The Beast?

No one is currently saying Barack Obama is the Beast, as depicted in the book of Revelation. No one in the GOP is making that claim, and certainly none of the Democrats are either.

But how conceivable is it?

One artist in New York has already completed a giant acrylic depicting Obama as a glorified Jesus. How many people would be ready to receive Barack Obama as the supreme antichrist if he indeed went down that path?

And it is a question of 'how many' and not a question of 'how deeply'. The beast will rise on the hysteria of 'The Public' and its approval (a double-minded approval, just like the journalists who are always ready to tear down their heroes). Unlike the real Messiah, he will not have the genuine support of an elderly grandma or a young child -nor will he seek out such people as his constituents.

Barack Obama has claimed to be a Christian, it is true, a different kind of Christian. During the Democratic primaries of 2008 he claimed to be a sinner "in the Christian sense", suggesting that he has never really been evil (like the rest of those poor, penitents) but evil in a purely doctrinal, abstract way.

Although he chose a minister to be his mentor -and to title of one of his books after one of his sermons- his minister seems to be more concerned with political affairs and race relations than presenting human beings with the Good News of finding reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ.

Barack Obama has made extremely vigorous efforts to gain the support of those who claim to be religious, even courting the evangelicals in his association with Rick Warren (and to some extent with Tony Dungy). During the primaries he attacked the Democrats (!) for blowing off religious voters. And he hasn't tried to end President Bush's faith-based initiatives (which about 80% of Americans have approved of).

On the other hand, as president, Barack Obama has made moves against the churches of America and their efforts toward the poor by de-incentivizing charitable donations.

He also issued an executive order allowing tax dollars to go toward oversea abortions (a move which has justified my vote against him all by itself as far as I'm concerned). He has also promised to give extensive, extensive abortion rights as soon the bill arrives on his desk.

I find it worth noting that his constituents are waiting for a messianic leader who will unify the world behind a global currency, a global government, a global culture, and a global "society". The moon will be in its 'seventh house' and Jupiter will align with Mars, etc. These are the things his advocates try to find in his foreign trips, and the president has given them many assurances.

Speaking of Obama's constituents, 86% of Jews voted for Obama. This assures me (to some extent) that Obama has better standing with Israel than other politicians like Jimmy Carter who takes the side of Hamas everytime (a terrorist organization), Jesse Jackson, and Pat Buchanan. His chief of staff is also very Jewish.

On the other hand there is something about Obama that reminds me of everything the Jews in Jesus' day wanted to see in a Messiah: good looks, pseudo-empathy, and a broad swath of popularity. These are things that Christ never really had, so it is easy to juxtapose Obama with Christ in their relation to the Jews. Also Obama has opposed Israel's best leader in the last fifty years: Netandyahu.

In summary I would say that if Barack Obama is the Beast, it is not immediately obvious at this point. On the other hand, that's exactly how I would profile the Beast early in his career. Remember that few people recognized early in the ministry of Jesus that he was the Messiah, and during the early part of his ministry Jesus made many attempts at concealing his role in the universe because he wanted to show a much truer, subtle part of himself.