Will the upcoming U.S. presidential election signify any end time events?

By John Stuart

The historic elections this November will lead us into a new era of geo-politics. The two likely candidates are poles apart and their faith values are entirely different. Barack Obama has belonged to a church that is heavily associated with Liberation Theology. He has sat under preachers who see the existence of the Christian Church as a vehicle for freedom, equality, and the exaltation of the Black community. This theology is more orientated towards acquiring and establishing the rights of African Americans in Western society than it eschatological. It is not about preparing for the end of times; it is more focused on the end of racism.

John McCain has no fixed theology. Indeed, it might be said that his faith is private and personal, which is usually code for superficial and nominal. His recent rejection of Pastor Hagee reveals the depth of McCain's beliefs they only go as far as is politically necessary. Whereas Obama's church is fully energized and dynamically charismatic, McCain's faith is quietly unobtrusive. He wants to be all things to all men, women, and children, which is very similar to Paul's faith, except that McCain adheres to this for political expediency and not for the sake of the Gospel.

As far as the end times are concerned, both Presidential candidates have nothing about them that would signify being called to the Presidency in order to fulfill a Higher Purpose. However, their leadership decisions with regard to the Middle East, and especially the current Israeli-Palestinian and Iraqi-Iranian disputes could usher in events which would lead to an Armageddon scenario.

Obama's willingness to sit down with the Iranian leadership could possibly give Ahmadinejad the time that his country needs to develop nuclear weapon capabilities that would destabilize the region. This would lead to a nuclear conflict between Israel and Iran, which would escalate beyond the Middle East and leave the world in a nuclear meltdown. Obama's policy of appeasement may bring about the circumstances required that would lead to the end times.

John McCain, with his military background, may be too pro-active on behalf of Israel, causing Russia and China to back the Iranians. As the current fuel crisis escalates in the Western world, McCain may forcefully deploy more troops, ships, and planes to the Arabian Peninsula, in order to maintain necessary oil supplies to the United States. This could soon become a face-off between the U.S. and China, taking us once again to the brink of nuclear war. Whether it would be averted, as in the Cuban Missile Crisis, would be entirely up to God.

In the end, both Presidential candidates could take us to the beginning of a nuclear holocaust, but for entirely different reasons. It will therefore be the duty of Christians everywhere to be vigilant and keep paying attention to the Middle East policies that the eventual President takes. One thing is for certain: we will all be one President nearer to the end times than we are at present.