Reviewed by Carson Jacobs, a Professional Writing Major at Taylor University.

Introduction

Title: The Book of Mysteries

Author: Jonathan Cahn

Publisher: Frontline

Publication Date: September 6, 2016

Format: Print Book

Length: 384 pages

OVERVIEW

     Anyone familiar with Jonathan Cahn’s previous works knows what to expect from him. Much like his first book, The Harbinger, the concept of this piece of literature is a brilliant combination of examining deep truths while keeping the premise entertaining to avoid boring readers.

     Cahn begins the book with dialogue resembling that of a novel before diving into a segment of exposition to give a little more background on what’s taking place. A man wandering the desert discovers a person claiming to be a teacher, and this “teacher” invites the man to his “school.” At the “school,” the wanderer is given lessons morning, evening, or night by the teacher. These lessons typically include something from the Bible told in a new way or a discussion of a Jewish tradition and how it relates to something now or during biblical times.

     The format of this book is unique in that it gives a coherent, successive series of events that mesh as a story, but it functions as a 365-day devotional. Each chapter is one page long and concludes with a “mission” and some Bible references.

     The book is an interesting concept as Cahn did write it with a small narrative flow, but I would not recommend reading it all at once. It is intended to be a one year devotional, and it possesses the potential to overwhelm readers if they try to read it as a novel or story.

ASSESSMENT

Rating (1 to 5)

4 stars

Suggested Audience

Ages 12 and older

Christian Impact

As this book is solely based on biblical principles and Jewish traditions, the amount of Christian impact is enormous. It functions as a story with a slightly broken narrative and a 365-day devotional, making it even more biblically oriented. Alongside this is the inclusion of a Bible verse at the bottom of every page. However, it is still a book of opinions and some historical facts. It is not the Bible itself and it should not be viewed as such.

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