'Harbinger Man' witnesses God's power over pagan idols

Rabbi Jonathan Cahn

When he was a child, Jonathan Cahn called himself an atheist because he saw no evidence the God of Israel was "moving in his life."

But as an adult, he's an evangelist who can recount spellbinding incidents where the God of the Bible seemingly displayed His power, leading even priests and priestesses of pagan cults to become believers in Jesus.

The incredible stories are told in the new documentary "The Harbinger Man," which explores the life and teachings of the man many are calling "America's Prophet."

Cahn has found himself at the center of what believers would call deeply significant spiritual events as he has worked to spread the gospel. One took place in India, where Cahn was invited to follow in the footsteps of St. Thomas and preach the gospel in the predominantly Hindu country.

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"All the believers in India trace themselves to the Apostle Thomas," said Cahn. "By tradition, he went to India and was killed there by radical Hindus."

Cahn called his trip to India the "most dangerous thing I had ever done in my life, ever" because he arrived at a time when Christians were experiencing persecution. It wasn't out of the question his hosts' invitation to walk in the "footsteps of Thomas" could have led to Cahn sharing the apostle's fate.

Cahn was taken to Mount St. Thomas, where, by tradition, Thomas was killed. Cahn was told there was a curse placed on India because of the shedding of the apostle's blood.

An Indian man told Cahn the mountain represented the nation's rejection of the Gospel and the persecution of the Jews. Thus, in order to lift the curse, Cahn, as a man of Jewish blood, was informed he needed to go up the mountain and return safely, which he did.

Cahn preached in India and was given the torch of St. Thomas by local believers.

"Really, symbolically, this represents how 2,000 years ago the Jewish people had the flame of the gospel, the torch, but they passed it to the nations and laid it down. So we haven't had it, now the nations have it," Cahn said.

As he was handed the torch, Cahn saw it as a sign Jews were once again taking their place as part of the church.

As part of his evangelism, Cahn sounded the shofar while preaching and heard "unearthly, bloodcurdling screams" all around. Later, Cahn researched the phenomenon and found when the shofar is sounded, by tradition, the enemies of God have to flee. Cahn compared the experience to a "mass exorcism" and recalled thousands became believers that night.

Cahn had another strange experience in Cuba. He was told by believers about a mountain there also under a cursing, a place where local pagans worshiped their deities and made sacrifices as part of the syncretic Santería religion.

He found a pavilion where idols and statues of the pagan deities were kept and a man who claimed to have been told by God to create a painting of Cahn. The painting was created on a ceramic plate and portrayed Cahn blowing the shofar. The plate was suspended above the other idols on a string.

That night, the string somehow broke and the plate smashed into a statue of Oshun, one of the leading pagan deities on the island.

The impact struck the crown from the head of the idol.

"People there took it as a sign from God," marveled Cahn, who was later told a revival took place in the local community with Cubans taking their idols into the local churches to be smashed.

While preaching in Nigeria once, he noticed a man who was identified as the "pope of Nigeria," by the name "Ooni of Ifi" enter.

He said the man was considered a kind of living god unto himself, with the responsibility of serving as the "keeper of the gods" for indigenous Nigerians

Suddenly the man spoke up.

"I renounce my title. I am not a god, there's only one God of heaven and earth," he said.

He removed a crown he was wearing, and the episode created a sensation in the Nigerian press.

Cahn later went to a shrine of Oshun and encountered a high priestess.

He showed the woman the newspaper cover and talked with her. He ended up praying with her to become a Christian and she then expressed that she felt she was "glowing."

Cahn handed her a Bible and opened to a random passage – which turned out to be "the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light."

Cahn is obviously still well known in the country, as it was a Nigerian website which hosted Cahn's speech "A Warning to America" when it garnered millions of views last spring.

Cahn is best known as the author of "The Harbinger," which stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for more than 100 weeks. The biblical mystery Cahn unlocked in this book was further explored in the WND Film's documentary "The Isaiah 9:10 Judgment."

Cahn is also responsible for introducing American Christians to the mystery of the "Shemitah" cycle and has become widely renowned as a teacher of Scripture.

But at his core, Cahn is a minister and an evangelist who seeks to bring the gospel to people all around the world. And he argues this is his most important role.

"The most important thing is to be right with God, to be saved," said Cahn.

Though he has made his reputation through his preaching about the judgment of nations, Cahn warns what people really need to be concerned about is the salvation of their own individual soul.

"Whether the judgment of a nation comes in your lifetime or not, either way, there's a judgment the Bible says is for everyone."

See the "Harbinger Man" trailer: