The Harbinger by Jonathan Cahn

response to that first invasion, the first calamity. These are the words that sum up the nation’s spirit—a spirit of pride, defiance, and arrogance in the face of the calamity.”
    “And why is it significant?” I asked.
    “Because these are the words that seal the nation’s course and foretell its future.”
    “I’m not seeing it.”
    “What exactly is it, Nouriel, that they’re really saying?”
    “In the aftermath of the invasion they’re going to rebuild.”
    “And why would that be significant?”
    “I have no idea. It’s what you do when something’s destroyed—you rebuild.”
    “Look deeper, Nouriel. What’s the larger context? A nation is turning away from God. Its hedge of protection has been removed. Why?”
    “To cause them to turn back, to wake them up, to save them from a greater judgment.”
    “And what are they doing in light of it? Or rather, what are they not doing?”
    “They’re not returning to God?”
    “Exactly. Instead of listening to the alarm, instead of turning back, instead of even pausing for a moment to reexamine their ways, they boast of their resolve. It wasn’t about rebuilding at all. It was about ignoring the warning and rejecting the call to return.”
    “So they missed their warning.”
    “They did more than just miss it. They defied it. Notice the words. They weren’t vowing just to rebuild what was destroyed, but to make themselves stronger than before, to become invulnerable to any future attack. So what they’re saying is this: ‘We will not be humbled. We will not search our ways or consider the possibility that something could be wrong. Instead, we’ll defy the calamity. We’ll beat it back. We’ll rebuild. We’ll undo the damage as if it never happened. Not only will we not change our course—we’ll pursue it now with even more zeal. We’ll come out of this calamity stronger than ever and rise to even greater heights than before.”
    “They were saying all that in those few words?” I asked.
    “That’s exactly what they were saying. That’s exactly what it means. The alarm had sounded, and they were vowing to silence it. And what happens, Nouriel, if you silence an alarm?”
    “You keep sleeping.”
    “And if the alarm was to warn you of a danger…what then?”
    “Then the danger becomes even more dangerous…because now you have nothing to warn you that it’s coming.”
    “Exactly. So they kept sleeping. They nullified the alarm that was meant to wake them up…to save them. And it was all there in the vow:
    “The bricks have fallen,
    But we will rebuild with hewn stone;
    The sycamores have been cut down,
    But we will plant cedars in their place.
    “These are the words that seal a nation’s destiny.”
    “The fate of an entire nation hanging on so few words?”
    “And in the original language, even fewer…eight words.”
    “But how?” I asked.
    “The vow was a sign, a manifestation of the hardening of their hearts, the rejection of God’s calling, the sealing of the nation’s defiance and its course—and thus the sealing of its end. So the vow itself is a sign of judgment.”
    “Question…You told me that the word I was looking for wasn’t just here in this library, that I didn’t have to come here to find it. How could I possibly have found that parchment without you showing it to me?”
    “It’s not the parchment,” he answered, “It’s the word. And the word is from a book, from the book of a prophet…”
    “A prophet?”
    “…who lived at the time of the invasion…and through whom the word was given.”
    “And the prophet was…?”
    “ Yishaiyahu .”
    “I’ve never heard of him.”
    “You have, you just didn’t know his real name. You know him as Isaiah .”
    “Isaiah.”
    “The word is from the Bible…from the Book of Isaiah…the ninth chapter…Isaiah 9:10.”
    “Isaiah 9:10. So it’s known.”
    “Not really. It’s a very obscure verse. Even most of those who read the Bible every day