Barak the Messiah

Editor’s Note: This sermon was written in 2008 immediately following the election of Barak Obama as President of the United States of America it has been updated to reflect current events.. President Obama is a polarizing figure in American Politics. The mention of his name can incite anger on both sides of the political spectrum. The Standing Stones Sermon blog is not a political blog. There is no commentary being made on his fitness or competency in the office of President of the United States. This sermon is based on observations of the media and press during his campaign. The sermon is on the possibility of ascendancy of the Antichrist. We are not suggesting that Barak Obama is the Antichrist. We are only attempting to show how it will be possible, at some future time, for people to accept the antichrist as a god.

“Today, America would be outraged if U.N. troops entered Los Angeles to restore order (referring to the 1991 L.A. Riot) Tomorrow they will be grateful. This is especially true if we were told that there was an outside threat from beyond, whether real or promulgated. It is then that the people of the world will plead to deliver them from this evil. The one thing every man fears is the unknown. When presented with this scenario individual rights will be willingly relinquished for the guarantee of their well-being granted to them by the World Government…” Dr. Henry Kissinger 1991

“Did you ever get the feeling that the only reason we vote is to see if the polls were right?“ Robert Orben

“Democracy is voting for the candidate you dislike the least.” Robert Byrne

We are living in extraordinary times; I am increasingly convinced that we are living in the last of the last days. In the last week we have seen an unprecedented natural disaster occur in Japan, in addition to a man-made disaster in the meltdown of a nuclear power plan. Protest in Libya, Saudi Arabia, Egypt have accelerated, the government of Libya in attacking, both unarmed and armed rebel-citizens has resulted in attacks on that nation by The US, UK and Canadian forces. Less recently, the call for a world currency has been made by Russia and China, and for the first time in history, the government of the United States is supporting that call. We are living in the days of Biblical prophecy.

The times are winding up, the hoof beats of the four horsemen of the apocalypse are being heard in our generation. I believe we will be the generation that will see the return of Jesus Christ and the rapture of the church. In this post I want to examine the “Signs of the Times.”

Matthew 16:3
3 “and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.

Matthew 24:4-16
4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you.5 “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.6 “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.7 “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.8 “All these are the beginning of sorrows.9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.10 “And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.11 “Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.12 “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.13 “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.14 “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand),16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

The Rise of the One

“Many see in Obama a messiah like figure; a great soul and some affectionately call him Mahatma Obama”. - Dinesh Sharma – Marketing Science Consultant

“(He is) A light worker – an attuned being with a powerful luminosity and High-Vibration integrity who will actually help usher in a new way of being.” – Mark Morford – Reporter San Francisco Chronicle

“He communicates God-like energy.  He’s a lot closer to a Jesus-type than any other candidate…What if God decided to incarnate as men preaching, “hope and change.” And what if we didn’t recognize them, because we are so dull and let them slip away, not availing ourselves of the chance to be led by God!”Steve Davis, an average voter in South Carolina

Matthew 24:23-24
23 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it.24 “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

I’m not saying that President Obama is the Antichrist. But this is the type of fervor that will sweep the Antichrist into power. Never before in history have things like this been said about any political candidate. There has always been conversations about a candidate’s ability to lead. We have always heard about charisma. But we have always stopped there: We’ve never dared to call a candidate the Christ.

“This is bigger than Kennedy…this is New Testament”
Chris Matthews, MSNBC Commentator

“Obama’s finest speeches do not excite...They do not inform. They don’t even really inspire, they elevate…He is not the word made flesh but the triumph of the word over flesh…Obama is, at his best, able to call us back to our highest selves.”
Ezra Klein, Associate Editor, The American Prospect Magazine

Even president Obama in his inauguration speech noted that, “this is the time when the rise of the oceans began to slow; when the planet begins to heal.”

Revelation 13:5
5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months.

Very quickly comes the time when the world will embrace a man as the savior of the world: The bringer of world peace: A man that will usher in the time of the tribulation and the final curtain call of the earth.

It’s amazing how much of the world embraced the election of Barak Obama. 210,000 people in Germany went to see him. They said that he brought peace to the Niger Delta region. He hadn’t even taken office yet. The Pope has prayed, “May God help Obama bring peace.” They were looking to him to solve the Mideast problems.

I think it is interesting that the US media was afraid of George Bush and his declaration that he was called by God to be the President of the United States, but they have no fear about referring to president Obama as the “word of God” or his election being of New Testament proportions. Its as if it get easier to look for the Messiah.

“Obama comes along and he seems to have the answers, this is New Testament.”
Chris Matthews MSNBC

Suddenly the press is looking for Jesus and finding Him in a political candidate. Have you ever wondered how a man, an unknown could rise to the office of the most powerful man in the world in only four years. It cannot be merit. There were no accomplishments there was no merit. But yet the press hails him as a messiah-like figure and the man who can save the world. This is so unbelievable that it can only be possible if a spirit is behind it.

Revelation 16:13-14
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.14 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

The world today is a very divided place. A leader can either bring it together or divide it further. Look at the political landscape of the United States att this point in history. The only time where the nation was more divided than this was in 1861, when the Civil War broke out.

America has become a nation where anything goes. Everyone is choosing up sides. It seems that common ground can’t be found; every group is against another. Racial violence is up…Liberals and conservatives are at war with each other…every possible divide is exploited and every chasm becomes an abyss. Christians are verbally assaulted and shouted down. We’re called haters and bigots. Organizations are looking to remove every vestige of the God of the Bible from the public life. When push comes to shove, I wonder where the President will stand…Will he, like everyone else, in the interest of peace denounce Christians?

We may not be seeing the rise of the Antichrist, but we are seeing the rise of the Antichrist spirit. When the Antichrist is in power we will call him God all the time thinking that he’s Jesus, the Messiah.

Revelation 13:12
12 And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

But Jesus will not be ushered in by an election or by a world crisis, He will return like this:

Matthew 24:27

27 “For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

Wars and Rumors of Wars

“From what we have seen in recent years – the creation of a missile defense system, the encirclement of Russia with military bases, the relentless expansion of NATO – we have gotten the clear impression that they are testing our strength” – Dimitry Medvedev, President of Russia quoted on Fox news - November 5, 2008

“Mr. Medvedev is first expected to usher constitutional changes that would allow Mr. Putin to return to his old job for 12 more years…the report bore all the signs of deliberate Kremlin leak designed to prepare the Russian Public for Mr. Putin’s return.” London Telegraph - Nov 7, 2008

“"As one Russian observer put it, weapons sales create allies. Russia is using weapons and nuclear reactors the same way imperial Germany used railroads – to bolster and influence the dominant power in the Middle East.” The Heritage Foundation – March 5, 2007

Who are Russia’s allies in the Middle East?  The Organization of the Islamic Conference: The OIC has tried to make its presence felt in areas of interest to the Muslim world, an approach which appears to have the tacit approval of the Russian leadership. In 2003, President Vladimir Putin was invited to deliver the opening address at the OIC summit. This event was followed by a marked warming of relations between Moscow and the OIC with new positions created in the Russian Foreign Ministry to improve ties. Business Network Summer 2005

Who is the OIC? It is an organization of 56 Islamic Countries. Afganistan, Bahrain, Itran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Yemen are all members. Find them on a map and then look at this:

Ezekiel 38:1-6
Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying,2 “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him,3 “and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal.4 “I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords.5 “Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet;6 “Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops—many people are with you.

After you’ve found those nations on a world map, turn to the back of a Bible and look at a map of the ancient world and find the nations listed in this scripture. You will be amazed to see that these are the same nations.

Rosh is Russia, could Vladimir Putin be Gog? Many of the recent problems with Iran and nuclear weapons follow the sale of centrifuges used to enrich plutonium for use in reactors and weapons from Russia to Iran Putin is aligning himself to once again lead Russia. Iran and other Islamic nations are allied with Russia and eager to declare war on the west. Time and time again the president of Iran has threatened to “Wipe Israel from the map:” The complete annihilation of Israel. With nuclear weapons made from enriched plutonium this indeed becomes a possibility.

In recent days we have seen the “democracy movements” in the Middle East. Protestors have risen up against the tyrants of the Middle East. But look closely who is being overthrown. It is in secular Middle Eastern nations that we are seeing this revolution. Of course, there is no doubt that these are tyrannical dictators leading these countries, but whom are the “revolutionaries” representing? In Egypt it was the Muslim Brotherhood. The Muslim Brotherhood has sworn to destroy Israel, one of the goals of those who were fighting for democracy in Egypt was the suspension of Mubarak’s peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. These people are the enemies of Israel. Vladimir Putin and Russia may soon be in a position to lead these countries to war against Israel.

With this war and the rise of the Antichrist we could see the rise of the One World Government. If you think a world government is not on the horizon look at this:

“In the next century nations as we know it will be obsolete, all states will recognize a single global authority. National sovereignty wasn’t such a great idea after all.”

Strobe Talbot – President Clinton’s Deputy Secretary of State 1998

The sovereignty of all nations is threatened with the establishment of a Global financial system. A one-world economy, if you will.

“The world’s most influential finance ministers and central bankers broadly agreed today that its financial system needed reform amid the worst financial crisis in 80 years, but they fell short of their task of outlining a detailed framework for change. The finance officials at this weekend’s gathering of group of 20 officials in Sao Paulo, Brazil, had intended to come up with concrete proposals as a basis for discussion by their heads of state at meetings in Washington D.C. on November 14-15.”

Dow Jones Newswires November 9, 2008

Every head of state is looking for a solution to the world’s financial crisis and that solution may be in the creation of Global economic system. China and Russia have both called for the establishment of a world currency. This is not unusual on its face, in recent years both of these nations have called for this before. But for the first time the United States Government has supported the idea of a global currency. A global currency will further erode the idea of sovereignty among nations. The one-world economy of the Bible is c,oser than you think.

Revelation 13:16-17
16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads,17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

How Does That Make You Feel?

As I’ve said before, this is not a political piece. The idea of this is not to infuse you with fear and hatred. But politics are the signs of the soon return of Jesus Christ. I believe we are close to his return and the rapture of his church.

On the one hand I find it terribly exciting to be a part of the last generation: the generation that will see the return of Jesus Christ. I believe there are people reading this who will never taste death. This event is on the horizon line of time and we are rushing toward it.

The problem is that not everyone will hear the call. Not everyone will hear the trumpet’s blast, only those that are “in Christ.” I am filled with a sense of urgency to reach the lost.

I live in Taiwan and the percentage of those who are of a Western Religion is about 5% of the population. The percentage of Christian is smaller still. Of the 23 million people living here only a small portion will hear the final call.

With the world stage such as it is, how much time could possibly be left before these Biblical prophecies are fulfilled? How much time could be left before Jesus returns?. How many people do you personally know that would be left in the event of the final call?

These are highly polarized times. Close elections in the US demonstrate a fifty-fifty split. Violent protests in recent days demonstrate the depth of emotion for one side or the other and the depth of hatred for righteousness grows day by day.

2 Timothy 3:1-7
But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!6 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts,7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

This is the signature scripture for our day and hour. We are unable to turn back to simpler times so we must prepare for the times that we face. This is the time when Christians must galvanize into the Army of God and press forward to draw others into his safety. We can no longer allow ourselves the luxury of complacence. There is little time left. On the one hand I am comforted by the knowledge his soon return but on the toehr hand I am filled with a sense of urgency.