A "Messiah" by Any Other Name...

[Robert]

Recently, I read the editorial by Dorothy Rabinowitz "The Alien in the White House", where she pointed out that Obama has essentially alienated himself from the people of this nation, and that there is such a deep disconnect that once strong supporters of his are now losing confidence in the POTUS. He lacks the authoritative presence that other presidents before him had, and does not seem to have any "command" as it were.

I would like to expand upon this

In many ways Obama reminds me of the more notorious of the Roman Emperors, such as Caligula, Nero and Commodus. The resemblance he bears to them is not in any sort of barbaric cruelty, nor in delusions of grandeur or perceptions of godhood (although I am quite sure he would be very capable of these, were the appropriate circumstances to present themselves). Where his behavior mirrors that of the ancient Roman dictators is in the arenas of arrogance and a severe disconnect with the people; Obama is by NO means a "man of the people". He is not on, nor does he seem capable of coming down to, the level of the public whom elected him to office well over a year ago, and it shows quite painfully.

Additionally, from the repeated attempts to ram his "healthcare plan" through congress to his heavy-handed dealings with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, Obama has demonstrated not only a severe lack of interpersonal skills on a one-on-one level, but a distinct disdain for anyone who does not see eye-to-eye with him on his policies, and whom do not "sing the song" that he wishes to hear from them. In short: while he may be able to talk to a crowd and whip them up into a fervored frenzy with his "campaign promises", his direct dealings with individuals lacks any seeming charisma and energy that he brings to those events. In those situations where he addresses a crowd, Obama does not have to engage in any personal contact with the people he is addressing; he merely has to say the right words and push the buttons of the crowd as a whole. In this capacity, he has demonstrated himself to be very capable. However, remove him from that situation and place him into one where he must deal with an individual who requires his undivided attention, and he becomes uncomfortable, as he is essentially out of his element.

To make matters even worse: Obama's handling of crises is anything but competent. Instead of devising plans to handle situations, he instead brings bluster and epithets to the situation, seeming spawned off of his "yes, we can!" campaign slogan. His thinking seems to be that determination without rational, intelligent thought and planning tailored to meet the specifics of said crises will solve the problem. Case in point: The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. About the only thing he has done is make promises that "BP will pay" and such, instead of presenting the situation as it truly is and revealing a detailed, carefully considered plan of action in handling this now- epic environmental catastrophe.This illustrates clearly that the way he perceives a situation and the reality of the situations he is faced with are worlds apart, and that his understanding of such scenarios is, at best, juvenile. At worst, it is infantile and almost laughable.


Almost.

In any event, we are seeing in large, black letters written in crude petroleum, that the "man" that the people of this nation chose November of 2008 to be their President is woefully under-qualified. He does not possess any of the maturity, experience, or ability to connect with the nation whose constitution he has sworn to "preserve, protect and defend", and he is lacking in all the things that mark a great leader. He cannot lead by example because he himself has no examples to lead by aside from bluster and arrogance. He does not SEEM like the President, and he comes across as pitiful and weak, with other nations picking up on this. He may have "charisma" as far as exciting a crowd, but as concerning making an impression on people, he is so very lacking, and does not possess the office he was sworn into.


And this is the man that some were led to label a "messiah."


While we are on that subject, let us look at the TRUE Messiah...


Jesus was able to connect with people at their level, and was amongst the common man AS the common man. He came to earth as one of us, born lowly and common:

"For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. " (Isaiah 53:2, NASB)

"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey." (Zechariah 9:9, NASB, emphasis mine)

Yet, when Jesus spoke, people listened. His words conveyed a sense of power and authority, one that many leaders would kill to have today:

"When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes. " (Matthew 7:28-29, NASB, emphasis mine)

But Jesus is far more than simply a man: being God, he has insight into people and their hearts, and knows "where they come from and what they are about". Living as us, he knew that people have hopes, dreams and fears, while as God, he knew our hearts from the beginning; after all, he CREATED them. And as such, knows us intimately and completely. There is no "disconnect" with him or in him. If we are unable to approach him, it is because we do not wish to know him, not that he has distanced himself from us:

"Take my yoke on you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest to your souls." ( Matthew 11:29, AKJV)

Jesus genuinely loves and cares about people; so much so that he came to this earth to warn us of the grave danger we are in due to our sin against God, and to die in our place as the sole remedy to that situation. Unlike Obama, Jesus had ( and still does have) a tremendous grasp of the reality of the crisis humanity faces due to sin. He knew full well what salvation would entail for him, and he chose to go through with it because his love for us was greater than any concern he would or could have for himself. indeed, he set aside his glory to become one of us, to live as one of us, and die in our place as a criminal, despised of men:

"He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities;The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due? His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth .But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. " (Isaiah 53: 3-10, NASB, emphasis mine)

In comparison, Obama is no messiah, nor could he ever be. In fact, he is even a poor imitation of the Antichrist, with no ability to lead, persuade, sway or convince anyone. This is NOT the man Satan would choose to be his "masterpiece"; instead, I believe Obama's role is in laying the groundwork for the coming of the "Man of Perdition". Most likely not wittingly doing so, but inexorably, laying the foundations in his own way for the world order and the rule of the AC to come. But that such a person in the White House at this time should cause us to seriously reflect on the times we live in, and our efforts to bring the word of God to a lost and dying world.

Daylight is almost gone, and dusk is soon approaching.


I bid you all peace.


YBIC


-Robert

[mattfivefour]

Really good post, bro!