2S15-2: How Absalom Foreshadows The Coming Anti-Christ

“Some time later, Avshalom prepared himself a chariot and horses, with fifty men to run ahead of him. He would get up early and stand by the road leading to the city gate; and if someone had a case that was to come before the king for judgment, Avshalom would call to him and ask, ‘What city are you from?’ and he would answer, ‘Your servant is from the such-and-such tribe in Israel.’  Avshalom would say to him, ‘Look, your cause is good and just; but the king hasn’t deputized anyone to hear your case.’ Then Avshalom would continue, ‘Now if I were made judge in the land, anyone with a suit or other cause could come to me, and I would see that he gets justice!’”-2 Samuel 15:1-4

I gotta a quiz question for ya.

The rebellion of Absalom foreshadows a key Biblical character who will emerge in the future.

Can you guess who it is?

Not sure?

Here’s a big clue:

Absalom is an illegitimate prince who has convinced himself he can take down God’s anointed king.

Make more sense now?

Aw heck, lemme just give you the answer.

 Absalom is a prototype for the coming Antichrist.

Now, I don’t wanna overemphasize that or say that he perfectly models the coming anti-Messiah.

But the patterns are there.

In Absalom, we have an egotistical maniac who is gonna try and take over God’s Kingdom in the hopes of making it his own.

Here’s another thing that stands out.

A sizable population of Israel was loyal to God’s anointed, David.

But then, their hearts changed, and they grew dissatisfied.

So when Absalom came on the scene, they didn’t think twice about switching loyalties over to him.

Now, here’s what’s tragic.

It was the majority of Israel who sided with Absalom, the anti-king.

Only a small group stayed loyal to David.

This reminds me of Yeshua’s words when he said:

“Enter through the narrow gate.
For wide is the gate and broad
is the road that leads to destruction,
and many enter through it.
But small is the gate and
narrow the road that leads to life,
and only a few find it.”
-Matthew 7:13-14

For the small minority who stuck with David, it wasn’t an easy choice for them.

They would be ostracized by family members who chose to side with Absalom.

And in some instances, their lives would be endangered.

This reminds me of more things Yeshua said, such as:

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth.
I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
For I have come to set a man against his father,
and a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.”
-Matthew 10:34-36

Here’s something else to chew on.

Wanna know why the majority of Israel accepted Absalom?

The answer is because of his background.

He hailed from the tribe of Judah (from his father’s side).

In other words, he was a legitimate Jew.

On top of that, Absalom bent over backwards and went out of his way to convince everyone he cared about them.

He acted like he was the only one who could fix their problems.

Like he was the one who truly understood them.

And he had their best interests at heart…

Unlike the current king.

Now, doesn’t that sound familiar?

That’s exactly how the future Anti-Christ is gonna fool the whole world.

He’s gonna play on our selfish desires and trick both believers and non-believers into thinking he’s the real Messiah.

Alrighty, let’s transition over to the takeaway.

So I’ve just talked about how the true believers who decided to side with David did so at great risk to their reputation and even their lives.

The question is WHY?

Why did they take that risk knowing it could cost them their lives and hurt their families?

Pay attention to the answer to that question because it involves your eternal fate as well.

They bet on David because they believed he was the Lord’s anointed King.

They believed he was God’s son.

And they knew Absalom was a fake.

No matter the cost, they decided to side with God’s son rather than follow a man trying to steal the throne.

Ya feel me?

Let those who have ears to hear, SHEMA!