Jonathan’s Testimony: The Strange Way God Called Him Into Ministry

Jonathan Cahn shares the surprising & prophetic story of how God used unexpected and strange ways to launch his ministry and lead him into his calling.

Everything in my calling happened through a divine setup. From the moment I was saved, it was all there—waiting right next door. If I had never crossed over, who knows what my life would look like today? But God orders our steps, and His plans go far beyond anything we could ever imagine.

What I’m about to share is one of the prophetic words I received for this year. I briefly mentioned it last Sunday but didn’t go into detail. While ministering in Florida this past week at a gathering of Messianic leaders, the Lord brought it back to my heart. Before we pray together for this year, before we seek God’s presence for whatever you’re believing for—and before we share in the Lord’s Supper—I want to open up this word.

Yesterday, I returned from Florida after several meetings. As I stepped off my plane in Newark, an older man approached me and said, “Are you Jonathan Cahn?” I always feel tempted to answer with a joke, but I said, “Yes, I am.” He told me he had been reading my book The Oracle on the flight and had read all my books.

While we were talking, I noticed another elderly man nearby, listening. At first, I assumed he was with the first gentleman. But when I turned to greet him, he said, “You probably don’t recognize me.” He gave me his name—and I was stunned. He was the pastor of the very first church I ever attended regularly after coming to faith. I hadn’t seen him in forty years—since the very beginning of my walk with the Lord.

He told me he had been following what God has been doing through the ministry, the books, and the congregation. He had even been at a massive event last year where I spoke to thousands of ministers, but he couldn’t reach me then. Yet here, God arranged for another man to stop me in the airport—right when this pastor was close enough to hear my name. After four decades, the Lord reconnected us.

That moment took me back to the beginning—forty years in the Lord this year. I remembered how unlikely this calling was. If you had asked my high school classmates who would become a minister, I would have been the last person on their list. Even after I believed God was real, I resisted Him for six years. It took a near-death experience—a train crashing into my car and missing me by inches—for me to finally surrender my life to Christ.

When I came to faith, I had no plans to teach the Bible. But during my first year as a believer, I joined a Bible study for young people. A few months later, the pastor leading it stepped down, and the group asked me to take over. I didn’t know how, but I said yes—and that’s how I began teaching the Word of God.

Around that same time in college, I visited a church where a guest speaker—a former madam—called me out and spoke over my life. She prophesied about a ministry that would one day come to pass. At the time, I couldn’t see how it would happen, but I knew in my spirit I was called.

I explored different ministry opportunities—Jews for Jesus, Chosen People Ministries—but none felt like my place. I prayed, “Lord, give me the job You want for me.” God gave me a job working with disabled children, a major preparation for future ministry. I continued leading the Bible study and began ministering to the homeless on weekends.