The Harbinger: The Ancient Mystery that Holds the Secret of America's Future

Who is the main audience of the The Harbinger, and how does the book structure its rhetoric and content to appeal to this audience?

What are the prophet’s political and religious motives for linking ancient Assyria to modern Iraq?

Much of the prophet’s assertion that ancient Israel and modern America are “defiant” comes from the wording regarding rebuilding after a disaster. Analyze the use of the phrase “we must rebuild,” an allusion to the Old Testament prophecy of Isaiah, as a response to disaster.

The prophet links modern events extensively to specific biblical prophecy. Do these connections require an acknowledgement of the Bible as a verifiable text? As a metanarrative, does The Harbinger rely on the reader’s implicit acceptance of the Bible, or does it connect these texts in a way that is accessible and reasonable to other religions and the non-religious?

All three politicians who are cited as repeating the phrasing of Isaiah 9:10 are Democrats: Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, 2004 candidate for vice president John Edwards, and President Barack Obama. What rhetorical purpose does the choice of these three political figures serve for Jonathan Cahn’s framework in the novel?

The prophet’s metaphor of a gardener weeding their garden by cutting the leaves off weeds is meant to show that America cannot solve its problems without addressing the root cause, which in his view is “turning away” from God. Can this metaphor be used to discuss other social problems? How might this metaphor be used to discuss American culture and events without discussing God? Is religion inherent to American culture and perception?

The prophet claims that America is like Israel in that both were founded on covenants with God. How does the prophet’s view compare to the American values of the separation of church and state or the first amendment right to freedom of religion? What does the prophet view as evidence of an American covenant, and how does it impact the novel’s message?

In the end, the prophet tells Kaplan what both believers and non-believers need to do to avoid the destruction and turn back to God. Again, the prophet is vague, but what might he consider signs of America “turning back” to God? Would these changes be individual, public, or political, and how does the text support those changes?