The Harbinger

The Harbinger (which I have not read, and probably won't) has been gotten a lot of attention. As I understand it, it is a book which says that the US should repent and turn to God, and also claims that there is prophecy relating to the current situation in the US.

There are plenty of Christian critics of The Harbinger, who agree with the repentance part. But hey disagree with the methodology, in particular the claim that the US has some sort of special covenant relationship with God, and that Isaiah 9:10 is about the US. Here's that verse, from the public domain World English Bible:

“The bricks have fallen,

but we will build with cut stone.

The sycamore fig trees have been cut down,

but we will put cedars in their place.”

As I understand it, the book claims that this is a prophecy about the fall of the World Trade Center, on September 11, 2001.

Here are some such criticisms: 
The Berean Call says that the central claim in the book is that the U.S. has a special relationship with God, hence prophecy in Isaiah applies to us. We don't have such a special relationship. The review also says that the book's publisher has published other books which are perversions of scripture.

Light House Trails also has concerns about the "special relationship." It also says that George Washington's swearing in was on a Masonic Bible. And "So, while Cahn may be technically right in referring to harbingers as secrets, he should be cautious of ... [suggesting] that these findings offer new revelation contrary to what has been laid down in Scripture. ... there are a great many people who would be delighted to learn that the Bible is really nothing more than a code book to be deciphered ..."

Biblical Integrity has a number of criticisms, all serious, including: Saying that God has never put a "hedge of protection" around any country but Israel, and "... if America enjoyed God’s hedge of protection, then what about Pearl Harbor? ... In the War of 1812, Detroit was captured by the British and Washington D.C. was captured and burned. Mexico invaded Texas in the Mexican-American War. In 1993, the World Trade Center was bombed by foreign nationals with the intent of taking down both towers. Was God’s hedge of protection not in place when these breaches occurred? If not, when was it put into place or put back into place?"
The web page questions the significance of fallen bricks.
The web page points out that Cahn's book mentions speeches by then Senator Tom Daschle and former Vice Presidential candidate John Edwards, but completely misinterprets their intent.
" ... the Isaiah 9:10 Effect is presented as an inviolable principle that once set in motion, the corresponding prescribed outcome is inevitable. Furthermore, it is discussed as if it were completely biblical, yet nothing even remotely similar to this theoretical principle is mentioned or implied anywhere in the Word of God."
Points out that the stock market downturn of September 29, 2008, does not even rank in the top ten of such downturns, when measured by percent, and asks why Cahn doesn't suppose that God was judging us in 1929, when the stock market really crashed.

Not As it Looks reviews the book, and refers extensively to a book-length critique of The Harbinger, by David James. Here's a web page, excerpted from that book by James.

This web page was modified, by expanding the links given above, on December 14, 2014. Previously, the links were merely listed. Here's a page listing a number of reviews of The Harbinger. I haven't read them, but suspect that they are all negative.

Thanks for reading.