This week, prolific author, Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn’s latest book “The Harbinger II: The Return,” remains on the New York Times bestsellers list — after debuting in the No. 4 slot on Sept. 10. Additionally, it appears on all major bookselling lists.
The Harbinger ll is a sequel to “The Harbinger,”Cahn’s 2011 first mega-hit that spent over 100 consecutive weeks as a NYT bestseller and among Amazon’s top 100 bestsellers for over six months.
If unfamiliar with Cahn, you might ask, “What is the topic of these two Harbinger books that many believe the NYT mistakenly lists as ‘fiction’?”
The answer: Bible-based warnings about the inevitable consequences that beset a nation when it has turned away from God. But for Cahn, his Harbinger books are more “non-fiction,” reflecting his firm belief that “a nation” is the United States of America and the signs that warned ancient Israel of coming judgment now appear in our land.
Then on Sept. 26 in Washington D.C. on the National Mall, Cahn, drawing upon his faith in Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew) as the Jewish Messiah — Cahn leveraged his platform as a prophetic speaker and led an extraordinary 12-hour event — “The Return: National and Global Day of Prayer and Repentance.”
For Cahn and his Return advisory board of Christian leaders, the planning for Sept. 26 began in March. But in August, evangelical leader Franklin Graham — building on The Return’s momentum — announced that he would lead a “Prayer March” from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol Building on the same day and time.
Both events simultaneously on the National Mall attracted crowds with estimates as high as 125,000. I saw many tens of thousands of people with my own eyes, but the size was severely downplayed by the mainstream media, such as this Washington Post headline:
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“Prayer march draws thousands to the Mall seeking healing for the nation.”
The Post reported: “Two groups — one organized by New Jersey-based pastor and popular author Jonathan Cahn, the other led by Evangelist Franklin Graham — emphasized slightly different objectives but came with a shared focus central to many millions of Christian conservatives: repairing a country they say is in the midst of a spiritual crisis.”
Today, two weeks after The Return, the national “spiritual crisis” has not abated. However, Jonathan Cahn graciously agreed to answer my questions and share how God was at work on Sept. 26.
Myra Kahn Adams: Did The Return meet your expectations?
Jonathan Cahn: We are overwhelmed by what the Lord did at The Return. It was everything we could have hoped for and more. First, with the coronavirus, civil unrest, and a quarantine on Washington, we had no idea that many people would show up. But, when we saw the tens of thousands who had traveled across the country, even the world to be there, we were amazed.
MKA: The Return was also promoted as an off-site and online event. Do you have any streaming participation numbers?
JC: Even more stunning to us were the numbers of people who virtually attended The Return throughout the nation and world. People were sharing and participating during the entire day in churches, homes, city-wide, and region-wide events not only in America but from Nigeria to Indonesia to Jerusalem. We know over 12 million people took part in numbers gathered from known and primary streaming sources. Moreover, with secondary and international platforms, in addition to broadcast television, we’ve been told viewership was tens of millions.
MKA: Do you know of any lives and faith journeys that were impacted by The Return?
JC: Thanks for asking that. Reports are flooding in from around America and the world about lives that have been changed. People in tears, people on their knees, people returning to the Lord, families weeping because a long-prayed for family member came to the Lord through The Return. And even reports of people being healed. Also gratifying is that we received a message from a well-known Orthodox Jewish rabbi in Israel who told us: “We’re watching The Return in Israel, and we’re shaking. We’re amazed!”
MKA: During The Return, the weather was cloudy. But during your most intense prayer, I saw the sun breakthrough. Can you tell readers more about that from your perspective on stage?
JC: There were unplanned “special effects.” As I was speaking, giving the Word to America, I kept hearing a sound growing louder and louder. People all over the world heard it as well. It was a rumbling, the sound of thunder, that matched the message and its intensity. When I finished the message, I couldn’t hear it anymore. We all went down to our knees to pray in repentance. Many observers told me that as we prayed, the storm clouds broke open and the light of the sun came streaming through.
MKA: President Trump sent a prayer message that was shown on the jumbotrons. However, in our July interview, when I asked you about The Return’s timing in Washington so close to the election, you said in part:
“The Return is a spiritual event – not a political one. The point is return, repentance, and revival. That’s bigger than any political campaign.”
Care to comment?
JC: Yes, during The Return, I led a prayer where we lifted our hands to the Capitol. We prayed that God’s will be done in this coming election — along with issues of life, morality, and religious freedom — for America and the world. We trust in God’s will. At the same time, we note that leaders and governments may not only function as vessels of God but as judgments. This election will be critical, and it may determine whether this nation seals its course for judgment or whether a window remains open for revival. Ultimately, we pray, “Thy will be done.”
MKA: The Return is over. What comes next?
JC: As to what will happen now, we know we did what we were called to according to the Hebrew Bible verse, 2 Chronicles 7:14. We humbled ourselves, we prayed, we sought God’s face, and we repented for ourselves, for the Church, for America, for the nations. It is now in God’s hands. We know He will act.
Exactly how that manifests we shall see. But one manifestation has already been revealed: We are receiving requests from nations to hold The Return throughout the earth. Over seventeen different nations in the first week!
MKA: Wonderful news! On behalf of Townhall readers, thanks for sharing what happened during and after The Return.
Myra Kahn Adams is a media producer and conservative political and religious writer with numerous national credits. She is also Executive Director of www.SignFromGod.org, a ministry dedicated to educating people about the Shroud of Turin. Contact: MyraAdams01@gmail.com or Twitter @MyraKAdams.
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