Obama is like Joshua?

President Obama seems like a nice man. I would imagine that he is a kind husband and a good father to his children. But some of the accolades and praise that came yesterday caught my attention.

The famed boxing promoter Don King said, "Barack Obama is similar to the Biblical character of Joshua...going across to the promised land."

Singer Smokey Robinson said, “There are so many Biblical figures who had the same task...”

Denzel Washington: “The apostle Paul, Moses, John the Baptist – any one of them. Seriously, he is like one of those apostles for our day. He came to lead us to the original design of what we are supposed to do on this earth.”

Oprah, Jay-Z and others - "Obama has changed my life, he makes me want to be a better person."

...wow. By the sound of it, Jesus really should have taken a some pointers from the acclaimed politician.

The reason these comments make so much sense to those saying them is that they don't understand the point of the Bible, the prophets, and the apostles at all. Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah whom Joshua was a picture, and Moses, David, Zerubbabel, and countless others. But there is also great confusion as to the purpose of God's plan in Jesus as well. Many believe Jesus didn't come to deal with sin and separation and death and our status as being enemies of God, to die on the cross, be raised from the dead and exalted as the King of Kings. For many Jesus is a picture of oppression, an example of sacrifice, a guy to follow, a revolutionary politician who wants life to be easy for us.

As Christians, we need to return our source of Godly wisdom and insight to the scriptures, not to celebrities. We need to remember that there was a Man who was a lot like Joshua, who actually had the same Hebrew name. He has already come, he has already made it to the promised land, he has already conquered sin, oppression, hatred, evil, death and Satan himself and one day he will lead those who know Him to the promised land as well. What is more, he is returning...and trust me...no one will confuse Obama or anyone else with the exalted Yeshua when he makes his appearance. I hope He will change the lives of people in this country through the power of the Holy Spirit. And I just hope that Oprah and Denzel will recognize Him.