Abraham to Solomon
Abraham
Ten generations after Noah, Abram, an idol worshipper from the city of Ur in Mesopotamia – “the land of Nimrod” (Micah 5:6) – is called out of idolatry by God to become Abraham the father of a nation. We to, are called out from following the philosophies of mankind and the idols of this world, to seek after righteousness. Abraham’s home city of Ur was a major port city and urban center located on the Persian Gulf. Abraham left a bustling seaside city to start a nomadic life and headed for the Promised Land, a massive adjustment for the 75-year-old man and his wife Sarah. God’s calls to righteousness can come at great cost to the individual, believers are to be eternal minded and work to attain heavenly rewards.
The dispensation of Human Government came to an end after God confused mankind with different languages, and scattered them across the face of the earth. All of mankind are following the will of Satan, worshipping idols in rebellion to God. Mankind failed to attain righteousness through their conscience and created their own social laws. So, God appointed Abraham to become the father of a great nation – Israel, and then through the people of Israel, God gave mankind the laws they needed to follow to attain righteousness, thus allowing mankind a third opportunity to achieve righteousness on their own.
Israel is to be the Land of God’s Wisdom
Babylon is the land of man’s wisdom, so God calls out Abraham so He can establish a land of God’s wisdom. Each territory then has opposite ideologies, and they enter into a spiritual battle to be the major influence over mankind. The land of Nimrod had the goal to foster the idolatrous faith that Nimrod and Semiramis started, following the will of Satan. However, from the land of Israel will arise the Word of God, the seed of the woman, who will ultimately defeat the serpent’s seed and establish His Kingdom, with His law being supreme, and governing mankind.
Because of God’s unique and special bond with Israel Satan hates the Jews. Satan’s war against the Jews has been extensive, starting from the time of Abraham and continuing to the present. For the very reasons that Christians should love the Jews, Satan hates them:
- They brought man back from pagan polytheism to worshipping the one true God.
- They saved the world from moral deterioration by establishing God’s laws and commandments.
- They faithfully recorded God’s Word for mankind.
- Then most importantly, through the Jews God raised up Yeshua, the Messiah.
Satan is still determined to destroy the Jews because the Jews are part of God’s End Times plan for the world culminating in the return of Jesus. If Satan can eliminate the Jews and remove them as a people group, he saves himself from his demise, his eternal judgement and eternity in the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:10). This certainly is motivation enough for him to throw everything he possibly can at the Jews! That is why God wants the Church to pray for the descendants of Abraham; to stand in the gap for them (Ezek. 22:30).
Those Born of Flesh Persecute Those Born of Promise
The older worldly brother (born of flesh) persecutes the younger spiritual brother (born of promise), and the older sibling who is out of their relationship with the Lord persecutes the younger godly sibling. The Babylonian religion founded before Judaism and Christianity behaves as the older brother who while in rebellion against God persecutes the younger brother, the child of promise. The sibling rivalry of “flesh” versus “promise”, is a shadow of the reality that reveals the conflict which will occur between the End Time apostate church and the true Church of God.
Examples of the sibling rivalry that through typology prophetically reveal the conflict that will occur between the Ecumenical Church (a unification of denominations with liberal doctrines – man’s wisdom) and the true Church of God are:
Cain and Able:
In Genesis 4 Cain the older brother through pride contaminates his worship of God, by developing his own material for his sacrifice to God (covered in Part 1). Instead of going to ask his brother Able for a lamb to sacrifice, he offers up the fruit of the soil which he has grown, believing it to be a better sacrifice. He ignores the Truth that there is no remission of sin but through the shedding of blood (Lev. 17:11). The blood of the sacrifice points to Jesus, so he is starting a religious practice that denies Jesus – God’s perfect sacrifice. Cain’s pride interferes with God’s greater plan for mankind, so, Cain’s sacrifice of vegetables is rejected and Abel’s sacrifice of a lamb is accepted by God. Cain feels that his sacrifice is just as good as Abel’s if not better. It is far harder work to produce a crop than it is to shepherd a flock. Therefore, in Cain’s eyes his sacrifice is better than Abel’s; because of this Cain begins to despise his younger brother, jealousy and anger stir up a rage in Cain which motivates him to strike his younger brother down and kill him.
The Ecumenical Church worships a god of love, with no accountability, and so there is no judgement for sin. Just as Cain believed that his hard work made an acceptable sacrifice, so too the Ecumenical Church believes that good works are sufficient for entry into heaven. The rejection of this apostate doctrine by the true Church, and the belief of the true Church, that God is a God of not only love but also of holiness, righteousness, wrath and judgement, will enrage the Ecumenical Church. This rejection of Ecumenicalism by the True Church, and its refusal to compromise, will result in the Ecumenical Church attempting to destroy the True Church.
Ishmael and Isaac:
Galatians 4:22 also records the struggle between the first and second born. Abraham has two sons, one son from the bonds woman, Hagar, and one son from the free woman, Sarah. The one born first is born in bondage; the one born second is born the son of promise (Gal. 4:23). The one born first is born of the flesh; the one born second is born of the spirit (Gal. 4:29). Ishmael mocks and ridicules Isaac; the one born in bondage persecutes the son born by the power of the Spirit. Just as the child of the bonds woman targets the child of promise for persecution, so too will the apostate church target for persecution the church that carries the promise of God. The True Church will be harassed and ridiculed by the apostate church, who will seek to eradicate the Truth.
Esau and Jacob:
The birth of the twin sons to Jacob and Rachel introduces a revelation from God, “the older shall serve the younger,” (Gen. 25:23), which is a prophecy indicating that the false religion introduced at the time of the Tower of Babel will serve (be inferior to) the true faith. This is reality is revealed in the story of the twins Esau and Jacob. Through prophecy God reveals that Esau the first born will be spiritually inferior to his younger brother Jacob, and it will be Jacob who receives the promised blessing from God. Genesis 25:23 must be referring to the spiritual inferiority of Esau to his brother Jacob, as at no time in his life does Esau submit to Jacob. Also, Edom had rulers and kings well before the nation of Israel, under the leadership of Moses, start their journey to the Promised Land. Only for a short time under David and Solomon does the nation of Edom become a vassal state of Israel; however, when Israel was divided into two kingdoms, Judah’s hold on Edom began to rapidly slip. The roles are reversed during the time of Nebuchadnezzar when the Edomites helped the Babylonians slaughter the Jews and plunder Jerusalem.
The spiritual nature of Genesis 25:23 is highlighted by the continual use of red in association with Esau. Red in scripture is symbolic of suffering, sacrifice or sin (Isaiah 1:18). It is written in the Mishnah (the first written record by Rabbis of the Oral Law) that a scarlet thread from the scarf bound on the scapegoat was hung before the Holy of Holies; if the sins of the people were forgiven the thread would turn white, if God had rejected their sacrifice the thread would remain scarlet. The symbolism of red representing sin in scripture is very significant in pointing to Esau as a man who will turn his back on God, and is evident in the following scriptures:
- Esau had red hair (Gen. 25:25).
- Esau sold his birth right for red stew (Gen. 25:30).
- Esau eventually settled in a land of red soil which is called Edom (Gen. 36:8).
Clearly the re-emphasis of red in relation to Esau is highlighting his sin in despising his birth right (Gen. 25:30-34, Heb. 12:16). When he desired to get his inheritance back, he could not because he found no place for repentance.
Esau has a very close parallel with the fall of the prodigal son. Both have a strong self-will; their self-centeredness causes them to a separation from the spiritual and leads them to seek a life of sensuality which ultimately results in spiritual ruin. The parallel can be taken further to the Ecumenical Church. The dominant modern philosophy is humanism, where man is responsible only to man. Mankind then decides what is good and bad and moral laws become arbitrary, changing to suit the desire of the majority. The Ecumenical Church was born into this philosophy, which allows mankind the freedom to fully immerse themselves in the sensual without conviction: Homosexuality, adultery, abortion and prostitution can all be justified under the gospel of love where there is no judgement from a wrathful God. Under this ideology, a gospel of wealth may also be taught from the pulpits where God, instead of wanting to mold us through trial and testing into the image of His Son, wants to bless us and make us wealthy. Man in establishing a faith that suits his worldly desires has become blind to the Truth. Does God mold you into a vessel of righteousness, or do you mold God to suit your worldly desires?
A key scripture that is very important to understand is recorded by Paul in his letter to the Romans: “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated (Rom. 9:13; Mal. 1:2-3)”. God “hates” Esau not only because of his despising his birth-right, and desiring the things of the world above a relationship with God, but also because his descendants persecute the children of promise (Mal. 1:2, 3; Obad. 1:11, 12). We must understand that the Lord hates the Ecumenical Church, and He hates it when evangelical churches do not take a stand against their false doctrine, and allows them to infiltrate their churches with lies and deception. Sleeping pastors are allowing wolves in sheep’s clothing to mix amongst their flock.
Joseph and his brothers:
In Genesis 37, Joseph’s brothers hated him, and again the reason is that they were jealous of the promise given to him. So just as the children of promise in the Old Testament were persecuted by their older brothers – the children of the flesh, so too the Church that is under the promise of God, will be persecuted by the Ecumenical Church – the apostate church, which is born of fleshly desires. Setting up their own standards for the worship of God, they have become blind to the truth and no longer serve God, but themselves. The Ecumenical Church seeks to pacify the flesh, tolerating all things except for intolerance of its liberal doctrines. Those Churches that hold to the truth and reject the doctrine of unity amongst all religions will face persecution from the Ecumenical Church.
The evangelical churches need to recognize the sinful, selfish rebellion of the Ecumenical Church. Not only must we preach against it, and root it out from within, we must ensure we are in continual prayer against the adversary, recognising that although Ecumenicalism looks like the church, it is an example of the tares amongst the wheat. Left to their own devices the Ecumenical Church will grow in number and size, and like the weed contaminating the field, the counterfeit church will take the place of the true Church of God in the eyes of the world.
God holds His Church responsible to ensure that both those who are saved and those who are unsaved are able to distinguish between His true Church – which holds the promise of being the Bride of Christ – and the Apostate Church – which is born of the flesh, and is molded by the philosophies of man. Failure to do this will incur God’s wrath, a warning that must not be ignored.
Pharaoh, a type of Antichrist
The second of the prophetic types in Scripture that point to the Antichrist is the Pharaoh of Egypt at the time of Moses:
- He was filled with pride and arrogance.
- He hated the Jews.
- He was worshipped as a god.
- He relied on sorcery.
- He had a need to express his greatness in building programmes.
The Golden Calf
The book of Exodus records that Moses went up to Mount Sinai and received the “Ten Commandments” from God and was away for forty days and forty nights. Concerned over his long absence, the Israelites turn to Aaron, and they demanded that he make a visible god for them, that would lead them into Canaan. To appease the people Aaron called on them to collect all the gold in their possession, and used it to create a golden calf. Aaron then tells the people “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt (Exodus 32:4b; emphasis added)”. The use of the plural in this scripture indicates the Israelites were bringing an Egyptian god alongside the worship of YHWH. Possibly the golden calf was placed inside the confines of the Tabernacle. Aaron is combining the religious practices that the Israelites were familiar with in Egypt, with the worship of YHWH. God called the Israelites out of Egypt (the world), Aaron brought the world into the worship of YHWH.
It is of interest to note that the Egyptian goddess Hathor was represented by the Egyptians as a cow, she was the Goddess associated with motherhood, fertility and love. In upper Egypt, where the Israelites had lived in Goshen on the Nile delta, she was worshipped alongside Horus the male deity with the falcon head. The falcon headed god could well have been seen by Aaron as a match for YHWH as Horus means, “he who is above,” a description that fitted YHWH, whose presence had been observed on Mount Sinai. So, it is not unreasonable to assume that Aaron was manufacturing a mother goddess, as queen of heaven, which was to be worshipped along side the male deity YHWH, a combination of deities that would have been very familiar to the Israelites. Satan had effectively introduced syncretism into the nation of Israel, where pagan religious rituals were practiced alongside the worship of YHWH.
Strange Fire
To understand the phrase “strange fire,” we must review a narrative in Leviticus where one day two of Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, offered incense with a fire that may be defined as “unauthorised, foreign, or profane” (Lev. 10:1–2). God not only rejected their sacrifice, He found it so offensive that He consumed the two men with fire. The exact nature of the profane fire isn’t known, but, since it was the fire that was unauthorised, it seems that Nadab and Abihu were burning the incense with fire of their own making rather than taking fire from the altar, as specified in Leviticus 16:12. The men rendered an offering that was profane, it was a sign of their disregard for the utter holiness of God and the need to honour and obey Him in solemn and holy fear. God was making a very important point; He would not tolerate man changing what He had ordained. The sacrifices and rituals were all carefully designed for the restoring and keeping of the relationship between man and God, plus there were pointers within the Temple worship to Yeshua the coming Messiah. The two sons of Aaron carelessly substituted God’s requirements for their own methods – man’s ways replaced God’s ways. God hates it when man places his wisdom above His own, God made it clear to the nation of Israel through the death of Nadab and Abihu, it matters how we worship him, and to worship God correctly we must keep to His Word.
An interesting commandment from God that emphasises the point is seen in Leviticus 19:19, the Israelites were instructed by God not to mix linen with wool in their clothing. This at first glance seems an unusual request to be made, until you understand a much-repeated theme of Scripture – God wants His people to know He hates it when man mixes his philosophies with God’s Word. Leviticus 19:19 is making the point that Man-made material (linen) was not to be mixed with God’s created materials (wool), a tangible reminder of a great sin.
Blasphemy
There is an interesting narrative in Leviticus that once more illustrates God’s hatred of syncretism and the consequences that resulted from the practice:
“Now an Israelite woman’s son, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the people of Israel. And the Israelite woman’s son and a man of Israel fought in the camp, and the Israelite woman’s son blasphemed the Name (Ha Shem), and cursed” (Lev. 24:10-12).
The Lord himself passed judgment on this boy: he was to be taken out of the camp and whoever had heard him curse God had to lay their hands on his head and then stone him to death. The direct interpretation of this narrative (peshet), is that God was enforcing the Law He gave to Moses, showing the seriousness of blasphemy and that He would not tolerate Insults, contempt or lack of reverence. The message was clear: “Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin. And whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death” (Lev. 24:16).
To understand the underlying message (pesher) of the story, we need to understand the meaning of Egypt to the Israelites in the wilderness, the nation had come to represent all that is opposed to God. From the exodus onwards, Egypt symbolises the world, and man’s dependence on worldly things, rather than trusting in God. The boy in the narrative was living with an identity that held a tension, a paradox; he was simultaneously an “Egyptian” and an “Israelite,” and he was the embodiment of syncretism. The result of this “tension” was irreverence toward God, the philosophy of the world dominates man’s thinking, resulting in disrespect towards God.
Balaam
During the Exodus from Egypt the Nation of Israel was required to cross over foreign territories on the way to the promised land, as the Israelites were over two million in number, these nations saw Israel as a threat to their sovereignty, resulting in conflicts arising. One of these conflicts involved a man named Balaam, a seer from Aram in Mesopotamia, who was asked by Balak the king of the Moabites to prophesy against the people of Israel, placing a curse upon them (Num. 22). Although Balaam lived among idolaters, and was a pagan soothsayer, he professed great knowledge of God. Seven times Balaam tried to curse Israel after going through the motions of receiving a word from God, but each time he ended up speaking a blessing over the nation (Num. 23–24). As Balaam was unsuccessful in his attempts to curse Israel, he eventually advised Balak to pursue a campaign of seduction against the nation, using Moabite and Midianite women to tempt the Israelites into sexual relationships and into pagan rituals (Num. 25:1-3). The Israelites who participated brought God’s judgment upon themselves. The doctrine of Balaam is not only a serious problem, but a devious one. When the frontal assault failed, Balaam took a back-door approach.
The sin of the Israelite men was not only lust and adultery, it was far more serious, they had “joined themselves (yoked) to Baal Peor”. The implication from scripture is, that when the Israelites joined or “yoked” themselves to Baal Peor they brought pagan practices into the camp of Israel, not only were they committing physical adultery, they were committing spiritual adultery. The worship of Baal involved sympathetic magic, a belief that actions performed by worshippers would influence the actions of the god’s, the Moabites believed these fertility rights would increase the harvests, there is a strong possibility that the Israelite men were copulating with the Moabite women as part of religious worship of Ball Peor. Their lust for the Moabite woman had allowed paganism to become part of the nation of Israel, and contaminate their relationship with YHWH.
The warning for the believer today is that sexual temptation, which is so accessible to all in the modern world, may also become an idol in a person’s life. Even today, the believer must keep a continual guard against the sin of Baal Peor. Just as the curse of God came upon the nation of Israel for their “joined themselves (yoked) to Baal Peor,” so the believer’s accountability is also in the here and now.
The Book of Judges
The nation of Israel traces its genesis to a man called Abraham, and thus the Israelites referred to him as their father. Abraham had his roots in Mesopotamia – the Land of Nimrod (Acts 7:2-4). While Canaan was the land of promise for Israel, Mesopotamia was the land of their past. God called Abraham out of its idolatry and sin. So, the land of Mesopotamia symbolised the return of Israel to the sins of the past – idolatry (Judges 2:11-13). The corrupt wisdom of Babylon, introduced by Nimrod and Semiramis, once more found a home in the land of God’s Word. So, God used the nation of the origin of idolatry – Mesopotamia, to punish the first transgression by Israel of the sin of idol worship.
“The Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord, they forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and Asherahs” (Judges 3:7).
The idolatry of Israel is linked to Babylon, examples of pagan gods, attributed by scholars such as Alexander Hislop and Ralph Woodrow to be linked to Nimrod and Semiramis (Tower of Babel):
The Alter Egos of Nimrod:
| Nebo – Babylonian | Osiris – Egyptian | Baal – Canaanite | Marduk – Syrian |
| Dagon– Philistine. | Zeus – Greek | Jupiter – Roman | Saturn – Roman |
The Alter Egos of Semiramis:
| Hertha – Ancient Germans | Nutria – Etruscans | Isis – Egypt | Ashtoreth – Canaan |
| Aphrodite or Ceres – Greeks | Nana – Sumerians | Venus – Rome | Cybele – Asia Minor |
Cushan-rishathaim, the king of Mesopotamia ruled over Israel for eight years, before the Lord answered the prayers of a persecuted nation, and sent Othniel, the first Judge, to deliver Israel.
Saul a Type of Antichrist
When God establishes the Mosaic covenant with the nation of Israel, He establishes himself as king. Israel was to have no other king other than God – Israel was a true theocracy. But in the book of Deuteronomy, God makes provision for the day in which Israel will have a human king, a king who would not replace God, but represent God to the people. This is the basis for the Davidic covenant and comes to fulfilment with King David. Unfortunately, there is always the interference of man’s philosophies to be dealt with. When the Israelites ask for a king, they are rejecting God’s theocracy and are wanting a king like the nations, because they want to be like the nations. Man’s desires are always drawn to the world. So, God gives Israel what they want, a man who appears regal on the outside, but is unfortunately very human on the inside, having all the faults and foibles of pride.
A key distinguishing factor that scripture ensures is made known, is that Saul was a head taller than other men (1 Sam. 9:2; 10:23). Saul’s stature prefigures the coming superhuman Antichrist, who will be far superior to the average man in intelligence, governmental manipulation, and satanic abilities. He will so tower above all his contemporaries that mankind will exclaim, “Who is like unto the Beast?” (Rev. 13:4). In at least eight respects Saul is a type of Antichrist:
- Saul was king of Israel (1 Sam. 10:24), the Antichrist will move his throne to Jerusalem, where he will build the Third Temple (Matthew 24:15; Daniel 9:27).
- Saul, because of impatience and pride, performed the duties of the Levite priests (1 Samuel 13:9), making himself to be a king-priest, a position only to be held by the Messiah. The Antichrist will be a king-priest, a counterfeit Jesus.
- The time of Saul’s reign was immediately before that of David, just as the Antichrist will immediately precede that of the Son of David, the Lord Jesus.
- Saul was a mighty warrior (1 Sam. 11:11; 13:1-4; 15:4), the Antichrist will have great military prowess (Daniel 11:40-45).
- Saul was a rebel against God (1 Sam. 15:11); the Antichrist is called “the man of lawlessness” (2 Thess. 2:3).
- Saul hated David (1 Sam. 18:7-8,11; 26:2, etc.); The Antichrist will hate the Son of David, Jesus.
- Saul slew the servants of God (1 Sam. 22:17,18); The Antichrist will “make war with the saints, and to overcome them” (Rev. 13:7).
- Saul had intercourse with the powers of evil (1 Samuel 28:3-14); The Antichrist is the “Son of Perdition” (2 Thess. 2:3 [KJV]), meaning that Satan will possess the Antichrist.
Goliath a type of Antichrist
1 Samuel 17 tells us Goliath was 6 cubits tall, that he had 6 pieces of armour, and that his spear head weighed 600 shekels (in Hebrew the number 6 is written separately from the two zeros). Is there a message here that God wants us to understand? To interpret the significance of this we need to study scripture using Jewish hermeneutics. The straight-forward description of Goliath, his impressive size and armour is Peshet, the information we need to follow the story. But the distinctive use of numbers is implying there is an underlying secondary meaning, called Pesher in Jewish hermeneutics. The three numbers used to describe Goliath all start with 6, the number representing man in scripture, one short of seven the perfect number. The number 6 repeated three times gives us 666, the mark of the Antichrist – man in sin emphasised three times. So, Goliath is a type, a shadow of the reality that is the Antichrist. God uses more than direct prophecy to inform us of future events, He also uses the lives of people and Bible numerics.
Goliath is a type of the Antichrist, and this confirmed by the fact that his armour is made of bronze which is symbolic of judgement in Scripture. The book of Revelation reveals that God is going to use the Antichrist to judge the world during the Tribulation. Also, Goliath has a shield bearer who goes out before him; the Antichrist will have the False Prophet who will go out before him.
The enemy of God is always going to challenge the Church. When the Antichrist comes, who will stand up and challenge him? Who will be brave enough to point at him and call him for what he is – a puppet of Satan? Very, very, few! So, the scene Samuel has set for us – through the prompting of the Holy Spirit – is that Goliath, a type of the Antichrist, who is standing in front of God’s army, and all of the army of Israel are afraid. Why? Because they see with their fleshly eyes, and what they see makes them afraid. They do not see with spiritual eyes, or they would see the army of God standing with them, as Elisha did, with the Captain of the Hosts – Jehovah-Sabaoth – at their head. Do you see with spiritual eyes? Do you have complete faith in an all-powerful God? Or, have you allowed the influences of the world to taint your perceptions?
Further evidence that Goliath is a type of Antichrist is:
- He was filled with pride and arrogance.
- He hated the Israelites.
- He had military power, but was killed by David, a type of Jesus.
- He blasphemed the God of Israel.
Why did God Kill One of His Priests?
“When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God” (2 Sam. 6:6-7).
So, why did God Kill Uzzah?
During the time of Eli the High Priest (1 Samuel 4-6), because of the sins of the nation, the Israelites were defeated in battle by the Philistines and the ark of the covenant was captured. The nation of Israel had once more broken its covenant with God and deserved exile, but it was the ark that went into exile for the sake of the nation. While in exile God defeated Dagon the god of the Philistines, the idol of Dagon was found lying before the ark with its head and hands broken off, and God also afflicted the Philistines with tumours. The ark was moved to several different cities and at each new place the people became infected with the tumours. To confirm that it was the God of Israel that was the cause of the tumours, the ark was placed on a cart drawn by two milch cows that had never been yoked before. Left on their own with no driver, the cows head straight for Israel, giving the Philistines the confirmation they were looking for. The cows travelled to Beth Shemesh where the ark was kept before finding a more permanent home at Kiriath-Jearim.
Now David wanted the Ark to be moved from Kiriath-Jearim to Jerusalem in preparation for the building of the Temple. So, David gave the priests the instruction that the ark was to be transported to Jerusalem. Uzzah and his kin had decided to place the Ark on a wagon, for the journey to Jerusalem. This was contrary to God’s law, which stated that Levites were to carry the Ark on wooden rods (Deut. 31:25; Ex. 25:14-15). Uzzah and his fellow priests had reinterpreted God’s law, man’s wisdom was superimposed on God’s wisdom. They were copying the method used by the Philistines, a pagan race, and not following the instructions God had given them. God hates the mixture. He could not allow the insult to pass and this is a clear message to all believers – do not allow syncretism, man’s wisdom, to become part of our relationship with God! To impose pagan practices into our worship of God is repeating the error of Uzzah – not treating God with reverence and honour.
Absalom, a Type of Antichrist
Absalom, one of David’s sons is a type of Antichrist, as he attempted to usurp the throne from David. Absalom became the consummate politician, putting into motion a plot to overthrow David by gradually winning the loyalty of the people. In Biblical times it was customary to bring disputes to the king for judgment; Absalom took advantage of this practice by standing at the gate of the city and intercepting those who were on their way to the king for justice. Looking to win their loyalty through deception, Absalom would make inquiries into their case, and tell them that they should be entitled to a verdict in their favour. But then he would bemoan the weaknesses of the king’s judicial system and promise that if he were appointed judge, he would bring justice. Absalom repeats this tactic consistently for four years. His subtle disloyalty to his father is somehow overlooked. David probably chose to interpret Absalom’s interest in justice as good training for a future king. He has no clue that his son was seeking to undermine him with the people.
David should have been aware of Absalom’s attempts to undermine him, and then taken steps to protect himself and his kingdom. This is also a lesson for the Church today, just as Absalom took the place of authority at the gate of Jerusalem and then, like a masterful politician, engenders himself to the people by agreeing with their grievances, so too does the Ecumenical Church. This organisation has usurped the authority of the Church and follows man’s wisdom, the philosophies of the day. Just as David’s neglect was very costly, so too will ignoring the growing power of the Ecumenical Church be costly for the true Church. Remember that the Ecumenical Church is one of the pillars of the one-world religion, which will be under the Roman Catholic Church. Paul warns in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first (apostacy), and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition”.
As a result of his neglect of the situation, David had to flee Jerusalem. Walking East for the Jordan at Jericho, he had his head covered and he was bare-foot, weeping over the devastating betrayal by his son. Also, as David fled, one of his political opponents, a man named Shimei, cursed him and threw clumps of dirt down on him from the slopes above the road. The Church, by neglecting the influence of ecumenicalism on the people, will also one day be placed in a situation where it is humbled and ridiculed.
Absalom is classed as a type of Antichrist for the following reasons:
- He was filled with pride and arrogance.
- He replaced the king in the minds of the people, leading many astray.
- He went to war against the king, with the aim of usurping his crown.
- He was humiliated in defeat.
- Absalom’s death, by hanging from a tree, implies he is cursed (Deut. 21:22-23) and that he died not obtaining salvation. This will result in his final destination being the Lake of Fire. The Antichrist and the False Prophet are the first two people to be thrown into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 19:20).
King Solomon a Type of Antichrist
King Solomon falls into error as his focus moves off his relationship with God, and is drawn to the things of the world. He falls for the deceptions of Satan – lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh and pride of life (Genesis 3:1-6). So, there should be no surprise that Solomon is depicted in scripture as both a type of Christ and a type of Antichrist. An example of the dark side of Solomon is depicted in 1 Kings 10:14, which records that the weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly as 666 talents, and this is confirmed in 2 Chronicles 9:13, remember 666 is the mark of the Antichrist, man in sin highlighted and underlined.
The greatest enemy of man is pride, and the blessings that God gave Solomon corrupted him. Although scripture does not mention pride as playing a part in Solomon’s downfall, it certainly implies it. Solomon took seven years to build the Temple of the Lord, but spent thirteen years building his opulent palace – thirteen in Bible numerics represents sin. Pride is the sin that drives Solomon to drain the funds of a nation, and enslave multitudes of his people over thirteen years to build his home. Solomon wanted a home befitting his status and a palace that would speak of his greatness, and impress all his visitors. Note that Solomon again fulfills the typology of the Antichrist, in that he builds the Temple and then in time proceeds to fill the Temple Mount with idols of other gods. In the not-too-distant future the Antichrist will build the Third Temple, and then at the start of the Great Tribulation place a statue of himself on the Temple Mount, both Daniel and Jesus refer to the statue of the Antichrist as “the abomination of desolation” (Daniel 11:31; Matthew 24:15). Just as Solomon did by combining the worship of multiple gods on the Temple Mount, the End Time world religion will be based on syncretism and pluralism – a blending of faiths, and a belief that we all worship the same god. The Antichrist will accumulate all religions to himself.
In Solomon’s palace there were six steps leading up to the throne of Solomon, with a lion on either side of the steps. So, the walk up to the throne which elevated Solomon above all others in the palace, required that Solomon walked past six lions on the right, and six lions on the left, as he made his way up the six steps. This information provided by Scripture once more equates the 666 mark of the beast, with a pride-filled character in scripture. Every time Solomon ascended to his throne there was a reminder of a pride that would cause his downfall and separation from His God.
“Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step.” (1 Kings 10:20)
Rebuke
“The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me” (Song of Solomon 5:7).
The Song of Solomon has a link to the parable of the five wise and five foolish virgins. In Chapter 3 (vs 1-4) of Song of Solomon, the Bride is helped by the watchmen to find her bridegroom and reunite the two lovers. The bride of chapter 3 is a type of wise virgin, who has oil for her lamp which allows her to go out in the night to her Bridegroom. However, in Chapter 5 (vs 3-8) of the Song of Solomon, the Bridegroom is at the door, but when the woman opens the door, He is gone. She calls out for him and there is no answer, then the watchmen find her, beat her, and remove her veil. This narrative links to the five virgins who do not have oil, and therefore are unable to light their lamps to go out to join the bridal party. Note the Song of Solomon has the Bridegroom outside at the door of the house, just as Jesus depicts Himself in the letter to the apostate church of the Laodiceans in Revelation 3:20. When the watchmen remove her bridal veil, she is exposed as a false bride, so they beat her; she has no oil, she cannot attend the wedding. The duty of the watchmen of God is to expose the false churches which follow the Laodicean church in Revelations.
Sound the Warning 