Dear Brothers and Sisters, It is such a blessing that we can have this sweet, honest dialog about important current issues such as this. "Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity." Psalm 133:1
Let me be quick to confirm that I would love to see a prophet speaking with such boldness as Jonathan Cahn on every street corner of every city across our land. I have said that many times from the pulpit, and thought of that again this morning during a time of prayerful reflection on these things. I would not want to discourage anyone who with broken heart and contrite spirit would give such a clarion call for righteousness regardless of the setting. I certainly do not want to discourage the fundamental message that Bro. Cahn is proclaiming - a need for national repentance along with a strong warning of judgment without it. Amen. If I have discouraged that in you through my criticism, please accept my apology.
That being said, I would try to explain more clearly my frame of thought in the commentary that I thought the Lord gave me to share. If I share these things as bullet points, I can be more brief.
1) The Christian community in America has a strong pattern of sternly criticizing the unsaved community, and its unsaved politicians for their failure to commit to righteousness and to pass righteous laws. But fellow disciples of our Lord, let us remember that they are lost and cannot possibly adhere to our "commandments" with hearing ears. That, however, wouldn't be so bad since we do have a precedent in the scripture with Jonah's call to do the same in Nivenah (a gentile nation). But that same Christian community throughout America has clearly and unabashedly neglected the voice of true prophets within her own midst, calling her to real repentance. You see, we continue to blame our lack of unrighteousness and unholiness on the secular world. For example, Hollywood is not the Christians problem, and fixing it will not solve our problem; yet many mainstream Christian leaders rebuke them constantly. The problem lies within our own ranks, and if those problems were solved, Hollywood would be lost in the shadows of God's glory. With this in mind, it is difficult for me to rejoice with much exuberance over Bro. Cahn's proclamation - though I do not want to discourage it.
2) The endorsers of The Harbinger, Author Cahn's book on this subject, are leaders of mainstream charismatic Christianity. I well remember the high points of that earlier movement, having received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit myself in 1976. I thank God for His work through it, but like every other move of the Spirit upon men, we mess it up royally as soon as possible and thanks to man's influence the charismatic movement has resulted in a royal spiritual mess. Please consider a holy review of the men Bro. Cahn chose to endorse his book. This should send red flags up about this whole matter right away. It was some of those same men, and many other mainstream Christian men like them that strongly endorsed Mel Gibson's movie, The Passion - which upon further investigation revealed unbelievable satanic influences at its root, and all the way through. I would add that the precious Holy Spirit had me prepare a strong rebuke to it BEFORE it hit the big screen. I was rejected for that too.
Finally,
3) In Bro. Cahn's book, it is abundantly clear that he is calling for repentance based upon the threat of losing America as we have known it. Please consult his book for your own witness. I find this a serious infraction on Truth. In this, Bro. Cahn's heart was revealed; and the hearts of the mainstream leaders were also revealed. Dare not they lose their beloved American platforms where they are free to spew "another gospel," lest they lose their notoriety and all that goes with it too! Dear ones, we should be calling for real repentance based upon the life and death of our precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and all that God continues to do in His long-suffering love for His name on earth. This is a primary reason that I lose enthusiasm over Bro. Cahn's message, whether written or preached. Regardless of how powerful a message of repentance may sound, and in spite of the great need for it, we should not be challenged to repent because our country is at stake, but that our Lord's name is at stake! There was no direct mention of this in His book.
Well, may our Lord be praised. And may He help us grow together in the precious Holy Spirit of His grace as we continue to be driven more deeply into "the evil day." Apostasy is at an all time high, and we are in desperate need of real revival preachers, but along with them we need real Holy Spirit discernment too.
in His grace, MC