Q: With the start of the New Year, the world is rapidly changing. How can the Bible serve as a source of comfort for believers with so much political unrest raging around us?
A: The Bible reveals that though everything in the world (and in our lives) is always changing. The Word of God, the truth of God, the promises of God, and the reality of God never change. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God endures forever. That’s why God is called “the Rock.” He’s the one thing that will always be there, that we can rest our life upon and stand. And the one who does so will stand strong through all things.
Q: Describe the powerful way prophecy builds to accomplish God’s purposes in the earth.
A: It was this very thing, Bible prophecy, that led me to become a believer from being an atheist. When I saw the prophecies of the Bible, given two and half thousand years ago and coming true in our own day – the regathering of the Jewish people from the ends of the earth, the rebirth of Israel, the regaining of Jerusalem – there was no way I could argue with it. I know that even with the most powerful super computers, we couldn’t even predict human events two years in advance – and yet here human history, modern history, was all foretold in the Word of God from ancient times and through simple men with no technology. The only explanation was this: God was real. This is the majestic mystery and truth that The Oracle reveals… for any one of these prophecies to come true, events throughout the world had to all be working together to bring God’s purposes to their fulfillment. In the end, everything is under the hand of God and part of the mystery.
Q: When you consider the current global climate, what’s one headline that stands out as testament to the accuracy of biblical prophecy?
A: On one hand, the moral and spiritual apostasy and falling away that we’re witnessing every day, something that rightfully troubles most believers, only confirms the accuracy of biblical prophecy. The Bible clearly says that before the coming of the Lord, there will be a great falling away. So everything we see only confirms the authority of the Bible. On the other hand, any headlines involving Israel are a sign of biblical prophecy. The very fact that the nation of Israel exists as foretold in the Bible from ancient times, only bears witness to the fact that the Bible is the Word of God.
Q: In your latest book, The Oracle: The Jubilean Mysteries Unveiled, you use a narrative story to share how ancient biblical prophecy connects to modern-day events. How does this book reveal the hand of God throughout history?
A: The mystery revealed in The Oracle is the biggest I’ve ever opened. It reveals the hand of the God of the Bible moving behind the events of modern times and our own day. It is so big that it includes everything from Moses to Donald Trump, the mystery behind history, prophecy, and even the destiny and plan God has for each of our lives. Added to that, the mystery is so specific that it not only speaks of the events that have to happen – but when. Several of the revelations are so specific that they reveal how ancient mysteries in the Bible pinpoint the events of the modern world down to the exact dates they will take place. This involves events surrounding the birth of Israel, the Six Day War, and down to our own day – even the events of Donald Trump!
Q: What is the Year of Jubilee, and why is it so significant?
A: The Year of Jubilee is the time of God’s redemption, the year of restoration, return, and freedom. The Jubilee came every fifty years heralded by the sounding of the trumpet or shofar. When the trumpet sounded, the slaves were set free. When the trumpet sounded, whatever you lost since the last Jubilee was restored to you. If you lost your ancestral land, in the Year of Jubilee, you would return to claim it back – as it was written: “everyone shall return to their own possession.” The Bible foretells that in the end-times, the Jewish people will return and be restored to their own possession: the land of Israel. Thus it will be a prophetic Jubilee. The amazing thing is that the most prophetic events of the end times – and into our day – are following the blueprint of the Jubilee – even in their exact timing. This is one of the mysteries revealed in The Oracle.
Q: Name a few examples of important events that have taken place during a Year of Jubilee.
A: The end-times as we know it began in a single year – a secret to most of the world. In the 19th century, a series of mysterious events began manifesting in the land of Israel. These events would prepare the way for the return of the Jewish people and the restoration of the nation of Israel. They all converged in the same year: 1867, the first Jubilean year of restoration.
If one counts fifty years from that year, it pinpoints the next Jubilean year as 1917. And like clockwork, it happened. In 1917, the British Empire issued the Balfour Declaration, the first document in 2000 years pledging the land of Israel to the Jewish people. That same Jubilean year marked the end of 2000 years of hostile enemy occupation of the land as the Ottoman Empire crumbled and the British troops under General Edmund Allenby entered the gates of Jerusalem for the restoration of Israel.
Jesus said he would not come again until the Jewish people blessed Him from Jerusalem. So the Second Coming is dependent on the Jewish people returning to their holy city. Count fifty years from 1917 and the mystery pinpoints the next Jubilean year as 1967. In June, 1967, the Six Day War begins. Before the war is over, Israeli soldiers, for the first time in 2000 years, enter the gates of Jerusalem. The last time they were there was when they fought against the Roman Empire. But in the year of Jubilee, everyone “shall return to their own possession.”
The one restoration that never came in 1967 was the legal restoration. The world refused to recognize Jerusalem as belonging to the Jewish people and as the capital of Israel. Count fifty years from 1967 and it pinpoints the next Jubilean year as 2017. 2017 was the year that the legal restoration of Jerusalem was begun. It was the year that President Donald Trump issued the Jerusalem Declaration. It was the first time since ancient times that any world power had ever issued such a declaration and given recognition to Jerusalem.
Even the rebirth of Israel followed the template of the Jubilee. Zionism, the movement that brought Israel into being, began in 1897. Israel was voted back into existence at the United Nations in 1947 – Exactly fifty years later. Beyond that, the founder of Zionism, Theodore Herzl, penned a prophecy at the end of the First World Zionist Congress. He said the whole world will know about Israel in 50 years’ time. He wrote the prophecy on September 3, 1897. The United Nations plan that would bring Israel back into existence was dated September 3, 1947 – 50 years to the exact day!
Q: The Oracle further reveals how the child of one Jubilee ushers in the next. Explain what that means and how it factors into God’s plan of redemption.
A: It’s an amazing mystery that shows the hand of God even in the birth of children. In 1867, a prophetic gathering took place that ushered in the end-times as we know it. The man who convened the conference was born in 1817. He was 50 years old when he inaugurated the gathering. That same year, another child was born. He would grow up to be a soldier. When turned 50 years old, he would play a central part in the prophetic Jubilee of 1917, as he led the first Jewish soldiers in 2000 years back into the land of Israel. That same year, another child was born. He would grow up to be a rabbi. When he turned 50 years old, he would play a central part in the prophetic Jubilee of 1967, as he would enter the gates of Jerusalem with the Israeli soldiers in the Six Day War, and stand on the Temple Mount to sound the shofar, the ram’s horn, the trumpet – to manifest the sign of the Jubilee. That same year another child was born who would play a central role in the prophetic Jubilee of 2017 (The person is still alive and so I have to hold off for now on revealing it until I speak with them).
Q: One of the mysteries in your book is connected to famed American author Mark Twain. Describe how his visit to Israel in 1867 was foretold thousands of years before it actually happened.
A: Before Moses died, he gave Israel a prophecy: God would gather them back to the land of Israel at the end of the age. But before that happened, a stranger, a foreigner, would come to the land which, at that point, would be a barren, desert wasteland. The stranger would bear witness of its desolation. And after that, the Jewish people would return. Did it ever happen? The Oracle reveals its fulfillment in the chapter called ‘The Stranger.’ The stranger would come to the land in the 19th century – and his name was ‘Mark Twain.’ Mark Twain fulfilled the prophecy to the letter. He would bear witness of the desolation – and put that witness in his first book. He would even use the same words that Moses said he would use. He would come to the land in 1867 – the first Jubilean year.
Q: What role did Mark Twain’s visit play in the rebirth of Israel?
A: Twain’s visit would mark the beginning of a massive prophetic turning. The land would be prepared for the return of the Jewish people and the Jewish people for the land. Before he died, Twain would come into contact with another author, with whom he would become friends. It was Theodore Herzl, the ‘father of modern Israel.’ On the day that Israel came back into the world, the American president Harry Truman became the first world leader in history to recognize the newborn nation. Truman recounted that he was torn over whether he should do it. His entire State Department was opposing Israel’s rebirth. But Truman then saw the words of a quote that led him to his prophetic decision. They were the words of the stranger – Mark Twain! And there was another mystery to the stranger. For 2000 years, the Jewish people prayed continuously “Lord, hear our prayer,” “be merciful,” “and restore us to the land.” Mark Twain’s real name was ‘Samuel Clemens.” “Samuel” means ‘the Lord has heard.’ And ‘Clemens’ means and has been ‘merciful.”
Q: This month we’re offering our readers an opportunity to get the Intercessor for Israel hourglass, a beautiful reminder to pray for the Jewish people. Why is it so critical for believers to stand in support of Israel as the future unfolds?
A: Every true believer is joined to Israel. Paul says we are all now citizens of Israel, grafted in to its Olive Tree. Thus, in a very real sense, Israel is the nation of every follower of Messiah. Israel is the nation that gave us salvation – and the nation to which Jesus is returning. The enemy wants to wipe the Jewish nation off the face of the earth. It is crucial therefore that every believer pray for and stand in support of Israel. On top of all that, the Lord promises “I will bless those who bless you (Israel).” Those who bless Israel will be blessed.
Q: As you look to the months ahead, how does biblical prophecy provide further insight into what the future holds for nations around the world, especially those with upcoming elections like America?
A: One of the mysteries revealed in The Oracle is that which concerns what the future holds, what is yet to come. A chapter called The Dark Jubilee reveals the mystery of return – How world culture is returning to the state in which it was in at the beginning of the age – unchristian, antichristian, immoral, pagan. There is hardly a day that goes by that we don’t witness this phenomenon manifesting around us. We can expect this to continue. At the same time there can be revival. But that largely depends on God’s people, on us – as it is written, “If My people shall humble themselves and pray…” I believe the period we are in right now is critical – as is the coming election. The Oracle does speak of President Trump and the prophetic role he is now fulfilling. All the more, this coming year is supremely critical. I will say more of this at the end.
Q: With each new book you write, what’s the primary goal as you dive deeply into the hidden mysteries of Scripture?
A: To reveal what the Lord has revealed: the prophetic hour, the signs of the time, the word for the hours, the amazing awesomeness of our God, the wonders of His hand, the fact that the God of the Bible lives and is over all things, everything is under control and under His throne, the call for salvation, and the calling of every believer for such a time as this.
Q: How should believers respond to biblical prophecy and prepare their hearts for coming events, including the return of Christ?
A: Be encouraged. One of the things that and end time prophecy make clear, is that your God is alive and well, nothing is out of control, His word is true, His promises are real, He’s coming again, and no matter what it looks like – you’re on the winning side. So don’t fear. Don’t panic. Be strong and of good courage. Do not bend. Do not compromise. Do not bow down to any other. In the darkness of the times, you are called to shine as His light. To stand with God in such times, when most are against His ways is the highest of honors. And live in hope – the King and the Kingdom are on their way!
Q: What’s the Lord currently showing you about this New Year and how we should live in the last days- delete as I’ll speak more specifically about now) such a time as this?
A: I believe 2020 will be a most critical year. In The Paradigm, I open up the prophetic parallel between Donald Trump and ruler Jehu. Jehu rose to power, out of the blue, shook up the political world to become the nation’s new ruler. But the point of Jehu was not about Jehu – God was using him to hold back the nation’s fall – to give Israel a window of time… to return, for revival. So with Donald Trump. It’s not about him. And it doesn’t matter what we think of him. God has used him to hold back America’s fall – to give us a window of time – for the purpose of return and revival. But thus far, we have not seen revival. And the window of time is not forever. America’s only hope is revival. Without it, the nation is lost.
2020 will mark the next presidential election. It will determine whether that window is to be extended or if it is to come to its end. 2020 also will mark the 400th Anniversary of America’s founding and dedication to God with the sailing of the Mayflower. Could it mark a return to that foundation, or the final breaking point.
I am feeling stronger than ever that the time is critical for all of us to pray more than we ever have for America and for revival. It is not optional. The future is hanging on it. Let us all commit to intercede as never before revival. And let us not only pray for it – but let us each commit to be living in it. And if we do, no matter what happens around us, it will be for a year of blessing, power, victory, and the glory of God.
Jonathan Cahn was named, along with Billy Graham and Keith Greene as one of the top 40 people who radically changed our world for God. His newest book The Oracle is available online and off, wherever books are sold.