It's a story straight from a screenplay – an atheist of Jewish descent survives a near-death experience and transforms into a modern-day Christian prophet for a nation that's lost its way.
But the life and story of bestselling author and Bible teacher Jonathan Cahn is no work of fiction.
And the new film chronicling his remarkable journey, "The Harbinger Man," is rocketing up the charts at Amazon.com as viewers clamor to know more about the man who is being called "America's Prophet."
"The Harbinger Man" has cracked the top 100 of all documentaries at Amazon, reaching No. 63, even though the film will not even be officially released until Oct. 16.
"The Harbinger Man' also broke into the top 20 in the "hot new releases" category, reaching No. 12.
Cahn is well known as the author of megasellers such as "The Mystery of the Shemitah" and "The Harbinger," an explanation of an ancient biblical mystery also explored in the WND Films' documentary "The Isaiah 9:10 Judgment."
Cahn has been all but ignored by the secular media, even though "The Harbinger" spent more than 100 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.
Despite the secular media blackout, Cahn has become a sensation among Christians worldwide.
Cahn told WND, "My life has totally changed."
Since writing "The Harbinger," he reports the demands on his time are almost overwhelming.
"We've been deluged with requests and invitations," Cahn stated. "I'm able to do about 2 percent of them. And yet that still means I'm traveling virtually every week either to speak or to do television."
While he is happy his message is spreading, Cahn regrets his words are often skewed or deliberately misrepresented.
But he vows not to back down.
"It has meant getting used to the fact that anything I say can spread across the Internet instantly, for good or, in other cases, for not so good – as there are those who make a point of misconstruing everything said to mean the opposite," Cahn said. "But that goes with the territory.
"I've been increasingly called to go to Washington, D.C., to speak with national leaders. I've been amazed to learn how many of them have read the books and how many are seeking God for the answers. At the same time, the moment I went to Washington, a number of left-wing and generally anti-Christian organizations began launching attacks. Again, it's to be expected. It's even a good sign, just not something that I experienced on such levels before."
Many have rallied to Cahn's defense in response to criticism. And Cahn says all the attention directed toward him is only increasing his determination to keep the focus on God.
"I'm not used to the honor or accolades thrown my way. It only humbles me. I want to simply fulfill what God has called me to do and not move to the right or the left of it."
He explained his approach to handling his new celebrity with a parable.
"I would comment on the issue of celebrity this way: There was a king who told his subjects that the man who could carry a full cup of water from outside his palace, through the multitudes, and to his throne without spilling a drop would win his daughter's hand in marriage. The first man was popular. The people cheered wildly as he made his way forward with the cup. But he spilled the water. The second man was unpopular. The people jeered and booed him and he too spilled the water. The third man was equally loved and hated. Half the people cheered him and half booed him and yet he walked down the aisle with the full cup all the way to the throne without spilling a drop.
"The king congratulated him but asked him, 'How did you do it?' He said, 'I paid no attention to those who cheered me on the right or those who booed me on the left. I ignored them both. I just fixed my eyes on the throne ahead of me and kept moving forward.'
"It's the same with celebrity. You have to ignore the cheers on your right and the jeers on your left, and fix your eyes only on Him who calls you and keeping moving forward until you get the prize."
As a preacher in demand around the country and now the subject of a film focused on his life, Cahn admits his duties often take him away from his family far more than he would like.
"It's a challenge," he said. "Recently I was speaking to my 5-year-old son from an airport through my cell. He said, 'Dad, I want you to come through the phone and be with me!' Another time, he told me, 'Dad, I planned to surprise you. I was going to make our house look like a hotel so you could feel at home!'"
He finds ordinary Christians are often making the same sacrifices to learn from him, traveling thousands of miles just to hear him preach.
"With my congregation, the Jerusalem Center, we've been experiencing a new phenomenon – people coming across the nation every weekend to experience the services – many coming solely for that reason," Cahn recounted. "We've had an elderly woman drive across the country from California, just to attend one service. We've even had a woman fly in from Australia just to be at the Jerusalem Center."
Now, as "The Harbinger Man" builds momentum, Cahn admits he doesn't know what awaits him next.
All he can say is, "It's been pretty amazing."
See the "Harbinger Man" trailer: