Book Review: The Return of the Gods by Jonathan Cahn Is a Shocking Eye-Opener for America
In his explosive book The Return of the Gods, Jonathan Cahn shares deep spiritual insights in a prophetic style to explain why American culture seems to "suddenly" be turning from the core values upon which it was founded.
Revelatory and intense, Cahn traces specific, documented events that are taking place in our time back to an exact template from ancient civilizations. The parallels are undeniable.
Cahn's theory is that the ancient gods that once ensnared civilizations like Israel and other pagan nations were temporarily displaced and exiled after Jesus came and the gospel spread. Idol worship ceased, their temples were destroyed, and the evil spirits left.
Now, the door has been reopened. The "gods" have reemerged. They are manifesting in modern culture, ideologies, and societal shifts just as they did in ancient times.
How can this be?
Matthew 12:43-45 Holds the Key to the Return of the Gods
America was established after the pattern of ancient Israel, and the same gods that seduced Israel in the days of its apostasy are now working in America to paganize our once Christian nation.
Matthew 12:43-45 explains that when an unclean spirit leaves a person, it can return with seven other spirits more wicked than itself, making the person's final state worse than before.
Ancient Israel knew God, but they fell away and worshipped other gods. It led to their destruction more than once. Likewise, America is a nation that knew God, fell away, and left the "house" empty. The ancient spirits returned, discovered the vacuum, and repossessed it.
The Dark Trinity
Cahn holds three ancient deities responsible for the radical transformation that is happening in America:
Baal
Molech
Ishtar
Baal is referred to as the "Possessor"and is the one Elijah contended with--the one who led to Israel's destruction. In America, Baal is employing the same tactics--drawing people away from the Word of God, the laws of God, and the ways of God.
Prayer was removed from schools. The Word was banned from being used for instruction. The Ten Commandments were removed from schools and the public square. He is the idol of American materialism. He led Israel in the worship of nature, which is akin to the climate activists of our time who make environmentalism a type of religion.
The Arch of Palmyra connected two temples of Baal along a colonnaded avenue in ancient times. In 2016, New York City unveiled the same arch, symbolizing the entryway to Baal's temple, and this served as a portal to bring Baal back. Even the Deputy Mayor at the time referred to the arch as "an act of defiance" while Middle Eastern music played.
Molech is known as the "Destroyer" because he demanded human sacrifice, particularly that of children by their parents. The killing of innocent children invokes the judgment of God like nothing else. Roe v. Wade paved the way for the continuation of this ancient sacrifice and opened the door for Molech.
Cahn spends the majority of the time speaking of Ishtar. In Rome, her name was Venus. In Greece, it was Aphrodite. This "Enchantress" is the goddess of sexuality, and it is Ishtar who led the "sexual revolution" of the 1960's and took things that were forbidden and taboo and made them mainstream. Cahn notes that the shock of each step was followed by familiarity, then numbness, then toleration, then acceptance, and finally celebration.
Ishtar could embody male or female and could blur the lines and merge the two genders. Ishtar had her hand on the feminist movement, training women to celebrate "girl power" while removing a man's ability to fight, protect, and provide by labeling such God-given traits as "toxic masculinity."
Transsexuality was included in Ishtar's cult worship.
Cahn expounds in great detail and with a corroborated timeline how Ishtar made her entrance at Stonewall during the riot of 1969 and how Pride marches, Pride month, the rainbow, transsexuals, lesbian symbols, and more all trace back to ancient rituals and characteristics of Ishtar.
The Gods Demand Dominion
The rainbow is connected to Ishtar, and its appearance everywhere in America symbolizes that Ishtar has transitioned America from a Christian civilization to a pagan one. It's the sign of her presence, power, and dominion.
This timeline is not a coincidence:
June 26, 1969-a search warrant is issued for Stonewall Inn, which leads to riots and the entrance of Ishtar.
June 26, 2003--Lawrence v. Texas legalizes homosexuality.
June 26, 2013--United States v Windsor overturns the Defense of Marriage Act, and the federal government recognizes same-sex marriage in states where it is legal.
June 26, 2015-Obergefell v Hodges strikes down the definition of marriage as a "union between a man and a woman."
The gods used "openness" and "tolerance" to breach the gate. Once the door opened, they gained power through political correctness, wokeness, and cancel culture.
Baal seeks to stamp out opposition. Molech undergirds the abortion industry. Anyone who opposes Ishtar on issues of sexuality is vilified, the culture is incited against them, and they are deprived of their livelihood, speech, and freedom.
They are totalitarian gods, which explains why communism is on the rise in America. The gods promise prosperity, freedom, and fulfillment, but their gift is destruction. They want every knee to bow to them. They want employees indoctrinated a work, students expelled who won't comply, and lawsuits against business owners who won't accommodate them.
What Are We Supposed to Do?
Irrational ideologies are on the rise that deny reality and basic biology. How can this be? How can America embrace and champion things that previous generations would have viewed as insanity? It's the work of the gods!
Christians are watching the paganization of a culture that once knew God but has fallen away and can anticipate persecution. Just as ancient Israel was judged, America can expect a similar judgement, unless the nation repents.
Cahn advises that we are in the world, but we are not of it. Therefore, we must continue to speak the truth and never turn from God's word, His truth, or His ways.
When Roe v. Wade was overturned, it offered a glimmer of hope. This action set into motion the breaking of Molech's modern day altars. Cahn cautions, however, that if hearts refuse to change, America will continue on the trajectory towards judgment.
The Book Nerd's Thoughts on The Return of the Gods by Jonathan Cahn
It's important to note that The Return of the Gods by Jonathan Cahn isn't a book about extrapolating Cahn's suppositions. He uses ancient texts, artifacts, poetry, historical documents, and research of historians along with modern legal cases, documentation, and current events to prove his case.
At times, the reader might think Cahn is making a stretch to draw certain conclusions--until he presents the evidence.
Some readers note that Cahn repeats himself. I would argue that the points he makes are so deeply profound, they need to be repeated to help the reader grasp and digest them.
While the bible does speak of an organized hierarchy of spiritual forces in an unseen realm, I would add that it doesn't necessarily have to be Baal, Molech, or Ishtar specifically who are responsible for the evil that is pervading America, though they may be. The attributes of each "god" that Cahn expounds upon do separate them into three distinctive powers that we can see at work in our nation today. Satan himself is the god of this world, and he never employs new methodologies. Cahn can easily demonstrate that the evil that befell ancient civilizations is the same evil destroying ours because the devil never changes his tactics.
Ultimately, the bottom line remains the same: America knew God, has fallen away from God, and must repent and return to Him before judgment befalls our nation, just as it did on ancient Israel during its apostasy.
The book is an alarm, not to cause fear, but to bring awareness and understanding to Christians who are looking at America and wondering what has happened to our nation. The gods have returned.
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