"The Power of the Prophetic Blessing" by John Hagee

John Hagee presents a quite frustrating but fascinating read with his new book "The Power of the Prophetic Blessing." I have always admired John Hagee's preaching - he speaks with great conviction and power. I have also learned so much from his writings about the nation of Israel. (His book "Jerusalem Countdown" is a great example... read my review here).

Let me begin with the positive aspects of the book. I really enjoyed his discussion of the nature of the blessings of the Old Testament - particularly, of Jacob blessing the sons who would become the fathers of the 12 tribes of Israel. There is also the great section talking about the power of affirmation through touch in a child's life and development. Those two sections alone are worth the price of the book, in my opinion. Then, Hagee forcefully reminds fathers (and mothers, but fathers especially) about their role as spiritual authority in the home - and of the overwhelming need to pray over our wives and children. This is a much needed message for the church today.

The negative aspect of the book is one that I had feared from the start. Hagee goes beyond the bounds of God's intention when he claims that we can speak our own prosperity into existence. With all the strong words Jesus had to say against materialism and with all the warnings God gives against money and the love of worldly things, I am quite sure that the blessings God has for his children are not primarily of a materialistic nature. It is not wrong to think that unexpected material blessing comes from God, but it is wrong to imagine that there is no way God can bless you other than to give you prosperity, promotion, wealth, riches, and even health and right relationships - all of which Hagee points out repeatedly in his book. I would imagine God's greatest blessing to man would be a more accurate understanding of God Himself - which he gave to Job, but only after Job had LOST all material blessings, wealth, health, and even relationships.

I would say that, to the wise reader who can avoid the pitfall of the prosperity teachings, this book can be an informative tool. My wife and I have already talked about some of the things I learned in it, and we are going to try to follow God's Word more accurately when it comes to praying for each other.

My fear is that weak or easily misled believers will get one thing only out of this book: if I believe hard enough, God will give me a new car and heal my cancer. There is nothing wrong with praying for either one of these things, but what will become of the man to whom God refuses to bless in this way? Will he become angry at God? Will he cease to pray, assuming that it is of no value because his prayers weren't answered?

I still give it a 3 out of 5 stars for all its positive points - but read with discernment.

I received this book free from Handlebar Marketing in exchange for my honest review.

"Jerusalem Countdown" by John Hagee (Kindle Edition)

Even though this book was written in 2006, the information included is excellent. John Hagee is a very intelligent man, and he writes with great skill as well. (In fact, if you ever come across either of his two Apocalypse Diaries novels - "Devil's Island" or "Avenger of Blood" - make sure you buy them! They are rare to find, and excellent to read!)
The book was not exactly what I thought it would be. I was thinking of Daniel's 70 weeks, where is America in prophecy, etc. Instead, Hagee explains his theological understanding of God's relationship to the Jewish people, from Abraham until Christ returns. I have not read any other book that so clearly tackles this subject. There were just a couple of points that I disagreed with or was unsure of, but the majority of the book was eye-opening to me.
I'll admit it: Jewish people have always been a bit of a mystery in my mind.... I knew that they were chosen by God, I knew that Jesus was a Jew, I knew that God will place the focus back on the Jews in the last days - what I didn't know was how this all fit together in the big picture of God's Word, nor did I understand what my relationship (as a Gentile Christian) to the Jews was. John Hagee explains all this and more in great detail.
One of the most helpful ideas in the book is that divine election applies only to the Jews. The concept of election (the Calvinist doctrine) has been the thorn in the side for many theologians. But, the explanation given by Hagee makes more sense in light of all that the Bible teaches than any other theory I've heard.
Hagee also goes paragraph-by-paragraph through Romans 9-11, which was excellent. These chapters are often ignored, so it was great to hear them explained clearly. (In fact, I had a whole class on the book of Romans in Bible college, but I'm pretty sure that we skimmed over chapters 9-11).
My special thanks goes to my dad for letting me borrow this e-book. I am probably going to buy a print copy of this book to read again, as well as to lend out to others.
If you only read one book of theology/prophecy this year, I recommend this one!