The point of Isa 9:1-7 was to alert the house of David that the virgin-born King for whom they were to look would only come after a long period of darkness. Nevertheless, He would indeed come, possessing a divine nature, to establish a righteous and eternal kingdom.”
(Dr. Michael Rydelnik, The Messianic Hope: Is the Hebrew Bible Really Messianic? , page 158-159,
The previous historical context of this passage is read in the following manner: But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish (vs.1a), the region inhabited by the two tribes Zebulon and Naphtali – part of the northern kingdom of Israel – in earlier times (v.1b) 732B.C., Tiglath-pileser III deprived Israel of Ephraim, Zebulon, and Naphtali. This occurrence is recorded elsewhere in God’s Word this way:
In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon and Abel-beth-maacah and Janoah and Kedesh and Hazor and Gilead and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and he carried them captive to Assyria.
(2Kings 15:29).
God’s Anger with Israel’s Arrogance
The Lord sends a message against Jacob,
And it falls on Israel.
And all the people know it,
That is, Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria,
Asserting in pride and in arrogance of heart:
“The bricks have fallen down,
But we will rebuild with smooth stones;
The sycamores have been cut down,
But we will replace them with cedars.”
Therefore the Lord raises against them adversaries from Rezin
And spurs their enemies on,
The Arameans on the east and the Philistines on the west;
And they devour Israel with gaping jaws.
In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away
And His hand is still stretched out.
(Isaiah 9:8-12)
Yet the people do not turn back to Him who struck them,
Nor do they seek the Lord of hosts.
So the Lord cuts off head and tail from Israel,
Both palm branch and bulrush in a single day.
The head is the elder and honorable man,
And the prophet who teaches falsehood is the tail.
For those who guide this people are leading them astray;
And those who are guided by them are brought to confusion.
Therefore the Lord does not take pleasure in their young men,
Nor does He have pity on their orphans or their widows;
For every one of them is godless and an evildoer,
And every mouth is speaking foolishness.
In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away
And His hand is still stretched out.
(Isaiah 9:13-17)
For wickedness burns like a fire;
It consumes briars and thorns;
It even sets the thickets of the forest aflame
And they roll upward in a column of smoke.
By the fury of the Lord of hosts the land is burned up,
And the people are like fuel for the fire;
No man spares his brother.
They slice off what is on the right hand but still are hungry,
And they eat what is on the left hand but they are not satisfied;
Each of them eats the flesh of his own arm.
Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh,
And together they are against Judah.
In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away
And His hand is still stretched out.
(Isaiah 9:18-21)
This is the principle of the duality of Scriptural prophecy applied both to a historical event and the prophecy itself pertaining to it, and also to a future prophetic historical event (the coming of the Messiah to the specific region mentioned by the prophet in his prophecy) hundreds of years in the future. We see then the birth and coming of the Prince of Peace prophesied by Isaiah the prophet (Isaiah 9:1) fulfilled in two historical occurrences – first the judgment of those dwelling in the regions of Galilee where the two tribes of Zebulon and Naphtali were taken away by In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria (2Kings 15:29) applied by the Evangelist Matthew in his Gospel. (Matthew 4:15-16) This duality of Scripture is not a strange phenomenon as some would have us think , but is seen throughout Scripture in both testaments attests.
KJOS: The Harbinger has accomplished what most churches choose to ignore: It has alerted America to the Biblical consequences of rejecting God and His guidelines. By linking an Old Testament warning to a coming judgment on America, it rightfully challenges us to trust God, to know His Word and to follow His way!
Near the end of this book, author Jonathan Cahn shares a sobering reminder. Here his fictional "prophet" gives Nouriel, the main character, a good lesson on the nature of evil:
“And who is evil?”
“Those who kill, who deceive, who steal, those who hurt and abuse others.”...
“And what about you, Nouriel? Do you fit into any of those categories?”
"No."
“No,” he replied, “you wouldn’t. But remember, ‘All the ways of a man are right in his own eyes.’ It’s from the Book of Proverbs. That’s human nature.... Beware of the good Nazi.”
“The good Nazi? And what’s that supposed to mean?”
“The Nazis sent millions to their deaths out of pure hatred and evil....And yet do you think most of them saw themselves as evil?”
"No."
“And why not?... Because they compared themselves and measured themselves by the standards they themselves create....You can never judge yourself by your own standards and your own righteousness, but only in light of His righteousness.” [pp.228-229]
That part is true. So what can be wrong with a book that alerts us to evil and calls America back to God?
CLARIFICATION AND CORRECTION: If the Gospel is being preached, the nation being called to repentance, and people are being led to Christ and His salvation, no matter how imperfect the messenger or his message may seem to some, as in this case and in the case of all who spend their days focusing on others and applying their standards to others rather than walking in grace, and taking into account that their understanding is as imperfect as anyone else’s because for we know in part and we prophesy in part; and now we see in a mirror dimly; even applying this truth to himself, though he was writing Scripture under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, when he writes now I know in part (1Corinthians 13:9, 12a, 12c) – indicating to the rest of us just how very careful we must be in these matters, and not become arrogant, thinking ourselves any higher than our peers in the faith and those above us, but living humbly in the grace of God, and handling our differences in a quiet fashion and not making them public, lest we discredit our brothers, ourselves, or the faith we hold in Christ before an incredulous and fallen world.
It holds true then as it was then, so it is now; for even the Apostle Paul found himself being called all sorts of things, even a liar, when he made this observation; But if through my lie the truth of God abounded to His glory, why am I also still being judged as a sinner? And why not say (as we are slanderously reported and as some claim that we say), “Let us do evil that good may come”? Their condemnation is just. (Romans 3:7-8)
Therefore we see the same principle at play here, where one servant of Christ is being called all manner of things by others who claim to the same faith as his, but who see things differently and even attribute to him things that he himself did not say in public, or has not written in his book. We see meanings attributed to The Harbinger which were not the intent of what its author wrote. How devilish, precisely what Satan did in the garden in his dialogue through the serpent between it and Eve. (Genesis 3:1-5)
KJOS:In spite of my appreciation for the awakening effects of The Harbinger, we have serious reasons for concern:
- Its main theme focuses on a single prophecy (ignoring all others) as the heart of an ancient mystery and the key to America's coming judgment.
- It redefines and misuses the Biblical word "vow."[3]
- The "prophet" blends truth with dreams, mysticism and a false conclusion
Let's look at each point through the filter of the Bible.
CLARIFICATION AND CORRECTION: Events, as we see in the Holy Scriptures, in both Testaments; possess both historical and prophetic linear and parallel connections. Allow me to define the meaning of linear and parallel in the context of Prophetic Scripture and its Fulfillments throughout history. A linear connection is one in which a specific prophecy is given and it has a direct bearing and correlation upon an event which will take place centuries later.
We see a parallel connection, and therefore a correlation; where a prophecy is given for a specific date and time in history and see it being fulfilled within the life of the prophet who gave it, or within a generation of it being given; having both fulfillment within the context of that historical event, but also correlating to a future event to take place centuries later which is totally unrelated to the prophecy in a literal sense.
We see the evidence of this in the Hebrew Scriptures and in the New Testament, as events in both Testaments are tied to one another prophetically (linear), and understood in the paradigm of two completely unconnected historical events (parallel) connected prophetically at the place where the two events converge – or correlate – in the specific prophecies given; sometimes hundreds, sometimes thousands of years apart from one another.
Perhaps the best examples of this is where Scripture interprets Scripture; because we see the prophecy about a historical event given and centuries later applied by the Evangelists in their Gospels and the Apostles throughout the New Testament in their letters to specific events and situations within their own lifetime.
We see the same at work about prophetic events in our future, where there are specific prophecies about specific prophetic events yet to occur in the timeline of history. We find these in both Testaments as well. As to their interpretation, there are various schools of thought on that; Amillennialists, Premillennialists, Post Amillennialists, Preterists, Pretrib, Postrib, etc…
Regardless; none of these mitigate the fact that several prophecies are applicable and interpreted throughout the Scriptures in the context of more than one historical event. Additionally, the historical events have absolutely no connection one with the other, nor can one ascertain the literal meaning of the prophecy to connect it to the second historical event fulfilled unless reading it through the pages of the Evangelists who interpret it as such.
Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:18-25
The pages of our Bibles are filled with such examples. I’ll cite the following three examples, though it is not an exhaustive sampling, it’ll suffice for the purposes of our current discussion:
After Solomon’s reign, during the years of the divided kingdoms of Israel (Ephraim, the Northern Kingdom with its capital in Samaria) and Judah (Judah and Benjamin, the Southern Kingdom with its capital in Jerusalem), in the days of Jotham when the Syrian-Samaritan alliance had come about against Judah, and its intention was to replace Judah’s King Ahaz with their own puppet-king who would be more amenable to their wishes (II Kings 15:37, Isaiah 7:5-9)). It was during this time that the word of the Lord came to the prophet Isaiah, and he challenged King Ahaz to ask God for a sign. “To make it as deep as Sheol and as high as heaven.” (Isaiah 7:10-11) But when Ahaz refused to test God by asking Him for a sign that would help strengthen his faith, at God’s explicit command through Isaiah the prophet, he was given a sign that indicated that his enemy would soon be removed (Isaiah 7:16). The Sign? An adolescent Jewish woman who is of marriageable age would bear a son and name him Immanuel – “with us, God” (Isaiah 7:14). Now move several centuries into the future, to sometime around 6 B.C., to the time when Jesus’ mother Miriam (Mary) had been betrothed to Joseph, before they had sexually consummated their marriage; she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit, which Matthew attributes as a direct fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy to Ahaz (Matthew 1:18-25). Two distinct completely unconnected historical events connected by a single prophetic verse of Scripture whose literal sense and meaning indicate two completely different things, except when interspersed with the latter historical event, i.e.; Jesus miraculous conception and birth by the Holy Spirit.
Hosea 11:1 and Matthew 2:15
Hosea, whose name is a variant of the name of the Hebrew Yeshua, which means “salvation,” lived in the northern kingdom 8th century B.C., during the reign of Jeroboam. His contemporary was Amos the prophet who also prophesied to the northern kingdom, though he was from Tekoa, a town about six miles north east of Bethlehem of Judah. Hosea the prophet describes how God loved the people of Israel as His own Son since his youth and mentions the Exodus out of Egypt as an example of how the Lord loved and cared for him (Hosea 11:1) though Israel sacrificed to Baal and bowed to graven images (Hosea 11:2). The lad Israel was a enslaved in Egypt and the Lord God brought them whom He calls “My Son” out, because He loved His people as though they were His own Son. Now move several centuries into the future, to sometime around 4 B.C., about the time of Herod the Great’s death, where in his Gospel Matthew writes that hearing news of Herod’s death (Matthew 2:19-23) Mary and Joseph return from Egypt with Jesus, applying Hosea’s prophecy of the Exodus to Jesus’ return from exile in the land of Egypt (Matthew 2:15). Two distinct completely unconnected historical events connected by a single prophetic verse of Scripture whose literal sense and meaning indicate two completely different things, except when interspersed with the latter historical event, i.e.; Jesus’ return to the land of Israel.
Jeremiah 31:15 and Matthew 2:16-18
Our third example is even greater in contrast as we shall see. The Babylonian Exile was so seared into the hearts and minds of the Jewish people that ninety years after the tragic event, Jeremiah, who lived around the year 627 B.C. raised a loud prophetic lamentation over his people and their plight in Ramah (modern Er Ram), a settlement in the area of Gibeon and Beeroth (see Joshua 18:25) approximately five miles north from Jerusalem, where Jeremiah was released from prison (Jeremiah 39:11-14, 40:1) describing as seeing Rachel who was buried in Ramah (Genesis 35:19, 49:7, 1Samuel 10:2) barren until she gave birth to Benjamin and died as he was born (Genesis 35:18); is seen by the prophet weeping bitterly for her grandchildren (Jeremiah 31:15), whose descendants – (from Ephraim and Manasseh, sons of Joseph; Rachel’s son, Genesis 30:22-24, see 48:1-2) were taken into exile into Babylon on 722 B.C. Now move several centuries into the future, to a period sometime towards the end of the reign of Herod the Great, when according to Matthew’s Gospel, Herod ordered the slaughter of Bethlehem’s children up to two years old and younger (Matthew 2:16—18). This type of brutality from Herod is attested to by Josephus and other historians of the period. Two distinct completely unconnected historical events connected by a single prophetic verse of Scripture whose literal sense and meaning indicate two completely different things, except when interspersed with the latter historical event, i.e.; Herod’s genocidal act of slaughtering Bethlehem’s innocents – a day that will live in infamy.
The argument of these Cessationists who use Dispensational Theology as a hermeneutic, who posit that Isaiah 9:10’s prophecy does not and cannot be applied to the events of September 11th, 2001 and subsequent events which the Nine Harbingers characterize prophetically because the verse denotes a specific historical event; cannot be defended under the circumstances, because herein lies the duality of the prophetic. One Internet site describes the duality of Prophetic Scripture, and thereby defining its role in history:
“In fully understanding how the Bible utilizes this principle of "double fulfillment", one becomes armed against many Amillennial and Postmillennial objections. One will also begin to unlock many of the predictions the Bible has for the "last days".”
(Pastor Joey Faust, Double Fulfillment)
I posit that it is the Cessationist approach to hermeneutics coupled with Dispensationalist Theology is both flawed and un-Biblical, because the toxic combination of the two disciplines places the serious student of Scripture at a loss as to the full meaning of a text, and does not allow the complete interpretation of Scripture in its full historical context, because it bars the entire study of the text in question.
Let me give you an example. Were these people to critique the writings of the New Testament as they do The Harbinger, using the same linear/minimalist/literalist method they use against The Harbinger, they would brand the entire New Testament heretical, because its writers employ the very same principles Rabbi Cahn does to prophecy in The Harbinger, something these people cannot bring themselves either to understand or accept.
First, Isaiah’s prophecy of a historical event, followed by the Evangelist’s application of that prophecy to events which occurred in his day in the Gospel of Matthew:
[Birth and Reign of the Prince of Peace] But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.
“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
Therefore the charges made by The Harbinger’s critics that Its main theme focuses on a single prophecy (ignoring all others) as the heart of an ancient mystery and the key to America's coming judgment. That It redefines and misuses the Biblical word "vow."[3] , and that The "prophet" blends truth with dreams, mysticism and a false conclusion are all false and baseless because they are being misapplied due the fact that every one of these charges are groundless when examined one by one under the correct context of Scripture and the correct context in which The Harbinger presents each warning. These charges are meant to throw the reader away from what the narrative actually says and mislead him/her to accept a false narrative created by the book’s critics; one in which they attempt to redefine its meaning to suit their criticisms of the book. It is a very clever and devilish ploy and misuse of Scripture, syntax, argument, and prophecy. It has been used by Satan since Pre-history.
KJOS:
The Ancient Prophecy
Most of us remember September 11, 2001 -- "a day of destruction" in America. The two hijacked planes that crashed into the Twin Towers had unhindered access, since our usually alert air defense system had apparently assigned its pilots elsewhere on that particular morning.
The next day, September 12, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle gave a verbal response to the terrorist attacks. "We will rebuild…” he told the anxious crowd. He continued, "I know that there is only the smallest measure of inspiration that can be taken from this devastation. But there is a passage in the Bible from Isaiah that I think speaks to us all at times like this: ‘The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone; the fig [or sycamore] trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars.'" [Isaiah 9:10] [p.117]
Perhaps Mr. Daschle actually searched the Bible for a short encouraging Scripture that would bring hope to his listeners. Perhaps he didn't notice the Biblical context for that particular verse. In any case, his chosen words were heard across America, and few questioned the message.
But to Jonathan Cahn and his fictional "prophet" those were dangerous words.
That mysterious "prophet" guides the story through numerous providential encounters with his inquiring pupil, Nouriel. Using nine ancient "seals" with hidden symbolic messages, he gradually leads Nouriel toward an ominous conclusion: that the Old Testament prophecy in Isaiah 9:10-11 links America's fate to the destruction of ancient Israel. He suggests that the troubles on Wall Street, our sinking economy, and the 9-11 destruction of the Twin Towers are all rooted in these ancient words:
"The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild ..." Isaiah 9:10
CLARIFICATION AND CORRECTION: Let me make this clear, Jonathan Cahn does not make this claim in his book, The Harbinger. His claim is that the connection is a prophetic pattern which events follow one after the other tied by the prophecy itself; in this case its quoting and application (knowingly or unknowingly – which immaterial for its fulfillment, as was in the case of Caiaphas speaking prophetically according to John’s Gospel in his capacity of high priest, that Christ had to die rather than the nation perish. (John 10:49-51), just as John in the Holy Spirit writes:
Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.” Now he did not say this on his own initiative, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. So from that day on they planned together to kill Him.
(John 10:47-53)
The high priest Caiaphas did not realize that he spoke in a prophetic capacity, yet regardless of his being aware or not of this, his words were taken by the Evangelist as prophetic when he wrote his Gospel under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. This is Scriptural evidence of a prophetic utterance unknowingly being made which comes to pass. The same pattern holds true of the three occasions in which Isaiah 9:10 has been applied by our nation’s leaders on three separate occasions in our nation’s capital and tied them directly to the events of September 11th, 2001. Jonathan Cahn did not make this connection, they did, and they did it before he wrote his book.
The same vow of defiance against the devastation, against those who committed these atrocities, against the event itself, and the commitment to rebuild, replant, and restore the grounds of where the calamity took place, and rise above the impact these had upon the nation has become as the vow made two thousand seven hundred years earlier – a declaration of judgment against the nation making it. This is the parallel that The Harbinger’s critics cannot seem to understand in order to make.
The Book of Daniel prophesies that its prophetic contents would be “sealed until the time of the end” where it says the following:
“But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.”
(Daniel 12:4)
What does that entail? It entails that the information it contains would be understood by some at some later time; but what later time is the prophet referring to? “The time of the End.” Now this is referring here to Daniel’s prophecy contained within the book which bears his name, but completely overlooked by The Harbinger’s critics is that there places in Scripture where the prophetic is concealed. Peter makes this quite clear, where he writes:
As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look.
(1Peter 1:10-12)
And the Apostle Paul makes it quite clear that the redemption that would come to the Gentiles through faith in Jesus Christ was a mystery that was concealed until it was given to him to preach to them of it as its ambassador at large to the nations. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God, he writes the following amazing disclosure to his gentile brethren:
For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you; that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power. To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him. Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory.
(Ephesians 3:1-13)
And:
that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.
(Colossians 1:26-29)
Why is it strange for some people that God would give understanding through the Holy Spirit to His servants before the Second Coming of Christ, if indeed they believe that we are living in the Last Days?” Either we realize the times we live in or we go on expecting that Christ is coming, but perhaps not in our lifetime.
This is the cynicism and disbelief we must struggle against from within our own body of believers, and we are bombarded with unbelief from a fallen world that sees the deep divisions among God’s people, and go elsewhere for their answers because God’s own people are unable themselves to find the answers due to this disbelief and the division it has caused among God’s people.
Many Christians hide this disbelief in a mantle of well-defined and well-developed theology of their creation. Dispensationalism is only a hundred and fifty years old. Personally as a historian, I find it useful for breaking down epochs and history during a Bible study, but nothing beyond that. It is not good for theological applications, because it limits certain aspects of God’s overall design and this is not what the Scriptures teach. It is a poor Biblical hermeneutic for understanding the Scriptures and the overall plan of God.
KJOS:
The Vow
Cahn based his message on the dubious theory that Daschle's words "we will rebuild" were a prideful vow. But is that true?
No, it's not! Yet, when we read those words in the context of the entire prophecy, that conclusion may seem plausible to some:
"Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria, who say in pride and arrogance of heart:
'The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with hewn stones;
The sycamores are cut down, but we will replace them with cedars.”
Therefore the Lord shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him,
And spur his enemies on, the Syrians before and the Philistines behind;
And they shall devour Israel with an open mouth." Isaiah 9:9-12
'The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with hewn stones;
The sycamores are cut down, but we will replace them with cedars.”
Therefore the Lord shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him,
And spur his enemies on, the Syrians before and the Philistines behind;
And they shall devour Israel with an open mouth." Isaiah 9:9-12
The Israelites who heard Isaiah's words still had time to repent, yet they chose to honor their pagan idols rather than our sovereign God. But there is no indication that they made a vow to that effect. They would face His judgment -- but not for making a foolish vow. Their actual sins were pride, rebellion [against God], and idolatry. Stubborn and willful, they refused to repent.
CLARIFICATION AND CORRECTION: Let’s examine the historical facts, and get to a more accurate assessment of what Rabbi Cahn is referring to here, , which should lead us to agree with Rabbi Cahn’s assessment which he presents rather as simple and easy to read in his book. You would be correct about the borders of the ancient Assyrian Empire were you speaking of it at during the period of its rise when it gained independence from the Mitanni in 1400 – 1365 B.C., but this is not what Rabbi Cahn’s character (the prophet) alludes to when referencing the ancient Assyrians during the time of Babylon’s and Syria’s capture by the Assyrians in 732 B.C., and certainly does not apply to ten years later when they captured Israel in 722 B.C., during which time, the Assyrian Empire extended from what is known today as eastern Turkey in the northwest to Persia in the northeast, to the entire Sinai Peninsula and Egypt in the southwest, to Babylonia in the southeast; an area of land that covers entirely modern day Iraq. I do not see any problem with this and what Rabbi Cahn writes in his book with regards to the Assyrians. Regardless of the land mass of the Assyrian Empire when it was at its most powerful, the land that is known today as the British-French created construct called Iraq was entirely within the conquered territory of the Assyrian Empire at the time of its zenith. This is a matter of historical fact. There is absolutely no point to any objection to this.
In his prophecy (9:10), Isaiah is quoting the intent of the people’s leaders, who following the first calamity that had befallen them, choose an obstinate attitude of defiance against those who invaded their land and caused its devastation, and by extension against God who had sent them as His first warning to wayward Israel.
The statement made by the nation’s leaders was a vow to rebuild, to replant, and restore the nation, and this statement became the very words which God would use to judge the nation. A vow is a promise that one makes and commits oneself to, and there is no difference between these leaders making this statement and a vow of defiance on their part, because the two are one and the same; so much so, that Isaiah quotes it in his prophecy to press the point of the looming judgment which befell the northern kingdom ten years later who were taken into exile into Babylon on 722 B.C.
The parallel to this is the attitude the people of this nation have taken following the calamity of 9/11; and the subsequent events which have transpired following the ten year period following 9/11, and how this nation has reacted to them. There is a parallel pattern of occurrences connected to this one prophecy by its direct application made by America’s leaders – three, which according to God’s Law is sufficient to form an iron clad witness in regards to all matters.
With regards to Daschle’s words not being a prideful or defiant vow, it is a fact that Daschle described his own emotions in the aftermath of the tragedy and as he stood before the US Senate in our nation’s capital in the following manner, I quote:
KJOS:Cahn's "prophet" would disagree. He believed that all who repeated those three words were guilty of making a prideful vow -- including President Obama and the news media. This dialogue between the "prophet" and his pupil illustrates the deception:
“...the prophecy was proclaimed on the day after 9/11. Here the nation vowed the vow to emerge stronger than before. Seven years later the vow would be undone.”
“With the collapse of the economy.”
“Yes.... And what event, more than any other, would bring about that collapse?”
“The fall of Lehman Brothers.”...
“So the economic collapse was triggered on the seventh anniversary of the proclaiming of the ancient vow.”
“Just as in ancient times the same vow would ultimately lead to the collapse of ancient Israel.”
"A very dangerous vow." [pp.179-181]
CLARIFICATION AND CORRECTION: Here we have another inconvenient truth being obfuscated cleverly by the omission of parts of a narrative in order to create a new one to replace it. The Harbinger’s critic quotes the following exchange between Nouriel Kaplan and the prophet on the steps of the capitol building in Washington, D.C. The parts of the narrative that are omitted from the critic’s report I have included within the narrative in red:
“...the prophecy was proclaimed on the day after 9/11. Here the nation vowed the vow to emerge stronger than before. Seven years later the vow would be undone.”
“With the collapse of the economy.”
“Yes.... And what event, more than any other, would bring about that collapse?”
“The fall of Lehman Brothers.”...
“And what decision was most critical in bringing about that fall?”
“The decision of the American government to let Lehman Brothers fall.”
“The decision of the American government to let Lehman Brothers fall.”
“And when was that decision announced?”
“I don’t know.”
“It happened on the first day of the emergency meetings in New York City as the Treasury Secretary informed the leaders of Wall Street that the government had decided not to save the ailing firm. It would let Lehman Brothers fall. It was the most fateful of all decisions in triggering the collapse of the American and global economy. The decision was announced and sealed on the Friday before the collapse…September 12.”
“September 12,” I said, “That was the same day that…”
“The same day the prophecy was proclaimed on this hill. It was seven years from the proclamation of the vow to the announcement of the decision that would cause the collapse of its economy – to the day.”
“So the economic collapse was triggered on the seventh anniversary of the proclaiming of the ancient vow.”
“Just as in ancient times the same vow would ultimately lead to the collapse of ancient Israel.”
"A very dangerous vow." (Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, The Harbinger, pp.179-181, Charisma House Book Group)
The critic who cites this part of the narrative from The Harbinger conveniently overlooks and omits from the narrative the critical aspect of the US government’s decision made seven years to the day of the time when the Senate Majority Leader gave his speech before the legislature in the capitol and quoted from Isaiah 9:10 to connect that specific verse to 9/11 – the previous day’s calamity – the collapse of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, the attack on the Pentagon, and the crash of Flight 95 in the fields of Pennsylvania, and the loss of almost three thousand lives in one day.
This is an inconvenient truth that the omitted portion of the narrative brings out – that the timing of when Senator Daschle gave his speech in our nation’s capital occurred on September 12th, 2001, and the date when the Treasury Secretary decided to allow Lehman Brothers to fail which triggered the US and global collapse, occurred precisely on September 12th, 2008. An inconvenient fact, but one which must be overlooked in order to create the false narrative that is used to replace the one The Harbinger presents.
The decision by this government to allow Lehman Brothers to fail, which triggered the economic collapse of the United States and the global economy happened precisely seven years to the day that Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (Democrat South Dakota) made his speech before the legislature, quoting Isaiah 9:10, and linking it to the tragic events of the previous day. This happened, and it is now history. Jonathan Cahn did not make this up. Nor did he event when it occurred, September 12th, 2001. Nor did he manipulate the time when the US government allowed Lehman Brothers to fail which triggered the collapse which followed – as some would have you believe – it occurred on September 12th, 2008. This is the inconvenient truth that the critics of The Harbinger wishes the public forget.
The critics of The Harbinger deftly overlook the fact that the events which occurred, did in fact occur and are now a matter of history. Jonathan Cahn did not make them up, nor did he put them in any specific order to weave his narrative, but they occurred before he wrote his book. This is the most glaring of all of the oversights these people make when criticizing The Harbinger and its author.
KJOS: Keep in mind, this supposed vow is the main foundation for Rabbi Cahn's argument. So to check his theory, I opened our large 1905 Webster's Dictionary and found this definition:
"Vow (noun): A solemn promise made to God... by which one consecrates or devotes himself... wholly or in part to some act, service or condition."
"Vow (verb): To give, consecrate or dedicate to God (or some other deity) by a solemn promise. 'When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.' Ecclesiastes 5:4-5." (More here)
In other words, the actual Old Testament “vow” was far more than a simple statement of good or bad intentions. Failing to fulfill what was promised to God would bring serious consequences. That's why God warns His people to avoid rash or foolish vows (Judges 11:30). But I doubt that the political and media leaders of our increasingly secular nation were making any solemn promise to God when they repeated those three Old Testament words.
CLARIFICATION AND CORRECTION: A vow is a sacred oath made between two or more parties, a compact, or a contract, or even a covenant between two or more parties. It can be a pledge, a promise, an agreement, a declaration, etc. The definitions of a vow are the following from The Free Dictionary by Farlex:
1.) An earnest promise to perform a specified act or behave in a certain manner, especially a solemn promise to live and act in accordance with the rules of a religious order: take the vows of a nun.
2.) A declaration or assertion.
3.) To promise solemnly; pledge. See Synonyms at promise.
4.) To make a pledge or threat to undertake: vowing revenge on their persecutors.
5.) To declare or assert: "Well, I vow it is as fine a boy as ever was seen!" (Henry Fielding).
Additionally, we see the following meanings to the word VOW:
1. a solemn or earnest pledge or promise binding the person making it to perform a specified act or behave in a certain way
2. (Christianity / Ecclesiastical Terms) a solemn promise made to a deity or saint, by which the promiser pledges himself to some future act, course of action, or way of life
(Christianity / Ecclesiastical Terms)
take vows to enter a religious order and commit oneself to its rule of life by the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, which may be taken for a limited period as simple vows or as a perpetual and still more solemn commitment as solemn vows
vb
1. (tr; may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to pledge, promise, or undertake solemnly he vowed that he would continue he vowed to return
2. (Christianity / Ecclesiastical Terms) (tr) to dedicate or consecrate to God, a deity, or a saint
3. (tr; usually takes a clause as object) to assert or swear emphatically
4. (intr) Archaic to declare solemnly
[from Old French vou, from Latin vōtum a solemn promise, from vovēre to vow]
vower n
vowless adj
Also, we see the following meanings:
Noun
|
1.
|
vow - a solemn pledge (to oneself or to another or to a deity) to do something or to behave in a certain manner; "they took vows of poverty"
|
Verb
|
1.
|
profess - take vows, as in religious order; "she professed herself as a nun"
swear - promise solemnly; take an oath
|
2.
|
vow - dedicate to a deity by a vow
dedicate, devote, commit, consecrate, give - give entirely to a specific person, activity, or cause; "She committed herself to the work of God"; "give one's talents to a good cause"; "consecrate your life to the church"
|
Merriam-Webster’s online Dictionary has the following definitions for VOW:
: a solemn promise or assertion; specifically : one by which a person is bound to an act, service, or condition.
1. The monks take a vow of silence.
2. The bride and groom exchanged vows.
3. The mayor made a vow to reduce crime.
Thus, we read that a vow is not restricted to the narrow definition given it by the critic of The Harbinger in this article, but it encompasses a very broad definition of what and to whom and between what parties a vow can be taken. The Harbinger’s description of this ancient vow quoted as a judgment by Isaiah the prophet against the northern kingdom of Israel is correct, and applicable in this regard to how it was applied by various leaders of our nation who connected the verse of Isaiah 9:10 to the tragic events of September 11th, and vowed to rebuild, replant, and restore the ruined heaps of Ground Zero.
The Harbinger’s critic has tried to narrow the meaning and change it to suit the attack and the argument that what the ancient Israelites uttered was not a vow, and that what our national leaders repeated and applied to the devastation in the aftermath of 9/11 and the defiant pledge to rebuild, replant, and restore was nothing but the public rhetoric of a few elected officials, and not the declaration that began the ticking clock of America’s judgment.
KJOS:
Twisting Reality through Dreams and Mysticism
Like God's true prophet Elijah, Cahn's "prophet" not only speaks mysterious truths supposedly from God, he also has power to transport himself in miraculous but timely ways. Does that make him more credible? Or would such fictional "miracles" conflict with God's guidance? After all, the Bible tells us that, "...no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." 2 Peter 1:19-21
"I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran. I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied..." Jeremiah 23:21
“...the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak... that prophet shall die." Deuteronomy 18:18
CLARIFICATION AND CORRECTION: The critic’s misuse of Jeremiah 23:21 does not apply to the current situation, because Jonathan Cahn does not claim to be a prophet, nor does he claim that The Harbinger is prophetic Scripture, nor does he claim that it is prophecy, but it is a warning, and a call to repentance, nothing more. Only Cessationists, literalists, and minimalists (these go hand in hand) would ascribe to The Harbinger attributes it does not possess.
They do it, as you do here; in order to manipulate the public into thinking that Jonathan Cahn is a false prophet and teacher. They do it to build their fiction that he is misleading people, and this ploy is a necessary tactic for them to advance their fiction. In order to discredit him, they must create the fiction that he is a false prophet, because in doing this, they effectively destroy whatever else he has to say, regardless of what it may be. For them the case is closed, and they don’t want to hear anything else about it.
This is why no matter how often Rabbi Cahn answers every objection, they have a retort to shoot back at him – the evidence is that they are not listening because if they were, it would entail they would have to do a reassessment of their claims, and this would discredit them. Human pride is at work and egos are involved, and where these present themselves; there are nothing but conflicts and divisions because of their opinionated ways.
The events of September 11, 2001 have been thoroughly documented and many documentaries have been produced telling and retelling the same story with various details from many different angles, testimonials, and personal recollections by those who lived it, who took part in it, and those who produced these documentaries. Both what happened on that terrible day and what preceded it has been investigated and told and most everyone is knowledgeable in some way as to what occurred. Even what has happened since that day has been reported by the various news organizations and print media with regards to the rebuilding of the Freedom Tower.
Moreover, the bricks, wood, and steel of the World Trade Center were fallen, but the rebuilding began in earnest with hewn stone on July 4, 2004 only when the granite cornerstone for the building of The Freedom Tower was set. The sycamore tree outside Saint Paul’s Chapel had fallen when it was struck by the beam and debris from the collapsing World Trade Center towers, but the cedar tree was lowered into place on November 22, 2003. It was named, the Tree of Hope.
This so-called Tree of Hope today is shriveled and is close to death. Chance? There is no such concept or thing in the Hebrew language or way of thinking. As one presumably Orthodox, obviously Observant Jewish commentator named Rachel has written, and I quote, because I could not have defined it better than she:
“In Judaism, there is no such thing as coincidence. In fact, there is really no Hebrew word for "coincidence". The word that they use in Hebrew for coincidence is "mikreh", or "a happening". Coincidence means that something happened by itself, and it just "happened" to work out. There was nothing greater or bigger controlling what would happen; it just did, coincidentally. Jews are told to believe that G-d runs every single miniscule aspect of our (and everyones') lives. Therefore, there is nothing that happens without His direct involvement and doing. So it would be paradoxical to say that you believe in both Hashgacha Pratis and coincidence, because believing in hashgacha pratis means that you believe that EVERYTHING happens based on G-d's control and desire, and coincidence is believing that it's possible for some things to just happen by themselves.
I believe in Hashgacha Pratis, or at least I try to.”
I ask again, chance? No, I don’t think so. This concept is foreign to a good many Christians, and even secular Jews, and because it is, they form all sorts of beliefs around their preconceptions of God. The God of heaven is as far off as the critics of The Harbinger make Him out to be, but He is as near as the Scriptures teach; yes, as close as every man’s heart. Nothing happens by chance, but by the providence of Almighty God and in His foreknowledge and redemptive plan for mankind, beginning with Israel and extending out through the cross to all of the human race, to as many as will come to Him for salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord.
KJOS: In Chapter 19, titled "The Mystery Ground," the "prophet" continues his lessons using the mysterious "seals" to enlighten Nouriel. As usual, the two men just "happened to" find each other in New York, near Wall Street. But this time, Nouriel has been prepared for their meeting through his own "dream." And, somehow, the "prophet" knows the content of that dream:
“The Temple of Jerusalem was the house of God’s glory,” said the prophet....
“I saw it!” I said, my voice rising in pitch....That’s what it was in the dream—the dedication of the Temple. I had a dream, and it began with Solomon leading a gathering of multitudes at the Temple....
“Yes. The prayers of King Solomon were prophetic.... The Temple Mount was the nation’s ground of dedication.”
“I saw it all in my dream.... And after the dedication, the sky turned dark and something like a storm was coming.” (pp. 197-198]
CLARIFICATION AND CORRECTION: Again the false narrative is being built by the critic’s focus on key words in order to present The Harbinger as something on par to an Occult novel, which it is not. What the critic calls “mysterious seals” are nothing but a fictional prop used by the author to help illustrate and move the narrative along as he develops the various components relative to those seals and what they represent; the nine harbingers.
There is absolutely no reason to tie these seals or any other of the various fictitious elements within the fictitious narrative to mean anything other than what the author makes plain within that narrative. For you to connote something other than what the author implied is nothing more than your own equivocations which you are trying to convince the public are facts. You are manipulating your readers.
KJOS: Notice that Solomon is presented as a good and faithful king.
CLARIFICATION AND CORRECTION: Solomon was a faithful king the day he dedicated the temple he built to the Lord. To speak of what he did and became later in life in this context is to bring the Scripture out of context for the critic’s convenience in order that the false narrative may be posited that “Cahn” as The Harbinger’s critics call Pastor Cahn, is wrong in pointing this out, when in fact he is correct, because at the time of the temple’s dedication, Solomon was a faithful king to his God, the God of Israel.
Take note, Solomon did not build God’s Temple at the end of his reign but at its beginning, therefore false argument presented here is moot, because it ascribes to him a behavior he was to later display, not one which he had displayed when he dedicated the temple to God. The critic is grabbing at straws in order to draw as many conclusions against The Harbinger as can be made. This is intellectually dishonest and below that of a servant of Christ.
KJOS: The fact that he would soon marry pagan wives and accept their occult gods was ignored. Perhaps Cahn's fictional prophet was unaware of the words God spoke through the less famous prophet Ahijah:
"Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon...because they have forsaken Me, and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the people of Ammon, and have not walked in My ways to do what is right in My eyes... as did his father David." 1 Kings 11:28-33
At the end of Solomon's reign, only two of the twelve tribes would be ruled by his son, Rehoboam. "And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days." (1 Kings 14:30) Once again, the main reason for God's punishment was rampant idolatry, faithlessness and corruption.
CLARIFICATION AND CORRECTION: This is correct, but it was during Solomon’s later reign and not his former reign at the time of the temple’s building. To attribute to him behavior that the Scriptures do not attribute to him at the time of the temple’s building, during his early reign, behavior that he would display at the end of his reign is dishonest and historically and Scripturally incorrect. Again, The Harbinger’s critic does it to bring forward another straw that they can latch on into in order to press their arguments against The Harbinger.
KJOS: But let's bypass that inconvenient part of history and continue with the dialogue:
Prophet: “He was placing his hand on a Bible,” said the prophet, “to swear. ...He was taking the oath of the presidency. It was the inauguration, April 30, 1789 [in New York], the beginning of America as a constituted nation....
Prophet: “In your dream the two events were joined together—Israel's dedication and America’s inauguration." [p.200]
CLARIFICATION AND CORRECTION: Here again, in order to build the false narrative that The Harbinger is nothing more than an Occult mystical book, the critic has omitted key parts of the narrative in order to create one that replaces it with a false narrative of the critic’s invention. Again, the parts of the passage that the critic has omitted will be in red font so that the reader may judge for himself/herself just how far out of context this critic places The Harbinger’s narrative from what it is saying. I quote and include:
I took out the seal to look at it once more. “But what does it all have to do with America?” I asked.
“On the day after 9/11,” he said, “the Senate majority leader recited the words of the ancient prophecy at the end of his speech. But at the beginning of that speech, he cited a number. He said:
“It is with pain, sorrow, anger, and resolve that I stand before this Senate – a symbol for 212 years of the strength of our Democracy.”
“Notice the number, Nouriel.”
“Notice the number, Nouriel.”
“Two hundred twelve.”
“It was given to connect 9/11 to the founding of the American government, the establishment of the American nation-state. Do the math.”
“Two thousand one, minus 212 years, comes to 1789.”
“Correct, 1789.”
“But I thought America was founded in 1776.”
“The year 1776 was the year America declared independence. It would be several years before that independence became a reality, and several more years before there was a Constitution upon which the nation would be established. America, as weknow it – with a president, a Senate, and a House of Representatives – only came into existence in 1789. More specifically, it came into existence on April 30, 1789, the day when, for the first time, all these were in place – America’s first day as a fully constituted nation.”
“What happened on April 30?”
“It was the day that the nation’s government was completed as set forth in the Constitution, the day America’s first president was inaugurated.”
“George Washington!”
“Yes.”
“He was part of it too,” I said.
Nouriel: He“[George Washington] was there in the dream...at the dedication of the Temple.... First it was King Solomon, and then it was Washington.”
“Why do you think that, Nouriel?”
“Why was Washington in my dream?”
“Why was Washington in my dream?”
“Yes.”
“Tell me.”
“It wasn’t my dream.”
“I don’t know,” I said. “A sign that it had something to do with America.”
“What was he doing in your dream?”
“Leading the people in prayer, like Solomon. And then he stretched forth his right hand as if reaching for something.”
“Like this?” The prophet stretched forth his right hand with his palm turned down.
“Yes, exactly like that. How did you…”
“But he wasn’t so much reaching for something; his palm was turned down.”’
“Then what was he doing?”
Prophet: “He was placing his hand on a Bible,” said the prophet, “to swear. ...He was taking the oath of the presidency. It was the inauguration, April 30, 1789 [in New York], the beginning of America as a constituted nation.... the foundation, 212 years before 9/11.”
Nouriel: “The inauguration of George Washington on the Temple Mount?”
Prophet: “In your dream the two events were joined together—Israel's dedication and America’s inauguration, the one superimposed on the other."
“Why?”
“It was your dream…you tell me.”
“Because somehow the two days are connected?”
“But how?” asked the prophet. “What would they have in common?”
“The dedication of the Temple was also an inauguration,” I said, “and the inauguration of the American government would also be a type of dedication. Each was an opening day and a day of completion. Each represented the completion of a structure…the structure of a nation. And each involved the nation gathering together.”
“But how?” asked the prophet. “What would they have in common?”
“The dedication of the Temple was also an inauguration,” I said, “and the inauguration of the American government would also be a type of dedication. Each was an opening day and a day of completion. Each represented the completion of a structure…the structure of a nation. And each involved the nation gathering together.”
“Gathering together where?”
“In the nation’s capital?”
“And who presided over each gathering?”
“And who presided over each gathering?”
“The nation’s leader…the king…the president.”
“And in your dream, did King Solomon speak?”
“Yes.”
“What did he say?”
“I don’t know.”
“King Solomon began his address by acknowledging God’s hand and faithfulness in the nation’s history. So, on the day of America’s inauguration day, the nation’s first president would do likewise. In the first ever presidential address, this is what he said:
“No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than those of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency.”
“As he addressed the people in the days of the dedication, King Solomon offered up prayers and supplications to the Almighty, interceding for the Lord’s blessing on the nation’s future. Now listen to the words of Washington’s first presidential address:
“It would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official act my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of naitons, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States a Government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes.”
“In my dream, Solomon was praying, then Washington took his place but continued praying. The two leaders…the two events were superimposed. So that’s why.”
“And it wasn’t just Solomon who was praying for the nation’s future,” he said, “but all the leaders and multitudes who were gathered on the Temple Mount, everyone. So too it was on America’s inauguration. It was designated as a day of prayer and dedication. This was the proclamation that went forth:
“On the morning of the day on which our illustrious President will be invested with his office, the bells will ring at nine o’clock, when the people may go up to the house of God, and in a solemn manner commit the new government, with its important train of consequences, to the holy protection and blessing of the Most High. An early hour is prudently fixed for this peculiar act of devotion and is designed wholly for prayer.”
“So on the morning of April 30, 1789, the sounds of bells filled the nation’s capital for thirty minutes, calling the people to go up to the house of God, to commit the new government to the holy protection and blessing of the Most High. As for the nation’s first president and government, it would be later that same day that they would gather for prayer to commit the future into God’s hands, at a place especially chosen for that purpose. So after the new president finished delivering the first presidential address, he would lead the Senate and the House of Representatives on foot in a procession through the streets of the capital from Federal Hall, the site of the inauguration, to the place appointed for their prayers.”
“And what was the place appointed?” I asked.
“And what was the place appointed?” I asked.
“A little stone church.”
“So the first official act of the newly formed government took place inside the walls of a church.”
“That’s correct,” he replied. “the nation’s first president, Senate, and House of Representatives were all there inside that little stone sanctuary. The gathering would be recorded in the Annals of Congress as part of the first-ever joint session of Congress with an acting president. The inauguration of the United States, as we know it, began with a sacred gathering before God.”
“So the first collective act of the new formed American government was to gather for prayer.”
“To gather for prayer, undoubtedly to give thanks, and specifically to commit the future into the holy protection and blessing of the Host High.”
(Jonathan Cahn, The Harbinger, pp. 199-203, Charisma House Book Group, 2012)
So the reader can readily see for themselves that almost the entire narrative has been expunged by The Harbinger’s critic in order to replace it with a narrative much different than what it is in the pages of the book. What’s more, it is intentionally presented this way in order to create the illusion in the reader that The Harbinger invokes not the God of the Bible, but a Kabbalistic falsehood. It is clear from reading then ENTIRE narrative that nothing can be further from the truth. This is intellectual dishonesty, and it is an outright falsehood and lie on the critic’s part. The selection of parts of the narrative while omitting other parts of it, are intentionally crafted by the critic in order to create a false narrative around The Harbinger; one that does not exist, but which the critic wishes to promote.
I have written before concerning the reading into The Harbinger things that are not there. Moreover, the so-called signs are nothing but signposts or indicators much as one sees a stop sign and it indicates the immediate cessation of forward movement in an automobile, or any wheeled vehicle. When Jonathan Cahn speaks of a sign, it is not some allegorical or supernatural manifestation, but something that is indicative of a definitive reality about the topic being presented. To attribute something that the original writer did not attribute to his writing is both dishonest and a deceptive method of discrediting by association or inference, which does not indicate that what is being attributed to a person or an object is necessarily what that person or object is. Your clever argument is nothing but a practice in false charges based upon assumptions that place associations to fictional items in The Harbinger the writer did not place upon them. This is patently one lie after another in order to discredit his book. Anyone reading this can see right through it.
KJOS: The mystical "seals", the hidden messages, and the supernatural knowledge of this strange "prophet" resemble the Kabbalah, a form of Jewish mysticism. Ponder these two quotes from The Harbinger:
"Then I made a trip to Brooklyn. That's where my friend was, an Orthodox Jewish man who ran a little bookstore, in back of which was a study, a library of all sorts of mystical Hebrew writings. That was his passion -- finding meaning in mystical Hebrew literature. I figured he'd be the right one." [p.240]
"So tell me what it says?'
'Blessed of God is the son of God's light, the declarer.'
'Who told you it said that?'
'A friend... a friend who specializes in mystical Hebrew writings.'" [p.242]
"So tell me what it says?'
'Blessed of God is the son of God's light, the declarer.'
'Who told you it said that?'
'A friend... a friend who specializes in mystical Hebrew writings.'" [p.242]
CLARIFICATION AND CORRECTION: Of course, again the critic of The Harbinger here resorts to quoting only a part of the book and omitting other pertinent parts of the narrative quoted. This is done in order to create the false narrative that Jonathan Cahn is promoting the Kabbalah in his novel. He is not. Let us take a look at the complete narrative in its proper context. Again, the missing narrative is in red fonts. Note just how much of the narrative is missing, and how the critic of The Harbinger writing here, manipulates what is quoted to ascribe a completely different meaning and context to the narrative; one that supports the contention that The Harbinger and Jonathan Cahn through the fictional characters support Kabbalah – a context and meaning that neither The Harbinger, its fictional characters, or Jonathan Cahn support. This is intellectually dishonest, duplicitous, and unethical; something unbecoming of a Christian; but when has fleshly human bias ever kept anyone – Christian or unbeliever – from resorting to this? Should we then be surprised that it is deftly employed here? Take a look.
"Then I made a trip to Brooklyn. That's where my friend was, an Orthodox Jewish man who ran a little bookstore, in back of which was a study, a library of all sorts of mystical Hebrew writings. That was his passion -- finding meaning in mystical Hebrew literature. I figured he'd be the right one."
I figured he’d be the right one. When I told him the purpose of my coming, he closed up the shop and led me to the back room. We sat down at a bare wooden table surrounded by bookcases. He put on his reading glasses and began examining the transcription. After a few moments of silence, he began deciphering it:
‘“Baruch,’ he said, ‘It means, blessed. It’s the word that begins most Hebrew prayers.
“Yahu or Yah. It’s the sacred name of God, so sacred I shouldn’t be saying it, but so I did. So, Blessed of God.
‘“Ben. – It means, the son. Blessed of God is the son.
‘“Neri means light and Yahu, again, the name of God. So the light of God.
‘“Ha Sofer, ‘the one who declares or the declarer.’
“‘So what is it saying?’ I asked.”
‘“It’s saying: “Blessed of God is the son of the Light of God, the declarer.”
‘“And what is that supposed to mean?’ I asked.
‘“How should I know?’ he replied. ‘You’re the one who gave it to me.’
‘“But what do you think it means?”
‘“It sounds like a blessing for a righteous man, a child of the light.’
‘“And the declarer…the declarer of what?’
‘“How should I know the declarer of what?’
‘“Have you ever come across anything like that before in your studies?
‘“I’ve come across many Hebrew blessings, but I don’t remember anything quite like this. You copied it from an inscription?’
‘“Yes.’
‘“Maybe from an amulet or something?’
‘“Something.”’
‘“An inscription with a Hebrew blessing is not such a strange thing. It’s a blessing. So you have a blessing?’
‘“But what does it mean?’
‘“It means you’re a blessed man.’
‘“And that’s all he gave me.”
“So what did you make of it?” she asked.
“I didn’t know what to make of it. The translation really didn’t give me anything to go on. It didn’t seem to have anything to do with anything.”
“But now you know what the inscription meant.”
“Yes. Now I knew what it meant and had no idea what it signified.”
“So what did you do?”
“I went for a walk along the Hudson. It was a cloudy, windy day. It was late in the afternoon. Halfway into the walk I decided to take a break. There was an empty bench nearby. It was, though I didn’t realize it at the time, the same bench on which the prophet was sitting when we first met. I sat down, took out the seal, and just stared at it as I pondered my lack of direction and my still unresolved burden. I was lost in thought for several minutes before I heard a voice from behind.
‘“Looks like a storm.”’
‘“The same words,” she said. “The same words the prophet spoke to you at the very beginning.”
“the same words and the same voice.”
“It does,” I answered, without breaking my gaze, without turning around to see who was speaking.
“What’s that,” he asked, “in your hand? Some archeological artifact?”
“One of several,” I said, “each with a mystery.”
“And this one? Of what mystery does it speak?” he asked.
“I don’t know. It speaks…but it doesn’t say anything…nothing that means anything.”
“So you haven’t figured it out yet?”
“I know what it says, but I din’t know what it means.”
With that, the prophet came around to the front of the bench.
“Still,” I answered.
He sat down. “It all began with that seal,” he said, “and right here.”
“But I still don’t know what it means or what I’m supposed to do with it all.”
“But you said you knew what it says.”
“But you said you knew what it says.”
“Yes.”
"So tell me what it says?'
'Blessed of God is the son of God's light, the declarer.'
'Who told you it said that?'
'A friend... a friend who specializes in mystical Hebrew writings.'" [p.240-242]
"So tell me what it says?'
'Blessed of God is the son of God's light, the declarer.'
'Who told you it said that?'
'A friend... a friend who specializes in mystical Hebrew writings.'" [p.240-242]
The prophet’s mention of 'A friend... a friend who specializes in mystical Hebrew writings'" alludes to the possibility that both men have a mutual acquaintance who owns an old bookstore in Brooklyn, who specializes in mystical (spiritual) Hebrew writings. Take note, there is no mention of the Kabbalah in this narrative, yet the critic of The Harbinger has selectively quoted and omitted the narrative to spin a false narrative around the text and the story to support a contention and a charge that does not exist – that The Harbinger and its author Jonathan Cahn support the Kabbalah and its teachings, and even promote it to mislead Christians. This horrendous! This is bearing false witness against another person with disinformation!
It is unfortunate that you know so little of Jewish Culture and of what the meaning the word “mystical” has upon the eastern oriental mind of a Jew. There is nothing mysterious in pronoun; it simply means spiritual. Since you are steeped in an education based upon a Greco-Roman Western Orientation steeped in Greek Philosophy and influences, you know next to nothing how to process the connotation that this word has upon the Jewish mind trained in spiritual religious disciplines outsiders know very little of and few have had the privilege to take part and venture in; who are not Jewish and have not spent the better part of their lives in Judaism, but have had a taste of it, as Proselytes of the Gate sort to speak. Unfortunately because of this ignorance, when such a word is used, it is automatically mistaken and misunderstood to mean precisely what you have attributed to it right here, because it is often used by Kabbalists to describe their teachings which are occult in nature.
The Apostle Paul, who was in his day the equivalent of today’s Orthodox Chassidic Rabbi, living his entire life as a Pharisee – the strictest and most observant order in Second Temple Post Exilic Judaism; wrote quite a bit of mysteries that only the spiritual – that is one who is born again of the Holy Spirit of God – could understand. Why is it that The Harbinger’s critics wish to attach so much to a word? And then weave as you do here, an entire false narrative around a part of the book which has nothing to do with Kabbalah? It is because it serves the false narrative that The Harbinger’s critics wish to create around the book in order to replace what it says with the false narrative of their creation.
What we Christians denote as spiritual to the Jewish mind means mystical, thus the use of the word by Pastor Cahn, who is Jewish indicates precisely what is translated in our New Testament in Paul the Apostle’s writings as spiritual, where he presents this understanding to his largely Gentile audience pertaining to things the world at large do not understand and cannot understand:
These people of whom Paul the Apostle writes about displayed in his day the same kind of ignorance towards the spiritual (mystical) that you and other critics of The Harbinger display, having not understanding beyond that which learned from teachers who themselves lacked this understanding because it has been largely lost in the predominant Gentile oriented Church.
We can thank the Roman Catholic Church of the 4th and succeeding centuries for this, for it did a “marvelous” job of eradicating as much as possible from the Christian faith anything and everything “Jewish” that it could. The Roman Catholic Church despised the hated Jews for their continuous rebellions against their empire and the troubles and hardship in repeated wars and rebellions this brought to their empire in throes of its decline.
And as soon as it assumed the mantle of “Christianity” upon itself, it took full advantage and good use of what it could to destroy what was left of the faith once and for all delivered to the saints by removing from it the last vestiges of its Jewish cultural roots. It was from this wellspring of Anti-Semitism that it began to see itself as the New Israel, and took upon itself all of the blessings of national Israel while ascribing to the “hated Jews” all of the curses and invectives they could muster by claiming that God had rejected His people for their rejection of their Christ, Jesus.
When in October 31st of 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses upon the doorposts of the All Saints Church in Wittenberg and turned the Christian World upside down, he was not very different than the Roman Catholic Church to which he still belonged at the time of his protestations against its unbiblical practices and unscriptural teachings, after all, Luther was himself an Augustinian Monk. It was not his original intent to foment a religious rebellion against it by polemicizing openly, but by debating the practice of Indulgences and the Pope’s grand design of building Saint Peter’s Basilica with the proceeds it collected from the poor of the land while the Church leadership lived in opulence and untold wealth. The Church of Rome did not lack funds to build the Basilica, it simply did not wish to use its vast wealth to build Saint Peter’s Basilica.
The apple didn’t fall far from the tree with Martin Luther. He too would speak all manner of calumnies against the Jewish people. This was borne out years later when he turned on the Jews of Germany in this writings, an unfortunate manifestation of the still festering Anti-Semitism the Roman Catholic Church instilled and still instills in its faithful. The Protestant Reformation did very little to change this. In fact, there are Protestant Churches who even with Paul’s inspired writings to the contrary in the Scriptures; teach the false Catholic Doctrine of Supersessionism/Replacement Theoleogy. Much of this ignorance is inculcated in today’s seminaries which teach this false doctrine among many others such as Cessationism, and the trend towards Post-Modernism.
Many of The Harbinger’s critics have wrongly accused Jonathan Cahn of promoting a form of Replacement Theology because he mentioned the Puritan belief of themselves as a second Israel and America as a new Promised Land. Rabbi Cahn did not say that he agreed with their point of view, nor did he accuse the Puritans of themselves ascribing to it, but he simply mentions it as a matter of what they believed themselves to be under Jesus Christ as heirs to the promises of God in Christ, just as the New Testament teaches. (Romans 8:17, Ephesians 3:6, Titus 3:7, Hebrews 6:17, James 2:5)
Nowhere does he claim that they have replaced Israel as God’s people, or America as God’s land. Nowhere, and I bear witness to this, having known the man for over ten years and having sat in on almost all of this sermons and teachings. Jimmy DeYoung accused Rabbi Cahn of this when he was interviewed by Brannon Howse on his radio program Worldview Weekend in 2012.
KJOS: Many of these "mystical Hebrew writings" and strange biblical interpretations can be found in the Zohar, the written doctrines of the Kabbalah. See our updated article on "The ZOHAR and Kabbalistic Mysticism."
CLARIFICATION AND CORRECTION: Here we witness the false narrative – that The Harbinger supports and promotes the Zohar and the doctrines of the Kabbalah – come to the fore; precisely what we see that the critic of The Harbinger is trying to present – the false narrative.
What is alluded to in The Harbinger is not the Zohar, but more than likely The Talmud; the writings of the rabbis that deal with spirituality and the various halachic traditions inculcated by the strictest practitioners of the Jewish faith; the Chassidim, and Orthodox Jews worldwide. What’s more, there is no mention of the Zohar, the Kabbalah, or any other Occult literature in The Harbinger’s narrative. To claim that this is what Jonathan Cahn is trying to promote here is a claim that is not supported by the evidence. Why must you attribute to this book something that is not there? Why must you make associations that the author of the book does not make, and has not intention of making? This is intellectually dishonest. It is pure equivocation on your part, and very misleading.
The use of the word mystery, and signs Rabbi Cahn has the prophet allude to, has been highly criticized by David James, T.A. McMahon, Jimmy DeYoung, and other Cessationists, because of their aversion and bias against such words and phrases. I’ve written about this on my blog site The Pepster’s Post: A Voice in Cyberspace in various articles on the topic of The Harbinger and its critics. I include a part of an article on one such quote below:
For example Pastor Eric Douma claims that Pastor and Messianic Rabbi Cahn is revealing new revelation, because of his use of the word "mystery" and "secret" and other such words, and therefore since he is not a prophet, Pastor Douma infers, Rabbi Cahn cannot reveal secrets. Pastor Douma misses the point; Rabbi Jonathan Cahn is not claiming new revelation, nor is he claiming to be a prophet, and his use of the words he employs is in the context of God revealing through His Holy Spirit the knowledge of what His Word teaches, what is already contained in the written word - Sola Scriptura. When Rabbi Cahn employs such words as "mystery" and others like "secret", he is doing it in context of 1Corinthians 2. To the unsaved the Bible is a closed book and its content, mysteries and secrets, just as Paul the Apostle under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit writes the following:
Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; but just as it is written,
“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,
And which have not entered the heart of man,
All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”
For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.
(1Corinthians 2:6-14)
It is in this context that Rabbi Cahn speaks of the mystery of the Nine Harbingers contained in clay tablets that are signs of each Harbinger, or warning. In this regard, I have posted the following on my web site to explain what Rabbi Cahn means by the phraseology he uses, which his critics find objectionable because of their misunderstanding of them; a misunderstanding that began and has been perpetuated by T.A. McMahon, David James, and Jimmy DeYoung and others of the Berean Call and other self-professed “discernment ministries” associated with theirs.
I have spoken with Rabbi Cahn, I have read his book The Harbinger, I know what he means when he employs words such as sign, mystery, etc.. and it is within the context of the story itself. You read the book, you realize that the clay seals depicting each Harbinger is a sign, much in the context of an Exit or Stop sign one sees when travelling a road. And as to mystery that is revealed, no Rabbi Cahn is not practicing divination as Pastor Douma claims in a Sunday school sermon he gave at his church, but Rabbi Cahn employs the word in the context of 1Corinthians 2, where the Apostle Paul studies the dichotomy between the regenerative man and the unregenerate man, and the two separate world views the two have and the completely different lives each leads, and how they understand things and view the world around them.
When Rabbi Cahn speaks of mysteries, he is referring to the fact that the Holy Scriptures and what they contain are both a mystery and a sealed book to the unsaved, not some new revelation or new prophecy outside of the cannon of Scripture that is to be treated as authoritative as the Bible as these people charge. There is no new revelation, but the revelation is in God’s written Word, understood through careful study of the Scriptures as the Holy Spirit of God provides the believer the insight into His Word. When Rabbi Cahn speaks of these harbingers, and they are variably called “signs,” he is using the word as one uses it plainly as for example that a “sign” of inflation is the rise in the price of good or fuel. This is what he means by “sign.”
Moreover, to those who do not understand economics, these indications or signs are simply a mystery, inasmuch that they are inexplicable to them because they do not have a technical reference point to connect them one to the other other than they just know it costs more to purchase goods and services, and energy. To those who know the “mystery” behind the economics, it is understood that when the Federal Reserve inflates the currency, it devalues the currency in circulation. Therefore it costs more to purchase an item because now the item’s price has increased relative to the value of the dollar used in purchasing that item, because the dollar is now worth less requiring more of it to purchase the item. Therefore it can be said that higher prices are a harbinger of inflation.
This is what is meant by the harbingers being signs, because they indicate or point to something greater than themselves; to their culminations. A harbinger is a warning or an indication of something coming which has not yet arrived. Why David James and other Cessationist critics of The Harbinger wish to attach to the plain meaning of what Rabbi Cahn is writing other nefarious meanings is beyond me, but this is precisely what they do, and this is precisely what David James does throughout his book.
(I continue) The accusation flung at him (Rabbi Cahn) that he is attempting to teach a new revelation or reveal hidden mysteries is absurd and completely groundless. Those who make such charges know themselves that this is not true; they are merely using hyperbole, and in so doing creating a false witness against Rabbi Cahn that should not exist. This is very serious.
Some websites in complete ignorance of the facts have accused Rabbi Cahn of being a Gnostic, or a Kabbalist, or even worse a false prophet because he has often used Extra-Biblical literature such as the writings of the rabbis to help illustrate the fact that even hostile witnesses within Judaism unknowingly support the truth of the Gospel.
He's even been accused wrongly of elevating the writings of the rabbis to that of the Holy Scriptures and the rabbis to the status of the prophets. Absolute hyperbole and nonsense. Like many of the finest Bible scholars and teachers of our times have done themselves; he uses historical, archeological sources, and the writings of the rabbis to help illustrate and support what the Bible says. He does not elevate their status to that of the Holy Scriptures, as David James accuses him of doing, but uses them as hostile witnesses to support the Bible.
(Parts taken from The Pepster’s Post: A Voice in Cyberspace, posting for October 23rd, 2012. For the entire post, it is titled, Semantics & Dead Scholasticism Applied to The Harbinger)
KJOS:The next two links provide additional warnings:
Kabbalah: "'Kabbalah' is a doctrine of esoteric knowledge concerning God and the universe, asserted to have come down as a revelation to the Sages from a remote past, and preserved only by a privileged few. Kabbalah is considered part of the Jewish Oral Law. It is the traditional mystical understanding of the Torah. Kabbalah stresses the reasons and understanding of the commandments, and the cause of events described in the Torah." [www.milechai.com/judaism/kabbalah.html]
The New Kabbalah: "The New Kabbalah is a philosophy and Jewish theology grounded in the union between traditional Jewish mysticism and modern rational thought. ...the New Kabbalah seeks to uncover and further develop the philosophical and psychological significance of Kabbalistic symbols and ideas. In addition, the New Kabbalah is enriched by comparative studies and dialog between Jewish mysticism and other religious and philosophical traditions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Platonism, and Gnosticism.
"The New Kabbalah is born out of the conviction that the theosophical system of Luria and his followers promotes an open economy of thought, dialog and criticism while at the same time providing a coherent and comprehensive account of the world and humanity's role within it that is intellectually, morally and spiritually vital for us today." [www.newkabbalah.com/home.html]
CLARIFICATION AND CORRECTION: The entry above is misapplied here, inasmuch as the false narrative attributed to The Harbinger has been shown to be misapplied by its critic. It is only cited here by the critic in order to build the false narrative with a show of having knowledge into the topic of the Kabbalah, inferring that because of this, the critic’s contention ought to be taken serious and believed. We have seen that this is not so. The premise upon which the charge is made and built is false and misapplied and therefore invalid.
The Kabbalah ought to be avoided by all followers of Jesus Christ – be they Jewish or Gentile, period. Jonathan Cahn has taught this, and the only places where it has been used by Messianic Jews has been where they employ it to show from it – hostile witnesses – that unknowingly Judaism in many of its own writings, included within various places of the Zohar, corroborate what the Gospel says about Jesus; that He is the Messiah, and of His divinity, including most amazingly, the doctrine of the Triune God.
If it is to be used, it is in the area of studies which bear out the fact that though Jesus is rejected currently by Judaism, many of its rabbis of old associated what we have come to know as the Messianic Scriptures – those Scripture passages which speak of the Messiah – as directly speaking of the Messiah, and that these descriptions of the Messiah corroborate in many ways what the New Testament records of Jesus Christ. This is what is commonly known in legal terms as the use of a hostile witness to bring forth either what the defense posits or what the prosecution posits on behalf of their client – in this case; the client or the topic of discussion is Christ. In our case, it is The Harbinger, and this explanation is meant to clarify the muddled reasoning of The Harbinger’s critics. As I wrote Olive Tree Ministries months ago:
For those who wish to hear something new on this post about The Harbinger and get a handle on the critics of this amazing book, I submit this post. I know Rabbi Cahn personally, and have known him for over ten years.
He has been accused of everything from being a mystic who promotes Theosophy, to being a Kabbalist, to being a Gnostic, to promoting the Zohar and elevating the writings of the rabbis to the status of the Holy Scriptures, with the rabbi being on equal par with the prophets. Nonsense. Utter nonsense.
Rabbi Jonathan Cahn is not a mystic; he is not a Kabbalist, or a Gnostic, nor does he promote Theosophy, Scientology, or any other aberrant beliefs. He does not consider The Zohar, the Talmud, the rabbinic writings as inspired, nor has he ever elevated the rabbis to status of prophets. Those who contend that he does are bearing false witness against him and his book and his teachings.
His use of passages in The Zohar, the rabbinic writings of the Talmud, and many of the writings of Judaism are employed as "hostile witnesses" in reinforcing the truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ by Rabbi Cahn, as they are often used by scholars and apologists to support the veracity of the Scriptures and their reliability, just they and he have used archeology as evidence of the Bible's historicity.
In a court of law, this is called the use of the hostile witness for either cross examination, and it is used quite often by the best lawyers to develop and support their case. This is how Rabbi Cahn uses these writings, and how any Christian, Messianic Jew, or historian employs them, I know firsthand, because I also have used them this way.
This post is perhaps one of the more egregious of all of the postings on the Internet written by ignorant writers criticizing The Harbinger. It is a testament, as are the others; to the destructive power of religious ignorance and the misuse and miss-application of facts mixed with enough false associations to mislead if possible even the very elect, just as Our Lord warned. (Matthew 24:24) Some sites are now calling Jonathan Cahn a heretic, so they’ve become more brazen and sophisticated in their personal attacks against the man, and have been emboldened by the Berean Call and the Alliance for Biblical Integrity, two well-associated ministries who’ve collaborated to produce an inaccurate book against The Harbinger, which misquotes and misuses entire paragraphs and large portions of Pastor Cahn’s New York Times best-seller without having first obtained from him or the publisher’s (Charisma House/Charisma Book Publishers) either verbal or written permission to do so.
KJOS:
A Closer look at Washington's Faith and Fears?
In his inauguration address, Washington said,
“No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than those of the United States.... It would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official act my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States a Government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes.” [p.200]
The man chosen to administer the oath was the Grand Master of Masons in New York. At least a dozen other masons participated, including George Washington himself. You may want to check some of these (outside) links [here, here and here] for a small glimpse of the spiritual warfare involved in the roots of our nation. They illustrate this disturbing synthesis of Biblical truth and occult mysticism.
CLARIFICATION AND CORRECTION: In order to continue building on the false narrative around The Harbinger, it is convenient for the writer of this article to omit here various other facts about George Washington’s life which prove a bit inconvenient if he is to posit an argument that Washington was nothing more than a Mason, in order to bring Washington’s personal beliefs and faith into question; that is to say that because Washington was a Mason, he could not be a Christian. To prove this, the argument is used that Washington did not partake of the Sacrament of Holy Communion – the Lord’s Supper – while he attended
One of the sites cited by the writer to his article, that of The Grand Lodge F. & A. M. of the State of New York; only states the well-known fact that Washington was a Mason. That we know. The other site describes the Inauguration of George Washington, ending in the following manner, where it says, and I quote: “The first inauguration . . . one in which the principal, a Freemason, took an oath administered by a Grand Master of Masons, upon the Bible of a Masonic Lodge, and witnessed by other Masonic and public dignitaries. We are all proud of Washington as our first President; we can be equally proud of him as a Freemason!”
The third web site cited by Kjos is one which presents a history of the George Washington Masonic Memorial. But why should we be surprised by this? Missing conveniently from the article by Kjos are some salient details which prove extremely inconvenient about George Washington when they show a different side to the Father of the Republic. Let me include these “minor ‘inconvenient’ details” here. I’ll post here what I wrote to another critic of The Harbinger, beginning with why the election of grace in Christ predominates every human endeavor where the name of Christ is evoked in prayer and convocation, such as when our nation was founded. I quote:
Israel was founded by covenant with God, but the land was seized and occupied by conquest at God’s command. What’s more, the covenant God made with Abraham was for him and his descendants and it pertained to the land of Canaan, but the special relationship and friendship that God and Abraham had, has since been established by grace through Jesus Christ to every person and every tongue under every nation under heaven. And it is by virtue of this process established by God through the Gospel of God’s extended grace through Jesus Christ to every nation, those among those nations and tongues and people may come to Him for grace and forgiveness and find it. Therefore if groups of people, communities and even regions or nations come before God and seek His face and make their peace with Him, He will honor their petition, heal their land, forgive their sins, and restore what was taken away. This is Biblical, because through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, God’s promise to Abraham that through his seed all the nations of the world would be blessed. (Acts 10:34-35, 43, 28:28, Romans 3:29-30, 10:12-13, 15:26, Acts 10:34-35, 17:26-27)
The evidence for it is all over the Hebrew Scriptures and only the Cessationist, Dispensationist, and Minimalist say otherwise, because it does not fit their well-developed and structured nineteenth century human created systemized method of studying the Scriptures. Because much of the Post-Modern Protestant Cessationist Church has forgotten the very basics of God’s plan of salvation, we must return to those basics and study them anew to understand the implications of what The Harbinger’s critics are trying to teach and pass off as “correct Biblical Hermeneutics” to an unsuspecting and largely Biblically illiterate Christian public as “discernment.”
In very fact, the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews unequivocally counts the consummation of the ages from the cross – a period in which Christ has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. (Hebrews 9:26). The consummation of what? The consummation of that which God had predestined before the foundation of the world – before time itself; yes, the consummation of the ages before which He had in His foreknowledge, predestined His will to do for man what He foreknew man could not do for himself, provide through the sacrifice of His Only Begotten Son our salvation (John 3:16-17, Hebrews 10:10-14); just as it says:
For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
(Hebrews 9:24-26)
We see it as early as Genesis if read properly and in its context – God’s redemptive plan made by Him before the foundation of the earth was laid. (Ephesians 1:4, 1Peter 1:20) An excellent commentary that explains predestination versus free will says the following which I quote from the margins of my own Bible. It is a commentary for Ephesians 1:4. I quote:
“‘Election’ is a sovereign outworking of God’s power to effect that which is pleasing to Him according to His righteous and holy will. The New Testament uses the term ‘elect’ (eklektoi) to include a variety of meanings. Thus every believer is elected or chosen: (1) to good works (2:10); (2) to conformity to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29); (3) to eternal glory (Rom. 9:23); (4) to adoption as a son (1:5).
“But the aspect of election that has given rise to dispute relates to salvation itself. It has been argued that if only those who are elected are saved, then the death of Christ was really intended for them (limited atonement). Others insist that a ‘bona fide’ offer to men that all everywhere should repent (Acts 17:30) involves a divine intention for Christ’s atonement to save all mankind (unlimited atonement). Scripture teaches that election is according to God’s sovereign purpose (1:11; Rom. 8:29; 1Pet. 1:2). But nowhere does the Bible make explicit what it is in God’s foreknowledge that determines His election choice. At all events, the Scriptures appear to teach clearly enough that men are free agents with moral responsibility, while at the same time God is sovereign and works out all things according to His own good pleasure.”
(Harold Lindsell Ph. D. D.D., commentary to Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians 1:4 in the margin of The Harper Study Bible, New American Standard Bible, page 1487. Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, California, 1985)
What relevance does this have to The Harbinger and our discussion of this topic? Much, in fact everything. In it is the linchpin that flies in the face of every claim and criticism posited by The Harbinger’s critics upon which they base their arguments against the parallelisms that exist between ancient Israel and modern America. Let’s begin to examine these by going to the Scriptures which present before us the panoramic plan of redemption in the first book of the Bible, the Book of Genesis, and as the Lord wills, we will work our way from there throughout the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation.
We begin with the story of Adam and Eve. The earliest reference to God’s redemptive plan for the human race and all creation is found in what is known as the protoevangelium, or “the first Gospel,” in Genesis 3:15. Our study begins right after the creation, before the fall of man, when the couple had full access to roam the garden of Eden at will, where the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. (Genesis 2:15)
Following the creation narrative in the Torah (Genesis 1 and 2), the first manifestation of sin in God’s new creation is explained. (Genesis 3:1-19) The narrative opens with the serpent’s temptation of Eve (Genesis 3:1-5), then the couple’s sin (Genesis 3:6-7). The Scripture records the first sin in the following manner:
Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.
(Genesis 3:1-6)
The serpent was obviously given an ability of speech and cunning by an evil power. The Hebrew word used here describes the snake as more cunning than any other beast in the animal kingdom, probably given this ability by Satanic power, which he immediately uses against Eve, to convincingly tempt her to sin against God. First he twists what God told Adam, which Adam had relayed to Eve. This is what God told Adam:
“Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”
(Genesis 2:15-17)
Now this is how the serpent reworded it in order to confuse Eve:
Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”
(Genesis 3:1b)
The following commentary is taken from the Liberty Bible Commentary:
“With the first words of the serpent it becomes apparent that an enemy of God is speaking; for he says, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? The words form a question, which seems designed to cast doubt upon God’s goodness and yet, at the same time, seems to imply that if the serpent is misinformed, he is willing to be instructed in the matter (Do you really mean to say God has said you are not to eat from all of them?). He implants the idea that God is unduly strict in not permitting Adam and Eve to eat from all the trees. Another mark of his subtlety is that he has no desire to arrive at the truth.”
(Liberty Bible Commentary, Volume One, page 19 bottom, 20 top. The Old-Time Gospel Hour, Lynchburg, Virginia, 1982.)
Take note, the serpent inferred that God had said that the couple could not eat from any tree in the garden, when in fact, God allowed that they could eat from any tree in the garden freely, but not from a single tree – the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The crafty serpent cleverly twisted God’s positive behavioral allowance into a negative behavioral restriction. Moreover, his twisting of the command is meant to solicit confusion and sow doubt as to precisely what God had said, and therefore open the subject he directed his question to, to his continued suggestions. His tactics have remained the same to this day, and he has twisted Scripture to use against those whom he tempts, just as he tried to use against the Messiah Himself without success. (Matthew 4:1-8)
Eve’s position had been weakened by the fact that she had never heard this command herself, because when God gave it, she had not yet come into being; in fact of all of God’s creation, she was the last to be created, and she is the only living breathing being to be created directly from Adam’s body; from his rib. (See Genesis 2:21-22) Therefore the only commandment she had to go on was Adam’s to her about what God had given him, and the only reference we have to this is Eve’s paraphrase of the commandment Adam had presumably given her, which is the following:
The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’”
(Genesis 3:2-3)
Now Eve’s answer to the serpent’s question is correct. It is a paraphrase of the command, but it is correct. God had allowed that the couple eat from any tree of the garden, with the exception of one tree; the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil. Yet, the serpent had successfully sowed doubt in Eve’s thinking with his question, and next following her reply to him, the serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4-5)
The Biblical record illustrates for us that Eve fell prey to the three main areas of temptation – the lust of the flesh – where the Scripture says that when the woman saw that the tree was good for food (Genesis 3:6a); the lust of the eyes – and that it was a delight to the eyes (Genesis 3:6b); and the boastful pride of lifestyle – and that the tree was desirable to make one wise. (Genesis 3:6c) Elsewhere we see the origins of sin does not originate with God, but is from the world in John’s First Letter where he describes sin in the world in the following manner:
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.
(1John 2:16)
And in the New Testament we have another fine example of Scripture interpreting Scripture, where Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God, makes the following observation: And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression, (1Timothy 2:14) indicating that though Eve was deceived, Adam made the conscious choice to join his wife Eve in sin when she brought the forbidden fruit for him to eat. Her choice was based upon deception, but Adam’s choice was by complete volition on his part. It was an act of his will. He knew the commandment, he had received it directly from God, and yet he willfully chose to violate it by eating of the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; as the narrative says:
When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.
(Genesis 3:6-7)
The consequences of Adam and Eve’s sin is outlined in Genesis 3:8-19. It was immediate, and there was nothing that either the man or the woman could do within their power to change their condition. They and their descendants – all of the human race – henceforth were bound under sin which resulted in spiritual death, alienation from God and separation from His Presence. Everyone henceforth born from them would be inclined to do evil while still possessing the ability to do good, nevertheless, sin was sown and flourished with our physical forebears, Adam and Eve. From one man, sin entered the world and perpetuated to the entire human race (Romans 3:23, 5:12-21, 1Corinthians 15:20-22, 47-58, Galatians 3:22), from One Man through another woman, redemption and reconciliation has come for every person – male or female, Jew or Gentile, every human being (Isaiah 52:14-15, Romans 1:16, 1Corinthians 15:20-22) – an offer from our God to every person to make their personal peace with their Maker (Acts 2:39, 10:34-35, Romans 5:1-2, 16:26) who has provided for them this glorious salvation which is every person’s responsibility to accept or reject with their free will. (John 1:9-13, 3:18, 36, Acts 8:26-38, 10:43, 17:26-28, 1John 5:12-13)
But it is God who has predestined to give us this choice and it is God who has done all for all before the foundation of the earth was laid. This, as we shall see will impact every claim the critics make against The Harbinger’s message in a way they did not foresee, and which will show that the outcome of their argument is a tacit denial of God’s extended grace to the entire human race. Let us continue.
The narrative tells us that they realize for the first time that they were naked, and sewn clothes for themselves from the leafy vegetation around them. (Genesis 3:7) Afterwards because they have lost communion with God, they attempt to hide from His presence, as He approaches the garden, and hide for fear because they were naked. (Genesis 3:8-10) A second characteristic emotion because of the fall is fear, as we see it manifest itself for the first time here. (Genesis 3:10) A third characteristic that first manifests itself in them is that when they confess their sin to God, they do it by blaming someone others. (Genesis 3:11-13)
We see Adam making his confession first by blaming Eve for giving him the fruit that he chose to eat. (Genesis 3:11-12) Next, when God asks Eve what she has done, she replies blames the serpent for her disobedience. (Genesis 3:13) Then we have in the following statement of God’s directed at the serpent and the woman – the protoevangelium:
“Because you have done this,
Cursed are you more than all cattle,
And more than every beast of the field;
On your belly you will go,
And dust you will eat
All the days of your life;
And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her seed;
He shall bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel.”
To the woman He said,
“I will greatly multiply
Your pain in childbirth,
In pain you will bring forth children;
Yet your desire will be for your husband,
And he will rule over you.”
(Genesis 3:14-16)
In this early text from Prehistory, we have God’s redemptive plan already at work to reconcile Himself with His creation before the existence of nations, empires, or states. Man has fallen. His connection with His Maker has been severed, and sin has brought death to the entire human race through the willful act of one man Adam (Genesis 3:1). Yet, even after man’s fall, in what some have referred to as the first example of a blood sacrifice, the earliest records tell us that the Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them. (Genesis 3:21) There had to have been the killing of an animal to provide the garments of skin for the couple, which God made for them. Here we have a type of the way in which God would provide the ultimate sacrifice to cover the nakedness of sin that has come down to every man and woman since the fall. Here we have another type of the Gospel. For the first time God had provided the sacrifice for His creation’s covering, and so He would in Christ.
Elsewhere, we see the grace of Almighty God in the story of Cain and Able.(Genesis 4) Let us look at the passage of Scripture in its entirety and then discuss it after our examination:
Now the man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, “I have gotten a manchild with the help of the Lord.” Again, she gave birth to his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground. Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth.” Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is too great to bear! Behold, You have driven me this day from the face of the ground; and from Your face I will be hidden, and I will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” So the Lord said to him, “Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord appointed a sign for Cain, so that no one finding him would slay him.
Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
Cain had relations with his wife and she conceived, and gave birth to Enoch; and he built a city, and called the name of the city Enoch, after the name of his son. Now to Enoch was born Irad, and Irad became the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael became the father of Methushael, and Methushael became the father of Lamech. Lamech took to himself two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other, Zillah. Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. As for Zillah, she also gave birth to Tubal-cain, the forger of all implements of bronze and iron; and the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.
Lamech said to his wives,
“Adah and Zillah,
Listen to my voice,
You wives of Lamech,
Give heed to my speech,
For I have killed a man for wounding me;
And a boy for striking me;
If Cain is avenged sevenfold,
Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”
Adam had relations with his wife again; and she gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, for, she said, “God has appointed me another offspring in place of Abel, for Cain killed him.” To Seth, to him also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord.
(Genesis 4:1-26)
We first see that Adam and Eve bear two children; Cain and Abel. Both of these two present their sacrifice to the Lord, but God only accepts one; Abel’s. Cain is enraged by this and slays his brother, and we can presume that he hides his body, thinking that God will not take notice of this. When the Lord approaches Cain about Abel’s whereabouts – we know this is rhetorical and allows Cain to explain himself, thus providing a historical testimony and context to the crime - Cain dissembles and tells the Lord that he’s not his brother’s keeper. God instantly lets Cain know that He is aware of what Cain had done, because his brother’s blood cries from the ground. (Genesis 4:10) Cain’s punishment for this horrendous crime is that he and his descendants would never again be tillers of the ground, and he would wander the earth as a vagabond (Genesis 4:11-12) Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. (Genesis 4:16)
The prophetic sentence for his sin came to pass on Cain and his descendants, for we read the following about them:
Cain had relations with his wife and she conceived, and gave birth to Enoch; and he built a city, and called the name of the city Enoch, after the name of his son. Now to Enoch was born Irad, and Irad became the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael became the father of Methushael, and Methushael became the father of Lamech. Lamech took to himself two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other, Zillah. Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. As for Zillah, she also gave birth to Tubal-cain, the forger of all implements of bronze and iron; and the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.
Lamech said to his wives,
“Adah and Zillah,
Listen to my voice,
You wives of Lamech,
Give heed to my speech,
For I have killed a man for wounding me;
And a boy for striking me;
If Cain is avenged sevenfold,
Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”
(Genesis 4:17-24)
We see that none of Cain’s descendants became farmers – that is, those who till the ground. Among them there was one named Lamech, who killed a man, presumably in a struggle, and a boy in another altercation. (Genesis 4:23) None of these sons of Cain survived the flood in Noah’s day, so today there are no direct blood descendants of Cain among the human race. They perished with the flood as did all of Seth’s descendants, except Noah, for they had corrupted themselves by taking and marrying women outside of their godly bloodline; what the Scriptural record calls “the daughters of men,” to differentiate the two bloodlines one from the other. Now the Scripture here is not referring to all women, but only to those women of outside of the godly bloodline with whom the sons of God belonging to the godly bloodline took as wives for themselves and corrupted themselves and their bloodline.
The daughters of men were from the “other sons and daughters” of Adam (Genesis 5:4b), and the “other sons and daughters” of Adam’s descendants from Seth to Lamech. (The entire genealogical list contains the following, Genesis 5:4b, 7b, 10b, 13b, 16b, 19b, 22b, 26b) Lamech, Noah’s father, also had “other sons and daughters.” (Genesis 5:30b) Only one family from the godly line of Seth survived the flood which destroyed the earth in Prehistoric Times, specifically; Noah, his wife, and three sons and their wives. (Genesis 5:32, 6:13-22) Genesis chapter 5 contains the genealogy of this third son of Adam and Eve (Seth), from whom were born the men who called upon the name of the Lord. These were the first sons of God mentioned in the Scriptures.
They were not fallen angels, as some have misinterpreted and supposed, because the Lord Jesus has attested that angelic beings do not sexually cohabit or physically die. (Matthew 22:30, Luke 12:25, 20:36) The sons of God that presented themselves before the Lord during the time of Job, were precisely these men of Genesis, of whom Job was one, for he like they, called upon the name of the Lord. (Job ) And we see that God’s adoption of His children stretches back before the cross, into this present day, and well into the future – from Genesis to Revelation. Herein lies the evidence within the pages of our Bibles that the God of Israel has always, does, and will always hear and answer those who call to Him regardless of national origin, race, ethnicity, or pedigree. The dichotomy that The Harbinger’s critics try to create simply does not exist in light of what Scripture teaches.
That the grace of God is evident throughout Genesis long before God made His covenant with Abram, we have ample evidence in the early chapters of Genesis. Dr. Michael Rydelnik writes in his seminal work, The Messianic Hope: Is the Hebrew Bible Really Messianic?:
“With respect to the form-critical argument about the unlikelihood of a message of hope in the midst of a judgment pronouncement, this fails to consider the context of Genesis. That the God of mercy should offer hope in the midst of judgment is not surprising. In fact, in the early chapters of Genesis, He does this regularly. For example after judging Cain for murdering his brother, God mercifully ‘placed a mark on Cain so that whoever found him would not kill him.’ (Gen 4:15), thereby offering hope in the midst of judgment. Also, when God judged the earth for its ever-escalating sin (Genesis 6-8), He chose to show mercy to the family of Noah, saving them (Gen 6:18) and granting hope in the midst of judgment. Additionally, when God judged Babel and scattered humanity over the earth (Gen 11:1-10) He also chose to call Abram out of Ur of Chaldees and bring him to the promised land (Gen 12:1-9), thereby offering hope in the midst of judgment. Likewise, when God judged the iniquity of Sodom with destruction, He sent angels to rescue Lot and his family (Gen 19:1-29) ‘because [of] the Lord’s compassion for him’ (Gen 19:16). In light of the broader context of the book of Genesis, it is to be expected that even in the midst of judgment for the fall of Adam and Eve, God would offer hope and deliverance.”
(Dr. Michael Rydelnik, The Messianic Hope: Is the Hebrew Bible Really Messianic?, page 132, 2010 B&H Publishing Company, Nashville, Tennessee)
We see it – God’s grace – when God spoke to Abram before He established His covenant with him, instructing him to leave his country and his kinsmen where they had settled in the land of Haran (Genesis 11:31) and to travel to the land of Canaan. (Genesis 12:1-5) It was at this time when God made the following promise to Abram:
Now the Lord said to Abram,
“Go forth from your country,
And from your relatives
And from your father’s house,
To the land which I will show you;
And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;
And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
(Genesis 12:1-3, New American Standard Bible)
Once in Canaan, Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. Now the Canaanite was then in the land. The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him. Then he proceeded from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. From that location, Abram journeyed on, continuing toward the Negev. (Genesis 12:6-9)
We see God making His promise that He would make Abraham (then called Abram) the heir of the world, for Melchizedek Priest of God Most High gives Abram the following very peculiar greeting, a greeting that no other human being has ever received from such a high dignitary as this Melchizedek.
We quote the entire Biblical narrative here, and offer by way of explanation that there had been war in the land, and that Lot and his family and their possessions had been taken captive by the kings who went up to war against the king of Sodom and the king of Gomorrah, and their allies; for Lot and his family lived in the land of Sodom. We follow the narrative, and note at the end, the very peculiar greeting Melchizedek gives Abram.
But those who survived fled to the hill country. Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food supply, and departed. They also took Lot, Abram’s nephew, and his possessions and departed, for he was living in Sodom.
Then a fugitive came and told Abram the Hebrew. Now he was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner, and these were allies with Abram. When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he led out his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. He divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them, and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. He brought back all the goods, and also brought back his relative Lot with his possessions, and also the women, and the people.
Then after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High. He blessed him and said,
“Blessed be Abram of God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth;
And blessed be God Most High,
Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.”
(Genesis 14:10b-20a)
How can any one man possess heaven and earth? But we see that Melchizedek was speaking of something much greater, because Abram, or rather, Abraham would become the father of many nations, through whom all the nations of the earth would blessed.
Moreover, Dr. Rydelnik makes the following observation – the same one I posit above – in a commentary he makes on Genesis 3:15, where he suggests that what is written within each book within Pentateuch (in the present case, Genesis) should be considered as studying Innertextually the entire Pentateuch (Five Books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) rather than Intertexually each book for the following reason:
“Innertextual** references to Gen. 3:15 should not to be limited to the book of Genesis. From the time of the writing of the Pentateuch, it was considered one book rather than five. Thus, the entire Torah should be examined for innertextual references to this text.
“Immediately, in fact, in the very next chapters of Genesis, the taril of the two seeds becomes evident. First, Cain, representing the wicked seed, slays Abel (Gen 4:1-16). The text then presents the wicked line of Cain (Gen 4:17-24), followed by the establishment of the righteous line of Seth (4:25). The righteous line is traced in the genealogy of Seth to Noah (Gen 12:1-3). The author continues to be concerned with following the godly ‘seed’, tracing the genealogy of the special line from Shem (Noah’s descendant) to Abram (11:10-31), leading to the call of Abram (Gen 12:1-3). Genesis continues to be concerned with tracing the promised line, showing God’s choice of Isaac (not Ishmael), Jacob (not Esau), and the twelve sons of Jacob.
“God renews His covenant promises to Abraham and his ‘offspring’ (literally ‘seed’), assuring him that ‘kings will come from you’ (Gen 17:6-7). The same promise is made to Sarah (Gen 17:16) and Jacob (35:11). Ultimately, in a messianic prediction, the promise is narrowed to Judah, whose descendant will be the royal Messiah, to whom all peoples will offer obedience (Gen 49:9-10). This is significant because it shows that the future descendant predicted in Gen 3:15 will come from a royal dynasty.
“Not only will that future descendant rule all people; Abraham is also promised that his seed will bless the nations (Gen 22:17-18). It might be thought that the use of ‘seed’ in Gen 22:17-17 requires a collective sense because it promises that Abraham’s seed would be ‘as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore.’ But Alexander has shown that this is yet again one of the cases where the word ‘seed’ oscillates from corporate to individual. Beginning with the collective sense, the word ‘seed’ indeed refers to the numerous descendants of Abraham would have. However, a new thought begins in the middle of v. 17, promising Abraham that ‘your offspring will possess the gates of enemies.’ Following the same Hebrew syntax as found in Gen 3:15, the author uses the third person singular pronoun and verb, indicating that this use of seed has a particular individual in view. Thus Abraham is promised numerous descendants and also a particular descendant who will bless all nations the earth.”
(Dr. Michael Rydelnik, The Messianic Hope: Is the Hebrew Bible Really Messianic?, pages 142-143, 2010 B&H Publishing Company, Nashville, Tennessee. **Dr. Rydelnik defines Innertextual considerations as referring “to the way the same author in the same book makes allusions or cites the text under consideration. ‘Intertextual’ considerations refers to the way the other books of the Bible allude to or cite the text under consideration.” See footnote 48 at the bottom of page 142. In a paper that I did for a series of classes I taught at Arise and Shine Academy for Beth Israel entitled How They Walked With God, I made the same observations of the Book of Genesis that Dr. Rydelnik does here, long before I read his excellent little book from which I have quoted here.)
And Paul confirms this where he writes: For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. (Romans 4:13) A promise that was established by the promise of the Gospel and extended to all nations, blessed by God through Abraham, that is, through Jesus Christ, Abraham’s descendant and King David’s heir to the throne of Israel and Ruler of the nations of the earth. Reading the entire passage of Scripture will provide a proper understanding of its context and content:
For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if those who are of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified; for the Law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, there also is no violation.
For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, (as it is written, “A father of many nations have I made you”) in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist. In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. Therefore it was also credited to him as righteousness. Now not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him, but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.
(Romans 4:16-25)
What are we saying here? We are saying what Paul makes clear in his writings under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, culling the meaning of what the Scripture he cites from the Hebrew Bible; that this covenant (the Abrahamic Covenant) which God made; of which these critics of The Harbinger make so much fuss about, all who claim that America is not under what they claim is exclusive to Israel because it was made to Abraham and his descendants; does in fact include this nation and all nations and peoples who pray as a people before the God of all creation under the covenant God made with Abraham. It is not exclusive, but inclusive in that by faith through Jesus Christ, this covenant covers the entire human race, otherwise there would be no Good News, no Gospel of God’s reconciliation with mankind. This is the New Covenant of which through Christ all of mankind can approach the unapproachable God of the Hebrews directly without the mediation of a Jewish High Priest.
We see God repeating His promise to Abram later, when the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever. I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth, so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants can also be numbered. Arise, walk about the land through its length and breadth; for I will give it to you.” Then Abram moved his tent and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord.
(Genesis 13:14-18)
Now as we’ve seen, God made these promises to Abram long before He established His covenant with him, for we see that it was not until He appeared to Abram in a vision that He repeated this promise before the covenant between them was established, to give Abram an heir, one who would come forth from his own body. (Genesis 15:1-4) The record then says:
And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. And He said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it.” He said, “O Lord God, how may I know that I will possess it?
So He said to him, “Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year old female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, and laid each half opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds. The birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.
Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him. God said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions. As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.”
It came about when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed between these pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying,
“To your descendants I have given this land, From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates: the Kenite and the Kenizzite and the Kadmonite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Rephaim and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Girgashite and the Jebusite.”
(Genesis 15:5-21)
It must be noted that it was not until that day, that the Lord made His covenant with Abram, yet His promises preceded his covenant because He made these promises several times long before He ratified and sealed this covenant through circumcision. This covenant of circumcision would occur later, and it is not to be confused with the Mosaic circumcision which came centuries later; the one the so-called Party of the Circumcision tried to impose on hapless Gentiles coming to faith in the God of Israel through their faith in Jesus the Messiah.
The critics of The Harbinger make much to do about nothing, because they believe that one must be in a covenant relationship with God for God to hear them or even to communicate with them and answer their prayers. This argument is flawed and misleading because it does not take into account the fact of God’s grace, a grace so inclusive that its work was established long before God set the foundation of the earth into place.
Indeed, it can be argued that God answers the prayers of people who are not Christians, and non-Jews; people and nations who have not historically had a covenant relationship with the God of Israel, and who were not partakers of the Abrahamic Covenant at its inception when God made His promises to Abraham.
We see it in the Book of Jonah, where God calls His Hebrew prophet to prophesy to a non-Jewish city (Nineveh) with a population that neither has a covenant relationship with God, nor is God its god, and yet when everyone in it heeds Jonah’s message and repents before the God of heaven, He relents and does not destroy them for that generation. Oh, and yes; it was God who initiates first contact with Nineveh through the prophet Jonah. God’s grace always precedes the acts and efforts of men. When men initiate contact with God, ad the Ninevites did after Jonah warned them; it was because He first made contact with them. With regards to men and nations; He has done this through Christ, and now hears the prayers of all people without the mediation of a Jewish High Priest, because there is for there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, (1Timothy 2:5).
Indeed, according to the Law, Jonah, who prophesied of impending judgment and destruction for Nineveh, would have been stoned under the Law for prophesying something that did not come to pass – the city’s destruction in three days – were the letter of the Law invoked and applied accordingly. The literalist/minimalist, who never lacks for criticism of God’s exceptions where they appear throughout the Bible; is always in front of the line to cast the first stone. Whereas God spares nothing to save His creation – man, Jew and Gentile. The entire Hebrew Bible contains the history of this in the Gentiles whom God healed, the Lord Jesus Himself made this point when He taught at the synagogue of Nazareth, where He said:
But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land; and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”
(Luke 4:25-27)
The Harbinger’s critics have forgotten a good many things, while overlooking a good many others. Moreover they do not take into account that the grace of God through faith in Christ determines all things – and the Apostle Paul has made this clear, in fact he underscores it by emphatically writing how it is God who has determined what He would do on our behalf – that is for the entire human race – long before we even considered whether or not to accept this free offer of salvation. He writes under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit the following ironclad fact:
For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
(Romans 5:6-11)
But what Paul writes here about is salvation and its free offer to everyone who will believe and accept it readily by faith in Christ. What does this have in common with the message of The Harbinger? The offer of salvation has been extended to every person in every nation under heaven. The cross is at the center of history. In fact it predates history, because history only follows the period where time begins and when it shall end. This offer of God’s redemption spans time right from the beginning in the garden, and spans forward to the day when the nations will be under His theocratic rule. Anyone who will approach Him in prayer for themselves, for another, or for their homes, their families, the communities, or their nation will be heard by God. The Scriptures teach this. The Harbinger’s critics teach differently.
According to them, neither the United States or the land of North America upon which this nation was founded has had a covenant relationship with God as Israel has, and therefore any argument claiming that we as a nation – that is, the United States – are in covenant relationship with God because of the prayers of dedication and consecration made by those who settled this land centuries before which they made with God; is an invalid claim.
I would have believed this claim if not for one fundamentally most important fact which all critics of The Harbinger appear to overlook; the grace of God and the good works that would follow have been established long before creation. The Harbinger’s critic’s claim by its very nature – cleverly devious as it is, because at first glance it appears plausible – is at its very root a patent denial of what the Scriptures teach in their totality when it comes to the work of God in human history – that is, the redemption of the crown of His creation; Man, a work which He determined to do and accomplish, and established long before all covenants came into being.
Is this affirmed by what the Scriptures teach? The answer is yes. It is affirmed by the Apostle Paul, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in the following manner:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.
(Ephesians 1:3-14)
There is more, for we have the following:
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
(Romans 8:28-30)
Who do you think Paul is writing about in the Holy Spirit? Of whom is he referring? To the elect, and who are the elect of God? We by faith. And as much as these people try to avert the use of the word mystery in describing things lest any Cessationist among them be charged with new revelation, Paul affirms that this Gospel is a mystery that was for many ages hidden, where he writes:
Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; but just as it is written,
“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,
And which have not entered the heart of man,
All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”
For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.
(1Corinthians 2:6-16)
Do you think that the Apostle Paul here is referring only to himself, as Cessationists would allege? Of course not, because the context of this part of his letter when writing about himself he includes himself within the company of those to whom he addresses this letter, otherwise he would not include the first person “us” when speaking of to whom the Holy Spirit reveals God’s truth. Indeed, John makes it clear to his readers that the indwelling Holy Spirit opens our understanding of God’s Word where he writes:
But you have an anointing from the Holy On, and you all know, (1John 2:20) further down, he affirms what he has written in the Holy Spirit, to say the following: And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.
(1John 2:27)
Is John advocating illiteracy or that we do away with a formal education here? Of course not. He is affirming what Jesus promised to all of His followers when He made the following promise to His disciples before His suffering, that the Holy Spirit whom He would send after His suffering, would convict the world of sin to bring them to repentance, and that He would teach God’s people and testify and bear witness of the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord (John 15:26, 1Corinthians 12:3b), and take what is His and disclose to Christ’s followers – His Body, just as Our Lord says:
“But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.”
(John 16:7-11)
Jesus also promised to His immediately disciples the following:
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”
(John 14:26)
And:
“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.”
(John 16:13-15)
So, we know from these (and many other places in God’s Word) that the God has sealed us, His followers and servants, with His Holy Spirit, through whom we are enlightened with God’s Word as we read it, and given understanding into the deep things of God, His mysteries if you will, yes, not necessarily by way of new revelation, but God takes what is in His written Word and discloses it to us as we read and study it. And we are able to apply it daily to our lives, because the proverb promises:
Every word of God is tested;
He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.
He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.
(Proverbs 30:5)
And:
“MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.”
(Deuteronomy 8:3)
Affirmed by Our Lord when He rebuked Satan in the wilderness. (Matthew 4:4)
His Word is the only literature that is God-breathed and reads us when we read it, for its says the following which many of us are so familiar with:
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
(The Letter to the Hebrews 4:12)
And again John writes in the Holy Spirit the following:
And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
(1John 5:20)
But lest we go off topic, let us return and continue on the theme of predestination and more, all of which when properly understood and combined correctly, will show that the arguments presented by the critics of The Harbinger are nothing but a red herring, misleading (I do not believe intentionally) the reader to other straw man arguments cleverly packaged to look Biblical but are inaccurate analysis based upon false premises and presuppositions that lead to a completely wrong conclusion about The Harbinger and what it says.
Just on the basis of predestination (Acts 4:28) all arguments which attempt to mitigate the prayers and covenants, and compacts which a people make with Almighty God, be they Jew or Gentile, slave or Freeman, Pilgrim or Colonialist, Puritan, Baptist, Pentecostal, Charismatic, or Non-Charismatic Cessationist; all are laid to rest with the Scriptures when properly understood and applied to each and every generation and taught correctly in light of God’s predestined will and Providence.
But let us supposed that we did not have the foreknowledge and predestined Providence of God to guide our way before us; we can still make the argument from Scripture that the very premise of what The Harbinger’s critics try to make against any claims this nation has with God to be null and void, is both specious and patently inaccurate and Un-Biblical.
The charge of a wrong hermeneutic is then turned on its head against The Harbinger’s critics by the Biblical facts laid before us. Now some may still argue as will be expected, that some are predestined for wrath while others are predestined for redemption, and they are correct in making that claim. (Romans 9:10-18) Quite true, but ALL things have been, are, and will be summed up in Christ, and on that basis alone, everything is judged. But Paul does not end there, but as if to strengthen to what extent this has been, is, and will be accomplished by God; Paul includes all things in the heavens and on earth; all things, everyone. There are no exceptions, and no conditions, but Christ. (Ephesians 1:10) Let us proceed.
The Abrahamic Covenant was at first exclusive to Abraham and his offspring, specifically to his descendant Isaac and not Ishmael, Jacob (Israel) and his descendants through his sons and not Esau and his descendants, And now God has done it through Christ in the New Covenant. The New Covenant which Jesus established extends the relational blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant beyond the Jewish people exclusively, and extends its blessings through Jesus the Messiah to all of Mankind. In this manner all of the families of the earth are blessed with Abraham, the father of many nations. (Genesis 17:5) Is this Supersessionism otherwise known as Replacement Theology? No, because the physical nation of Israel is the fulcrum of this grace and continues as part of God’s plan beyond the current age. Indeed, the Apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit addresses this very fact when he says that it is because of His love and calling of the fathers – the Abrahamic Covenant – that Israel remains in God’s plan. The Apostle writes:
From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.
(Romans 11:28-32)
God said further to Abraham, “Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you. And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, a servant who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your descendants. A servant who is born in your house or who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised; thus shall My covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”
(Genesis 17:9-14)
The sign (or symbol) of this covenant that God required Abraham and his physical offspring to keep was the rite of circumcision. It was not according to the Law of Moses and of Israel (as is recited during a Bris – a circumcision by Jews eight days following the birth of a son), because the Law had not yet been given when God made this covenant with Abraham. This circumcision predates the Law and that circumcision by four hundred and thirty years and is different inasmuch as all those circumcised under Abraham were much older than eight days old, whereas the Mosaic Covenant requires that its circumcision be on the eighth day following a child’s birth (Leviticus 12:3, see Luke 1:59). And the Mosaic Covenant, which followed the Abrahamic Covenant, does not invalidate the promise made by God to Abraham over four hundred years earlier. Just as the Apostle Paul has written in the Holy Spirit:
What I am saying is this: the Law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise.
(Galatians 3:17)
This is not Mosaic Circumcision, but Abrahamic Circumcision, though the two are often confused by both Jewish and Christian theologians because both appear in the Pentateuch, or Chumash, and is not the circumcision Paul writes about in his Letter to the Galatians, because he is addressing the Mosaic Circumcision, which he rightly equates with the Law, which the Party of the Circumcision was preaching as necessary for salvation for Gentiles, otherwise they would be known only as Proselytes of the Gates and not full members of the Commonwealth of Israel. (Acts 15:1-2)
And this is what Paul was battling against, because according to the Gospel he preached, through Christ all Non-Jews who came to the God of Israel through faith in Jesus would instantly become full members of the nation of Israel and children of Abraham. We see the Apostle Peter supporting Paul’s contention before the Jerusalem Council when the controversy broke out, where he recounts his experience with the Roman Centurion Cornelius – a God-fearing Gentile Proselyte to Judaism and his family. (Acts 10, 15:1-30, Galatians 2)
The Abrahamic rite of Circumcision symbolizes a relationship based upon the foundation of faith in God, therefore Paul could write under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that it typified the New Birth – the removal of the flesh of sin which now under a New Covenant the removal of sin at the New Birth, just as Paul writes:
For in Him (Christ) all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.
(Colossians 2:9-15)
Dispensational Theology has misled David James and others who hold his doctrinal belief that God’s covenant with Abraham was strictly for Abraham’s physical descendants without seeing in it Abraham’s spiritual descendants through faith in Christ; and has induced in the minds of these men a doctrinal and theological noose that they cannot get themselves out of. It has erected in the minds of these men and others who hold similar theological restraints, a wall between God and man that Christ removed. Let’s continue.
This wall does not exist, as Scripture shows here and throughout the Bible. Paul the Apostle affirms this on Mar’s Hill where he spoke the following words to a Greek pagan audience, a people with no covenant with the God of the Bible, in a land that was not promised by covenant to Abraham and his descendants:
“Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’ Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man. Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”
(Acts 17:22-31)
Here as he does in his Letter to the Romans, Paul establishes that this God of the Bible, the God of Israel, the God who made His covenant with Israel through Abraham, and later ratified another covenant with Israel at Sinai upon which the Law of Moses became the law of the land for the Jewish people (Deuteronomy 29); can be reached by people who were not born into either one of these two covenants, to whom the promises of the land of Canaan did not pertain – indeed by all the peoples of the earth, that “they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist…because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead,” as Paul boldly declares to a Non-Jewish Greek audience. (Acts 17:27-28) If this wall existed today, David James and other critics of The Harbinger claim; Paul would not be so bold as to call the God of Israel also the God of the Gentiles, where he writes:
Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one.
(Romans 3:29-30)
How can the God of the Jews with whom He has established His covenant through Abraham; be the God of the Gentiles as well? Through Jesus Christ, with the cross reaching back directly to the promise God made to Abraham that not only would he be the father of many nations, but that all of the nations of the earth would be blessed through him, that is – through his see – and that seed is Christ; just as the Apostle Paul writes under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit:
Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “ And to your seed,” that is, Christ.
(Galatians 3:16)
Beginning to get the picture? Let us proceed. Elsewhere Paul writes of a revelation that had been given to him which had been kept from common knowledge even to the most learned men of the Judaism of Paul’s day; yes, even to angels and prophets who inquired as to this salvation in ages past, according to Peter (1Peter 1:10-12). Paul writes of this revelation in the following manner:
For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you; that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power. To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him. Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory.
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
(Ephesians 3)
Remember, this salvation was from the foundation of the world, therefore even before the fall of man, the flood, before all of the events of which the Hebrew Bible – the Tanakh – and the New Testament – record for us. It predates the division of Israel from the Gentiles, therefore it is all inclusive, as men and women have through every age have called upon the name of the Lord and have become Sons God through their faith and trust in Him. Just as it is recorded in the Holy Scriptures:
FOR THE EYES OF THE LORD MOVE TO AND FRO THROUGHOUT THE EARTH THAT HE MAY STRONGLY SUPPORT THOSE WHOSE HEART ARE COMPLETELY HIS.
(2Chronicles 16:9a)
In every generation, HE HAS NOT DESPISED NOR ABHORRED THE AFFLICTION OF THE AFFLICTED; NEITHER HAS HE HIDDEN HIS FACE FROM HIM; BUT WHEN HE CRIED TO HIM FOR HELP, HE HEARD.
(Psalm 22:24)
There are scores of examples that I can cite to you to prove this, but space and time do not allow me here. I will, Lord willing, do this in the book I am writing about The Harbinger and its critics. The people who criticize The Harbinger have little real knowledge of the Scriptures, but they believe that their seminary training gives them a license to belittle those who do not.
They have a lot of theological knowledge, but they lack any true understanding of God’s Word and its covenants as it should be understood. Again, it is not their fault, inasmuch as the schools of higher religious learning they’ve attended and graduated from have developed the one hundred fifty year old Dispensational Theology that binds them rigidly to a mindset that results in the type of criticism we have in David James’ book, The Harbinger: Fact or Fiction?, a book that never should have been written.
God promised Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars that are in the sky and as plentiful as the sand that is on the seashore (Genesis 15:5), and He repeated this promise to Abraham throughout his life (Genesis 22:17), then to Isaac (Genesis 26:4), and later to Jacob (Genesis 28:14). And God promised to be with Jacob wherever he travelled until he had returned to the land and had accomplished all that God had promised He would do for him, and who God keeps His promises, kept every one He made to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. (Genesis 28:15)
And lest anyone believe that to this is Supersessionism (Replacement Theology), let me be perfectly clear that I strongly maintain, as does Rabbi Cahn; what Paul the Apostle says in his Letter to the Romans, in chapters 9 through 11, but we will concentrate on chapter 11, where he writes:
I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? “Lord, they have killed Your prophets, they have torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.” But what is the divine response to him? “I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”
In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.
I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous. Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be! But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them. For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?
For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written,
“The Deliverer will come from Zion,
He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.”
“This is My covenant with them,
When I take away their sins.”
From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.
(Romans 11:1-32)
Without question, Paul answers the question of whether God has rejected His people, and unequivocally he answers the question with a resounding NO. GOD HAS NOT REJECTED HIS PEOPLE ISRAEL. It is established then, that PHYSICAL Israel both as a nation and individually, is within the plan of God’s redemption and restoration, and when all Israel comes to realize that Jesus is the Messiah and recognize Him as such, and is saved; it will be, as the Apostle Paul writes under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, life from the dead. (Romans 11:1-6, 25-26) Elsewhere, in his Letter to the Romans, he makes the following observation under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and writes:
I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.
(Romans 9:1-5)
Paul speaks his Jewish heart’s desire for Israel’s salvation, even wishing himself to be accursed and separated from God if it meant the salvation of his people Israel, and reminds his readers that what the Jewish people have been given is unique. The covenants – Abrahamic and Mosaic – the giving of the Law, the temple service – Aaronic Priesthood and Levitical Order of Servants – the keeping of God’s Word, from whom have come the promises and the prophets, and through whom has been made manifested in the flesh God in the form of the Promised One – the Messiah – Davidic King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Amen. Paul continues:
But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: “through Isaac your descendants will be named.” That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants. For this is the word of promise: “At this time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son.” And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger.” Just as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
(Romans 9:6-13)
What is Paul speaking about here? Under the divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he writes of a remnant of true Israelites who are both the physical descendants of Abraham, but are also the spiritual descendants of Isaac – though as Jews it can be claimed that they are also physical descendants of Isaac, Abraham’s son. But Isaac is Abraham’s son of promise; what promise? The promise of mankind’s redemption through faith in Jesus Christ – those who are the natural branches of God’s Olive Tree and those who are wild olives grafted onto the Olive Tree of God through faith in Christ (Romans 11:16-24); both born again Jews and Gentiles who are now a New Creation of God one in Christ through faith, of which Paul writes under the Holy Spirit’s divine inspiration the following affirmation:
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
(2 Corinthians 5:17-21)
Now let us continue. There is a reason we are citing these Scriptures and there is an underlying theme in what God has done for Israel and the nations through Christ, of which is tied also the mercy of God to the nations of the earth through the promise God made to Abraham through whom all of the nations would be blessed through Christ. (Genesis 12:3d, 24:18) This promise God made four hundred and thirty years before the giving of the Law and independent of it (Galatians 3:17), therefore it was made on the basis of faith. What faith? The faith of Abraham to whom was imputed God’s righteousness because of his faith in God and His promise. It is the children of the promise – that is, the spiritual descendants of Isaac the son of God’s promise who are Abraham’s descendants, and within this remnant are Jews and Gentiles from every nation under heaven, just as it says, a father of many nations have I made you (Genesis 17:5, Romans 4:17). This is why Paul writes the following under the inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit:
But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: “through Isaac your descendants will be named.” That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants.
(Romans 9:6-8)
Just as Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit writes:
Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.
(Galatians 3:6-9)
Here Paul writes that it is those who are of the faith of Abraham who are his children – Jew and Gentile alike – and in his Letter to the Romans Paul writes that it is through Isaac the son of the promise that those who are grafted are called and therefore are the true Israelites, being a New Creation in Christ, not by physical birth only, but by a spiritual new birth of the Holy Spirit of God; being born again into the family of God through faith in Christ (1 Peter 1:3-5) – and it is they who belong to the Israel of God (Galatians 6:16), among whom are the believing remnant of Abraham’s physical descendants, and natural olives; Jewish believers in the Messiah Jesus.
God made His promise of the land to Abraham and to his descendants, Isaac, and Jacob (Genesis 12:7, 15:7, 17:8). Isaac reaffirmed it and bequeathed it to his son Jacob. (Genesis 28:1-5) He also promised Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand that is upon the seashore. (Genesis 15:5) But He extended the promise of this covenant when He promised that all of the nations of the earth would be blessed through him, because He made this promise a part of what He promised Abraham He would do for him and his descendants. (Genesis 24:18) What was He referring to here? The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the entry into this covenant by faith to a people who are not Abraham’s physical descendants, but through faith in Jesus Christ and the new birth, are made children of Abraham and sons and daughters of God – fellow heirs with Christ by adoption.
What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth.” So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.
You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles. As He says also in Hosea,
“I will call those who were not My people, ‘My people,’
And her who was not beloved, ‘beloved.’”
“And it shall be that in the place where it was said to them, ‘you are not My people,’
There they shall be called sons of the living God.”
Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, “Though the number of the sons of Israel be like the sand of the sea, it is the remnant that will be saved; for the Lord will execute His word on the earth, thoroughly and quickly.” And just as Isaiah foretold,
“Unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left to us a posterity,
We would have become like Sodom, and would have resembled Gomorrah.”
What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, just as it is written,
“Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense,
And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.”
(Romans 9, New American Standard Bible)
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.
(Ephesians 2, New American Standard Bible)
And again in his Letter to the Galatians, Paul is very bold in declaring the following only under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, where he says:
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.
(Galatians 3:26-29)
Now we know that the Apostle Paul here is not referring to whether one is born a woman or a man, or of one nationality or another, because after we become believers in the New Birth, we remain either a male or a female, of this nationality or that; but what the Apostle under the Holy Spirit’s inspiration is speaking of here is a spiritual rebirth into which one is born again at conversion through Christ in the Holy Spirit of God, whereby which that person is adopted by God the Father of us all into His family.
The great mystery was that it was no longer necessary for Gentiles to convert to Judaism and become Jews to come to the God of Israel, but through faith in Jesus Christ and the new birth of they would have one access through One Spirit to the Father, and what had only been seen in bits and glimpses throughout history with a Gentile ruler here and another there coming to God; now through the grace of God extended to the entire human race through His Son Jesus Christ; salvation would go to the ends of the earth. Regardless of national origin, upbringing, pedigree, or even tribe; everyone would approach the God of Israel, the God of all Creation, the Eternal, and not only be heard, but would become fellow heirs of the promises of God with Israel, God’s beloved – again, without becoming Jews.
No longer would they be Proselytes of the Gates and partial citizens with partial access rights to the Commonwealth of Israel and its God; now in Christ they were adopted by God Himself through their Redeemer Kinsman into the Commonwealth of Israel, with full rights as heirs of the promises of God and His blessings as full Israelites, grafted into the Olive Tree of God with full rights and access to the throne of God and His kingdom. (Romans 8:14-17)
Like Ruth the Moabites, who when being sent away by Naomi – her distraught mother in law – an Israelite woman who had lost her husband and two sons, one of whom had been Ruth’s husband; Ruth determined to stay, and said, “Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.”
(Ruth 1:16)
Ruth was later redeemed by Boaz, Naomi’s relative (who is a type), and she married him, and had a son by him named Obed, and to Obed was born Jesse, and Jesse was the father of David; who became king of Israel (Ruth 4:16-22), of whom God has declared that One would come from him who would sit on his throne whom we know as the Messiah of Israel. So that we see also, that even in the Royal Line God extended to a Gentile woman His adoption, His grace, because of His predestined plan of redemption for the entire human race, indeed for all of His creation. (Romans 8:18-25)
And we see through history that this grace was not limited to a few, but offered to everyone, for under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul writes:
But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
(Romans 10:8-13)
Paul here sets no conditions but Christ to everyone, Jew or Gentile, and he declares that there is NO distinction, because the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for ALL WHO CALL ON HIM; FOR WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.” (Romans 8:13) And:
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
(Romans 8:31-35)
Paul asks rhetorically of his readers, daring anyone be that person a man, a woman, or spirit; to make a declaration in answer to his question. And further on he answers his own question where he declares that nothing, absolutely nothing will separate us from God’s unconditional love in the following:
But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 8:37-39)
All of this is of great significance to us, because America the land upon which these United States were founded; was a land repeatedly dedicated to God by the Puritans who prayed to the Almighty that He would bless their communities and the land around them, by the Pilgrims who in their Mayflower Compact established through prayer a covenant with Almighty God for the establishment of their communities for the propagation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and more, much more, which space and time does not allow me to address here. But as to those who claim that the new nation of the United States of America lacked a covenant with Almighty God, I will say this, and it will be good that I have your undivided attention, so please listen closely.
First, as we’ve seen in The Book of Jonah, and elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible, God makes no distinction, for His proverb declares of all nations the following:
Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a disgrace to any people.
(Proverbs 14:34)
We begin with the Father of our Country, George Washington, and recall the immortal words of Henry Lee; “First in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen, he was second to none in the humble and endearing scenes of private life. Pious, just, humane, temperate and sincere—uniform, dignified and commanding—his example was as edifying to all around him as were the effects of that example lasting. . . . Correct throughout, vice shuddered in his presence and virtue always felt his fostering hand. The purity of his private character gave effulgence to his public virtues. . . . Such was the man for whom our nation mourns.”
There are many stories regarding the many miraculous deliverances accorded the American forces under Washington’s command, and his continual reliance on the Almighty. The following records for us his constant reliance on prayer to the Lord God, and the amazing answer which followed at a time when by all appearances, Washington’s forces were surrounded by vastly superior British forces facing down on them at the end of a terrible campaign on Brooklyn Heights, where Washington lost great numbers of his men in battle.
“When the war for independence began, Washington was selected as General of the Army of the United States. The day after he took charge he issued orders requiring: 'All officers and soldiers not engaged in actual duty to attend Divine Services to implore blessings of heaven upon the means used for their safety and defense.'
“Shortly after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the blessing of heaven and Providential protection of God were manifested upon the Colonial Army.
“During fighting on Long Island, British General Howe and his 32,000 well trained troops had inflicted heavy losses on Washington's army but had not succeeded in capturing or destroying it. General Howe then prepared to attack the 8,000 American troops on Brooklyn Heights. The British Army had Washington's army surrounded in a great semi-circle with their backs to the mile wide East River.
“Here we see the first amazing event, for General Howe remained in this position for two days and did not attack. Had he attacked, victory would have been certain for the superior British force. It is not known even to this day why he delayed.
“Washington, greatly outnumbered, realized to fight would mean defeat and the likely end of the war. Surrender was unthinkable! To retreat was the only thing to do. But how?
“The British completely blocked any route on land which left only the wide East River. The American Army could have easily been surrounded by the British but Providential adverse weather conditions kept British ships from sailing up the East River.
“As a result the American Army was able to make an attempt to escape. To make sure the British did not discover their retreat, Washington set out to evacuate his army in great secrecy. He set orders for every rowboat, sailboat and seagoing vessel to be collected in the area. At 8:00 pm on the night of August 29, 1776 the evacuation of the troops commenced. Heavy rain was falling as the evacuation began and the adverse winds which hindered the British ships continued. In this weather, the sailboats were of little use and only few rowboats were employed in the retreat. At this rate, evacuation seemed impossible. But at 11:00 pm the Northeast wind which had raged for three days amazingly stopped and the water became so calm that the boats could be loaded with extra weight. A gentle breeze arose from the South and Southwest which favored their travel across the river to New York.
“The retreat continued throughout the darkness of the pre-dawn. But as the sun began to rise, many troops were yet to be evacuated. Their death seemed apparent. But again, an astonishing thing occurred.
“Major Benjamin Talmage was still on the island and he recorded what happened in his memoirs: "After dawn of the next day approached, those of us who remained in the trenches became very anxious for our own safety and when the dawn appeared there were several regiments here on duty.
“At this time, a very dense fog began to rise out of the ground and off the river. It seemed to settle in a peculiar manner over both encampments. I recollect this peculiar Providential occurrence perfectly well. And so very dense was the atmosphere that I could scarcely discern a man six yards distance. We tarried until the sun had risen but the fog remained as dense as ever."
“The fog remained until the last boats left Long Island.
“Another miraculous event occurring during this retreat was recorded by Washington Irving in his 'Life of Washington'. Near the ferry, where the troops were being evacuated, a family lived who favored the British cause. Upon seeing the army's embarkation, the lady of the house sent a servant to warn the British of what was happening. The servant managed to slip past the American guards but upon reaching the British lines he ran into an outpost of German speaking soldiers (Hessians) and was unable to communicate with them. The servant was put under guard at the outpost as a suspicious person until early in the morning when a British officer examined him.
“Upon hearing the story, some soldiers were sent to validate it. They cautiously approached the American Camp only to find it completely empty. Had the servant ran into anybody else, the British would have been able to surprise the American Forces in the midst of their retreat.
“British troops were hurriedly dispatched to the river. When they arrived, the fog had lifted enough for them to see four boats upon the East river. The only boat close enough to be captured contained three vagabonds who stayed behind to plunder. Otherwise, thousands of men, with nearly all of their supplies had miraculously retreated to New York.
“Here we see the American General Greene say: 'The best effective retreat I ever read or heard of!' This event was so astonishing that surely the explanation given by many of the Colonists was true: 'That God was defending the cause of liberty.'
“The Colonists continued to pray and rely upon God throughout the war. During the harsh winter of 1777 to 1778 when the American troops were suffering at Valley Forge, Washington could often be found upon his knees within the woods laying the cause of his bleeding country at the throne of grace.
“In the prayer room of the Capitol, we can see in the stained glass window the kneeling figure of George Washington. Behind him, a prayer from the first verse of Psalm sixteen is etched: 'Preserve me Oh Lord, for in Thee do I put my trust.' Washington was observed by his troops, his officers, and various civilians to regularly pray in his tent as well as in secluded groves.”
(From George Washington Prays, God Sends Supernatural Fog to Allow Escape COPYRIGHT (c) 1977 Cambridge Theological Seminary)
We have the following from the Historic Valley Forge Web Site, in an article titled Washington’s Earnest Prayer:
“The Prayer below was written by Washington at Newburgh, New York, at the close of the Revolutionary War on June 14, 1783. It was sent to the thirteen governors of the newly freed states in a "Circular Letter Addressed to the Governors of all the States on the Disbanding of the Army."
‘Circular Letter Addressed to the Governors of all the States on the Disbanding of the Army, June 14, 1783
‘I have thus freely declared what I wished to make known, before I surrendered up my public trust to those who committed it to me. The task is now accomplished. I now bid adieu to your Excellency, as the chief magistrate of your State, at the same time I bid a last farewell to the cares of office and all the employments of public life.
‘It remains, then, to be my final and only request that your Excellency will communicate these sentiments to your legislature at their next meeting, and that they may be considered the legacy of one, who has ardently wished, on all occasions, to be useful to his country, and who, even in the shade of retirement, will not fail to implore the divine benediction on it.
‘I now make it my earnest prayer that God would have you, and the State over which you preside, in his holy protection; that he would incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to government, to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another, for their fellow-citizens of the United States at large, and particularly for brethren who have served in the field; and finally that he would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of mind, which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without an humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy nation.’
George Washington held his inaugural address blocks away from Ground Zero, but following his address he and every other leader present walked to St. Paul’s Chapel at what is known today as part of the Ground Zero site, where a beam from one of the towers struck a sycamore tree which protected the chapel from being struck by the falling debris as the towers collapsed. As a result of this, St. Paul’s Chapel, the very first place where the first president of this new nation made his first public prayer as its president; was spared from destruction. Chance? I don’t think so. Coincidence? Anyone who believes that either does not believe in the God of the Bible, or he has not truly read the Bible properly. Additionally this is where the new president of the new nation along with those who accompanied him went to pray for two hours, and where he later offered the following prayer to the Lord God of the Universe for the nation and its people:
“Almighty God,
“We make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy Holy protection; and Thou wilt incline the hearts of the Citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to Government; and entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another and for their fellow Citizens of the United States at large, and particularly for their brethren who have served in the Field.
“And finally that Thou wilt most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that Charity, humility, and pacific temper of mind which were the Characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed Religion, and without a humble imitation of whose example in these things we can never hope to be a happy nation. Grant our supplication, we beseech Thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
--George Washington
What significance does this have on our current discussion? On the day when George Washington and the framers of our Constitution established this Constitutional Representative Republic (note, not democracy, but representative republic – where its national Constitution equally protects the rights of all people – the minority as well as the majority; and tempers its government with limited powers under the rule of this same law, thus protecting its citizenry from the whiles and the whims of other men.), let us continue; Washington and they went to a little chapel named Saint Paul’s Chapel, (built by Trinity Church) located on the grounds of where Ground Zero is located, and there they prayed for hours for the new nation to the God of All Creation.
Washington’s Prayer for the United States of America appears on a plaque in Saint Paul ’s chapel in the city of New York as well as at Pohick Church , Fairfax County , Virginia , where Washington was a vestryman from 1762 to 1784. And as a believer you understand that no man who prays in such a manner from his heart as Washington did on that historic day; can be turned away. We know this from Scripture because Christ Himself has promised universally to all men everywhere that He would never turn them away, when He said:
“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.”
(John 6:37)
Some would argue that because George Washington was a Mason, that his prayers were not directed to the God of Israel; the God of the Judeo-Christian faith, but to the god of the Masons – what they call the Great Architect of the Universe, and I would argue that this would be true if not for the specific times – as in this one – where Washington ended his prayer specifically in the name of “Jesus Christ Our Lord.”
In his private journal, Washington has the following prayer to God:
And there is more about the Father of Our Country, George Washington, from his morning prayer journal. I quote:
“Monday Morning Prayer:
“O eternal and everlasting God, I presume to present myself this morning before thy Divine majesty, beseeching thee to accept of my humble and hearty thanks, that it hath pleased thy great goodness to keep and preserve me the night past from all the dangers poor mortals are subject to, and has given me sweet and pleasant sleep, whereby I find my body refreshed and comforted for performing the duties of this day, in which I beseech thee to defend me from all perils of body and soul.
“Direct my thoughts, words and work. Wash away my sins in the immaculate blood of the lamb, and purge my heart by thy Holy Spirit, from the dross of my natural corruption, that I may with more freedom of mind and liberty of will serve thee, the ever lasting God, in righteousness and holiness this day, and all the days of my life.
“Increase my faith in the sweet promises of the Gospel. Give me repentance from dead works. Pardon my wanderings, & direct my thoughts unto thyself, the God of my salvation. Teach me how to live in thy fear, labor in thy service, and ever to run in the ways of thy commandments. Make me always watchful over my heart, that neither the terrors of conscience, the loathing of holy duties, the love of sin, nor an unwillingness to depart this life, may cast me into a spiritual slumber. But daily frame me more and more into the likeness of thy son Jesus Christ, that living in thy fear, and dying in thy favor, I may in thy appointed time attain the resurrection of the just unto eternal life. Bless my family, friends & kindred unite us all in praising & glorifying thee in all our works begun, continued, and ended, when we shall come to make our last account before thee blessed Saviour, who hath taught us thus to pray, our Father.”
(From William J. Johnson, George Washington, The Christian (New York: The Abingdon Press, 1919).
No man who prays in such a manner from his heart can be turned away, and what ‘s more Christ Himself has promised universally to all men everywhere that He would never turn them away, when He said:
“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.”
(John 6:37)
I do not want to seem repetitive, but I cannot stress in stronger terms the facts before us. They are unmistakable in Christ, and this is what many of The Harbinger’s critics have forgotten. No one unless they are a Christian, can make such a prayer to the God of heaven. Oh yes, I will agree that they will pray, but in a perfunctory manner; not in this manner, and not with this conviction of heart. No one, whether he or she claims belief in Jesus Christ can readily with conviction willfully and full cognizance of what he or she is saying, call Jesus Christ Lord unless they have the Holy Spirit of God according to Scripture (1Corinthians 12:3). What’s more, unless one is born again, regardless of what they call themselves, Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical, or Orthodox, or anything else for that matter, unless they are born again, they will not with full conviction have Christ as Lord in their hearts, or call Him Lord publicly as George Washington has done here, and in various other prayers of his which can be read in his private journal.
This is because unless a person is born again, they cannot either enter or be aware of the kingdom of God (John 3:3-8), and therefore their public statements and behavior will mirror their private convictions, because men speak out of what is in their hearts (Matthew 15:18, Mark 7:21, Luke 6:45), and there is where the Lord looks, while man’s tendency is to look at their public affiliations, pedigree, church attendance, or such things as whether or not they take communion – the outward trappings and appearances (1Samuel 16:7), just as the Scripture says:
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
They need to return to their Bibles and begin reading the Gospels. When they will rediscover the beautiful story of Simeon to whom the Lord promised that he would not see death until his eyes beheld the Lord’s Messiah. We follow the entire story here in our study, because it dovetails precisely from the inspiration of the Holy Spirit the universality of this salvation, and its mystery which was revealed to the Apostle Paul, which we cite elsewhere. But here, we read the touching story of what happened to this ancient servant of God who had received a prophetic promise from God which he saw with his own eyes:
Jesus Presented at the Temple
And when eight days had passed, before His circumcision, His name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.
And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,
“Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace,
According to Your word;
For my eyes have seen Your salvation,
Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
A Light of revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”
And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed—and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
(Luke 2:21-38, the New American Standard Bible, the Lockman Foundation)
If one is a Gentile, and a Christian, having received Christ by faith into their heart and life as Savior, having been born again of the Holy Spirit of God; then the person’s prayer as a Gentile to the God of Israel with whom He established His covenant; has been heard and answered. Then that person has become as has a myriad of others not of the stock and seed of Abraham – I am referring to one who is not Jewish – wild olive as it were – one who has received of the grace of God to the nations the induction to the Commonwealth of Israel by faith through Christ into this nation with whom God established His covenant – the Abrahamic Covenant, and now includes many nations through the New Covenant.
But if the critics of The Harbinger are referring to the Mosaic Covenant – If this is the covenant that you and other critics of The Harbinger are referring to, which God established exclusively with Israel a little more than four hundred years later, then I am in full agreement. But if you are referring to the Abrahamic Covenant, let me remind you that this is the covenant whereby which God promised Abraham that He would through his Descendant would bless the nations of the earth with, his seed – that is, Christ; and He would do it by establishing a covenant now in existence – the New Covenant between God and the nations through Christ.
For it is through Christ that the promises made to Abraham have been extended to all who come by faith through Christ to God from every nation under heaven without the need for Gentiles to become Jews through the Bris of circumcision according to the Law (read Paul’s Letter to the Galatians). There is no exception, and anyone who attempts to make one, is guilty of trying to reestablish one where God in Christ has abolished it.
To cite that the Abrahamic Covenant – if that is the covenant the critics of The Harbinger are referring to – as exclusive, it is only exclusive to the land and its people, the Jewish people, but the promise of blessing to the nations extends through Christ in what Paul calls “the mystery” of the promise of God that the nations would be fellow heirs – wild olives grafted to the God’s olive tree Israel – and would be made partakers with Israel of the promises He made to Abraham through faith – faith in Christ. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and the foreknowledge of Almighty God, Paul writes the following about this One People of God comprising God’s Olive Tree of grafted wild olives – Gentiles – and re-grafted Jewish believers in Jesus the Messiah:
Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands—remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.
(Ephesian 2:11-22)
We now return to our study of George Washington’s prayer for our nation as its first president.
Afterwards, President Washington made the following declaration after praying, where he laid the very foundation of what has made America great, the relationship of its leaders and people with the Almighty and His Commandments upon which all of our laws were once based. This is what he said:
“At his first inauguration, George Washington took the oath of office for the presidency on April 30, 1789. He was standing on the balcony of Federal Hall in New York City with his hand on an open Bible. After he finished taking the oath, the audience in attendance gave a thunderous ovation and bells of the various churches began ringing in his honor. After his oath of office was completed, he went to deliver his inaugural address to Congress.”
Washington’s Inaugural Address given on April 30th, 1789
‘Such being the impressions under which I have, in obedience to the public summons, repaired to the present station, it would be peculiarly improper to omit, in this first official act, my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations and whose providential aide can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States a Government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes; and may enable every instrument employed in its administration to execute with success, the functions allotted to his charge.
‘In tendering this homage to the Great Author of every public and private good, I assure myself that it expresses your sentiments not less than my own; nor those of my fellow-citizens at large, less than either. No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than the people of the United States.
‘Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency; and in the important revolution just accomplished in the system of their United government, the tranquil deliberations and voluntary consent of so many distinct communities, from which the event has resulted can not be compared with the means by which most governments have been established, without some return of pious gratitude, along with an humble anticipation of the future blessings which them past seem to presage.
‘These reflections, arising out of the present crisis, have forced themselves too strongly on my mind to be suppressed. You will join with me I trust in thinking, that there are none under the influence of which the proceedings of a new and free Government can more auspiciously commence.
‘We ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained; and since the preservation of sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the republican model of government are justly considered as deeply, perhaps finally, staked of the experiment...
‘I shall take my present leave; but not without resorting once more to the Benign Parent of the Human Race, in humble supplication that, since He has been pleased to favor the American people with opportunities for deliberating in perfect tranquility, and dispositions for deciding with unparalleled unanimity on a form of government for the security of their union and the advancement of their happiness, so His divine blessings may be equally conspicuous in the enlarged views, the temperate consultations and the wise measures on which the success of this Government must depend.’”
(From the Historic Valley Forge Web Site)
According to the critics of The Harbinger, we are to dismiss George Washington’s prayers, and any consideration that God may have heard, much less; answered them, because the prayers he gave as General of the Colonial Army, and later as the new nation’s leader (which all of those who were in attendance also concurred in silent consent); could not be construed by any stretch of our imagination to be this nation’s covenant with the Almighty to petition for His blessing upon these United States of America, especially because and in light of the fact that George Washington had been a Mason; and yet they forget the prayer and supplication of a people who were not in covenant relationship with God and who were not Israelites; the people of the city of Nineveh. They forget that “God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1Samuel 16:7b)
They forget the myriad numbers of prayers from people who predated Abram who called upon the name of the Lord, (Genesis 4:26); also, we know that before the Flood, people such as Enoch and Noah ‘walked with God’ (Genesis 5:24, 6:9), and a good many who postdated Abraham, who prayed to the God of heaven were heard and answered by God, such as Ruth the Moabitess, whom the Hebrew Bible honors with Israel, the people of God. (Ruth 1:14-18, 3:1-18, 4:7-21) I can cite more examples from the history of other righteous Gentiles who are honored in Scripture, but the ones I’ve cited here will suffice for now. Without question, I posit to all thinking Christians here, and base what I write here upon the clear teachings of the Holy Scriptures; that God hears the prayers of all people and all nations. Not only is this Biblical, it is found from Genesis to Revelation. The critics of The Harbinger have lost sight of this fact, and their entire argument crumbles under the light of God’s truth as properly taught from His Word.
It is Classic Dispensationalism and pure Cessationism that is at the heart of The Harbinger’s critics. There is the claim by David James that supporters and detractors of The Harbinger hail from all different theological persuasions, and that is true, but at the very core of the campaign mounted by T.A. McMahon, Brannon Howse, David James, and others; lies both Dispensationalism and Cessationism, and all other arguments against The Harbinger begin from these.
Dr. Cornelis P. Venema has defined Classic Dispensationalism in the following manner:
“In classic dispensationalism, God has two distinct peoples: an earthly people, Israel, and a heavenly people, the church. According to dispensationalism, God administers the course of the history of redemption by means of seven successive dispensations or redemptive economies. During each dispensation, God tests human beings by a distinct revelation of His will. Among these seven dispensations, the three most important are the dispensation of law, the dispensation of the gospel, and the dispensation of the kingdom. While it is not possible in a short essay like this to describe all the distinctives of these dispensations, what is important is dispensationalism’s insistence that God has a separate purpose and a distinct manner of dealing with His earthly people, Israel. During the present era, the dispensation of the church, God has “suspended” His special purposes for Israel and turned His attention, in a manner of speaking, to the gathering of the Gentile peoples through the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ to all the nations. However, when Christ returns at any moment to “rapture” the church prior to a seven-year period of great tribulation, He will resume God’s special program for Israel. This tribulation period will be a prelude to the commencement of the future dispensation of a one thousand-year kingdom upon the earth. For dispensationalism, the millennium marks the period during which God’s promises to Israel, His earthly people, will receive a distinct, literal fulfillment. Only at the end of the dispensation of the millennial kingdom will Christ finally vanquish all of His enemies and introduce the final state.
“Though dispensationalism acknowledges that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are saved by faith in the one Mediator, Jesus Christ, it maintains a clear and permanent distinction between Israel and the church within the purposes of God. The promises of the Old Testament are not fulfilled through the gathering of the church of Jesus Christ from among all the peoples of the earth. These promises are given to an earthly, ethnically distinct people, Israel, and they will be fulfilled in a literal manner only during the dispensation of the kingdom that follows the present dispensation of the gospel.”
(From an online article titled The Church and Israel: the Issue)
And these are among the most vociferous critics of Pastor and Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn's book, The Harbinger. Dispensationalism is a recent invention in the history of the church, and it is embraced by a good portion of today's Evangelical Protestantism.
Unlike Reform Theology, which predates it by centuries; it does not see Israel and the church as the One People of God, but it divides the two, which is precisely what Scripture teaches that Christ came to abolish. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and the foreknowledge of Almighty God, Paul writes the following about this One People of God comprising God’s Olive Tree of grafted wild olives – Gentiles – and re-grafted Jewish believers in Jesus the Messiah:
Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands—remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.
(Ephesian 2:11-22)
And unlike Reform Theology, it (Dispensational Theology coupled with Cessationism – or at least in the manner The Harbinger’s critics misuse it.) denies the most basic tenet of the simple Gospel of Jesus Christ – that God's redemptive plan was well laid and ready before the foundation of the earth and all the covenants which followed came into being. God’s plan of redemption does not originate in the covenants, but the covenants originate in it – within the framework of God’s redemptive plan which He established long before He made these covenants with man. In the providence of God, the totality of God’s redemptive plan must be taken into consideration, not subdivided and layered with theological limitations of what God can accomplish throughout history.
This is why I have often said, and continue to say that it (Dispensationalism) is a good tool for a Biblical historian like myself in organizing a history lesson or Bible Study where the history needs to be broken down, but it makes poor theology and a flawed exegetical method of Biblical Hermeneutics in explaining God and His works. This is because it denies that the unchanging God of the Bible (Genesis to Revelation) changes how He works in human history according to each so-called “dispensation, changing as He goes along.”
And I reject Cessationism entirely because it teaches that the God of the Bible who has never changed His ways or methods from the point of Creation to the Day of Judgment, has suspended how He works for this period because a group of people decreed it and have been teaching this theology for a little over a century. We’re supposed to suspend what the Word of God clearly teaches about the End Times and believe that at the end of the Apostolic Age, God stopped operating as He had since the beginning of time, and will operate in this manner until the time of the End, when all of a sudden, He will again change and once again work and act characteristically as He did in the pages of our Bibles!
It is this flawed theology that is at the heart of The Harbinger’s critics, this and the false doctrine of Cessationism, which denies every work of God in the modern – all exception redemption and the new birth – which form a deadly combination that has result in the toxic concoction that lines the pages of The Harbinger: Fact of Fiction? A book that is a tacit denial of a prophetic message of God to His people – those who worship the God of the Bible and are His people by faith – Christians everywhere – to repent and seek their God, and pray for their nation and their leaders, and if they should aspire for public office that they could serve and honor God while they dispatch the responsibilities of the office they hold for which the people elected them.
I am not plugging for Reform Theology here, but this is where I am in agreement with it and to an extent with Dispensationalism, where I agree with the two – God has a definite plan for the nation of Israel, but He has broken down the barrier of the dividing wall which is the Law of Commandments ratified in the Mosaic Covenant, and He has done this through the death of Jesus Christ once and for all with no distinctions other than to accept Christ as Lord and Savior in faith and be born of the Holy Spirit of God and washed in the cleansing blood of Christ. Out of two He has created one new man and out of the nations He has brought forth children unto Himself whom He has incorporated into His people Israel as One people with One Faith, One hope of our calling, One Lord, One God – our Lord Jesus Christ who is Lord above all and over all, amen. (1Corinthians 8:6, Ephesians 4:4)
Indeed the God of Israel when speaking to the prophet Jeremiah refers Himself as “the God of all flesh.” (Jeremiah 32:26) Why then are the critics of The Harbinger trying to make a distinction that since Christ no longer exists, when the only distinction that exists is between those who know Christ and are saved and those who do not, and use this argument to claim where and when God judges nations and what nations He will judge? What’s more, Paul in the Holy Spirit, refers to God as the God of the Gentiles as well where he writes:
Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one.
(Romans 3:29-31)
And what the Apostle Paul in the Holy Spirit of God in his Letter to the Ephesians writes under inspiration is too great not to cite here where he makes it abundantly clear to those who would place a dichotomy between God’s people – Jew and Gentile in Christ – where one does not exist, which God through Christ has once and for all time abolished:
For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you; that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power. To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him. Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory.
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
(Ephesians 3:1-21)
KJOS: Six months after his inauguration, President Washington issued his grateful Thanksgiving Proclamation. It began with this statement:
"Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor.... Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be..."
What was Washington's relationship to this lofty and somewhat impersonal God? According to Wikipedia (and my own web searches), his pastor affirmed that he often came to church. He showed respect for all religions but rarely discussed his own faith. And his titles for God sound more Masonic than Biblical, but that may be more of cultural than a spiritual issue .
Yet, as Washington became more aware of the links between American masons and the radical agenda within European freemasonry, his concern grew. He wrote the following two letters to a German immigrant:
[Mount Vernon, September 25, 1798] "Sir: Many apologies are due to you…for not thanking you, at an earlier period, for the book [Proofs of a Conspiracy, by John Robison] you had the goodness to send me."
"I have heard much of the nefarious, and dangerous plan, and doctrines of the Illuminati, but never saw the book until you were pleased to send it to me. … I believe notwithstanding, that none of the [Masonic] Lodges in this Country are contaminated with the principles ascribed to the Society of the Illuminati." [Second letter]
"…It was not my intention to doubt that, the Doctrines of the Illuminati, and principles of Jacobinism had not spread in the United States. On the contrary, no one is more truly satisfied of this fact than I am. ...I did not believe that the Lodges of Free Masons in this Country, had, as Societies, endeavored to propagate the diabolical tenets of the first [the Illuminati], or the pernicious principles of the latter [the Jacobins]...."[4]
So did our first president eventually become a Christian? I don't know, but I would like to believe he did. Like ancient King Solomon, he had great wisdom, but only God knows his true faith.[5]
CLARIFICATION AND CORRECTION: Herein is evidence that though George Washington had been a Mason since his youth, he never entertained the esoteric teachings that later permeated Free Masonry, and when he replied in writing to the German immigrant Kjos cites above, he indeed showed concerned regarding the nefarious, and dangerous plan, and doctrines of the Illuminati, but we may gather that although Washington had been sent a copy of John Robison’s book Proofs of a Conspiracy, he had not read the book.
To the best of his knowledge, none of the [Masonic] Lodges in this Country are contaminated with the principles ascribed to the Society of the Illuminati." He continues…"…It was not my intention to doubt that, the Doctrines of the Illuminati, and principles of Jacobinism had not spread in the United States. On the contrary, no one is more truly satisfied of this fact than I am. ...I did not believe that the Lodges of Free Masons in this Country, had, as Societies, endeavored to propagate the diabolical tenets of the first [the Illuminati], or the pernicious principles of the latter [the Jacobins]...."
In this instance, the only thing which I agree with that this critic of The Harbinger has written (other than the author’s affirmation of faith in Christ and the truth of His inerrant and inspired Word), is the following statement:
What was Washington's relationship to this lofty and somewhat impersonal God? According to Wikipedia (and my own web searches), his pastor affirmed that he often came to church. He showed respect for all religions but rarely discussed his own faith. And his titles for God sound more Masonic than Biblical, but that may be more of cultural than a spiritual issue .
Yet, as Washington became more aware of the links between American masons and the radical agenda within European freemasonry, his concern grew. So did our first president eventually become a Christian? I don't know, but I would like to believe he did. Like ancient King Solomon, he had great wisdom, but only God knows his true faith.[5]
The basis for believing that most of our founders were Masons, and some outright antichrists is very well presented by Chris Pinto in his groundbreaking documentary, The Hidden Faith of the Founding Fathers. From the You Tube video The Hidden Faith of the Founding Fathers:
Chris Pinto has made it clear in his landmark documentary, The Hidden Faith of the Founding Fathers, that many of our Founders were occultists and anti-Christian. http://www.adullamfilms.com
The Hidden Faith of the Founding Fathers is perhaps the first and only documentary to go where no film has ever gone before, confronting the little known beliefs of America's founders. Conservative Christian leaders often claim that the revolutionaries were godly men who were trying to build a Christian nation. But was their faith the true faith of the Bible? Or is it possible that the exact opposite is true?
The real questions are: What did the founders believe about Jesus Christ? Christianity begins with faith in the Person of Christ Himself: what did the founders think of Him? What did they think of the Gospel? Were they fighting for Christianity, or against it?
Included in this DVD:
1) The faith of Thomas Paine -- the man who inspired the American Revolution, and the writing of the Declaration of Independence. This film shows how Paine's influence over the Revolution was critical, while his anti-Christian writings revealed much of what the other founders truly believed.
2) The faith of Thomas Jefferson -- author of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson said the Book of Revelation was "the ravings of a maniac" and that the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles were full of "imposture" and "stupidity." After his private papers were published, he was called "the reviler of Christ" by a leading clergyman. (In the Jeffersonian Bible, Jefferson expunged every mention of the miraculous, because he believed them to be nothing but superstitious myths.)
3) The faith of Benjamin Franklin -- the only man to sign all of the original founding documents. Franklin was part of a radical occult group known as "The Hellfire Club" in England that took part in satanic rituals, which may have included human sacrifice. Shortly before he died, he openly stated that he did not believe the Gospel.
4) The faith of John Adams -- the second President of the United States. The evidence shows that Adams was no Christian at all, but rather exalted pagan beliefs about God, while abhorring the Gospel, calling it an "awful blasphemy."
5) The faith of George Washington -- known as "the Father of our country." Three of Washington's own pastors doubted his faith in Christ. Proof is shown that he went to war, not for Christianity, but for a "universal" system that would embrace all religions. When compelled by the clergy to confess his faith in Christ, Washington refused. (This can be contested and in fact is above.)
6) Washington & the Jesuits: Generally unknown is the role of Rome and the Jesuit Order in the American Revolution. Powerful historic evidence shows that George Washington worked with Jesuits to prevail against their common enemy, England. This information is ground-breaking and documented beyond any doubt. (Not conclusive, but worthy of further research.)
7) Bartonian History: we confront David Barton's fabled view of American history, giving examples (including his appearance on the Glenn Beck program) of how he misquotes the founders to make it appear as if they supported Christianity, when it is provable that they did not. (Some of the founders were in fact, Christians, but not all. It is incorrect to say that all of the founders were not Christians.)
8) The Question of Freemasonry: Also included is an expose of David Barton's book on the role of Freemasonry, contending on key points against his assertion that Masonry played no significant role in the founding of the country. (Early 18th Century American Free Masonry was not the Illuminatist centers of intrigue and the Occult that they later developed into due to infiltration by successive waves of Europeans into the new nation in later years. It was once a fact that America’s lodges had as most, but not all its members prominent Christians and members of the clergy.)
9) Biblical World View: Confronts the idea often suggested that the founders were "deists," or "agnostics" -- whereas, according to the Bible, they were antichrists. (Many but not all of them were.)
The Hidden Faith of the Founding Fathers is perhaps the first and only documentary to go where no film has ever gone before, confronting the little known beliefs of America's founders. Conservative Christian leaders often claim that the revolutionaries were godly men who were trying to build a Christian nation. But was their faith the true faith of the Bible? Or is it possible that the exact opposite is true?
The real questions are: What did the founders believe about Jesus Christ? Christianity begins with faith in the Person of Christ Himself: what did the founders think of Him? What did they think of the Gospel? Were they fighting for Christianity, or against it?
Included in this DVD:
1) The faith of Thomas Paine -- the man who inspired the American Revolution, and the writing of the Declaration of Independence. This film shows how Paine's influence over the Revolution was critical, while his anti-Christian writings revealed much of what the other founders truly believed.
2) The faith of Thomas Jefferson -- author of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson said the Book of Revelation was "the ravings of a maniac" and that the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles were full of "imposture" and "stupidity." After his private papers were published, he was called "the reviler of Christ" by a leading clergyman. (In the Jeffersonian Bible, Jefferson expunged every mention of the miraculous, because he believed them to be nothing but superstitious myths.)
3) The faith of Benjamin Franklin -- the only man to sign all of the original founding documents. Franklin was part of a radical occult group known as "The Hellfire Club" in England that took part in satanic rituals, which may have included human sacrifice. Shortly before he died, he openly stated that he did not believe the Gospel.
4) The faith of John Adams -- the second President of the United States. The evidence shows that Adams was no Christian at all, but rather exalted pagan beliefs about God, while abhorring the Gospel, calling it an "awful blasphemy."
5) The faith of George Washington -- known as "the Father of our country." Three of Washington's own pastors doubted his faith in Christ. Proof is shown that he went to war, not for Christianity, but for a "universal" system that would embrace all religions. When compelled by the clergy to confess his faith in Christ, Washington refused. (This can be contested and in fact is above.)
6) Washington & the Jesuits: Generally unknown is the role of Rome and the Jesuit Order in the American Revolution. Powerful historic evidence shows that George Washington worked with Jesuits to prevail against their common enemy, England. This information is ground-breaking and documented beyond any doubt. (Not conclusive, but worthy of further research.)
7) Bartonian History: we confront David Barton's fabled view of American history, giving examples (including his appearance on the Glenn Beck program) of how he misquotes the founders to make it appear as if they supported Christianity, when it is provable that they did not. (Some of the founders were in fact, Christians, but not all. It is incorrect to say that all of the founders were not Christians.)
8) The Question of Freemasonry: Also included is an expose of David Barton's book on the role of Freemasonry, contending on key points against his assertion that Masonry played no significant role in the founding of the country. (Early 18th Century American Free Masonry was not the Illuminatist centers of intrigue and the Occult that they later developed into due to infiltration by successive waves of Europeans into the new nation in later years. It was once a fact that America’s lodges had as most, but not all its members prominent Christians and members of the clergy.)
9) Biblical World View: Confronts the idea often suggested that the founders were "deists," or "agnostics" -- whereas, according to the Bible, they were antichrists. (Many but not all of them were.)
Regardless of whether or not a person believes that He is the Messiah, there is one unmistakable fact - for Jew, Gentile, Messianic Jew or Gentile Christian, or Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Buddhist, Muslim, Atheist, Agnostic, Communist, Socialist, Free Mason, Secular Humanist; regardless your religious affiliation, social status, pedigree, race, ethnicity, national origin, or any other epigenetic metric by which one is measured by others or themselves in this life - there is one constant - Jesus Christ - He who is called the Messiah of Israel by followers of His such as myself - regardless of whether or not He is unanimously recognized as such at this juncture in human history - this One Man of divine origin and from eternity - has His imprint on the very fabric of human history; for there is not a single calendar, not a single event, not a single occurrence occurring at any particular time, any time, that does not testify that His birth has had a unique and indelible mark on human history - regardless of whether one uses B.C. and A.D. or B.C.E. and C.E. on their calendars.
No other life that has ever made it into the pool of the mass of humanity has ever or will ever have this type of effect on time. Everywhere one travels throughout the planet, regardless of nation, is marked by this one constant - regardless whether B.C. and A.D. or B.C.E. or C.E. is used.
And every event in history, regardless of whether it occurred in B.C. (B.C.E.) or A.D. (C.E.) is marked by the constant of this ONE BIRTH - the coming of Jesus Christ - known in Hebrew as Yeshua Maschiach. So, God has worked it in such a manner that everything that has happened in human history - good and bad - from the beginning of time to the present, and well into the our future - everything, every occurrence, everywhere, under ever nation, in every corner of the earth, and every civilization that has ever existed; has been marked in time by this one constant - it happened, is happening, or will yet happen and marked by B.C. (B.C.E.) or A.D. (C.E.).
Who has taught this? Pastor and Messianic Rabbi, not quoted verbatim, in a message he gave at the Beth Israel Jerusalem Center in Wayne, on Sunday, December 23rd, 2012, for Christmas. And this is just a very small sample of the truth he teaches, some of which is being pilloried by people who spend most of their waking hours focused on criticizing others, especially in finding fault in other Christians, and then posting on Internet for the public to see. I ask you, is this the way of love? Is this any way to serve the Lord Jesus Christ? I think you know the answer, and there is no justification for those who live their days in such manner no matter what they may say to the contrary. They may think that they can get away with this in front of other people, but they will not escape accountability before the God they claim to serve, and hold others accountable to.
This speaks volumes, and testifies to the truth that Yeshua/Jesus the Messiah is the Only Begotten Son of God, who was conceived of the Holy Spirit of God, born to a young Jewish woman untouched by any man, in Bethlehem of Judea, of Davidic Royal Lineage, who came into the world to redeem Israel and the peoples of the nations of the earth from what religion, science, or reason could not from - the power of sin and the separation it brings to every human being from the loving God who created them and provided for them this great and magnificent salvation - and here is the clincher - unconditionally, regardless of whether or not they would accept it for themselves.
This is love; when one surrenders everything for another knowing beforehand that some will accept and others won't. That is free choice, and God has given it to each and every one of us, and it is up to us in this life to do something with it; accept His offer or reject. I accepted it on August 30th, 1976 at 5:30 in the morning when I received Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior and repented of my personal sins. I have never been a religious person, nor am I one now, but I do know the difference between religion and new life. I do know the difference between faith and works. And I have been allowed to know personally the Lord Jesus as my Messiah, something I did not know that He was before I came to faith in Him.
KJOS:
Truth and Tribulation
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. Here are two examples:
Old Testament: "...it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.... that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. ... The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated.... The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow...
"But if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God... all these curses will come upon you.... The Lord will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke in all that you set your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the wickedness of your doings in which you have forsaken Me.... The Lord will change the rain of your land to powder and dust....
"The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies.... A nation whom you have not known shall eat the fruit of your land and the produce of your labor.... The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower. He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him...." Deuteronomy 28:1-47
"But if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God... all these curses will come upon you.... The Lord will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke in all that you set your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the wickedness of your doings in which you have forsaken Me.... The Lord will change the rain of your land to powder and dust....
"The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies.... A nation whom you have not known shall eat the fruit of your land and the produce of your labor.... The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower. He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him...." Deuteronomy 28:1-47
New Testament: "...all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition....Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. ...God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." 1 Corinthians 10:11-13
Notice the encouraging end of the last Scripture. Yes, we will face hard times. Remember, trials and persecution have pursued God's faithful followers through the ages. But in the midst of darkness, His light shines all the more brightly.
Through the years, most Christians in America have enjoyed relatively easy lives: no starvation, no violent hatred, no fear of torturous assaults and the deadly persecution that continues to pursue God's people in other parts of the world. But worldly comforts tend to feed spiritual complacency, and few of us have had much teaching in the school of "joyful endurance."
So let's get on with our training in Him. Let's make sure His Word is "hidden" in our hearts. Let's "put on the whole armor of God." And let's build the habit of thanking and praising our wonderful Lord through every day! Then He will truly "hide us in His tabernacle" and fill our hearts with His peace.
“Thou art my hiding place;
Thou shalt preserve me from trouble;
Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance.” Psalm 32:7
Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance.” Psalm 32:7
CLARIFICATION AND CORRECTION: This is what The Harbinger is all about Kjos; it’s a warning for US to turn from our wickedness, displayed right here in the manner in which people who call themselves Christians have flayed this man of God alive and casted him into the oven of judgment in the eyes of many for the name of Christ and His glorify!? WHAT IS THIS!?
The Harbinger’s critics are a collection of individuals belonging to a tightly knit group of theologians whose work is to use their positions within a framework of ministries called “Discernment Ministries” to publicly criticize other Christians with whom they disagree with doctrinally and theologically.
Years ago, they correctly focused their attention to cults and deviant movements masquerading as Evangelical, but in recent months, they have been active in attacking fellow believers with whom they have doctrinal differences all under the guise of Biblical Integrity and Fighting Error.
They interview one another and present these interviews where they speak against other Christians, as Dr. Jimmy DeYoung did in a notorious interview Brannon Howse gave him earlier in 2012, where they mischaracterized Pastor and Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn as a false prophet and his book, The Harbinger, as full of errors WIHOUT HAVING READ ONE PAGE FROM THE BOOK, but going completely on hearsay from David James, who wrote his own book – The Harbinger: Fact or Fiction? – targeting Rabbi Cahn’s book and his salvation.
It is interesting that over the years, Brannon Howse and other critics of The Harbinger from those circles have broadcasted and written articles very much like The Harbinger, but when others Christians do the same independent of them, they are attacked by these people! Of people like these, Christ has warned:
“How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?”
(John 5:44)
The Amplified Bible presents Our Lord’s words in John 5:44 in the following manner:
“How is it possible for you to believe [how can you learn to believe], you who [are content to seek and] receive praise and honor and glory from one another, and yet do not seek the praise and honor and glory which come from Him Who alone is God?”
Additionally the Lord Jesus admonishes us, which is really a commandment for us to follow:
Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
(John 7:24)
In Conclusion
As I’ve been reading the different Internet postings against The Harbinger and those that support The Harbinger: Fact or Fiction? as well as the books for myself, and the more I read, the more it has become increasingly apparent to me that this is precisely what has happened. The series of topical messages that Rabbi Cahn gave during Friday evening Shabbat services and Sunday morning services throughout the last ten years on America’s spiritual and moral decline, and how these have in great measure affected and caused its economic decline and its decline as a world power, formed the basis of much if not all of what Rabbi Cahn’s book says as God has given him an revelatory understanding of these things over the years, which he has put to paper.
But in my opinion, what made a great topical messages of apparent truths regarding America and the country which has been founded upon it from shore to shore – these United States of this America – is an extremely difficult topic to translate into a book without becoming encyclopedic in nature and boring. Rabbi Cahn’s decision to write it as fiction I believe was so that it would reach the widest audience and readership possible, and I commend him for it, because this is precisely what he has done, and I understand his reasoning behind it.
Additionally, the transition from a series of excellent and accurate topical messages into a novel has lent itself to the criticisms of the Literalist/Minimalists/Cessationist self-righteous avatars of today’s Christian community, and has spearheaded a barrage of very unfortunate responses from these and other circles that had any of these people been sitting in those Friday nights and Sunday morning services, and heard the teaching series for themselves, rather than read the fictional book Rabbi Cahn has written largely based upon these topical messages; I do not doubt that they would have taken issue with what was said. In fact, I believe they would’ve agreed to much of these messages had they heard them out the first time.
Now I’m afraid, they are too committed, too far gone in their arguments and well-developed criticisms to turn. I personally wrote Dr. James about this, but have not gotten a response, and I do not believe even if Jesus Christ Himself were to appear to him or speak to him in a dream to warn him about what him about what he and others are going with this, he would listen. These people are literalists, what’s more they’re Cessationists, the worst of the bunch within today’s Post-Modern America, and without a proper understanding about what they are writing about, they are often quick to judge, quick to make assumptions, and quick to make claims that do not exist. I have personally been a victim of this in my own dealings with some of them.
David James himself, before he knew who I was and my opinions on this matter, admitted on his own web site – most confidently I’d say – that he is a Cessationist. Cessationism is a false theology masquerading as Mainline Christian teaching that has permeated much of the Post-Modern Church, and has now in recent years also crept into Mainline Evangelical Christianity. It is the natural outgrowth of the higher critical schools of Europe, with roots going back to the Enlightenment and the Renaissance. In Judaism, we see its affects among the Haskalah Movement of the 18th and 19th centuries which led to assimilation and the founding of such Jewish denominations as Reform Judaism and the more liberal expressions of these which followed later, some of which do not even believe in a personal Messiah anymore, something that is one of traditional Judaism’s historically central confession of faith. (See Haskalah on the Jewish Encyclopedia web site, as well as Haskalah, on the Wikipedia web site)
No comments:
Post a Comment