Okay... I don't blog a lot. It's not a passion of mine. But there are times that I need to get something off my chest, and so I come here... and write. :)
We're living in an age where the church (Christians, that is) are being persecuted world-wide. Many are dying, many are being displaced from their homes. Even in America, we are experiencing what I call "soft persecution" as a result of the militant homosexual lobby. We need to wise up (wise as serpents, gentle as doves) in this age in particular. The enemy is real--and he's roaming around like a lion, seeking ones to devour.
That much said, we have another enemy in our midst that is harming the body of believers too, and this threat comes from within our own boundaries. We criticize and mock one another, pouring on derision until some no longer feel free to speak. We argue over pointless things such as whether one can lose salvation or not... or whether it's okay to drink a moderate amount of wine or not... and such. Some folks have fairly large followings on Facebook and their own blogs where they come to put down other believers... other members of the same body.
Case in point, Walid Shoebat. Walid's testimony has been a favorite of mine for years. He was a Muslim terrorist who was magnificently saved by Christ, and he is doing the Lord's work--most of the time. However, he recently put up a blog page mocking and bashing Jonathan Cahn for telling Americans that he believes that there is a "great shaking" coming to America. Cahn doesn't say that he is a prophet (though Walid claims that he does). Cahn doesn't say "thus says the Lord" before he says what he believes. Cahn is entitled to his well studied opinion, and I do happen to agree with his points of view--I do believe, based on the evidence, that America is going to hear from God in the not too distant future. Cahn never once said that something would definitely happen on a given date--though he did say to watch carefully around mid September 2015, and he advised to get out of the stock market. It's no different than telling folks to get into a shelter if there's a tornado in the area. Whether it hits or not isn't the point; it's that the chance was quite significant that it could hit, so prudent folks duck for cover. On two previous 7 year cycles, the stock market crashed. Did it not seem wise to wonder if it would happen again this time around? I think so. This period that we're in will continue for some time ahead, particularly through the end of September 2015. It's wise to be cautious. Do you believe God will spare America? It is hard for me to believe that He will. We've become every bit as wicked as Sodom. Judgment is coming, without a doubt.
But back to Walid Shoebat. He's got a webpage where he claims that he predicted what would take place on September 13th of this year. His predictions were pretty "spot on"... but there is a problem. He modified the page on September 14th, at 7:29PM EST. I posted on that blog page, asking him about the discrepancy. He removed my post quickly, and he has now modified the entire page to remove all of his "predictions"... well at least I did some good there. :) Here is that page, modified once again today (September 19th) apparently. http://shoebat.com/2015/09/10/jonathan-cahn-is-a-false-prophet/
Just right click on the page, and click on "page info" and you'll get the data.
I found the very same thing on another blog, called "The Pen and the Pulpit"... more supposedly pre-September 14th, 2015 predictions, but the update of the page showed that it had been modified on September 15th, 2015. I didn't ask that guy what was up there... but my guess is that his predictions were just Monday morning quarter-backing, just like Shoebat's were.
You have to wonder if there's an end to what some will do to discredit someone they don't like.
Is Jonathan Cahn perfect? No, none of us are. He should not allow himself to be called "rabbi" (see Matthew 23), nor should he cover his head with a prayer shawl when he is praying before his congregation (See 1 Corinthians 11). But fortunately, we don't have to be perfect in every jot and tittle of Christian theology in order to be used mightily by the Lord. Want an example?
The apostle Peter was the "man of the hour" so to speak at Pentecost. He gave that amazing sermon in Acts chapter 2 that saw thousands come to Christ for salvation. But Peter, even then, had issues. See Galatians chapter 2--Paul withstood Peter to his face because he was telling the gentiles they had to live by Jewish laws as regards foods. Peter did not listen to Paul in this, as we can tell from what happens in Acts chapter 10 where God Himself has to take the matter up with Peter. So don't assume that a person has to have his theology in perfect lockstep with your own before you can learn from him. All of us are learning, always. If you're not, you're paddling backwards. ;)
