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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!
The book you can't afford NOT to read.
It is already affecting your life…
And it WILL affect your future!
Is it possible that there exists a three-thousand-year-old mystery that…
· Has been determining the course of your life without your knowing it?
· Foretells current events before they happen?
· Revealed the dates and the hours of the greatest crashes in Wall Street history before they happened?
· Determined the timing of 9/11?
· Lies behind the rise of America to global superpower… and its fall?
· Has forecast the rising and falling of the world’s stock market throughout modern times?
· Lies behind world wars and the collapse of nations, world powers, and empires?
· Holds key to what lies ahead for the world and for your life?
· And much more….
It is already affecting your life…
And it WILL affect your future!
Is it possible that there exists a three-thousand-year-old mystery that…
· Has been determining the course of your life without your knowing it?
· Foretells current events before they happen?
· Revealed the dates and the hours of the greatest crashes in Wall Street history before they happened?
· Determined the timing of 9/11?
· Lies behind the rise of America to global superpower… and its fall?
· Has forecast the rising and falling of the world’s stock market throughout modern times?
· Lies behind world wars and the collapse of nations, world powers, and empires?
· Holds key to what lies ahead for the world and for your life?
· And much more….
275 pages, Paperback
Published September 2, 2014
About the author
Jonathan Cahn
52 books696 followersJonathan Cahn is known for bringing out the deep mysteries and rich revelations of God’s word, as well as restoring the originally biblically Jewish context and flavor of the New Testament. He leads Hope of the World, an outreach dedicated to spreading the word of God and the love of God to all who need, through television, radio, shortwave, and more, and through projects of compassion to the world’s poorest. Jonathan also leads the Jerusalem Center (& Beth Israel) a worship center made up of Jew and Gentile, people of all nations – located in Wayne, New Jersey, outside New York City.
Follow Jonathan on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheOfficialH...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 260 reviews
October 1, 2014
Interesting thesis. I'm not 100% convinced, but it's not unbiblical.
So why the two stars?
1) Half the book seemed like a constant repeat of the same idea: financial catastrophe every 7 years. Cahn took 100 pages to say something that could've and should've taken 25 pages.
2) Too much of his theory is based only on financial collapse. What about drought, famine, war, etc, which is well within the biblical definition of the shemitah?
3) The quality of the writing is significantly decreased from "The Harbinger." And while I understand this is a non-fiction book, that doesn't mean you can repeat the same idea twelve different ways and call it a book. To that extent, some of the material seems contrived and perhaps nothing more than an attempt to capitalize on a follow-up to a best seller.
4) Finally, the book could've been more rigorous, more biblical, and included the message of Jesus and repentance in more places than the conclusion.
So why the two stars?
1) Half the book seemed like a constant repeat of the same idea: financial catastrophe every 7 years. Cahn took 100 pages to say something that could've and should've taken 25 pages.
2) Too much of his theory is based only on financial collapse. What about drought, famine, war, etc, which is well within the biblical definition of the shemitah?
3) The quality of the writing is significantly decreased from "The Harbinger." And while I understand this is a non-fiction book, that doesn't mean you can repeat the same idea twelve different ways and call it a book. To that extent, some of the material seems contrived and perhaps nothing more than an attempt to capitalize on a follow-up to a best seller.
4) Finally, the book could've been more rigorous, more biblical, and included the message of Jesus and repentance in more places than the conclusion.
September 16, 2014
If you are not already aware of the prophetic significance of shemitah and yovel/jubilee years, I recommend this book as a primer. A shemitah year 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 will be a Jubilee year of major portent for Israel and the entire world. (Jubilee years are the 50th year following the 7th shemitah. 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 2000-2001 and 2007-2008. Cahn also reaches back to connect earlier shemitah years (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 (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 in 1973; Ayatolla Khomeini assumes power in 1979-80 shemitah); Reagan at Brandenburg gate in 1987; the Oslo accords at the start of the 1993-94 shemitah). 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 "Left Behind" series.
One interesting feature in this book is Cahn's rationale for applying the shemitah 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 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: "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 as "a prophetic sign" (p.55) may be just the book for some to begin this study.
I am giving this book 4 stars, because it provides original research to demonstrate a prophetic cycle of economic "shakings" in the shemitah years 2000-2001 and 2007-2008. Cahn also reaches back to connect earlier shemitah years (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 (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 in 1973; Ayatolla Khomeini assumes power in 1979-80 shemitah); Reagan at Brandenburg gate in 1987; the Oslo accords at the start of the 1993-94 shemitah). 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 "Left Behind" series.
One interesting feature in this book is Cahn's rationale for applying the shemitah 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 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: "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 as "a prophetic sign" (p.55) may be just the book for some to begin this study.
April 15, 2015
It is amazing how things begin to make sense. I started reading Mr. Cahn with the Harbinger. As Ecclesiates 3:1 says, “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven” (NLT) and Mr. Cahn clearly explains what has happened and what we need to do. Definitely he is a man sent by God for such a time as this. One part that touched me deeply in the book is where Mr. Cahn writes, “If the watchman sees the danger coming and doesn’t sound the trumpet to warn the people, when the calamity comes, their blood will be upon his head. So I sound the trumpet.” I recommend Christians and Non-Christians alike to read this book. I, too, am sounding the trumpet.
February 8, 2016
Lots of repeating and as an audiobook, the narrator was WAY too much like a movie trailer voice. It was too distracting. I quit after 2 CDs.
December 9, 2014
Wow! That was three hours or so of my life I'll never get back. To debunk this book completely would take a review that was several paragraphs so I will simly point out this simple fact. The reason we "know" that AM 5775 (the current Jewish year) is a Shmittah year is because it is divisible by 7. Yet the Jewish calendar is based on known errors, such as the fiction that the 1st temple was destroyed either in 423 BCE, 422, or 421. Rabbi Cahn clearly does not accept this (he says over and over in this book that the temple was destroyed in 586 BCE) so to be consistent he should add either 163, 164, or 165 to 5775. When one does so, the result is not divisible by 7, therefore the present year (and every other so called Shmittah year in the book) is not a Shmittah year.
For those who are impressed by the impressive list of coincidences compiled by Rabbi Cahn, I have a question. The incorrect Jewish chronology is based in part on the assumption that 490 years passed between the destruction of the 1st temple and the destruction of the 2nd temple. This, in turn, is derived from the prophecy of Daniel's 70 weeks. The Christian interpretation is totally different: it is assumed that the 70 weeks (figuratively 490 years) points to Christ. The Christian interpretation is based on secular dating rather than Jewish dating. So, my question is this: if these coincidences truly point to God's affirmation of 5775 as part of the Shmittah cycle, is He affirming Jewish dating in which Daniel's prophecies have nothing to do with Jesus and denying Secular dating, and thus denying that Jesus is the Messiah?
For those who are impressed by the impressive list of coincidences compiled by Rabbi Cahn, I have a question. The incorrect Jewish chronology is based in part on the assumption that 490 years passed between the destruction of the 1st temple and the destruction of the 2nd temple. This, in turn, is derived from the prophecy of Daniel's 70 weeks. The Christian interpretation is totally different: it is assumed that the 70 weeks (figuratively 490 years) points to Christ. The Christian interpretation is based on secular dating rather than Jewish dating. So, my question is this: if these coincidences truly point to God's affirmation of 5775 as part of the Shmittah cycle, is He affirming Jewish dating in which Daniel's prophecies have nothing to do with Jesus and denying Secular dating, and thus denying that Jesus is the Messiah?
July 27, 2015
2.5 stars.
Overly repetitive and dramatic. So much so that is takes away from the message. I assume that Jonathan Cahn believes that the reader is stupid, so he has to repeat the same info five or six times with very slight variations or he wants to make sure that what he is saying is ingrained in the reader's mind. If the former, then that's just condescending and I don't want to read anything else from him. If the latter, then it just puts an average reader off of his work, and in my case, I didn't finish the book. Can't ingrain something in my mind if I'm not reading it.
I do NOT recommend the audiobook version of it. The narrator must be the movie trailer voiceover guy--you know the one. He has the deep voice and over dramatacizes the setup of the movie. He only aplifies the repetitiveness of the manuscript. There is not telling how many times I rolled my eyes as he dramatacized "the mytery of..."
I listened to 4 of the 5 cds. I found myself wanting to listen to music rather than continue on with the audiobook. That's a shame because the actual information was interesting. But as I said In my first paragraph, can't ingrain something in me if I don't finish it.
Overly repetitive and dramatic. So much so that is takes away from the message. I assume that Jonathan Cahn believes that the reader is stupid, so he has to repeat the same info five or six times with very slight variations or he wants to make sure that what he is saying is ingrained in the reader's mind. If the former, then that's just condescending and I don't want to read anything else from him. If the latter, then it just puts an average reader off of his work, and in my case, I didn't finish the book. Can't ingrain something in my mind if I'm not reading it.
I do NOT recommend the audiobook version of it. The narrator must be the movie trailer voiceover guy--you know the one. He has the deep voice and over dramatacizes the setup of the movie. He only aplifies the repetitiveness of the manuscript. There is not telling how many times I rolled my eyes as he dramatacized "the mytery of..."
I listened to 4 of the 5 cds. I found myself wanting to listen to music rather than continue on with the audiobook. That's a shame because the actual information was interesting. But as I said In my first paragraph, can't ingrain something in me if I don't finish it.
July 14, 2017
I have very little understanding of the Stock Market. But I do know that I don't trust the math/statistics that were stated in the book. There are some very compelling facts and interest points.
I preferred the previous book because it was more of a story telling of the Harbingers. I also found this book very, very repetitive with a fair bit of circular arguments.
I preferred the previous book because it was more of a story telling of the Harbingers. I also found this book very, very repetitive with a fair bit of circular arguments.
March 16, 2015
Really enjoyed this book and it's so timely as we are currently in the Shemitah year. I gave out 4 stars as there was much repetition. There is a small synopsis of Harbinger, so you don't HAVE to read it first, but I'm glad I didn't skip it. As a Christian, I love learning more about how God instructed Israel, and especially how it applies today.
January 23, 2015
The idea of taking a Sabbath day off to rest is not a new one. Up until recent times, it was unthinkable to find stores open on Sundays or employers demanding that workers put in a 7-day workweek. But materialism and secular humanism have changed our culture dramatically, and what used to be unreasonable is now the norm.
What we sow, we reap, and a recent New York Times bestseller, The Mystery of the Shemitah, has paired this truth with an urgent warning. Author Jonathan Cahn skillfully links many of the nation's ills with our failure to honor God. He shows historically that God is not mocked. He also warns that according to the Bible's seven-year timetable called "Shemitah," we will reap judgment again, just as we have many times before.
What is Shemitah? It is, to put it in simplistic terms, an extension of the law of the Sabbath. Just as Israel was commanded to rest every seventh day (a pattern modeled and initiated by God in Genesis, during creation); so the land must be given a rest every seven years to enjoy her Sabbaths. (See Leviticus 25). It requires Israel to rekindle her trust in God as Provider by taking an extended "vacation," of sorts, from sowing and reaping.
For an agricultural economy, this principle is understandable. Fields lie fallow, and what grows on its own is shared and eaten by everyone. Debts are forgiven. Even today's sophisticated studies of farming confirm the benefits of rotating crops or allowing the ground to lie fallow for a period of time, to restore the soil's nutrients. It makes economic sense.
It makes spiritual sense, too. Any farmer will tell you how refreshing a year of rest from hard labor is for himself! The extra time the Israelites gain when they cease sowing and harvesting is intended to be time spent with God. It is almost like a fast: an implicit acknowledgement that Israel relies wholly upon Him.
What doesn't make sense, perhaps, is how to practice this in modern times. In an economy that is no longer agriculturally-based, how does one stop working? Today's industries demand nonstop investment. One cannot simply abandon his job and hope that somehow there will be enough food to go around - can he? Is this really what God wants?
Under Old Testament law, it would seem so. The biblical penalty for failing to keep these seven-year cycles of Sabbaths was exile to Babylon. For seventy years, the land of Israel enjoyed the full number of Sabbaths she had missed. (See Leviticus 26:34 & Jeremiah 29). Her economy was devastated and her enemies defeated her.
The Mystery of the Shemitah advocates that we as a nation must return to God, lest we incur His judgment. Jeremiah 29:11, a favorite "blessing promise" verse, was conditional: it would come to pass only after the Sabbaths had been fulfilled. (See Jeremiah 29:10-14 for the context). 2 Chronicles 7:14, another favorite verse for the healing of the land, is also conditional. Our very lives depend on our seeking God. (See also Amos 5:4, Matthew 6:33).
What Does This Mean for Us?
God is serious about His people returning regularly to a place of wholehearted trust in Him. Believers know that Christ is the fulfillment of every law. Now living in the doctrine of grace, we can honor God's heart for the Shemitah just as we honor the Sabbath. Not with a legalistic adherence to a year of rest, but with an attitude that demonstrates trust and a desire to seek Him more fervently. How do we do that?
Proverbs 3:4-5 reads,
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. (NKJV)
Open Heaven's Door!
Here's an illustration the Lord gave me in prayer: normally, our everyday lives involve applying ourselves steadily to our work, as if we are pushing repeatedly on a door until it opens. Our reward for exerting that pressure comes in the form of a paycheck, a promotion, or (if we are farming!) a harvest.
The Shemitah principle reminds us that there are times when we would do better to turn around and apply pressure to the door on our opposite side: heaven's door. It may seem counter-intuitive to turn away from the source of our natural provision, but turning renews our focus on God, our true Source. Heaven's door yields more easily and our breakthroughs reveal hidden treasures, both natural and spiritual, which we could not otherwise access.
In other words, we don't stop sowing, but we do start sowing to the Spirit instead of to the flesh. I like the way this translation puts it:
If you plant in [the soil of] your corrupt nature, you will harvest destruction.
But if you plant in [the soil of] your spiritual nature,
you will harvest everlasting life.
-God's Word Translation
Sabbaths and Shemitahs remind us time after time that God is still trustworthy. The inscription on our money reads: In God We Trust. This Shemitah year, I pray that every time we handle money, we'll be reminded that it is God who gives us the power to get wealth, as a sign of His loving covenant with us.* I pray that in seeking Him, we'll find that our time is never wasted and our harvests are multiplied.
*Deuteronomy 8:18. For a Jewish testimony about God's provision during a Shemitah year, click here. To purchase a copy of Jonathan Cahn's book or audio, click the photo below.
c. Deborah Perkins, 2015
Deborah Perkins is passionate about helping others to connect with God. She writes about knowing God and hearing His voice at His Inscriptions.com. Follow her on Twitter@DeborahSPerkins or Facebook at HisInscriptions.
October 19, 2014
This one was better than The Harbinger mainly because of the basic content. In The Harbinger, the author says that book practically wrote itself very quickly--and one can tell. This book also appears to have been quickly written and not too well-edited because the same things are said over and over. If that was a convention for emphasis, it didn't work so well and was unnecessary because the content was intriguing enough to gain a foothold in my mind. All that aside, I liked seeing the "coincidental" correlations between dates of well-known financial crashes and violations of the Sabbath rest commandment. The author states several times that his purpose for writing both The Harbinger and this book is not date-setting (a wise approach), but a call to repentance to avoid the same judgment that Israel suffered for turning its back on God, worshipping other gods, doing precisely what God told them not to do, calling evil good and good evil, etc. With that in mind, the author applies the principles underneath the Sabbath commandment to suggest that warning shots of judgment and actual judgments have already come, and that additional and more intense judgments could again befall the United States in the very near future--as soon as 2015, but without making an astrological prediction that judgment will come next September. God's ways and timing are His and often hidden to us, so there's no point in making such predictions. But there is and has always been a point in calling all men to repent and believe, and the United States is overripe for hearing and heeding that call.
July 7, 2015
Convincing.
I would have given 5 stars except that he repeats himself so much I feel I could have had the pertinent information in 100 pages, not 273.
I would have given 5 stars except that he repeats himself so much I feel I could have had the pertinent information in 100 pages, not 273.
April 19, 2024
ARE STOCK MARKET CRASHES COORDINATED WITH A JEWISH CALENDAR MONTH?
[NOTE: This review pertains to the 2018 Updated Edition of this book.]
Author Jonathan Cahn wrote in the first chapter of this 2014 [original edition] book, “The mystery was first revealed in ‘The Harbinger’… I take no credit for the book or the revelations therein… It began without being sought after and then basically wrote itself. ‘The Harbinger’ contains fourteen major revelations or mysteries. One of these revelations is that of the Shemitah. From the moment the book was released, I’ve been deluged with questions concerning America’s future and that of the world… With the approach of the next Shemitah, the amount of speculation had increased exponentially. In view of this, [my] publisher … strongly felt that a book had to be written to open up the mystery of the Shemitah. My initial reaction was caution… The Harbinger’s ultimate call is that of repentance, not speculation of the setting of dates. The mysteries … all point to a coming national calamity… But that calamity doesn’t have to take place when we think it must… But barring a national change of course, it will come… There was much more to the mystery of the Shemitah than what I was able to reveal in The Harbinger’s one chapter concerning it… That is the reason for this book. What could not be revealed before will be revealed now.” (Pg. 3-4)
In Chapter 2, he recalls, “The Harbinger … reveals an ancient biblical mystery manifesting in modern times. It is a message of warning concerning coming calamity… It began on the morning of September 11, 2001. Ten years earlier I had been led to give a message in which I spoke of a national judgment beginning in New York City. I shared that message… at the two ministries I lead, Hope of the World and the Jerusalem Center/Beth Israel, [which] are both located … across the river from Manhattan…. Later on, I was led to turn to the ninth and tenth chapters of the Book of Isaiah. These chapters contained the verse from which the revelations of The Harbinger would come… The event that proved to be the turning point would take place later at the corner of Ground Zero… I heard an inner voice say, ‘There’s a mystery here. You must seek and find it.’ So I began to search into the mystery that had so drawn my attention… One by one, each of the nine signs were revealed…
“I first shared the revelations of The Harbinger at a Friday night service of my congregation. The people who heard it were stunned. There was an immediate feeling that [the message] … had to go forth to the nation. But I didn’t take any action in that direction… In 2005, while sharing the initial revelations, I alluded to a coming collapse of Wall Street. In September 2008, in the midst of writing the book, Wall Street did collapse… In the process of writing The Harbinger I was led to present the mysteries and revelations in a way that would be easy for anyone to grasp… The entire story came to me in a matter of hours… in a relatively short time it was finished.” (Pg. 7-9)
He explains, “The word ‘shemitah’ is most often translated as ‘the release’ or ‘the remission.’ … The Shemitah of ancient Israel refers not only to the releasing of the land but also to the nullification of debt and credit ordained by God and performed on a massive nationwide scale… Shemitah became the name of the last day of the Sabbath year, Elul 29, the Day of Remission. But it also became the name of the Sabbath year in its entirety… The last day of Elul 29 is the year’s … peak and culmination… when everything is released, remitted, land wiped away in one day…” (Pg. 26-27)
He states, “There is no nation in the modern world so deeply linked to ancient Israel as America… Is the Israel connection necessary for the mystery to manifest? No. It could manifest to any nation… No unique connection to ancient Israel is needed for America to be given a biblical sign of national judgment. But the fact that America does bear such a deep connection to ancient Israel makes it all the more … fitting for the same signs used to warn Israel of judgment to warn America…. [But] Why would the sign of the Shemitah… be given to America in the first place? … at the peak of [Israel’s] blessings … The nation began turning away from the God of their foundation… those who remained faithful to God… were now marginalized, mocked, vilified, and … persecuted… America’s founders prophesied that … [as] the new nation would follow the ways of God, it would be blessed… But at the pinnacle of its power … [America] would reenact the apostasy and fall of the Israel of the ancient world… America progressively redefined… a new morality to replace the old… those who founded America … also gave warning… if America ever turned away from God, then same judgments that fell upon ancient Israel would fall upon America… So we now have the missing key---a civilization uniquely joined to the pattern of ancient Israel… invoked the judgment of the Shemitah.” (Pg. 52-55)
He asks, “Could there be any connection between the Great Depression and the ancient mystery?... the Shemitah began in late 1930… In April 1931, the center of the Shemitah year, the stock market began a long-term crash… On September 19, 1931… the British Empire … discard[ed] the gold standard… The decision resulted in a worldwide panic… When did this global financial cataclysm happen?... on the fourteenth day of Tishri, the once-in-seven-years Tishri, the month of the Shemitah’s financial repercussions… The ancient Shemitah and the Great Depression proceeded simultaneously… 100 percent.” (Pg. 76-77) Later, he summarizes, “from the forty-year period beginning in 1973, every single one of the five greatest financial and economic peaks and collapses have … taken place according to the set time of the Shemitah.” (Pg. 99-100)
Later he states, “Of the ten greatest percentage crashes in stock market history, do any of them take place in the biblical month of Tishri?... Forty percent … take place in this single Hebrew month. No other month comes close... If we enlarge our search by just three days, how many of the ten greatest crashes take place in the month of Tishri or within three days of Tishri? Sixty percent! How big is the span of time in which all these stock market crashes cluster? Just eighteen days! Thus 60 percent of the greatest single-day percentage crashes in Wall Street history cluster around a tiny sliver of the biblical year… If there was nothing more than the natural world, the greatest crashes should be distributed randomly, more or less evenly, throughout every month and season of the year. But for 60 percent of these crashes to cluster around … one small time period, points to something more than natural going on.” (Pg. 106) Later, he adds, “What if we now do the same thing with the greatest POINT crashes in stock market history… [adding them] to the top twenty? … How many are linked to the month of Elul, its eve, the year of the Shemitah, or its wake? Eighty-five percent of them!” (Pg. 109)
He argues, “The link between 9/11 and Elul 29 raises an inescapable point: Had the events of 9/11 not happened, there would have been no collapse of the stock market… And if the stock market hadn’t collapsed at the time it did, there would have been no great financial collapse in the Year of the Shemitah… Nor would there have been a connection between Wall Street and Tishri… What this means is that even the timing of 9/11 had to be part of the ancient mystery of the Shemitah.” (Pg. 121)
He asserts, “the mystery of the Shemitah, in its last two manifestations, appears to have intensified in magnitude and precision… that parallels an intensification and acceleration in the spirit and moral descent of America and much of the modern world. The phenomenon is overwhelming. The mystery of the Shemitah has affected the course of the stock market and the economy, America and the nations, and the lives of everyone reading these words.” (Pg. 132)
He says, “In the years following the [First World] War, America … had begun an irreversible rise to power that would take it to heights no nation or empire had ever known. And that ascent had begun in the Year of the Shemitah?... Both 1917 and 1945 stand as key turning points) in American and world history. They share … another distinction: each is the Year of the Shemitah.” (Pg. 185)
In the additional material added to the book in the updated edition, he explains, “What you’re about to read is what happened after ‘The Mystery of the Shemitah’ came out… this section is being added in … after the Shemitah that began in the last quarter of 2014 and that, for practical purposes, will be referred to as the Shemitah of 2015.” (Pg. 201)
He continues, “the Shemitah of 2015… as a year of massive shaking in the financial and economic realms… The headlines proclaimed it the worst year since 2008. Again, it had all happened according to a seven-year cycle as in the mystery of the Shemitah… Both WORST years, both years of collapse---2015 and 2008---constituted the biblical Shemitah.” (Pg. 213)
He notes, “the Shemitah of 2015 … produced two more of the top ten crashes in Wall Street history… Adding these two new greatest crashes… not only do 70 percent of them connect to the biblical Shemitah, but also their average proximity ratio to the once-in-seven-years biblical day of financial nullification exceeds 99 percent!” (Pg. 242-243)
He cautions, “When speaking of the future, I have always sought to issue caution on two counts: First, we must keep in mind that God’s plans are not bound to follow any past pattern or fit into any of our eschatological boxes, and nothing HAS to take place in any given time period. Yet, second, we are also called to be aware and ready concerning the signs of the times. And looking at the cycle of the prophetic Jubilees, one cannot avoid the question as to what might be ahead…” (Pg. 256)
He concludes, “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?... 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…” (Pg. 262)
Cahn’s more ‘optimistic’ perspective in this book is probably related to his ‘positive’ perceptions of Trump becoming president (defeating the ‘Jezebel’ Hillary Clinton). His attempts to bolster his findings by ‘adding three days’ here and there hardly persuade me. But of course, in future books he will get to deal with COVID, and Trump’s leaving office…
[NOTE: This review pertains to the 2018 Updated Edition of this book.]
Author Jonathan Cahn wrote in the first chapter of this 2014 [original edition] book, “The mystery was first revealed in ‘The Harbinger’… I take no credit for the book or the revelations therein… It began without being sought after and then basically wrote itself. ‘The Harbinger’ contains fourteen major revelations or mysteries. One of these revelations is that of the Shemitah. From the moment the book was released, I’ve been deluged with questions concerning America’s future and that of the world… With the approach of the next Shemitah, the amount of speculation had increased exponentially. In view of this, [my] publisher … strongly felt that a book had to be written to open up the mystery of the Shemitah. My initial reaction was caution… The Harbinger’s ultimate call is that of repentance, not speculation of the setting of dates. The mysteries … all point to a coming national calamity… But that calamity doesn’t have to take place when we think it must… But barring a national change of course, it will come… There was much more to the mystery of the Shemitah than what I was able to reveal in The Harbinger’s one chapter concerning it… That is the reason for this book. What could not be revealed before will be revealed now.” (Pg. 3-4)
In Chapter 2, he recalls, “The Harbinger … reveals an ancient biblical mystery manifesting in modern times. It is a message of warning concerning coming calamity… It began on the morning of September 11, 2001. Ten years earlier I had been led to give a message in which I spoke of a national judgment beginning in New York City. I shared that message… at the two ministries I lead, Hope of the World and the Jerusalem Center/Beth Israel, [which] are both located … across the river from Manhattan…. Later on, I was led to turn to the ninth and tenth chapters of the Book of Isaiah. These chapters contained the verse from which the revelations of The Harbinger would come… The event that proved to be the turning point would take place later at the corner of Ground Zero… I heard an inner voice say, ‘There’s a mystery here. You must seek and find it.’ So I began to search into the mystery that had so drawn my attention… One by one, each of the nine signs were revealed…
“I first shared the revelations of The Harbinger at a Friday night service of my congregation. The people who heard it were stunned. There was an immediate feeling that [the message] … had to go forth to the nation. But I didn’t take any action in that direction… In 2005, while sharing the initial revelations, I alluded to a coming collapse of Wall Street. In September 2008, in the midst of writing the book, Wall Street did collapse… In the process of writing The Harbinger I was led to present the mysteries and revelations in a way that would be easy for anyone to grasp… The entire story came to me in a matter of hours… in a relatively short time it was finished.” (Pg. 7-9)
He explains, “The word ‘shemitah’ is most often translated as ‘the release’ or ‘the remission.’ … The Shemitah of ancient Israel refers not only to the releasing of the land but also to the nullification of debt and credit ordained by God and performed on a massive nationwide scale… Shemitah became the name of the last day of the Sabbath year, Elul 29, the Day of Remission. But it also became the name of the Sabbath year in its entirety… The last day of Elul 29 is the year’s … peak and culmination… when everything is released, remitted, land wiped away in one day…” (Pg. 26-27)
He states, “There is no nation in the modern world so deeply linked to ancient Israel as America… Is the Israel connection necessary for the mystery to manifest? No. It could manifest to any nation… No unique connection to ancient Israel is needed for America to be given a biblical sign of national judgment. But the fact that America does bear such a deep connection to ancient Israel makes it all the more … fitting for the same signs used to warn Israel of judgment to warn America…. [But] Why would the sign of the Shemitah… be given to America in the first place? … at the peak of [Israel’s] blessings … The nation began turning away from the God of their foundation… those who remained faithful to God… were now marginalized, mocked, vilified, and … persecuted… America’s founders prophesied that … [as] the new nation would follow the ways of God, it would be blessed… But at the pinnacle of its power … [America] would reenact the apostasy and fall of the Israel of the ancient world… America progressively redefined… a new morality to replace the old… those who founded America … also gave warning… if America ever turned away from God, then same judgments that fell upon ancient Israel would fall upon America… So we now have the missing key---a civilization uniquely joined to the pattern of ancient Israel… invoked the judgment of the Shemitah.” (Pg. 52-55)
He asks, “Could there be any connection between the Great Depression and the ancient mystery?... the Shemitah began in late 1930… In April 1931, the center of the Shemitah year, the stock market began a long-term crash… On September 19, 1931… the British Empire … discard[ed] the gold standard… The decision resulted in a worldwide panic… When did this global financial cataclysm happen?... on the fourteenth day of Tishri, the once-in-seven-years Tishri, the month of the Shemitah’s financial repercussions… The ancient Shemitah and the Great Depression proceeded simultaneously… 100 percent.” (Pg. 76-77) Later, he summarizes, “from the forty-year period beginning in 1973, every single one of the five greatest financial and economic peaks and collapses have … taken place according to the set time of the Shemitah.” (Pg. 99-100)
Later he states, “Of the ten greatest percentage crashes in stock market history, do any of them take place in the biblical month of Tishri?... Forty percent … take place in this single Hebrew month. No other month comes close... If we enlarge our search by just three days, how many of the ten greatest crashes take place in the month of Tishri or within three days of Tishri? Sixty percent! How big is the span of time in which all these stock market crashes cluster? Just eighteen days! Thus 60 percent of the greatest single-day percentage crashes in Wall Street history cluster around a tiny sliver of the biblical year… If there was nothing more than the natural world, the greatest crashes should be distributed randomly, more or less evenly, throughout every month and season of the year. But for 60 percent of these crashes to cluster around … one small time period, points to something more than natural going on.” (Pg. 106) Later, he adds, “What if we now do the same thing with the greatest POINT crashes in stock market history… [adding them] to the top twenty? … How many are linked to the month of Elul, its eve, the year of the Shemitah, or its wake? Eighty-five percent of them!” (Pg. 109)
He argues, “The link between 9/11 and Elul 29 raises an inescapable point: Had the events of 9/11 not happened, there would have been no collapse of the stock market… And if the stock market hadn’t collapsed at the time it did, there would have been no great financial collapse in the Year of the Shemitah… Nor would there have been a connection between Wall Street and Tishri… What this means is that even the timing of 9/11 had to be part of the ancient mystery of the Shemitah.” (Pg. 121)
He asserts, “the mystery of the Shemitah, in its last two manifestations, appears to have intensified in magnitude and precision… that parallels an intensification and acceleration in the spirit and moral descent of America and much of the modern world. The phenomenon is overwhelming. The mystery of the Shemitah has affected the course of the stock market and the economy, America and the nations, and the lives of everyone reading these words.” (Pg. 132)
He says, “In the years following the [First World] War, America … had begun an irreversible rise to power that would take it to heights no nation or empire had ever known. And that ascent had begun in the Year of the Shemitah?... Both 1917 and 1945 stand as key turning points) in American and world history. They share … another distinction: each is the Year of the Shemitah.” (Pg. 185)
In the additional material added to the book in the updated edition, he explains, “What you’re about to read is what happened after ‘The Mystery of the Shemitah’ came out… this section is being added in … after the Shemitah that began in the last quarter of 2014 and that, for practical purposes, will be referred to as the Shemitah of 2015.” (Pg. 201)
He continues, “the Shemitah of 2015… as a year of massive shaking in the financial and economic realms… The headlines proclaimed it the worst year since 2008. Again, it had all happened according to a seven-year cycle as in the mystery of the Shemitah… Both WORST years, both years of collapse---2015 and 2008---constituted the biblical Shemitah.” (Pg. 213)
He notes, “the Shemitah of 2015 … produced two more of the top ten crashes in Wall Street history… Adding these two new greatest crashes… not only do 70 percent of them connect to the biblical Shemitah, but also their average proximity ratio to the once-in-seven-years biblical day of financial nullification exceeds 99 percent!” (Pg. 242-243)
He cautions, “When speaking of the future, I have always sought to issue caution on two counts: First, we must keep in mind that God’s plans are not bound to follow any past pattern or fit into any of our eschatological boxes, and nothing HAS to take place in any given time period. Yet, second, we are also called to be aware and ready concerning the signs of the times. And looking at the cycle of the prophetic Jubilees, one cannot avoid the question as to what might be ahead…” (Pg. 256)
He concludes, “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?... 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…” (Pg. 262)
Cahn’s more ‘optimistic’ perspective in this book is probably related to his ‘positive’ perceptions of Trump becoming president (defeating the ‘Jezebel’ Hillary Clinton). His attempts to bolster his findings by ‘adding three days’ here and there hardly persuade me. But of course, in future books he will get to deal with COVID, and Trump’s leaving office…
September 4, 2014
I am generally very critical of these kinds of books but I think Cahn may have a point. The Shemitah refers to the seventh year when the land is to lie fallow and on the last day all debts released. He presents quite a case to show that recent major economic events relate to this year in the Jewish calendar. The next Shemitah year in September 25, 2014 to September 13, 2015. So I'll be watching, although he does note that some cycles have been passed over so nothing significant may happen this time. He does believe that America is close to receiving judgment. America, he says, because it bears similarity to Israel and is the greatest economic nation on earth. He is quick to say he is not into setting dates but wants to warn people to repent.
I did not like all the hype and buildup in the book. Other than that, worth reading.
See my full review at http://bit.ly/1lANQLW.
I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of an independent and honest review.
I did not like all the hype and buildup in the book. Other than that, worth reading.
See my full review at http://bit.ly/1lANQLW.
I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of an independent and honest review.
December 29, 2014
The concept of the year of Shemitah (rest every seven years) is great. I love seeing patterns and flow in nature and in faith. The concept that "something is coming", is likely, but not absolute. (Yes, I might be a closet prepper and slightly ashamed of it. I'm not ready to completely come out yet). The ultra dramatic way that these things are presented grates against my nerves in a way that I wish I never picked up the book.
I think this guy is a great speaker. Good message included, but not worth the read (in my opinion). If you want to get the gist of what he's getting at, listen here instead (and please ignore the craziness of these people and try to just hear the words.. not sure if that's actually possible. Good luck.)
http://m.disclose.tv/action/viewvideo...
Read
October 8, 2014The Shemitah is the reminder to any nation or civilization that its blessings come from God. And without God those blessings cannot endure. It is a warning to a nation founded on the purposes of God and blessed by God's hand, but now increasingly warring against the God of its blessings. The Shemitah is a warning to America--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. 2 Peter 3:9 says God does not want any to perish but all should come to repentance. God have mercy on America as we've walked away from so many of your decrees. 9/11/2001 was a warning...we must return to God and elect godly leaders that will stop passing immoral laws and cause division and destruction of our country.
October 7, 2014
Very good quick read
almost seems like just a sequel to the harbinger and pulled lots of information from that book I understand the premise of the book but it almost seems like he cherry picks certain dates and 2001 and 2008 are the only ones that fit perfectly in his premise of the shemitah judgements
almost seems like just a sequel to the harbinger and pulled lots of information from that book I understand the premise of the book but it almost seems like he cherry picks certain dates and 2001 and 2008 are the only ones that fit perfectly in his premise of the shemitah judgements
February 28, 2015
Repeats the same concepts, multiple times per chapter. Statistics are flawed. Book is built off of the non-Biblical theory that America is the new Israel and is held to the original, Old Testament covenants. Was interesting to discuss, but a waste of time in the end. Sells a lot of books, but not well written.
June 3, 2015
For sure I don't "buy" into all this book is discussing...but it is something to think about. Our Creator God is a God of order and He can do things however He wants. And as the Mr. Cahn says many times...things can or can not happen this way....but "it is a worthy note."
December 5, 2016
I had to read this book at a slower pace and sometimes I had to go back and reread - there's so much in this interesting book that I was a little overwhelmed. Or maybe there was a little too much repeating. Yet the book was interesting. All in all, I think I enjoyed reading the Harbinger more.
December 8, 2014
Two words: Not Good. Not convincing at all.
August 25, 2015
Now I have read both the "Harbinger", & "The mystery of the Shemitah" & I have enjoyed them both, Certainly makes you think about biblical ramifications of the "Shemitah",
August 31, 2015
Horribly written. Great message.
July 15, 2015
Just didn't meet my expectations. Read like an infomercial.
October 12, 2017
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 be find the book an enlightening, informative and enriching experience.
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 be find the book an enlightening, informative and enriching experience.
September 15, 2017
The first time I heard of Jonathan Cahn, it was on Sid Roth’s Supernatural. Since then I have come across his books and although I have never read his first The Harbinger, I felt drawn to read THE MYSTERY OF THE SHEMITAH after I saw my sister deeply engrossed while reading it.
The Mystery of the Shemitah by Jonathan Cahn is about the Biblical Sabbath and Jubilee cycles. In the book, he explains how the 7 year Sabbath cycle and the 50-year Jubilee cycle will and has affected history to date.
In the book, Rabbi Cahn shows that 9/11, the collapse of Wall Street had all been prophesied Biblically but we are reading the good book but not getting the message. This is a book that will give you a new religious and spiritual life.
In the end, you find that the message that is been talked about is that we should turn to God and repent our ways, many people reading this book may feel that the book speaks heavily about the USA and what is transpiring within that country, but we forget that what happens there impacts us all, all over the world.
At the end of the book, you glean a lot of information that does truthfully impact how you will look at the world around you. God judges us by or actions yesterday, today and tomorrow. It is for us to heed the warning signs and repent so that in our repentance, we acknowledge God in our lives and in our actions.
Read The Mystery of Shemitah by Jonathan Cahn and see for yourself the messages hidden in plain sight for everyone to read. This is a book that will indeed make you understand and comprehend as to why some major events have occurred in the world.
Link http://www.abookidea.com/the-mystery-...
The Mystery of the Shemitah by Jonathan Cahn is about the Biblical Sabbath and Jubilee cycles. In the book, he explains how the 7 year Sabbath cycle and the 50-year Jubilee cycle will and has affected history to date.
In the book, Rabbi Cahn shows that 9/11, the collapse of Wall Street had all been prophesied Biblically but we are reading the good book but not getting the message. This is a book that will give you a new religious and spiritual life.
In the end, you find that the message that is been talked about is that we should turn to God and repent our ways, many people reading this book may feel that the book speaks heavily about the USA and what is transpiring within that country, but we forget that what happens there impacts us all, all over the world.
At the end of the book, you glean a lot of information that does truthfully impact how you will look at the world around you. God judges us by or actions yesterday, today and tomorrow. It is for us to heed the warning signs and repent so that in our repentance, we acknowledge God in our lives and in our actions.
Read The Mystery of Shemitah by Jonathan Cahn and see for yourself the messages hidden in plain sight for everyone to read. This is a book that will indeed make you understand and comprehend as to why some major events have occurred in the world.
Link http://www.abookidea.com/the-mystery-...
November 15, 2020
I picked this book up years ago but could not make any sense out of it. I felt I was missing background information and that was true. This time I was prepared to understand the information. Although others have complained over the repetition of the facts, I found it doesn't bother me. Cahn is usually restating the information in a somewhat different way and I have been taught that repetition helps cement learning.
This is a very interesting view of Biblical prophecy for the end times approached from a Judaeo-Christian viewpoint that is fascinating. I had known about the year of Jubilee and knew that there was to be a resting of the land every seven years. But no one explained the full picture of the Semitah which is the 7th year of the cycle that also includes a remission of debt and credit at the end of that year. The land of Israel was led into captivity in AD 70 because they, among many other things, did not obey the resting of the land. (Basically, they did not trust God to met their needs in that down year.) Their avoidance of not giving God their attention and obedience led them into being led into captivity and their nation being destroyed.
Fast forward to modern times. Rabbi Cahn uses some very interesting arguments to establish the parallel lines of ancient Israel and modern day America.
I would highly suggest reading The Harbinger by Cahn first.
This is a very interesting view of Biblical prophecy for the end times approached from a Judaeo-Christian viewpoint that is fascinating. I had known about the year of Jubilee and knew that there was to be a resting of the land every seven years. But no one explained the full picture of the Semitah which is the 7th year of the cycle that also includes a remission of debt and credit at the end of that year. The land of Israel was led into captivity in AD 70 because they, among many other things, did not obey the resting of the land. (Basically, they did not trust God to met their needs in that down year.) Their avoidance of not giving God their attention and obedience led them into being led into captivity and their nation being destroyed.
Fast forward to modern times. Rabbi Cahn uses some very interesting arguments to establish the parallel lines of ancient Israel and modern day America.
I would highly suggest reading The Harbinger by Cahn first.
October 14, 2017
I would really have liked a comprehensive explanation very early as to the definition of "mystery". There were times when the prose seemed quite laboured because of the repetition of this word - and I was never quite sure that Cahn and I were on the same page as to its meaning. I felt he was often tantalisingly close to personifying the Shemitah and I wondered if this was intentional. On the one hand, the Shemitah seemed presented as an inexorable force of law and, on the other, almost as if it were a real, live person.
The Shemitah is (my own words here) something to do with crossing over a threshold. (It occurs at the threshold time over 29 Elul and 1 Tishri - Rosh Hashanah.) It is about economic remission; cancellation of both debt and credit as well as release of servitude. It was an ordinance given by God to the Israelites that, every seven years, on the last day of the civic year, all slaves would be set free and debt cancelled.
This book looks at the increasingly stunning parallels in the modern world to the operation of the Shemitah in the business world and, in particular, the New York Stock Market in seven-year cycles with particular focus on the Hebrew dates of 29 Elul and 1 Tishri.
The Shemitah is (my own words here) something to do with crossing over a threshold. (It occurs at the threshold time over 29 Elul and 1 Tishri - Rosh Hashanah.) It is about economic remission; cancellation of both debt and credit as well as release of servitude. It was an ordinance given by God to the Israelites that, every seven years, on the last day of the civic year, all slaves would be set free and debt cancelled.
This book looks at the increasingly stunning parallels in the modern world to the operation of the Shemitah in the business world and, in particular, the New York Stock Market in seven-year cycles with particular focus on the Hebrew dates of 29 Elul and 1 Tishri.
April 23, 2019
Jonathan Cahn's research and study of Scripture is incredible! In this book he reveals the secret of the Shemitah, which is mandated in the Torah for the land of Israel to be at rest and debts to be forgiven every seven years. He compares the history of Israel (in the Old Testament) and their neglect at honoring the Shemitah to the USA and what has befallen this country due to a neglect of honoring God. Using dates, major events in the history of the US and the Bible, he unveils an astounding timeline related to this country's foolish disregard for the things of God and obedience to him. Using stock market crashes, the events of 9/11 and other tragic moments, he shows that the Word of God is not only more powerful than any two-edged sword, but contains messages on a deeper level as well which have yet to be revealed. Hard to put down and at times shocking in the precision and timing of historic moments. Just a note: this book was written in 2014 and I understand there is an updated version available. I did not know this at the time I downloaded this book, but the last chapter piqued my curiosity by looking forward to what might happen in 2016! Get the updated version!
December 21, 2021
While having read The Harbinger, I found this book so very in-depth that somewhere down the line I lost my train of thought. But curiosity got the best of me that I continued reading until the very end.
The Shemitah (shmee-TA) is how it is pronounced and it means Sabbath year. It is the 7th year of the 7-year agricultural cycle mandated by the Torah for the land of Israel. The prophecy and mysteries of the Bible are still applicable today.
The book tells of new insights on current events as: How the stock market crashes in 2015, how the pattern of 7’s predicted 9/11 to the exact hour and how the possible fall-of America can be linked to the year of the Shemitah!
The author is a much sought-after speaker and has been called the prophetic voice of our generation.
He is, also, a Rabbi, who has opened up the deep mysteries of Scripture and for teachings of prophetic import. Jonathan Chan leads a worship center in Jerusalem made up of Jews and Gentiles, people of all backgrounds, just outside of New York City. He is a Messianic believer and a follower of Jesus.
I recommend this book for in-depth readers of mysteries of the Bible and our times.
The Shemitah (shmee-TA) is how it is pronounced and it means Sabbath year. It is the 7th year of the 7-year agricultural cycle mandated by the Torah for the land of Israel. The prophecy and mysteries of the Bible are still applicable today.
The book tells of new insights on current events as: How the stock market crashes in 2015, how the pattern of 7’s predicted 9/11 to the exact hour and how the possible fall-of America can be linked to the year of the Shemitah!
The author is a much sought-after speaker and has been called the prophetic voice of our generation.
He is, also, a Rabbi, who has opened up the deep mysteries of Scripture and for teachings of prophetic import. Jonathan Chan leads a worship center in Jerusalem made up of Jews and Gentiles, people of all backgrounds, just outside of New York City. He is a Messianic believer and a follower of Jesus.
I recommend this book for in-depth readers of mysteries of the Bible and our times.
December 14, 2014
This was an interesting read but I'm not sure what to make of it. It doesn't really comport with my Christian beliefs. And my scientific mind is suspicious that the author is finding correlations that may not really be cause and effect as he claims. Nevertheless, his assertions are fascinating to think about.
The Shemitah refers to the sabbath year every seven years observed by the people of Israel. "The Shemitah was a sign of the nation's covenant with God. Everything they had, the land and all its blessings, was dependent on that covenant and their relationship with God. It was all entrusted to them, but it belonged to God. If they turned away from God, then their blessings would be removed, or rather, they would be removed from their blessings."
"Israel's rejection of the Shemitah set in motion a series of far-reaching consequences and repercussions. If God is not sovereign over the land and its people, then the land and its people become cut off from the Creator. A God-centered worldview is replaced by a man-centered and self-centered worldview. So the people of Israel drove God out of their lives to become their own gods, masters of the land, their world, and their destiny. They could now rewrite the law and redefine what was right and wrong, moral and immoral. And then, as did the nations surrounding them, they began to lift up their children as sacrifices on the altars of their new gods."
The author asserts that the United States of today has turned away from God much as ancient Israel did. "America's founders prophesied that inasmuch as the new civilization would follow the ways of God, it would be blessed with the blessings given to Israel. And what they foretold came true. America became the most blessed nation on earth. By the twentieth century it had become the most prosperous, the most secure, the most revered, and the most powerful nation on earth.
But at the pinnacle of its power and the height of its prosperity relative to the rest of the world, a metamorphosis began. The "Israel of the New World" would reenact the apostasy and fall of the Israel of the ancient world. America now began a progression that would end with the nation's turning away from the God of its foundation."
"The metamorphosis was subtle at first but, in time, would grow more and more blatant and brazen. As did ancient Israel, so now America began removing God from its national life, from its culture, its government, and its public squares. It would ban prayer and the reading of Scripture from the instruction of its children. The school system that had come into existence for the purpose of teaching the Word of God would now treat that Word as contraband. And as America eliminated the presence of God from its national life and culture, it filled the void with idols and formed gods out of its desires.
As did ancient Israel, America progressively redefined what was right and wrong, adopting a new morality to replace the old. It now called evil 'good,' and good 'evil.' What it had once celebrated, it now condemned, and what it had once worshiped, it now reviled. And on the other hand, what it had once condemned, it now celebrated and what it had once reviled, it now worshiped. American culture grew increasingly carnal, materialistic, coarse, vulgar, and self-indulgent.
Instead of being 'a light to the world' as its founders had envisioned, America was now saturating the world with pornography. And while Israel had killed thousands of its children on the altars of its new gods, America killed not thousands but millions of its unborn children on the altars of its pleasures and convenience. Its collective hands were covered in blood."
The author notes that the stock market crashes of 1973, 1980, and 1987 followed 7 year cycles as did the crashes of 2000 and 2007.
"Behind the rising and falling of America is a mystery of Shemitahs. The key turning points of that rise and fall were each connected to the Shemitah year. Each of these turning points took place during the fourth Shemitah from the last turning point—intervals of twenty-eight years.
• The cycle of superpower—America's rise to world power begins in the Year of the Shemitah 1917 with its entrance into the First World War. Moving forward twenty-eight years, we come to the fourth Shemitah in the year 1945. In 1945 America's rise to world superpower is completed.
• The cycle of Bretton Woods—At its pinnacle of power America becomes the center of a new world financial and economic order, the Bretton Woods system, at the time of the Shemitah 1945. Moving forward twenty-eight years, we come to the fourth Shemitah in the year 1973—the year that the Bretton Woods system undergoes its final collapse. It begins and ends with the Shemitah.
• The cycle of war—On August 15,1945, the empire of Japan surrenders. The Second World War is over. Having won its greatest military victory in history, America stands at the pinnacle of military power. Moving forward twenty-eight years, we come to the fourth Shemitah, in the year 1973—the year America loses its first war in modern history. The war is over on August 15, twenty-eight years after its greatest victory—to the day."
The author sees particular significance to the year 1973. The Shemitah of 1972 – 1973 saw the U.S. Supreme Court decision on Roe vs. Wade on January 22, 1973.
He also sees prophetic significance in towers such as the twin towers of the World Trade Center. "The towers had been conceived in the Shemitah of 1945 at America's apogee. On the fourth Shemitah, twenty-eight years later in 1973, they were completed. For twenty-eight years they stood. On the fourth Shemitah after their completion, in the year 2001, they were destroyed."
The Shemitah refers to the sabbath year every seven years observed by the people of Israel. "The Shemitah was a sign of the nation's covenant with God. Everything they had, the land and all its blessings, was dependent on that covenant and their relationship with God. It was all entrusted to them, but it belonged to God. If they turned away from God, then their blessings would be removed, or rather, they would be removed from their blessings."
"Israel's rejection of the Shemitah set in motion a series of far-reaching consequences and repercussions. If God is not sovereign over the land and its people, then the land and its people become cut off from the Creator. A God-centered worldview is replaced by a man-centered and self-centered worldview. So the people of Israel drove God out of their lives to become their own gods, masters of the land, their world, and their destiny. They could now rewrite the law and redefine what was right and wrong, moral and immoral. And then, as did the nations surrounding them, they began to lift up their children as sacrifices on the altars of their new gods."
The author asserts that the United States of today has turned away from God much as ancient Israel did. "America's founders prophesied that inasmuch as the new civilization would follow the ways of God, it would be blessed with the blessings given to Israel. And what they foretold came true. America became the most blessed nation on earth. By the twentieth century it had become the most prosperous, the most secure, the most revered, and the most powerful nation on earth.
But at the pinnacle of its power and the height of its prosperity relative to the rest of the world, a metamorphosis began. The "Israel of the New World" would reenact the apostasy and fall of the Israel of the ancient world. America now began a progression that would end with the nation's turning away from the God of its foundation."
"The metamorphosis was subtle at first but, in time, would grow more and more blatant and brazen. As did ancient Israel, so now America began removing God from its national life, from its culture, its government, and its public squares. It would ban prayer and the reading of Scripture from the instruction of its children. The school system that had come into existence for the purpose of teaching the Word of God would now treat that Word as contraband. And as America eliminated the presence of God from its national life and culture, it filled the void with idols and formed gods out of its desires.
As did ancient Israel, America progressively redefined what was right and wrong, adopting a new morality to replace the old. It now called evil 'good,' and good 'evil.' What it had once celebrated, it now condemned, and what it had once worshiped, it now reviled. And on the other hand, what it had once condemned, it now celebrated and what it had once reviled, it now worshiped. American culture grew increasingly carnal, materialistic, coarse, vulgar, and self-indulgent.
Instead of being 'a light to the world' as its founders had envisioned, America was now saturating the world with pornography. And while Israel had killed thousands of its children on the altars of its new gods, America killed not thousands but millions of its unborn children on the altars of its pleasures and convenience. Its collective hands were covered in blood."
The author notes that the stock market crashes of 1973, 1980, and 1987 followed 7 year cycles as did the crashes of 2000 and 2007.
"Behind the rising and falling of America is a mystery of Shemitahs. The key turning points of that rise and fall were each connected to the Shemitah year. Each of these turning points took place during the fourth Shemitah from the last turning point—intervals of twenty-eight years.
• The cycle of superpower—America's rise to world power begins in the Year of the Shemitah 1917 with its entrance into the First World War. Moving forward twenty-eight years, we come to the fourth Shemitah in the year 1945. In 1945 America's rise to world superpower is completed.
• The cycle of Bretton Woods—At its pinnacle of power America becomes the center of a new world financial and economic order, the Bretton Woods system, at the time of the Shemitah 1945. Moving forward twenty-eight years, we come to the fourth Shemitah in the year 1973—the year that the Bretton Woods system undergoes its final collapse. It begins and ends with the Shemitah.
• The cycle of war—On August 15,1945, the empire of Japan surrenders. The Second World War is over. Having won its greatest military victory in history, America stands at the pinnacle of military power. Moving forward twenty-eight years, we come to the fourth Shemitah, in the year 1973—the year America loses its first war in modern history. The war is over on August 15, twenty-eight years after its greatest victory—to the day."
The author sees particular significance to the year 1973. The Shemitah of 1972 – 1973 saw the U.S. Supreme Court decision on Roe vs. Wade on January 22, 1973.
He also sees prophetic significance in towers such as the twin towers of the World Trade Center. "The towers had been conceived in the Shemitah of 1945 at America's apogee. On the fourth Shemitah, twenty-eight years later in 1973, they were completed. For twenty-eight years they stood. On the fourth Shemitah after their completion, in the year 2001, they were destroyed."
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