This is the First Round of discussions for Pastor and Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn’s new global bestseller, The Mystery of the Shemitah: The 3,000-Year-Old Mystery That Holds the Secret of America's Future, the World's Future, and Your Future! Yes, you’ve read that right; Rabbi Cahn’s book is now the bestselling Christian book in the world!!! Amazing. Not only does this indicate that the Lord’s blessing is on this as part of His providential plan of getting the Great Commission out there with the Gospel to reach the lost, but that more people are now listening, groping for answers to what is happening. They have a sense that there is much more to what is going on than the normal every day news, and they’re looking for answers. The fields are fertile for the harvest of the Lord. Praise God.
Enjoy the reading.
THE PEPSTER
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The Mystery of the Shemitah: The 3,000-Year-Old Mystery That Holds the Secret of America's Future, the World's Future, and Your Future!
One of the Best Kept Secrets of Biblical History
By William Struse on September 2, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
21 comments (which follow immediately following this review)
I admit, I'm a skeptical person by nature and I started this book wondering how the author would deal with the subject of the Biblical Shemitah. For those who might be a little hesitant as well, I hope to offer you some reassurances, but first a brief summary of the book.
The Mystery of the Shemitah is basically a book about the Biblical Sabbath and Jubilee cycles and how they relate to socio-economic cycles in the context of a Biblical message of repentance. The author, Jonathan Cahn makes a pretty detailed case for his theory that financial and economic events of today may be influenced by these two ancient Biblical cycles. Like ripples in a pond or echoes in a canyon, one can't help but wonder if the 7 year Sabbath cycle and the 50 year Jubilee cycle still effect history today. Another way of looking at it is the famous quote by Mark Twain: "History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme".
Admittedly the author sticks to a more secular aspect of the Biblical cycles as they relate to America and world financial markets, but let me tell you why I think his underlying premise has merit. Using 7 year Sabbath cycles as Mr. Cahn describes, and going back in Biblical time the Sabbath cycles do indeed mark important events:
*Yeshua (Jesus) was born on a Sabbath year
*Nehemiah and Ezra read the law in a Sabbath year
*Ezra when up to Jerusalem in a Sabbath year
*The 2nd Temple foundation was laid in a Sabbath year
*The 70 years captivity spoken about by Jeremiah ended in a Sabbath year
*The 1st Temple was destroyed in a Sabbath year
*Kind David died in a Sabbath year
*The Exodus took place in a Sabbath year
If you extend the same Sabbath cycles even further back in time (to Adam) using a reasonable rendering of the Old Testament chronology you find that:
*Joseph's 7 years of plenty & 7 years of famine fell during the Sabbath cycles
*Yahweh's covenant with Abram fell on a Sabbath year
*Enoch's birth and the year he was taken to "heaven" both fell on a Sabbath year
In my opinion the facts above show that Mr. Cahn's underlying premise has merit. Now, since this is intended to be a balanced book review I would like to give a few points where I find myself in respectful disagreement or in some way felt the book was lacking.
1. Mr. Cahn did not provide a Scriptural basis for his Sabbath and Jubilee cycles calculations. I think a premise so central to the book should be explained so that the reader can come to a reasonable understanding of the author's perspective. For instance his Sabbath year is one year different than my understanding of the chronology. It would be helpful to see how he arrived at his chronological basis so I could correct my own understanding if necessary.
2. In my opinion Mr. Cahn misses a great opportunity to connect the Sabbath and Jubilee cycles to Yeshua, the true "spirit of prophecy".
On a more positive note I really appreciated Mr. Cahn explaining how the Jubilee and Sabbath cycles are synchronized. Using his explanation of a synchronized Jubilee and Sabbath cycle brings new understanding the chronology of the Scripture.
Matthew 1 shows that Yeshua was the 41st generation from Abraham. Using Mr. Cahn's premise we find there are 41 Jubilee cycles between Abraham and Yeshua. Going even further back in time we find there were 41 Jubilee cycles from Adam to Abraham. Those of us alive today just happen to be living in the 41st Jubilee cycle from Yeshua. (41+41+41)
Mr. Cahn talked about the 70 years the land of Israel enjoyed it's Sabbath's during the 2nd temple captivity period. Amazingly those 70 years began in the 70th Jubilee.
As a final example of the beautiful symbolism inherent in Mr. Cahn's premise we find a comparison in the Bible about the Messiah's return and "birth pangs". The typical human pregnancy lasts 40 weeks. Yeshua was seen of his disciples for 40 days before his ascension. Jerusalem was destroyed 40 years later. Today we are living in the 40th Jubilee cycle from the destruction of Jerusalem. (40 days > 40 yrs. > 40 Jubilees)
In summary, I think Mr. Cahn's book brings much needed attention to the wonderful subject of the Biblical Sabbath and Jubilee cycles. Even though I don't agree with all of his conclusions, I wholeheartedly agree with his message of repentance.
The Ninevites were given 40 days to repent and they repented from the king on down. Israel, during Yeshua's day, was given the "sign of Jonah" as a warning to repent. When they did not Jerusalem was destroyed 40 years later. Since that destruction it has been 40 Jubilees. Which example will todays generation follow?
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THE FOLLOWING WERE COMMENTS ABOUT WILLIAMS STRUSE’S REVIEW
THEY ARE IN DATE ASCENDING ORDER, FROM THE OLDEST TO THE LATEST
Initial post: Sep 3, 2014 5:54:05 AM PDT
Just Me says:
What a great review!
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Posted on Sep 3, 2014 6:00:43 AM PDT
T. J. Voelker says:
I really appreciated this review and thank you for it. Blessings to you!
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In reply to an earlier post on Sep 3, 2014 7:15:43 AM PDT
William Struse says:
Thank you! I appreciate you letting me know. It is a wonderful subject.
Warm regards, WS
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In reply to an earlier post on Sep 3, 2014 7:16:31 AM PDT
William Struse says:
Thank you T.J.
Warm regards, WS________________________________________Posted on Sep 3, 2014 9:48:07 AM PDT
Last edited by the author on Sep 15, 2014 4:55:35 AM PDT RAFAEL says:
The Shemitah was instituted when the Palestinian Covenant was made in the land of Moab with the second generation out of the land of Egypt from the nation of Israel. It was given at the end of the forty years wanderings and just before they entered the Promised Land. It laid down for all Judaic generations that followed the conditions for entering and maintaining the Promised Land. 1) Rest for the land: a)Every seventh year was to be a year of rest for the land Leviticus 25: 1-7. b)Every 50th year was to be a jubilee year of rest for the land Leviticus 25:8-17.
As the Sabbath day of rest for the people of Israel was the seal of the Mosaic Covenant, so the Sabbath Year(Shemitah) of rest for the land was the seal of the Palestinian Covenant. IT WAS GIVEN EXCLUSIVELY TO ONLY ONE NATION IN HUMAN HISTORY. THE NATION OF ISRAEL!
The tragic history of Israel reveals their failure to keep the terms of this covenant as well as their judgment by expulsions from the land. God foreknew and foretold this result by Moses even before they entered the land Deuteronomy 31: 15-21. They experienced the curses of the covenant, the sicknesses and the plagues of the land, being overthrown like Sodom & Gomorrah, and finally being rooted out of their land.
Is the Shemitah currently orchestrating current dynamic effects upon human history as Mr. Cahn claims in the Harbinger and The Mystery of the Shemitah? THE ANSWERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOT!
The New Testament reveals that all the Sabbaths are fulfilled in Christ and that the believer under the new covenant is no longer obligated to keep the Mosaic or Palestinian covenant Sabbaths.
Even in Old Testament times when Israel kept the Sabbaths God condemned them for their hypocritical observances. (Isaiah Chapter 1:10-17; Lamentations Chapter 2:6) God also predicted the cessation of their feast days and Sabbaths. cf Hosea 2:11. Paul taught that the holy days, New Moons and all Sabbath days were merely a shadow of things to come and had been ABOLISHED AT THE CROSS. cf Colossians 2:11,16,17.
Paul clearly tells us that the old covenant was old, decaying and ready to vanish away. It was ministration of death and was to be done away with. (2 Corinthians 3:1-18; Hebrews 8:6-13). The new covenant has its own sign and seal even the true and spiritual rest which is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. cf Isaiah 28:9-11, Acts 2:1-4. To take the Sabbath day or Shemitah and impose its keeping or influence upon Christians today, Jew or Gentile, or to any nation in the world, it to take the sign and seal of the Old Testament and add it to the sign and seal of the new covenant. IT THEN BECOMES A CONFUSION OF COVENANTS.
So how do we account for modern day events which occured during the sabbatical year or Shemitah?
The answer is very simple. These events were orchestrated by God's SOVEREIGN RULE! God is in control, he is sovereign. He does whatever pleases him and determines whether we can do what we have planned. This is the essence of God's sovereignty; his absolute independence to do as he pleases and his absolute control over the actions of all his creatures. No creature, person, or empire can either thwart his will or act outside the bounds of his will. So no one can act and no circumstances can occur outside the bounds of God's sovereign will. God does as he pleases, and only as he pleases, and no one can frustrate his plans or hinder his purposes.
cf Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him Psalm 115:3.
For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back Isaiah 14:27.
I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: my purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please (Isaiah 46:10).
In conclusion no plan of God can be thwarted; when he acts, no one can reverse it; no one can hold back his hand or bring him to account for his actions. God does as he pleases, only as he pleases, and works out every event in human history to bring about the accomplishment of his will. THE SHEMITAH NEVER HAS AND NEVER WILL ORCHESTRATE ANY EVENTS IN HUMAN HISTORY.
A BOOK REVIEW WORTH READING. THANK YOU BERNHARD!
Bernhard S. Schmidt "Bernie Schmidt" (RI, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME) This review is from: The Mystery of the Shemitah: The 3,000-Year-Old Mystery That Holds the Secret of America's Future, the World's Future, and Your Future! (Paperback)
Cahn claims to be the first ever to identify a seven year economic cycle within the US economy and attempts to convince his readers that it parallels the seven year Biblical cycle of ancient Israel (which the ancient Israelite's failed to heed resulting in their punishment and banishment to Babylon by God). This economic cycle has never been identified or acknowledged by economists, or any other experts, who would be far more qualified to identify such trends - this continues to remain the case. He provides an endless number of facts and makes all kinds of assertions without actually providing any documentation or evidence to substantiate his claims, all while claiming the book to be 90% non-fiction. Cahn, as patterned with his first book, has a tendency to misapply Scripture and cherry pick Biblical passages to try to build his case. As Christians, like the Bereans, we are called to question everything and do the research. If not, we open ourselves to being misled and deceived by accepted and authoritative sources (like Cahn has become). We really need to be much more cautious about taking anything perceived as so-called Christian to be reliable, dependable, accurate, or even absolute.
Can We Know If Current Events Are Fulfilling Prophecy?
[By Dan Vander Lugt]
The prophets were known for their "forth-telling" and their "foretelling." "Forth-telling" involved warning, admonishing, advising, and encouraging. They called on their people to repent from their evil ways. They promised blessings that would result from repentance, and punishments that would result from sin and rebellion. "Foretelling" involved predicting or describing what would occur in the future-sometimes in the near future, sometimes much later.
Because in retrospect the fulfillment of prophecy can be striking, it is easy for people to assume that they can have the same clarity of vision about prophecy that hasn't yet been fulfilled. This misunderstanding often has tragic results. Many times there has been widespread obsession with prophetic speculation along with outbreaks of fanaticism resulting from the conclusion that the endtime had arrived and that God was on the verge of supernaturally intervening in world events. When this happens, people become fatalistic and cultic. Rather than working constructively to face the problems of their day, they withdraw into fanatic enclaves of "true believers," considering everyone outside their circle as unbelievers and enemies. In the worst cases, they give themselves over to violence. (See the ATQ article How Often Have People Misapplied Prophecy?)
It is easy to overlook how ambiguous prophecy appears before its fulfillment. A prime example would be the messianic expectations of first-century Judaism. Prophecy about the Messiah was not a sideline issue. It was of the greatest importance to the Jews. The advent of the Messiah was integral to the fulfillment of their hopes as a people. The greatest rabbis pored over passages considered to apply to the Messiah. From a Christian perspective, it is striking-and should be instructive-to see how poorly the Jews anticipated the manner of Messiah's coming. All Jews, whether Jesus' followers or His enemies, expected Messiah to be a miracle-working military hero who would establish Jewish authority over the world and inaugurate a universal reign of peace and justice. The idea of Messiah suffering and dying without achieving their expectations of national glory wasn't considered. It would be inconceivable for Messiah to be killed by His enemies, much less nailed to a cross in shame. Jesus' disciples held this view right up to His arrest and execution (when they fled in panic and disappointment). To unbelieving Jews (including Saul of Tarsus prior to his encounter with the risen Messiah on the Damascus road), the crucifixion of Jesus provided conclusive evidence that He was an imposter.
There have been many occasions in the history of Christianity when large groups boldly but mistakenly associated specific biblical prophecies with contemporary events in their world. Almost invariably they had good reasons for their associations. There were usually vivid parallels between the prophecies they cited and contemporary events. But they were ignoring Jesus' pointed warnings against making prophetic speculation the basis for action (Matthew 24:36-39,50; Matthew 25:13; Luke 12:46; 21:8; Acts 1:6-8). There was good reason for Jesus' warnings. He saw how easily the interpretation of prophecy could be directed by an unconscious agenda-just as His contemporary Jews used prophecy as a basis for taking up arms in nationalistic action against Rome.
Jesus in his teaching, and his challenge to Israel, aimed precisely at telling Israel to repent of her militaristic nationalism. Her aspirations for national liberation from Rome, to be won through a great actual battle, were themselves the telltale symptoms of her basic disease, and had to be rooted out. Jesus was offering a different way of liberation, a way which affirmed the humanness of the national enemy as well as the destiny of Israel, and hence also affirmed the destiny of Israel as the bringer of light to the world, not as the one who would crush the world with military zeal (N. T. Wright, Jesus and the Victory of God, p. 450).
The tragedy of massive violence fueled by false prophetic interpretation has occurred many times since the Jewish Roman Wars of the first and second centuries. Today, as in other time periods, aspects of contemporary events are distinctive enough to be viewed by many as a basis for believing they know beyond a doubt that they are witnessing the final unfolding of endtime prophecy and that this unfolding requires their support of a number of political and military actions. This is tragic error, and plays exactly into the hands of the Evil One.
The ambiguity of Messianic prophecy prior to fulfillment illustrates vividly why we should beware of trying to circumvent Jesus' words-"The Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him" (Matthew 24:44; Luke 12:40)-with ingenious interpretative schemes. Prophecy contains patterns, themes, and "types" that are present in every age, thus some people in every period of history conclude that they are living in the endtime. It is the nature of prophecy to be understood only after its fulfillment, and even then only by those who have "eyes to see," that is, believers (Jeremiah 5:21; Ezekiel 12:2; Matthew 13:15-16; Romans 11:5-10). (See the ATQ article Why Aren't Unbelievers Amazed by the Many Prophecies Jesus Fulfilled?)
It is true that there is potential today for the most powerful Antichrist and empire the world has ever seen (1 John 2:18). We have also witnessed the reestablishment of a powerful Jewish state in the ancestral homeland of Israel. However, to conclude that these circumstances prove we are entering the final stage of earthly history before the tribulation and millennium disregards Jesus' warnings and makes us vulnerable to the same fanaticism that caused every apocalyptic disaster of the past 2,000 years.
We have no way of knowing whether the next Antichrist figure, however powerful, will be the last. We have no way of knowing whether the next empire, however great, will be the last. We have no way of knowing for sure that today's Israel represents the final struggle for Jewish independence before endtime events unfold.
The Bible offers no reason to believe God will protect an unrepentant Israel as it attempts to secure by its own strength a Jewish homeland. The most advanced weapons systems will never bring peace and security to a nation established by force of arms and unwilling to heed the exhortations of its own prophets to seek justice and walk humbly with its God (1 Samuel 15:22; Proverbs 21:3;Isaiah 1:16-19;Jeremiah 7:3-6; Micah 6:8; Zephaniah 2:3).
Speculation about the "foretelling" aspect of prophecy should never outweigh the clear "forth-telling" aspect. Belief that a particular prophecy is perhaps being fulfilled never relieves us of the responsibility to act justly in the light of New Testament teaching. The prophets, Christ, and the apostles place the gospel above the law, character above "religiosity," and justice above eschatological speculation. Christians today ought to avoid eschatological speculation and focus on issues of the heart in response to the gospel message.
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Posted on Sep 3, 2014 9:51:07 AM PDT
RAFAEL says:
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How Often Have People Misapplied Prophecy?
There has been a long history of people misunderstanding and misapplying biblical prophecy. The Jews preceded the church in misapplying prophecy. Convinced that a God-anointed King (Messiah) would lead them to military victory over the Romans and establish a dynasty that would bring Israel's story to fulfillment, they ignored the warnings of both John the Baptist and Jesus that national repentance and purification would have to precede national restoration. Consequently they supported numerous military leaders and false messiahs
1 during the first and early second centuries, leading to the disastrous wars of AD 70 and 135.
In the second century, a Christian sect believed itself gifted with new revelation from the Holy Spirit. Montanism claimed that the end of the world was at hand and that the heavenly Jerusalem would be established in Phrygia (the base of the movement). Believing that the end of the world had almost arrived, this sect practiced extreme asceticism and became a serious threat to the life of the church.
As time continued, Christians repeatedly mistook the conditions of their day as the fulfillment of endtime prophecy and this continues to this day. Every generation of Christians rightfully thinks of itself as significant to God's plan, and when unusual conditions arrive-especially periods of warfare, calamity, or any major cultural change or social upheaval-they usually see circumstances and individuals of their day fitting remarkably well with the symbols and images of biblical prophecy.
In the late Roman period, Attila's Huns and the Germanic Goths were viewed by terrified Christians as "Gog and Magog," and after the great defeat of the Roman Army at Adrianople, Bishop Ambrose of Milan declared: "The end of the world is coming upon us."
The Crusades were a period of great eschatological expectation. The Encyclopedia Britannica states:
The eschatological strain of the Crusades can be noted in the Crusade sermons of Bernard of Clairvaux in 1147, who kindled enthusiasm to liberate Jerusalem with reference to the pressing terminal dates of the endtime.
During the Crusade period, many believed that Frederick II (who conquered Jerusalem in 1229) would usher in the millennium. Even after his death, people continued to believe he would return from the dead to establish the kingdom of righteousness (Frederick redivivus). Historian Paul S. Boyer writes that during this time period:
Manuscripts . . . complete with illustrations and elaborate charts (a staple of later prophecy writers as well), circulated through Europe and England, stimulating apocalyptic speculation. Further, . . . the material . . . linking the Jews explicitly to Antichrist helped to fuel an upsurge of anti-Semitism in late-medieval Europe (When Time Shall Be No More, p. 53).
During the early Reformation, large groups of Taborites in Bohemia and Anabaptists in Germany and the Low Countries held fanatical views of the imminence of the endtimes that resulted in armed rebellion against the religious and secular authorities, and some of the most horrible episodes of violence in Western history.
The major reformers too perceived themselves as standing on the verge of the apocalypse. They viewed the pope as an "internal antichrist" established in the temple at the holy place and the marauding Turkish Muslims as the "external antichrist." During the 17th century, England was awash with prophetic speculation.2The English colonies in North America were also preoccupied with the endtime:
Puritans who traveled to America in the 17th century and Quakers, Baptists, and Methodists in the 18th century believed that America was the "wilderness" promised in the Revelation to John. William Penn gave the name Philadelphia to the capital of the woodland areas ceded to him (1681) because he took up the idea of establishing the true church of the end time, represented by the Philadelphia community of the Revelation to John. A great number of the attempts undertaken to found radical Christian communities in North America may be viewed as anticipations of the coming Jerusalem (Britannica, vol. 16, p. 301).
A cluster of radical apocalyptic movements appeared in the United States and England in the early to mid-19th century, leading to the rise of the Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Mormons, along with other cultic groups that are still large and growing today. Also in the mid-19th century, a heretical Christian cult took root in China, resulting in the Taiping Rebellion (1845¬-1864). The prophet/leader of this movement, Hong Xiuquan, combined social reforms with authoritarian, visionary leadership to create the largest uprising in human history, creating an army of over a million and directly bringing about the deaths of approximately 20 million people.
A large number of political, religious, and military circumstances in the early to mid-20th century made it appear almost certain to many premillennial observers that all the circumstances were in place for the imminent rise of the Antichrist, the false prophet, the rapture, and the beginning of the 7-year tribulation period. However, from the vantage point of the beginning of the 21st century, it is obvious that many of the boldly projected prophetic scenarios didn't occur.
Evangelicals who have lived through these changes have learned through several generations of experience how misleading it can be to reach sweeping conclusions through prophetic interpretation of current events and how important it is to avoid dogmatism and undue speculation while remaining open to the possibilities. Today, the astonishing power of international bankers and corporations, the unprecedented rapidity of technological development, and the international tendency towards a world government offer many opportunities to speculate about the relationship of current events to biblical prophecy. Yet, given the mistakes made by Christians in the past, we would be wise to dedicate our time and energy to Christian witness rather than eschatological speculation.
(See the ATQ article, Can We Know If Current Events Are the Fulfillment of Prophecy?)
1."In my name (epi toe onomati mou). They will arrogate to themselves false claims of Messiahship in (on the basis of) the name of Christ himself. Josephus (Wars of the Jews VI, 54) gives their false Christs as one of the reasons for the explosion against Rome that led to the city's destruction. Each new hero was welcomed by the masses including Barcochba. `I am the Messiah,' each would say." (Robertson's Word Pictures, Matthew 24:4-5) Back to Article
2.From 1642 to 1660, as England experienced civil war, regicide, a commonwealth, and military dictatorship, end-time anticipation ran rife. John Milton, the poet of Puritanism, was but one of many who invested these events with high eschatological significance, viewing them as the prelude to the moment when "the Eternall and shortly-expected King shall open the Clouds to judge the severall Kingdomes of the World." The urgent apocalyptism of these years can scarcely be overstated. One William Sedgwick, drunk on the Millennium, predicted the end in two weeks, a rash venture in date setting that earned him the lifelong nickname "Doomsday Sedgwick." The coming "day of doom," reported an observer in 1647, was "the common talk about London."
The career of Milton's teacher Joseph Mede (1586-1638), a prophecy scholar and fellow of Christ College, Cambridge, illustrates the ubiquity of prophetic interest in these years. While he sometimes indulged in the prevailing tendency to interpret current events apocalyptically, Mede's larger objective was to integrate the Bible's various prophetic and apocalyptic sections into a single, synchronous end-time narrative. So impressive did English Puritans find his 1627 work, Clavis Apocalyptica (Key to the Revelation), that the House of Commons ordered it translated and reprinted posthumously in 1643. This and Mede's other prophecy writings, collected in Works of the Pious and Profoundly Learned Joseph Mede (1672), circulated widely in England and America. Influenced by Alsted's eschatology, Mede embedded a future Millennium firmly in his prophetic scheme, stimulating a revival of this doctrine in the English-speaking world.
With the defeat of Charles I in 1646 and his beheading in 1649, apocalyptic speculation surged among English radicals, largely drawn from society's lower ranks, who saw an egalitarian new order on the horizon. Like the Taborites and early Anabaptists, they invoked Bible prophecy to validate their expectations. (Paul S. Boyer, When Time Shall Be No More, pp. 64-65)
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Posted on Sep 3, 2014 9:52:45 AM PDT
RAFAEL says:
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How Serious is False Speculation About Prophecy?
Evangelical Christians agree that the biblical canon has been established. Anyone who claims to have a prophetic word must demonstrate its validity from Scripture. According to 1 Corinthians 14, any supposedly prophetic statement must pass two tests. First, verse 29 states that after two or three speak a prophetic message, the others are to "judge." In other words, the prophetic message must not disagree with the knowledge of God's Word and of truth held by other members of the assembly. Second, verses 37 and 38 demonstrate that just as the apostle Paul submitted his words to the examination of the Corinthians upon the basis of their knowledge of the Word of God, any prophecy that is given must be judged by the standard of the truth already known to the church of Christ. In other words, no completely new truth will be revealed, but rather the prophet will expound and explain truths already accepted and recognized by God's people. Any "prophecy" that conflicts with Scripture is assumed to be false.
Evangelicals also know how seriously the Old Testament viewed false prophecy. It provided two tests to determine whether prophets were true or false. Deuteronomy 13:1-3 states the first. If a prophet calls upon the people to "go after other gods," he is to be considered false, even if his prophecy is fulfilled.
If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, "Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them," you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God is testing you to find out if you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul (nasb).
The second test has to do with the prophet's accuracy:
When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him (18:22).
Deuteronomy 13:5 and Deuteronomy 18:20 explicitly state the punishment for false prophets: They shall be put to death.
Yet although many evangelicals are wary of anyone claiming to be a prophet, some are dangerously naive about prophetic speculation. Many of those who would never claim to be a "prophet" (See the ATQ article, Do the Same Kinds of Prophets Exist Today as in Biblical Times?) don't hesitate to claim authoritative insight into the meaning of prophecy. While they would never say, "Thus saith the Lord," they seem to imply that they know what God was saying through the prophet.
The purpose of all prophecy-including prophecy about future events-is to encourage us to examine ourselves, repent, and turn from our evil ways. Sometimes prophecy describes a future event to give hope, sometimes it warns of judgment, but in every case the goal of prophecy is spiritual renewal. Prophetic speculation, on the other hand, is mostly concerned with linking contemporary events to biblical prophecy.
To say this contemporary event is a fulfillment of that prophecy is to claim a kind of prophetic authority. It is a form of "speaking in the name of the Lord" (Deuteronomy 18:22), and just as in the case of false prophecy, it has serious consequences. Scripture and history show that prophecy pertaining to future events is ambiguous before the events occur. (See the ATQ article Can We Know if Current Events are Fulfillment of Prophecy?) Previous historical attempts to predict future events on the basis of biblical prophecy have been disastrous. (See the ATQ article How often in the History of the Church have People Mistakenly Believed They Were Acting in Fulfillment, or Observing the Fulfillment of Prophecy?)
Believing we belong to a small group that understands how prophetic events are unfolding can lead to unintended results, including pride, isolation, and diminishing concern with truth and reality. It can transform one's interpretation of prophecy into an idol, a false god. If enough people are influenced, false speculation can lead to its own "fulfillment"-the satanic opposite of legitimate prophecy-accompanied by self-righteousness, fanaticism, and violence.
This is what happened in Israel in 70 and 135 AD. False prophecy and false prophetic speculation about Messiah led to the destruction of Jerusalem by Roman armies. The fact that many Jews were convinced that Messiah would free Israel from the Roman yoke made them vulnerable to the influence of fanatics. (See the ATQ article How often in the History of the Church have People Mistakenly Believed They Were Acting in Fulfillment, or Observing the Fulfillment of Prophecy?) The same tendency can be seen in those today whose interpretation of prophecy allows them to ignore basic issues of justice and morality while calling for unqualified support for Israel in the modern Middle East, military action, the initiation of new wars, and even the use of nuclear weapons.
It is no wonder that the New Testament discourages speculation about when Jesus Christ will return and specifically states that He will return at a time no one expects (Matthew 24:36-50; 25:13; Acts 1:7; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Peter 3:10).
Jesus Christ and other inspired writers not only warn us against speculation concerning the hour of His return, but they imply such speculation prevents serious preparation for His return (Matthew 24:43-44; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6; Revelation 3:3).
Whether it manifests itself in apathy or fanatic violence, false prophecy and false speculation about prophecy is dangerous. Those of us who get caught up in the destructive practice of prophetic speculation not only lend support to the principalities and powers of evil, but also sow seeds of disillusionment and rebellion against the gospel and biblical revelation. Mark 9:42 declares: "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea" (nkjv).
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In reply to an earlier post on Sep 4, 2014 10:24:18 PM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
How Often Have People Misapplied Prophecy?
[By Dan Vander Lugt]
With Rebuttal by Jose Bernal
There has been a long history of people misunderstanding and misapplying biblical prophecy. The Jews preceded the church in misapplying prophecy. Convinced that a God-anointed King (Messiah) would lead them to military victory over the Romans and establish a dynasty that would bring Israel's story to fulfillment, they ignored the warnings of both John the Baptist and Jesus that national repentance and purification would have to precede national restoration. Consequently they supported numerous military leaders and false messiahs
1 during the first and early second centuries, leading to the disastrous wars of AD 70 and 135.
SIDEBAR & REBUTTAL: There are a lot and many more examples of false movements and false messiahs in Jewish history which are not cited here, but also serve how eschatological speculation can lead to error when it is taught as doctrine and biblical truth. Eschatology is a discipline that few understand and fewer still should be involved in, because unless there is an impartation of Scriptural evidence from the Holy Spirit about the unsealing of a prophecy which can be corroborated by and supports the clear prophetic teachings of the Bible, then they should be treated as opinion and or speculation, not declaratively God's Word.
[By Dan Vander Lugt]
In the second century, a Christian sect believed itself gifted with new revelation from the Holy Spirit. Montanism claimed that the end of the world was at hand and that the heavenly Jerusalem would be established in Phrygia (the base of the movement). Believing that the end of the world had almost arrived, this sect practiced extreme asceticism and became a serious threat to the life of the church.
As time continued, Christians repeatedly mistook the conditions of their day as the fulfillment of endtime (sic) prophecy and this continues to this day. Every generation of Christians rightfully thinks of itself as significant to God's plan, and when unusual conditions arrive-especially periods of warfare, calamity, or any major cultural change or social upheaval-they usually see circumstances and individuals of their day fitting remarkably well with the symbols and images of biblical prophecy.
SIDEBAR & REBUTTAL: While Mr. Boyer, whose work Mr. Vander Lugt quotes and makes good use of (When Time Shall Be No More) here is historically correct, the reason for this behavior by the Christians of each successive generation is generally though not always based on the teachings of Christ and the Apostles who admonish all followers of Christ to be looking for the signs of the end so that they would not be overtaken by them, and upon Christ's return, be as the foolish maidens who did not have enough oil in their lamps (). Of course, some and I would say many, have taken this on more occasions than one can cite here; to the most ridiculous extremes. Mr. Boyer took the time and did the research to find the various movements that history has strewn across its landscape of false movements and false expectations based upon eschatological speculation and faulty exegesis of God's Word.
[By Dan Vander Lugt]
In the late Roman period, Attila's Huns and the Germanic Goths were viewed by terrified Christians as "Gog and Magog," and after the great defeat of the Roman Army at Adrianople, Bishop Ambrose of Milan declared: "The end of the world is coming upon us."
The Crusades were a period of great eschatological expectation. The Encyclopedia Britannica states:
The eschatological strain of the Crusades can be noted in the Crusade sermons of Bernard of Clairvaux in 1147, who kindled enthusiasm to liberate Jerusalem with reference to the pressing terminal dates of the endtime. (sic)
During the Crusade period, many believed that Frederick II (who conquered Jerusalem in 1229) would usher in the millennium. Even after his death, people continued to believe he would return from the dead to establish the kingdom of righteousness (Frederick redivivus). Historian Paul S. Boyer writes that during this time period:
Manuscripts . . . complete with illustrations and elaborate charts (a staple of later prophecy writers as well), circulated through Europe and England, stimulating apocalyptic speculation. Further, . . . the material . . . linking the Jews explicitly to Antichrist helped to fuel an upsurge of anti-Semitism in late-medieval Europe (When Time Shall Be No More, p. 53).
During the early Reformation, large groups of Taborites in Bohemia and Anabaptists in Germany and the Low Countries held fanatical views of the imminence of the endtimes (sic) that resulted in armed rebellion against the religious and secular authorities, and some of the most horrible episodes of violence in Western history.
The major reformers too perceived themselves as standing on the verge of the apocalypse. They viewed the pope as an "internal antichrist" established in the temple at the holy place and the marauding Turkish Muslims as the "external antichrist."
SIDEBAR & REBUTTAL: They were correct in viewing the Vatican in the Church of Rome with its Pope as the Vicar of Christ, speaking Ex Cathedra and issuing Papal Edicts at will, with the Roman church's many intrigues and army of Jesuits (a quasi-religious-mystical paramilitary force) and various religious orders of Franciscan and Dominican Monks; and the Muslim hordes, as two forms of Antichrist, though all speculations of the Pope being Antichrist himself is open to debate.
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Posted on Sep 4, 2014 10:25:31 PM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
CONTINUED.......
[By Dan Vander Lugt]
During the 17th century, England was awash with prophetic speculation.
2The English colonies in North America were also preoccupied with the endtime (sic):
Puritans who traveled to America in the 17th century and Quakers, Baptists, and Methodists in the 18th century believed that America was the "wilderness" promised in the Revelation to John. William Penn gave the name Philadelphia to the capital of the woodland areas ceded to him (1681) because he took up the idea of establishing the true church of the end time, represented by the Philadelphia community of the Revelation to John. A great number of the attempts undertaken to found radical Christian communities in North America may be viewed as anticipations of the coming Jerusalem (Britannica, vol. 16, p. 301).
A cluster of radical apocalyptic movements appeared in the United States and England in the early to mid-19th century, leading to the rise of the Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Mormons, along with other cultic groups that are still large and growing today. Also in the mid-19th century, a heretical Christian cult took root in China, resulting in the Taiping Rebellion (1845¬-1864). The prophet/leader of this movement, Hong Xiuquan, combined social reforms with authoritarian, visionary leadership to create the largest uprising in human history, creating an army of over a million and directly bringing about the deaths of approximately 20 million people.
SIDEBAR & REBUTTAL: These movements have one thing in common; they were led by a false messiah, and they had expectations based upon speculations that the clear reading of God's Word does not support, because it is not in the text. Take for example Gog and Magog. Today, you have people from every part of the theological spectrum speculating that the current Russian incursions and military alliances with Iran and Syria appear to be heralding a "Gog and Magog" scenario. Well, this is entirely unbiblical, because according to the Book of Revelation, Gog and Magog will not occur unit the end of the Millennial Age, not at this time in history! Here is what the passage in Revelation says. I quote:
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.
Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.
Satan Freed, Doomed
When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Judgment at the Throne of God
Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
(Revelations Chapter 20)
You would think that this would sober people up and they wouldn't speculate in this manner. But that doesn't not dissuade people like Jimmy DeYoung and David James speculating about this on the Prophecy Today broadcast.
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Posted on Sep 4, 2014 10:26:59 PM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
CONTINUED.......
[By Dan Vander Lugt]
A large number of political, religious, and military circumstances in the early to mid-20th century made it appear almost certain to many premillennial observers that all the circumstances were in place for the imminent rise of the Antichrist, the false prophet, the rapture, and the beginning of the 7-year tribulation period. However, from the vantage point of the beginning of the 21st century, it is obvious that many of the boldly projected prophetic scenarios didn't occur.
Evangelicals who have lived through these changes have learned through several generations of experience how misleading it can be to reach sweeping conclusions through prophetic interpretation of current events and how important it is to avoid dogmatism and undue speculation while remaining open to the possibilities. Today, the astonishing power of international bankers and corporations, the unprecedented rapidity of technological development, and the international tendency towards a world government offer many opportunities to speculate about the relationship of current events to biblical prophecy. Yet, given the mistakes made by Christians in the past, we would be wise to dedicate our time and energy to Christian witness rather than eschatological speculation.
SIDEBAR & REBUTTAL: I agree with Mr. Vander Lugt here, we must be careful not to speculate and interpolate our conclusions upon the biblical narrative, but to learn from it and apply it correctly to our lives, always keeping sober and always looking for the return of Jesus the Messiah, because regardless of whether one is alive when these events take place, or die before them; Christ is coming, and He is coming at an hour no one expects, so it is incumbent upon all of us to walk in His grace and trust in His complete work implicitly for our eternal salvation.
[By Dan Vander Lugt]
(See the ATQ article, Can We Know If Current Events Are the Fulfillment of Prophecy?)
1."In my name (epi toe onomati mou). They will arrogate to themselves false claims of Messiahship in (on the basis of) the name of Christ himself. Josephus (Wars of the Jews VI, 54) gives their false Christs as one of the reasons for the explosion against Rome that led to the city's destruction. Each new hero was welcomed by the masses including Barcochba. `I am the Messiah,' each would say." (Robertson's Word Pictures, Matthew 24:4-5)
2.From 1642 to 1660, as England experienced civil war, regicide, a commonwealth, and military dictatorship, end-time anticipation ran rife. John Milton, the poet of Puritanism, was but one of many who invested these events with high eschatological significance, viewing them as the prelude to the moment when "the Eternall and shortly-expected King shall open the Clouds to judge the severall Kingdomes of the World." The urgent apocalyptism of these years can scarcely be overstated. One William Sedgwick, drunk on the Millennium, predicted the end in two weeks, a rash venture in date setting that earned him the lifelong nickname "Doomsday Sedgwick." The coming "day of doom," reported an observer in 1647, was "the common talk about London."
The career of Milton's teacher Joseph Mede (1586-1638), a prophecy scholar and fellow of Christ College, Cambridge, illustrates the ubiquity of prophetic interest in these years. While he sometimes indulged in the prevailing tendency to interpret current events apocalyptically, Mede's larger objective was to integrate the Bible's various prophetic and apocalyptic sections into a single, synchronous end-time narrative. So impressive did English Puritans find his 1627 work, Clavis Apocalyptica (Key to the Revelation), that the House of Commons ordered it translated and reprinted posthumously in 1643. This and Mede's other prophecy writings, collected in Works of the Pious and Profoundly Learned Joseph Mede (1672), circulated widely in England and America. Influenced by Alsted's eschatology, Mede embedded a future Millennium firmly in his prophetic scheme, stimulating a revival of this doctrine in the English-speaking world.
With the defeat of Charles I in 1646 and his beheading in 1649, apocalyptic speculation surged among English radicals, largely drawn from society's lower ranks, who saw an egalitarian new order on the horizon. Like the Taborites and early Anabaptists, they invoked Bible prophecy to validate their expectations. (Paul S. Boyer, When Time Shall Be No More, pp. 64-65)
SIDEBAR & REBUTTAL: This is all well and good, and agree with much of Mr. Vander Lugt's statements, except where he digresses from what the Scriptures teach regarding the prophetic. I commend him for his call for all Christians to be cautious when it comes to Eschatology, and to steer away from speculation. What I wonder here is why someone like Rafael/LEGNA/GABRIEL/ANGEL SUAREZ copies and pastes them here and in various other places on Amazon.com and wherever The Harbinger or my book, The Truth About The Harbinger, is discussed; because neither book is a work of Eschatology, neither book is prophecy, neither book is speculation, because the events both books described have occurred precisely as they're described in each one, and neither book is theology. Mr. Vander Lugt's articles concern themselves with apocalyptic speculators, messianic charlatans, cultists and their followers; who throughout history have twisted the Scriptures and reinterpreted them to their own destruction and those who followed in their error. Christ warned about this, and I am in full agreement, though it is misplaced in discussions about either Jonathan Cahn's book or mine BECAUSE NEITHER BOOK HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH ESCHATOLOGY OR SPECULATION ABOUT CHRIST'S RETURN, OR CLAIMS TO BE PROPHECY, BUT SIMPLY A CALL TO REPENTANCE IN JESUS CHRIST AND HIS OFFER OF SALVATION FOR ALL PEOPLE, BEGINNING WITH ISRAEL AND EXTENDED TO EVERY NATION UNDER HEAVEN UNDER THE NEW COVENANT ENACTED BY GOD AT THE CROSS OF CALVARY, AND AT CHRIST'S RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD.
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In reply to an earlier post on Sep 4, 2014 10:27:27 PM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
Yes we can by studying God's Word.
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In reply to an earlier post on Sep 4, 2014 10:30:27 PM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
Evangelical Christians agree that the biblical canon has been established. Anyone who claims to have a prophetic word must demonstrate its validity from Scripture. According to 1 Corinthians 14, any supposedly prophetic statement must pass two tests. First, verse 29 states that after two or three speak a prophetic message, the others are to "judge." In other words, the prophetic message must not disagree with the knowledge of God's Word and of truth held by other members of the assembly.
JOSE J. BERNAL: This is true. The Scripture specifically gives the following instruction when receiving prophecy:
Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others pass judgment.
(1Corinthians 14:29)
On the basis of this statement alone, Cessationism as a theology must be rejected, because it teaches a doctrine that denies the continued effective work of One of the Persons of the Trinity, and therefore in doing this, it denies Christ. One cannot deny the continued work of the Holy Spirit without denying the evidence for that work in the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit relational to the various ministries described by Paul throughout his letters whenever they are mentioned. (See 1Corinthians 12, 13, 14) Without the essential role of the Holy Spirit in the prayer-life, thought-life, walk, ministry, and service of the believer, the following cannot be experienced, and according to Paul here, this is an essential element of this new life in Christ. This is how he describes it in the Holy Spirit. I quote:
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 2:10-16)
Dan Vander Lugt Second, verses 37 and 38 demonstrate that just as the apostle Paul submitted his words to the examination of the Corinthians upon the basis of their knowledge of the Word of God, any prophecy that is given must be judged by the standard of the truth already known to the church of Christ. In other words, no completely new truth will be revealed, but rather the prophet will expound and explain truths already accepted and recognized by God's people. Any "prophecy" that conflicts with Scripture is assumed to be false.
JOSE J. BERNAL: The claim made above as an interpretive contrivance interpolated into the meaning of the passage in question in order to present a Cessationist teaching into the passage that it does not contain. When Mr. Vander Lugt writes, "the apostle Paul submitted his words to the examination of the Corinthians upon the basis of their knowledge of the Word of God," he forgets that when Paul wrote the passage in question, which Mr. Vander Lugt claims was being examined upon the basis of their knowledge of the Word of God, there was no New Testament cannon in existence for them to validate Paul's words, as Mr. Vander Lugt claims here, but only the Hebrew Scriptures. The Word of God which existed in their day was the cannon of the Tanakh - the Hebrew Bible and the Greek Septuagint (LXX), of which the Evangelists and all others made good use of throughout the New Testament as they wrote it. But there was no template but the Hebrew Scriptures of what is known as the Old Testament, and this is why Paul wrote these instructions, not what Mr. Vander Lugt tries to interpolate here.
When Paul wrote what is today in our Bibles Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter fourteen, he wrote it as a blue print of instructions, containing commandments - which is why he wrote the things which I write to you are the Lord's commandment (verse 37) - in case there might arise any doubt as to whether these were just instructions made by Paul or actual commandments of Scripture; not what Mr. Vander Lugt tries to read into it.
This is what the passage in its entirety says without the theological contrivance put to it by Mr. Vander Lugt. I quote:
If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord's commandment. But if anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.
(1Corinthians 14:37-38)
Paul was not prophesying here and submitting his "prophecy" to the Corinthians for them to evaluate and to judge as to whether or not it was "God's Word" as Vander Lugt claims, but he was writing God's instructional commandments on how to conduct an orderly church service where the gifts of the Holy Spirit are in evidence. Big difference from what Mr. Vander Lugt is trying to say here for Paul and for Paul's Corinthian readers.
Dan Vander Lugt Evangelicals also know how seriously the Old Testament viewed false prophecy. It provided two tests to determine whether prophets were true or false. Deuteronomy 13:1-3 states the first. If a prophet calls upon the people to "go after other gods," he is to be considered false, even if his prophecy is fulfilled.
If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, "Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them," you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God is testing you to find out if you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul (nasb).
The second test has to do with the prophet's accuracy:
When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him (18:22).
Deuteronomy 13:5 and Deuteronomy 18:20 explicitly state the punishment for false prophets: They shall be put to death.
JOSE J. BERNAL: Mr. Vander Lugt is correct here, but what he says is misapplied in the following statements when he attempts to attach to the Scriptures above a Cessationist theology.
Dan Vander Lugt Yet although many evangelicals are wary of anyone claiming to be a prophet, some are dangerously naive about prophetic speculation. Many of those who would never claim to be a "prophet" (See the ATQ article, Do the Same Kinds of Prophets Exist Today as in Biblical Times?) don't hesitate to claim authoritative insight into the meaning of prophecy. While they would never say, "Thus saith the Lord," they seem to imply that they know what God was saying through the prophet.
JOSE J. BERNAL: Mr. Vander Lugt again forgets that this is the cornerstone of correct biblical hermeneutics without which expository theology would be a distinct impossibility and would not exist. Without a proper exegesis, God's prophetic word cannot be properly read, and if it is not properly read, it cannot be understood. But even more important is the fact that essential to this is the leading, teaching, and direction of the Holy Spirit in Christ without which the Bible remains a closed book. As Paul writes:
But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ.
(2Corinthians 3:14)
Again, this is why Paul writes elsewhere:
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.
(1Corinthians 2:12)
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)
Of whom is John writing about here? Of the ever present Spirit of God indwelling every born again believer (John 14:17). And John knows that it is the Person of Holy Spirit who imparts an understanding of the knowledge of God as He testifies of Christ in the reading of His Word (John 15:26). The Lord Jesus Christ was the first to speak of this, when He said:
"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."
(John 16:13)
Another sign of the Holy Spirit is an acute and meticulous attention to God's Word and what it says. As John describes it in the Holy Spirit where he writes:
We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
(1John 4:6)
So the matter of the study and reading and understanding of the Scriptures is not one of human speculation, but of what the Holy Spirit of God discloses from God's written and infallible Word. This is not a matter of contention and shouldn't be for any Christian, because this is what the Scriptures teach regarding the role and relationship of the Holy Spirit to God's written Word.
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Posted on Sep 4, 2014 10:31:01 PM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
Dan Vander Lugt The purpose of all prophecy-including prophecy about future events-is to encourage us to examine ourselves, repent, and turn from our evil ways. Sometimes prophecy describes a future event to give hope, sometimes it warns of judgment, but in every case the goal of prophecy is spiritual renewal. Prophetic speculation, on the other hand, is mostly concerned with linking contemporary events to biblical prophecy.
JOSE J. BERNAL: Again Mr. Vander Lugt ties a Cessationist spin onto the discussion in a vain attempt to claim that interpretive expository work conducted within the context of a proper and correct hermeneutic is more speculation when reading prophecy. The purpose of the prophecy and role of the prophet who pronounces it varies from situation to situation within Scripture. Generally, it is dealing with sin and rebellion, but it differs in situation, because in one instance we see it applied to a king, in another to a nation, and in another to a prophet. It is not static, but fluid, and has nothing to do with speculation, because Peter writes in the Holy Spirit the following description of its nature. I quote:
So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
(2Peter 1:19-21)
Dan Vander Lugt To say this contemporary event is a fulfillment of that prophecy is to claim a kind of prophetic authority. It is a form of "speaking in the name of the Lord" (Deuteronomy 18:22), and just as in the case of false prophecy, it has serious consequences. Scripture and history show that prophecy pertaining to future events is ambiguous before the events occur. (See the ATQ article Can We Know if Current Events are Fulfillment of Prophecy?) Previous historical attempts to predict future events on the basis of biblical prophecy have been disastrous. (See the ATQ article How often in the History of the Church have People Mistakenly Believed They Were Acting in Fulfillment, or Observing the Fulfillment of Prophecy? Under the heading How Often Have People Misapplied Prophecy?)
JOSE J. BERNAL: True, but again, it is misapplied here, because no one is claiming in this discussion that they have a monopoly on prophecy or the prophetic. The Harbinger is not prophecy, nor is it an interpretive work of prophecy, expository theology, or Eschatology, but simply a description of historical events within the tapestry of God's prophetic will, and a resounding call to repentance for God's people. This argument above, and the one which follows, misapplied.
Dan Vander Lugt Believing we belong to a small group that understands how prophetic events are unfolding can lead to unintended results, including pride, isolation, and diminishing concern with truth and reality. It can transform one's interpretation of prophecy into an idol, a false god. If enough people are influenced, false speculation can lead to its own "fulfillment"-the satanic opposite of legitimate prophecy-accompanied by self-righteousness, fanaticism, and violence.
JOSE J. BERNAL: This is correct. It has happened in US history quite often in the 19th and 20th centuries, and there are still lunatics out there - false prophets - who claim one thing or another. One thing that marks them as phonies beside the obvious facts of the heresies they preach and their idolatrous attention which they call on themselves from their followers and not to Christ.
Dan Vander Lugt This is what happened in Israel in 70 and 135 AD. False prophecy and false prophetic speculation about Messiah led to the destruction of Jerusalem by Roman armies. The fact that many Jews were convinced that Messiah would free Israel from the Roman yoke made them vulnerable to the influence of fanatics. (See the ATQ article How often in the History of the Church have People Mistakenly Believed They Were Acting in Fulfillment, or Observing the Fulfillment of Prophecy? Under the heading How Often Have People Misapplied Prophecy?)
The same tendency can be seen in those today whose interpretation of prophecy allows them to ignore basic issues of justice and morality while calling for unqualified support for Israel in the modern Middle East, military action, the initiation of new wars, and even the use of nuclear weapons.
JOSE J. BERNAL: Mr. Vander Lugt is only partially correct here. The seminal years of 70 and 135 A.D. were pivotal years for Judaism. On the Hebrew month of Av, on the ninth day, in the year 70 the Temple and city of Jerusalem were destroyed by the invading Roman legions. In 135 A.D. a messianic pretender, Shimon Ben Kosibah, who was renamed Bar Kochba (after the Messianic Star that would come out of Jacob from Numbers 24:17) by Rabbi Akiba - ironically, one of Rabbinic Judaism's greatest and most beloved sages - the Messiah. Ben Kosibah/Bar Kochba led a final revolt against the Romans. Bar Kochba and his movement were crushed and what was left of Jerusalem was leveled to the ground, and all Jews were banned from entering the city. The Romans named the city Aelia Capitolina and the long exile of Israel followed.
Historically, there were many messianic pretenders during the Second Temple Era, and there would be many more at least 50, as Christ warned all of His followers would emerge, but Israel's partial hardening and its failure to recognize Messiah's appearance, all working within the sovereignty, foreknowledge, and providence of God's prophetic and redemptive plan, is the reason for its exile. This is clearly what the Scriptures teach.
Dan Vander Lugt It is no wonder that the New Testament discourages speculation about when Jesus Christ will return and specifically states that He will return at a time no one expects (Matthew 24:36-50; 25:13; Acts 1:7; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Peter 3:10).
JOSE J. BERNAL: These statements are correct, but only partially, and can be misleading at that. I've heard this many times before over the last thirty-eight years in God's grace. I say it can be misleading, because in a section of His Olivet Discourse, Christ does outline for His generation the signs they were to look for, and in another section He describes also for us in detail the signs that will precede His coming and eminent return, including those of the end of the age.
Make no mistake about it, we are to look with clear discernment for those signs, as He has instructed us to do, not speculate about them, or as David James and others do, try to explain them away as mere happenstance and astronomical peculiarities. Just because a sign can be scientifically understood and explained with modern science, doesn't invalidate its unique significance as a valid sign. The Shroud of Turin, for example, could not be fully studied and evaluated for its archeological value and authenticity until the late Twentieth Century, where forensic science, powerful computers utilizing the latest technologies in micro-electronics and photography coupled with sophisticated programs, and the powerful electron microscope; all designed specifically for the close examination of artifacts such as the Shroud down to the molecular level, could unearth for us the significance of this unique ancient relic as evidence of the most important event in history - the bodily resurrection of the Jesus the Messiah. While such a phenomenon could be partially understood and explained with modern science and technology, it does not in the least invalidate the miracle of Christ's unique and miraculous resurrection, but lays it out for us to appreciate and behold through the proper application of the scientific disciplines.
Dan Vander Lugt Jesus Christ and other inspired writers not only warn us against speculation concerning the hour of His return, but they imply such speculation prevents serious preparation for His return (Matthew 24:43-44; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6; Revelation 3:3).
Whether it manifests itself in apathy or fanatic violence, false prophecy and false speculation about prophecy is dangerous. Those of us who get caught up in the destructive practice of prophetic speculation not only lend support to the principalities and powers of evil, but also sow seeds of disillusionment and rebellion against the gospel and biblical revelation. Mark 9:42 declares: "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea" (nkjv).
JOSE J. BERNAL: These statements are in general principle correct. False prophecy and speculation about prophecy, such as Harold Camping's, are extremely dangerous. There is no commandment in Scripture that tells us to sell everything, stop every activity, and move to the mountains and wait for the return of Christ there. We are also not to become complacent or apathetic, misunderstanding God's patience and forbearance of us to be His delay, as though whether He returns in our lifetime or a hundred years from now, we should not conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of His calling and lose all hope and anticipation in our hearts. Whether He comes in the clouds or on our death bed, Christ is coming for us, and we must live in full expectation of both.
But, none of this has anything to do with The Harbinger, or my book, The Truth About The Harbinger; because neither The Harbinger or The Truth About The Harbinger contains speculation, nor is either book prophecy, nor does either book make any predictions, nor do they teach Eschatology, but both do contain a simply a call for God's people to repent and call upon the Lord Jesus for His grace and forgiveness. While I appreciate Mr. Vander Lugt's admonitions, I do not appreciate RAFAEL's misuse of them in his continue attempts to discredit a legitimate call to repentance, and defame Rabbi Cahn and myself. Such a thing is prohibited and not sanctioned by God's Word, and it is a misuse of it.
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In reply to an earlier post on Sep 6, 2014 6:22:55 PM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
How Often Have People Misapplied Prophecy?
[By Dan Vander Lugt]
With Rebuttal by Jose Bernal
There has been a long history of people misunderstanding and misapplying biblical prophecy. The Jews preceded the church in misapplying prophecy. Convinced that a God-anointed King (Messiah) would lead them to military victory over the Romans and establish a dynasty that would bring Israel's story to fulfillment, they ignored the warnings of both John the Baptist and Jesus that national repentance and purification would have to precede national restoration. Consequently they supported numerous military leaders and false messiahs
1 during the first and early second centuries, leading to the disastrous wars of AD 70 and 135.
SIDEBAR & REBUTTAL: There are a lot and many more examples of false movements and false messiahs in Jewish history which are not cited here, but also serve how eschatological speculation can lead to error when it is taught as doctrine and biblical truth. Eschatology is a discipline that few understand and fewer still should be involved in, because unless there is an impartation of Scriptural evidence from the Holy Spirit about the unsealing of a prophecy which can be corroborated by and supports the clear prophetic teachings of the Bible, then they should be treated as opinion and or speculation, not declaratively God's Word.
[By Dan Vander Lugt]
In the second century, a Christian sect believed itself gifted with new revelation from the Holy Spirit. Montanism claimed that the end of the world was at hand and that the heavenly Jerusalem would be established in Phrygia (the base of the movement). Believing that the end of the world had almost arrived, this sect practiced extreme asceticism and became a serious threat to the life of the church.
As time continued, Christians repeatedly mistook the conditions of their day as the fulfillment of endtime (sic) prophecy and this continues to this day. Every generation of Christians rightfully thinks of itself as significant to God's plan, and when unusual conditions arrive-especially periods of warfare, calamity, or any major cultural change or social upheaval-they usually see circumstances and individuals of their day fitting remarkably well with the symbols and images of biblical prophecy.
SIDEBAR & REBUTTAL: While Mr. Boyer, whose work Mr. Vander Lugt quotes and makes good use of (When Time Shall Be No More) here is historically correct, the reason for this behavior by the Christians of each successive generation is generally though not always based on the teachings of Christ and the Apostles who admonish all followers of Christ to be looking for the signs of the end so that they would not be overtaken by them, and upon Christ's return, be as the foolish maidens who did not have enough oil in their lamps (). Of course, some and I would say many, have taken this on more occasions than one can cite here; to the most ridiculous extremes. Mr. Boyer took the time and did the research to find the various movements that history has strewn across its landscape of false movements and false expectations based upon eschatological speculation and faulty exegesis of God's Word.
[By Dan Vander Lugt]
In the late Roman period, Attila's Huns and the Germanic Goths were viewed by terrified Christians as "Gog and Magog," and after the great defeat of the Roman Army at Adrianople, Bishop Ambrose of Milan declared: "The end of the world is coming upon us."
The Crusades were a period of great eschatological expectation. The Encyclopedia Britannica states:
The eschatological strain of the Crusades can be noted in the Crusade sermons of Bernard of Clairvaux in 1147, who kindled enthusiasm to liberate Jerusalem with reference to the pressing terminal dates of the endtime. (sic)
During the Crusade period, many believed that Frederick II (who conquered Jerusalem in 1229) would usher in the millennium. Even after his death, people continued to believe he would return from the dead to establish the kingdom of righteousness (Frederick redivivus). Historian Paul S. Boyer writes that during this time period:
Manuscripts . . . complete with illustrations and elaborate charts (a staple of later prophecy writers as well), circulated through Europe and England, stimulating apocalyptic speculation. Further, . . . the material . . . linking the Jews explicitly to Antichrist helped to fuel an upsurge of anti-Semitism in late-medieval Europe (When Time Shall Be No More, p. 53).
During the early Reformation, large groups of Taborites in Bohemia and Anabaptists in Germany and the Low Countries held fanatical views of the imminence of the endtimes (sic) that resulted in armed rebellion against the religious and secular authorities, and some of the most horrible episodes of violence in Western history.
The major reformers too perceived themselves as standing on the verge of the apocalypse. They viewed the pope as an "internal antichrist" established in the temple at the holy place and the marauding Turkish Muslims as the "external antichrist."
SIDEBAR & REBUTTAL: They were correct in viewing the Vatican in the Church of Rome with its Pope as the Vicar of Christ, speaking Ex Cathedra and issuing Papal Edicts at will, with the Roman church's many intrigues and army of Jesuits (a quasi-religious-mystical paramilitary force) and various religious orders of Franciscan and Dominican Monks; and the Muslim hordes, as two forms of Antichrist, though all speculations of the Pope being Antichrist himself is open to debate.
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Posted on Sep 6, 2014 6:24:03 PM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
During the 17th century, England was awash with prophetic speculation.
2The English colonies in North America were also preoccupied with the endtime (sic):
Puritans who traveled to America in the 17th century and Quakers, Baptists, and Methodists in the 18th century believed that America was the "wilderness" promised in the Revelation to John. William Penn gave the name Philadelphia to the capital of the woodland areas ceded to him (1681) because he took up the idea of establishing the true church of the end time, represented by the Philadelphia community of the Revelation to John. A great number of the attempts undertaken to found radical Christian communities in North America may be viewed as anticipations of the coming Jerusalem (Britannica, vol. 16, p. 301).
A cluster of radical apocalyptic movements appeared in the United States and England in the early to mid-19th century, leading to the rise of the Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Mormons, along with other cultic groups that are still large and growing today. Also in the mid-19th century, a heretical Christian cult took root in China, resulting in the Taiping Rebellion (1845¬-1864). The prophet/leader of this movement, Hong Xiuquan, combined social reforms with authoritarian, visionary leadership to create the largest uprising in human history, creating an army of over a million and directly bringing about the deaths of approximately 20 million people.
SIDEBAR & REBUTTAL: These movements have one thing in common; they were led by a false messiah, and they had expectations based upon speculations that the clear reading of God's Word does not support, because it is not in the text. Take for example Gog and Magog. Today, you have people from every part of the theological spectrum speculating that the current Russian incursions and military alliances with Iran and Syria appear to be heralding a "Gog and Magog" scenario. Well, this is entirely unbiblical, because according to the Book of Revelation, Gog and Magog will not occur unit the end of the Millennial Age, not at this time in history! Here is what the passage in Revelation says. I quote:
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.
Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.
Satan Freed, Doomed
When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Judgment at the Throne of God
Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
(Revelations Chapter 20)
You would think that this would sober people up and they wouldn't speculate in this manner. But that doesn't not dissuade people like Jimmy DeYoung and David James speculating about this on the Prophecy Today broadcast.
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Posted on Sep 6, 2014 6:24:34 PM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
CONTINUED.......
[By Dan Vander Lugt]
A large number of political, religious, and military circumstances in the early to mid-20th century made it appear almost certain to many premillennial observers that all the circumstances were in place for the imminent rise of the Antichrist, the false prophet, the rapture, and the beginning of the 7-year tribulation period. However, from the vantage point of the beginning of the 21st century, it is obvious that many of the boldly projected prophetic scenarios didn't occur.
Evangelicals who have lived through these changes have learned through several generations of experience how misleading it can be to reach sweeping conclusions through prophetic interpretation of current events and how important it is to avoid dogmatism and undue speculation while remaining open to the possibilities. Today, the astonishing power of international bankers and corporations, the unprecedented rapidity of technological development, and the international tendency towards a world government offer many opportunities to speculate about the relationship of current events to biblical prophecy. Yet, given the mistakes made by Christians in the past, we would be wise to dedicate our time and energy to Christian witness rather than eschatological speculation.
SIDEBAR & REBUTTAL: I agree with Mr. Vander Lugt here, we must be careful not to speculate and interpolate our conclusions upon the biblical narrative, but to learn from it and apply it correctly to our lives, always keeping sober and always looking for the return of Jesus the Messiah, because regardless of whether one is alive when these events take place, or die before them; Christ is coming, and He is coming at an hour no one expects, so it is incumbent upon all of us to walk in His grace and trust in His complete work implicitly for our eternal salvation.
[By Dan Vander Lugt]
(See the ATQ article, Can We Know If Current Events Are the Fulfillment of Prophecy?)
1."In my name (epi toe onomati mou). They will arrogate to themselves false claims of Messiahship in (on the basis of) the name of Christ himself. Josephus (Wars of the Jews VI, 54) gives their false Christs as one of the reasons for the explosion against Rome that led to the city's destruction. Each new hero was welcomed by the masses including Barcochba. `I am the Messiah,' each would say." (Robertson's Word Pictures, Matthew 24:4-5)
2.From 1642 to 1660, as England experienced civil war, regicide, a commonwealth, and military dictatorship, end-time anticipation ran rife. John Milton, the poet of Puritanism, was but one of many who invested these events with high eschatological significance, viewing them as the prelude to the moment when "the Eternall and shortly-expected King shall open the Clouds to judge the severall Kingdomes of the World." The urgent apocalyptism of these years can scarcely be overstated. One William Sedgwick, drunk on the Millennium, predicted the end in two weeks, a rash venture in date setting that earned him the lifelong nickname "Doomsday Sedgwick." The coming "day of doom," reported an observer in 1647, was "the common talk about London."
The career of Milton's teacher Joseph Mede (1586-1638), a prophecy scholar and fellow of Christ College, Cambridge, illustrates the ubiquity of prophetic interest in these years. While he sometimes indulged in the prevailing tendency to interpret current events apocalyptically, Mede's larger objective was to integrate the Bible's various prophetic and apocalyptic sections into a single, synchronous end-time narrative. So impressive did English Puritans find his 1627 work, Clavis Apocalyptica (Key to the Revelation), that the House of Commons ordered it translated and reprinted posthumously in 1643. This and Mede's other prophecy writings, collected in Works of the Pious and Profoundly Learned Joseph Mede (1672), circulated widely in England and America. Influenced by Alsted's eschatology, Mede embedded a future Millennium firmly in his prophetic scheme, stimulating a revival of this doctrine in the English-speaking world.
With the defeat of Charles I in 1646 and his beheading in 1649, apocalyptic speculation surged among English radicals, largely drawn from society's lower ranks, who saw an egalitarian new order on the horizon. Like the Taborites and early Anabaptists, they invoked Bible prophecy to validate their expectations. (Paul S. Boyer, When Time Shall Be No More, pp. 64-65)
SIDEBAR & REBUTTAL: This is all well and good, and agree with much of Mr. Vander Lugt's statements, except where he digresses from what the Scriptures teach regarding the prophetic. I commend him for his call for all Christians to be cautious when it comes to Eschatology, and to steer away from speculation. What I wonder here is why someone like Rafael/LEGNA/GABRIEL/ANGEL SUAREZ copies and pastes them here and in various other places on Amazon.com and wherever The Harbinger or my book, The Truth About The Harbinger, is discussed; because neither book is a work of Eschatology, neither book is prophecy, neither book is speculation, because the events both books described have occurred precisely as they're described in each one, and neither book is theology. Mr. Vander Lugt's articles concern themselves with apocalyptic speculators, messianic charlatans, cultists and their followers; who throughout history have twisted the Scriptures and reinterpreted them to their own destruction and those who followed in their error. Christ warned about this, and I am in full agreement, though it is misplaced in discussions about either Jonathan Cahn's book or mine BECAUSE NEITHER BOOK HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH ESCHATOLOGY OR SPECULATION ABOUT CHRIST'S RETURN, OR CLAIMS TO BE PROPHECY, BUT SIMPLY A CALL TO REPENTANCE IN JESUS CHRIST AND HIS OFFER OF SALVATION FOR ALL PEOPLE, BEGINNING WITH ISRAEL AND EXTENDED TO EVERY NATION UNDER HEAVEN UNDER THE NEW COVENANT ENACTED BY GOD AT THE CROSS OF CALVARY, AND AT CHRIST'S RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD.
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In reply to an earlier post on Sep 6, 2014 9:41:31 PM PDT
Jane Enviro says:
Well put. Especially as Israel appears to be secular now, not returning to worship God as stated in their Scriptures. I don't remember where but I can find it. We all need to turn to God, be grateful for our blessings, and seek His face, seek Justice....walk humbly. Every day is last day for many, and no one knows when it is ours, so prepare.
Do you think this post adds to the discussion?
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Posted on Sep 7, 2014 9:00:22 PM PDT
Last edited by the author on Sep 7, 2014 10:10:20 PM PDT
David James says:
The problem with all of these calculations for Sabbath years is that the rabbis do not agree, even in the Talmud, as to whether the Jubilee year was concurrent with the 7th Sabbath year - or subsequent to it. The difference between the two possibilities is the shemitah year being off by 2 years for every 100 years of history. Since no one knows when the Jubilee year is, when this is combined with the difference of opinion concerning the relationship to the Sabbath year, the bottom line is that no one knows when the Sabbath year is on God's calendar, no matter what it is according to man's reckoning.
Furthermore, there are questions concerning the suspension of the Jubilee year after the Assyrian invasion and concerning the possible suspension of the sabbath year during the Babylonian Captivity.
All of the relatively few biblical texts that might give some insight as to where certain events might have happened in relation to a sabbath year are ambiguous and the various interpretations are disputed.
Therefore all of the events noted above in this review are guesses and speculation at best - and fabrications at worst.
Note: I'm not arguing against the calendar year or the reckoning between certain biblical dates at this point, which can be established fairly accurately. However, this is completely different from establishing whether a given year is a sabbatical year - which it seems that no one knows with any certainty at the present time. I will continue to do further research on this, although I have done a significant amount already.
Beyond this, someone needs to explain how it is that God has not been imposing Shemitah judgments upon Israel and the Jewish people, who are obligated in the Mosaic Law to observe the Shemitah year, while at the same time, he has been imposing various Shemitah judgments upon America over the last 100 years or so, when our nation does not have any obligation to observe the Shemitah years (as rightly affirmed by Jonathan Cahn).
This book, The Mystery of the Shemitah, may be an even more fragile house of cards than The Harbinger was from a biblical perspective.
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In reply to an earlier post on Sep 7, 2014 9:56:48 PM PDT
Last edited by the author on Sep 7, 2014 10:29:33 PM PDT
Your post, in reply to an earlier post on Sep 7, 2014 9:56:48 PM PDT
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Jose J. Bernal says:
These argumentations are moot, because the critic is denying these Intelligent Design behind these events. Additionally, he is arguing against them having happened when they did, when in fact they did occur on those dates! He is arguing just to have something else to say against Jonathan Cahn. The fragile house of cards is in arguing that something has not happened when in fact, history clearly bears evidence that it has. Additional to this, the critic’s method is not biblical, because this is a matter that he ought to have first discussed privately with Jonathan Cahn before rushing to criticize his book in public because he disagrees with it.
If we apply the critic’s logic, then there is absolutely no way that Daniel's prophecy of the Messiah's first coming could be properly calculated. But once again, what he posits is an argument without considering that what he is claiming cuts off both his legs right from under him. I have warned against this many times before.
The critic is arguing against something that has already happened, trying to argue against Intelligent Design behind the events in order to diminish their prophetic significance, the aim of which is to question the premise, which in his opinion does not exist, because in his thinking, these things did not happen as described in The Mystery of the Shemitah. This is the same typical scholastic arguments one hears by the revisionists who deny the Holocaust – a historic event – use in trying to manipulate people's minds to believe the lie that it never happened. The critic is arguing that events that have already transpired never happened!
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Posted on Sep 8, 2014 5:13:15 AM PDT
[Deleted by the author on Sep 15, 2014 4:59:19 AM PDT]
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In reply to an earlier post on Sep 8, 2014 6:34:42 AM PDT
Last edited by the author on Sep 9, 2014 6:00:33 PM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
There is no such thing as a Palestinian Covenant. There is however what Dr. David R. Reagan correctly calls the LAND USE COVENANT, and I call THE MOSAIC ADDENDUM to the Mosaic Covenant. This is what I have written about it in an upcoming work on David James' book that delves deeper into his flawed analysis of The Harbinger - a sequel to my first work, THE TRUTH ABOUT THE HARBINGER. I quote:
The Land use Covenant (The Mosaic Addendum) aka, the Palestinian Covenant. After God gave Israel the Mosaic Covenant at Horeb, He appended this bilateral conditional covenant to it at Moab (Deuteronomy 29:1). It is both prophetic and conditional. It prophesies of Israel's exiled future population and its return to the land (Deuteronomy 30:1-5). It is conditional on the basis of Israel's fidelity to the Mosaic Law (Deuteronomy 29:9-29, 30:1-10), and is connected to Israel's occupation and use of the land, not its ownership of it, because exclusive ownership of the land falls under the unconditional and unilateral Abrahamic Covenant.
On these two points and the choice of name, I disagree with the website's writer. The earliest mention of anything that remotely resembles Palestine is Herodotus who wrote in c. 450 BC in The Histories of a 'district of Syria, called Palaistinê" (where some have connected this "Palaistine", the location of the land where the region was renamed by the Romans after they quelled the Bar Kochba Revolt of 135 A.D., where we see "Palaestina" being used, from which Palestine is derived. But prior to this period since ancient times, this region was never known by this name, and has only come into use in the Twentieth Century with the partition of the Middle East by the British and the French following the defeat of the Ottoman Turkish Empire at the end of World War I and the defeat of the Austro-Hungarian Empire who were allied to the Ottomans.
Historically, and theologically this is an erroneous title to choose for this addendum to the Mosaic Covenant at Moab the Palestinian Covenant, because at the time the covenant was made, the land was known as Canaan, and there were no "Palestinians" who inhabited it but those nations listed in the Hebrew Bible, since the Arab people had not yet come into existence.)
I would rename it the Mosaic Addendum God made with the Children of Israel when they sojourned at Moab on their way to Canaan, but a better name is the one Dr. David Reagan has given it, and that is The Land Use Covenant, because it applies to the use and occupation of the land by the Jewish people, and not its ownership rights, and ties the two to Israel's obedience to the Mosaic Law. Under this covenant (Deuteronomy 30:1-10), God set the condition of Israel's occupation and use of the land as a constituted nation under the Mosaic Law, directly connected to Israel's fidelity to that law. Were Israel to disobey that law on a national scale (as it did), God promised to overrun by invading armies, followed by exile. This covenant is noted by God's promise to scatter Israel if they disobeyed God, then to restore them at a later time to their land. This covenant has been fulfilled twice, with the Babylonian Captivity and subsequent rebuilding of Jerusalem under Cyrus the Great; and with the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, followed by the reinstatement of the Modern State of Israel in 1948. This Land Use Covenant does not at all affect the Abrahamic Covenant which gives exclusive unconditional ownership/stewardship of the land by God to the Jewish people, that is, the descendants of Abraham through Sarah through Isaac their son, and Jacob their grandson, and his children.
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In reply to an earlier post on Sep 15, 2014 11:33:52 AM PDT
Donna Deibert says:
when it happens, you will run sacred like most of the phonies out there. that is if you are even alive.
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In reply to an earlier post on Sep 15, 2014 9:19:30 PM PDT
charlene at Dosido Bookshelf says:
I am inclined to recognize Jonathan Cahn's years for the shemitah (sic) for two main reasons: 1. The powerful events of 1917-1918 and 1966-1967 suggest Jubilee years (the next in 49-year cycle coming up in 1915 will confirm or not confirm the pattern); 2. And Jonathan Cahn's years are the shemitah years accepted in The Land today. I have researched the shemitah (sic) years back in history based on the seven-year pattern in Jonathan Cahn's book; and I feel these years do indeed represent turning points in history. Events in the next few years will clarify these speculations.
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95 of 102 people found the following review helpful
The Mystery of the Shemitah - What You Need To Know
By Rejoicing in Grace on September 2, 2014
Format: Paperback
9 comments
(TITLE OF REVIEW) The Mystery of the Shemitah - What You Need To Know
The Mystery of the Shemitah, Jonathan Cahn’s second book, following his massive bestseller, The Harbinger, is so unique and its claims and revelations so radical that it’s hard to know where to begin. I was among a few hundred people given an advance look at the book and so have sought to put together the most important facts for a reader to know.
The first thing to note, for those who have already read The Harbinger, is that the format is different. The Harbinger brings forth non-fiction revelations through a narrative. But in The Mystery of the Shemitah, Jonathan Cahn brings forth the revelations straight out in a non-fiction format.
The second thing is the title. The word Shemitah refers to Sabbath year observed in ancient Israel, when all working of the land ceased, the land rested. This took place every seventh year. On the last day of that year, all debts were wiped away, all credit was nullified, the financial accounts of the nation were, in effect, wiped clean.
Later on, in Israel’s history, as the nation turned away from God, the Shemitah became a sign and manifestation of judgment, the kingdom’s destruction in 586 B.C. and its exile in Babylon were timed to the years of the Shemitah.
Most people had never heard of the “shemitah” before The Harbinger came out. One of its fourteen mysteries was that of the Shemitah. That was the beginning of the mystery. If you have not read The Harbinger, it’s essential to read to understanding where we are and where we’re headed. And yet even this will not quite prepare you for what is in the new book. As the overwhelming amount of information is entirely new, and by new, I mean it has never appeared anywhere before.
The book’s subtitle is “The 3000 Year Old Mystery That Holds The Secret of America’s Future, The World’s Future… And Your Future.” This begs the question – What possibly could an observance or law from ancient Israel have anything to do with America, the world, or the reader? This is where the claims take on stunning proportions. In a section entitled The Key of Cataclysms, the author, Jonathan Cahn, puts forth the proposition that this ancient mystery actually lies behind the rise and fall of the stock market, the booms and collapses of the American and world economy, and the greatest collapses and crashes in Wall Street and world history.
The proposition would sound outrageous except that Cahn demonstrates the reality of it by going through the greatest financial and economic collapses of modern times. The correspondence of these collapses to the year of the Shemitah is stunning. The number of crashes which match up with this ancient phenomenon is quite amazing. Even the connection to the specific time of the year when, according to the ancient mystery, financial accounts were wiped clean shows up eerily in the history of Wall Street collapses. In fact, financial analysts have long been mystified by the clustering of collapses and crashes in autumn, specifically the month of October. It turns out, this is the very time, ordained in the Bible for financial nullification and collapse. Whether one has money invested in the stock market or not, the ramifications of this phenomenon are colossal.
But it gets even more eerie and stunning as Cahn takes the reader into the post-9/11 world. In the week following 9/11, and caused by it, came the greatest stock market point crash in Wall Street history. When did it take place? On the exact precise Day of Nullification ordained in the law of the Shemitah. That would mean that even 9/11 had to be part of the ancient mystery as well.
Years later came the Great Recession which peaked in the greatest stock market point collapse in world history, surpassing the crash of 2001. When did that crash take place? On the same exact Hebrew day, the day ordained from ancient times to wipe away the financial accounts of a nation, the Day of Nullification.
According to the ancient mystery, this phenomenon takes place at seven year intervals. These two greatest crashes in Wall Street history, up to their days, not only each took place on the same biblical day, but each took place, according to the mystery, seven years apart, seven years down to the day, the hours, even the second. I will hold off on the ramifications that this holds for the future, even concerning the upcoming Shemitah. But these too are dealt with in the book.
But the mystery doesn’t stop there, but gets progressively bigger. In a section entitled The Mystery of the Towers, Cahn opens up another mystery that links the rise of powers, nations, to the rising of towers – Even the fall of nations to the fall of towers. I won’t fill in the dots or spoil it, except to say that part of the mystery converges on 9/11. And this too is linked to the Shemitah as Cahn reveals that in Hebrew, the word can also mean, ‘the shaking,’ ‘the fall,’ and ‘the collapse.’
And the mystery doesn't stop there as well, but continues to increase in size and scope. In a section called The Rise and Fall of Nations, Cahn opens up the connection between the ancient mystery and some of the most pivotal events of modern times – how the ancient Shemitah pinpoints the rise of America as a superpower, the fall of empires, two world wars, the rise of the Third Reich, the Soviet Union, the Cold War, the fall of Vietnam, to the day America was attacked on its own shores. etc. The scale and scope of the mystery goes far beyond the economic or financial realms, and even determines the political realm, the military realm – even ushering in the atomic age. The mystery also reveals a warning concerning the fall of America, and the end of the American age.
One cannot read the book without wondering about what the future holds, in view of the coming Shemitah, and the time beyond that. To address this is a section called That Which Lies Ahead. In it, Cahn deals with what the phenomenon means for the future of the economic and financial realms, America, and the world. He points to several factors converging into what one can only take as a strong warning of a coming calamity, to affect America and the world. At the end of this section the mystery is taken to its ultimate level.
This section includes specific dates concerning the future. At the same time, Cahn is cautious in the area of date-setting. In contrast to the observance of the Shemitah, the phenomenon of the Shemitah is not a routine calendar event that must show up on a regular schedule. Rather, given the right circumstances, its mystery manifests and often does so in epic and world-changing proportions. Given this caution, Cahn presents several specific scenarios as to what could happen and then a prophetic warning concerning what he believes will happen regardless of the time table.
And yet this is still not the end. As if there was too much to put into one book, the Epilogue contains two more mysteries. Both focus entirely on the future. One, called Black Suns and Red Moons takes a very different turn with regard to the ancient mystery and what would seem to be unrelated phenomena – and yet the connections are striking and intriguing with regard to what may be coming in future days.
The other, entitled, The Mystery of the Seventh Shemitah reveals a mystery unlike any of the others contained in the book, focused on events in the Middle East, spanning thousands of years, and which may also bear heaven ramifications concerning the future.
As stated at the outset, The Mystery of the Shemitah is so unique and its revelations and claims so radical that it’s hard to know where to begin. But ending is a different matter. If the claims and revelations are radical, the evidence confirming those claims and revelations are just as stunning. Quite frankly, I found what was revealed in this book to be incredibly stunning, mind-blowing, staggering in magnitude, and, at times, awesome to the point where at times I had (and have) no words to describe it.
From the very first reviews, from those who have received advanced copies, The Mystery of the Shemitah has already been called “stunning,” one of the “most important books of our lifetime,” and “the most amazing thing I have ever read.” I have to agree, and with one other comment made concerning it – it truly is “one book you can’t afford NOT to read.
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31 of 35 people found the following review helpful
INFORMATIVE, ENLIGHTENING AND ENRICHING EXPERIENCE!
By the GreatReads! TOP 500 REVIEWER on September 2, 2014
Format: Paperback
8 comments
The Mystery of the Shemitah: The 3,000-Year-Old Mystery That Holds the Secret of America's Future, the World's Future, and Your Future by Jonathan Cahn is an extraordinary book which must be in the hands of every conscientious living person on the face of this earth. In order to understand its significance, one must first know what a Shemitah is.
When the Jews settled in the Promised Land, the observance of the seven-year cycles was started. Every cycle would culminate in a Sabbatical year, and this is known as "Shemitah." It literally means "to release." The year following the destruction of the second Holy Temple was the first year of the seven-year Sabbatical cycle. According to the Jewish calendar, beginning with Creation, this was year 3829, 68-69 CE in the secular calendar. By counting sevens from that year, it is calculated that the next Shemitah year will be the year 5775 after Creation, which in our calendar runs from September 25, 2014 through September 13, 2015.
Bestselling author and President of Hope of the World Ministries and Senior Pastor and Messianic Rabbi of the Jerusalem Center/Beth Israel in Wayne, New Jersey, Jonathan Cahn brings out in this path-breaking book the deep mysteries and rich revelations of God's word as only he can. Basing his arguments on the Scripture and also in the light of recent and past world-shaking events, he opines that the Shemitah holds the key to what lies ahead for the world and for you.
Certainly there would be many skeptical readers. It is not important whether you believe it or not. What is important is the crux of his argument which everyone must read before coming to any conclusion. This book containing twenty-five well-organized chapters divided into seven distinct parts will reveal to you whether the author is a charlatan or if he indeed is a man who explores deep into hidden meanings and find an answer for today's common people. In any case, you will find the book an enlightening, informative and enriching experience
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
very compelling.
By An End Times Reader on September 2, 2014
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
9 comments
A very solid read! To those of us in Christ it opens our eyes to "our" Jewish history and how His promises can be seen today. To those outside of Christ a warning for self and nation.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Unraveling a Mystery That Will Keep You Watching and Praying!
By Jennifer Leclair on September 3, 2014
Format: Paperback
13 comments
Jonathan Cahn has done it again. With Hebraic insight and a revelation of Christ, Cahn's interpretation of Scripture reveals a pattern than is undeniable. He unravels a mystery of which believers around the world need to be aware. If The Harbinger opened your eyes, The Shemitah will open them wider. The mystery of sevens alone is enough to keep you prayerful in the year ahead.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Cahn may have something here
By Joan N. on September 3, 2014
Format: Paperback
11 comments
I am generally very critical of books like these. In this case, however, it seems Cahn may have actually proven the significance of the Shemitah.
Cahn had mentioned the Shemitah in The Harbinger and expands on it here. The word's significance comes from the Hebrew in Deuteronomy 15:1-2. It appears four times in that passage and means “grant a release.” It is from the Hebrew shamat, “to release” or “to remit.” The land was to lie fallow during the year and on the last day of that year, Elul 29, all debts were to be released. Cahn shows how Israel's failure to keep that cycle of Shemitah years resulted in their 70 year captivity.
So what does that have to do with America? Cahn says it is a prophetic sign. He applies it to America because, like Israel, it is “a civilization established on the Word of God, dedicated to His purposes, and consecrated to His glory from its very inception.” (56) While this principle could be manifested in any country, Cahn notes that America does have the largest national economy and it is going through the same kind of apostasy that Israel did.
Cahn presents quit a case, going through the Shemitah years of the last century and comparing those years to American and international events. Economic events like the top four stock market crashes happened in Shemitah years. He presents statistics and it does seem major economic events are statistically related to the Shemitah year.
Cahn reminds readers that in the last two Shemitah cycles, ending in 2001 and 2008, there were significant events with great economic ramifications. So, the next year to watch is September 24, 2015 to September 13, 2015 (Jewish religious year). The Shemitah year, year 5775, begins at sundown on September 24. That sundown is also the beginning of the Feast of Trumpets and a blood moon will occur that evening. One must pay attention to the entire year, however, as economic events in the past were often at the end of the Shemitah year. The last day of the Shemitah year is the day when debts are to be released and has, in the past, been significant.
He makes more of the two solar eclipses during that year than the “blood moons.” He notes that the first one is on March 20. Sunset of that day marks the beginning of the Jewish civil year and the exact midpoint of the Shemitah year. The second eclipse is September 13, the last day of the Shemitah year, frequently with great significance.
Cahn is quick to point out that he is not about date setting. His is a call to repentance and return to God. He argues that God warns before He judges. The warnings have been made. (Those warnings were in The Harbinger, which Cahn reviews in this book.) The nation has been shaken. Judgment is next. It will involve some form of collapse, will humble America, and will call the nation back to God. Whether we see judgment as a nation or not, Cahn also reminds us that each of us will have to stand before God and be judged. Now is the time of salvation.
So does Cahn make his point? I was impressed with his statistical correlation of major economic events to the Shemitah year. I am not convinced America is like Israel in its founding and consecration to God. But America is certainly the greatest economic power right now (until China supersedes it in a year or two). I personally don't like all the hype and buildup in the book. It could have been fifty pages shorter without it. Time will certainly tell if there is something to Cahn's ideas.
Cahn does not say a major event has to happen during this Shemitah year. A cycle has been passed over in the past and that may happen again. Regardless of when it comes, Cahn believes a great shaking is coming to America involving financial and economic collapse, leading to repentance.
I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of an independent and honest review.
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2 of 11 people found the following review helpful
The reason I say I do not like it is because I looked for the definition for ...
By Charles R. Reneau on September 4, 2014
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
12 comments
The reason I say I do not like it is because I looked for the definition for Shemitah. It may be there but I did not see. I was to assume the meaning I suppose. Thanks to Chabat.org for their definition.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Must read - I'm fully convinced we are in for a major wake up
By Chris M on September 4, 2014
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
8 comments
Astounding historical background study - for anyone who has read The Harbinger, this is a must read. After reading thru this the first time within 3 days of its release, I'm getting ready to reread it all again. My primary objective at this time is now to do what Proverbs says - get out of the way of judgment and make strategies to prosper so I can continue to fulfill the great commission. Each day, watching this country dive faster into horrid immorality and evil and filth, I see no other way than a huge judgment within the 12 month period of this Shemitah year.
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2 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read - I'm fully convinced we are in for a major wake up, September 4, 2014
By Chris M - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Mystery of the Shemitah: The 3,000-Year-Old Mystery That Holds the Secret of America's Future, the World's Future, and Your Future! (Kindle Edition)
Comments (8)
Astounding historical background study - for anyone who has read The Harbinger, this is a must read. After reading thru this the first time within 3 days of its release, I'm getting ready to reread it all again. My primary objective at this time is now to do what Proverbs says - get out of the way of judgment and make strategies to prosper so I can continue to fulfill the great commission. Each day, watching this country dive faster into horrid immorality and evil and filth, I see no other way than a huge judgment within the 12 month period of this Shemitah year.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
The Mystery of the Shemitah by Jonathan Cahn
By William Lettich on September 5, 2014
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
9 comments
This is a "Must Have" book if you are curious about the Blood Moons, and you read the book Blood Moons by Mark Biltz. This book, by Jonathan Cahn, explains the Jewish Holydays and what they signify.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Jonathan Cahn is a good writer and if he is right about the Shemitah ...
By Larry D. Stanford on September 5, 2014
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8 comments
Outstanding book. Jonathan Cahn is a good writer and if he is right about the Shemitah then we might be in for some bad times. His intention I know is to alert America so we can turn back to our God.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
The best handling of the Biblical answer to our seven year cycles of financial crisis.
By Dunham Fanon September 5, 2014
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1 comments
Well written and thought provoking. A must read, especially for small investors in stocks and those whose retirement funds are tied up in stocks.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Jonathan Cahn is a good writer and if he is right about the Shemitah ..., September 5, 2014
By Larry D. Stanford - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Mystery of the Shemitah: The 3,000-Year-Old Mystery That Holds the Secret of America's Future, the World's Future, and Your Future! (Paperback)
Comments (8)
Outstanding book. Jonathan Cahn is a good writer and if he is right about the Shemitah then we might be in for some bad times. His intention I know is to alert America so we can turn back to our God.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The Mystery of the Shemitah by Jonathan Cahn, September 5, 2014
By William Lettich - See all my reviews
Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Mystery of the Shemitah: The 3,000-Year-Old Mystery That Holds the Secret of America's Future, the World's Future, and Your Future! (Paperback)
Comments (9)
This is a "Must Have" book if you are curious about the Blood Moons, and you read the book Blood Moons by Mark Biltz. This book, by Jonathan Cahn, explains the Jewish Holydays and what they signify.
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28 of 38 people found the following review helpful
Be very careful: No biblical support for the basic premise and no documentation for most assertions & fact-claims
By David James on September 5, 2014
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18 comments
SUMMARY: The Mystery of the Shemitah has significant problems that should give pause to anyone who takes the Word of God seriously. While America is definitely deserving of God's judgment and a call to repentance is definitely in order, the foundational premise of this book is biblically flawed from the outset. The Shemitah (Jewish Sabbath year) was an obligation given specifically and exclusively to the nation of Israel and there is no biblical support whatsoever for the idea that God would either require the Shemitah year of any other nation or that He would impose a Shemitah-type judgment on a seven-year cycle on any nation, including the nation of Israel. Furthermore, none of the assertions and fact-claims in the book concerning economic trends and financial statistics is documented whatsoever, raising the question of exactly where did the author get any of his information. The burden of proof for such assertions should never be on the reader if an author is to be taken seriously.
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In this book, Jonathan Cahn builds on concepts he presented in The Harbinger, particularly those in the chapter titled The Mystery of the Shemitah in that book.
BACKGROUND: In the Law of Moses, God required that his people, the Children of Israel, cease from their work on the seventh or Sabbath day of each week. During the time that they were in the wilderness, God provided a double-portion of manna on the 6th day each week, so that they would not have to work on the Sabbath, even if it only meant gathering food for that day.
In addition to the Sabbath day, the Lord also instructed them to observe a Sabbath year, during which the Israelites were to allow the land to rest from planting and harvesting. And not only was it an agrarian cycle, but it was also an economic cycle as lenders were required to forgive or "release" (the meaning of Shemitah) borrowers from the obligation of repaying their debts. In order to prevent the collapse of Israel's economy and to provide for their need for food during the entire seventh year, God actually tripled the harvest in the sixth year to carry them through.
However, over time, as the Israelite men disobeyed the Law concerning marrying wives from the other nations where idolatry and the worship of false gods was practiced, these foreign wives brought their idolatrous practices and pagan worship into the nation of Israel. The result was that the worship of the one true God was abandoned and the Law of Moses was largely ignored. Consequently, Israel failed to observe the Sabbath year for 70 cycles - meaning a period of 490 years.
In judgment against this pervasive sin, God used the merciless Babylonian empire as His agent of bringing judgment upon Israel because they had turned from Him. Furthermore, the Babylonians carried most of the nation of Israel into captivity - a captivity which lasted for 70 years - one year for each cycle of seven years that the nation had forsaken the Shemitah or Sabbath year. Thus through this God-imposed Shemitah, with the Israelites in captivity, this allowed the land of Israel to rest for the same number of years that the Israelites had failed to allow the land to rest voluntarily.
EVALUATION: The premise of The Mystery of the Shemitah is that not only does the Shemitah explicitly and exclusively involve the nation of Israel, but that the "mystery of the Shemitah" is such that it is woven into the very fabric of history and the order of the creation and therefore can and does affect other nations and even the world through various calamities, including natural disasters, wars and financial crises - just as happened to Israel.
As such, Jonathan Cahn claims that God continues to follow the same seven-year cycle, based on the Hebrew calendar, and that just as He imposed a Shemitah upon Israel as a judgment of 70 years of captivity in Babylon because they turned from God, He will also impose a Shemitah upon any nation that turns from Him and when this happens that nation will suffer an economic crash and other cataclysmic events.
Just as in The Harbinger, Cahn claims that America has experienced just such calamities over the last many decades, with the most recent cluster beginning with the terrorist attacks of 9/11/2001. Furthermore, he claims that the mystery of the Shemitah has been working in conjunction with what he calls the Isaiah 9:10 Effect, and manifested itself with the precipitous fall in the stock market on the last day of the Hebrew month of Elul in both 2001 and 2008 - which, admittedly are exactly 7 years apart on the Hebrew calendar.
In addition, the author goes back in American history many decades and tries to demonstrate that the mystery of the Shemitah has been at work and that many financial crises have happened in at least roughly the time-frame of a number of these Sabbath years.
However, before one gets too excited or becomes too convinced that "Cahn has done it again" (as some have put it), a number of things need to be considered.
Among the many problems with both The Harbinger and the Shemitah, the three that immediately come to the reader's attention are 1) Cahn mistakenly identifies the Shemitah as a universal principle that can affect any and all nations, 2) he wrongly identifies America as being a parallel to the nation of Israel in that he says it is a nation once dedicated to God and his purposes, but which has turned from God and is therefore subject to the "mystery of the Shemitah," and 3) one of the most egregious errors for a work of non-fiction, Cahn bombards the reader with a deluge of assertions and claimed facts concerning financial and economic trends, building programs, and calamitous events which he connects to the Shemitah - but does so without any footnotes or any citations of source material whatsoever.
1. There is not the slightest biblical support - and not even a hint that God expects or will impose a Shemitah upon any nation but Israel. There are no commands nor are there any examples whatsoever in the Scriptures that this is some sort of universal principle woven into the fabric of the Creation. Beyond this, in an appearance on the Jim Bakker show in August, Jonathan Cahn stated that when he was writing The Mystery of the Shemitah, "the revelations just came" to him from God, placing him in the position of essentially claiming to receive new revelation from God such that he is functioning as a prophet (my words, not his). This is significant because he is claiming to have discovered and is now revealing a mystery that has been neither seen nor expounded before he started doing so.
2. Any objective evaluation of America's history will reveal that although God's name was invoked by the Founding Fathers at various points, even to the point of some seeing America as a new Israel, it is equally true that the paganism of Freemasonry is woven into the very foundation of America - and this is evident everywhere one looks in our nation's capital of Washington, D.C. - to the degree that in the dome of the Capitol building, George Washington is depicted as becoming deity as he is received into heaven.
3. Initial research indicates that the present Hebrew calendar may be off by 1 to 3 years from that of Moses' day. If further research reveals this to be true, then this basically undermines the basic premise of the entire book because that would mean that none of the events described by the author are actually connected to the biblical seventh year that was to be observed when the Law was given to Moses. However, this remains to be definitively determined.
4. The reason that God imposed a Shemitah judgment upon Israel was because they had failed to observe the Shemitah's / Sabbath years that He required of them. However, there is no biblical basis whatsoever to claim that God has imposed a Shemitah-type judgment upon any nation that was not obligated to keep a Shemitah in the first place. Therefore, whatever has happened to America cannot be linked in any biblical way to a Shemitah. Furthermore, Cahn's book seems to be arguing that God has imposed a Shemitah judgment upon America repeatedly in connection with the modern Hebrew reckoning of Sabbath years. This does not at all follow the ancient pattern that he tries to use as support for his unbiblical theory.
5. while The Harbinger was classified as a work of fiction, Jonathan Cahn stated in an interview with Brannon Howse in 2012 that The Harbinger was 90% fact and 10% fiction. One of the problems in The Harbinger is that very few of his assertions and fact-claims are documented - so a tremendous amount of primary research was needed to do fact-checking to any degree. And, as it turned out there were many problems, not the least of which was what amounted to a very selective use of historical facts and statistics in order to make his case, as I thoroughly documented in my book, The Harbinger: Fact or Fiction.
However, The Mystery of the Shemitah is not a work of fiction to any degree - it is non-fiction. Yet, as noted earlier, the author literally bombards the reader with dozens and dozens of assertions and fact-claims, all with absolutely no documentation of sources whatsoever. Unfortunately, because of the overwhelming success of The Harbinger, very few of his readers will ever take the time to do fact-checking themselves, although if The Harbinger is any indication, there are very possibly many problems in this book, as well.
6. The problem with all of the calculations for Sabbath years is that the rabbis do not agree, even in the Talmud, as to whether the Jubilee year was concurrent with the 7th Sabbath year - or subsequent to it. The difference between the two possibilities is the shemitah year being off by 2 years for every 100 years of history. Since no one knows when the Jubilee year is, when this is combined with the difference of opinion concerning the relationship to the Sabbath year, the bottom line is that no one knows when the Sabbath year is on God's calendar, no matter what it is according to man's reckoning.
Furthermore, there are questions concerning the suspension of the Jubilee year after the Assyrian invasion and concerning the possible suspension of the sabbath year during the Babylonian Captivity.
All of the relatively few biblical texts that might give some insight as to where certain events might have happened in relation to a sabbath year are ambiguous and the various interpretations are disputed.
7. How it is that God has not been imposing Shemitah judgments upon Israel and the Jewish people, who are obligated in the Mosaic Law to observe the Shemitah year, while at the same time, he has been imposing various Shemitah judgments upon America over the last 100 years or so, when our nation does not have any obligation to observe the Shemitah years (as rightly affirmed by Jonathan Cahn).
I am presently very carefully going through The Mystery of the Shemitah a second time and annotating all the places where such assertions are made and will be researching the fact claims in the book. As I was reading it the first time, I just randomly checked a couple of the "facts" that seemed rather suspect to me, and sure enough, my initial research indicated that both were factual errors. However, before I come to a final conclusion on these and others, I'm going to delve into this further because I want to provide an honest evaluation and give the benefit of the doubt where possible.
Unfortunately, The Mystery of the Shemitah, may be an even more fragile house of cards than The Harbinger was from a biblical and historical perspective.
Having said all this, I still commend Jonathan Cahn for his passion to call out Americans for terrible sins which so radically plague this country - and issuing a challenge to Americans to repent before it is too late. America and Americans are more than deserving of God's severe judgment and that judgment might well be underway. And, if Jonathan Cahn's message has gotten the attention of some, such that they have either trusted in Christ for salvation or have turned away from a life of sin, then I rejoice greatly for every one it has impacted in this way.
At the same time, God is not limited in any way, and He can use anything and anyone to accomplish His will - including books and messages that fall short of being biblical and accurate. However, when books and messages are not thoroughly biblical and not completely accurate, they can also cause a great deal of harm in the long run. This is my great concern - that both believers and unbelievers are ultimately going to be led astray, confused and disillusioned by sensationalist-type books such as The Harbinger and The Mystery of the Shemitah.
Just as an FYI: For those who might be interested in a more in-depth treatment of the Shemitah theory as presented in Jonathan Cahn's first book, you may want to consider my book: The Harbinger: Fact or Fiction? - available here in Kindle and Paperback versions.
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Initial post: Sep 6, 2014 9:34:59 AM PDT
Last edited by the author on Sep 7, 2014 5:18:51 PM PDT
William Struse says:
Good morning Mr. James,
I've read several of your articles over the years and I often agree with you on many of the points you make. In this current review of Mr. Cahn's book you call him to task for making undocumented claims about his "basic premise" and "most" of his "assertions & fact-claims." I agree with you that it would be appropriate for Mr. Cahn in a book such as this to provide his chronological basis so that his claims may be verified. This is only good Berean stewardship.
In fairness to Mr. Cahn all of us make assumptions about Bible prophecy and often we don't even realize that we are doing it. Eschatology is a subject which deserves a lot more humility and grace than we often give it as believers.
A case in point: In reading "What we Believe" from your website you make a claim which frankly is built upon many more assumptions than the premise of Mr. Cahn's book. Here is point #3 under the heading, The Rapture and the Tribulation:
"3. The seven-year Tribulation (Daniel's 70th week) will be the fulfillment of the prophecies concerning the judgment aspects of the Day of the Lord when God pours out his wrath upon the earth through a series of catastrophic judgments."
On your website I could not find a single place where you explained to your readers that a "seven-year Tribulation" is not once specifically mentioned in the Biblical record. This idea is an assumption built upon many other well meaning but unproven assumptions as well. I'll give you a partial list:
1. A seven year tribulation is based upon an assumption that Daniel's final "week" (of the 70 weeks) is a period of 7 years.
2. This assumption further assumes that those "years" are based upon either a solar year of 365.24 days or a so called "prophetic year" of 360 days. It's worth noting that when the prophecy was given to Daniel neither of these calendars were used by the Jewish people. For those who use a 360 day year we must further assume that this said year was not intercalated as was the historical practice at the time.
3. A yet future "seven year tribulation" also assumes that the commandment which began the 70 weeks was given by a secular ruler and it the final week will end with a covenant confirmed by one.
4. This leads me to the final underlying assumption concerning a "seven-year Tribulation". For all of the above assumptions to work we must further assume that Ezra and Nehemiah were contemporaries of "Artaxerxes" Longimanus. If you haven't done so already you'll find that innocent assumption is almost never questioned or explained despite the abundance of Biblical evidence describing the 2nd temple era. Ezra and Nehemiah's place in the 2nd temple era is the chronological bedrock upon which the prophecy of Daniel's 70 week rests. Why is this critical piece of history ignored?
As a good Berean you chastised Mr. Cahn for the lack of Biblical support for his basic premise. Do you hold yourself to the same standard? A "seven-year tribulation" is one of the most widely accepted pillar's of modern eschatology and it is built upon an unproven assumption which makes Mr. Cahn's assumptions pale in comparison.
I would like to make it clear that I too share your belief in a literal second coming of Yeshua. I believe that His literal return is even closer than many people realize. But as we move into these final days and years before the Messiah returns I think we need to take a humble Berean's attitude toward all of our assumptions and beliefs. I think you summed it up perfectly in your closing paragraph of your review. I quote:
"However, when books and messages are not thoroughly biblical and not completely accurate, they can also cause a great deal of harm in the long run."
As faithful stewards of YHWH's word we are all called to be Bereans. So with this thought in mind, I humbly ask you as a fellow believer in Yeshua to provide reasonable Biblical evidence to support your assumption that Ezra and Nehemiah were contemporaries of "Artaxerxes" Longimanus.
Warm regards,
William Struse
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In reply to an earlier post on Sep 6, 2014 9:54:16 AM PDT
Last edited by the author on Sep 6, 2014 9:59:46 AM PDT
David James says:
Mr. Struse,
Thank you for your comments.
In a doctrinal statement, it is not possible to expound on all the doctrines that are affirmed, nor is that the point. Generally, the place to expound on specific things is in white papers or some other format.
To answer your question about whether I hold myself to the same standards, the fact is I have and do. Concerning the 7-year tribulation, I just taught a course at the graduate level this week in Chattanooga, TN in which I discussed this issue in significant detail and demonstrated that it is not based on unproven assumptions at all. The title of the course was Eschatological Systems and it was not only taken by the students in attendance on location, but was also streamed live. Furthermore it was recorded and will be available shortly through Prophecy Today. For this particular course, I employed very extensive documentation and foot-noting in the student notes.
In addition, concerning Ezra and Nehemiah and the decrees concerning rebuilding, I provided the students with very specific documentation and quotes in the class notes, as well as in the PowerPoint presentation. There were multiple decrees - some involving the rebuilding of Jerusalem and others the rebuilding of the temple, the second of which has to do with the timing of Daniel's 69 weeks.
If I were going to publish a book dealing with tribulation and / or dispensationalism in general, I would provide very clear and extensive exposition of any claims that I made. That this is my method of doing things can be readily seen in my critique of The Harbinger in my book The Harbinger: Fact or Fiction. A doctrinal statement is an entirely different matter - although even there, I do include Scripture references.
I'm sure we will have to agree to disagree concerning a 7-year tribulation, but I can assure you that my beliefs are not, in any way, based on unproved assumptions.
Likewise, I am not accusing Jonathan Cahn of just making things up - and am going through a very thorough process of fact-checking his claims. However, it is irresponsible in a work of non-fiction to make dozens of claims concerning historical events, financial collapses, economic crises, etc. with no documentation to make it at least possible for a Berean to confirm all these things for himself relatively easily. As it is, all of the work that Jonathan Cahn presumably did, will have to be replicated through original primary research by anyone who desire to confirm the accuracy of the fact-claims in his new book for themselves. That is not something the reader of any serious author should be required to do. And, the fact is there won't be one person in 100 - or even one in 1000 will actually do - which means that any author can make virtually any claim, whether accurate or inaccurate with impunity. This is just wrong.
Again, thank you for your thoughts and concerns - and I agree with you, which is why I do my best to hold myself to the standards of research and documentation to which I hold others.
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In reply to an earlier post on Sep 6, 2014 10:11:22 AM PDT
William Struse says:
Mr. James,
Thank you for your courteous reply. I appreciate that you took my questions in the spirit they were intended. Regarding your course material do you specifically address the Biblical chronological evidence concerning Ezra and Nehemiah? I am aware of the 4 secular commands and 1 Divine command to "restore and build Jerusalem", but my question concerns the underlying chronological premise of Ezra and Nehemiah. Can you provide specific evidence showing that they were contemporaries of Longimanus?
Warm regards,
William Struse
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In reply to an earlier post on Sep 6, 2014 10:28:59 AM PDT
David James says:
Mr. Struse,
Tons of work has been done on this topic by scholars over the years - and while I have studied this in some detail, this is not the forum to get into a back and forth discussion concerning the timing of Daniel's 70 weeks or the relative timing of the rapture, tribulation and second coming of Christ. This is only about Jonathan Cahn's book. And while it is true that I need to do the type of research that I suggest others should do, this isn't about my work. Completely independent of what my methodology is, the issue is whether or not the author has met even the most basic of research and writing standards for a work of non-fiction.
I'm perfectly happy to get into a discussion on The Alliance for Biblical Integrity website (biblicalintegrity . org) or via email as I have time (which is very limited at the moment).
This isn't intended to be a brush-off - but I just don't want to get into a totally different subject in what should be a thread dealing with The Mystery of the Shemitah. And, I did note, that I have done and documented the research in my course - although admittedly not to the degree that I would do if I were publishing a book on the subject. There may be different opinions - and perhaps even strong historical evidence that might suggest different dating, but my conclusions are not simply pulled out of thin air.
Dave
________________________________________
In reply to an earlier post on Sep 6, 2014 11:06:03 AM PDT
William Struse says:
Mr. James,
Fair enough. I'll wait until your course material comes out to see how you deal with the chronology of Ezra and Nehemiah. I am especially interested in the scholars you mention. I've yet to find one who has provided a Biblical foundation for Ezra and Nehemiah in the reign of Longimanus. A truly fascinating subject, I won't press you any further on the issue here.
Warm regards,
William Struse
________________________________________
In reply to an earlier post on Sep 6, 2014 11:20:37 AM PDT
David James says:
Mr. Struse,
I did not mean to imply that everything in Nehemiah was as late as the last decree. Obviously there were three returns - so things happened over a period of time. My only suggestion is that it is reasonable to conclude that the decree that kicks off the countdown of Daniel's 70 weeks could be considered to be as late as 445 B.C. I have not made a definitive statement such that it is a hill I'm ready to die on. On the other hand, dispensational pretribulational premillennialism does not depend on any single verse in literary or historical isolation. That is really my only point.
You can find my class notes under courses from the home page of ABI. This is an evacuated outline - and although they are extensively documented, they don't exhaustively contain the full content of the course.
I appreciate the interaction.
Dave
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Posted on Sep 6, 2014 10:13:30 AM PDT
Last edited by the author on Sep 6, 2014 11:02:54 AM PDT
RAFAEL says:
Hi David: Thank you very much for this excellent review. I am sure you remember me from previous discussions. I agree 100% with your review. With all due respect I would like to add a few details for your readers with regard to the Shemitah and it's origin.
The Shemitah was instituted when the Palestinian Covenant was made in the land of Moab with the second generation out of the land of Egypt from the nation of Israel. It was given at the end of the forty years wanderings and just before they entered the Promised Land. It laid down for all Judaic generations that followed the conditions for entering and maintaining the Promised Land. 1) Rest for the land: a)Every seventh year was to be a year of rest for the land Leviticus 25: 1-7.
b)Every 50th year was to be a jubilee year of rest for the land Leviticus 25:8-17.
As the Sabbath day of rest for the people of Israel was the seal of the Mosaic Covenant, so the Sabbath Year(Shemitah) of rest for the land was the seal of the Palestinian Covenant. IT WAS GIVEN EXCLUSIVELY TO ONLY ONE NATION IN HUMAN HISTORY. THE NATION OF ISRAEL!
The tragic history of Israel reveals their failure to keep the terms of this covenant as well as their judgment by expulsions from the land. God foreknew and foretold this result by Moses even before they entered the land Deuteronomy 31: 15-21. They experienced the curses of the covenant, the sicknesses and the plagues of the land, being overthrown like Sodom & Gomorrah, and finally being rooted out of their land.
Is the Shemitah currently orchestrating current dynamic effects upon human history as Mr. Cahn claims in The Harbinger and The Mystery of the Shemitah? THE ANSWERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOT!
The New Testament reveals that all the Sabbaths are fulfilled in Christ and that the believer under the new covenant is no longer obligated to keep the Mosaic or Palestinian covenant Sabbaths.
Even in Old Testament times when Israel kept the Sabbaths God condemned them for their hypocritical observances. (Isaiah Chapter 1:10-17; Lamentations Chapter 2:6) God also predicted the cessation of their feast days and Sabbaths. cf Hosea 2:11. Paul taught that the holy days, New Moons and all Sabbath days were merely a shadow of things to come and had been ABOLISHED AT THE CROSS. cf Colossians 2:11,16,17.
Paul clearly tells us that the old covenant was old, decaying and ready to vanish away. It was ministration of death and was to be done away with. (2 Corinthians 3:1-18; Hebrews 8:6-13). The new covenant has its own sign and seal even the true and spiritual rest which is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. cf Isaiah 28:9-11, Acts 2:1-4. To take the Sabbath day or Shemitah and impose its keeping or influence upon Christians today, Jew or Gentile, or to any nation in the world, it to take the sign and seal of the Old Testament and add it to the sign and seal of the new covenant. IT THEN BECOMES A CONFUSION OF COVENANTS.
So how do we account for modern day events which occured during the sabbatical year or Shemitah?
The answer is very simple. These events were orchestrated by God's SOVEREIGN RULE! God is in control, he is sovereign. He does whatever pleases him and determines whether we can do what we have planned. This is the essence of God's sovereignty; his absolute independence to do as he pleases and his absolute control over the actions of all his creatures. No creature, person, or empire can either thwart his will or act outside the bounds of his will. So no one can act and no circumstances can occur outside the bounds of God's sovereign will. God does as he pleases, and only as he pleases, and no one can frustrate his plans or hinder his purposes.
cf Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him Psalm 115:3.
For the Lord Almighty has purpose, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back Isaiah 14:27.
I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: my purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please (Isaiah 46:10).
In conclusion no plan of God can be thwarted; when he acts, no one can reverse it; no one can hold back his hand or bring him to account for his actions. God does as he pleases, only as he pleases, and works out every event in human history to bring about the accomplishment of his will.
________________________________________
In reply to an earlier post on Sep 6, 2014 11:27:09 AM PDT
David James says:
Rafael wrote: "So how do we account for modern day events which occured during the sabbatical year or Shemitah? "
As I note in my review, the jury is still out awaiting further fact-checking, concerning whether the modern Hebrew calendar even aligns with the calendar of Moses' day. God's Sabbath year would not change, even if man's reckoning did. So, if the modern calendar is off by 1-3 years, then the whole issue of events falling on or in proximity to the Sabbah year is an entirely moot point.
Furthermore, there is the question of stacking the deck and cherry-picking to support his theory. Are there also many significant events that don't follow this pattern.
As I noted in my book, "If you torture statistics enough, you can get them to confess to anything."
________________________________________
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The best handling of the Biblical answer to our seven year cycles of financial crisis., September 5, 2014
By Dunham Fan - See all my reviews
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Well written and thought provoking. A must read, especially for small investors in stocks and those whose retirement funds are tied up in stocks.
________________________________________
0 of 2 people found the following review helpful
my review By Martha C. mikesellon September 6, 2014
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everyone needs to read this
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4 of 10 people found the following review helpful
The Shemitah: A Counterfeit Mystery
By RAFAEL on September 6, 2014
Format: Paperback
6 comments
The Shemitah was instituted when the Palestinian Covenant was made in the land of Moab with the second generation out of the land of Egypt from the nation of Israel. It was given at the end of the forty years wanderings and just before they entered the Promised Land. It laid down for all Judaic generations that followed the conditions for entering and maintaining the Promised Land. 1) Rest for the land: a)Every seventh year was to be a year of rest for the land Leviticus 25: 1-7.
b)Every 50th year was to be a jubilee year of rest for the land Leviticus 25:8-17.
As the Sabbath day of rest for the people of Israel was the seal of the Mosaic Covenant, so the Sabbath Year(Shemitah) of rest for the land was the seal of the Palestinian Covenant. IT WAS GIVEN EXCLUSIVELY TO ONLY ONE NATION IN HUMAN HISTORY. THE NATION OF ISRAEL!
The tragic history of Israel reveals their failure to keep the terms of this covenant as well as their judgment by expulsions from the land. God foreknew and foretold this result by Moses even before they entered the land Deuteronomy 31: 15-21. They experienced the curses of the covenant, the sicknesses and the plagues of the land, being overthrown like Sodom & Gomorrah, and finally being rooted out of their land.
Is the Shemitah currently orchestrating dynamic effects upon human history as Mr. Cahn claims in The Harbinger and The Mystery of the Shemitah? THE ANSWERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOT!
The New Testament reveals that all the Sabbaths are fulfilled in Christ and that the believer under the new covenant is no longer obligated to keep the Mosaic or Palestinian covenant Sabbaths.
Even in Old Testament times when Israel kept the Sabbaths God condemned them for their hypocritical observances. (Isaiah Chapter 1:10-17; Lamentations Chapter 2:6) God also predicted the cessation of their feast days and Sabbaths. cf Hosea 2:11. Paul taught that the holy days, New Moons and all Sabbath days were merely a shadow of things to come and had been ABOLISHED AT THE CROSS. cf Colossians 2:11,16,17.
Paul clearly tells us that the old covenant was old, decaying and ready to vanish away. It was a ministration of death and was to be done away with. (2 Corinthians 3:1-18; Hebrews 8:6-13). The new covenant has its own sign and seal even the true and spiritual rest which is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. cf Isaiah 28:9-11, Acts 2:1-4. To take the Sabbath day or Shemitah and impose its keeping or influence upon Christians today, Jew or Gentile, or to any nation in the world, is to take the sign and seal of the Old Testament and add it to the sign and seal of the new covenant. IT THEN BECOMES A CONFUSION OF COVENANTS.
So how do we account for modern day events which occured during the sabbatical year or Shemitah?
The answer is very simple. These events were orchestrated by God's FOREKNOWLEDGE, DIVINE DECREES AND SOVEREIGN RULE! God is in control, he is sovereign. He does whatever pleases him and determines whether we can do what we have planned. This is the essence of God's sovereignty; his absolute independence to do as he pleases and his absolute control over the actions of all his creatures. No creature, person, or empire can either thwart his will or act outside the bounds of his will. So no one can act and no circumstances can occur outside the bounds of God's sovereign will. God does as he pleases, and only as he pleases, and no one can frustrate his plans or hinder his purposes.
cf Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him Psalm 115:3.
For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back Isaiah 14:27.
I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: my purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please (Isaiah 46:10).
In conclusion no plan of God can be thwarted; when he acts, no one can reverse it; no one can hold back his hand or bring him to account for his actions. God does as he pleases, only as he pleases, and works out every event in human history to bring about the accomplishment of his will. THE SHEMITAH NEVER HAS AND NEVER WILL ORCHESTRATE ANY EVENTS IN HUMAN HISTORY.
FOR MORE DETAILS ON HOW THE HARBINGER AND THE MYSTERY OF THE SHEMITAH IS BASED ON PROPHETIC SPECULATION SCROLL DOWN AND READ THE FIRST 3 COMMENTS/ARTICLES WHICH FOLLOW THIS BOOK REVIEW.
A BOOK REVIEW WORTH READING. THANK YOU BERNHARD!
Bernhard S. Schmidt "Bernie Schmidt" (RI, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME) This review is from: The Mystery of the Shemitah: The 3,000-Year-Old Mystery That Holds the Secret of America's Future, the World's Future, and Your Future! (Paperback)
Cahn claims to be the first ever to identify a seven year economic cycle within the US economy and attempts to convince his readers that it parallels the seven year Biblical cycle of ancient Israel (which the ancient Israelite's failed to heed resulting in their punishment and banishment to Babylon by God). This economic cycle has never been identified or acknowledged by economists, or any other experts, who would be far more qualified to identify such trends - this continues to remain the case. He provides an endless number of facts and makes all kinds of assertions without actually providing any documentation or evidence to substantiate his claims, all while claiming the book to be 90% non-fiction. Cahn, as patterned with his first book, has a tendency to misapply Scripture and cherry pick Biblical passages to try to build his case. As Christians, like the Bereans, we are called to question everything and do the research. If not, we open ourselves to being misled and deceived by accepted and authoritative sources (like Cahn has become). We really need to be much more cautious about taking anything perceived as so-called Christian to be reliable, dependable, accurate, or even absolute.
________________________________________
0 of 4 people found the following review helpful
but I'm sure it is going to be good because the other material the same author has written ...
By winston37 on September 6, 2014
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3 comments
It just arrived two days ago so haven't read it yet, but I'm sure it is going to be good because the other material the same author has written
has been fantastic. Expecting to enjoy it and learn alot more info.
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1 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Everyone needs to read this book!! The world is asleep!!
By blessedbyHIMon September 6, 2014
Format: Paperback
1 comments
Everyone needs to read this book!! The world is asleep!!
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
coming collapse?
By Giovanni on September 6, 2014
Format: Paperback
Shemitta isn't a mystery. It's an Old Testament law.
1 comments
"At the end of every seventh year, cancel all debts. This is the procedure: Everyone who has lent money to neighbor writes it off. You must not press your neighbor or his brother for payment: All-Debts-Are-Canceled--GOD says so." (Deuteronomy 15)
Moses gave this command to the Ancient Israeli's. For the Jewish people every 7th year is a year of release. Release, in Hebrew the word is shemita "sh-mee-tah" It's not a punishment, but a blessing. In the Bible the shemitta was never used as an instrument of judgment. Shemitta was a good thing for the people, debt forgiveness, a new beginning, like a social program designed by God to help the poor. The "shemitta release" was a ritual repeated every 7 years. The instructions are found throughout the first 5 books of the Bible (Exodus 23:10-11, Leviticus 25, & Deuteronomy 15).
It is God's way to address various classes of needy people. "There must not be any poor people among you" (Deut 15:4) Our Lord Jesus Christ, observant Jew that he was, echoes the command in the "Lord's Prayer" when he teaches us to say, "forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" (Matthew 6:12).
On the Jewish calendar we are approaching another shemitta year 5,775 (that's2014-2015). In Israel Jews are getting ready to literally observe the shemittah. But as for me, a Christian, I'm not under law, God doesn't force the Shemitta law on me because Jesus Christ satisfied the Law (in the spiritual sense Jesus released me from my sin debt) but 2 Timothy 3:16 says, "All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness" I'm not saying Old Testament law should be adopted by modern American society the way they are trying to do it in Israel. But I think it's a good principle for any nation or people. Think of the practical benefit of debt cancellation, what if we the people were to bailout each other?
Clearly, a lot of people are interested in what the Bible says about the future. It is no accident that many well-known Bible teachers regularly offer new interpretations. "Profounder-than-thou" competition is very real.
________________________________________
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Amazing insights
By N. Jablonski on September 6, 2014
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
2 comments
This gives amazing insights about our nation. Turn away from Yahweh as a people, and we reap the results. Considering the Shemitah year begins 9/25 on God's calendar, our ears should be perked up & listening!
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Even better than the Harbinger
By H. D. Overby on September 6, 2014
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1 comments
This book will change your life! Get it and read it and get ready for what is about to happen in the world!
________________________________________
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Even better than The Harbinger, September 6, 2014
By H. D. Overby "Texas Eagle" (Roanoke, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
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This review is from: The Mystery of the Shemitah: The 3,000-Year-Old Mystery That Holds the Secret of America's Future, the World's Future, and Your Future! (Kindle Edition)
Comment (1)
This book will change your life! Get it and read it and get ready for what is about to happen in the world!
________________________________________
1of 2 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars coming collapse?, September 6, 2014
By Giovanni - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Mystery of the Shemitah: The 3,000-Year-Old Mystery That Holds the Secret of America's Future, the World's Future, and Your Future! (Paperback)
Comment (1)
Shemitta isn't a mystery. It's an Old Testament law.
"At the end of every seventh year, cancel all debts. This is the procedure: Everyone who has lent money to neighbor writes it off. You must not press your neighbor or his brother for payment: All-Debts-Are-Canceled--GOD says so." (Deuteronomy 15)
Moses gave this command to the Ancient Israeli's. For the Jewish people every 7th year is a year of release. Release, in Hebrew the word is shemita "sh-mee-tah" It's not a punishment, but a blessing. In the Bible the shemitta was never used as an instrument of judgment. Shemitta was a good thing for the people, debt forgiveness, a new beginning, like a social program designed by God to help the poor. The "shemitta release" was a ritual repeated every 7 years. The instructions are found throughout the first 5 books of the Bible (Exodus 23:10-11, Leviticus 25, & Deuteronomy 15).
It is God's way to address various classes of needy people. "There must not be any poor people among you" (Deut 15:4) Our Lord Jesus Christ, observant Jew that he was, echoes the command in the "Lord's Prayer" when he teaches us to say, "forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" (Matthew 6:12).
On the Jewish calendar we are approaching another shemitta year 5,775 (that's2014-2015). In Israel Jews are getting ready to literally observe the shemittah. But as for me, a Christian, I'm not under law, God doesn't force the Shemitta law on me because Jesus Christ satisfied the Law (in the spiritual sense Jesus released me from my sin debt) but 2 Timothy 3:16 says, "All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness" I'm not saying Old Testament law should be adopted by modern American society the way they are trying to do it in Israel. But I think it's a good principle for any nation or people. Think of the practical benefit of debt cancellation, what if we the people were to bailout each other?
Clearly, a lot of people are interested in what the Bible says about the future. It is no accident that many well-known Bible teachers regularly offer new interpretations. "Profounder-than-thou" competition is very real.
________________________________________
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
I love it By Dan on September 7, 2014
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
1 comments
Excellent source of info that backs up scripture to a more understandable level.
________________________________________
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Even better than THE HARBINGER
By Caleb Connors on September 7, 2014
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
This book expands upon and brings to life the prophetic message of The Harbinger. A MUST READ for every person with prophetic interest. God has SURELY bestowed Jonathan Cahn with unmatched prophetic understanding and knowledge. I am very thankful for his faithfulness to The Lord to write this book.
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In reply to an earlier post on Sep 8, 2014 4:47:09 PM PDT
William Struse says:
Hi Mr. James,
Another thought, but this time related to the Shemitah:) You do realize that your statement above regarding the decree of 445 BC does in fact provide support for Mr. Cahn's underlying premise regarding the Sabbath cycles? Granted, your date is based upon an erroneous assumption, but it does confirm the Biblical veracity of the Sabbath cycle as Mr. Cahn has proposed it. Frankly, if you persist in your current line of criticism, you like a famous Biblical hero, may very well pull down an important pillar of your own eschatological house.
I too appreciate the interaction.
Warm regards, WS
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In reply to an earlier post on Sep 8, 2014 5:03:22 PM PDT
David James says:
Hey Mr. Struste,
I don't think so. My dating only possibly touches on the alignment of the Hebrew calendar of that time period with the modern Hebrew calendar (and it may not even have anything to do with that). Besides that, I'm willing to slide things around a year or two.
However, this has nothing at all to do with when a Shemitah year occurs - while Jonathan Cahn must assume that the Shemitah is exactly on the year he is working with or his entire premise collapses. Also, I have not published a book concerning the decrees or made any outlandish claims with dubious support - which isn't even documented (but that is another issue).
There is a difference between preliminary findings and published blunders.
________________________________________
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
I love it By Pamela Martin on September 8, 2014
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
1 comments
A must read for every face on the face of this earth. GOD IS IN CHARGE!
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Certainly we need towatch and be ready
By Amazon Customer on September 8, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition
1 comments
As always Jonathan Cahn has written a most thought provoking, intriguing book! I was not very familiar with the Shemitah honestly prior to reading this. But having the chance to review it I can not believe all that I* have learned from this book. It is uncanny, it is something that is only explained as God, how it has occurred so often in the past. The markings of it throughout history. I have recently been digging more and more into the Old Testament. Seeking the old ways for my family. The Biblical Sabbaths and the Jubilee cycles and how they are His calling for repentance, for greater faith and at the same time greater rest. The author, makes such a compelling case as to how, through history, these have been calls God makes to those who He wants to turn back to Him and surely we are living in a time where there is a greater need than ever before for people to truly seek Him with ALL of the heart and mind and soul. There is so much detail within these pages; historical notes that just can not be disputed. The evidence is there and it is so clear. Certainly we need to watch and be ready. God does not change. And as we read, as the case is laid out before us we see how: How the Great Depression and other economic events fit into the Shemitah
How the pattern of sevens predicted 9/11 to the exact hour
How the World Trade Center was conceived, started, finished, and destroyed in Shemitah years
How the rise—and possibly the fall—of America can be linked to the year of the Shemitah
These things are there. The facts are there. Everyone needs to read this and consider the possibilities.
________________________________________
0 of 3 people found the following review helpful
I love it By Bingogerl on September 8, 2014
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
1 comments
I am waiting for the audible version before reading this book. Please hurry with this addition.
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1 of 3 people found the following review helpful
I love it By wotw on September 8, 2014
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
1 comments
The perfect sequel to The Harbinger!
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1 of 3 people found the following review helpful
I love it By Happy Consumer on September 8, 2014
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
1 commnents
This is one great book, a lot of research and knowledge within
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1 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Certainly we need towatch and be ready, September 8, 2014
By Amazon Customer "Psalm 34:4" (Racine, Wisconsin United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Mystery of the Shemitah: The 3,000-Year-Old Mystery That Holds the Secret of America's Future, the World's Future, and Your Future! (Kindle Edition)
Comment (1)
As always Jonathan Cahn has written a most thought provoking, intriguing book! I was not very familiar with the Shemitah honestly prior to reading this. But having the chance to review it I can not believe all that I* have learned from this book. It is uncanny, it is something that is only explained as God, how it has occurred so often in the past. The markings of it throughout history. I have recently been digging more and more into the Old Testament. Seeking the old ways for my family. The Biblical Sabbaths and the Jubilee cycles and how they are His calling for repentance, for greater faith and at the same time greater rest. The author, makes such a compelling case as to how, through history, these have been calls God makes to those who He wants to turn back to Him and surely we are living in a time where there is a greater need than ever before for people to truly seek Him with ALL of the heart and mind and soul. There is so much detail within these pages; historical notes that just can not be disputed. The evidence is there and it is so clear. Certainly we need to watch and be ready. God does not change. And as we read, as the case is laid out before us we see how: How the Great Depression and other economic events fit into the Shemitah
How the pattern of sevens predicted 9/11 to the exact hour
How the World Trade Center was conceived, started, finished, and destroyed in Shemitah years
How the rise—and possibly the fall—of America can be linked to the year of the Shemitah
These things are there. The facts are there. Everyone needs to read this and consider the possibilities.
________________________________________
In reply to an earlier post on Sep 8, 2014 6:34:42 AM PDT
Last edited by the author on Sep 9, 2014 6:00:33 PM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
There is no such thing as a Palestinian Covenant. There is however what Dr. David R. Reagan correctly calls the LAND USE COVENANT, and I call THE MOSAIC ADDENDUM to the Mosaic Covenant. This is what I have written about it in an upcoming work on David James' book that delves deeper into his flawed analysis of The Harbinger - a sequel to my first work, THE TRUTH ABOUT THE HARBINGER. I quote:
The Land use Covenant (The Mosaic Addendum) aka, the Palestinian Covenant. After God gave Israel the Mosaic Covenant at Horeb, He appended this bilateral conditional covenant to it at Moab (Deuteronomy 29:1). It is both prophetic and conditional. It prophesies of Israel's exiled future population and its return to the land (Deuteronomy 30:1-5). It is conditional on the basis of Israel's fidelity to the Mosaic Law (Deuteronomy 29:9-29, 30:1-10), and is connected to Israel's occupation and use of the land, not its ownership of it, because exclusive ownership of the land falls under the unconditional and unilateral Abrahamic Covenant.
On these two points and the choice of name, I disagree with the website's writer. The earliest mention of anything that remotely resembles Palestine is Herodotus who wrote in c. 450 BC in The Histories of a 'district of Syria, called Palaistinê" (where some have connected this "Palaistine", the location of the land where the region was renamed by the Romans after they quelled the Bar Kochba Revolt of 135 A.D., where we see "Palaestina" being used, from which Palestine is derived. But prior to this period since ancient times, this region was never known by this name, and has only come into use in the Twentieth Century with the partition of the Middle East by the British and the French following the defeat of the Ottoman Turkish Empire at the end of World War I and the defeat of the Austro-Hungarian Empire who were allied to the Ottomans.
Historically, and theologically this is an erroneous title to choose for this addendum to the Mosaic Covenant at Moab the Palestinian Covenant, because at the time the covenant was made, the land was known as Canaan, and there were no "Palestinians" who inhabited it but those nations listed in the Hebrew Bible, since the Arab people had not yet come into existence.)
I would rename it the Mosaic Addendum God made with the Children of Israel when they sojourned at Moab on their way to Canaan, but a better name is the one Dr. David Reagan has given it, and that is The Land Use Covenant, because it applies to the use and occupation of the land by the Jewish people, and not its ownership rights, and ties the two to Israel's obedience to the Mosaic Law. Under this covenant (Deuteronomy 30:1-10), God set the condition of Israel's occupation and use of the land as a constituted nation under the Mosaic Law, directly connected to Israel's fidelity to that law. Were Israel to disobey that law on a national scale (as it did), God promised to overrun it by invading armies, followed by exile. This covenant is noted by God's promise to scatter Israel if they disobeyed God, then to restore them at a later time to their land. This covenant has been fulfilled twice, with the Babylonian Captivity and subsequent rebuilding of Jerusalem under Cyrus the Great; and with the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, followed by the reinstatement of the Modern State of Israel in 1948. This Land Use Covenant does not at all affect the Abrahamic Covenant which gives exclusive unconditional ownership/stewardship of the land by God to the Jewish people, that is, the descendants of Abraham through Sarah through Isaac their son, and Jacob their grandson, and his children.
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1 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent follow up to "The Harbinger", September 9, 2014
By Deb - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Mystery of the Shemitah: The 3,000-Year-Old Mystery That Holds the Secret of America's Future, the World's Future, and Your Future! (Paperback)
Comment (1)
Excellent follow up to "The Harbinger". Lots of numbers and charts which are excellent for those who are math minded and think well along those lines. Any way you look at it, the warnings that God sent through His word and the way Jonathan connects it to our times are clear. America must repent and return to God or we're done for. There is no time to be complacent and quiet, we must rise up as the Army of God to help others understand what's at stake.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The Shemita was--and still is--HUGE!, September 9, 2014
By Gary Parker - See all my reviews
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Comment (1)
To really appreciate this book, a reader will require patience and personal understanding of "The Harbinger." Patience, because Mr. Cahn empasizes through repetition, and "The Harbinger" because Mr. Cahn built squarely upon his prior and equally astounding book. And this one does not employ the device of fictional narration. Though, as some critics claimed, footnotes were few compared to his first work, fewer were needed. I was already familiar with the events of modern history he connected to Shemita years. One critic complained that the author did not define a Shemita, when dozens of pages were devoted to exactly that.
The subject of the book was huge, and Mr. Cahn rose to it well. Much of modern history revolved around Shemitas, and some around a Jubilee-like 49 year cycle. Wade through the repetition and you will be both richly rewarded and profoundly concerned.
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2 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Jonathan Cahn has shown that every major economic crash has ..., September 9, 2014
By A. Clapp (Charlotte NC) - See all my reviews
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Jonathan Cahn has shown that every major economic crash has aligned to the year of the Shemitah! This is the most astonishing book I have read this year. This nation, America is under judgement; I pray all who read this book read it with an open heart and search the scriptures yourself and see, Jonathan Cahn is a Man of GOD!!! With a right NOW message
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Posted on Sep 10, 2014 7:15:17 PM PDT
bmsbms29 says:
The Shemitah:
The seventh year, during which the fields were to be left fallow (Leviticus 25:1-7) and debts released (Deuteronomy 15:1-11) [is called in] Hebrew Shemitah ("Release"). I heard Cahn today on CBN and I believe it represents the 7th year of Jewish rest - when all debts are forgiven.
But not all Shemitah were taken freely. Often God had to 'force' Shemitah on them so they had the 7th yr of rest.
Just as God's Judgment will come upon all nations that have turned from God (like the USA has done) and it will strike the 'gods' of the nations. These 'gods' will no doubt include money, things, self, other religions.
We are to be prepared for whatever He does and make certain we are right with Him. Our safety should be in Him when this 'shaking' of what we know occurs.
Whether you believe in the prophecies or not - Just make certain you are ready! Whether we are still here or not... there will always be God's Judgment when we ALL will stand before Him -and He will determine whether He knew you or not - Heaven or Hell. Our choice.
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In reply to an earlier post on Sep 10, 2014 10:02:25 AM PDT
William Struse says:
Morning Mr. James,
I think you missed the irony of your date. Based upon your own chronological framework the date you gave is in fact a Shemitah year. I'm not saying I agree with your rendering of the chronology but your date provides confirmation of one of Mr. Cahn's underlying premises.
Warm regards,
WS
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In reply to an earlier post on Sep 10, 2014 11:27:33 AM PDT
David James says:
1. The modern and ancient Hebrew calendars don't seem to be in sync.
2. There seems to be a lot of disagreement among the rabbis of old as to which were sabbath years you can find reams of information discussing / debating both dates of ancient events and the years of the 7-year cycle.
3. Even if it were a sabbath year, it doesn't confirm Cahn's underlying premises at all - the main one being that the Shemitah which was given only to Israel is now being visited on a country that wasn't required to keep it in the first place. The shemitah obligation and the shemitah judgment cannot be biblically separated.
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In reply to an earlier post on Sep 10, 2014 3:36:11 PM PDT
LadyMarie says:
I just wanted to say that it warms my heart to see such a respectful discussion. Thank you for showing others how it's done.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The Shemitah, September 10, 2014
By Amazon Customer - See all my reviews
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Simply an amazing must read for this day and age! This book is about the mysteries and the connecting of the dots about those mysteries. Wow! It is a profound book!
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something is in the works!, September 10, 2014
By nelly - See all my reviews
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Very informative! Truly we need to be paying attention and informing our brothers and sisters in Christ! Are the heavens declaring something spectacular!! We shall see:)
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In reply to an earlier post on Sep 11, 2014 6:41:22 PM PDT
William Struse says:
Good evening Mr. James,
I actually agree with much of what you raised in your reply above. In point #1 you said"
"1. The modern and ancient Hebrew calendars don't seem to be in sync."
You are correct they are not in sync. The traditional Rabbinic chronology is about 240 years different than the chronology given in the Bible. The history behind this is quite fascinating. Briefly, the 1st century BC/AD Jewish Messianic expectants used Daniel 9 to claim their hero fulfilled the prophecy. As each hero failed to usher in the Messianic kingdom the prophecy was recycled to another hero. The basis for all these failed attempts was the Divine command to "restore and build" given by YHWH to Haggai and Zechariah and witnessed by Ezra 6:14. This command was given in the 2nd year of Darius "the Great" Artaxerxes i.e. 520 BC. Based upon the association between the divine command and "Artaxerxes" each time a messianic hero failed to fulfill the prophecy, the date was shifted to the 2nd year of another Persian "Artaxerxes". Sir Isaac Newton in his Chronology of Ancient Kingdoms Amended explains it this way, thought incorrectly attributing the decree to Cyrus:
"Those Jews who took Herod for the Messiah, and were thence called Herodians, seem to have grounded their opinion upon the seventy weeks of years, which they found between the Reign of Cyrus and that of Herod: but afterwards, in applying the Prophesy to Theudas, and Judas of Galilee, and at length to Barchochab, they seem to have shortened the Reign of the Kingdom of Persia."
* * *
In point #2 you made the following statement:
"2. There seems to be a lot of disagreement among rabbis of old as to which were Sabbath years you can find reams of information discussing / debating both dates of ancient events and the years of the 7-years cycle."
Here again you are correct. Thankfully we do not need to rely on the Rabbinic tradition for such a determination. The Bible provides several synchronisms which are adequate for the purpose. What I think is pretty neat is that once a reasonable Biblical case is made the Rabbinic traditions actually provide some pretty neat confirmation of the evidence, despite some of their disagreements.
* * *
In point #3 you stated:
"3. Even if it were a Sabbath year, it doesn't confirm Cahn's underlying premises at all - the main one being that the Shemitah which was given only to Israel is now being isited on a country that wasn't required to keep it in the first place. The Shemitah obligation and the Shemitah judgment cannot be biblically separated."
Another good point with which I mostly agree, except I would like to offer a refinement based upon my own understanding of the evidence. The underlying premise that I was referring to in my reply was the idea of the Shemitah leaving an echo or ripple in the history of mankind. As I stated in my own review of Mr. Cahn's book I think he is off by a year. Though I don't remember him saying so in his book I think his research is based upon the Rabbinic calendar not necessarily the available Biblical evidence. Though I would agree with you that this undermines the finer points of his theory, I don no think it too far fetched to believe our Creators underlying order and purposes (including Sabbath and Jubilee cycles) still exert their influence upon the affairs of mankind.
So in summary, like I stated in my own review, I do not agree with all of Mr. Cahn's conclusions. To be more specific, based upon my own understanding of the chronology I believe his specific assertions concerning the US to be in error. Having said that, I think there is every indication that an underlying cyclical order may indeed influence world wide socio-economic patterns. I believe YHWH's Jubilee and Sabbath cycles play an important role. In any case it is a wonderfully rich and complex subject which is worthy of further exploration.
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Posted on Sep 11, 2014 6:45:54 PM PDT
William Struse says:
In a previous comment to you I stated that your date of 445 BC marked a Shemitah year. This is a fascinating bit of Biblical history which is really the crux of the 2nd temple era. Since I complained about you and Mr. Cahn's lack of explanation for your premises I think it only fair to provided a reasonable Biblical argument for my own. I'm sure you already understand much of this history but for those who might not it is worth providing a little context.
As Mr. Cahn explained in this book, Jeremiah prophesied a period of 70 years captivity of Judah because they had not let their land rest. This captivity began in the reign of Jehoiakim (Daniel 1:1) and it is worth noting that Daniel was taken captive at this time. Just about 70 years later Daniel realized the captivity was drawing to a close because of what he read in Jeremiah. Since Daniel was taken captive when the 70 years began, he of all people knew exactly how long the captivity had lasted.
So we find Cyrus of Persia (circa 536 BC) granting the Jewish people permission to return to Jerusalem and build the temple. This event marked the end of the 70 years. Unfortunately we learn from the books of Ezra, Haggai and Zechariah that the people only got so far as laying the temples foundation and a sacrificial alter. Due in part to the harassment of the local population they left off the work of the temple and worked on their own houses.
Fast forward about 17 years to the 2nd year of Darius. (Circa 520 BC) This is the same Darius who the Bible identifies as "Artaxerxes" and the Christian chronologist Ussher identified as Darius "the Great" Artaxerxes. So the temple has been abandon for 17 years and then YHWH send the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to tell the people to return and build the temple.
Haggai 1:1-8 In the second year of Darius the king, in ..... came the word of YHWH by Haggai the ......, saying Thus speaketh YHWH of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that YHWH'S house should be built. ....... Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste....... Thus saith YHWH of hosts; Consider your ways. 8 Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith YHWH.
Zechariah 1:1 & 16 ..... in the second year of Darius, came the word of YHWH unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, ...... Therefore thus saith YHWH; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith YHWH of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.
Ezra 6:14-15 And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and {even} Artaxerxes king of Persia. And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.
Now after YHWH gave His commandment to restore and build the temple, it was completed in 4 years. Ezra chapter 6 describes this as taking place in the 6th year of Darius.
In Ezra chapter 7 we learn about Ezra going up to Jerusalem in the 7th year of "Artaxerxes". Now this is where the chronology gets a little funky. Instead of taking the text at face value chronologists assume the 7th year of "Artaxerxes" refers to another "Artaxerxes" and they insert about 60 years between the 6th and 7th year of Ezra 6 & 7. (This is very similar to the chronological adjustments made by 1st century Jewish messianic expectants mentioned by Sir Isaac Newton.)
So now we jump to the year 458 BC in the 7th year of "Artaxerxes" Longimanus. Ezra has come up to Jerusalem and found the people have taken strange wives and living in sin. As the one of the surviving sons of Seraiah, the last high priest of Solomon's temple, Ezra has a burden to teach the people the law.
Fast forward 13 years more years and we come to the infamous date of 445 BC and the 20th year of Artaxerxes. Nehemiah is sent to Jerusalem to rebuild it's walls which are still in a state of disrepair. After Nehemiah completes this task we learn that all the repatriated Jewish people assembled in Jerusalem in the 7th month to observe the feast of Tabernacles. At this great celebration Ezra and Nehemiah do something that is only required by law in the Shemitah year.
Nehemiah 8:13-18 And on the second day were gathered together the chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, unto Ezra the scribe, even to understand the words of the law. And they found written in the law which YHWH had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month: ........And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness. Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner.
Deuteronomy 31:9-11 9 And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of YHWH, and unto all the elders of Israel. 10 And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles, 11 When all Israel is come to appear before YHWH thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing.
The text above gives reasonable grounds to conclude the 20th year of a Persian "Artaxerxes" was a Shemitah year. Further, by your own rendering of the chronology of Ezra and Nehemiah this equates to 445 BC. (Please note this requires a slight revision which is beyond the scope of this brief survey.)
Just to be clear I do not believe the Bible supports the idea that Ezra and Nehemiah were contemporaries of Longimanus, but for those who do the above provides reasonable grounds to show the year 444/445 BC marks a Shemitah.
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Posted on Sep 11, 2014 6:54:54 PM PDT
Last edited by the author on Sep 11, 2014 6:55:29 PM PDT
William Struse says:
I've gone on longer than I intended but I just wanted to say that thought it may seem like I am picking on you that is really not the case. You've made some great points in your review which any Berean should duly consider. But in my opinion your criticisms are so broad they undermine your most important points. I too share your concern for those who would redefine (knowingly or not) "Christianity" to fit a more secular model. Today many have redefined the faith into a secular model which defines it as anyone who believes that Yeshua was a good man with great principles which are worthy of following. As you've pointed out many of our founding fathers fall into this category. Granted some believed that Yeshua was YHWH come in the flesh but many did not. As the apostle John stated,
1 John 4:3 3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
By the above definition the US is not and has never been a true Christian nation as Biblically defined. Yes, it was made up of many true Christian's but our nation is secular. Personally, I find it worthy of serious reflection that our founders called upon God when they rebelled against the king of England but when they wrote down the very legal document which defines us as a nation, they made not a single mentioned of god, Yeshua or Christianity. By any unbiased estimation, our Constitution, taken by itself, is a Magnum Opus to secular humanism. It is about "We the People". Yes, many of our founders wrote about the importance of Biblical morality and principles but when it came time to legally define our new form of government in terms of our belief in God those sentiments are purposely missing.
This reminds me of Nebuchadnezzar's vision of the great statue which showed YHWH panoramic perspective on the history of world governments. In God's eyes the final stages of world government before the Messiah returns are not noble but "terrible" and destructive. The bottom line is that as individuals, religious organizations or nations we are known by our fruit. By any righteous Biblical estimation we as American's (in general) are bearing fruit that is some of the most corrupt in human history. We can argue all day long about what we once were or might have been but it is what we are today that we must be addressed. So that is why I believe we can find some common ground with Mr. Cahn's message of repentance.
Proverbs 14:34 34 Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.
So yes, I understand and share some of the concerns you expressed in your review. I also see how people might use some of the information in Mr. Cahn's book to buttress their belief that American is a type of modern day "Israel" or a form of kingdom of god on earth. To give Mr. Cahn the benefit of the doubt I don't believe that he intended for that to be the message of his book.
I appreciate your tolerance of these rather long posts.
Warm regards,
WS
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In reply to an earlier post on Sep 11, 2014 7:05:25 PM PDT
David James says:
Mr. Struse,
Thanks for the detailed explanations.
Concerning the timing of the Sabbath years and any possible ripple effect: It is one thing to suggest that there might be natural economic cycles that follow a 7-year pattern, however, as I dig deeper into this, and from what I found in research for my book The Harbinger: Fact or Fiction, there seems to be no consensus whatsoever among economists who do this for a living, that there actually is any seven year pattern.
However, even if for the sake of argument we were to assume there is some sort of seven year cycle there are still multiple problems that completely undermine Jonathan Cahn's theories. The first is that if his calendar is off by one year, then because he builds most of his case on the basis of precision he is necessarily completely wrong in his interpretations. Secondly, even if there is a seven-year cycle, that is far different than saying that God is using this seven year cycle as judgment against the U.S. when he is not doing so against Israel, when they were the ones who of all the nations are supposed to observe it.
Therefore, both historically and biblically, Cahn is just wrong.
I have found historical factual errors in the book beyond this - and I have found biblical errors - for example he notes that something happened in Scripture in order to buttress his argument, even though the text says no such thing.
As I go through and annotate all the problems it is quite amazing (and very time-consuming) - and I think this book may be further off than even The Harbinger was - which takes some doing.
And given the fact that this is a work of non-fiction - and there are dozens of fact-claims with absolutely no documentation, it's difficult to believe that any publisher would let an author get away with this (but that is another story). Beyond that, as I have done extensive research to determine the source of his information, I have found that much comes from a source that many colleges and universities will not accept for research papers - but I will get into this later as I begin to layout the results of our research. There is an even bigger problem than this, but I'm not prepared to discuss this publicly, yet.
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In reply to an earlier post on Sep 11, 2014 7:17:13 PM PDT
David James says:
Mr. Struse,
In the coming days and weeks, as I deal with this in writing and interviews, you will find that my criticisms may be sweeping, but they are not simply broad generalizations - they will be very specific and very compelling.
I have stated over and over that I agree with Jonathan Cahn's call to repentance and that America is ripe for judgment. However, it has been almost three years since his first book was released - and look around, where is the revival? And given the pluralistic society that America is, there will be no widespread revival such that things will turn around enough to avoid God's judgment.
Even though God can use anything, as he did a demon-possessed girl in Philippi to draw attention to Paul and Silas, that doesn't mean that we are free to irresponsibly handle the Word of God or misrepresent historical facts and statistics by cherry-picking what supports an argument and disregarding those that don't.
If you have read my first book about The Harbinger, you know that I will do my research and it will be thoroughly vetted before I make it public.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars TERRIBLE., September 11, 2014
By Ramon - See all my reviews
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DO NOT BUY. TERRIBLE.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars, September 11, 2014
By orville perry - See all my reviews
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Comment (1)
very, very, very, GOOD
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars His comparison of the events and meaningful dates leading to ..., September 11, 2014
By Barbara Noyes - See all my reviews
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His comparison of the events and meaningful dates leading to the destruction of Israel as they walked away from Yahweh and those that are leading to the possible destruction of the United States as a world power as we walk away from Jesus Christ as our Savior and the Bible for wisdom is incredible in its similarity.
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Five Stars, September 11, 2014
By Roscoe Cross - See all my reviews
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Great Book.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read!, September 11, 2014
By Kyle - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Mystery of the Shemitah: The 3,000-Year-Old Mystery That Holds the Secret of America's Future, the World's Future, and Your Future! (Paperback)
Comment (1)
If you've read "The Harbinger" you'll definitely want to read this. Though the writing style is definitely different and Rabbi Cahn loads it with facts. I have to admit, it's bitter sweet by the time you finish it. I appreciate the Rabbi's desire to "not set a date," but when you take a few moments to look around the country it's not difficult to see "it" is coming. I'd recommend this for any church, temple, mosque, Bible study, etc. Don't sit on the fence and not tell people because you're afraid of what they'll say. This is a message worth sticking your neck out for. Blessings
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars, September 11, 2014
By Faye Stephens - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Mystery of the Shemitah: The 3,000-Year-Old Mystery That Holds the Secret of America's Future, the World's Future, and Your Future! (Paperback)
Comment (1)
Another history lesson we all need to know. It is full of information
and I appreciate all of it.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars I would give it more stars if you had them ..., September 11, 2014
By Jeannine M. Muto "j. Muto" (N.C.) - See all my reviews
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I would give it more stars if you had them. I feel Jonathan is sent by God to make sure we hear these things!!
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars This book is tremendous, full of information. I ..., September 11, 2014
By Lady Gertrude - See all my reviews
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This book is tremendous, full of information. I never even knew about the Shemitah and how it relates to history.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome insight into the plans and seasons of our God, September 11, 2014
By Cheryl Kippen "Hebraic supporter" (California) - See all my reviews
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Awesome insight into the plans and seasons of our God. This book gives a context in which to view the events taking place all around us this year.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars ... all the liberal whinny idiots read it and the stupid american society before its too lage sept 24 is ..., September 11, 2014
By Mr. Charles J. Gazdik "cg" (wy) - See all my reviews
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should be mandatory that all the liberal whinny idiots read it and the stupid american society before its too late
sept 24 is the start of it........ PEOPLE BEST START PAYING ATTENTION
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars An accurate study of history and how it plays out futuristicly, September 11, 2014
By Lyda M. Banick (Salem, OR) - See all my reviews
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An awesome study of history and seemingly totally accurate. Love the slow and precise way the author laid it out for readers to digest it with a flavor of prophecy and yet a lot of hope if one takes him seriously.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars His comparison of the events and meaningful dates leading to ..., September 11, 2014
By Barbara Noyes - See all my reviews
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His comparison of the events and meaningful dates leading to the destruction of Israel as they walked away from Yahweh and those that are leading to the possible destruction of the United States as a world power as we walk away from Jesus Christ as our Savior and the Bible for wisdom is incredible in its similarity.
________________________________________
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars but if you haven't read that book I would highly recommend it before reading this one, September 11, 2014
By Soh...Kelley - See all my reviews
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This is a fabulous follow-up to the Harbinger. Once you read the facts of this mystery, you'll not be able to disregard exactly where we are in the end times. I read this book through in two days and couldn't put it down. The first few chapters give a very basic recap of the Harbinger, but if you haven't read that book I would highly recommend it before reading this one.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read!, September 11, 2014
By Kyle - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Mystery of the Shemitah: The 3,000-Year-Old Mystery That Holds the Secret of America's Future, the World's Future, and Your Future! (Paperback)
Comment (1)
If you've read "The Harbinger" you'll definitely want to read this. Though the writing style is definitely different and Rabbi Cahn loads it with facts. I have to admit, it's bitter sweet by the time you finish it. I appreciate the Rabbi's desire to "not set a date," but when you take a few moments to look around the country it's not difficult to see "it" is coming. I'd recommend this for any church, temple, mosque, Bible study, etc. Don't sit on the fence and not tell people because you're afraid of what they'll say. This is a message worth sticking your neck out for. Blessings
________________________________________
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars It is just around the corner, September 11, 2014
By Reg Hardy (New Hampshire) - See all my reviews
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If you only have time for one book this year this should be it. Jonathan Cahn's follow up to the widely read "The Harbinger" should be on the President's reading list.
The Mystery of the Shemitah: The 3,000-Year-Old Mystery That Holds the Secret of America's Future, the World's Future, and Your Future! ", relays God's scriptural warnings and connects them to current times.
Americans must revert from their present ill perceived courses, repent and return to God's path or we're cooked in more ways then one. There is no time left to be quiet and leave it up to the other guy. You MUST take your place in the Army of God and alert others to what's at stake.
Rabbi Cahn has laid out case before and once you read it it's very obvious. The detail in these pages can't be ignored. Did you know the Great Depression and other economic events fit into the Shemitah?
It is the basis for how the World Trade Center was conceived, started, finished, and destroyed in Shemitah years.
Everyone needs to read and consider the ramifications of this book.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars, September 11, 2014
By Michael Chang - See all my reviews
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Excellent book well researched and packed with information.
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Food for Thought, September 11, 2014
By Donna Brill - See all my reviews
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A must read! Very informative in regards to Jewish holy days and God's laws in regards to the Shemita. Read it and get into God's Word. Good food for thought.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars like the Bereans, September 11, 2014
By Bernhard S. Schmidt "Bernie Schmidt" (RI, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Mystery of the Shemitah: The 3,000-Year-Old Mystery That Holds the Secret of America's Future, the World's Future, and Your Future! (Paperback)
Comments (4)
Reply to Mr. Schmidt’s comment posted by RAFAEL on Sep 12, 2014 5:23:23 AM PDT
One post comment deleted by Amazon on Sep 16, 2014 1:20:49 AM PDT, another posted comment deleted by Amazon 4 hours ago
Reply to Mr. Schmidt’s comment posted by Jose on Oct 4, 2014 6:32:00 AM PDT
Cahn claims to be the first ever to identify a seven year economic cycle within the US economy and attempts to convince his readers that it parallels the seven year Biblical cycle of ancient Israel (which the ancient Israelite's failed to heed resulting in their punishment and banishment to Babylon by God). This economic cycle has never been identified or acknowledged by economists, or any other experts, who would be far more qualified to identify such trends - this continues to remain the case. He provides an endless number of facts and makes all kinds of assertions without actually providing any documentation or evidence to substantiate his claims, all while claiming the book to be 90% non-fiction. Cahn, as patterned with his first book, has a tendency to misapply Scripture and cherry pick Biblical passages to try to build his case. As Christians, like the Bereans, we are called to question everything and do the research. If not, we open ourselves to being misled and deceived by accepted and authoritative sources (like Cahn has become). We really need to be much more cautious about taking anything perceived as so-called Christian to be reliable, dependable, accurate, or even absolute.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars, September 11, 2014
By Grahame C Measor - See all my reviews
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Too repetitive, keeps saying the same things.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars This Book Reveals Democracy's Hidden Flaw!, September 11, 2014
By G. LeMasters (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
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As you read these reviews, gentle shopper, bear this in mind: Many of these folks actually vote. That is, they have a say in the affairs of our nation. That is the real value of this otherwise risible book: It reveals -- through an enthusiastic readership -- why we're doomed, and hints that the end may be closer than you think.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars, September 12, 2014
By Carole Stone - See all my reviews
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars I would recommend reading this, September 12, 2014
By Kenneth H. Marks "khmarks" (Raleigh, North Carolina) - See all my reviews
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Very insightful and though provoking; especially if you've read his prior book the "Harbinger". Connects the bible to recent events and financial markets, helping fill-in an understanding of end-time thinking.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read, September 12, 2014
By Jonathan Bryan - See all my reviews
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Definitely a must after reading the harbinger. Jonathan Cahn is a very intelligent man of the Lord God. Listen up America!
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars If you believe that God gives warnings for coming judgments ..., September 12, 2014
By Aurora A. Forsting - See all my reviews
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If you believe that God gives warnings for coming judgments and that he wants everyone to know about them before they happen, then you should listen and take heed! God is using Jonathan Cahn to sound the alarm. America, wake up!
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Exciting New Book! Love it!, September 12, 2014
By Charles E. Hamilton "Charles E. Hamilton" (Salem, VA USA) - See all my reviews
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Exciting New Book! Love it!________________________________________
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars, September 12, 2014
By vicki corby - See all my reviews
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I felt there was too much repetition of words.
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Two Stars, September 12, 2014
By Jacqueline Harris - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Mystery of the Shemitah: The 3,000-Year-Old Mystery That Holds the Secret of America's Future, the World's Future, and Your Future! (Paperback)
I thought the Book if revelations did this? Is this a form of kabala? IJS...
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5.0 out of 5 stars A call of Awakening for America and it's people, September 12, 2014
By Amazon Customer - See all my reviews
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This book is thought provoking and dynamic. Dates don't lie. If you're a Christian or skeptical you need to read this book as well as the first book the Harbinger. It is my opinion that this book tells the future of America if it's leaders and people continue to reject the warning of GOD and his call to a nation and it's people to repentance.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars Two Stars, September 12, 2014
By Jacqueline Harris - See all my reviews
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I thought the Book if revelations did this? Is this a form of kabala? IJS...
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting New Book! Love it!, September 12, 2014
By Charles E. Hamilton "Charles E. Hamilton" (Salem, VA USA) - See all my reviews
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Exciting New Book! Love it!
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The "Harbinger" was so thought provoking and informative and this ..., September 12, 2014
By caroljoysullivan - See all my reviews
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The "Harbinger" was so thought provoking and informative and this follow-up book on the concept of "sabbath",was just an even greater call to every Christian to take back America for God and obey his ways and commands. Everyone needs to read this book and acknowledge the Hebrew roots of Christianity and how a Hebraic understanding of scripture increases our discernment of what we need to do to turn America back to God, and increase our ability to prepare for the future in America.
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Esoteric Spiritual Knoweldge (Gnosticism), September 12, 2014
By Brian Fulthorp - See all my reviews
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IF You LOVE Esoteric Spiritual Knowledge and Mysteries, You will LOVE this book!! ;-)
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars I woke up one sunny morning and did I ever see., September 12, 2014
By Harry Park - See all my reviews
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I love it and I am reading it over for the second time. It is very good and explains a lot. Jonathan did a very good job.
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Initial post: Sep 12, 2014 5:23:23 AM PDT
RAFAEL says:
The Shemitah was instituted when the Palestinian Covenant was made in the land of Moab with the second generation out of the land of Egypt from the nation of Israel. It was given at the end of the forty years wanderings and just before they entered the Promised Land. It laid down for all Judaic generations that followed the conditions for entering and maintaining the Promised Land. 1) Rest for the land: a)Every seventh year was to be a year of rest for the land Leviticus 25: 1-7.
b)Every 50th year was to be a jubilee year of rest for the land Leviticus 25:8-17.
As the Sabbath day of rest for the people of Israel was the seal of the Mosaic Covenant, so the Sabbath Year(Shemitah) of rest for the land was the seal of the Palestinian Covenant. IT WAS GIVEN EXCLUSIVELY TO ONLY ONE NATION IN HUMAN HISTORY. THE NATION OF ISRAEL!
The tragic history of Israel reveals their failure to keep the terms of this covenant as well as their judgment by expulsions from the land. God foreknew and foretold this result by Moses even before they entered the land Deuteronomy 31: 15-21. They experienced the curses of the covenant, the sicknesses and the plagues of the land, being overthrown like Sodom & Gomorrah, and finally being rooted out of their land.
Is the Shemitah currently orchestrating dynamic effects upon human history as Mr. Cahn claims in the Harbinger and The Mystery of the Shemitah? THE ANSWERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOT!
The New Testament reveals that all the Sabbaths are fulfilled in Christ and that the believer under the new covenant is no longer obligated to keep the Mosaic or Palestinian covenant Sabbaths.
Even in Old Testament times when Israel kept the Sabbaths God condemned them for their hypocritical observances. (Isaiah Chapter 1:10-17; Lamentations Chapter 2:6) God also predicted the cessation of their feast days and Sabbaths. cf Hosea 2:11. Paul taught that the holy days, New Moons and all Sabbath days were merely a shadow of things to come and had been ABOLISHED AT THE CROSS. cf Colossians 2:11,16,17.
Paul clearly tells us that the old covenant was old, decaying and ready to vanish away. It was a ministration of death and was to be done away with. (2 Corinthians 3:1-18; Hebrews 8:6-13). The new covenant has its own sign and seal even the true and spiritual rest which is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. cf Isaiah 28:9-11, Acts 2:1-4. To take the Sabbath day or Shemitah and impose its keeping or influence upon Christians today, Jew or Gentile, or to any nation in the world, is to take the sign and seal of the Old Testament and add it to the sign and seal of the new covenant. IT THEN BECOMES A CONFUSION OF COVENANTS.
So how do we account for modern day events which occured during the sabbatical year or Shemitah?
The answer is very simple. These events were orchestrated by God's FOREKNOWLEDGE, DIVINE DECREES AND SOVEREIGN RULE! God is in control, he is sovereign. He does whatever pleases him and determines whether we can do what we have planned. This is the essence of God's sovereignty; his absolute independence to do as he pleases and his absolute control over the actions of all his creatures. No creature, person, or empire can either thwart his will or act outside the bounds of his will. So no one can act and no circumstances can occur outside the bounds of God's sovereign will. God does as he pleases, and only as he pleases, and no one can frustrate his plans or hinder his purposes.
cf Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him Psalm 115:3.
For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back Isaiah 14:27.
I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: my purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please (Isaiah 46:10).
In conclusion no plan of God can be thwarted; when he acts, no one can reverse it; no one can hold back his hand or bring him to account for his actions. God does as he pleases, only as he pleases, and works out every event in human history to bring about the accomplishment of his will. THE SHEMITAH NEVER HAS AND NEVER WILL ORCHESTRATE ANY EVENTS IN HUMAN HISTORY.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read, September 13, 2014
By Carol Mulligan - See all my reviews
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Well researched as usual I have read The Harbinger & other teachings of Jonathan Cahn. Gives one a lot to think and pray about in the coming days. As a Christian, it is a good thing to understand God;s moving in the past to understand the signs pointing to the future. I agree with Jonathan that we cannot set timetables and Yeshua (Jesus) said to be aware of the signs. Thank you Jonathan for another thoughtful book.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars Really? This is marketing fear to sell a book ..., September 13, 2014
By Happy faith - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Mystery of the Shemitah: The 3,000-Year-Old Mystery That Holds the Secret of America's Future, the World's Future, and Your Future! (Kindle Edition)
Really? This is marketing fear to sell a book. Colossians teaches us that we are no long we under sabbath laws or observances. Secondly simple math blows these "prophecies" out the water. He mentioned the first stock market crash as proof of this shemitah. Yet if you add 7 years to get to the 2000s you see 2001 is not a 7 year sabbath. So his premise is flawed.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Astounding!, September 13, 2014
By Tahillah Joseph - See all my reviews
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This book is fascinating; a truly remarkable work. Thank The Lord Jesus Christ for using Rabbi Jonathan Cahn to reveal these truths. One can only help to pray for America and hope that she will take heed, for her sake and for the sake of the world. Who will take the lead in this world if not America? God forbid that an enemy of the Western Hemisphere should take that position!
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Five Stars, September 13, 2014
By colleen cole - See all my reviews
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I think this book is so informative.
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Five Stars, September 14, 2014
By larry - See all my reviews
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Amen to this book
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Whats Wrong with the World & why, September 14, 2014
By James Stegner - See all my reviews
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I foune it factuael and informative, with links to verify some quoits. think graphics should be in color. best book I have read sence (sic) I read "The Harbinger " It is a must read for any one who wants to know or understand what is happing in/to our world. If Tea Party would read it they might understand what they need to do to save America.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book! A fascinating read with powerfull prophetic insights, September 14, 2014
By Tom Buursma - See all my reviews
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Great book! A fascinating read with powerfull prophetic insights.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars You will be amazed!, September 14, 2014
By KEITH M. VALINSKI (BELLEVILLE, MICHIGAN United States) - See all my reviews
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THIS IS A MUST READ!!! It explains everything that is happening to America since 9/11 and what you need to do to be ready.
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The second half was much better but not really much in there that I havent ..., September 14, 2014
By Doris J. Young "Avid Reader" (Fayetteville, AR) - See all my reviews
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The first half of the book was mostly about the financial aspects of what is coming and I felt it to be repetitive. The second half was much better but not really much in there that I havent read in either the Harbinger or other places. If you are unfamiliar with the Harbinger you might enjoy the book more. If you have read the Harbinger I didnt see a lot of new info in this one.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read NOW!!!!, September 14, 2014
By Jane Higdon - See all my reviews
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Amazing! You can see God' hand in everything. The United States better get it together. We are under divine discipline.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars God's sovereignty, September 14, 2014
By Lallie - See all my reviews
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Excellent research and clear in his report.....God's sovereignty is evident in all the events described.....we need to submit to Him.
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Four Stars, September 14, 2014
By Den T (North Fort Myers, FL United States) - See all my reviews
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a nice read although there is a lot of repetition. Much like the Harbinger, very thought provoking.
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0 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars, September 14, 2014
By Marla Y. O'NEILL (Lake Worth, FL) - See all my reviews
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Informative but a little slow and repetitive.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Another Call to Repentance, September 14, 2014
By Marconi_314 "Robert" (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews
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Jonathan Cahn has once again put together a publication that will not disappoint. Building off of his previous book, “The Harbinger” he now takes it to a more pressing conclusion. In my opinion, he shows that God not only works in our lives in a day to day basis, but also adheres to a hepatic, 7 year pattern that He set forth in the Torah when it comes to national blessings and judgments.
It was interesting to see how so many history changing events took place around the Shemitah in the last 100 years. My only concern with his analysis is that he uses statistics to show God’s hand at work – and I always pay special attention when authors do this because it means that data can be manipulated to prove a conclusion that might not necessarily be there. However, I came to my own conclusion that his analysis is sound, noting that his comparisons were very similar and the percentages overwhelming.
The areas I was glad to see him cover were:
His analysis of previous Shemitahs and their consequences …
The meaning of towers in a nations standing with God and their implications …
The rising of the One World Trade Center …
The Isaiah 9:10 quotation in the Septuagint …
The Blood Moon Tetrad phenomenon …
The year of Jubilee and the history of Israel …
That he mentions the upcoming Shemitah (and possibly year of Jubilee ) is not a calamity set in stone, but needs close attention paid to it …
In conclusion, I would highly recommend reading this book. If we truly want to adhere to the command Jesus gave us during the Olivet Discourse in Luke 21:36 to “Watch ye therefore and pray always . . .”, this is certainly one way to accomplish it.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars This is a man God has raised up for this ..., September 14, 2014
By Paula Maillet - See all my reviews
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This is a man God has raised up for this time in American history. His first book shook America, and this second one will do the same. Every American should read his first book, "The Harbinger." It's a must-read. And then this one takes it further.
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In reply to an earlier post on Sep 15, 2014 7:40:50 PM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says (of David James):
Can you please cite some of these here for the benefit of your readers? Thank you.
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In reply to an earlier post on Sep 15, 2014 7:46:12 PM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says (to William Struse):
Well said William. I have often said that David James is a theological Barney Feif, who often shoots himself in the foot to argue a point by using the classic Anti-missionary arguments used by Chabad to disclaim Jesus' Messiahship. Here he is arguing that there is no way to calculate these Shemitahs, and argues against even the calculation of Daniel's 70 weeks! This is classic Chabad dialectics!
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In reply to an earlier post on Sep 15, 2014 7:49:29 PM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says (to David James):
Can you cite what economists say concerning this to butress this argument? Because I can cite and will cite when I make my post here, evidence to the contrary of every one of them claims you make here without documentation for them.
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In reply to an earlier post on Sep 15, 2014 7:51:18 PM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says (to David James):
You will be required to provide documentary evidence for your "sweeping" claims, and I will be examining each and every one of them. We will see the evidence, or we will not, but we will get to the bottom of every claim you make here and outside of this discussion board. This assure you. You will account for every idle word you post.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars very enlightening, September 15, 2014
By Sheila - See all my reviews
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A good follow up to the Harbinger and Isaiah 9:10. I highly recommend all three as they are very thought provoking
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Five Stars, September 15, 2014
By Becky bird - See all my reviews
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Very good book so far.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars, September 15, 2014
By alice harden - See all my reviews
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Seen from a perspective only God could have brought forth.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars I recommend all his books to those who want to know ..., September 15, 2014
By Gal from Paris, TX - See all my reviews
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If you havent read Mr. Cahn's books, I suggest you do immediately.
I truly believe he has shown us bibical prophesy happening TODAY!
Wake up everyone! Open your eyes and see that what is going on
today will be our total downfall if we don't do something NOW!
I recommend all his books to those who want to know where the
United States stand in prophecy.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars, September 15, 2014
By Amazon Customer - See all my reviews
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Riveting and well presented. Everyone should read.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Great History Book, September 15, 2014
By peggy haggard
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Great book. Always like Jonathan Cahn books. Good buy.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars I recommend this book as a primer, September 15, 2014
By charlene at Dosido Bookshelf
(Fullerton, CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Mystery of the Shemitah: The 3,000-Year-Old Mystery That Holds the Secret of America's Future, the World's Future, and Your Future! (Paperback)
If you are not already aware of the prophetic significance of shemitah (sic) and yovel/jubilee years, I recommend this book as a primer. A shemitah year (sic) will be observed in Israel beginning Yom Teruah (sundown 9/24/2014). Based on events of 1917-18 and 1966-67, I believe that the year following this shemitah (sic) will be a Jubilee year of major portent for Israel and the entire world. (Jubilee years are the 50th year following the 7th shemitah (sic). From this our Founders took the Liberty Bell inscription, "Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land and to all the inhabitants thereof." -Lev. 25:10)
I am giving this book 4 stars, because it provides original research to demonstrate a prophetic cycle of economic "shakings" in the shemitah years (sic) 2000-2001 and 2007-2008. Cahn also reaches back to connect earlier shemitah years (sic) (1917, 1932, 1973, 1987). He explains why stock market crashes so often occur in late September and early October. While some people may be interested in detailed stock market analysis, I skip-read through several of these chapters. Rather than focus on stock market detail, I prefer to look beyond the stock market shaking to see other kinds of shakings in shemitah years (sic) (the communist revolution and Balfour declaration in 1917; Nazi rise to power in 1931; Kristallnacht/onset of Holocaust in 1939; liberation of Holocaust survivors seven years later in 1945; Black September and withdrawal from VietNam (sic) in 1973; Ayatolla Khomeini assumes power in 1979-80 shemitah) (sic); Reagan at Brandenburg gate in 1987; the Oslo accords at the start of the 1993-94 shemitah) (sic). None of these events is a proof of anything; but they do support a pattern that may help us understand momentous and difficult events I expect to unfold in the next two years. Jonathan Cahn notes the 29th of Elul in particular; which for this period will be 9/24/2014, 9/13/2015, 10/02/2016 and because of the release of yovel I should add 10/12/2016.
I withhold 5 stars because of the annoying melodrama and redundancy of the book. Cahn keeps repeating the phrase, "the mystery of .." (fill in the blank). This style makes me feel manipulated, and I am concerned that it could put off many readers. Yet this style has popularized the study of prophecy as no other since Hal Lindsey's "Late Great Planet Earth" and Tim LaHaye's (sic) "Left Behind" series.
One interesting feature in this book is Cahn's rationale for applying the shemitah (sic) given to Israel to America, supposedly a gentile nation. (NOTE: I personally believe that America IS a heritage nation of the Northern House of Israel after they were "lost" in exile or Assyrian captivity, later to migrate northward and westward -Isaiah 49:12). Cahn says: "It can be argued that only two civilizations in human history were established, dedicated, and consecrated to the will, the word, the purposes, and the glory of God from the moment of their conceptions. The first was Israel; the second was America." p.56
I also applaud Cahn's analysis nearing the end of his book under the heading, "Judgment or Revival, Shaking, and Calamity." He writes on p.247:
"So will there be judgment or revival? There can be both: judgment and revival. Revival can even come through judgment. There can be judgment upon a civilization and the salvation and revival for those within that civilization who turn to God. If there is to come a great shaking, what is the hope? I would answer that it is just the opposite with no shaking, there is little chance of hope. America has grown so hardened to God's will and so deafened to His voice, that only something of great magnitude has any hope of breaking through."
The shemitah years (sic) invite us and propel us to reconsider our blessings. "The ox knows his owner and the ass his master's crib; but Israel does not know, my people does not consider" (Isaiah 1:4). Read on from verse 4 through to verse 8 which reads like the judgment of a shemitah year (sic): "the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city." I think these words are for us, that we should understand our troubling times (Daniel 12). Jonathan Cahn's elaboration of the shemitah (sic) as "a prophetic sign" (p.55) may be just the book for some to begin this study.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Hold on to your hat! We are just a few weeks away from SHEMITAH., September 15, 2014
By frank hobson - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Mystery of the Shemitah: The 3,000-Year-Old Mystery That Holds the Secret of America's Future, the World's Future, and Your Future! (Paperback)
Amazing! All of these things together: Shemitah, Juliblee year, Blood moon, Harbinger's, Israeli conflict with Arabs and Iran, Russia flexing muscles on US, Petro-dollar against BRICKS nations, Unusual weather, volcano's and earthquakes, Sun not acting right. That is not all but it does lead me to the conclusion we are in the end of Church age. This next year should be interesting.
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0 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars God's message to America., September 15, 2014
By Carol A. - See all my reviews
Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Mystery of the Shemitah: The 3,000-Year-Old Mystery That Holds the Secret of America's Future, the World's Future, and Your Future! (Paperback)
Arrived in new condition. God's message to America. E-e-e-e...
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book and it lets you know what to watch ..., September 15, 2014
By Christie Skordal - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Mystery of the Shemitah: The 3,000-Year-Old Mystery That Holds the Secret of America's Future, the World's Future, and Your Future! (Kindle Edition)
Wonderful book and it lets you know what to watch for and what is coming!!! God is good and I am very happy to have the ability to have read this book from a great man of God!!!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Truth of His word, September 16, 2014
By JanV - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Mystery of the Shemitah: The 3,000-Year-Old Mystery That Holds the Secret of America's Future, the World's Future, and Your Future! (Kindle Edition)
Very interesting how things line up with the Jewish calendar. What we sow is what we reap. God is not mocked.
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Five Stars, September 16, 2014
By S. Jones "Lover of the WORD" - See all my reviews
Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Mystery of the Shemitah: The 3,000-Year-Old Mystery That Holds the Secret of America's Future, the World's Future, and Your Future! (Kindle Edition)
Truth!!!
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5.0 out of 5 stars Very important book for the times we live in. Don't miss reading this book., September 16, 2014
By Peggy Williams - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Mystery of the Shemitah: The 3,000-Year-Old Mystery That Holds the Secret of America's Future, the World's Future, and Your Future! (Paperback)
Awesome relevant book for such a time as this.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Deep in Biblical History, September 16, 2014
By John Franklin Smith Jr. - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Mystery of the Shemitah: The 3,000-Year-Old Mystery That Holds the Secret of America's Future, the World's Future, and Your Future! (Kindle Edition)
The overall book is awesome, very enlightening, very informative. The first few chapters are written to those who did not read The Harbinger, so it is a review for those who did. The rest of the book is quite eye opening. Awesome is the best way to describe it. There is an obvious pattern throughout the last century, for financial collapses, this book shows us why.
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In reply to an earlier post on Sep 15, 2014 11:33:52 AM PDT
Donna Deibert says:
when it happens, you will run sacred like most of the phonies out there. that is if you are even alive.
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SIDEBAR: My reply to Ms. Deibert is below, posted on Saturday, October 4, 2014. See below. JB
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In reply to an earlier post on Sep 15, 2014 9:19:30 PM PDT
charlene at Dosido Bookshelf says:
I am inclined to recognize Jonathan Cahn's years for the shemitah for two main reasons: 1. The powerful events of 1917-1918 and 1966-1967 suggest Jubilee years (the next in 49-year cycle coming up in 1915 will confirm or not confirm the pattern); 2. And Jonathan Cahn's years are the shemitah (sic) years accepted in The Land today. I have researched the shemitah (sic) years back in history based on the seven-year pattern in Jonathan Cahn's book; and I feel these years do indeed represent turning points in history. Events in the next few years will clarify these speculations.
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Your post: Sep 16, 2014 7:13:44 PM PDT
THIS POST WAS DELETED BY AMAZON.COM BECAUSE ACCORDING TO SOMEONE NAMED AHKEEL, IT WAS CONSIDERED “SPITEFUL,” YET THE ANTI-SEMITIC SCREED PUT UP BY RAFAAEL AGAINST JEWS, AGAINST JONATHAN CAHN AND AGAINST MYSELF HAVE BEEN KEPT UP SINCE, WHILE MY RESPONSE BELOW WAS DELETED. AS OF THIS WRITING, I HAVE INQUIRED ABOUT THIS, AND HAVE REPLIED TO TWO E-MAILS SENT TO ME ABOUT IT, CONTAINING AN UNSATISFACTORY REASON AS TO WHY MY POSTING WERE REMOVED WHILE RAFAEL’S WEREN’T. JB
Jose J. Bernal says:
One of Jonathan Cahn’s most rabid and vicious detractors, who makes an appearance whenever David James posts an entry on to these discussion boards, has once again reared his ugly head. In true form and fashion, this drone of villainy going by the pseudonyms of RAFAEL, LEGNA, ANGEL, and GABRIEL; has posted the vile entries into Amazon.com one could ever write against another. With all of the finesse of a junk yard dog, he is now spreading the false rumors that Jonathan Cahn teaches Jewish mysticism and Gnosticism, and dabbles in the Occult, because of his apologetic use of portions of the Talmud and the Book of Zohar that corroborate the Gospel accounts.
He claims to have been to Beth Israel – ladies and gentlemen, my wife and I have been worshipping at Beth Israel since the time when the worship center was located in Garfield/Lodi, NJ, which has since moved to the Beth Israel Jerusalem Center located on 11 Railroad Avenue, Wayne, NJ, and I can tell you before God, I have never met or known of this RAFAEL character in all of my years. And as for what this JAMADAN character writes regarding the teachings and alleged affiliations of Jonathan Cahn, I can confidently tell you that he is not a member, nor does he subscribe to the false heretical teachings of the Hebrew Roots Movement (not to be confused with the legitimate movement of the Holy Spirit within Messianic Judaism).
To be sure, a former accomplice of RAFAEL’s who goes by the name of JAMADAN has removed all of his entries against Jonathan Cahn, and David James is to be commended for having contacted him via Amazon.com postings; vouching for Rabbi Cahn that he is not part of the heretical Jewish Roots Movement, or that he teaches that required Torah-Observance of Gentile and Jewish congregants of Beth Israel, as JAMADAN had previously claimed, but has since retracted every single entry where he made this erroneous claim. As I understand, JAMADAN has repented before the Lord, seeking His grace and forgiveness, and has been restored to fellowship, having been warned about Rafael’s false witness by none other than David James himself. Both Misters JAMADAN and James are to be commended for this. RAFAEL for his part, continues to copy and paste all over these discussion boards articles written by vicious Anti-Semite Ted Pike.
There is no one amongst the pastoral care staff, many of whom are Gentile believers, who either teach or require as mandatory Torah Observance from anyone, least of all born again Gentile believers or Jewish Messianics. Everyone is free in Christ to observe or not to observe, and no man can require of the other regarding any feast day or fast day, according to the writings of Paul the Apostle; as he writes, Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Messiah. (Colossians 2:16-17). That is their prerogative before the Lord. That is the freedom there exists in the grace of the Messiah.
And for sure, Torah Observance does not sanctify nor does it justify; it only serves to lead everyone – Jew and Gentile alike to the foot of the cross in the desperate realization that there is no way to God but through the One God has made as His way of true redemption and true salvation. Yes, when the realization hits that there is absolutely no self-justification before God, it is at this point where the Messiah’s sacrifice awaits at the foot of His cross, and one is taken to then to the empty tomb of the Lord Jesus’ resurrection, where they are furnished proof of the redemptive and transformative resurrection power of the indwelling Christ who takes up residence in our human spirit the moment we ask Him to by accepting His free gift of salvation and we are born again of seed incorruptible, sealed with the Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption by grace through faith. You want to know what Jonathan Cahn teaches about such things? I believe that I have just explained it in case anyone has any doubt.
RAFAEL, who also goes by various aliases – ANGEL, LEGNA, GABRIEL, and one or two others which memory eludes me right now; ought to be ashamed of himself, spreading vicious lies about Rabbi Cahn. But this is typical of this crowd, and didn’t I say above that from the seed of David James’ polemic and statements which anyone can look up – they can also go to my website – The Pepster’s Post: A Voice in Cyberspace – to verify that they have been made – people like these RAFAEL have come out of their lair to bear false witness and make crooked the straight ways of God.
For his part, RAFAEL has posted the most horrendous entries from what he claims is the Talmud, quoted from the writings of rabid Anti-Semite, Ted W. Pike. Mr. Pike who is part of an innocuous sounding group called the National Prayer Network – I always get leery about groups that title themselves “national,” like the National Socialists (Nazis), etc. – and has been involved in all manner of Anti-Semitic activity, and hosts a website called Local Terror Exposed! that denies the Holocaust ever happened, claims Africans are the true Israelites, blames every crime in history and every terrorist as Jews, and that our government is a Zionist tool! This website hosts the most horrendous diatribe I have ever come across. This is the seed of RAFAEL, who after quoting Ted Pike’s citations of what he claims is the Talmud, then writes about me, I quote:
“And Jose Bernal claims that these writings can be used strictly for Apologetics purposes in support of the Gospel, to show that the ancient rabbis interpreted the Hebrew Bible "Messianically????”
MY ANSWER: Let me make this perfectly clear so as not be misunderstood again and mischaracterized by Satanic false witnesses; when I refer to the Talmud, the Book of Zohar, and the writings of the Rabbis, including among them the Midrashim about the Messiah; I refer to those portions of such writings and oral traditions which were later included in the Babylonian Talmud which were used by Jews prior to and during the Second Temple Era, which speak of the coming Messiah, which have been used by Christian Apologists long before the modern era as hostile witnesses which corroborate many parts of Christ’s life contained in the Synoptic Gospels and the Gospel of John. I in no way, shape, or form, support any writing which would resemble in any way allegedly from these same works, the things RAFAEL cites in a multiplicity of identical repeated postings on every Amazon.com discussion board – if indeed such sayings are contained therein, which degrade Gentiles or demean women, and express views and beliefs that are antithetical to both the Jewish and Christian Faith – which in their biblical essence – are one.
RAFAEL then writes, and I quote:
CONCERNING JOSE J. BERNAL AUTHOR OF THE BOOK THE TRUTH ABOUT THE HARBINGER:
JOSE J. BERNAL A MINISTER UNDER THE PASTORAL LEADERSHIP OF JONATHAN CAHN BELIEVES IT'S OKAY FOR CHRISTIAN BIBLE SCHOLARS (INCLUDING HIMSELF & JONATHAN CAHN) TO USE THE ZOHAR, A JEWISH MYSTICAL SATANIC BIBLE TO SUPPLEMENT THEIR APOLOGETICS.
MY ANSWER: It is both an honor, a joy, and a privilege to be an active part in the ministry of Beth Israel, and to know Pastor and Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, and to call him both brother and a dear and beloved friend. Neither he, nor I are in any way, shape, or form, anything that resembles the mischaracterizations that this crank by the name of RAFAEL calls us. I would caution everyone to be discerning and remember that it is the wolf in sheep's clothing who attacks the sheep. Sheep do not attack sheep. Wolves attack sheep. When you see someone who says he is a Christian attack another Christian or other Christians repeatedly by accusing him/them (as Rafael does) of something that he/they do not involve himself/themselves in, you know who you are dealing with a wolf in sheep’s clothing. There is only one accuser of the brethren before God, and his servants who make it a pretense to appear as ministers of light, when they are actually ministers of darkness and all falsehoods. Of course, as in the other discussions, the accuser of the brethren manifests himself in his servant Rafael to bear false witness, confuse the body, cause dissension, and bear false witness.
Rafael/LEGNA/ANGEL/Gabriel Suarez has written and posted:
Jose J. Bernal said:
"Isn't it amazing how God uses Paul in Acts 17 to teach the pagans from their own writings on Mar's Hill and how in Apologetics even the Book of Zohar unwittingly supports the Gospel because it has been used by faithful witness Apologists as a "hostile witness" of the Gospel? Only God can do such things; turn something like the Book of Zohar into a tool that bears witness that Jesus is the Messiah! Thank you Lord Jesus."
"The only thing that I would use the Zohar for and the Talmud would be for the same use and purpose that eminent Messianic Jews such as Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Dr. Michael Rydelnik, Dr. Michael Brown, Dr. Mitch Glazer, and many more, such as Pastor and Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn would use such works for; to affirm from them the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is called in Apologetics "the fair use of a hostile witness" to affirm a specific matter".
MY ANSWER: I stand by every word I wrote above. This is not the only book that has been used as a hostile witness by Christian Apologists.
RAFAEL, listen closely to what I am about to say to you. “You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you sons of the devil, you enemies of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord?” (Acts 13:10) And now behold, until you have repented of your ways, you are released to the influences you have surrendered to, thinking yourself wise, you have foolishly made yourself of no consequences by bearing false witness against your fellow bondservants to defame them, and misuse them, and to speak lies and calumnies against them in the sight of others. When will you make your paths straight before the Lord!!!???? When will you return? The Lord is gracious and awaits for your repentance, and offers forgiveness if you change your ways, retract the lies you’ve made about others, and make restitution by committing yourselves to never again speak evil of another brother in the faith. Do it today, because today is the day of salvation; today is the day to take remedial action, and make things right for yourselves. God is gracious and He is patient, but don’t try His patience much longer. The time is extremely short, and you don’t know if your soul might be required even this night.
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Initial post: Sep 17, 2014 5:30:07 AM PDT
RAFAEL says:
Stalin's Jews: Learning from History
A VERY IMPORTANT ARTCILE FOR EVERY CHRISTIAN TO READ
-By Pamela Rae Schuffert presenting investigative journalism from a Biblical Christian perspective-
www.AmericanHolocaustComing.blogspot.com
Stalin
Note-I am publishing the article below, written by a Jew and about Jews, simply to help the American people understand the nature of the coming persecution under martial law in North America.
Jewish supporters of the NWO agenda in America will play a major role in the coming persecution and martyrdom of Christians under martial law in North America. Just as they did in Russia under their Bolshevik Revolution and many years of Communist oppression against the Church.
Jewish supporters of the NWO agenda for America are often referred to as: Zionists, progressives, leftists, Neocons or other terms. But they all mean the same thing. They are against the Constitution and fighting Christian liberties in America today. They are globalist, and want America to be melded into a part of the global world agenda.
As as (sic) their Bolshevik ancestors in Russia, they also want all resisters of their NWO agenda sent off to THE DETENTION CAMPS for either "re-education" or TERMINATION. They also support the NOAHIDE LAWS/modern guillotines agenda for mass genocide against Christians in North America as well.
Many Christians in America simply cannot understand this. They are blinded by various broadcasts on "Christian television" that totally (and deliberately) gloss over the truth. John Hagee is a major deceiver of Christians in this respect, a paid asset of Israel and of the US government as well.
Christians in America are further blinded by idealist and ethnocentric Biblical accounts of "the Jews" of antiquity, who are far removed from the reality of what "Jews" have evolved into today, 2000 years after the final segment of the Bible was written, and after the Jews were finally driven out of Israel to live among the nations for 2000 years.
Furthermore, Christians in America have been isolated and insulated from the horrors of the Jewish Bolshevik Revolution and the takeover of Russia and Eastern Europe by COMMUNISM. They have no concept of what Christians suffered under the Bolsheviks and Communism for 70 years. Persecution, rape, murder, torture and oppression of Christianity.
Christians in America do not understand, and therefore do not take seriously the threat of those who still adhere to these Marxist/progressive agendas, right here in America. And someday, these forces of oppression will fully rise up to oppress and even terminate the Christians under martial law.
The following article is published to help Americans comprehend our future under "THE NEW WORLD ORDER." History is destined to repeat itself, this time on American soil.
Telling THE TRUTH is never "anti-Semitic." If it were, then Jesus Christ would have to be labeled the greatest anti-Semite of all times! But in fact, He was not. He loved His Jewish people, BUT had to expose and rebuke sin in their midst. The truth must be told in this hour. An AMERICAN HOLOCAUST is coming...........
-Pamela Rae Schuffert
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Guest Article
-Stalin's Jews-
by Sever Plocker
Here's a particularly forlorn historical date: Almost 90 years ago, between the 19th and 20th of December 1917, in the midst of the Bolshevik revolution and civil war, Lenin signed a decree calling for the establishment of The All-Russian Extraordinary Commission for Combating Counter-Revolution and Sabotage, also known as Cheka.
Within a short period of time, Cheka became the largest and cruelest state security organization. Its organizational structure was changed every few years, as were its names: From Cheka to GPU, later to NKVD, and later to KGB.
We cannot know with certainty the number of deaths Cheka was responsible for in its various manifestations, but the number is surely at least 20 million, including victims of the forced collectivization, the hunger, large purges, expulsions, banishments, executions, and mass death at Gulags.
Whole population strata were eliminated: Independent farmers, ethnic minorities, members of the bourgeoisie, senior officers, intellectuals, artists, labor movement activists, "opposition members" who were defined completely randomly, and countless members of the Communist party itself.
In his new, highly praised book "The War of the World," Historian Niall Ferguson writes that no revolution in the history of mankind devoured its children with the same unrestrained appetite as did the Soviet revolution. In his book on the Stalinist purges, Tel Aviv University's Dr. Igal Halfin writes that Stalinist violence was unique in that it was directed internally.
Lenin, Stalin, and their successors could not have carried out their deeds without wide-scale cooperation of disciplined "terror officials," cruel interrogators, snitches, executioners, guards, judges, perverts, and many bleeding hearts who were members of the progressive Western Left and who were deceived by the Soviet regime of horror and even provided it with a kosher certificate.
All these things are well-known to some extent or another, even though the former Soviet Union's archives have not yet been fully opened to the public. But who knows about this? Within Russia itself, very few people have been brought to justice for their crimes in the NKVD's and KGB's service.
The Russian public discourse today completely ignores the question of "How could it have happened to us?" As opposed to Eastern European nations, the Russians did not settle the score with their Stalinist past.
Genrikh Yagoda
And us, the Jews? An Israeli student finishes high school without ever hearing the name "Genrikh Yagoda," the greatest Jewish murderer of the 20th Century, the GPU's deputy commander and the founder and commander of the NKVD.
Yagoda diligently implemented Stalin's collectivization orders and is responsible for the deaths of at least 10 million people. His Jewish deputies established and managed the Gulag system.
After Stalin no longer viewed him favorably, Yagoda was demoted and executed, and was replaced as chief hangman in 1936 by Yezhov, the "bloodthirsty dwarf."
Yezhov was not Jewish but was blessed with an active Jewish wife. In his Book "Stalin: Court of the Red Star", Jewish historian Sebag Montefiore writes that during the darkest period of terror, when the Communist killing machine worked in full force, Stalin was surrounded by beautiful, young Jewish women.
Grim legacy of LAZAR KAGANOVICH
Stalin's close associates and loyalists included member of the Central Committee and Politburo Lazar Kaganovich. Montefiore characterizes him as the "first Stalinist" and adds that those starving to death in Ukraine, an unparalleled tragedy in the history of human kind aside from the Nazi horrors and Mao's terror in China, did not move Kaganovich.
Kaganovich supervised the demolishing of the magnificent Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow in 1931 under Communism
QUOTE: Lazar Kaganovich, who personally claimed to be responsible for 20 million killed, stood atop the rubble of a Christian church [above] proclaiming,
"Mother Russia has been cast down, we have torn away her skirts!"
Many Jews sold their soul to the devil of the Communist revolution and have blood on their hands for eternity.
We'll mention just one more: Jew Leonid Reichman, head of the NKVD's special department and the organization's chief interrogator, who was a particularly cruel sadist.
In 1934, according to published statistics, 38.5 percent of those holding the most senior posts in the Soviet security apparatuses were of Jewish origin.
They too, of course, were gradually eliminated in the next purges. In a fascinating lecture at a Tel Aviv University convention this week, Dr. Halfin described the waves of soviet terror as a "carnival of mass murder," "fantasy of purges", and "essianism of evil."
Turns out that Jews too, when they become captivated by "messianic ideology" [as in NWO Zionism], can become great murderers, among the greatest known by modern history.
(Comment from Pamela- I am forced by the testimony of history to agree completely. And if you don't understand now, you will when the guillotines and Noahide Laws are manifested in North America and eventually around the world. And yet, these Jews who support this genocidal agenda against Christians have told me that they believe it is quite "scriptural," that it ties in with their "new messiah," and important for the future of THE JEWS.-PRS)
The Jews active in official communist terror apparatuses (In the Soviet Union and abroad) and who at times led them, did not do this, obviously, as "Jews", but rather, as Stalinists, communists, and "Soviet people." Therefore, we find it easy to ignore their origin and "play dumb". What do we have to do with them? But let's not forget them.
My own view is different. I find it unacceptable that a person will be considered a member of the Jewish people when he does great things, but not considered part of our Jewish people when he does amazingly despicable things.
Even if we deny it, we cannot escape the Jewishness of "our hangmen," who served the Red Terror with loyalty and dedication from its establishment.
After all, others will always remind us of their origin.-End
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~Postscript by Pamela~
And if these things be true, what then is the answer? It is simple. If SIN is the problem, then ONLY JESUS CHRIST can be the answer.
This is why God called me many years ago to share His love and His Son the Messiah among the Jewish people for many decades. Jesus remains the ONLY Messiah and Savior that the God of Israel will ever send to redeem the Jews.
Jesus warned his disciples 2000 years ago. "And all these things they will do to you because they have neither known the Father, nor Me."
People walking in spiritual darkness are capable of anything, Jew or Gentile alike. Because of many generations of Jews rejecting Jesus as Messiah as a whole, there remains great spiritual darkness among them. Occult teachings of the Kabbalah, and numerous heresies including those condoning incest and pedophilia (Babylonian Talmud) are present in the Jewish communities of today.
In fact, Jewish communities are often plagued with widespread problems of pedophilia, incest and abuse due to the false teachings on this subject by the Talmud.
The Babylonian Talmud blasphemously teaches that Jesus was a product of a Roman soldier and a prostitute called Miriam (Mary.) The Talmud teaches that Jesus is now in hell boiling in His own excrement. The Talmud teaches that it is a righteous thing for Jews to kill Christians. And we must always remember: people universally will act out what they believe in.
My heart breaks for the Christians being deliberately misled by people like JOHN HAGEE. They will suffer deeply when they find out that the Jews they have been taught to literally idolize, will ultimately betray them under martial law, and then sentence them to the FEMA/DHS camps to be beheaded for their Christian faith. A true Judas act of Jewish betrayal of Christian love for the Jews.......
My response to all the truth above, however, is to continue bringing the truth of Jesus the Messiah to the Jews I encounter, and to pray for their enlightenment and salvation continually. His way can be the ONLY effective way to counter the darkness.-PRS
Posted by Pamela Rae Schuffert at 10:21 PM
Labels: America, Communism, genocide, martial law, modern threat, murder, NWO, oppression, Pamela Rae Schuffert, Stalin's Jews, Terror
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Posted on Sep 17, 2014 7:48:15 PM PDT
Sam says:
I have not read any of Cahns books but i will just say this, he is jewish blood (though he claims to be a christian) so his blood brothers privately own the federal reserve bank in NY which creates Americas money supply then lends it to the US government at interest so whatever BS he spouts about 'cycles of the economy' as if its an unknown phenomenon is just that BS, his blood brothers do what they want with the US economy whenever they want. Although he claims to be a christian he always talks about old covenant stuff just like pharisee jews hence im not sure he is really a christian there is a lot of jews parading as christian or pretending to be christians friends so they can get support for their anti christ pharisee state Israel.
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In reply to an earlier post on Sep 17, 2014 7:53:22 PM PDT
Last edited by the author 5 minutes ago
David James says:
Sam, there is no place in this discussion for anti-Semitism. Given the obvious hatred in your heart, not only are you in no position to judge whether someone is a believer in Christ, you raise the same question about yourself.
I am going to do whatever I can to have this post deleted by Amazon as soon as possible. I have reported it for abuse and I assume they will act quickly and appropriately.
As soon as it is deleted, I will delete this one.
David James
The Alliance for Biblical Integrity
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In reply to an earlier post on Sep 18, 2014 1:36:58 PM PDT
Last edited by the author on Sep 18, 2014 1:37:20 PM PDT
David James says:
I would suggest everyone report Sam's anti-Semitic remark to Amazon for abuse using the link to the lower right of his comment.
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Your post, in reply to an earlier post on Sep 20, 2014 5:01:46 PM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
I agree, but why just Sam, and why not RAFAEL, who's citations of rabid Anti-Semite Ted Pike should be stricken from these discussions, because they are of no substantive value to these discussions. They are off-topic and contemptible.
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Your post: Sep 21, 2014 8:16:56 PM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
He’s done it again, but now he is more brazen and bold in his Anti-Semitic rants. Everyone will note that these rants have absolutely nothing to do with either The Harbinger or The Mystery of The Shemitah, or my own book, The Truth About The Harbinger, that biblically addresses all questions about Jonathan Cahn the author of The Harbinger, The Harbinger Decoded DVD, and The Mystery of The Shemitah.
In his latest rant, RAFAEL goes beyond where he has previously ventured, and out and out quotes verbatim articles with the following entries. I’ was going to quote from various parts of it, but have decided to quote the beginning of RAFAEL’s posting, because the article he quotes speaks volumes about itself as is.
From Rafael’s previous postings trying to link the Messianic portions of the Babylonian Talmud and the Book of Zohar to the screed that he quotes from rabid Jew-hating Anti-Semite Ted W. Pike’s website and writings, I sensed that there was much more to Rafael’s rants, and of course we readily recognize from God’s Word that one does not have to go very far to discern that anything that is Anti-Jewish is itself Anti-Christian as well. The apple doesn’t fall far from the proverbial tree. Those who hate Jews will soon after hate Christians, and those who hate Christians will soon after hate Jews. Jews and true Christians have both suffered at the hands of Anti-Semites for the last two thousand years.
It is the same spirit that instills the mindset and twisted thinking that promotes this, and it is by the spirit that works in this age in the sons of disobedience (not just unbelievers, but disobedient and rebellious “carnal” people who profess to be Christians) that much of what you are about to read derives its inspiration. Well-meaning, but misguided people, yes even people of faith, can fall into this if they do not have a grasp of history and God’s Word.
I will ask the reader that they brace themselves, because what you are about to read is the same screed that was fed by Hitler before he went on his rampage through Europe seeking every Jew he could find to send him/her to his/her death in his “final solution.” We are reading it on a blog site in twenty-first century America! And there are other websites that are even worse. The article:
Stalin
Note-I am publishing the article below, written by a Jew and about Jews, simply to help the American people understand the nature of the coming persecution under martial law in North America.
Jewish supporters of the NWO agenda in America will play a major role in the coming persecution and martyrdom of Christians under martial law in North America. Just as they did in Russia under their Bolshevik Revolution and many years of Communist oppression against the Church.
Jewish supporters of the NWO agenda for America are often referred to as: Zionists, progressives, leftists, Neocons or other terms. But they all mean the same thing. They are against the Constitution and fighting Christian liberties in America today. They are globalist, and want America to be melded into a part of the global world agenda.
As as (sic) their Bolshevik ancestors in Russia, they also want all resisters of their NWO agenda sent off to THE DETENTION CAMPS for either "re-education" or TERMINATION. They also support the NOAHIDE LAWS/modern guillotines agenda for mass genocide against Christians in North America as well.
Many Christians in America simply cannot understand this. They are blinded by various broadcasts on "Christian television" that totally (and deliberately) gloss over the truth. John Hagee is a major deceiver of Christians in this respect, a paid asset of Israel and of the US government as well.
Christians in America are further blinded by idealist and ethnocentric Biblical accounts of "the Jews" of antiquity, who are far removed from the reality of what "Jews" have evolved into today, 2000 years after the final segment of the Bible was written, and after the Jews were finally driven out of Israel to live among the nations for 2000 years.
Furthermore, Christians in America have been isolated and insulated from the horrors of the Jewish Bolshevik Revolution and the takeover of Russia and Eastern Europe by COMMUNISM. They have no concept of what Christians suffered under the Bolsheviks and Communism for 70 years. Persecution, rape, murder, torture and oppression of Christianity.
Christians in America do not understand, and therefore do not take seriously the threat of those who still adhere to these Marxist/progressive agendas, right here in America. And someday, these forces of oppression will fully rise up to oppress and even terminate the Christians under martial law.
The following article is published to help Americans comprehend our future under "THE NEW WORLD ORDER." History is destined to repeat itself, this time on American soil.
Telling THE TRUTH is never "anti-Semitic." If it were, then Jesus Christ would have to be labeled the greatest anti-Semite of all times! But in fact, He was not. He loved His Jewish people, BUT had to expose and rebuke sin in their midst. The truth must be told in this hour. An AMERICAN HOLOCAUST is coming...........
-Pamela Rae Schuffert
MY REBUTTAL:
Just to bring a modicum of perspective to what this article purports to promote, I must ask, “Jewish Bolshevik Revolution?” The Bolshevik Revolution was not Jewish. The October Revolution that replaced the kingdom of the Tsars with the Bolsheviks who had replaced the Mensheviks; had a good many Jews who were involved in it, but both movements were not exclusively “Jewish.” Why single out the Jews?
Why single out Jews who today play a part in the workings of the New World Order and not members of other ethnic groups? Why just Jews?
The human race is made up of many people, the Jewish people being part of it, so it stands to reason that if we are to examine every major event of world history, in its annals we will most assuredly find Jews. Why single out any particular group?
Because Jews are part of the human race, and as such, have taken part in every historical event that has occurred for the last four thousand years. Why single them out? Of course many Jews took part in the October Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, at the time Russia had the largest Jewish population in all of Europe, followed by those of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and those of Eastern Europe.
It was not exclusively Christians who suffered the oppression of the Communist Bolshevik October Revolution, followed by the purges and forced starvation of countless millions during the Stalinist Era, but Jews as well who lived and suffered equally under the iron fist of Communist repression. All ethnic and religious groups suffered terribly and equally under the state religion of atheist secular humanist International Socialism. For the writer to the article to single out one ethnic religious minority above the rest to exclusively blame all of the sufferings it too suffered with the rest who lived under the Communists is historically and intellectually dishonest and an immoral travesty.
And while I defend this person’s right to free and open self-expression, I cannot stand idly and allow history to be revised and twisted in such a manner in order to instill fear and a loathing of the only other group from which Christians have their origin – for the Messiah came from Israel and for Israel as well as for the nations – the Jewish people. I repeat, where there is Anti-Semitic persecution of Jews, one does not have to wait too long before it turns on Christians as well. And where there is persecution of Christians, one does not have to wait too long until such expressions become those of Anti-Semitic hate and open persecution of Jews as well. The two serve the same God and revere the same Scriptures that were written by none other than the faithful Jewish remnant of God. The message of the Gospel went forth from Zion to the nations, and it is now in these end times returning to Zion from the nations. The prophetic wheel of God’s redemptive plan has turned full circle.
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Your post: Sep 27, 2014 10:12:58 PM PDT
You edited this post
Jose J. Bernal says:
Gentlemen,
You begin by counting the reign of the monarch/s who reigned at the time when Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians in 609-598 BC, and that was the Reign of Jehoiakim (succeeded Jehoahaz, who replaced Josiah but reigned only 3 months) 598/7 BC. Now Jehoiakim reigned only 3 months. Then the siege and fall of Jerusalem Took place, with the First Deportation on 16th of March, 597. Then you include 538 BCE when the Persians conquered Babylon (October) 538 BCE the Decree of Cyrus that allowed Jews to return to Jerusalem. From 609 BC. to 538 BC, you have precisely 71 years. I defer here to the following article which explains it biblically and much better than I would:
Era:
70 years of Babylonian Empire
(analysis of Jeremiah's time prophecy)
Dates:
3615 - 3685 AM [Chart]
609 - 539 BC [Chart]
Biblical References:
2 Chronicles 36
Jeremiah 25, 29
Daniel 1, 9
Comments:
There is a period of time that is often referred to as the "Babylonian Exile" or "Babylonian Captivity". This is said with Judah being the frame of reference - i.e. the people of Judah are the people in exile or captivity. A connection is then often made between this period of exile and the 70 years which is prophesied in the biblical narrative. Having made this connection, people often have difficulty in reconciling the apparent prophecy where the exile would last for 70 years. The exile ended in 538 BC when Cyrus II of Persia (who had conquered Babylon the year before) decreed that all peoples originally from Jerusalem could return to their city. This is unmistakably the end of the period of exile. When was the beginning? There were in fact 3 separate years when people from Jerusalem were taken into exile:
1. 605 BC - This is when Daniel and other members of Judah's elite were taken into captivity (see Daniel 1:1-6).
2. 597 BC - Jehoiakim was taken into captivity (see 2 Chron. 36:5,6). Three months and ten days later Jehoiachin, along with other members of the royal family, were taken into captivity (see 2 Chron. 36:9,10 & 2 Kings 24:15-17).
3. 586 BC - After a siege lasting approximately one and a half years, Jerusalem was conquered and destroyed. Most of the people were taken into captivity, along with articles from the temple. Only the poorest people remained (see 2 Kings 25).
Depending on which date is taken as the start, the period of times come to 67, 59 or 48 years respectively. Clearly, none of these time periods fulfil the 70 years prophesied by Jeremiah, although the 67 years comes close. But not close enough, even when allowing for the necessary margin of error of about 1 year when dealing with dates BC.
To more fully understand the prophecy involved, it is necessary to examine the prophecy itself from the biblical narrative, and also examine where the prophecy is referred to. The prophecy is mentioned twice in the book of Jeremiah - chapters 25 and 29. Chapter 25 records the prophetic context itself, whereas chapter 29 contains the transcript of a letter which Jeremiah wrote to the captives in Babylon, in which he refers to his prophecy. (This letter was written after the second captivity in 597 BC - it is probably from this letter that Daniel learned of the 70 year prophecy.)
Jeremiah 25:9-12 (NIV)
"I will summon all the peoples of the north and my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon," declares the Lord, "and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy them and make them an object of horror and scorn, and an everlasting ruin. I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, the sound of millstones and the light of the lamp. This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years. "But when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation, the land of the Babylonians, for their guilt," declares the Lord, "and will make it desolate forever."
Jeremiah 29:10 (NIV)
This is what the Lord says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfil my gracious promise to bring you back to this place."
It seems clear from the context in these two segments that the seventy years applies to Babylon itself, not to the period of time that the people of Judah are to spend in Babylon. In chapter 25 it says that the nations would serve Babylon for 70 years. Again in chapter 29, Jeremiah makes the connection to Babylon by saying that 70 years are "for Babylon".
So the 70 years refers to the period of Babylonian Empire. When did this start and finish? As alluded to earlier, Babylon was conquered by Cyrus II of Persia in 539 BC. So this is the finish. When was the start? For our purposes, the start would have to be when the other "nations will serve the king of Babylon" (see excerpt from Jeremiah 25 above). The major world power prior to Babylon was Assyria.
For a good overview of the decline of the Assyrian Empire refer to the Encyclopaedia Britannica (see article in Britannica CD 99: The History of Ancient Mesopotamia: Mesopotamia to the end of the: THE NEO-ASSYRIAN EMPIRE (746-609): Decline of the Assyrian empire). Here it describes how the Assyrian empire, after becoming weakened through civil war, fell to the combined forces of the Medes and the Babylonians, finally being extinguished in 609 BC. In this final battle, the Assyrians and the Egyptians fought side-by-side. Prior to being conquered by the Medes and Babylonians, the Egyptians fought against Judah - and Judah lost. This is the battle where Josiah was killed. The chronology of Judah places this event in 608 BC - but that is close enough to 609 BC when a 1 year margin of error is assumed.
The following time period emerges:
This is the proper fulfillment of Jeremiah's prophecy.
The seventy years is also referred to in Chronicles. This segment begins with Nebuchadnezzar carrying into exile the people of Judah after the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. - the third and final incident where people from Judah were taken into exile. 2 Chronicles 36:20-23 (NIV)
He [Nebuchadnezzar] carried into exile to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power. The land enjoyed its sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfillment of the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah. In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing: "This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: 'The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Anyone of his people among you--may the Lord his God be with him, and let him go up.'"
At first glance, this segment seems to imply that the desolation of Jerusalem would last 70 years. Read it again, and you will see that this is in fact not the case. This segment states that now that Jerusalem has been destroyed, the land would lay desolate at least until the seventy-year prophecy of Jeremiah was fulfilled. Jerusalem was destroyed in 586 B.C. The seventy-year prophecy ended with Babylon's fall in 539 B.C., and the people of Judah were allowed to return to Jerusalem by decree of Cyrus II in 538 B.C. So Jerusalem lay desolate from 586 - 538 B.C. - a total of 48 years.
The one other place where the seventy-year prophecy of Jeremiah is referred to is in the book of Daniel:
Daniel 9:1-3 (NIV)
In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom -- in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.
In this passage it also seems at first glance that Daniel believes Jerusalem would lay desolate for 70 years. But if this is the case, why is he so earnest in his prayer to God in behalf of his people. This segment comes in the first year of the rule of the Medes and Persians - i.e. 539/538 B.C. At this point, Jerusalem has laid desolate for only 48 years, so surely there would be another 22 years to go?
No, Daniel seems keen on the idea that the seventy-years is in fact now over and that the exiled people of Judah should return to Jerusalem as God had promised. This can only be the case if Daniel understood the seventy years as referring to the length of time that Babylon would rule, and not to the desolation of Jerusalem. So like the writer of Chronicles, Daniel understood that after Jerusalem was destroyed it would lay desolate for the remainder of the seventy-year period. Hence Daniel says that "the desolation of Jerusalem would last [the] seventy years."
Now that the seventy years is up, Daniel is asking God "How much longer?" As it turns out, he had less than a year to wait until Cyrus II gave the decree allowing the people of Judah to return to Jerusalem.
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Posted on Sep 28, 2014 11:36:42 AM PDT
Last edited by the author 3 hours ago
Kathleen says:
Mr. Cahn says that on CBN that the Hebrew word for safety is Yeshua, Jesus. Likewise he pointed out 1917...year America joined in fighting in WWI. And in August, 1945, America's victory in WWII.
And as a Catholic, '7' means the caring, watchful eye of Christ...the Lamb with 7 eyes in Revelation....the 7 sacraments...7 likewise symbolizing life.
Finally, hearing his message...the great shaking will wake up those who are tepid. I have been working so hard to make things meet with a sick husband...what I hear is that in spite of shaking, destruction....I foresee rest from so much labor.
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In reply to your post on Sep 28, 2014 2:16:56 PM PDT
Jean says:
I reported Jose and Rafael for pasting these pages-long posts that are not comments on the reviews. I don't mind what they have to say particularly, but they leave no room for others who may have something to say, or an important question, perhaps.
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Your post: Sep 28, 2014 2:51:39 PM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
Thank you Jean, for you concerns, but as you read through these reviews, you will find some of them rather long and a little too much to read because of the information, and while I try to maintain what I post as brief as possible, there are times when there is a necessity to go into details with some topic, and it is in those times some of these reviews a little long and scholastic. I understand. If you feel that my reviews are not what you would care to read, then I would encourage you to move on to somebody else's. But unless what you read is abusive, racist, or Anti-Semitic, please reconsider who you complain about. RAFAEL has copied and pasted some rather abusive and Anti-Semitic expressions here. I have complained about them. Please do not put me in his company.
I am an author (The Truth About The Harbinger), and a biblical instructor at the Beth Israel Arise & Shine Academy in Wayne, New Jersey. As such I serve under the pastoral ministry of Pastor and Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn who is the author of The Mystery of The Shemitah.
When I write lengthy reviews it is out of my own personal knowledge of the subject matter and the one who teaches it. I ask you then, to consider this, and understand why I write as I do. This is a very involved topic. You don't need to read everything, though I would encourage you to study it thoroughly for yourself. And remember that the Lord Jesus said, that when you see all of these things come to pass, look up for your redemption draws near. Thank you and God bless,
Jose J. Bernal
Arise & Shine Academy
Beth Israel Jerusalem Center
11 Railroad Avenue
Wayne, New Jersey
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In reply to your post on Sep 28, 2014 5:50:33 PM PDT
Last edited by the author 4 minutes ago
Jean says:
I thought that since someone mentioned making a complaint to amazon, I would tell you that I had made the report yesterday, before we began exchanging messages, so you would be forewarned. Too bad one cannot PM on amazon or I would have done it that way. Yes, I counted that it was under more than ten reviews the comments section had voluminous essays, not comments on the review, or the book, begun by Rafael, granted.
When someone has details to share, I have no problem. I saw no anti-semitic (sic) remarks in his posts, which would be unacceptable, for sure, but I did see some interesting things which could bear some debate, such as:
"The prophets, Christ, and the apostles place the gospel above the law, character above "religiosity," and justice above eschatological speculation. Christians today ought to avoid eschatological speculation and focus on issues of the heart in response to the gospel message."
Many today are putting many things above relationship with God (not saying you or Mr. Cahn are - I don't know). Someone gave me a copy of 'The Harbinger' and I have not gotten to it yet as I am involved in a study of the Resurrections, but after I do, I may meet you again on these boards if I am moved to write a review. If we are opponents, I would say you are a more than worthy one whom I would not mind meeting again.
In my 40 years as a Christian, beginning with Late Great Planet Earth, it seems there is always someone trying get us into a lather about the endtimes (sic). I think he will come when it is time and those who are in relationship with him won't be shocked, and they will be ready.
Even if there is something to this Shemitah being applicable to the US, still, I will be listening for the prompting of the Lord as to what to do in a practical way so that we will be able to help our neighbors as much as we help ourselves.
Bless you, my dear man,
may all go well with you,
Jean
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Your post: Sep 28, 2014 6:41:19 PM PDT
You edited this post
Jose J. Bernal says:
Jean, you are so right. We must guard against sensationalism, while guarding against religious apathy and complacency. Both are dangerous. There is a biblical balance between the two, and this is what I defend. I defend against the sensationalists out there who have “cried wolf” too often, and have done great damage to the cause of biblical eschatology as well as to the Gospel; and I defend it against the polar opposites out there, who discard and disclaim almost everything as just natural occurrences, disregarding a mountain of evidence, such as precise dates, precise statistical data, precise documentary evidence and information which point to Intelligent Design – God’s providential intervention in human history.
We know this as a biblical worldview because our Bibles tell us so. It is the charlatans, false prophets, false teachers, money religious telemarketers out there whom we must be careful of. But equally as well, we must guard against the religious Pharisees and Cessationists out there who are unwilling to recognize the times we live in. Rabbi Cahn, whom I’ve known for over ten years and under whose ministry I serve, also warns of these two extremes.
His book, The Mystery of the Shemitah is a sobering analysis of historical trends that have occurred in time and space which all have fallen precisely during specific Hebrew days. It has absolutely nothing to do with whether we or America are under the Mosaic Law; it has to do with God’s providence and His universal standards applicable to every nation under heaven.
The nations which were dispossessed of the land of Canaan had no covenant with God or law to speak of, yet they were dispossessed for their sin. So it is that God’s Word speaks of every nation under heaven that it is righteousness that exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. Thus, it is God’s standards of which His Law illustrates, but which predates it, which govern the course of nations and kingdoms through history and right up to this day and beyond it until the Messiah returns.
This is missed by the critics. This is why I find The Mystery of the Shemitah such a valuable book. Along with The Harbinger, and my book, The Truth About The Harbinger, such books are worth reading so that you and other readers here may get a grasp as to the times we live in.
There will be five wise virgins and five foolish virgins when the Messiah returns to make His appearance once again in world history. These books are valuable informative tools to help prepare God’s people by bringing them to repentance, and making them aware that God is in control, though it may appear chaotic all around us. God is in control
It is a joy and a pleasure to share this with you.
God bless and keep you.
Warm blessed regards,
Jose J. Bernal
Arise & Shine Academy
Beth Israel Jerusalem Center
11 Railroad Avenue
Wayne, New Jersey
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In reply to an earlier post on Sep 28, 2014 6:47:27 PM PDT
David James says:
Jean,
You may find it helpful to take a look at my in-depth review of The Mystery of the Shemitah - just do search for The Alliance for Biblical Integrity - it will be the first search result. Then there is a link to my article on the rotating header - and down on the right hand side of the home page.
Dave James
Director, The Alliance for Biblical Integrity
biblicalintegrity.org
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In reply to an earlier post on Sep 28, 2014 7:28:41 PM PDT
Last edited by the author 2 hours ago
Jean says:
David, I did read your review and found this most interesting point:
"Another important point to consider is that ancient Israel's economy was not based on deficit spending and huge debts as is true in America today. In 2014, almost everyone has debt of some sort-and in many cases the debts are staggering. Consequently, if those debts were wiped off the books, the entire U.S. economy would collapse."
I hope you do not mind, but I posted your 'tips for discernment' on my facebook page. I may have to read the book at some point, but after 'The Harbinger' - I have a copy of it sitting upstairs. I look forward to looking at the rest of your website also. Thank you for calling my attention to it.
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In reply to an earlier post on Sep 28, 2014 7:40:13 PM PDT
David James says:
Hi Jean,
That's fine. I hope they will be helpful. I am working on a book on discernment - that will specifically focus on a step-by-step process - and there is nothing out there like this that I'm aware of.
Dave
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In reply to your post on Sep 28, 2014 7:46:13 PM PDT
Jean says:
Thank you, Jose, for your reply. Yes, we must keep our lamps full of that precious holy oil so we will always be ready, no matter what the stock market is doing.
A fresh look at this scripture "2Ch 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." It does not say that we repent for the President's sins, or the nations', but our own.
We live up in Anabaptist land. They say, "Yep, things are awful out there, Jesus is coming soon" and that's about it. Then my charismatic friends are all excited about the revival to come before Jesus returns and Israel this and the Jews that. Others talk about the 'falling away' before he comes.
I am just so happy that at some point he will return, just as he said.
May God bless you and keep you in His peace! Jean
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In reply to an earlier post on Sep 28, 2014 7:52:59 PM PDT
Last edited by the author 1 hour ago
Jean says:
I helped edit a book by Art Katz titled "Anatomy of Deception" - it should be free to read on his website - artkatzministries dot org
When he was alive everything he had was copyright free - - It possibly was not a bestseller, he was too tough for many, but many loved him exceedingly.
I think the world can not get too much teaching on deception. There are so many beautiful moths, just looking for a candle flame to fly into.
May God bless you and give you much insight and wisdom in the writing of this book!!
Jean
ps - you said 'discernment' and I went off on 'deception'!
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Your post: Sep 28, 2014 10:03:16 PM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
Jean,
If I may direct you to my website, where you will find relevant articles about this topic and The Harbinger. It is called. The Pepster’s Post: A Voice in Cyberspace.
The hyper link URL to my website is the following:
https://plus.google.com/110222104229653001432#110222104229653001432/posts
You may copy and paste it to your browser’s address bar. There are dozens of article on this topic and more at my website. I hope it also will be helpful to you.
God bless,
Jose
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In reply to an earlier post on Sep 29, 2014 11:00:34 AM PDT
Jean says:
Thank you, Jose.
I was looking at a review of a book on Doomsday prophets by Richard Abanes and in reaction to that, wrote this on my FB page - I thought it might have a place in this discussion where there is so much talk about 'judgment on America':
I think that when the Lord is about to return, the first to know will be those who maintain a close relationship to him, beholding his beautiful face and glory. That is enough to occupy one's thoughts.
The doomsday prophets are yelling "Judgment" and "Repent", but for what - the store down the street that sells dirty movies? No, but for not caring for the widows and orphans, and listening to false prophets who are sucking up millions from those who should know better. The judgment will be on us. It begins in the household of God.
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Your post: Sep 29, 2014 1:07:00 PM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
Hi Jean,
This is so true. The true watchmen will watch and give the alarm when danger approaches, but also alert God’s people to awaken from their apathy, from their self-will, and from their pet theologies, and be ready in heart and in spirit for the coming of the Lord Jesus. The true watchman counsels God’s people to return to God, repent, and be ready for the return of Christ. This is repeatedly admonished in Scripture. In every age, devout Christians have believed that their generation would see the return of Christ.
What separates this one from all of those that have previously come, are several prophetic events which have taken place in the last 100 years, such as the return of the Jewish people to the land of Israel. The reestablishment of a modern State of Israel after two thousand years; the capture of Jerusalem on 6/7/67 by the IDF, which has brought Jerusalem under Jewish Israeli control after two thousand years, the return of great scores of Jews in unbelief (they have yet to believe in the Messiah), but someday He will not longer hide His face from them, and they will recognize Him whom they have pierced, and call upon His name, and He will set His foot on the Mount of Olives and it will split and He will return to His Holy City – Jerusalem – and they will say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”
We must be careful of the big money preachers out there, who fleece the flock and do nothing for them, but enrich themselves and live in mansions, own private planes and limousines, and operate 100 million dollar tax exempt “ministries.” We know them. The Scriptures say, “When you see all of these things, take courage for your redemption draws near.”
God bless you Jean and thank you for your input here.
Jose J. Bernal
Arise & Shine Academy
Beth Israel Jerusalem Center
11 Railroad Avenue
Wayne, New Jersey
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Posted on Sep 30, 2014 11:03:44 AM PDT
Joshua Bell says:
Thank you for your review. Very good theological reflections!
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In reply to an earlier post on Sep 30, 2014 4:36:00 PM PDT
Last edited by the author 2 hours ago
Jean says:
Were the people in 40AD looking to the economic situation in Rome, or were they enraptured with spreading the Gospel and making disciples!
The problem is, so many books get people excited in the flesh, talking about FEMA camps and black helicopters, totally distracted from their relationship with God in the Holy Place. Every New Year, every US election, I hear that the economy is going to collapse....
Is no one looking forward on bent knees with weeping, crying out "Come Lord Jesus, I want to see your face!!!" ???
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Posted on Oct 2, 2014 8:01:43 AM PDT
Suzanne says:
Great review! I have not yet read the book, but I *do* have a comment regarding your point #1 that "Mr. Cahn did not provide a Scriptural basis for his Sabbath and Jubilee cycles calculations." As a Jew who believes in Yeshua, I agree that we have just gone into the Shemitah; but this agreement is not based upon Rabbi Cahn's or my own calculation: it is the official Halakic (religious-legal) determination of Israel's top rabbis. Now to some, this would not be sufficient because it is supposed that we Jews have no understanding of our own Scriptures. Nothing could be further from the truth! I ask you: how could the events during the Shemitah be a sign for us if G-d doesn't supernaturally give us the wisdom and resources to calculate it correctly?
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In reply to an earlier post on Oct 2, 2014 8:42:38 AM PDT
William Struse says:
Good morning Suzanne,
Thank you for your comments. You asked a fair question. I've got to go to work now so I can't give your question the time it deserves. I will reply later today, hopefully:)
Warm regards,
William Struse
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In reply to an earlier post on Oct 2, 2014 8:43:49 AM PDT
David James says:
Hi Suzanne,
I completely understand your point - so I will just comment on a couple of things.
As I have studied this extensively, it seems that there continues to be a debate (as I note in the article) even among the rabbis, going back to dealing with the Talmud, concerning the modern Hebrew calendar - and the consensus that I have found is that it may be off by one to three years - meaning that the current reckoning of the Shemitah cycle may be off from one to three years as compared to the one God set in place in Moses day. But because observant Jews would want to make some determination as to when to observe the Lord's feasts, they research and studied and gave it their best answer and the established that. However, this doesn't mean that they got it right - and even they can't know for certain they got it right because it was lost through the centuries - particularly with the dispersions during the Babylonian conquest and then the sacking of Jerusalem, including the total destruction of the temple in 70 A.D. by the Romans.
If it could be tied to a specific event based on the Hebrew Scriptures with any certainty, then there wouldn't be any debate among the rabbis in the first place.
Secondly, Christ fulfilled the Law - and the evidence suggests that the early church worshiped on the first day of the week to commemorate our Lord's resurrection, rather than on the Sabbath - which represented the Lord's eternal rest. Then in Hebrews 4:1-10, we find that believers have already entered into that rest by virtue of being in Christ - which therefore eliminates the need to observe the Sabbath days or years because they were part of the Mosaic Law - which we don't ignore, but we actually fulfill it to by virtue of being in Christ.
I believe this is exactly why the Lord gave the book of Hebrews - to prepare ethnically Jewish Christians for the impending destruction of the temple in about 3 years - because there was still no complete revelation concerning a Jew's obligation to the Law if he were a believer in Christ. The Gentiles' responsibility was established at the Jerusalem Council in about A.D. 49, as recorded in the Acts 15.
Besides this, today, God does not expect the Jews to continue observing the Law of Moses, but rather his call to them is to embrace their Messiah who has come and in whom they will fulfill the righteous requirements of the Law by faith, something which they cannot do on their own by trying to keep the Law itself. Therefore for neither Jew nor Gentile nor Christian is there any obligation regarding the Shemitah.
To complicate things further - another debate is the Jubilee year. Everyone who is honest about this admits that no one today knows when the Jubilee year is. It was lost track of after the Assyrian invasion of 722 B.C. or the Babylonian invasion in 606-586 B.C. The reason for this that the teachers of the Law determined that the Jubilee could not be celebrated if all the Jews weren't in the land - so the Jubilee was abandoned. Furthermore, there are no historic events in the Old Testament, whose dates are known, that also affirms their timing relative to the Jubilee - so its timing was completely lost.
And finally, the rabbis are divided on the actual timing of the Jubilee. Some have held that it was in the 49th year and therefore concurrent with the last Shemitah in the 7th Sabbath cycle (which I think is unlikely). The other possibility is that it was in the 50th year and concurrent with the first year of the next cycle. However, and this is what completely throws everything off, is that I have read that the the majority of rabbis thing (sic) it may have been an intercalary year - that is, a year that is added into the calendar. (For example we have an intercalary day every four years - February 29).
If this is true, then the next Sabbath year cycle actually began in the 51st year relative to the first Sabbath year in the previous cycle. This means that for every century, there is two years difference between the Sabbath cycle according to one way of reckoning and the other.
Therefore, it is impossible to know with any certainty whatsoever, where we actually are on God's calendar relative to exactly when He set the Sabbath cycles into motion.
Dave James
Director, The Alliance for Biblical Integrity
http://www.biblicalintegrity.org
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In reply to an earlier post on Oct 2, 2014 9:22:38 AM PDT
charlene at Dosido Bookshelf says:
Calendar studies are exhausting and inconclusive. I appreciate all the work you have done on this, Dave James. Because of the 7 times pattern given in LEV 26 and DAN 9, I am pretty sure that the 49-year cycle is preserved; such that the 50th year is also the first year for counting the next cycle. I am looking for confirmation of the prophetic pattern in 2015-16, which will be 49 years after 1966-67 and 1917-1918, two possible Jubilee years at 49-year intervals wherein Jerusalem was redeemed in a definitive and dramatic way. Jonathan Cahn's shmitah (sic) year event markers are compelling support for the sabbatical cycle now observed. I think we should keep it in mind, and watch for the Hand of Heaven in the Land. The prophetic patterns are given so that we will understand as events unfold (DAN 11:33, 12:9, AMOS 3:7, MARK 13:23-37).
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In reply to an earlier post on Oct 2, 2014 10:30:41 AM PDT
David James says:
Charlene - I certainly agree that we are in the last days - and I also believe that Christ could call us home at any time - today, tomorrow, next year or the year after that. My main concern is that Jonathan Cahn's entire book is based on the Shemitah cycle absolutely being on the present time table - although it is impossible to be certain. I don't have any doubt about the 7 pattern - what I have a doubt about is that we're in sync with it - and also, because there is zero biblical support for the idea that the Shemitah is connected to any nation except Israel or that it is somehow woven into the fabric of history. What happens if and when nothing happens concerning these dates and history proves that this non-date-setting date-setting is as wrong as have been all other such things in the past?
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Your post: Oct 2, 2014 11:07:05 AM PDT
Last edited by you 30 minutes ago
Jose J. Bernal says:
I'll be brief on this Charlene and Suzanne, but I would be extremely careful with a claim of Hyper-Dispensationalism that elements of the Hebrew Bible, have no biblical foundations outside of Israel. The nations that were dispossessed of the land of Canaan were judged by God. They had no covenant with Him and no law to speak of, but they were judged nonetheless. The people of the Assyrian capital of Nineveh had no covenant with God or Law to speak about, but God sent Jonah.
Throughout history, God has judged many nations that have had no Law or covenant with Him to speak of. It is a dangerous thing, very dangerous in fact, to imply that God would not do the same with this nation. God does as He pleases, and it is not up to any of us to dictate out of our own limited theology to Him what He will or will not do in such matters. You are both correct in your assessments, as is Mr. Struse here.
To argue against the Shemitah because it only applies to Israel as the argument goes, is a departure from the biblical norm which Paul and all of the other Holy Spirit-inspired writers in the New Testament use in writing Scripture. Scripture interprets Scripture. Rather than departing from the Law, and the Prophets, they instead use it to argue from it as our tutor to lead others to Christ, and in explaining valuable typology, metaphors, and other matters of equal relevance; even though they and we are not under it today.
Rabbi Cahn uses their method to describe a biblical truth in our day in order for us to be aware of the times we live in and understand the order of God in the chaos of our times according the biblical pattern He has established in His redemptive plan. Rabbi Chan does not depart from the Hebrew Bible, as the critics would have us do by selecting this for “them” and this for “us”, but bases what he writes from it, as all of the writers of the New Testament did, and every great biblical expositor has done for two thousand years. This Hyper-Dispensationalism is a Post Modern theological contrivance and invention of man, and does not support the biblical narrative in God’s redemptive history.
Thank you.
Jose J. Bernal
Instructor Biblical Studies
Arise & Shine Academy
Beth Israel Jerusalem Center
11 Railroad Avenue
Wayne, New Jersey
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Your post: Oct 2, 2014 11:24:30 AM PDT
You edited this post
Jose J. Bernal says:
In answer to your question Suzzane, I would cite the second chapter of Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians, where he explains the natural mind and its cognizant processes versus that of the mind that has been enlightened by God's Holy Spirit. I quote:
And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.
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)
Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day." (John 6:44) and "For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father." (John 6:65)
Without the Holy Spirit such things as these cannot be properly understood, or accepted. This explains the phenomenon of one person understanding its implications while another argues strenuously against it. It must be.
Devoid of the Spirit, it is humanly impossible, but in the Holy Spirit, Scripture and the truths it contains are only revealed and disclosed to us by the Holy Spirit of God.
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In reply to your post on Oct 2, 2014 11:25:35 AM PDT
David James says:
Mr. Bernal completely misses the point to defend the indefensible.
The Shemitah was a part of the Law in a way that was identical to the sacrificial system - and they are tied together because they are linked to the Feasts of the Lord through the calendar He put into place. The sacrificial system, the feasts of the Lord and the Sabbaths were exclusively given to Israel as part of their worship of the One true God. As such they were not given to any other nation - and no other nation could approach God on their own by observing these things - they had to come and be joined to the nation of Israel.
Of course this doesn't mean we can't learn many things from them and apply the principles they contain. The charge of hyper-dispensationalism is the type of rhetoric that can be expected by this commenter.
This has nothing to do with dispensationalism at all, in any form. If the nations or the church were to employ the sacrificial system as part of their worship - then they would also have to observe the Shemitah - and vice versa - but they don't.
What lessons can we learn from the Law that is applicable today? God must be approached on his terms. That he must be worshiped exclusively. That sin requires sacrifice. That blessing requires obedience. And on and on.
However, this is completely different than suggesting that the Shemitah is somehow integrated and woven into the fabric of the universe - when that wasn't even evident in Israel to whom the Shemitah laws were given. There is not a single verse, passage, chapter or book in the entire Bible that suggest God has put in place something like is claimed in this book.
If anyone doubts that is true, then they should respond with even a single verse or passage - or any group of verses or passages - or even a thematic thread that makes it clear that the Bible supports the fundamental premise of this book.
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Your post: Oct 2, 2014 11:33:40 AM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
Most people identify the Laodicean church with apathy and complacency, being uncaring and lukewarm, which are in themselves the behavioral examples of a Christian who is on their way to becoming backslidden or is backslidden already. But did you know the following about this Greek word? And this will add insight into what we’re talking about here,
“Laos (Strong’s #2992, meaning “people”) and dike (Strong’s #1349, meaning “principle, decision”). In other words, as Christ showed in verse 20, Laodiceans trust in their ability to rule themselves, judging and deciding matters to the exclusion of Christ’s rule within His Church. God’s government only exists in His one true Church (Matt. 16:18; Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18). Jesus is the Head of the Church and the One True Mediator. He is fully God and fully man, the only one who is able to bridge man to God. He is the True High Priest.”
And the following from a book I recommend everyone purchase and read. A Kindle copy is only $3.00. This is what the Greek meaning of Laodicea means in the context of our discussion. Take careful note here:
“In Revelation 2, God writes letters to the churches, the last one penned to the church in Laodicea. Many biblical scholars believe the Church of Laodicea is representative of the last church before the end of the age because it is the final church letter, symbolizing what “Christianity” would look like just before the return of Jesus. Laodicea comes from two Greek words meaning “people” and “opinions or judgments”. So the Church of Laodicea is the church of “the opinions of the people”. Today much of what we call Christianity fits nicely into this description of the Laodicean Church. Our opinions about God seem to matter more than what God says about Himself in the Bible, and we replace the clear judgments and teaching of God with our own subjective interpretations.”
LeMay, Michael D. (2012-05-11). The Suicide of American Christianity: Drinking the "Cool"-Aid of Secular Humanism (pp. 91-92). WestBowPress. Kindle Edition.
Much of what these critics present as proper exegesis and correct hermeneutics is nothing more than their own intellect and natural reasoning expressed in a form of Deism, hidden amidst “Christian sounding jargon and phrases” passing itself off as “conservative biblical teaching.” This is not a personal subjective opinion. Just take a look closely as how they express their beliefs and opinions, and notice how devoid of Scripture it is. It is not biblical, and in fact, when presenting their opinion on a matter, it is plainly just that, their subjective opinion, but not Scripture.
At the same time, take note how much of their own intellect and natural thinking is involved in what they write. In all their bloviating, one wonders where is God’s Word? Do you see it? Or do you hear, read, and see something else? Remember, the Laodicean Church believed itself rich and wealthy and in need of nothing, but Christ told it that it was because it said, ‘“I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,’ and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.”’ (Revelations 3:17-18)
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In reply to your post on Oct 2, 2014 12:16:12 PM PDT
David James says:
Devoid of Scripture? Really?
Here we have a book for which there isn't a single verse, passage or combination of verses or passages to support its premise.
All I am asking is for even the slightest biblical support of the foundational premise.
Then we can begin discussing scriptural support or the lack thereof for respective views concerning the book.
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Jose J. Bernal says:
Charlene and Suzanne and William, and all others,
Read the book for yourselves. Also read my book, The Truth About The Harbinger. Make your own judgment after you have prayed to the Lord, asked Him to open the eyes of your understanding, and allow the Holy Spirit to enlighten you in all things. Trust Him, and His Word.
God bless and keep you.
Jose J. Bernal
Instructor Biblical Studies
Arise & Shine Academy
Beth Israel Jerusalem Center
11 Railroad Avenue
Wayne, New Jersey
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In reply to an earlier post on Oct 2, 2014 1:45:16 PM PDT
charlene at Dosido Bookshelf says:
That's why I say I am waiting to see what happens in 2015 and 2016, David James. Will the pattern be confirmed? If not, then it is back to the drawing boards, that's all.
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In reply to your post on Oct 2, 2014 1:46:59 PM PDT
David James says:
This is excellent advice.
In addition, I would suggest The Harbinger: Fact or Fiction? and the article on The Mystery of the Shemitah on The Alliance for Biblical Integrity website. (do a Google search)
Dave James
Director, The Alliance for Biblical Integrity
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Your post: Oct 2, 2014 2:00:51 PM PDT
You edited this post
Jose J. Bernal says:
Charlene and Suzanne and William, and all others,
May I also suggest to you that you first visit my website, The Pepster’s Post: A Voice in Cyberspace at the following URL:
https://plus.google.com/110222104229653001432#110222104229653001432/posts where you will all find multiple articles containing point by point biblical rebuttals based upon my book The Truth About The Harbinger to what the critics say on these discussion boards.
Then read my book The Truth about The Harbinger: Addressing the Controversy and Discovering the Facts About This Prophetic Message,
Read Pastor and Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn’s New York Times best seller, The Harbinger, also The Harbinger Companion With Study Guide, The Harbinger Decoded.
And also obtain a copy ofWorld Net Daily’s bestselling DvD, The Isaiah 9:10 Judgment,
And may the Lord enlighten your search and lead you all in to all truth in Jesus the Messiah.
God bless,
Jose J. Bernal
Instructor Biblical Studies
Arise & Shine Academy
Beth Israel Jerusalem Center
11 Railroad Avenue
Wayne, New Jersey
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In reply to an earlier post on Oct 2, 2014 2:06:22 PM PDT
charlene at Dosido Bookshelf says:
I think you make a very important point, Suzanne! There were calendar controversies even in Jesus' day. I think He could have had the calendar in mind when he said that the scribes sit in Moses seat; therefore do as they say (according to their judgments) but do not do as they do (according to their "works"). The "traditions of the elders" or "sages" are "their works," the "oral law" eventually codified and elaborated in the vast libraries of talmud (sic). This historic development should not be confused with the calendar judgments made by the Temple authorities that "sat in Moses seat."
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In reply to your post on Oct 2, 2014 2:13:17 PM PDT
charlene at Dosido Bookshelf says:
??I don't recall this issue arising; i.e. whether the shmitah law applies to all nations, or are limited to a dispensation. It never entered my mind. My perspective concerns shmitah and jovel as prophetic patterns in time. These patterns naturally focus on Eretz Israel (to my mind that would include all the inheritances of Israel in the latter days -- the coastlands, strategic gates, and breadbaskets of the world (GEN 49, DEUT 33).
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Your post: Oct 2, 2014 2:22:06 PM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
Excellent observation, Charlene. Israel is back in Eretz Yisrael. As many people know, Rosh Hashanah which falls precisely at sundown on the 29th day of the seventh Hebrew month of Elul; marks the Jewish Civil New Year. But the Biblical Year - that is – the religious one, begins with the first New Moon that appears after the barley reaches its full ripening. This ripening is known in Hebrew as “Aviv.”
In the Law of Moses this is known as “the Month of the Aviv” which corresponds to the month the ancient Israelites were freed from bondage in Egypt which also corresponds to the time Passover (Hag Hamatzot – the Feast of Unleavened Bread) is observed (Exodus 12:2, 13:4, 23:15). In other words, the First New Moon after the barley reaches its ripening, known in Hebrew as the Aviv, begins the biblical year.
In some biblical months the barley ripens on the twelfth lunar month, while sometimes it ripens on a thirteenth month, which is called a “leap month.” Because of this, Rabbinical Judaism changed the system of calculation in the fourth century A.D. from one of direct examination of the ripening of crops in the land of Israel to one that is pre-calculated system which approximates the ripening of the barley. The new system uses a nineteen year cycle which arbitrarily sets the second and third year as a leap year.
The Karaites who lived in Egypt, Syria, and in Israel, who follow the written Law of Moses and not the Oral Traditions of Rabbinical Judaism continued sending observers to the land of Israel in order to examine the state of the barley in the land; and although the Karaites of other lands could not follow the Aviv, they still understood that this was the proper method of calculating the biblical year – the biblical one.
The method these far-flung Karaites would use for their calendars was to obtain information from Karaites returning or passing from Israel, who had observed the state of the barley, and they adjusted their calendars accordingly. This is biblical and it is accurate. It is the way it was done before the change, long before the advent of technology. When the Modern State of Israel was reestablished in the land, and Karaite Jews were able to return, the practice was firmly established in their communities throughout the land.
Judaism followed the Karaite system up until the Second Century A.D., which is known as the Aviv Calendar. One Braita – a Second Century rabbinical source from the Babylonian Talmud says the following:
“Our Rabbis taught, ‘Based on three things is the year intercalculated: on the Aviv, on the fruits of the trees, and on the moon equinox. Based on two of them the year is intercalculated but based on one of them alone the year is not intercalculated. And when the Aviv is one of them everyone is pleased.”
(Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 11b)
In another place in the rabbinical writings, we have the following:
“Our Rabbis taught, ‘The year is intercalculated based on [the Aviv in] three regions: Judea, Transjordan, and Galilee. Based on two of them the year is intercalculated but based on one of them alone the year is not intercalculated. And when Judea is one of them everyone is pleased, because the Omer (Wave-Shef) offering can only come from Judea.”
(Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 11b)
Because Karaites follow the Torah injunctions to use the physical sighting of the moon to declare new months and to set the dates of holidays, they complied and continue to comply with the biblical injunction in Psalm 104:19, where it says, “He created the moon for Mo’adim – that is for the – appointed times.” This injunction of keeping the observed times – Hebrew Mo’adim – is found in Leviticus 23:4, where the Torah says, “These are the Mo’adim – appointed times – of the Lord, holy convocations which you shall proclaim in their appointed times (Mo’adim).”
During the appointed times of the year, led by the Hazzan (Cantor), Karaite congregations recite this Scripture from the Law of Moses, because of their adherence to its letter. This is what Wikipedia the Online Encyclopedia says of the differences between the Karaite “Aviv” Calendar with the one used by Rabbinic Judaism:
I bring this up here, because even with the single day differential between the Aviv Calendar and the Rabbinical Calendar, the Hebrew Holy Days fall on the Mo’adim – appointed times – of the Lord. What’s more, at the end of every seven year cycle, comes the Shemitah Year, and regardless of which calendar one chooses to use, the Shemitah Year falls at the end of every seven years, or at the end of every seven year cycle.
And I repeat it once more in case anyone missed it the first time; it is entirely irrelevant to this discussion for any critic to claim that that they been able to get Moses down to 1-3 years exactly, because the Shemitah began once more at the end of the Babylonian Captivity when the 70 Shemitahs were fulfilled, and we know the dates, thus rendering the critic’s efforts to discredit the prophetic relevance of these and the implications of the historical events tied to them outlined in the book, entirely of no consequence. I repeat the Shemitah Year falls on the designated period regardless of which calendar one uses, because the Shemitah Year, like the Shemitah falls on the same specific day every calendar year just like other Hebrew Days.
Additionally, the 29th Day of the Hebrew month of Elul falls precisely this year on Erev Rosh Hashanah – the night of the Eve of Rosh Hashanah! And this Rosh Hashanah, meaning “Head of the Year,” marks the beginning of the Jewish civil calendar. This Rosh Hashanah will be ushering in the seventh year of the previous seven year cycle beginning Wednesday night of September 24th, 2012, followed by Tishrei 1, 5775/September 25th, 2014 Rosh Hashanah, but for Judaism and on the Lunar Hebrew Calendar this night will usher in the next Shemitah Year with it ending precisely on the night of Elul 29, 5776/2015, a Sunday, but of consequence is that the Sunday it will fall on will contain a Solar Eclipse – an ominous sign for the nations.
This is the night when there will occur a release of all debts – public and private, and will manifest its financial repercussions because it is the end of the seventh year – the end of the Shemitah Year – the seven of sevens!
Sunday, Elul 29, 5775, will fall precisely on September 13th, 2015, and will usher in the end of the Shemitah Year! Now this may be meaningless to the critics, who appear to know how to quote the Bible, and argue any point about it, but has precious little knowledge of the intricacies of Hebraic Midrashic Hermeneutics regarding the prophetic – which is why they argue these points here “ad infinitum” – but to those properly trained in the Hebrew Scriptures, especially in light of the New Testament, these are days and nights of incredible prophetic and eschatological significance.
Tishrei 1, 5776, which follows immediately that sundown, will be opening day for the stock market, September 14th, 2015. What follows the 29th Day of the Hebrew month of Elul (the end of the Shemitah Year) and the beginning of the Jewish civil New Year – Rosh Hashanah beginning that sundown – Tishrei 1, 5776/first half of Sunday night, September 13th, 2015 with the opening day of Wall Street the following morning, which will still be Tishrei 1 until sundown, will usher in what is known as The Shemitah’s Wake, the season that immediately follows the Shemitah’s Day of Remission and manifests its repercussions (The Mystery of the Shemitah, pp. 112).
God bless,
Jose J. Bernal
Instructor Biblical Studies
Arise & Shine Academy
Beth Israel Jerusalem Center
11 Railroad Avenue
Wayne, New Jersey
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Your post: Oct 2, 2014 2:31:23 PM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
Hi Charlene,
It didn’t enter your mind, because to raise it is a theological non sequitur. Every example the New Testament gives to teach us about the Old Testament is taken from the Hebrew Bible. You’ll note that the Evangelists and the Apostles do not present their arguments apart from the Hebrew Scriptures, but all of their inspired teachings are drawn from them – from the Law, the Prophets, the Writings, not apart from them.
This is the biblical approach. And it was the Holy Spirit who authored what they wrote. It is the Holy Spirit through the Messiah who helps in understanding all of it. Not human intellect. This is how one keeps from error. Thank you for your keen observation in this. It is so simple, yet so fundamental to this discussion.
God bless,
Jose J. Bernal
Instructor Biblical Studies
Arise & Shine Academy
Beth Israel Jerusalem Center
11 Railroad Avenue
Wayne, New Jersey
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In reply to your post on Oct 2, 2014 2:33:05 PM PDT
charlene at Dosido Bookshelf says:
The new moon was not sighted in Jerusalem until the second day after Rosh Hashanah. Thus some of my friends are observing the fall holy days two days after traditional Jews are observing them. As you say, Jose, this does not affect whether or not we are entering a shmitah (sic) year. Isn't the release of debts on the 10th rather than the 1st of Tishrei? ... maybe that is just the Jubilee release
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Your post: Oct 2, 2014 3:14:35 PM PDT
You edited this post
Jose J. Bernal says:
Hi Charlene,
Good question. What I explain here is for the benefits of those who do not know Judaism and were raised in the Church. I do it for their sakes, and not to bore anyone with details, just to help them understand this at little better. In the Hebrew Bible, the Shemitah (which is pronounced, SHEMEE-tah) – meaning Sabbath Year, is the seventh year of the seven year agricultural cycle according to that which is commanded by in the Law of Moses for the land of Israel.
Every seven years, the land was not to be tilled, but was to remain untilled and fallow until the following year. This gave the land time to rest and replenish itself. Modern Agricultural Science bears this out. What’s more, at the end of every seven year cycle, all debts were wiped clean, all credit erased, and all slaves were given their freedom. The Shemitah was to be a blessing for Israel, but because both houses – that is both the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah did not follow this Law, but violated it, the Shemitah was imposed on them by God during both their exiles.
This what the Torah says about when it is done. I quote:
At the end of every seven years you shall grant a remission of debts. This is the manner of remission: every creditor shall release what he has loaned to his neighbor; he shall not exact it of his neighbor and his brother, because the Lord’s remission has been proclaimed. From a foreigner you may exact it, but your hand shall release whatever of yours is with your brother.
(Deuteronomy 15:1-3)
Additionally, it was during Sukkot (the Feast of Booths), when this Law of Remission was to be read to all of the congregation:
So Moses wrote this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel. Then Moses commanded them, saying, “At the end of every seven years, at the time of the year of remission of debts, at the Feast of Booths, when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place which He will choose, you shall read this law in front of all Israel in their hearing.”
(Deuteronomy 31:9-11)
Today Rabbinic Judaism uses a Halachic trick called Pruzbul, which is a legal document – a writ – allowing a debt to be collected in the Sabbatical Year. It was invented by Hillel the Elder during the end of the Second Temple Era moving the individual private loans into the public administration. This protected investors and allowed the poor to receive interest-free loans before the Sabbatical Year.
Specifically,
Just the Jubilee is on the 10th.
But the Release of debts is at “the end of the seventh year” – that’s Elul 29/Tishri 1.
Excellent questions. We’re making progress; Baruch Ha Shem!!!
God bless,
Jose J. Bernal
Instructor Biblical Studies
Arise & Shine Academy
Beth Israel Jerusalem Center
11 Railroad Avenue
Wayne, New Jersey
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In reply to your post on Oct 2, 2014 3:22:47 PM PDT
charlene at Dosido Bookshelf says:
I wonder why the Jubilee release is on the 10th rather than at the end of the 29th. Something there to keep in mind.
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In reply to an earlier post on Oct 2, 2014 4:43:55 PM PDT
William Struse says:
Hi Suzanne,
This is truly a wonderful subject worthy of serious discussion.
Concerning traditional Rabbinic sources there has been some disagreement over the centuries. The sum of it boils down to a 1 year difference. I can't find my notes right now but it is related the definition of the `closing" of the Sabbath year if I remember correctly.
In the first century (BC/AD) the Rabbinic chronology diverged from the Biblical chronology due to an overzealous attempts to apply the prophecy of Daniel 9 to various Messianic heroes. These efforts resulted in the elimination of 240 years of the Persian chronology. (As noted by Sir Isaac Newton & others) Today many Jewish chronologists acknowledge this error but some do not, nevertheless the traditionally accepted chronology still reflects the omission of most of the Persian era.
My opinion on the Jubilee/Sabbath (Shemitah) cycles is that they provide us with wonderful insights into our Creators plan of reconciliation for all mankind through Yeshua. Though I believe there many indeed be and echoes of these cycles influencing economic cycles I think their primary value has to do with showing the hand of our Creator directing the affairs of history to fulfill his purpose for mankind through the Messiah.
I know some claim there is not sufficient evidence to ascertain a Biblical Shemitah. Personally I believe this claim is based upon an ignorance of the Biblical, historical and eclipse record. The Bible is rich in chronological detail concerning the 2nd temple era. This evidence in combination with the historical referenced found in Rabbinic and other historical sources provides sufficient evidence to make a reasonable conclusion.
Two of the easiest places in the Bible to determine the year of the Shemitah are found in the book of Nehemiah and Jeremiah. Nehemiah describes a Shemitah year in the 21st year of "Artaxerxes" and Jeremiah in the 10th year of Zedikiah. Both of these confirm a continuous and repeating Sabbath cycle.
If you are interested in investigating this yourself the following link is a PDF chronology representing most of the Biblical and historical references to the Sabbath/Jubilee cycles. This represents several years of personal research into the subject. For better part of the last decade I've provided this chart free of charge to those interested in the subject. Please do your own do diligence as a Berean. (copy and paste link into your browser)
www.the13thenumeration.com/Chronology_Sabbath_Jubilee_Shemitah.pdf
The bottom line: There is ample evidence to show the Jubilee/Sabbath cycles have importance in the chronology of the Scripture.
Warm regards,
William Struse
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In reply to an earlier post on Oct 2, 2014 4:54:28 PM PDT
David James says:
They are undoubtedly important bit there is too much uncertainty to lay a foundation for a book. Also I have two believers who are in finance and economicsee (sic) working on this and their preliminary findings indicate that there'should (sic) been a whole lotta (cherry tree) shakin' goin" on. :-)
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In reply to an earlier post on Oct 2, 2014 5:09:10 PM PDT
William Struse says:
Hi Mr. James,
Come on now at least be fair in your criticism. There are literally hundreds of books written about Daniel 9 which claim Ezra and Nehemiah are contemporaries of "Artaxerxes" Longimanus and all of them provide less evidence for that assumption than Mr. Cahn does for his belief. It must be admitted that the "Artaxerxes" assumption is magnitudes more important to our eschatology beliefs than anything Mr. Cahn has written. If we insist on pulling the mote out of Mr. Cahn's eye wouldn't it be best to first address the beam in our own?
Warm regards,
William Struse
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Your post: Oct 2, 2014 5:19:41 PM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
William,
Thank you for your sober biblical erudition and insight. I personally will pass this bit of information to Pastor and Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn so that he may continue his research into this. It is refreshing to exchange this information with you and serious researchers in these discussion boards. And Charlene, you’re precious! We know that the night of Erev Yom Kippur falls tomorrow at sunset (October 3), which is Tishrei 10. The Jubilee is on the 10th – the release of debts is at the end of the seventh year – that’s Elul 29/Tishri 1, but Yeshua/Jesus the Messiah is our sacrifice, our release from the debt of sin. It says in The Letter to the Hebrews:
For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins? But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says,
“Sacrifice and offering You have not desired,
But a body You have prepared for Me;
In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have taken no pleasure.
“Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come
(In the scroll of the book it is written of Me)
To do Your will, O God.’”
After saying above, “Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have not desired, nor have You taken pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the Law), then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will.” He takes away the first in order to establish the second. By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Yeshua the Messiah once for all.
Every Kohen stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet. For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying,
“This is the covenant that I will make with them
After those days, says the Lord:
I will put My laws upon their heart,
And on their mind I will write them,”
He then says,
“And their sins and their lawless deeds
I will remember no more.”
Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.
Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Yeshua, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
(Hebrews 10:1-31)
The critic’s argumentations are moot, because he is denying the Intelligent Design behind these events by attempting to explain them away by every means possible. Additionally, he is arguing against them having happened, when in fact they did occur on those dates! And the ones which are now converging upon us, are falling precisely on specific Hebrew Holy Days, what is known in Judaism as the Yamim Noraim – the Days of Awe. These days are part of the High Holy Days of the Autumn Feasts of Israel, and they denote days such as Rosh Hoshanah – the Jewish civil New Year, as well as Succot – the Feast of Tabernacles, and Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement, in Judaism.
But more telling for informed Evangelicals and Messianics, who already are aware because of years of practice and careful study, is that the first ten days of the month of Tishrei, which usually fall in September, begin with Rosh Hashanah and end with Yom Kippur, are known in Judaism as “the ten days of repentance,” and are called Aseret Yemei Teshuva. On these ten days Observant Jews across the world take time to reflect upon the last year and their life and approach the Almighty for His forgiveness. They end with Erev Yom Kippur, on the night of the Eve of Yom Kippur – or the night Yom Kippur when the Day of Atonement is ushered in. This is the holiest day of the calendar year, regardless of whether one uses the civil or the religious calendar to mark their days. This night falls on Tishrei 9, 5775 this year, the night of Friday, October 3, 2014. Tishrei 9, 5775/Friday, October 3rd, 2014, is the month central to the Shemitah, which marks the seventh year at its beginning, and will end on the night of Tishrei 9, 5776/Tuesday, September 22nd, 2015.
According toThe Mystery of the Shemitah, Tishrei is the month that not only “marks the Shemitah Year at its beginning, but manifests its financial repercussions at its end.” (pp. 112) This is very telling.
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In reply to your post on Oct 2, 2014 5:41:09 PM PDT
William Struse says:
Likewise, Jose.
Warm regards,
William Struse
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In reply to an earlier post on Oct 2, 2014 7:00:27 PM PDT
Last edited by the author 9 minutes ago
charlene at Dosido Bookshelf says:
I cut and pasted the link into a new URL; but got an error message. I found this web page link: http://www.the13thenumeration.com/Blog13/. It is a vast site. I think I will study through it during succot. I am scrolling down through articles on the right margin for the one on chronology/sabbath/jubilee/shemitah. ... still looking! I'm astonished at all the research here!
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In reply to an earlier post on Oct 2, 2014 7:11:36 PM PDT
William Struse says:
Hi Charlene,
The link should be good. I have no problem with it on my computers. Not sure why it wont (sic) work for you. You will find another link to the chronology in my article The Jubilee Code. You'll find it under Author's Notes at the end. The link is: Chronology of the Old Testament.
Thank you for the kind words.
Warm regards,
William Struse
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Your post: Oct 2, 2014 7:33:18 PM PDT
You edited this post
Jose J. Bernal says:
Charlene,
What you are looking at is a man who has spent years doing the work of a true Berean, searching and studying and compiling every bit and every scrap of information on a topic of biblical proportions.
William I commend your work. I have passed your information on to Rabbi Cahn and have bookmarked your site, and am now a subscriber to it. You will see my personal e-mail address there in your subscriptions, if you would like to continue our discussions via personal electronic correspondence, it’s there. You can send me a test e-mail if you like, and we can stay in touch.
My own website is The Pepster’s Post: A Voice in Cyberspace at the following URL:
https://plus.google.com/110222104229653001432#110222104229653001432/posts where you will all find multiple articles containing point by point biblical rebuttals based upon my book The Truth About The Harbinger to what the critics say on these discussion boards.
I am about to post my own review of Rabbi Cahn’s book. Thank you very much for your dedicated research. Like Rabbi Cahn, who’s been researching this for over ten years, your understanding into these matters were not developed overnight or over the span of a few weeks or months, and not for the purposes of polemics, but what true research is about, which is to gather information, to gain knowledge, to obtain insight, so that we may be ready for the times we live in and be ready for the coming of the Messiah. Thank you very much.
Warmest Regards, and may God continue to bless your continued research,
Jose J. Bernal
Instructor Biblical Studies
Arise & Shine Academy
Beth Israel Jerusalem Center
11 Railroad Avenue
Wayne, New Jersey
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In reply to an earlier post on Oct 2, 2014 9:06:49 PM PDT
charlene at Dosido Bookshelf says:
Got the link! Got my work cut out for me!
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Your post: Oct 2, 2014 9:37:29 PM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
May the Lord reward you as richly as He has William Struse in his decades-long biblical research for the glory of the Lord Jesus the Messiah, and keep your mind and heart free from the disbelief and unbelief of our age, and help and encourage your faith in the Lord Jesus.
Jose J. Bernal
Instructor Biblical Studies
Arise & Shine Academy
Beth Israel Jerusalem Center
11 Railroad Avenue
Wayne, New Jersey
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In reply to your post on Oct 3, 2014 9:05:35 AM PDT
William Struse says:
Good morning Jose,
I appreciate your comments. I would like to keep in touch via email. Did you receive a confirmation email on the Subscription at my blog? My subscriber list does not show your email yet.
Warm regards,
William
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Your post, in reply to an earlier post on Oct 3, 2014 12:38:37 PM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
Hi William,
Sorry I couldn't get back to you sooner. I was out all day, and just returned. I'll re-subscribe and you should be able to e-mail me then. I found your research both extremely informative, and compelling. I will correspond with you privately afterwards. I highly look forward to it. I believe it is providential and mutually to both of our advantages, and see God's hand in this. What an oasis of grace! Baruch Ha Shem!!!
Blessings,
Jose
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Your post, in reply to an earlier post on Oct 4, 2014 8:48:59 AM PDT
You edited this post
Jose J. Bernal says:
Hi Donna,
Shabbat Shalom. In the post you're commenting on, read it again; I was rebutting most of what Mr Vanderlug was saying, and RAFAEL's attempts to apply it to the present work. I personally know the author and Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, and serve under his ministry as a Biblical Instructor at the Jerusalem Center’s Beth Arise & Shine Academy, and have for years.
My wife and I have been active members of Rabbi Cahn's ministry for years. I also wrote a book that rebuts the critics of Rabbi Cahn, also available on Amazon.com, titled The Truth About The Harbinger. I recommend you read it. It will lay much of this to rest. Thank you.
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Posted on Oct 4, 2014 8:37:18 AM PDT
RAFAEL says:
The Theory of Shemitah Cycles in America
by David James
That God expects or will impose a Shemitah upon any nation other than Israel has no scriptural basis. Neither do the Scriptures provide any indication that the Shemitah is some sort of universal principle that operates throughout or even at various times in history. Yet, in spite of this, Jonathan Cahn argues that America has been subjected to the mystery of the Shemitah repeatedly over at least the last century, following the modern Hebrew reckoning of Sabbath / Shemitah years. However, this does not follow the ancient pattern to which he appeals for support since God has never subjected Israel to the operation of some mysterious universal force according to seven-year cycles.
In The Mystery of the Shemitah, the author uses many graphs to depict America's economic cycles, with significant rises in the S&P 500 during bull markets, which are inevitably followed by sometimes precipitous declines or crashes leading into a bear market. He further suggests that if one were to similarly graph ancient Israel's economy, because of the mystery of the Shemitah, it would track very closely with America's economy, and exhibit similar trends with sharp increases and rapid declines as Israel observed the Shemitah every seven years. This theory is without merit on multiple counts.
First of all, during Israel's roughly 800 years of existence, between the time they entered the Promised Land around 1400 B.C. and Babylon's first attacks on the southern kingdom in 606 B.C., the nation did not observe the seventy of the required Sabbaths. Yet, in spite of this protracted period of disobedience, including the Sabbath-year laws, God did not impose a Shemitah upon them until the Babylonian captivity. In contrast, Cahn contends that God has imposed a Shemitah on America for many or most seven-year cycles going back to at least the beginning of the 20th century. Or at the very least, because America has turned from God, the nation has been subject to the natural consequences of the mystery of the Shemitah. Clearly, Cahn's theory does not fit the biblical pattern.
Secondly, Cahn is wrong when he suggests that when Israel did observe the Shemitah, the nation's economy experienced crashes or at least sharp economic downturns for a period of time following the last day of the Shemitah year (which Cahn refers to as "the Shemitah's wake"). His theory is that because debts were wiped clean and there had been no planting or harvesting during the Sabbath year, Israel must have been subject to wildly swinging economic cycles of seven years each that tested Israel's faithfulness.
However, this theory is without merit on biblical grounds. Rather, the Scriptures indicate that the Shemitah was a blessing in every respect with no downside whatsoever. While Cahn does acknowledge that the Shemitah was to be a blessing, he then turns around and argues that there was much economic hardship as the nation recovered from the effects of the Shemitah, because of both the release of debts and the lack of a crop during the Sabbath year-something that he must claim in order to set the stage for his theory concerning America.
In sharp contrast to Cahn's unbiblical notions, there is no scriptural evidence that ancient Israel experienced any hardship at all because of the Shemitah. Rather, quite the opposite was true because, as previously noted, in the sixth year God actually tripled the harvest so that the Israelites would not have to work in the fields during the entire Shemitah year. Furthermore, the nation also had more than enough to carry the Israelites all the way to the harvest season in the first year of the next seven-year cycle. Logically, this means that the Israelites would have been free to do other things, including perhaps selling some of the extra produce, which could have arguably allowed them to pay down their debts before the last day of the Shemitah year.
Another important point to consider is that ancient Israel's economy was not based on deficit spending and huge debts as is true in America today. In 2014, almost everyone has debt of some sort-and in many cases the debts are staggering. Consequently, if those debts were wiped off the books, the entire U.S. economy would collapse.
In contrast, there was most likely very little debt in ancient Israel as compared to America today. There was no banking or lending system backed by the FDIC in ancient Israel, meaning that all loans were personal. Again, just common sense suggests that if potential lenders knew they had to recover all their money before the end of the next Shemitah year or forfeit it, there very likely wouldn't have been very many people who would have been willing to extend credit and personal loans to others.
Beyond this, unlike today, only those who were poor were borrowers and only those who could afford to write off debts were able to give loans in the first place. In fact, there were a couple of provisions in the Shemitah laws for not wiping debt off the books-if a borrower was not an Israelite and if the entire country was prosperous:
Of a foreigner you may require it; but you shall give up your claim to what is owed by your brother, except when there may be no poor among you; for the Lord will greatly bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance-only if you carefully obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe with care all these commandments which I command you today. (Deuteronomy 15:3-5)
So, once again, Cahn's theories and arguments simply have no biblical or logical merit.
Going back to the imposed-Shemitah: God's reason for linking judgment to an imposed-Shemitah upon Israel was because they had failed to observe the required Sabbath years. However, there is no biblical basis for suggesting that God would impose a Shemitah-type judgment upon any nation that was not obligated to observe the Sabbath year in the first place. Therefore, no matter what has happened to America over the last 100+ years, it cannot be linked in any biblical way to the Shemitah, even if it were true that economies tend to go through roughly seven-year cycles.
If Jonathan Cahn were right about the mystery of the Shemitah, then economists almost certainly would have noticed and been writing about this precise seven-year cycle long before God "revealed" it to the author. Tremendous fortunes could have been made by savvy investors who know how to play just such market cycles. However, preliminary research indicates that while some economists have suggested that economies may naturally follow a cycle of a bit less than seven years to as much as ten years, there is no universal agreement on this point. This stands in sharp contrast to the precise seven-year Sabbath cycles in ancient Israel.
us economy cycle 1948 to 2012
Since World War 2, we've already had 11 recessions. And if you go back another hundred years, you'll see the same pattern. Those dates in red show the bottom of each recession. Now look: how far they spaced apart?
Would you agree: another recession is inevitable? It's only a matter of when. In the past, recessions occurred at intervals of 7-10 years (barring a few that came a little quicker).
It's almost like summer hurricanes in the Caribbean. We know they're going to happen. We just don't know when and where exactly. Fortunately, we've developed a good system of hurricane warnings.
Obviously economic cycles of some duration are inevitable because bull markets don't last forever and neither do bear markets. And that economic cycles might generally have some average length is not necessarily surprising. However, to conclude that the mystery of the Shemitah is behind these, when the Shemitah cycle is exactly seven years, but the length of the modern cycles varies by as much as three years or more just defies common sense.
All of this raises many questions of which the following are just a few:
How is it possible that God has not been imposing Shemitah judgments upon Israel and the Jewish people for two millennia, when they are the only ones ever obligated to observe the Shemitah year?
Why is it that, while ignoring Israel's ongoing failure to keep the Sabbath year, the Lord has been using seven-year Shemitah cycles as warnings or judgments upon America over the last 100 years or so, even though the United States has no obligation to observe the Shemitah?
With no scriptural reason for anyone to think that the mystery of the Shemitah might be influencing America's economy, how could it possibly be considered to be a biblical warning?
If the mystery of the Shemitah affects the world, does this mean that every country experiences the same seven-year economic cycles, or is it that only America suffers when even Israel does not?
If the mystery of the Shemitah is always at work, then how can it be determined when God is issuing a warning and when He is not?
If there are no cataclysmic events connected to a particular Shemitah cycle, does that mean God is pleased with the way things are going?
What is it that determines that one economic cycle might be six and a half years, while another might be eight years-and why are they not always exactly seven years so that a precise pattern might be recognized by serious believers who know the Bible well?
Furthermore, although Israel was to be blessed by the Shemitah through God's faithful provision, according to Cahn's theory, America has experienced nothing but judgment related to the Shemitah. Once again, none of this makes any sense from a biblical or logical perspective.
And finally, as noted previously: The Shemitah, being a Sabbath year and an integral part of the Law of Moses, was completely fulfilled in Christ and is no longer in operation (even it actually did affect other nations prior to the Cross).
Discernment Tip: Context isn't the main thing-it's the only thing.
Always take care to understand any passages cited to support a given point in their original context. Of course there is the literary context of the text itself, which includes the verses leading up to and following the passage being considered. However, just as important is the historical context, which includes the author, the recipients, the time period in history and various cultural factors.
In the case of the Shemitah, the historical context is supremely important. The revelation and commandments concerning the Sabbath years were given specifically and exclusively to the nation of Israel. They were the recipients of the revelation given to the author who is Moses.
Furthermore, the period in history was the era of the Law of Moses, which extended from the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai in the middle of the 14th century B.C. to Christ's death on the cross around A.D. 30. So, the Shemitah laws were given exclusively to a specific people, during a limited period of with a clear beginning and ending, with no indication whatsoever that there was an underlying mystery affecting the nation or that God would use a mystery of the Shemitah when dealing with any other nation but Israel.
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Your post: Oct 4, 2014 9:07:34 AM PDT
Your post: Oct 4, 2014 9:07:34 AM PDT
You edited this post
Jose J. Bernal says:
SIDEBAR: Although it appears as a rebuttal to what RAFAEL copied and pasted, then posted elsewhere on Amazon.com, I posted this under William Strusel’s posts with the following preamble:
William,
This is on my website The Pepster's Post: A Voice in Cyberspace, and is cold hard evidence of the patterns of Intelligent Design - God's Providence and redemptive purpose at work in history, but more important to this discussion within its topic, current history.
SOME FACTS THE CRITIC CONVENIENTLY OVERLOOKS & FOOLISHLY DISMISSES
From White House correspondent Bill Koenig: There have been some very interesting possible connections between the state of the US economy, the Jewish fall feasts this year, and the Torah readings of Nov. 1, 8 and 15.
(Thanks to Dr. Elliot Snyder of Dallas for the Wall Street and fall feast connections and Pastor Mark Biltz for the Noah/Cheshvan connection to this Saturday’s G-20 Summit in Washington and the Torah readings.)
Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) began at sundown on Monday, Sept. 29, and ended at nightfall on Wednesday Oct. 1, 2008.
• Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. As such, it is a time for Jews to review the mistakes they made in the past year and to resolve to make improvements in the upcoming year.
• On Rosh Hashanah, Jews listen to the shofar blown during lengthy prayer services, eat holiday meals, and do no work. After repenting for bad deeds through prayers, they symbolically cast off sins through the tashlich ceremony.
• Rosh Hashanah is both a solemn and a happy day. It is a time for introspection, asking for forgiveness, giving forgiveness, resolving to do better, remembering God is King and Judge, and praying for a healthy and happy year to come. Those observing the Jewish New Year are solemn in their repentance but happy in their confidence that God is merciful and good.
The stock market crash of 2008
• In 2008, Rosh Hashanah began on the evening of Sept. 29, while Yom Kippur began on the evening of Oct. 9.
• On Rosh Hashanah eve in the U.S. (Sept. 29), the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) closed down a record-setting 777.68 points. Israel was already celebrating Rosh Hashanah at the time of the record Dow close.
•
Dr. Elliot Snyder wrote:
• Seven is the number of God, and 777 could represent "Holy, Holy, Holy." This is God's signature, the manner in which the angels praise the Sovereign God in Isaiah 6:3. This is also reflected in 7-Seal, 7-Trumpet and 7-Bowl Judgments, in the events of things to come as outlined in Revelation 6:19! I believe the Rosh Hashanah shofar was a heralding, proclamation or announcement of God's weighing our nation in the balance beginning at the start of the 10 Days of Awe. The judge is entering the courtroom.
• The eyes of the financial world were fixed upon the 777-point drop, the largest single one-day point decline in the history of the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), although not the largest percentage drop.
Other peculiarities on the opening bell and gavel of 9/29/08 and 9/30/08 for the NYSE
• There was an anomaly at the opening bell when there was no opening bell! At 9:30 am ET a mechanical bell should have rung. As the CNBC countdown to the opening reached zero, there was puzzlement at the podium as the bearer of the gavel awaited the opening bell in vain. After about a minute, even without the bell, trading began.
• The next morning, the bell worked. CNBC had made a big deal over the bell having never failed to ring before; it had failed on the morning of 9/29. On 9/30 the bell worked at 9:30AM; however, with the camera fixed upon the podium, there was no one manning the gavel!——
•
Yom Kippur (the Jewish Day of Atonement) began at sundown on Wednesday, Oct. 8, and ended at nightfall on Thursday, Oct. 9.
• Yom Kippur, literally "Day of Atonement," is the holiest day of the Jewish year.
• After the Israelites alienated God by worshipping the golden calf, Moses ascended Mount Sinai to ask God for forgiveness. While Moses was on the mountain, the Israelites repented by fasting. On the tenth day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei (Yom Kippur), Moses descended Mount Sinai with the second tablets. Thus, on the first Yom Kippur (approximately 3,500 years ago), the Israelites succeeded in atoning for their sins and restoring their covenant with God.
Why is Yom Kippur important?
• Yom Kippur is observed eight days after Rosh HaShanah (the Jewish New Year). Jews believe that on Rosh HaShanah, God inscribes all of their names in the "books"; and on Yom Kippur, the judgment entered in these books is sealed. Yom Kippur is, essentially, the last chance to demonstrate repentance and change God's judgment.
• On Yom Kippur, one's fate for the coming year is sealed.
• Dow falls 678.91
• Dr. Elliot Snyder wrote:
• On Yom Kippur eve in the U.S. (Oct. 9), the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) closed down678.910 (6, 7, 8, 9, 10!) The odds of this precise sequence arising are 1:99,999.
• Following the 10 Days of Awe, on the Day of Atonement or Judgment, God sent another numerical message through the fall of the stock market. Specifically, God has judged the nation in accordance with the Noahic law. This is spelled out in the second table of the Ten Commandments – specifically, 6-10* — by the Dow falling exactly 678.910. As the sun had already set in Jerusalem, God was telling us that we have been weighed in the balance of the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th commandments and found wanting. God has spoken for all with eyes to see and ears to hear!
• Our nation is not being judged for idolatry, blasphemy or failure in Sabbath observations, but rather for murder, adultery, stealing, lying and covetousness.——
The Days of Awe refers to the ten days between the first two Fall Feasts of Israel, Rosh Hashanah (or the Feast of Trumpets), and Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement.
• The sound of the trumpet shofar ushering in Rosh Hashanah and the Days of Awe is a call to a searching of our souls and thorough examination of our thoughts, deeds and intentions for the past year. This begins a time of God's evaluating the life of each member of the House of Israel, culminating on the 10th day with Yom Kippur, the day of final judgment, and hopefully, atonement.
• The just verdict was to be pronounced on the Day of Judgment, Yom Kippur!
One of the worst seven-day declines in Wall Street history occurred during this year's Days of Awe
Chronology – Sept. 29–Oct. 10
• Sept. 29: U.S. House of Representatives rejects mammoth $700 billion bailout plan. Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) drops 777.68. (Rosh Hashanah began that evening; it had already begun in Israel at the close of Wall Street.)
• Sept. 30: Wachovia Bank teeters on collapse, starts negotiating with Citigroup for takeover deal.
• Oct. 1: U.S. Senate adopts massive bailout plan, adding sweeteners to get House acceptance.
• Oct. 3: Wells Fargo Bank and the fourth largest U.S. bank, Wachovia Corp., announce merger.
• Oct. 3: The largest government intervention in capital markets in U.S. history clears the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming law with President Bush's signature. The bailout was for $700 billion.
• Oct. 6: Responding to global credit fears, the Dow finished below 10,000 for the first time since October 2004. After a day in which stocks dropped as deeply as 9,600, the market rebounded, finishing the day at 9990.47.
• Oct 9: The Dow Jones industrial average closed down 678.910 points, or 7.33 percent, at 8,579.19. It's the first time since May 2003 that the Dow traded below 8,600. The steep sell-off capped the Dow and the S&P's biggest seven-day decline since the October 1987 market crash, and the NASDAQ’s worst seven-day decline since December 2000. Over the seven days, the Dow shed almost 21 percent and the S&P 500 nearly 22 percent. The steep declines came on the anniversary of the Dow's all-time closing high above 14,000.
• "With no visible sign of restoration of normal credit movement, that is shaking investor confidence that the banking system at this point still has a long way to go before it gets fixed," said Frederic Dickson, senior vice president and market strategist at D.A. Davidson & Co., in Lake Oswego, Oregon.
• Oct. 10: The central barometer of the U.S. economy, the Dow Jones Industrial Average ended one of its worst weeks in history.
• The United States is experiencing a rapid moral decline … Americans are being impacted by inept leadership in Washington … The world says the US is responsible for the worldwide financial contagion, Bush denies it …The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) collapse directly corresponded to this year's Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur …One of the worst seven-day declines in Wall Street history occurred during this year's Days of Awe … The Torah readings of the last three weeks correspond to the political news in Israel and the US and world financial news … Saturday's G-20 Financial Summit in Washington of the world's top economies falls on Cheshvan 17, the day Noah's flood began 4,113 years ago …
The critics can argue ad nauseam into infinity about why they don’t want to believe in the existence of something and find and present arguments to explain why they don’t, which in themselves are only arguments and not evidence. The burden of proof is on them, because in arguing against history, they argue against events that have already occurred. They can argue – if they wish – on the causation of such events, or why the events could’ve turned out differently than they did under different conditions, yet this would only bring their arguments into the sphere of mere speculation. And even this presents no value to this discussion, because it is mere speculation. The Mystery of the Shemitah by Pastor and Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn offers cold, hard facts of events that have occurred. To argue against them and then to argue against the cyclical patterns of Intelligent Design is counter-intuitive for those people who proclaim a Judeo-Christian faith. It is nothing but a denial of God in human history. It is in its very essence an unbiblical worldview, and Satanic in its nature. It is however quite a comfortable place for those who profess Christianity, but promote a Deist Worldview and approach to history.
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In reply to an earlier post on Oct 4, 2014 10:55:47 AM PDT
Kathleen says:
I have just read the 'Harbinger'. I am Irish Catholic and am a member of the Hebrew Catholic Association. They want us to go deeper into our Jewish roots and know about the calendar. I took a course last year on the Liturgical Year, going back to ancient times of the Jewish calendar.
Likewise, I was overseas in 1973 when my former state voted to allow abortion. When I returned several years later, I was told the referendum was written in such a way that the people thought they were voting to keep abortion banned. When I came home at end of Vietnam War and worked in offices, I could not believe how much the public morals had gone down. And yes, the killing of millions of the unborn children, our future, is the greatest evil....all for guilt free sex.
The day John Paul II was shot in Rome, it was a prophetic sign. I got down on my knees and prayed the rosary, remembering the prophecies of the Virgin Mary of Fatima. That very day I visited a new Catholic bookstore and picked up Catholic prophecies that foretold darkness entering into my Church and intellectual Christianity having so much impact on the faith. I also read how the Arabs would overrun Europe and destroy everything, and that the Holy Father would be taken to Iraq to die a cruel death.
Overseas, I worked in a former Portuguese colony and witnessed it becoming a Marxist country and the subsequent condemnation of America 'as the Enemy of the world'....this coming from the Soviet Union...and we were called to pray for her conversion. I witnessed liberation theology. Back home I witnessed movements within the Church to make it revolve around man and not God.
In 1972, Fr Gobbi of Italy started receiving locutions of the Blessed Mother, to this day the Church not making any pronouncement on it as it was a movement. But it defined Mary as the Ark of the New Covenant...her heart the only safe place, and the coming chastisement of the world that has become so materialistic and without Godly values. My Church is going through its own crucifixion and we await many martyrs, of which we are beginning to see in the Middle East in the slaughter of innocent people. What is there can come here.
Likewise I have been working so hard these years, now in my 60's, due to my husband's health issues, that I was praying to God these months for rest in spite of the destruction to come. And for us, the Mass is heaven on earth where we commune with the Father through the Son who is perpetually nurturing us from the Heavenly Altar His very self.
I place myself at rest in Mary's Immaculate Heart, I contemplate through the Holy Spirit, -- the wings of the eagle, in this desert where the Lord is so little loved and trust in His Mercy.
I am praying so much for a greater link between us and the faithful Jewish people.
When I read about the Blood Moons -- they are only to be visible over North America. I saw one this past year, the wind was cold and I got a sense of emptiness, desolation and death. So I see the Blood Moons pertaining more to North America than anywhere else. We have promoted so much sexual hedonism into the world. The Africans told me in response to contraception for those poor Africans....that they would prefer to be bombed than be denied to have children.
So today, St. Francis Day, the readings exhort us to be as children, not cute and sweet, but to live totally dependent on God's love.
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Your post, in reply to an earlier post on Oct 4, 2014 11:47:27 AM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
Hi Kathleen,
Your answer and mine, and everyone else’s beyond is here, is to repent of our sins, come the grace of God found only in implicit faith in the only One who was crucified for our sins; coming to God through Him, for the Scriptures declare in the words of the Apostle Peter, “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) And call upon the name of the Lord Jesus, who has promised, “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) There is no other way to God but through the Lord Jesus Christ, for He Himself has said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (John 14:6), and elsewhere the Apostle Paul, writing in the Holy Spirit of God, has declared, For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1Timothy 2:5) Jesus is the answer, Kathleen. He is the One to go to in times of trouble.
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In reply to your post on Oct 4, 2014 12:11:01 PM PDT
Kathleen says:
Yes....so true.
I simply shared because as I was reading the materials on these books, from the other light stand....I see the Personhood of Jesus....through the Woman....living relationships to be our safeguard in these times. I think of Rev 12...one of the seers of Fatima saw us living out Rev 8 through 13.
In my faith tradition we are encouraged to go to monthly confession....and that the Mass, the place of heaven on earth...is where we dine on the feast of the Lord Himself to sustain us and give us strength to deliver us from sin.
Back to Fatima....BTW, the years going back to 1972 were the same times I had great moments of spiritual direction that were actualized in my life....I have to share that when the bombs were dropped over Japan, there were 8 German Jesuits...a contradiction to German Nazis, who were living out the Fatima request with the Japanese Catholics....those Japanese who died when the bomb hit over St. Mary's in Nagasaki, were standing in line for confession to repent of their sins. And the Jesuits who were there....some how survived. One was taken out of his house, spinning like a leaf and landed in a ditch outside the house with a broken leg. Not one single Jesuit had any sign of radiation on them and scientists studied them for many years; yet none ever had any damage from radiation.
I am very impressed by the 'Harbinger' and spiritually agree with all of it. I do not know the Jewish calendar or all the details as was laid out in the following book. But it is making me want to be united with Jewish believers ...in a state of both rest, contemplation in praise of the Lord, and the ongoing prayer for conversion of sinners. I pray all the time our country will not be destroyed either by nuclear war.
I tried to start a Havurot to study more our Jewish roots but several priests told me it wasn't the time yet in my region of the country.
You may want to check out www.hebrewcatholic.org. Also Roy Shoeman, www.salvationisfromthejews.com.
God bless you for all your great work!
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Your post, in reply to an earlier post on Oct 4, 2014 12:33:08 PM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
Kathleen,
The way to God is not sacramental, it is sacrificial, at the foot of the cross of Christ, where He gave His life for us, and not through any other mediation but through the Holy Spirit of God, who alone in this age, along with his servants and angels in Christ bear witness of our need for God's sacrificial and not sacramental offering on our behalf.
Christ must be approached directly, not by any other means than between yourself and Him, because in the end, when you, me and everyone else stand at God's judgment, it is through Christ alone that we shall receive true absolution and forgiveness.
God bless,
Jose
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In reply to an earlier post on Oct 4, 2014 12:47:21 PM PDT
Last edited by the author 7 hours ago
Kathleen says:
I just remembered what i wanted to say...to us '7', number seven is the sign of life. In Revelations it points to the Lamb with 7 eyes...the 7 sacraments where Christ watches over us.
As Catholic, we look to Christ alone but with structure...His Church. The Church is a living being...it is alive...and the life is Christ Himself. So we do not think ourselves better than anyone. We simply focus and draw on the life of Christ given us.
So what is your orientation: Is Messianic Jew a Christian? Or...you remain in Judaism but accept Christ and continue to follow the life of orthodoxy? I am not clear. Do you know about Hebrew Catholics? They are Jewish. I like reading their writings..also they provide clear teachings that we are not to follow replacement theology.
The Church has always upheld the Jews as the Chosen People of God and the Covenant of the Land. We are of a different light, the Covenant of the Blood of Christ that continues to pour out for us today.
We are at the same place.
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Your post: Oct 4, 2014 8:53:01 PM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
Hello Kathleen,
Pardon my delay in responding to your question above. I had to step away for a while, but have returned. I am the descendant of Hebrew Catholics and Jews who were expelled from Spain by the Roman Catholic united monarchies of King Ferdinand and Queen Esabella on AD 1492 in the Hebrew month of Av, on its 9th day.
My paternal grandfather’s family is Jewish though I do not know how many were practicing Roman Catholics and how many were not. After my family left Cuba years ago, we lost touch with them. I am one of many who believes in the Jewish Messiah, the Lord Yeshua/Jesus Christ, having come to personal faith and salvation in Him on August 30, 1976 at 5:30 in the morning. I have lived in the grace of God since that day.
It is Christ who has united both Jews and Gentiles as one new creation in Him, and His true Church is beyond the confines of those created by human convention, but one that goes beyond the veil of religion and denominational affiliations to one of the Holy Spirit of God through the shed blood of the Lamb of God – the Messiah – being born again by the Holy Spirit of God, who has come to indwell God’s people – His Church – which is the Bride of Christ, awaiting the returning Groom – the Lord Jesus Christ.
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In reply to an earlier post on Oct 5, 2014 11:30:13 AM PDT
Kathleen says:
Hi Jose,
I wondered if you were a descendant of the Murranos. I briefly corresponded with a woman from Seattle and was interested in inviting me to their gathering. Likewise I know the relative of a woman writer who herself was a Murrano, participating in the Mass and likewise having a most positive experience, who eventually came back to her Jewish roots. My client allowed me to read her book. She said she learned forgiveness in the Catholic way and was with the family when she passed away.
My father was in the Benedictine monastery prior to WWII and had obtained the 'Black Book of Poland' written in 1941 that documented Nazi atrocities to the Jews and Polish people, as well as photographs of Catholic German priests being led to the firing squad. I grew up under my father who taught us to never forget the Holocaust and we have a veneration for the Jewish people as God's chosen...that is held by the Church.
(The documents on the Inquisition were finally allowed to be open in August of 2003, P. John Paul II, that stated the excesses of the abuses of the Inquisition were greatly exaggerated by anti-Catholic American Restorationists of the mid 1800's, but concepts still believed by newly formed evangelical, non denominational groups started in the last century. The Dominicans worked to correct any heretical ideas that would bring back divisions within the country and after living under Islam and all that went with it, the people were in such need of one faith. My Dominican Italian pastor told me he considers the Jews and Irish of faith as having such a history of suffering.)
I studied Spain's history....noting the 700 year struggles and dhimmitude of Moorish Islam and how they wanted to restore the Catholic faith and have their country Catholic.
There are Murranos in SW USA, New Mexico I believe and have seen photos of them.
In considering forming a Havurot the intention was to simply study our Jewish roots and also to be a place for Jews to come who have come to Him through the Catholic Church. The Hebrew Catholic Assn has Jewish Catholic priests. They have a long series on Israel and the Church. I do not have the time but am personally drawn to how our Big Brothers who know the Lord Jesus in the Catholic Church see the Catholic Church and I want to be drawn into that perception as Big Brothers were the First Christians.
I have had Jewish clients over the years of different denominations -- Orthodox, Reformed and now Humanist, which is atheist...but their sympathies are alot like Catholic of how we look at all people.
Jesus truly has restored us not only to God but to each other. What and how we treat one another, we treat Him.
Anyway, for me and I think for many clergy, I felt so bad this lady from Seattle became afraid and did not get back to me. I read there is a fear in them of exposing themselves and their Jewish roots.
I also thought I would forward to you the existence of the Hebrew Catholics and they have many scholars and a number of famous writers among them. I mentioned Roy Shoeman as I could follow him in how he experienced being Catholic.
And John Paul II said we are all fulfilled Jews....the altar, the Mass, Jesus the Lamb of God ministering to us from heaven.
And we see Mary as more present now since the 1850's, preparing us again to receive the Lord.
We do not know if this will be a worldwide chastisement to bring us into one shepherd and one flock, Jesus returning/coming to the hearts of all men who are called and blessed to survive or if we are at the end of the world, and the coming New Jerusalem of a new heaven and earth.
I would like to contact David Moss about the writings about the revelations of Rabbi Cahn....(Cohen is Levite priest name?) I have gone through them and they appear to me to be for the Jewish people, the complexity of the calendar, etc. The link is truly Christ.
The Lord hardened the hearts of the Jews so the Gentiles could come. Otherwise, seeing the profound working of God of His chosen people...there would be may be too much domination by the Hebrews ( Here I mean devout Jews...as is used by Hebrew Catholics). (Also, they are working on having a Hebrew rite...there are 22 rites in the Catholic Church...Latin most known, Marionite, Ethiopian, Chaldean, etc. My pastor did not know if that could happen...where Hebrew would be spoken at Mass.)
I have looked at secular orders...but where the Lord seems to call me to is just my local bishop and the Hebrew Catholic Assn of which as I said I have little time for anything else right now. I wish I could start a havurot here but now is not the time, but they do give listings of various havurots coming now throughout the USA.
If non Catholic Protestant comes, they will see how the Church is the fulfillment of Christ's Covenant of the Blood...the Liturgy of the Word and Liturgy of the Eucharist. The Church is as a living sacrament... It is Jesus Who gives the Church His life --Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity....very powerful and we have our calendar of saints, the consecrated priesthood, the rubrics. In ancient times with the explosion of conversions and Rome becoming the administrative center of Christianity, even during times of the barbarian invasions when Constantinople was flourishing, the Hebrew Christians in the Holy Land faded in prominence.
Now is the time for Hebrew Christians to really become one.
Also in last issue of Hebrew Catholics, the Church does not replace Jewish Israel. The Church can be called as a New Jerusalem on earth, but imperfect, the perfect one coming at the end of the world. But the Church does not replace the Jewish People as God's chosen and does not replace or override the Covenant of the Land.
Finally, with the Harbinger, etc., I think it is speaking to primarily the Jewish people and those in government. So many Jewish people in American society have given so much and they need to work hard in helping our country return to God and ask His forgiveness.
Jose, you should personally contact David Moss. He would be most pleased to talk with you and can discuss with you things I do not know about or have sensitivity to.
God bless!
kathleen
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In reply to an earlier post on Oct 5, 2014 11:38:53 AM PDT
Kathleen says:
As I told Jose, I think the books they are discussing pertain primarily to the Jewish Americans and those in our government. Many Jews I know have prominent positions in their local communities. I also know that so many are very sympathetic and appreciative of Catholic values and contributions to education and health here.
There are havurots developing in the country. David and I set up a format for my area, but it just wasn't the right time yet. But I think with Hebrew Catholics, they can really articulate how the Catholic faith fulfills Judaism, as Catholic Jews testify....with the Covenant of the Blood actualized with the altar and sacraments - the 7 watchful eyes of Christ in Revelations.
Our security as Catholics who know about what is coming is the Eucharistic Lord and residing in the Immaculate Heart of Mary....this devotion protecting and saving the lives of 8 German Jesuit missionary priests in Japan when the atomic bomb dropped.
But I think our faith will become much more solid when Jews who have come to Christ will share the depth of faith and providence. I know the Hebrew Catholics really want us to learn about their calendar and now reading Rabbi Cahn's material, I can see why.
Also Hebrew Catholic website has a new format for prayer...Thursday evening is to recall the Memorial of the Institution of the Eucharist....it goes to Friday and then Saturday vigil prayers for Sunday, the Lord's Day, the 8th Day. For some time I have wanted to have some kind of familial prayer life that reflects the devotion to God our 'Big Brothers' have had.
The Hebrew Catholics are finding things about Catholicism and Christianity in general and they always come back saying how this or that in Judaism is reflected again in some practices of Christianity.
Yes...there is alot there...sign up for their newsletter if you are inclined. They have Jewish Catholic priests.
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Posted on Oct 7, 2014 7:19:21 AM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
Hello Kathleen,
So sorry I couldn’t correspond with you earlier, but I’ve been very busy as of late. The last four months of the calendar (Gregorian) Calendar year are extremely busy for me. Also, I am working on a two books, proof-reading two others for some friends, and preparing material for my website, The Pepster’s Post: A Voice in Cyberspace. If I may, I would like to recommend you get a copy of my book, The Truth About The Harbinger.
It very much answers the unfounded and unwarranted attacks against Rabbi Cahn’s book The Harbinger by its critics. I will you will find it a compelling biblical read. Also, visit my website, where you will find many articles that may peak your interest. Regarding the Marranos of Spain, that is a term I prefer not using, because it is a derogatory epithet used against Roman Catholic Jews by other Jews and by Inquisition, which means literally in Spanish, “PIG.”
As though Jews who converted to Catholicism in order to express their devotion to Jesus Christ as their personal Messiah were unclean. The Messiah, when approached in the sincerity of one’s heart and one is born again of the Holy Spirit by faith in His name, through Him finds redemption from sin regardless of the religious institution. God looks at the heart, not one’s affiliations, fraternity memberships, or religious affiliations or denomination.
I know to some people these things mean “everything,” but not to God. He looks at the heart, and it is the heart that He will judge, whether it belongs to Christ, or to another on the day God judges all of humanity. In that day, it will be meaningless whether one is a Roman Catholic, a Protestant Reformer – be he Lutheran, Anabaptist, Baptist, Calvinist, Armenian, etc… a member of the Knights of Columbus, a Freemason, an Odd Fellow, or any other fraternity. Pedigree won’t matter either, because one is either of Christ or lost. So all of these things – Jew or Gentile – will not matter on that day. Christ is what matters. God bless.
Jose J. Bernal
Instructor Biblical Studies
Arise & Shine Academy
Beth Israel Jerusalem Center
11 Railroad Avenue
Wayne, New Jersey
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In reply to an earlier post on Oct 7, 2014 7:35:26 AM PDT
David James says:
Unfortunately, the book The Truth About The Harbinger perpetuates many, if not most of the same errors found in The Harbinger by Jonathan Cahn.
And worse, because of the author's decision to not "name names," the more extreme and sometimes unfounded arguments against The Harbinger are mixed together with the more moderate, well-documented and biblical critiques of The Harbinger such that the reader thinks that all critics of The Harbinger have used the same arguments - or methods of argumentation, which is not the case at all.
Although perhaps the decision to not "name names" was well-intentioned, this ends up being a great disservice to the reader, as well as to defenders and critics of The Harbinger alike.
Dave James
Director, The Alliance for Biblical Integrity
Author, The Harbinger: Fact or Fiction?
http://www.biblicalintegrity.org
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Your post: Oct 7, 2014 7:50:52 AM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
Kathleen and all who are following this thread,
The Truth About The Harbinger exposes all of the outrageous false charges and mischaracterizations and inaccuracies of the critics. Unlike the policy of defamation that was carried and continues to be carried by Rabbi Cahn’s critics to this day, to this very hour; it was decided not to name anyone, because all of the outrageous charges were based upon the original criticism leveled against the author, his ministry, his teachings, and his integrity by the critics, and the aim of the book I authored was not to defame any of these, by following suit in their practice of public reproach, but rather present a biblical corrective to the false narrative that was cleverly weaved by the critics against the plain and clear narrative of The Harbinger.
It is ironic that the most outlandish urban legends would be brought up by the critic here, because neither this critic or his colleagues have done one thing to either correct what they have written or said, or address the urban legends and false charges by those whose writings feature prominently in some of their websites. They have not been taken down, nor have the offenders been corrected by this critic or any of the others. This is an omission that this critic or all of the rest would like to be laid to rest and not mentioned. It has yet to be properly addressed by them with proper remedial action in keeping with sincere repentance, and acts of reconciliation to the offended parties.
As for the errors, I would challenge the critics to be specific and have a public debate about it. I would be more than willing to address in in public debate the so-called errors, and also address the egregious inconsistencies in doctrine that the critics have presented as well. It is ironic that the critics would mention the urban legends without first addressing the errors they teach based upon their own writings, and have the temerity to speak of errors without presenting hard evidence in support of their contentions.
Jose J. Bernal
Instructor Biblical Studies
Arise & Shine Academy
Beth Israel Jerusalem Center
11 Railroad Avenue
Wayne, New Jersey
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In reply to an earlier post on Oct 7, 2014 9:05:45 AM PDT
Kathleen says:
The writings ring true to me. As the whole understanding of the Jewish calendar is so new and complex to me, I shared some of my background that pretty much is providing us the same message.
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In reply to an earlier post on Oct 7, 2014 9:13:10 AM PDT
Kathleen says:
Dear Jose,
In all my time with my Jewish client, she never brought up the meaning of that word. I am so so sorry. I had no idea. When I used it, my sentiment was totally opposite of that, and I hold the Jewish people in veneration. That is a reflection of particular people that are in some kind of cultural backwardness that is not Christian. I think there was a program on TV where a little hamlet in Spain still has an anti-Jewish bias. In high school, when speaking of Spain, our Far East teacher, an an atheist, spoke how so many times the victim ends up taking on the behaviors of the abuser.
Forgive them. Prejudice can hit someone so deep and it is hard to remove its injury from one's heart and soul.
When we read Sacred Scripture, we can perceive the same lessons for us in the actual times we are living in. The Holy Spirit speaks the same truth to all people.
We live now in the Covenant of the Blood of Jesus who is constantly atoning our sins at the heavenly altar. Yes, we are to seek God's mercy and forgiveness all the time, and anyone who thinks he is better than others is not living in the Lord's Spirit.
So much need for mutual forgiveness among Christians!
kathleen
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Your post: Oct 7, 2014 9:36:43 AM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
Blessed Kathleen,
Actually, Jesus’ work is complete, for it says in The Letter to the Hebrews the following concerning His sacrifice. I quote:
Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:
“This is the covenant I will make with them
after that time, says the Lord.
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds.”
Then he adds:
“Their sins and lawless acts
I will remember no more.”
And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.
(Hebrews 10:11-18)
This is the reason I tell you that it is sacrificial and not sacramental. This has already been done at the cross. It need not be repeated, because there is no need for it to be done again over and over again at the altar.
May the Holy Spirit of God continue to enlighten your heart,
Jose J. Bernal
Instructor Biblical Studies
Arise & Shine Academy
Beth Israel Jerusalem Center
11 Railroad Avenue
Wayne, New Jersey
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In reply to your post on Oct 7, 2014 10:08:20 AM PDT
Kathleen says:
Yes...it is complete...but we still sin.
We see the Mass, that fulfills the Covenant of Christ's Blood as the atonement for sin.
You may find interesting, Dr Scott Hahn's book, 'The Lamb's Supper'. He was a former anti-Catholic Calvinist. He then came to a Mass one day and could not believe the what he was witnessing. There is another in depth reflection on time, space, events of the life of Christ, then Cardinal Ratzinger's 'Spirit of the Liturgy' where he speaks of time...Abraham being directed by the angel to slaughter the ram instead of his son, and Christ appointing the time of His coming -- the constellation of Aries of ram....the feasts of the Incarnation and the feast of March 25 in the Jewish calendar....to the Passover where the Church acquiesces to the Jewish celebration of the Passover. the eastern Orthodox celebration and the Latin celebration of the Incarnation, Christmas, and the Epiphany....these dates fulfilling aspects of the Jewish calendar...
Christ's death was only one time. But on Ascension Thursday after 40 days after He died and resurrected, He fulfilled the role of the One High Priest by entering onto the heavenly altar besides the Heavenly Father, where He stands wounded but triumphant atoning for our sins all the time...the Mass celebrates this...and the Day of Atonement....doesn't this feast where the ancient High Priest sprinkle the altar with sacrificial blood once a year coincide with Ascension Thursday??
I mean, when we attend Mass, we are no longer living in linear time, but enter into the time and space of the Eternal God.
So when I read the Harbinger...and follow up...it causes me to reflect more how both the Jewish Calendar and Church Calendar are coinciding even more deeply.
I appreciate your posts,
Kathleen
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Your post: Oct 7, 2014 7:50:52 AM PDT
Your post: Oct 7, 2014 11:28:16 AM PDT
You edited this post
Jose J. Bernal says:
Thank you Kathleen, for sharing. But, again, I must emphasize that Christ’s sacrifice has been offered once and not over and over again, and Yom Kippur, though observed today in Judaism, is not properly observed and cannot properly be observed by any Jew or Gentile, because God has brought through the sacrifice of His Only Begotten Son – Jesus Christ – Israel’s Messiah – the Cessation of all sacrifices, just as prophesied by Daniel and with it any attempt by anyone be it the Western or Eastern Churches to institute a sacrament within the Mass to replace or become by Transubstantiation the Body and Blood of the Savior goes contrary to the express purposes of God in this regard. Because the writer to The Letter to the Hebrews writes:
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)
Also, the Apostle Paul has written clearly in the Holy Spirit contained in his Letter to the Romans:
For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
(Romans 6:10)
This atoning death was not partial but total atonement for all, not just for some, as some claim, but for all, and not many times, but once for all. And the Apostle Peter himself bears witness with the Apostle Paul in the Holy Spirit of the same, where he declares definitively:
For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit
(1Peter 3:18)
Contrasting Christ as our High Priest (Kohen Ha Gadol) before God, the writer in The Letter to the Hebrews writes:
…who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.
(Hebrews 7:27)
And why the writer in The Letter to the Hebrews encourages us in this way, though we are sinners:
And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.
(Hebrews 9:27-28)
And:
Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
(Hebrews 10:19-23)
God bless and keep you,
Jose
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In reply to your post on Oct 7, 2014 12:15:06 PM PDT
David James says:
Kathleen,
Although Jose and I have some sharp disagreements about certain things, we completely agree on the points he discusses concerning the gospel, salvation, and Christ's sufficient, once-for-all sacrifice.
My wife grew up Catholic - and I grew up essentially a pagan, with my own philosophies about life, death, God and eternity - which were antithetical to the teaching of Scripture.
At the age of 26 I came to understand the gospel clearly and the Lord worked in my heart such that I placed my faith in Christ and his completed, perfect on the cross. And although my wife had grown up Catholic, through reading the Scriptures for herself she came to realize that she had some very significant misconceptions concerning salvation - once again, centering around the nature of Christ's sacrifice, which was, as I noted previously, was once-for-all.
Upon realizing that there were some problems with what she had grown up believing about Christ and salvation, she, too, made a personal decision to trust in Christ alone for her salvation. She came to understand that although well-intended, the things she had believed concerning salvation and grace being conferred through the sacraments of the Catholic Church were concepts not actually found in the Bible.
Because of this particular issue, with so many loved ones and friends being Catholic, I began a life-long pursuit of understanding Catholic theology from catechisms and the teachings of some well-known Catholic theologians. As a result of this pursuit, I have studied Catholicism for over 30 years and have taught a course called Understanding Catholicism for over 25 years.
Over the course of this time, I have had the privilege of teaching some Catholics and many former-Catholics, who have all said that I have a thorough understanding of the teachings of the Catholic Church.
It is interesting that the Book of Hebrews in the New Testament is one of the most helpful in the entire Bible in helping Catholics to correctly understand the matter of salvation in Christ alone, through faith alone.
The book of Hebrews was written to ethnically Jewish Christians just prior to the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. This was important because this was a time of history that marked a transition from Judaism to Christianity - and some Jewish believers in Christ were still somewhat confused about whether they still needed to bring sacrifices to the temple, even after they found salvation through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. They still thought that they needed to observe a physical sacrifice in addition to just trusting in Christ's sacrifice alone.
As you can imagine, if God had not given this final revelation to help them understand they no longer needed this additional sacrifice, they would have been utterly distraught when the temple was destroyed, because they could only bring sacrifices while the temple still stood. So, it was God's way of assuring them before its destruction that it was no longer necessary.
Interestingly, since the Catholic church still has priests and the sacrifice of the Mass, the book of Hebrews also directly addresses this for Catholics, as well as for Jews.
The most important part of the book is chapter nine, because it notes that "it is appointed unto man once to die and after this the judgment" - which the author uses as an illustration to explain the nature of Christ's sacrifice. In other words a man doesn't die multiple times or continually, but rather it is a one-time event. The reason this is so important to understand is because the Mass is also understood to be a continuation of the sacrifice on the cross in Catholic theology, albeit an "unbloody" sacrifice. And actually, since at any given moment somewhere in the world Mass is being said, Christ's sacrifice could not be a one-time event, but actually a perpetual sacrifice.
This is what is behind what Jose has been saying in multiple responses and is exactly on-target.
So, I would encourage you to read the book of Hebrews with this in mind - particularly chapters 9 and 10 - and think through whether you're trusting in Christ alone for your salvation - or whether it might be that you're also trusting in the sacraments as administered by the Church.
I believe that if you approach this with an open heart and mind, asking the Holy Spirit to guide you in understanding this most important of all truths, that the Lord will honor that so that your thinking is aligned with the teaching of Scripture.
May the Lord bless you in your endeavors to fully understand what the Bible teaches on this.
Dave James
Director, The Alliance for Biblical Integrity
http://www.biblicalintegrity.org
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In reply to an earlier post on Oct 7, 2014 6:47:20 PM PDT
Kathleen says:
Thank you so much.
The Daily Sacrifice is referenced in Revelations....and Yes, Christ did indeed have one death....but this event -- the power to break sin and death and to have new life in the Lord....is the eternal moment..it is not happening over and over again.....
We have to go back to how faith was lived out to understand more clearly what Scripture is saying and I am also certain you are much deeper in knowledge than I in Sacred Scripture. But I get the points and the Church is mother and guide to bring us fully to the Lord...it is the Lord we are given His life. We believe the Lord has given us His Church, founded on Peter, given the keys......I don't think non - Catholics understand where our focus is...it is not on the pope or priests, it is on Christ and the Covenant of His Blood.
We might be talking over each other. I understand what you are saying .... again, 'I Am Who Am'....this is the Lord of eternity....the Mass is heaven on earth...it is a different way of relating to Christ....but with the 7 sacraments....our faith is Incarnated...not just in text and faith but incarnated in the Lord Who ministers to us perpetually.
St. Justin the Martyr explained what happened at Mass in 154 AD to the Roman Emperor and its parts, spirit and tone are the same today. This explained how the Mass was done in the ancient Christian world....in effect 100 AD. So we are living out the tradition of faith in Word and Eucharist given us by the apostles and their successors. Christ did not hand out bibles, books...which are so susceptible to personal interpretation and a limited understanding of Christ....but by 12 witnesses, Apostles.
I was studying a film school in Southern California and they said for a documentary to be done, the event had to be witnessed by atleast 10 witnesses...but Christ chose 12...representing the 12 tribes....but also that we do not depend on one individual's interpretation, especially 1500 years after the event.
I use the word perpetually as this is the word used for our linear time.
The Mass is reflected in the Book of Revelations and we enter heaven here on earth at the Mass....I cannot find any comparison with a non Catholic bible service...the worship so extremely different from each other...but we all worship the same Lord and have the same spirit. The Bible was put together by many people that took many years....our understanding of Scripture has not changed in our 2000 year tradition of faith and practice.
So be assured, yes...we are all recognize the need for prayer penance and greater dependency on the Lord.
Yes...I have studied the Book of Hebrews...it is Christ the High Priest Who ministers to us...in His Body, Blood, Soul, Divinity, His healing and absolution of our sins, Who is the one Catholic couples marry in Him...we listen to His Word at Mass as a great event...together with the ancient Jews reliving their events and learning from them, to the apostles and to the words of Christ Himself that all is in turn incarnated in His flesh to be given for us in the Real Presence....this is most Christ centered worship.
Yes I will pray and also pray for all of us in these difficult times that we will only grow closer to Him and to each other!
Kathleen
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In reply to an earlier post on Oct 7, 2014 7:44:41 PM PDT
David James says:
Hi Kathleen,
I don't know if we will come to a mutual agreement on certain things, but it is important for you to be sure you're fully aware of the teaching of Scriptures - as well as a number of things that have crept into the Church over the centuries that have created some views that are actually at odds with the Scriptures - which can be a very difficult thing to come to grips with.
I trust you understand my heart in this after my explanation in the previous post - that my desire is not to hurt or condemn, but rather to bring clarity and help in this matter of eternal consequence.
Although you reference Justin Martyr's explanation of the Mass - I think there may be something about this particular doctrine - that of the Real Presence - that might come as a bit of a shock, so I hope you'll give it a bit of time to think through.
The doctrine of the Real Presence as taught by the Catholic Church is based on what Jesus says about eating his flesh and drinking his blood in John chapter 6 - as well as some things he said at the last supper with his disciples. However, a closer look at John 6 makes it clear that he is speaking in spiritual terms, and not what appears to be physical terms - and he did so for the shock value of those who refused to place their faith in him. In fact, he specifically says that he is speaking in spiritual terms. In fact, he cannot possibly mean the bread becomes his physical body, because that would be cannibalism, which is exactly why he shocked his hearers - but because they were obstinate, they failed to understand that he meant eating his flesh and drinking his blood was a metaphor for placing their faith and trust in him for spiritual sustenance.
And there is another issue of which you may not be aware - which has to do with the process of the bread and wine transforming into the body and blood of Christ as defined by the Catholic Church - which is called, as you know, "transubstantiation." Once John 6 is understood correctly in context, it then suggests that this a doctrine that has no biblical support. And actually, it is rather rooted in ancient Greek philosophy - and this can even be seen in the word "transubstantiation" itself.
One theory held by the ancient Greeks, Aristotle specifically, about the nature of matter was that it consisted of two aspects - the one is what the matter appeared to be, i.e., what things look like, feel like, etc. - it's external properties that can be experienced by the senses. The Greeks called these things the "accidents"
The other aspect of matter - what it really is, was thought to be independent of it's physical properties that could be experienced by the senses. This aspect of matter was called the "substance."
We now know that the physical properties of matter that can be experienced by the senses are actually determined by what the matter really is. In other words, everything really is what it appears to be.
Now, here's where the problem comes in with "transubstantiation" - which literally means a "transformation of substance" - even though the outward appearance doesn't change. This is something that is completely possible within the Greek philosophical construct - but it doesn't correspond at all to reality.
If transubstantiation were true, our senses would be deceiving us - because even though the elements would appear to still be bread and wine, in reality it is the body and blood of Christ. However, the Lord never allows our senses to be deceived in this way - no matter how amazing the miracle. When the Lord gave a sign or a miracle - what was perceived to be true and what was actually true were the same thing.
Therefore, based on the very nature and character of God - and how He has always interacted with His creation as described from Genesis through Revelation - whether working through natural processes or miraculous events - the doctrine of transubstantiation cannot be true.
I realize this is a lot of information - but I just ask that you think through it - and study John chapter 6 very carefully.
May the Lord bless your study of His Word.
Dave James
Director, The Alliance for Biblical Integrity
http://www.biblicalintegrity.org
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In reply to an earlier post on Oct 8, 2014 8:30:29 AM PDT
Kathleen says:
I don't know how you can personally make sweeping statements about faith that is 2000 years old. If we made a mistake we would have been out a long time ago.
The error of ancient times was not believing in the sacred Breaking of the Bread as it was originally called, then followed by gnosticism and secret knowledge...then followed Arianism...Christ separate from God..such a belief would bring us back into polytheism and then eventually back to paganism. Without councils and synods, Christianity would not be what it is.
The Church is the interpreter of Sacred Scripture....and you have to look at everything in context to its times...just like Scripture.
You have to look at the consistency of belief and practice and common unity which does not exist in protestantism...continual breaking away with new concepts that are divisive.
Another site...www.calledtocommunion.com is done by former Protestant ministers who have come to see the Church as truly Christ's, and resolving theological issues. It took alot of education and study on their part to come to the realization of the Catholic Church. The big issue is not to look at its members in themselves. We look to Christ alone. That is what is so hard for Protestants to understand.
Another site is www.forums.catholic.com. No abuse is tolerated by Catholics or non. They have a number of topics, and there are people with professional training all the way up to Ph.D.s including priests and religious. You should go there and find out more what Catholics believe and why. And remember the Orthodox is the other half of universal Christianity. When Russia converted in around 1000 AD, they impacted Orthodoxy, comprising the most of its members and sacred unity. We are praying for this schism to heal. And it came about by mis translations and temperment. The higher ups know that but it is the majority that hold on to schism.
God bless!
kathleen
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In reply to an earlier post on Oct 8, 2014 9:08:34 AM PDT
David James says:
Kathleen,
I understand and respect your perspective.
As I noted, all of my knowledge of Catholicism comes from exclusively recognized Catholic sources for over 30 years, as well as conversations with Catholics. I don't rely on what Protestants say about Catholics. In fact, I have compiled a "Catechism for Protestant Readers" from numerous Catholic sources to help Protestant accurately and thoroughly understand Catholicism from a Catholic perspective.
As I noted, as I have taught Catholicism for over 25 years, including to many who grew up in the Catholic Church - and to a person, those who grew up in the Catholic Church have said that I both understand and have correctly characterized Catholic theology. In fact, for many years, as a method, I taught as if I were a Catholic priest / theologian - and responded to objections to Catholic theology by Protestants giving the Catholic reasoning based on Scripture, Tradition and the teaching of the Catholic Church - and in doing so was able to silence many Protestants with the Catholic arguments (before explaining the inherent biblical flaws in them).
As I suggested in the previous comment, carefully study John 6 and you will see what Jesus was actually saying there - and it doesn't actually align with Catholic theology.
I'm not trying to bash Catholicism - and I don't consider myself or my approach as "anti-Catholic."
Concerning the differences between various Protestant groups that Catholics point to as evidence of their errors, I have found that there is nearly as much difference within Catholicism from priest to priest, diocese to diocese, archbishop to archbishop, theologian to theologian as there is in Protestantism.
For example, my wife attended a well-known Catholic college, run by the Sisters of Providence, a teaching order established in Indiana by Mother Theodore Guerin - St. Mary of the Woods. My wife once wrote a letter to the priest in his 50's who was the chairman of the theology department at the college, asking about various things such as whether Satan is a real person (to which he replied, "No"), whether hell is a real place (to which he replied, "No") and where the concept of Purgatory came from (to which he replied, "I haven't the foggiest idea") - and we actually have these replies on audio tape.
I understand that you believe that you're looking to Christ alone - but actually you're looking to Christ alone as defined by the teaching magisterium of the Church. Beyond this, the catechisms of the Church teach that it cannot be to Christ alone because Mary is seen as the source of all grace as she receives it from her Son and then dispenses it to the Catholic faithful. Also, although Christ is the mediator with the Father, Mary is the mediatrix, who mediates between the faithful and her Son. She is also understood to be the co-Redemptrix - as the catechism teaches that she suffered in her heart what her Son suffered on the cross.
I'm sure that neither of us will persuade the other in a forum like this.
My only purpose in going into this detail is to suggest that perhaps it would be good to consider that eternal salvation is found in Christ alone, by grace alone, through faith alone (as Ephesians 2:8-9 makes clear).
Respectfully,
Dave James
Director, The Alliance for Biblical Integrity
http://www.biblicalintegrity.org
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In reply to an earlier post on Oct 8, 2014 12:34:00 PM PDT
charlene at Dosido Bookshelf says:
We enter into relationship with God through language and experiences that are largely symbolic. These symbolisms take root in us as our faith life over time is imprinted and encoded through these symbolisms. It is not easy to unravel the symbolic representation (belief or symbol) from the bone-deep experience. That's why I understand COL 2:6 to say that in whatever way one learned to know Him, for the most part stick with that way.
None of these symbolic languages are without error; but it becomes very difficult to transcend them. I have many faith friends who have purged their beliefs of errors and "idolatries," only to find no new root. I would not wish on any of my faith friends some of the knowledge I have concerning "errors" in our fundamental beliefs or scriptural sources, because faith then hangs on veils of ambiguity. "For what knows the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him"? EVEN SO the things of God knows no man, but the Spirit of God" (COL 2:10). Where I see the spirit of God working, I am reluctant to uproot the good fruit. Some of us feel called to move on; we have outgrown our spiritual home. It can be a dangerous and lonely journey! Meanwhile, many spiritual communities nurture disciples generation after generation, despite beliefs and practices that I would understand as synchristic and contradictory.
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In reply to an earlier post on Oct 8, 2014 12:46:05 PM PDT
David James says:
The Scriptures very clearly indicate that we enter into a relationship with God through faith in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. It is not some mystical or esoteric confusion of the right words (language) or right rituals (symbols). Rather it is so simple Christ described it in terms of the faith of a child - in the same way a child's trust is in His parents.
Religion as it has developed at the hands of men always makes finding God difficult and ambiguous and full of uncertainty.
Whereas the relationship that God desires is offered through His direct revelation. That doesn't mean that the depths of that relationship can ever be fully plumbed, any more than a relationship with a spouse ever ceases to grow and develop. However, all that is necessary to enter into that relationship is a simple decision of the heart to entrust oneself to the other - and this typically happens through a simple "I do."
It is this relationship - and forgiven sin and eternal life - that is offered as a free gift of God's grace that only needs be received as a child would receive a gift. All sorts of things can be learned about the gift and the giver after it is received - but those things are not necessary to simply accept the gift.
Dave James
Director, The Alliance for Biblical Integrity
http://www.biblicalintegrity.org
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In reply to an earlier post on Oct 8, 2014 5:37:32 PM PDT
Kathleen says:
I rely on what is the Incarnation, what is actual and not interpreted. It is not the interpretation of one, but of the apostles and the communion we enter into. Faith as such is transcendent...penetrating and experiencing that of those in ancient times to today and what we can anticipate in the future....because of Eternal Life given to us in the here and now, not abstract but actual.
I appreciate your comments and kindness, David....we are in different charisms and see things differently. We cannot think that those who have lived before us, the hundreds of thousands universal Christians who have gone before us -- are wrong or in error. We have an assistant parochial vicar who has studied Sacred Scripture his entire priesthood and his insights that he shares that come from theological and Scriptural scholars make much sense and bring us the Word of God into context for our times, and yet the message is always the same: Christ is Savior and Redeemer of the world Who offers us eternal life, this we can receive today...being as little children....to experience Him in the Word and Sacraments.
I have met former Catholics like you and are very sincere like you.
You have a good and gentle spirit, and full of respect. I appreciate it very much.
kathleen
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Your post: Oct 8, 2014 7:01:47 PM PDT
Your post: Oct 8, 2014 7:01:47 PM PDT
You edited this post
Jose J. Bernal says:
Dearest Kathleen and Charlene and all for whom Christ died and was raised again on the third day,
Please pardon my delay. It was an extremely busy day for me, and I was away from my computer until this moment. I wish I had a tablet I could carry around with me wherever I go, then I’d be following this discussion and all others like it, almost minute by minute, but I don’t, and there are things which press at my time which I must address. But in reply to what you and Charlene have written, know that I understand. But sacraments do not save, the sacrifice of Christ saves.
Did you know in Judaism, it is the Person of the Messiah who stands central, just as He does in Christianity? But in Judaism the Messiah is missing, because He is not recognized, and the day will come when the veil will be lifted and the Lord Himself will hide His face from His people no longer, and they shall see Him whom they have pierced, as the prophet says, and declare, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” But, it is the Person of the Messiah, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, who has secured the Father’s salvation and has redeemed those who come to God by faith in Him and Him alone.
What is important above all else; above ecclesiastical affiliations, fraternal memberships, pedigree, race, name, title, and all else is that you know Jesus Christ personally as your Lord and Savior, accept freely without reservation His free gift of salvation and receive His offer of personal redemption apart from and independent of all of the above; because only He willfully surrendered His life in your place and mine and for all others, and only He can save each one of us.
Individually we came into this world, and individually we will leave it and stand before Him; so individually we must come before Him now in this life, and make our peace with Him through Jesus Christ, for there is no other; as it says:
So each one shall give account of himself to God.
(Romans 14:11)
It is a very simple reality which the Holy Spirit of God, who bears witness of Christ alone, discloses to one’s heart, as He did mine on August 30th, 1976 at 5:30AM in the township of West New York, New Jersey on 60th Street in the front seat of my two door 1972 Gran Torino in the presence of my brother Michael and Richard Candy, whom God used to bring me to Christ’s salvation through his sharing the Gospel with me the previous night.
First, there must be a fundamental acknowledgment that there is only One God and Savior, and there is no other. No other entity – be it man, angel, god, or demigod, blessed virgin – the queen of heaven – no other – not one, but the Lord God. I quote:
“I, even I, am the Lord, And there is no savior besides Me. It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed, And there was no strange god among you; So you are My witnesses,”’ declares the Lord, “And I am God.”
(Isaiah 43:11-12)
Next, that sin seperates all human beings from their Creator – God – for the Scriptures bear witness of this in the following manner, I quote:
…we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks (Gentiles) are all under sin…(Romans 3:9) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23) For God has shut up all in disobedience that He might show mercy to all. (Romans 11:32)
This is the reason why true absolution cannot be given by one man to another, as is commonly done, but only by Christ to the penitent. It is He who gave His life, and it is He who is our High Priest through whom we approach God. There is no other. Christ alone.
In Judaism there is only one Kohen Ha Gadol – one High Priest before God, and the Messiah is our Kohen Ha Gadol – our High Priest before the Father, as it says:
The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.” (Psalm 110:4)
Being perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation, being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.
(Hebrews 5:9-10)
For it is attested of Him, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”
(Hebrews 7:17)
And regardless of whether one is under the Law or apart from it, all have sinned, and therefore all are equally guilty before God, and will be judged accordingly, whether under or without it; all will be judged, according to the Apostle, for he writes:
For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law.
(Romans 2:12)
So that whether under the Law or without the Law, both have sinned and stand equally guilty before God, because the Scriptures, as we have seen above, charge that both Jews who are under the Law and Gentiles who do not have this Law are all under sin. I didn’t say that, the Scriptures say it.
Next, that there is no other way to God but through Jesus Christ, as the Scriptures bear witness of. I quote:
“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
(Acts 4:12)
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (John 14:6), and elsewhere the Apostle Paul, writing in the Holy Spirit of God, has declared, For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1Timothy 2:5).
Additionally, the Holy Spirit through the mouth of the Apostle Peter bears witness that,“Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.” (Acts 10:43)
Take special note that it does not mention anyone or anything else. If there was some other way, some other person, some other institution, or anything else, the Scriptures would make it clear. It is to the Scriptures that we must appeal.
The way to God is not through the sacraments and rituals of wine and bread; these are partaken of as memorials of the Messiah (Luke 22:19, 1Corinthians 11:24-25), for it says clearly, for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17), because man looks at the outer trappings and appearances – what people do and say, whereas God looks deeper, inside the heart (1 Samuel 16:7, John 4:23-24), and it is from there that issues the wellspring of life (Proverbs 4:23).
Therefore, know for certain that the way to God is not through sacraments, but through sacrifice, and only one sacrifice, the sacrifice of Our Lord Jesus the Messiah. It was sacrifice and not sacraments that were established under the Law, and therefore it is singularly only sacrifice and not sacraments that lead to one’s redemption and eternal salvation. There is no other way. This is not a Catholic versus Protestant matter; it is a matter of biblical import and essential for entry into the presence of God.
Jesus once spoke the following words to era’s greatest sages – Nicodemus (known as Nakdimon in the Talmud) – the following words. I quote:
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
(John 3:5-7)
A person is born physically of water when their mother’s embryotic sack breaks and she gives birth, and only then can they be born again of the Holy Spirit – a spiritual rebirth that take effect, where the Spirit of God takes up residence in us (Romans 8:9-11), sealing us for God (Ephesians 1:14), and are awake to experience and live and be made aware of the kingdom God (John 3:3), and will someday enter it (John 3:5), or they are not. This revelatory knowledge from the resurrection power of God is given for us to understand the full counsel of God (Ephesians 1:13, 18-23, see also John 14:16-17 1Corinthians 2:12 and 1John 2:20) through the Holy Spirit of God (John 14:26) is in us and bears witness that Christ is God (1Corinthians 6:19, 12:3b).
The way to God is not sacramentally, but sacrificially through the perfect and complete work of Christ for our atonement. It is not ritually or sacramentally, but experientially, spiritually, and sacrificially through the one death that He died which He died for all, for the Scripture declares without equivocation, For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. (Romans 6:10), and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf (2Corinthians 5:15) and the Petrine Witness, which also bears witness of this one unique death which stands at the very epicenter of human history, which declares:
For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit.
(1Peter 3:18)
And He did this for us, not for any institution, but for the lost souls of men and women in need of God’s redemption. Therefore of those who are in Christ, the Apostle Paul is most confident where he writes in the Holy Spirit:
Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
(Romans 8:1-4)
But a person cannot walk in the Holy Spirit unless he or she has the Holy Spirit. For Paul continues writing:
For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
(Romans 8:5-11)
This is a completed and done work at the cross. The High Priest who accomplished it for us now sits at the right hand of God, because His work is complete. He is a sitting High Priest who sits on God’s Mercy Seat, where we approach to receive from God through simple trusting but implicit faith in Him, God’s grace of forgiveness.
The way of salvation is not through any Church – Catholic, Protestant, or Orthodox – but through Christ and Christ alone. True and everlasting forgiveness only comes through genuine heart-felt repentance of sin and the realization that it impossible to approach God without Christ, and impossible to enter God’s kingdom unless one is washed in His blood, and born again of the Holy Spirit of God.
No Church – be it Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant – possesses that authority or power, only Christ does. Not even the Law as codified, written, and delivered to Israel at Sinai, has the power to do this, because the law of sin and death (not to be confused with the Law) works in the members of our bodies to wage war against the law of our minds in order to make us prisoners of the law of sin which result in death (Romans 7:23); and the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so (Romans 8:7), but Christ alone can liberate us from this. Only He has the power and authority to acquit us of all guilt or condemn us individually apart from Church or fraternity, and He is God, for it says, So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God. (Romans 14:12) For each person shall bear their own guilt before God, as it says:
But everyone will die for his own iniquity; each man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth will be set on edge.
(Jeremiah 31:30)
But look to what the Lord promises through the mouth of the prophet Jeremiah immediately following this:
“Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
(Jeremiah 31:31-34)
May the Lord continue to bless your efforts to know and love Him,
Jose J. Bernal
Instructor Biblical Studies
Arise & Shine Academy
Beth Israel Jerusalem Center
11 Railroad Avenue
Wayne, New Jersey
________________________________________
In reply to an earlier post on Oct 9, 2014 8:29:44 AM PDT
Kathleen says:
Thanks, Jose.
Where I was coming from is that, although I am not Jewish and cannot understand all the points given in the 'Harbinger', nevertheless the same message is being brought to us in the Catholic Church. We do not just believe in the Word, but the Word Made Flesh...incarnated, into the Church we live in, and then lived out in the world.
And what you have shared here, we likewise totally agree. It is that simply we express and live out the same beliefs together, incarnated so to speak, as Church.
We already believe God is with the Jews, will never break His covenant as His Chosen People and the Covenant of the Land. So we do not believe in converting Jews because they are already there. It is more about fulfillment in Christ...and we as Christians are fulfilled in recognizing and living out our Jewish roots to make us fulfilled Christians. It did me very well to read the book.
I think the 'Harbinger' is speaking to all Jews, especially in our country as they have such a finesse with finance and important positions throughout society, as well with the Protestants who cannot encounter the same message within Catholicism.
For us, however, our fulfillment is realized in the Mass...this earth is imperfect and passing away....and so through the Lord to not be too attached to things of this world but be ready every day to meet with Him...trembling and seeking His mercy. So that is why I had to add my remarks...for me, the Mass and contemplation of the Word in my daily duties is my only safeguard...and yes, always seeking His redemption and renewal because I am a sinner.
I am so happy and can sense your profound conversion ... you are like a Baptist I met here in town who remembers his conversion day and time...and likewise sees this conversion as something to be lived out moment by moment...for fear of not being ready to meet with the Lord or presumption. Authentic.
May we persevere in the Lord and trust in His mercy for His judgment is at hand.
________________________________________
Your post: Oct 9, 2014 9:11:54 PM PDT
You edited this post
Jose J. Bernal says:
Dear Kathleen,
Jesus loves you. He loves your blessed heart, and knows you intimately. He gave His life for you and conquered death and the grave as evidence that He alone holds the power of redemption, forgiveness of sins and of life itself. The Apostle Paul in the Holy Spirit writes:
I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.
(1Corinthians 15:1-8)
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 (THEOS – GOD), 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.
(Romans 10:8-10)
You do this with all of your heart, calling upon His name, you will do well. Continue seeking His truth, and allow Him to disclose to you things which you may find conflict with what you have been taught. All must do this. Anyone who allows themselves to believe that all that they’ve learned in perfect, has not yet found what they need to know to grow in grace. Don’t allow yourself to be one of that number. The Church is full of people like that.
Keep your heart tender before Him, and allow Him to speak to you from His written infallible Word. It is the Holy Spirit who will bear witness of Christ alone, and convict your heart of sin, always holding out to you the hope of Christ’s redemption as an offering for sin apart from sacramentalism and religious rituals.
It is a good thing that there are many, like yourself, within the Roman Catholic Church who are reexamining the Jewish Roots of Christianity, because for too long, Church Fathers such as Chrysostom, complained that many Christians still attended synagogue services in his day, and later Patristic Bishops such as Augustine of Hipo, who advocated the Jews should be left alive and suffering as a perpetual reminder of their murder of Christ. The hymn-writer and Syriac deacon, Ephraim the Syrian (ca. A.D. 306 – 373), who was one of the original signatories of the first Council of Nicea in A.D. 325, wrote that Satan dwelled with the Jews as a partner. A horrendous charge, if ever there was one.
But these Anti-Semitic canards were typical of the era and the rest which followed. It has been historically typical of both Catholic and Protestant Christianities, and endemic in a church which is for all intents and purposes Post Apostolic, though both claim for themselves Apostolic “orthodoxy” and “legitimacy” – and consider it a matter of institutional reality.
This could not be further from the truth. The Lord Jesus’ disciples were not Roman Catholics, nor were they Protestant Reformers, nor did they belong to any of the myriad Protestant denominations or Catholic Monastic Orders which came centuries later.
The reality is that the Church has never been an institution – either Catholic or Protestant Reform – as most Christians have been erroneously taught, but the Church is truly the body of Christ – a new creation – and not an institution of man, but a new creation of God in Christ, as the Apostle Paul describes the individual believer – I quote:
Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. 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.
(2Corinthians 5:16-20)
This is the Great Commission given by Christ to His Apostles and bequeathed by His Apostles to every Christian – first, to make peace with God through Jesus Christ, then to bring this message of God’s reconciliation to others – those who profess to be Christians, but do not know God, and are only “cultural” in their profession of faith – and also to all others – Jews and Gentiles, so that both may be reconciled to God and joined together in faith as a totally new creation – being both Jew and Gentile and yet – neither, but something totally new, while remaining ethnically the same as before.
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
(2Corinthians 5:17)
In his Letter to the Galatians, Paul makes this very clear, that it is neither ethnicity, pedigree, religious or fraternal order, or any human affiliation of any kind; but Christ making each one of us a new creation – person by person, one by one, individually. Describing the individual Christian believer who is born again of the Holy Spirit of God and washed in the blood of the Lamb of God, reconciled unto God through Christ Jesus the Lord, and part of the body of Christ, and partaker of His grace, Paul writes:
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 3:27-28)
Now this doesn’t mean that the new creation of God – the individual believer ceases to be either a male Jew or Gentile, female Jew or Gentile when he or she is born anew, but that these things become meaningless in light of the surpassing knowledge of personal relationship with God through the reconciliation Christ offers. All of these things pale in comparison to being an heir and joint heir with Christ in God’s kingdom – of being part of God’s family in His household in heavenly places in Christ Jesus our Lord! Praise be to God!!!
So continue in your confidence, but let it be in Christ and Christ alone, for He is your salvation, not the Church, not the saints, not the sacraments, but Christ, for He alone paid the price for your sins, and He did this one time. The Perpetual Mass is an unnecessary invention of man to justify himself before God’s holiness and to have something to brag, about; but the one who has Christ says, But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.
(Galatians 6:14-15)
As for Jews not needing the Gospel of salvation? This runs contrary to what the Scriptures teach in this regard, because Paul calls it the power of salvation for all who believe it – for the Jews and for the Gentiles, where he declares without ambuiguity, For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (Romans 1:16) – though some Protestant and Catholic clergy teach that the Law of Moses given to Israel at Sinai is adequate to save Jews. This is known as Dual Covenant Theology and it is an end time heresy being taught in both Catholic and Protestant Churches. It contradicts the preaching of the Apostles who preached to their fellow Jews of the Good News that Messiah is Jesus and He has come, and through Him, offers personal reconciliation, salvation, redemption, and restoration to every Jew and every Gentile who will believe and receive this gift of God for themselves.
God continue to enlghten you,
Jose J. Bernal
Instructor Biblical Studies
Arise & Shine Academy
Beth Israel Jerusalem Center
11 Railroad Avenue
Wayne, New Jersey
________________________________________
In reply to an earlier post on Oct 10, 2014 12:23:55 PM PDT
Kathleen says:
Hi Jose....
No I do not mean that the Jews do not need Christ. I mean that they are the Lord's Chosen People and have the Covenant of the Land. Every person is called to salvation in Christ. I know that the Hebrew Catholics were told by a monsignor...may be in that error, they did not need baptism. In this post era of modernism they did what the rest of us ordinary Catholics do...we follow the Holy Spirit and go to another priest. I also mean we do not use the word either that the Jews need conversion as they already believe in God...the issue is that God hardened their hearts so that the Gentiles might be saved. And we also read that only a remnant of Israel will be saved. I have very close and spiritual relationship with Jewish clients...and I am always there for them in faith...but I have to be careful in prosletyzing. it is more about sharing and revealing one step at a time. I pray for them to come to the Lord....if that is your concern. Also Replacement Theology is another error.
Again, non Catholic Christians have a very hard time understanding our focus on the Lord. All people in Christ are called to be ministers of the priesthood in extending the Lord's holiness into the world. And, in the life of the apostle, given power to forgive sins on the evening of the Resurrection, Peter given the keys to heaven...the Lord structures and gives authority to chosen men, chosen likewise to bring us the sacrament...No one can just make 'Eucharist'.
If we were based on falsehoods, you would not see the testimony of faith that exist in the Catholic Church, which is no different than issues of the Jews' history...it is comprised of human beings.
I want to bring up what you said what 'murranos' means to my Jewish client...have no fear...the one whose cousin wrote those books. She also used the word 'conversos'. My client is a humanist Jew who does not believe in religion -- seeing too many wars and injustices in its name.
God bless!
kathleen
By the way, September 14 is the feast day of St. Cyril of Jerusalem, September 15 is that of Mary, Mother of Sorrows...these feasts focusing on the Cross.
________________________________________
Posted on Oct 14, 2014 1:23:13 PM PDT
opinionsplus says:
great explanation, very helpful,. nice that you showed pro and con in a fair way.
thanks.
________________________________________
In reply to an earlier post on Oct 15, 2014 9:50:06 AM PDT
MagnoliaJane says:
Other writers think a "great reset" would actually be highly beneficial to the world's financial problems. Unpayable debts don't ever go away. Books have been written on this, so I won't go there. Just a small comment.
________________________________________
Your post: Oct 19, 2014 4:01:22 PM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
Hello everyone,
Very soon I will be posting my review of Pastor and Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn’s GLOBAL BESTSELLER – The Mystery of The Shemitah – with my own analysis of its contents in light of what God’s Word teaches regarding this topic. But for now I would like to draw your attention to one of several anaylists, both Intelligence and Financial who I will be citing in my extended review and commentary on my own website The Pepster’s Post: A Voice in Cyberspace.
What I will post on Amazon will be a redacted version of what will be on my website and only a very small fraction of an ongoing sequel I am writing to my own book, THE TRUTH ABOUT THE HARBINGER, where the claims of The Harbinger’s critics are biblically analyzed and addressed.
Intelligence Anylist Jim Rickards is the author of The New York Times bestseller Currency Wars: The Making of the Next Global Crisis, published in 2011, and The Death of Money: The Coming Collapse of the International Monetary System, published in 2014.
In a recent interview this is what he says about the current state of our global economy. For those who are interested in viewing the following interview on You Tube, they may navigate to the following URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYW5OGWfqJc
I have provided here the transcript of that interview which follows. Please pay close attention to this. It is of vital importance. Let me make this clear to everyone, I am not posting this here to frighten anyone, or to cause anyone alarm, but to forewarn those who are listening, and especially those who have read or are about to read Rabbi Cahn’s book.
The Shemitah is upon US and it is global. Although it is derived from the Mosaic Law, like elements from the Mosaic Law, it translates into the real world, not just ancient Israel, as some believe and teach. The sacrificial system of the Law of Moses was specific for Israel and specific in detail to the Mosaic Law, yet it is the foundation of how God has chosen to provide His redemption through the Messiah to the human race.
This is why God has promised to put this Law in our hearts, not that we need to observe it for salvation, for God has done that for us through Christ, but that we learn from it His standards and how unattainable they are so that we may turn to His salvation found only in the Peron of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.
With the exception of salvation and justification and sanctification – those who argue that any part of this Law does not apply today outside of Israel, are at variance with the teachers of the New Testament who often referred to it to teach the foundation of what has come to be known as foundational Christian doctrine relative to God’s redemptive plan.
Those who would tell us that parts of God’s Word do not apply to US today and digress from teaching as the writers of the New Testament taught and wrote by the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, the New Testament Scriptures from the Law and the Prophets, indeed from the totality of God’s Word; teach error.
The New Testament writers taught from the Law and from the Prophets, indeed from the entire Tanakh – the Hebrew Bible – and used the Greek Septuagint Version (LXX) of the Hebrew Scriptures in their writings to bring forth the light of God’s truth. A codified Law was given to a specific nation, but the standards that Law embodied are universal for all people.
Additionally, the Hebrew Feasts contained within the Law and the sacrifices contained within that Law, and every detail of the Tabernacle, services, and utensils – right down to the measurements of all of what was used as specified by that Law; all had, continue to have, and will have great significance in the Eschatology of God’s redemptive plan for not only all nations, but for the restoration of all things, all stemming from this One Law in which all of these types are contained.
Yes, He specifically gave this Law to one nation (Israel) when He covenanted with it prior to its entry into Canaan. Every detail about its history has both meaning and significance and is a type and metaphor of greater realities as contained within the history that followed and what is yet to come. It all culminates at the cross, which is at the epicenter of history, but the standard is codified in the Law and it points to Christ. You cannot divorce the Law from the Gospel, because it is foundational in all of these aspects to it.
The only place where the two separate – if it is lawful to even say that – is in the question of works versus faith, righteousness and justification, and eternal redemption. This is the only dichotomy Scripture places on the Law. There is no other. Even the line of demarcation which is the wall that once separated for a time Israel from the nations no longer exists, because of the cross. It is in this context that we see the stream of God’s Providential hand in history.
Also in this context, Jonathan Cahn’s book is a modern explanation of this by collecting the historical records, which are easily verifiable by anyone willing to take the time (Jonathan Cahn has over the years), and putting it to writing with precise dates of events which have already transpired.
For those who think this Law is passe, let me remind them that prophecy teaches that all nations will attend the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem yearly, and that those nations who do not attend, shall not see rain on their land. And according to the prophet Ezekiel animal sacrifice will be resumed at some point in our future, though scholars differ as to when or what form that will take.
We must be very careful in setting up dichotomies that the Word of God has not erected and claim them as theological fact. They are not. Also, we must be careful to strike the balance between setting dates or being alarmists, and trying to explain everything we see away as nothing but natural occurrences. We must strike the biblical balance between these two.
Rabbi Cahn has written a book, which I will critique as God wills, shortly, that presents cold hard facts of history. They cannot be argued away, or dismissed as not having happened, because they did. To do this is nothing but willful foolishness and unrealistic vexation. This leads to error of judgment and disaster. Christ has not called us to that. We must be sober, and ready for His return.
May God Himself enlighten your hearts,
Jose J. Bernal
Instructor Biblical Studies
Arise & Shine Academy
Beth Israel Jerusalem Center
11 Railroad Avenue
Wayne, New Jersey
Many in the U.S. Intelligence Community fear a 25-year Great Depression is unavoidable...
What if Jim's Right?
STEVE MEYERS:
My name is Steve Meyers.
And I want to thank you for taking part in this exclusive Money Morning interview with Jim Rickards, the Financial Threat and Asymmetric Warfare Advisor for both the Pentagon and CIA.
Recently, all 16 branches of our Intelligence Community have come together to release a shocking report.
These agencies, that include the CIA, FBI, Army, and Navy, they've already begun to estimate the impact of the fall of the dollar as the global reserve currency.
And our reign as the world's leading super power being annihilated in a way equivalent to the end of the British Empire, post-World War II.
And the end game could be a nightmarish scenario, where the world falls into an extended period of global anarchy.
Jim Rickards fears he and his colleagues' warnings are being ignored by our political leaders and the Federal Reserve, and we're on the verge of entering the darkest economic period in our nation's history.
One that will ignite a 25-year Great Depression.
Today, we're going to examine everything he's uncovered because the bedlam could begin within the next six months.
Which is why every American should hear his warnings before it's too late.
Jim Rickards, thank you for joining us.
JIM RICKARDS:
It's my pleasure, Steve. Glad to be with you.
STEVE MEYERS:
In the early '80s, you were a member of the team that helped negotiate an end to the Iran hostage crisis.
In the late '90s, when it was discovered that the Wall Street firm Long-Term Capital Management was about to cause a total collapse of the financial markets, the Federal Reserve had to turn to you in order to stop this catastrophe from plunging America into a recession.
And then, after 9/11, you were tasked by the CIA with investigating potential insider trading that took place prior to the terrorist attacks.
JIM RICKARDS:
That's exactly right.
The problem was the CIA didn't have any capital markets expertise.
And why should they?
Prior to the beginning of globalization, capital markets weren't really part of the battle space.
So the CIA engaged in some outreach, they recruited certain people, myself included, to bring the Wall Street expertise to the agency.
This Led to Project Prophecy
So, what the CIA said was, well, if there's going to be another spectacular attack…
Using price signals to determine the actions of participants in the market, whether it be terrorists, or strategic rivals of the United States…
Could you spot it?
Could you get the information, and actually break up the plot, and save American lives?
STEVE MEYERS:
This system you built with Project Prophecy actually predicted a terrorist attack that was thwarted in 2006.
JIM RICKARDS:
On August 7, 2006, I got an email from my partner.
She said, "Jim, we've got a bright signal on American Airlines.
It looks like a possible terrorist attack."
We documented that.
I was up at 2:00 in the morning in my study, watching CNN, and all of a sudden MI-5 and New Scotland Yard emerged to break up this terrorist attack.
They were arresting suspects and removing files.
So this showed that the system worked.
However, it's not just good for predicting terrorist attacks, but also strategic attacks by rivals and enemies of the United States.
STEVE MEYERS:
For years now, you've been helping the Pentagon and CIA prepare for a rise in asymmetric warfare and financial threats, because today there are immense fears we'll be struck by – as you've described it before – a financial Pearl Harbor.
JIM RICKARDS:
There's now concern in different branches of the U.S. government…
Historically in Washington, the Treasury and the Fed take care of the dollar.
The Pentagon and the Intelligence Community take care of other threats, but what happens when the dollar IS the threat?
Americans generally know that:
• The Fed has increased the money supply by $3.1 trillion.
• We have $17.5 trillion of debt.
• We have $127 trillion of unfunded liabilities.
What are those?
Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, student loans, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA.
You go through the whole list and it goes on and on and on.
There's no way to pay it.
Debt can no longer be used to artificially grow our economy.
During the boom years of the 1950s and 1960s, every dollar of debt that was created, we got $2.41 worth of economic growth.
So that was pretty good bang for the buck.
But by the "stagflation" of the late 1970s that relationship had actually collapsed.
So now for a dollar of debt in the late 1970s, we were only getting $.41 in growth, so, obviously, that's a huge drop-off.
You know what that number is today? Today, we only get $.03 in growth for every $1 of debt.
So we're piling on the debt, but we're getting less and less growth.
As the trend goes from $2.41 to $.41 to $.03…
It's soon going to go negative.
This is a signal of a complex system about to collapse.
________________________________________
Your post: Oct 19, 2014 4:02:50 PM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
CONTINUED:
STEVE MEYERS:
This really speaks to what you wrote about in your new book, The Death of Money, the title strongly alludes to this, the hourglass is now empty.
You warn we're about to fall into a 25-year Great Depression…
That the stock market could plunge overnight 70%.
JIM RICKARDS:
(Interrupts)
You know, when I use the phrase 25-year depression, it sounds a little extreme, but historically it's not.
We had a 30-year depression in the United States from about 1870 to 1900. Economists actually call it the Long Depression.
That was before the Great Depression. The Great Depression lasted from 1929 to 1940, so that was quite long.
The U.S. is in a Depression Today
STEVE MEYERS:
A lot of folks might disagree with you that we're currently in a depression.
That word brings to mind images of the 1930s and soup kitchens.
JIM RICKARDS:
Well, we have soup kitchens today…
They're just at Whole Foods and your local supermarket, because 50 million Americans are on food stamps.
It's not that we don't have distress.
We have enormous distress, but it's being hidden in different ways.
The unemployment rate today is actually 23% when you calculate it the right way.
STEVE MEYERS:
And you point the finger right at the Fed, Congress, and the White House.
JIM RICKARDS:
(Interrupts)
I was in a meeting in the Treasury and I said:
"The Fed and the Treasury are the greatest threats to national security, not Al- Qaeda."
Right here in this building with this group…
You people are destroying the dollar and it's just a matter of time before it collapses.
And I testified before the United States Senate about this.
I warned the Senate, maybe we can't stop earthquakes on the San Andreas Fault…
But nobody thinks it's a good idea to send the Army Corps of Engineers out there to make the San Andreas Fault bigger.
But by money printing, credit creation, and reckless monetary policy by the Fed, we're making the San Andreas Fault bigger every day.
And when you make a complex system bigger - the risk doesn't go up a little bit - it goes up exponentially. So the risk is unimaginable at this time.
The collapse hasn't happened yet, but the forces are building up and it's just about to snap.
STEVE MEYERS:
Jim, your take, and that of many in the Intelligence Community…
Is much different than what we're hearing out of Capitol Hill.
Which is why the allegations you make in this book are causing quite a controversy in Washington.
JIM RICKARDS:
I was at a recent conclave in the Rocky Mountains with a couple central bankers, one from the Federal Reserve and one from the Bank of England.
They'll say things privately that they won't say publicly.
And I was handed a copy of Janet Yellen's playbook.
The Fed is trying to kind of use propaganda…
Lie to us about economic prospects, talk about green shoots, use happy talk to try to get us to spend our money.
The Fed doesn't know what they're doing.
Don't ever think that they know what they're doing.
You can print all the money you want, but if people are not borrowing it, if they're not spending it, then your economy is collapsing, even with money printing.
So you can understand it this way…
Let's say I go out to dinner and I tip the waiter.
And the waiter takes my tip and he takes a taxicab home.
And the taxi driver takes the fare and puts some gas in her taxicab.
Well, in that example, my dollar had the velocity of three.
$1 supported $3 of goods and services: the tip, the taxi ride, and the gasoline.
But, what if I don't feel great? I stay home, and watch television.
I don't spend any money.
Well, that money now has a velocity of zero.
I leave my money in the bank, but I don't spend it.
Let's look at what's actually happening with the velocity of money.
It's plunging… It's going down very rapidly.
But compare this decline of velocity today to what we saw leading up the Great Depression.
Now, in the depths of the Great Depression velocity was even lower…
But…
If you compare what's going on today to what happened in the late 1920s just prior to the Great Depression, there's a very striking resemblance.
So, it doesn't matter how much money the Fed prints.
Think of it as an airplane that's coming in for a nosedive.
It's crashing… crashing… getting closer to the ground.
The Fed is trying to grab the joystick and pull the plane up out of the nosedive and get it back in the air...
But, unfortunately, it's not working, we're heading for a crash.
STEVE MEYERS:
We've just covered a lot of these startling numbers, these signals of this coming Great Depression.
Let me see if I can quickly put it all together.
Nobody denies that we have a debt crisis in this country, but you're saying we can no longer grow our debt without causing our economy to aggressively slow down.
We're barely above water now.
So that's signal number one.
Signal number two is this dangerous slowdown in our velocity of money.
It's already plummeting to levels not witnessed since the Great Depression in the 1930s.
________________________________________
Your post: Oct 19, 2014 4:04:01 PM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
CONTINUED:
JIM RICKARDS:
There are, Steve.
There are a lot of signals out there and they're very, very troubling.
One of the ones I'm watching closely, and I know people in the Intelligence Community focus on also, because it covers so much ground, is called the Misery Index.
The Misery Index = Real Inflation Rate + Real Unemployment Rate
If you look at the Misery Index today compared to the period of stagflation in the late 1970s and early '80s that Americans remember so well…
It's actually worse.
This can lead to social instability…
Take this back to the Great Depression... The Misery Index in the Great Depression was 27.
Today it's 32.89.
Believe it or not, it's worse today than it was during the Great Depression.
What happens as a depression worsens?
Businesses can't pay their debts. The bad losses fall on the banks. The banks ultimately fail.
That's happened before.
The Fed has had to bail out the banks.
But what happens when the Fed, itself, is in jeopardy?
STEVE MEYERS:
Based on these signals you've been tracking, the Federal Reserve is going to fail?
JIM RICKARDS:
The Federal Reserve actually, in some ways, already has failed.
I spoke to a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve and I said, "I think the Fed is insolvent."
This Governor first resisted and said, "No, we're not."
But, I pressed her a little bit harder and she said, "Well, maybe."
And, then, I just looked at her and she said, "Well, we are, but it doesn't matter."
In other words, here's a Governor of the Federal Reserve admitting to me, privately, that the Federal Reserve is insolvent, but said, it doesn't matter, because central banks don't need capital.
Well, I'm going to suggest that central banks do need capital.
Look at this chart. (NOTE: the chart Mr. Rickards refers to can be seen when you go to the presentation of this interview at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYW5OGWfqJc )
What it shows you is that the Fed has increased its capital they currently have about $56 billion.
That sounds good.
You say, "gee, $56 billion is a lot of money, that's a pretty good capital base."
But That's Not the Whole Story
You have to compare the capital to the balance sheet.
How much in the way of assets and liabilities is that amount of capital supporting.
When you look at that it's a much scarier picture, because the actual liabilities, or debt, if you will, on the Fed's books is $4.3 trillion.
So you've got $4.3 trillion sitting on this little skinny capital base of $56 billion…
That's very unstable.
Prior to 2008, the Fed's leverage was about 22 to 1.
Meaning they had $22 in debt on their books for every $1 of capital.
Today, that leverage is 77 to 1.
So, yes, the capital has increased, but the debt and the liability has increased much more.
STEVE MEYERS:
Your warnings haven't gone completely ignored.
In the budget he presented this year, Senator Rand Paul cited your work and how we've driven our economy to the edge of a Roman Empire-like collapse.
________________________________________
Your post: Oct 19, 2014 4:04:42 PM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
CONTINUED:
In fact, we have footage of Senator Paul instructing Americans to listen to your warnings.
SENATOR RAND PAUL:
(NOTE: the video Mr. Rickards refers to can be seen when you go to the presentation of this interview at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYW5OGWfqJc )
Jim Rickards notes the Fed is insolvent on a mark-to-market basis.
The Fed has wiped out its capital on a mark-to-market basis.
Of course, the Fed carries these notes on its balance sheet at cost and does not mark them down to market.
But if they did, they would be broke.
JIM RICKARDS:
First of all, I give Senator Rand Paul credit.
He's one of the few people who understand the dangers here.
But, the problem is not limited to the Fed.
It's infecting the private banking system as well.
There's about $60 trillion of debt on the balance sheets of our banking system.
For a long time, debt and the banks grew at about two times the rate of growth in the economy.
But lately, this has exploded.
Today it's up to 30 to 1.
In other words, for every dollar of economic growth, there's $30 of credit being created by the banking system.
The Whole Thing is Unstable
I can give you a very good example of this and this actually comes from physics.
If you had, let's say, a 35-pound block of uranium shaped like a cube, it would actually be fairly harmless.
It's what we call sub-critical. It's radioactive, but it's kind of tame.
But now imagine you engineer it.
You take that 35-pound block.
You take one piece and shape it into something about the size of a grapefruit.
Take another piece, shape it into something like a bat.
Put the ball and the bat in a tube and fire them together with high explosives.
That sets off a nuclear detonation.
That destroys a city.
The way it's been shaped and configured is what takes it from what we call sub-critical to super-critical.
STEVE MEYERS:
Jim, are you seeing any signs that our stock market has reached a super-critical state?
JIM RICKARDS:
Well, unfortunately, yes.
We're seeing a lot of signs of this.
One of the signs that's really fundamental, and really important, is the ratio of stock market capitalization to GDP.
Because, remember, the value of all the stocks in the stock market, that's supposed to represent the fundamental economy.
It's not supposed to be off in a world of its own.
But if you look at what's been happening to that ratio recently, it's going sky-high.
It's 203%.
Just prior to the recession…
That number was 183%.
Go back to the famous tech bubble, the dot com implosion of 2000.
At that time, it was 204%.
And if you want the scariest news of all…
Just prior to the Great Depression that number was 87%.
In other words…
The stock market capitalization, as a percentage of GDP, is twice as high as it was just prior to the Great Depression.
So, that's a really good metric for saying, "Hey, is the stock market heading for a crash?"
All the data says, "Yes, we are."
But there's another metric, another warning sign, if you will, that's even more frightening, which is the Gross National Value of Derivatives.
There are a certain number of shares of IBM that are outstanding, but we know what that number is.
But there's no limit on the derivatives.
I can write options and futures on IBM stock all day long and all the other stocks on the stock market.
And that's what's been going on.
Now, the Gross Notional Value of Derivatives in the world today is over $700 trillion. Not billion.
$700 trillion.
That's ten times the global GDP.
This collapse is unavoidable.
________________________________________
Your post: Oct 19, 2014 4:05:29 PM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
CONTINUED:
So, we ask ourselves, how bad can this be?
Well, what happened in 2007, 2008 when the markets collapsed...
We all remember the value of stocks going down...
Real estate going down, housing going down...
All that lost wealth was $60 trillion.
The problem is now the system is bigger, so I would expect the lost wealth this time to be $100 Trillion - possibly a lot more.
We're in this critical state, getting close to the super-critical state where the system implodes.
But it takes a catalyst, it takes a flashpoint.
There are a number of potential flashpoints I've investigated.
STEVE MEYERS:
Jim, in a few moments I want to discuss the steps Americans need to take with their investments and personal finances to prepare for everything you and your colleagues are predicting.
But now let's quickly focus on some of these major flashpoints.
JIM RICKARDS:
One of the key flashpoints we're looking at is foreign ownership of U.S. government debt.
Now, this is a very important thing to understand.
We all know that the Treasury has issued over $17 trillion worth of debt, the question is who buys it?
A lot of U.S. debt is owned by foreigners. Who owns it?
China, Russia, other countries...
Countries that are not necessarily our friends.
But they can dump it when they want to.
Well, guess what, that's actually what's been going on.
Recently, foreign holdings of U.S. government debt have been plummeting.
But it gets even more interesting than that.
We talked earlier about the project I did for the CIA...
Project Prophecy.
And we said, you can see not only market action, but rivals, enemies, terrorists and others, operating in financial markets.
So, we all know that Russia invaded Crimea in the spring of 2014.
Let's say you're Putin. You know you're going to invade Crimea. You can expect U.S. financial sanctions.
So what do you do?
You basically mitigate the impact of the sanctions, start dumping treasuries in advance so that when you make your move and the Treasury tries to come against you, you've insulated yourself.
So go back and look at October 2013, here's Russia dumping Treasuries month after month.
That was a clear signal that they were getting ready to do something...
To engage in financial warfare against the United States.
But guess what? It's worse than that.
We know the Russians and Chinese are working together.
So is it any surprise that when the Russians started dumping...
The Chinese started dumping also?
STEVE MEYERS:
Does the Intelligence Community have the ability to defend our country in the event that this escalates even further?
JIM RICKARDS:
Believe it or not, there's an intelligence unit inside the Treasury.
And they actually have a war room.
That tells you that financial warfare is here and it's real.
So if the Russians are dumping...
The Chinese are dumping...
Who is going to buy all this debt?
Well, a mystery buyer has shown up.
Recently, Belgium has bought enormous amounts...
In the hundreds of billions of dollars of U.S. government securities.
STEVE MEYERS:
So Belgium started loading up on treasuries, coincidentally at the exact same time Russia and China began dumping theirs?
JIM RICKARDS:
(Interrupts)
It's not the Belgians.
These amounts are bigger than the Belgian current account surplus.
These are not Belgian dentists who are buying these things.
Belgium is a Front
You know, could it be the Fed itself?
That's the point.
Maybe the public doesn't know who the mystery buyer is, but the national security community does.
Now, the Treasury, operating through this war room, and the Fed - the mystery buyer in Belgium...
For now, they have managed to prop up the treasury market.
It hasn't collapsed yet.
But they're not going to be able to keep pulling these rabbits out of a hat, there's a limit.
This should be very scary, because if the Fed is tapped out - we talked earlier about how the Fed is leveraged 77 to 1.
So the Fed is at the limit of what they can do.
The foreigners are now dumping treasuries and if no one buys it, guess what, interest rates go up.
That'll sink the stock market, that'll sink the housing market.
Higher interest rates mean the debt gets higher, so interest rates go up some more.
So you start a death spiral and there's no way out of it.
________________________________________
Your post: Oct 19, 2014 4:06:21 PM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
CONTINUED:
STEVE MEYERS:
An attack on our treasury market is obviously a very serious flashpoint that could ignite this Great Depression you predict in your book.
Let's talk about another flashpoint.
JIM RICKARDS:
What I call flashpoint number two has to do with the petrodollar.
STEVE MEYERS:
Can you explain what you mean by the petrodollar?
JIM RICKARDS:
It's basically a system whereby oil exports are priced in dollars.
Oil doesn't have to be priced in dollars.
It could be priced in euros, Japanese yen, Swiss francs, gold.
It could be priced in a lot of things.
But, in fact, the whole global oil market is priced in dollars.
I was actually very close to the birth of the petrodollar system.
My first visit to the White House on official business was in 1974, with a small group, about five of us.
We met with Helmut Sonnenfeldt, who was the Deputy National Security Advisor at the time.
He was the number two to Henry Kissinger.
And, this was at a time you have to remember...
At the beginning of the '70s oil was $2 a barrel.
At the end of the '70s, oil was $12 a barrel.
This Was an Oil Shock
The price of oil was skyrocketing.
Inflation was getting out of control.
There were gas lines.
You know, a certain generation of Americans remembers this very well.
We were in the White House talking about what to do about this.
One of the scenarios we discussed was the U.S. military would invade Saudi Arabia.
We would secure the oil fields and create a military perimeter around them.
We would pump the oil and set it at a price that was favorable to us.
Now, we would give the money to the Saudis.
We didn't want to steal their money.
We didn't want to steal their oil.
We just wanted to set the price.
Now, fortunately, that plan was not carried out.
But it shows you how desperate things were at the time.
But what did happen?
Why did we not invade Saudi Arabia?
Well, the answer is Kissinger and the Saudis worked out a deal.
And the Saudis said, "Okay, we'll price oil in dollars, so that secures the role of the dollar as the global reserve currency."
But there was a quid pro quo.
We agreed to guarantee the continuation of the House of Saud, the royal family of Saudi Arabia.
And by extension, the national security of Saudi Arabia.
Because they're a relatively weak military power.
And it's a bad neighborhood - a lot of enemies in the region starting with Iran and others.
So the question would be, obviously, did this petrodollar deal work?
And it ABSOLUTELY did work.
Once it kicked in, the dollar roared.
This was the period - sometimes people call it the king dollar period, the strong dollar period.
This was after Volcker and Reagan in the 1980s.
But this only continued up to a certain period of time...
Up until around 2000.
And since then, the dollar has been in a decline.
STEVE MEYERS:
So what could cause the fall of the petrodollar?
JIM RICKARDS:
Well, we're seeing it in real time.
Think of the petrodollar, or the dollar as the global reserve currency...
Think of it as a three-legged stool.
So, here's the stool and it's got three legs.
As long as the legs are standing, the foundation is firm and the dollar will remain as a global reserve currency.
But, one by one, those legs are being pulled out.
What are the legs?
Well, the first one is Saudi Arabia.
That was where the petrodollar deal began.
Our side of the deal was we would guarantee the national security of Saudi Arabia.
But lately - going back to December of 2013...
President Obama stabbed the Saudis in the back by anointing Iran as the regional-hegemonic power.
You know, the President has been withdrawing American power from around the world and his view is, well, we'll leave a friendly cop on the beat.
Every sort of bad neighborhood around the world will have a cop on the beat.
The President has decided that Iran is going to be the cop on the beat in the Middle East.
They're going to be the heavyweight regional power.
Where does that leave Saudi Arabia? Out in the cold.
So now Saudi Arabia is saying...
"Wait a second, you've undermined our national security, you've reneged on your side of the petrodollar deal, why should we hold up our end?
Maybe we'll start pricing oil in gold or euros or maybe Chinese yuan."
Because now, increasingly, Saudi Arabia is selling more and more oil to China.
So, the first leg of the stool has been pulled out.
The Saudis are going to back away from the petrodollar, because we are no longer guaranteeing their security - we're playing footsie with Iran.
The second leg of the stool is Russia.
Now, Russia is not a member of OPEC, but they are the world's largest oil exporter, one of the world's largest energy exporters, actually bigger than Saudi Arabia.
So even though they're not a member of OPEC, they also price oil in dollars.
So, they've signed onto the petrodollar deal in their own way.
But, we're now engaged in financial warfare, Russia is ready to fight back.
And this is not classified information.
This is being said publicly.
Andrei Kostin, President and Chairman of Russia's VTB Bank, it's one of the largest banks in Russia, he recently said...
"It's time to change the entire international financial system that considers the dollar the key reserve currency. The world has changed."
________________________________________
Your post: Oct 19, 2014 4:07:47 PM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
CONTINUED:
A member of the Russian Parliament, he said...
"The dollar is evil.
We will sell rubles to consumers that rely on gas and later we'll exchange the rubles for gold.
If they don't like this, let them not do it.
Let them freeze to death."
So, two of the legs of the stool, Saudi Arabia and Russia, have already been pulled out.
The third leg is China.
And that is coming out too.
STEVE MEYERS:
As far as Russia and China's role in taking down the petrodollar...
This recent $400 billion energy alliance they signed, is that the purpose of it?
JIM RICKARDS:
Sure.
Russia is the world's largest energy exporter, China is the fastest growing economy in the world, they need energy.
So this is a natural partnership between the two. But the dollar is out in the cold.
And, China is actually putting these yuan bilateral trade agreements in place all over the world.
They're doing them one-by-one.
But once there's enough trade and enough volume in a certain currency, it can become a reserve currency.
These are all straws in the wind, leading to the collapse of the dollar as the global reserve currency.
STEVE MEYERS:
Jim, in your book, you investigate how nations are now using gold as a financial weapon.
Is this one of the most dangerous flashpoints?
JIM RICKARDS:
It's absolutely one of the most dangerous flashpoints and, here's why...
A lot of people look at the dollar and say, "Look, you may not like the dollar, you may worry about the dollar, but you've got nowhere else to go."
But there is another place to go, which is gold.
You don't have to buy treasuries, you can buy gold.
And countries are actually doing that.
So this is basically a global rebalancing of gold reserves.
This is one of the things that the Intelligence Community is watching most closely.
And China is our number one case.
Here's why: China has acquired more than 3,000 tons in the past four years.
Now they lie about this.
They officially say they have 1,054 tons.
The reason is, China is using their own military and their own intelligence assets to acquire some of this gold in stealth.
I recently ran into a senior officer of one of the major secure logistics firms in the world.
Secure logistics that means these are people who operate vaults and armored cars.
So they handle the physical metal.
They're not central banks.
They're not government agencies.
These are Brinks and G4S and ViaMat.
These are the big players in this field.
One of these officials said he recently brought gold into China at the head of an armored column of the People's Liberation Army.
In other words, he was in an armored car and they had Armored personnel vehicles bringing gold into China.
I guarantee that did not show up in the official Hong Kong import figures.
Now, why is China doing this?
A lot of people speculate that they want to launch their own gold-backed reserve currency, to take the Chinese yuan, back it with gold, make it a global reserve currency.
That's extremely unlikely.
That's not what China is doing.
What they are trying to do is hedge against the collapse of the dollar.
China can't prevent that from happening.
What they can do is build up the gold reserves.
This is known to the Intelligence Community.
This is NOT publicly revealed.
What if it were publicly revealed?
Here's what global gold reserves would look like if the amount that China owns were actually suddenly revealed.
This is a dagger aimed at the heart of the dollar.
STEVE MEYERS:
Jim, so far all of these flashpoints have involved China.
Isn't this an economic suicide mission to attack America?
JIM RICKARDS:
There's something else here, another flashpoint that could meltdown the global financial system.
What if the U.S. doesn't bring the entire pyramid crashing down, what if it's China?
Well, it could very well be.
They have a highly leveraged banking system.
But the banking system is just the beginning.
There's also something called a shadow banking system.
This is now a $7.5 trillion industry and it's up 4,067% since 2005.
STEVE MEYERS:
This term shadow banking, it's starting to get play in the press.
How would you explain it?
JIM RICKARDS:
If you put your money in the bank in China, they - it's just like the United States.
They pay you nothing, zero maybe, one quarter of one percent, something pathetically small.
But, they're offering these wealth management products that pay five, six, seven percent.
Well, what are they?
Well, they're actually - they take the money and they buy mortgages on worthless assets, inflated assets and bubble assets that are going to crash.
Before the crash in the United States, before 2008, new construction, as a percentage of GDP growth, that was about 16%.
16% is a pretty big slice.
But, look at China.
In each of the last three years, construction has been 50% of GDP growth.
They're building white elephants, they're building trophy projects, they're building ghost cities.
I've been to China - I was with the Communist Party officials and provincial officials, they were trying to get me to bring some businesses there.
I went to one place near Nanjing.
They weren't building seven buildings, they were building seven cities.
Every city had a whole cluster of skyscrapers, luxury hotels, athletic facilities, housing facilities, high-end shopping, metro stops, highway access...
And an airport to service all seven of these cities.
This construction was going on as far as the eye can see.
It was all empty.
All of it.
Now, here's the point.
In the U.S. before the crash, it took about 4.3 years of income to buy the typical house .
In China, it takes 18 years of income.
If they're building apartments, co-ops and condos, and people can't afford them, you know their prices are going to collapse.
One of the senior banking officials in China said, "This is a Ponzi scheme."
Those are his words, not my words.
I happen to agree.
But, we all know what happens to Ponzi schemes, eventually you run out of suckers and they collapse.
Once you have enough collapses, there's going to be a run on the banks.
The bankers are going to say sorry, we can't pay you, it's not our problem.
Well, that's not going to be good enough.
Riots are going to break out.
What does it mean when the world's second largest economy hits the brakes?
That's going to be disastrous to global growth; it's going to pull the rug out from under the sky-high valuations we're seeing in the U.S. stock market.
This is a set-up for an entire collapse of the global economy.
STEVE MEYERS:
Jim, there's one more flashpoint I'd like to talk about.
It has to do with a premeditated plan you believe exists inside the IMF, and it involves high-ranking U.S. officials...
To replace the dollar as the world's reserve currency.
________________________________________
Your post: Oct 19, 2014 4:08:28 PM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
CONTINUED:
JIM RICKARDS:
It's not just my belief.
This is actually documented.
It's a ten-year plan to replace the dollar as the global reserve currency.
The IMF released a report this year, it was called - and get this title - "The Dollar Reigns Supreme By Default."
And here's a direct quote...
"The aggressive use of unconventional monetary policies by the Federal Reserve, the U.S. central bank, has increased the supply of dollars and created rifts in the financial system. The dollar status should be in peril."
Reserves are nothing more than a savings account for a country.
That's the amount of money they've saved.
But, the problem is, when you have it you have to decide what to do with it.
You can't just stick it under a mattress, so to speak.
A lot of people think that the dollar will prevail because there are no good alternatives.
That's not true.
The dollar is declining sharply, as a percentage of total global currency reserves.
Imagine if that continued.
The euro comes up.
Swiss franc comes up.
Some of the other currencies come up.
That's one outcome.
But, there's another outcome, that's probably coming a lot sooner.
We have a financial panic in the world.
If a central bank has to re-liquefy the world, where is that money going to come from?
It can't come from the Fed, they're leveraged 77-to-1.
There's only one clean balance sheet left in the world... the IMF's.
The IMF, believe it or not, is only leveraged 3-to-1.
When the next crisis comes, it's going to be bigger than the Fed.
The only source of liquidity in the world is going to be the IMF.
Think of it this way.
The Federal Reserve has a printing press, they can print dollars.
The European central bank has a printing press, they can print euros.
The IMF, the International Monetary Fund, has a printing press too.
They can print something called the Special Drawing Right, or the SDR for short.
These SDRs can come along as a new reserve currency.
The reason they came up with the name Special Drawing Right is because if they called it "world money" that would sound a little spooky and scary.
But that's exactly what it is.
Here's the point.
This may be a ten-year plan.
We're not going to make it ten years.
This collapse will happen a lot sooner than that.
So they're going to have to dust off this playbook and run out these SDRs and print trillions of them to prop up the system.
Now, if the Fed bailed out private credit in 2008...
And the IMF now bails out the Fed in the next financial panic...
Who runs the IMF? Who's really in charge?
Well, it's a nice crowd.
We've got kings, dictators, communists...
They're unelected, unaccountable.
And this is the next flashpoint, really, the IMF taking over the world monetary system and becoming the central bank of the world...
Printing "world money" called the SDR.
________________________________________
Your post: Oct 19, 2014 4:09:00 PM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
CONTINUED:
STEVE MEYERS:
Jim, these flashpoints...
The attacks on our treasury market and petrodollar...
China's stealth gold run...
China's inevitable collapse...
Even this alarming inside job to take down our dollar that's escalating at the IMF...
You've only scratched the surface of what you reveal in your book.
However, the most important message I took away from The Death Of Money is:
Regardless of which flashpoint unleashes the 25-year Great Depression, folks need to understand it's coming, and coming quick.
JIM RICKARDS:
Steve, that's exactly right.
There is a mission in this book and it's urgent and it's important.
We're talking about:
A prolonged depression...
* Massive deflation
* Massive unemployment
* Rampant bank collapses
* A 70% best case scenario stock market drop
This could all start within the next six months.
Look at it this way.
Americans right now are standing at the very bottom of a tall mountain... Mt. Everest, Mt. Kilimanjaro.
About halfway up the mountain, there's a catastrophic avalanche barreling down towards us.
Determining the one snowflake...
The one flashpoint that's going to speed this chaos up shouldn't be our focus.
Recognizing the severity of the situation and moving to safety should be.
Make your peace with God by calling on the name He has exclusively established for salvation, reconciliation, redemption, and deliverance; the name of Yeshua/Jesus the Messiah, and accept God's free offer of salvation for you personally.
Then recognize the times we live in, and understand the markers He has in His providence set that only those who listen to the Holy Spirit have been given to recognize and understand at this crucial hour.
Let the mockers and revilers continue their mocking and reviling, but know this; they believe they mock a man, because they believe they are criticizing Jonathan Cahn.
They do not mock a man; they mock God. They mock God at their own peril.
One does not revile and mock and put to publish reproach another servant of God and think they are doing God a service.
It is not God whom they serve in their revilings, but the one who is the accuser before the brethren, who reviles and has reviled God's servants through the ages to this day, and will continue to do so until the return of Jesus Christ to this planet.
What has happened is not up for debate, and what is happening cannot be argued away, nor can what is about to befall mankind.
But, Christ has said that when we begin to see these markers, all of these signs and occurrences - massive pandemics - wars and rumors of wars - illnesses and deseases spreading, godlessness and corruption in our culture and governments, paganism mixing with our churches, the rise of Islam, Chrislam, false money preachers, false revilers within the Church, and mockers who mock and revile those warning everyone to get ready and be ready for Christ; know that your deliverance and mine is near.
________________________________________
In reply to an earlier post on Oct 19, 2014 5:31:45 PM PDT
David James says:
For those who might be interested: I understand that the coming of Christ is likely very near. The United States and the world are ripe for God's judgment. Neither I nor other conservative, born-again believers in the literal Word of God are mocking either Jonathan Cahn nor God. We tremble at what He has said is coming - and which could be coming soon. No, we are not mocking, we are calling on all people everywhere to repent and to call on the name of Christ - and we are calling on those who teach the Word of God to do so correctly so that the Spirit of God might move in the hearts of men when they hear the Word of God taught correctly.
________________________________________
Your post: Oct 19, 2014 5:49:23 PM PDT
Jose J. Bernal says:
The religious minded of the Second Temple Period did not believe that what they did to Christ was in itself evil. They saw themselves as the protectors of orthodoxy and correct biblical interpretations as these critics do. Nicodemus, who was a prominent member of their council approached them with the question that a man is not condemned before he is first allowed to state his case. They replied to him that the people were accursed because they did not know God’s Law, and that no prophet was said by Scripture to come out of Galilee, and everyone went home.
I have stated here, and will do so until the Messiah makes His blessed appearance to us, that we are all to be balanced in our approach to the times we live in, and I have warned against date setting and other schemes by people who peddle religion for profit. I, like Rabbi Cahn, oppose this, and have all my life. I have never liked the money preachers who ask for exhorbitant amounts of money from suffering Christians, so I have warned against these and so has Rabbi Cahn in many of his messages Friday nights and Sunday mornings. I resent anyone who would try to say that he is one of them and bear false witness to that fact.
I know and work with Rabbi Cahn and have done so for over ten years. I have sat in his sermons, read his books, and have listened to his video presentations on You Tube and other places. I know Rabbi Cahn. I am a teacher of Biblical History and have taught many classes on both the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament. I speak as one who both knows the Word of God by His grace and the Holy Spirit, and one who knows Rabbi Cahn.
When I refer to the critics and mockers and revilers here, I did not name anyone, nor am I inclined to do so anymore. [Those who’ve been following this controversy for the last almost three years know who these people are. [All one has to do is go on the Internet and their public reviling of a member of their own faith identifies them instantly.] To those critics [here or elsewhere] who might be inclined to think I write of them, all I can tell them is, if the shoe fits then wear it.
Jose J. Bernal
Instructor Biblical Studies
Arise & Shine Academy
Beth Israel Jerusalem Center
11 Railroad Avenue
Wayne, New Jersey
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Arminian/Wesleyan/Pentecostal
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A Christian Journey - Cassandrah Batya (Closed down)
Alliance of Biblical Pentecostals – Gary Osbourne,ÿ
Apologetics For Christians - Kelly & Theresa Powers
Apologetics Index - Anton and Janet Hein-Hudson,ÿ
Apostasy Alert - Jackie Alnor
Apostasy Revealed - Clive J. Smith
Apostasy Watch - Steve Lumbley
The Berean Call - Dave Hunt & T. A. McMahon
Cephas Ministry - Nicholas A. Stivers and Rita Williams, &
Christian Research Service - Bud Press
Christian Research Institute - Hank Hanegraaff, D
Critical Issues Commentary - Bob DeWaay, ÿ
Deception in the Church - Sandy Simpson,ÿ N
Discernment-Ministries/HERESCOPE - Jewel van der Merwe, now Jewel Grewe,ÿ
Eastern Regional Watch - Steve Muse,ÿ
In Plain Sight.org - Carol & Al Brooks, ÿ
Let Us Reason - Mike Oppenheimer,ÿ
Moriel Ministries - James Jacob Prasch, Yÿ
Olive Tree Ministries - Jan Markell, Y O
Reasoning for the Scriptures - Ron Rhodes
Spiritual Counterfeits Project - Tal Brooke
Spiritual Research Network - Chris Lawson,ÿ
Spiritwatch Ministries - several Pentecostals,ÿ
The Berean Call - Dave Hunt, T. A. McMahon
The Discernment Web Ring - Several,ÿ
TNN Online - John K. McKee, Y,ÿ
Understanding the Times, Int'l - Roger Oakland
Wood and Steel - Scott MacIntyre (Closed down)
Calvinistic/Reformed
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Alpha and Omega Ministries - James R. White
Apprising Ministries - Ken Silva,ÿ
Berean Beacon - Richard Bennett
Biblical Discernment Ministries - Rick Miesel
Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry (CARM) - Matthew J. Slick,ÿ
Christian Research Net - Ken Silva and other contributors, [ÿ
Christian Witness to a Pagan Planet - Dr. Peter Jones
Christian Worldview Network.com - Brannon S. Howse
Discernment.org - Rev. Robert S. Liichow
Faith Defenders - Dr. Robert Morey
Lighting the Way International - Dwayna Litz, [N
Phil Johnson's Bookmarks - Phillip R. Johnson
Slice of Laodicea - Ingrid Schlueter
Stand To Reason - Gregory Koukl,ÿ
Syncretistic
Sovereignty + Free Will
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Kjos Ministries - Berit Kjos, [G
Lighthouse Trails Research Project - Deborah Dombrowski, [G
Y - Messianic, ÿ- Non-cessationist, N - Demonism/Spiritual Warfare
& - King James Only, D - Preterist, G - Jesus and the Bible Only!
[ Doctrinally Syncretistic (Sovereignty of God AND Sovereignty of Man)
O - Dispensational
Other Ministries
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Critical Issues Commentary - Bob DeWaay, ÿ : DeWaay's spiritual journey includes an early slog through charismania, but also graduation from North Central Bible College (Pentecostal) and Bethel Seminary (Pentecostal). His ministry is generally on solid ground regarding the subject of free will, a rare phenomena indeed. See his article here. This appears attributable to sovereign grace, exposure to Reformed and Lutheran scholars, and "verse by verse expository teaching and preaching" in a pastoral setting. His academic background and having little-to-no exposure to dispensational scholars may explain his non-cessationist views.
Watchman Fellowship - James K. Walker, This site is large and maintained by a professional staff. Evangelical, baptistic.
