Reflections
on 'The
Harbinger'
I just read a book called "The
Harbinger", by Jonathan Cahn. If
you, dear reader, have read this book then perhaps you will understand
when I say that it was captivating, challenging and encouraging.
If you have not read this book I would encourage you to do so as soon
as possible. The time may be short - either for you or for
America or for human society as we know it.
When I finished reading the book I
realized that it left, in my
opinion, several fundamental issues unexplained or unresolved.
FIRST, the book gave me the
impression that God's plan for America is
that the people of America 'turn back to Him and His ways'. This
would suggest that at a previous time in America people were in optimal
relationship with God. I would
suggest that God's plan for America is MUCH MORE than that - that the
people of America and all people would not just read the Bible and do
what they understand it to say, but that all of us would get ourselves crucified with Christ so that we
might no longer live for ourselves, but Jesus Christ
could live in us to do the will of God and to please Him in every
respect. I do not believe that God wants America to return to its
pre-1960 or even current condition of religious Christian
mediocrity. Every
Christian knows that Jesus died to save them from their sins. But few
seem to know that He died and rose again that we might no longer live
for ourselves, but for God! The crucified life is a wonderful
life of joy and peace and righteousness in the Holy Spirit!!!
I know from the end of the Bible that
God wants a new heaven and a new
earth in which righteousness dwells. In other words, He wants all
of creation to be 'born again', not just the people. And we need
to be born again, and
not just 'improved' in order to eliminate the pride and selfishness and
self-centeredness which afflicts humanity. In short, we need to
be transformed into the perfect likeness of God by the indwelling
presence of His Son Jesus Christ by abiding in
Jesus through His death and resurrection, and by thus becoming united
with God in His goodness and purity
and love.
SECOND, the current condition of
humanity is to live by our own codes
of conduct which range from almost total ungodliness to the best
of Christian revival. But we have yet to see what God can do with
people who truly take up their crosses daily in order to become free
from the sinfulness which causes sin so that we can live for God
instead of for ourselves. Even those who have benefited from the
outpouring of God's Spirit for the past twenty years seem to lack a
focus on knowing God as He really is and doing His will as He leads by
His Spirit. We have instead tried to live 'by what the Bible
says', and as a result have become more imitation Christians outwardly
than real Christians inwardly. We have leaned on our own
understanding instead of trusting God with all of our hearts. We need
to be reminded that Abraham, the friend of God, walked and talked with
God in spite of having no Bible at all!! Our current mediocrity
is due to the fact that the 'pride of our hearts has deceived us'
(reference Obadiah 3). The remedy for the deception of our hearts
is to honestly ask Jesus to save us from the pride of our hearts and to
circumcise our hearts from all pride and presumtion. Believe me,
it works and is a constant endeavor - taking up one's cross daily.
THIRD, I noticed that The Harbinger
did not attribute the waywardness
of humanity from God to the spiritual influence of the adversary.
I believe
that we desperately need to not only recognize that the pride of our
hearts has deceived us, but we also need to be aware of the influence
of our adversary, the devil and his troops. God has provided us
with the circumcision of the heart by His Spirit as well as the weapons
of our warfare to be used in overcoming our carnal tendencies and the
adversary, but modern Christianity seems to rely solely on the
'cleansing of the mind by the water of the Bible' to turn sinners into
saints.
I found no mention in The Harbinger
of the four 'Blood Moons' in 2014
and 2015, and I find it intriguing that these Blood Moons fall on the
Jewish feasts of Passover and Tabernacles in these two years, as well
as a solar eclipse on the eve of the Feast of Trumpets. These
events, taken together with the message of The Harbinger, certainly
should cause everyone who has even the slightest openness of mind to
consider the possibility that the God of Peace may really be calling
all people to come to Him in reconciliation by the grace which He
purchased with the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, two thousand years
ago.
Finally, I found in The Harbinger no
recognition of God's overall plan
of getting people to reconcile with Him rather than continuing in our
self-governed rebellious ways. I strongly believe that the
Parable of The Prodigal Son is a revelation of the way God deals with
all of creation. He creates everything in perfect working order,
then allows us to go astray from Him after our own ways for as long as
it takes for us to realize that it is better to be Father's slave than
my own freeman. Then, for those who come to Him in brokenness of
heart and true contrition, He receives us back to Him in glorious
graciousness, not counting our sins against us because they were paid
for on the cross by Jesus. But those who maintain their
self-righteousness, even though they may dwell in the house of God,
will not attain the loving relationship with God which He desires us to
have. So sad!
So please, dear reader, read The
Harbinger and prayerfully consider its
message. And be sure to let me know if my comments have been
helpful or not. Feedback is important to all of us if we are
really wanting the truth!
ADDENDUM:
I just posted this to a website I
found today (3/12/15):
Hi!
I recently read The Harbinger, and then wanted to see what other’s
perspectives were on this book. So I did an internet search and came
across your website. I appreciate your insights, and thank you for
posting them publicly. The verse of Scripture which comes to mind as I
write this is Proverbs 3:5 – “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart,
and lean not on your own understanding.” In order for this to become
true in my life I have been praying that Jesus would help me to stop
leaning too much on my understand so that I can trust Him with my whole
heart. As a result He has made major changes in my life for the good. I
find that there is a lot more beyond our comprehension than I ever
realized there is! Grace and truth be yours in Christ!
SECOND ADDENDUM:
Upon reading The Harbinger for the second time I came to the section on
page 222 (at least of the Kindle edition) where the topic of
intercession to God for His mercy on the sinful nation which is
rejecting Him. I observe that the author makes a typical carnal
Christian mistake
in evaluating the 2 Chronicles 7:14 verse which he cites as the key to
successful intercession: "If My people..." And to the
question, "Who are 'My people'?", the 'prophet' gives the answer, "'My
people' would refer to the nation as a whole...and more specifically,
those within the nation who could genuinely be called the people of
God, those who followed His ways."
Wait a minute
! The
real question is
this: Who are 'My people who are called by My name'? In
Israel it would not be those who identify themselves by their tribe,
but by the name of God. And in America, it would not be those who
identify themselves by their denominational or doctrinal 'tribes', but
by the Name of God. In essence, it is the 'elite' of God's people
whom He calls to humble themselves and to turn from their wicked ways!!
ASIDE:
One of the benefits which I have
experienced of claiming the crucified
life in Christ for myself is that I have begun to perceive things from
God's point of view father than from my point of view or other people's
point of view. As a result, for example, this morning when I woke
up I had a Beatles song on my mind which, when perceived from God's
point of view, seems to sum up God's current call of America to
Himself. The song is entitle 'And Your Bird Can Sing'.
According to LyricsMode.com, the
words to this song are as follows (see
if you can perceive this song from God's perspective):
You tell me that you've got
everything you want,
And your bird can sing,
But you don't get Me, you don't get
Me.
You say you've seen seven wonders and
your bird is green,
But you can't see Me, you can't see
Me.
When your prized possessions start to
wear you down,
Look in my direction, I'll be round,
I'll be round.
When your bird is broken will it
bring you down?
You may be awoken, I'll be round,
I'll be round.
You tell me that you've heard every
sound there is,
And your bird can swing,
But you can't hear Me, you can't hear
Me.
CAUTION: Don't wait too long to
repent and to turn to God from
your vain life. No one knows when their life will end and final
judgment will begin. After all, 'It is appointed for men to die
once, and then the judgment'.