Today I am going to demonstrate how the person that Christians refer to as “the Antichrist” was prophetically foreshadowed by the biblical character of Solomon. In this article we will go through and identify all of the individual prophetic connections between Solomon and the Antichrist (of which there are many), and explain each of them in detail. Because this is such a detailed discussion with so many dots to identify and connect, this post will assuredly be extremely lengthy. Nevertheless I am confident that those of you who manage to stick it out and read it all the way to the end, will come away both enlightened and absolutely convinced of the objective truth of this very important biblical and prophetic mystery; for we know that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation (2 Pet. 1:20; cf. Amos 3:7; Deut. 29:29; Matt. 13:11; Luke 8:10).
I. Character profile of the Antichrist
When Christians use the term “Antichrist,” we are generally referring to a certain false messiah who is prophesied to arise just prior to the return of Jesus, who will deceive the whole unbelieving world into believing that he is the long awaited Messiah from the house of David. We refer to him as “Antichrist” because he will be the ultimate antithesis of the true Christ (messiah), that is–Jesus of Nazareth. In order to understand the Antichrist then, it is important that we first have a firm grasp of what an antithesis is in the eyes of the LORD.
The biblical definition of an antithesis
When we think of an antithesis, we tend to think of something that is diametrically opposed to a particular thesis. While this definition isn’t “wrong”, it fails to capture the essence of the construct in its totality as it is defined in the Logos. A true antithesis in the eyes of the LORD can perhaps be best summarily defined as: “a partial or imperfect representation of a particular thesis, which functions as a substitute or replacement for said thesis.”1 Accordingly, while it is true that an antithesis is opposed to its thesis, its opposition to its thesis is very subtle and usually not outwardly apparent. This is because an antithesis retains the outward form or image of its thesis, yet contradicts (opposes) it in essence and in practice (2 Tim. 3:5). Herein lies the reason that an antithesis is so deceiving–for it masquerades as its thesis (2 Cor. 11:13-15).
Have you ever felt like the way that you appear in photos does not line up with your own perception of your appearance? In most cases this is a reflection of the fact that our own conception of what we look like is derived almost entirely from what we see when we look at ourselves in the mirror. The problem lies in the fact that what we see when we look in the mirror does not perfectly reflect how we actually look, because a mirror presents us from the opposite angle of how we actually appear. And when your own self image is based almost entirely on how you appear in the mirror, the result is that something about our actual appearance can feel slightly “off,” even if we can’t quite put our finger on it. This is a great analogy for understanding the character profile of the Antichrist, who (as Christ’s antithesis) will be like a mirrored image of Jesus Christ. I have created the following table to help illustrate this:
There are numerous other comparisons between the two that I did not include due to space limitations, but I trust the point is clear. As the table above illustrates, the Antichrist will be like a mirrored image of Jesus Christ. As we will see later in this analysis, the Antichrist (as Christ’s antithesis) will function as the ultimate mock Christ (messiah), whose whole scheme of mass deception will revolve around attempting to make it look like he is fulfilling all of the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah, and is ushering in what the Jews refer to as the Messianic Age, and what the Christians refer to as the millennial reign of Jesus (Rev. 20:4-6). Accordingly, it is possible (although far from certain), that he may proclaim himself to be the second coming of Jesus Christ, thereby fostering the delusion that he is the fulfillment of the expectations of both the Jews as well as the Christians–to the end that he might win the embrace and support of the adherents of both religions.2 We will return to this subject at a later point in this analysis. For the time being, let us turn our attention to the biblical character of Solomon, who was the ultimate antithesis of his father David.
Solomon: A biblical antithesis of his father David
David and Solomon had completely different early life experiences which influenced the way that they saw the world and the way that each of them ruled. David’s life was a classic rags to riches story. He was born poor into a family of no significance (1 Sam. 18:23; 1 Sam. 17:58). It was not until he became an adult and was crowned king that he got a taste of material prosperity. Despite becoming the richest and most powerful man in ancient Israel, his upbringing and early life experiences never left him. He personally understood what it was like to be poor and to be in want (2 Sam. 12:1-6), and the memory of his early life experiences directly influenced the way that he ruled over the people of Israel. Because of his humble beginnings, David personally related to the common people of Israel in a way that other kings didn’t. Indeed, the real reason that David was so adored by the multitudes of Israel is because in their eyes he was quite literally one of them (1 Sam. 18:16; 2 Sam. 5:1). In David God had quite literally raised up “a man of the people.” (Ps. 89:19)
The upbringing of David’s son Solomon could not possibly have been more different from his father’s. While David had been a man of humble beginnings, Solomon was born into a royal family who possessed untold amounts of wealth and political power. In him we have the classic story of the royal heir who was fed with a silver spoon and never had to lift a finger for anything as a child. Everything that David had labored and fought so hard for, Solomon freely received by way of inheritance. Consequentially, Solomon failed to develop the same noble character that his father David had (as such character is only acquired through personally experiencing the woes and hardships experienced by the least fortunate members of a given society). As a life of ease and luxury was all that he had ever known, there existed an impassable chasm between Solomon and the multitudes over whom he ruled. He could not relate to them, and they certainly could not relate to him (1 Kings 12:1-17).
Because of his inability to relate to the common people over whom he ruled, Solomon would enact oppressive and burdensome policies which would lead the multitudes of northern Israel to despise him. The books of 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles both testify that Solomon had to have the best of everything. He taxed the people heavily and instituted a tax of forced labor in order to finance his numerous lavish building projects and enable his life of luxury. Whereas kings are put in place by God in order to serve the people, Solomon saw the people over whom he ruled as being put in place by God to serve him. Accordingly, it is in the reign of Solomon that we find the realization of the prophetic warning that Samuel had spoken to the people of Israel just a couple of generations prior:
And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king. And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day. (1 Sam. 8:10-18; cf. 1 Kings 4:26-28; 5:13-18; 10:18-22; 12:1-17; Eccles. 2:4-8)
Samuel’s prophecy of a future oppressive king was fulfilled in Solomon.
Solomon fits all the criteria of a biblical antithesis, because in him we have an imperfect representation or expression of David. As David’s son, Solomon bore the outward image and likeness of his father (Gen. 5:3), yet his character was the exact opposite of his father’s character. The truth that Solomon is the antithesis of David is not merely silently implied through the contrast in actions and behavior of the two characters, but is in fact plainly stated by the text itself:
And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. (1 Kings 3:7)
The phrase “instead of David” here is crucial, as the word “instead” implies that Solomon is functioning as a substitute for David. This is significant in that the idea of a substitute is inseparably tied to the definition of the aforementioned biblical construct of an antithesis, which is simply an imperfect representation of something for which it serves as a substitute. Yet this truth is even more evident in the LXX translation of this verse.3 Behold the bolded portion of text:
καὶ νῦν κύριε ὁ θεός μου σὺ ἔδωκας τὸν δοῦλόν σου ἀντὶ Δαυιδ τοῦ πατρός μου καὶ ἐγώ εἰμι παιδάριον μικρὸν καὶ οὐκ οἶδα τὴν ἔξοδόν μου καὶ τὴν εἴσοδόν μου (LXX, 1 Kings 3:7)
As can be seen here, the Jewish scribe who translated this particular verse of the Septuagint translated the Hebrew portion of text which the KJV renders “instead of David,” as ἀντὶ Δαυιδ (lit. “anti David“).4From this we can see that the LORD is going out of his way to try and drive home this notion that: “Solomon = antithesis of David.” But one might ask, what’s the big deal? What is the significance of Solomon being an antithesis of his father David, and how does this relate to the Antichrist? Simply put, when we recognize that the words messiah and Christ eventually became terms used to refer to a specific anointed biological descendant of David–the phrase “anti-David” suddenly becomes an obvious figurative code word for “anti-Christ.”
“Anti-David”: A biblical code word for Antichrist
The English words “Christ” and “Antichrist” come from the Greek words Χριστός (Christos), and ἀντίχριστος (Antichristos). The Greek word Χριστός literally means “anointed.” In both the New Testament as well as the LXX, it is used as the Greek rendering of the Hebrew משיח (meshiach), which literally means “anointed one.” In ancient Israel kings were anointed with olive oil. It was a symbolic ritual that was founded on the logic that the God of Israel was a consuming fire (Deut. 4:24; 9:3; Heb. 12:29), and kings were to function as lights to the nation (1 Kings 11:36; 2 Kings 8:19; 2 Chron. 21:7). Thus by pouring olive oil on the head of the king, the symbolism being conveyed was that the consuming fire of the Spirit of God would thenceforth descend upon the king (1 Sam. 16:13), who would begin to function as a burning oil lamp to give light to the people of Israel (1 Kings 15:4).
In theory, every king of Israel and Judah was God’s משיח during their respective reigns. Both Saul as well as David are referred to by this title in the Old Testament (1 Sam. 10:1; 12:3; 12:5; 24:6; 24:10; 26:9; 26:11; 26:23; 2 Sam. 1:14; 1:16; 19:21; 22:51; 23:1; 2 Chron. 6:42; Ps. 18:50). Interestingly, this title was also used by the prophet Isaiah to refer to the Gentile king Cyrus the Great of Persia (Isa. 45:1). However, the use of this word was not limited to kings, as it was also used to refer to priests (Lev. 4:3) and prophets (1 Chron. 16:22; Ps. 105:15). What this reveals to us is that the Hebrew משיח (corresponding to the Greek Χριστός (“Christ”)) was originally a very expansive one in ancient Israel, which in theory could be used to refer to anyone who was anointed to fulfill some particular call of God.
Sometime near the end of the Old Testament period, the term משיח gradually began to acquire a more specific connotation, and was increasingly used to refer more specifically to a future descendant of the house of David who would one day arise and reunite the kingdoms of Judah and Israel, restore pure temple worship in Jerusalem, and rule over a restored united monarchy–becoming a light to the Gentiles and ushering in an era of profound peace and prosperity in fulfillment of all of the words of the prophets. The prophet Ezekiel went so far as to refer to this future meshiach by the name of “David,” (Ezek. 34:23-24; 37:24-25) inferring that this figure would function as a sort of new David; who would restore, reunite, and rule over a new Israel. These prophecies of Ezekiel are rooted in the unconditional covenant promises God made to David that he would establish his house and throne forever, and therefore David would never fail to have a descendant ruling upon his throne (1 Kings 11:36; 2 Kings 8:19). It is this particular use of the term meshiach which undergirds the messianic expectations of both Jews as well as Christians.
About 450 years after God made this promise to David, he placed a curse on the bloodline of the Davidic kings of Judah, and declared that no one descended from Jehoiachin would rule as kings in Judah anymore (Jer. 22:28-30). This is crucial–as on the surface it seems to create a prophetic conflict with God’s irrevocable promises to David that his throne would be established forever, and we know that God can neither lie or go back on his Word (Heb. 6:18; Isa. 55:10-11; Esth. 8:8). This in turn forces us to ask how God’s promises of an eternal throne and descendant to David could be fulfilled if no one descended from Jehoiachin can reign anymore in Judah. The answer is that these promises would have to be fulfilled by a descendant of David from an entirely different bloodline.
The genealogy of Jesus Christ is preserved in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. In Matthew’s account we have Jesus’ line through his adopted father Joseph, while in Luke is preserved his line through his earthly mother Mary.5While Joseph was descended from David through the kings of Judah and Jehoachin (and was therefore ineligible to rule as king in Judah), Jesus was not Joseph’s biological offspring. On the other hand, his mother Mary was also a descendant of David, being descended from him through his son Nathan (Luke 3:23-31). Accordingly, Jesus was a legitimate heir to the Davidic throne through his mother Mary who was descended from David, albeit not through Jehoaichin. By being heir to the throne of David through a completely separate bloodline through his mother–Jesus overcomes the divine curse on the line of Jehoachin, making him a biological descendant of David and a legitimate heir to his throne.6 As such, Jesus not only fulfills the divine promise to David that he would always have a legitimate descendant on his throne (1 Kings 2:4; 8:25; 9:5), but he simultaneously fulfills the “seed of the woman” prophecy of Genesis 3:15, which now takes on a whole new level of meaning.7
This leaves us without any doubt that the figure whom Ezekiel refers to as “David” in his messianic prophecies is none other than Jesus Christ, and from this this we can in turn see that “David” is one of many figurative biblical code names for Jesus Christ. Once we acknowledge that, we can clearly see that God’s attaching to Solomon (through the LXX translators) the phrase ἀντὶ Δαυιδ (“anti David“), carries with it strong prophetic implications. Insomuch as “David” is on one level a biblical/messianic code word for Jesus Christ, the phrase “anti David” becomes a prophetic code word for “anti Christ.” It is thus clear that attaching this phrase to Solomon was done deliberately for the purpose of cryptically establishing an undeniable prophetic link between the biblical constructs of Solomon and the Antichrist.
II. The parallels between King Solomon and the Antichrist
In the previous section we discussed what a biblical antithesis is, demonstrated how Solomon was a biblical antithesis of his father David (even going so far as to show how the LXX translation of 1 Kings 3:7 refers to Solomon as “anti David”), and showed how the construct of “anti David” is relationally equivalent in the eyes of the LORD with “anti Christ.” In this section we turn our attention to a identifying and analyzing the numerous prophetic parallels between King Solomon and the character profile of the Antichrist as described by the Prophets.
The Antichrist will be a mock Christ
As his title of “Antichrist” would imply, this future figure is going to be the ultimate mock Christ. Many of the early Church fathers believed that the Antichrist would spring forth from the tribe of Dan–a position which they based on a particular interpretation of specific prophetic passages in Scripture concerning the tribe of Dan. While this certainly makes for an interesting theory–the Antichrist is going to be someone claiming to be a living biological descendant of King David.8It is highly likely that he will possess genealogical records (whether forged or authentic) claiming to prove it. He will almost certainly be accepted by most Jews as their long awaited Messiah (initially), and will then also be received by the entire unsaved world. He will deceive the masses into believing he is the long promised messianic king spoken of by all of the prophets of old, in that he will on the surface appear to fulfill all of the prophecies concerning the Messiah. So to give just one example–he will successfully put an end to wars in the middle east and across the globe, and usher in an era of profound peace. He will also successfully rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem and re-institute Jewish temple worship. These accomplishments will then be deceptively promoted by his false prophet and the media networks as the fulfillment of messianic prophecies such as these:
And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. (Isa. 2:2-4)
The Jews will initially receive the Antichrist as their long awaited Messiah, and will proclaim that the Messianic Age has arrived. Prophecies such as these which speak of Christ’s millennial reign will then be cited out of context and feigned as proof that the Antichrist is not the Messiah.
And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth. (Isaiah 49:6)
Once temple worship has been reinstituted, the Antichrist will take it upon himself to teach all nations of the world how to rightly worship and honor the one true God–thereby presenting himself as the fulfillment of the “Light to the Gentiles” prophecies.
Thus saith the LORD of hosts; It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities: And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts: I will go also. Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD. Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you. (Zechariah 8:20-23; cf. Zech. 14:16-21)
After temple worship is reinstituted, people from all nations will come to Jerusalem to worship and honor what they believe to be the one true God. This prophecy of Zechariah 8:20-23 (which in truth speaks of the millennial reign of Christ) will then be cited out of context and feigned as proof that the Antichrist is the Messiah.
From these three examples we can clearly see how easy it would be for the biblically illiterate multitudes to construe these accomplishments of the Antichrist as being the fulfillment of messianic prophecies which in truth are actually describing the millennial reign of Jesus Christ (Rev. 20:1-6). What is more, the Antichrist will have full control of all media networks, which will be used to feed such propaganda to the unsaved multitudes all over the globe, and they will eat it right out of his hand (Prov. 27:7; Dan. 8:25; 11:32-35). This is going to be the ultimate field day for Satan–as nothing delights him more than deceiving human beings (Rev. 12:9; 13:14; Dan. 8:25; 11:32-34), and in aggregating the traits, majesty, and authority of God (and the worship reserved for him) unto himself (Isa 14:14).
By mimicking the fulfillment of the messianic prophecies which will find their true fulfillment in Jesus Christ at is Second Coming and during his Millennial Kingdom (Rev. 20:4-6), the Antichrist will deceive the unsaved masses into believing that he is the promised Davidic Messiah, who is ushering in the Messianic Age9This is yet another trait of the Antichrist which is foreshadowed in the biblical character Solomon. Understanding how requires that we first understand the covenant promises that God made with David.
God’s irrevocable promise to David
The bedrock of the Davidic promises is 2 Samuel 7.
. . . . And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house. And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David. (2 Sam. 7:11-17)
From this prophecy delivered to David through the prophet Nathan, we can see that the covenant between God and David contained multiple promises. Here David is promised an eternal house, eternal kingdom, and an eternal throne. God will accomplish this through David’s son–who will build a house for the name of God (as it had been in David’s heart to do). The LORD states that he will establish his throne and kingdom forever, and makes plain that this covenant is irrevocable and not contingent upon his son’s obedience.
As with every prophecy in Scripture, God’s prophetic promises to David have both a form as well as a fulfillment, resulting in the prophecy having a dual meaning. As I explained in a previous discussion, the form of any given prophecy refers to its imperfect temporal application which would have been evident to the original recipients of the prophecy at the time that it was originally given, while the fulfillment of the prophecy refers to its perfect eternal application which remains concealed until it is brought to pass. Thus the “form” of a prophecy should be thought of as its immediate imperfect/partial fulfillment, while the “fulfillment” refers to its perfect/complete fulfillment. The form functions as a temporal, figurative, and imperfect realization of the prophecy in question; which foreshadows the eternal, literal, and perfect realization of that prophecy which comes after it. Because of this eternal prophetic principle, we might say that any given prophecy in Scripture has both an earthly layer (form) and heavenly layer (fulfillment) of meaning which run parallel to one another, as God is able to use one single set of words to speak of two different things simultaneously.
In the case of the Davidic covenant prophecies delivered to David through the prophet Nathan, the form refers to the immediate application of the prophecy which was to be realized in David’s son Solomon, while the fulfillment of the prophecy refers to the eternal application of the prophecy that was realized in Jesus Christ over 1,000 years later. Insomuch as the form of a prophecy is always an imperfect temporal representation of the perfect eternal fulfillment to come later–the prophetic application realized in Solomon was only an imperfect temporal foreshadowing of the perfect eternal fulfillment which was to be realized in Jesus Christ.
Let us go through and analyze how Solomon fulfilled each of these prophetic promises:
- “I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, . . .” Solomon was the son of David, who was set upon the throne of Israel by God.
- “. . . and I will establish his kingdom.” Solomon’s kingship and kingdom was established by God, but only until his death. The ten tribes were given to Jeroboam as judgment for Solomon’s apostasy.
- “He shall build a house for my name, . . .” Solomon built a house for the name of God. However, that house was only temporal–as it would be destroyed only a few centuries later.
- “. . . and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” We know from the Bible that Solomon’s kingdom did not last forever. At first glance it would therefore appear as though this prophecy was not fulfilled. However, we have to remember that this is Jesus Christ himself speaking to David through the prophet Nathan. Accordingly, when God said that he would establish the throne of his kingdom forever, he was speaking of his own death, burial, and resurrection that he was going to accomplish over 1,000 years later–which would make him the legal heir of David’s throne (upon which Solomon sat (2 Chron. 9:8)), which he would inherit, restore, and sit upon–reigning forever and ever. In other words, it as if God is here saying: “I will robe myself in flesh and come to earth, become the substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of the world, and through my submission to death I will become the legal heir to the throne of his [Solomon’s] kingdom, which I will restore and establish forever.”
- “I will be his father, and he shall be my son. . . .” Solomon was God’s son in the figurative sense that he was divinely appointed to be God’s representative on earth during his reign (the phrase “sons of God” is used in this same figurative sense in Genesis 6). As a sinful human being, he was not the literal offspring of God, however.
- “If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men. But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.” God raised up foreign kings against Solomon as divine judgment against his apostasy. By these, Solomon was chastened by God “with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men”, figuratively speaking. Despite his error, however, God did not utterly take away his mercy from him. He held off the revolt of the 10 tribes until after his death, and allowed his sons to retain the throne for many generations for David’s sake. He also allowed at least three (though possibly four) of Solomon’s literary works to become part of the biblical canon–including the book of Ecclesiastes, which was written after his apostasy. From this we can safely infer that God did not utterly take away his presence or anointing from Solomon despite his disobedience (Rom. 11:29)
The point that I am trying to emphasize here is that Solomon fulfilled God’s prophecies to David through Nathan in a temporal and imperfect way. God did set him up on the throne, but not forever; God did establish his kingdom, but not forever; Solomon did build a house of God’s name, but it did not last forever; He was God’s son, but not literally; God did chasten him with the rod of men, but only figuratively, and so forth. The pattern we see here is that, while Solomon did fulfill these prophecies, he did so only partially, imperfectly, and figuratively. This in turn means that he was not the person through whom these prophecies were perfectly and truly realized. He was merely an imperfect reflection of the one who would perfectly fulfill these prophecies. He is the subject of the “form” of the prophecy.
Let us now look at how Jesus Christ perfectly fulfilled these prophecies:
Let us again break these down one by one:
- “I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, . . .” Jesus was a biological descendant of David through his mother Mary (Luke 3:–38).
- “. . . and I will establish his kingdom.” Jesus came to earth to establish his kingdom–which was the subject of nearly all of his parables. The foundation of this kingdom was laid when he willfully submitted himself to the cross and died, was buried, and resurrected. He is the stone upon which his kingdom was built (Zech. 3:9; Isa. 28:16; Luke 20:17; 1 Pet. 2:7-8). The twelve apostles that he appointed would become the twelve foundational pillars of his kingdom (Rev. 21:14).
- “He shall build a house for my name, . . .” Since the Church began on the Day of Pentecost in 33 AD, Jesus has been continually building a temple and habitation for his Spirit and name, one stone at a time. The Church is the holy temple of God–built by the hand of the Lord (Zech. 6:12-13; John 2:19-21; Eph. 2:19-22; 1 Cor. 3:9).
- “. . . and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” The throne of Jesus’ kingdom is established forever because he lives forever to sit and rule upon it (Rev. 1:18; Heb. 7:16; cf. Deut. 32:40). Solomon could not rule forever because he could not live forever.
- “I will be his father, and he shall be my son. . . .” Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, making God his biological father (Luke 1:35; Matt. 1:20), hence the reason he is called the “Son of God.” While Solomon was only a son of God in a figurative sense, Jesus Christ is the Son of God in the literal sense.
- “If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men. But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.” Although Jesus himself was sinless and never committed a single sin–he took upon himself the sins of the world, thereby becoming the substitutionary sacrifice for his people. Accordingly, although he had never sinned, from heaven’s perspective on the eve of his crucifixion–it was as if he had sinned. Thus, while Solomon was beaten by God with the rods and stripes of men in a figurative sense, Jesus Christ was beaten with the the rod and stripes of men in the literal sense. He was chastened in the place of his people for their sins which he took upon himself.
The prophetic promises of the Davidic covenant found their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who (as previously stated) was descended from David through his mother Mary, who was descended from David through his son Nathan. As was noted, this meant that the curse on Jehoachin’s line which rendered all of his descendants ineligible to reign on David’ throne, did not apply to Jesus–since he was David’s biological descendant through an entirely different line. When we go back and re-read Nathan’s prophecy to David, and imagine that it is Jesus rather than Solomon who is actually being spoken of–we find that Jesus perfectly fits with every single promise of that prophecy.
The fact that Solomon imperfectly and partially fulfilled God’s prophetic covenant promises to David is symbolic and teems with prophetic significance, as this aspect of his character is an intentional prophetic foreshadowing of the Antichrist’s campaign to present himself as the promised Davidic Messiah by mimicking the fulfillment of all the messianic prophecies which will find their true fulfillment in Jesus Christ at his second coming. Thus, like Solomon, the Antichrist will rise to power, but only for a season. Like Solomon, he will be fully established in his kingdom, but only for a time; like Solomon, the Antichrist will bring peace to the nations over which he rules, but only temporarily; like Solomon, he will build the Temple in Jerusalem, but it will be destroyed, and so forth. In short, the Antichrist will (like Solomon) outwardly appear to fulfill the prophecies concerning the Messiah, yet he will fall short of actually doing so–because those prophecies find their true fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who will fill them with their true meaning at his second coming.
The Antichrist will rule over a global dominion
The Antichrist is going to have world dominion (Dan. 7:23-25; Hab. 1:5-17; 2:2-14; Rev. 13:7-8). He will be embraced by the Jews as their messiah, and he will reign as the king of a one world government, whose capital will be Jerusalem (Zeph. 3:8; Dan. 7:23-25; 11:45; 2 Thess. 2:3-4; Hab. 2:5; Rev. 13:7). From there he will sit upon the throne of David exercising rule over all of the Gentile kingdoms–during which time he will deceive the unsaved masses into believing that he is the promised “light to the Gentiles” (Isa. 11:10; 42:6; 49:6; 60:3).
Once again, this aspect of the Antichrist was figuratively foreshadowed in the biblical character of Solomon. Although Solomon did not rule over a global one-world government, he ruled over all of the Gentile kingdoms in the entire ancient near-east; the nations of Moab, Ammon, Edom, Philistia, Phoenicia–all paid taxes to Solomon’s government (1 Kings 9:21). Thus what we have in the case of Solomon’s reign is a little figurative microcosm of the reign of the Antichrist, in which the ancient near-east functions as a sort of little miniature figurative type of the whole inhabited world, over which the Antichrist will reign as king.10
The Antichrist will be a bringer of global peace
It is a known fact that the Antichrist will bring peace to all nations within his dominion. Given that his dominion will be a global one (Dan. 7:23-25; Hab. 2:5; Zeph. 3:8; Rev. 13:7). The prophet Daniel foresaw that he would “by peace destroy many” (Dan. 8:25). What is more, Daniel’s prophecy that he will “confirm the covenant for one week” (Dan. 9:27) is commonly interpreted by many Evangelicals to refer to a seven year peace treaty that the Antichrist will make between Israel and the Arab nations surrounding her.11. Whatever the case, all agree that the Antichrist will temporarily bring peace not only to Israel, but to the entire world (Dan 8:25; 1 Thess. 5:3). As was noted, this is partly why he will be so deceiving–as his ability to bring peace to the earth will be presented to the masses as evidence that the messianic age has arrived, and that the Antichrist is the promised Davidic Messiah (e.g. Isa. 2:1-4; Mic. 4:1-4).
Once again, we have here yet another parallel between the Antichrist and Solomon. Note the following three passages of Scripture:
And David said to Solomon, My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God: But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight. Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon12 and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days. (1 Chronicles 22:7-9)
God told David that he would have a son named Solomon (whose name in Hebrew means “peace”). God tells David that he will be a “man of rest”, and that wars would cease in his days, thus allowing him to build the temple.
And Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the river unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt: they brought presents, and served Solomon all the days of his life. And Solomon’s provision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour, and threescore measures of meal, Ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen out of the pastures, and an hundred sheep, beside harts, and roebucks, and fallowdeer, and fatted fowl. For he had dominion over all the region on this side the river, from Tiphsah even to Azzah, over all the kings on this side the river: and he had peace on all sides round about him. And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. (1 Kings 4:21-25)
Solomon (whose name in Hebrew means “peace”) brought peace and safety to all lands within his dominion (1 Thess. 5:3; Dan. 8:25). During his reign, wars appeared to be a thing of the past.
And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants unto Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the room of his father: for Hiram was ever a lover of David. And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying, Thou knowest how that David my father could not build an house unto the name of the LORD his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until the LORD put them under the soles of his feet. But now the LORD my God hath given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrent. And, behold, I purpose to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build an house unto my name.
When Solomon writes to Hiram of Tyre to request materials to build the temple, he states that his father David was unable to build the Temple due to the wars that were about him on every side. He then explains that God has caused those wars to have ceased, thus making it possible for him to build the Temple.
Solomon’s statements to Hiram of Tyre here are a prophetic foreshadowing of the global peace that will be brought about when the Antichrist rises to power. Notice how Solomon explains that David was unable to build the temple due to the wars that were around him on every side. This is a prophetic allusion to the present situation that has consisted since the late seventh century AD following the Islamification of Palestine. The Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD, and the Jews were scattered from Jerusalem–beginning the Dispersion. For almost 1900 years, the Jewish people had no homeland–and were scattered across the entire globe (Deut. 28:25; cf. Lev. 26:27-35; 1 Chron. 16:20; Ps. 105:13). Despite the fact that Israel was finally reborn in 1948, and the city of Jerusalem is now back in the hands of the Jewish people–the Jews have been unable to rebuild their temple due to the ongoing conflicts between them and the Palestinians. Moreover, the Dome of the Rock has resided on the Temple Mount since 691 AD, and attempting to remove it to rebuild the Temple would cause a war the likes of which the world has never seen. Yet it is written that the Antichrist, being the shrewd and cunning politician with a Satanic anointing that he will be (Dan. 8:25), will somehow temporarily cause wars in the Middle East to cease, and will also overcome the seemingly unmovable mountain which has so long hindered the Temple’s reconstruction, namely–the Dome of the Rock. As previously stated, many Evangelicals interpret Daniel’s “covenant for one week” prophecy to refer to a 7 year peace treaty that the Antichrist will initiate between Israel and the Arab nations surrounding her, which will result in a temporary end to the conflicts between them. As noted, it is believed that this peace treaty will somehow get the Arab Palestinians to agree to allow the Jews to rebuild the Temple on the mount. Solomon’s words to Hiram here appear to be a clear prophetic foreshadowing of these accomplishments of the Antichrist which will make it possible for him to rebuild the Temple.
The Antichrist will divide the land for gain
The prophet Daniel states that the Antichrist will “divide the land for gain” (Dan. 11:39). This is a very vague prophetic statement that it is difficult to properly interpret by itself, as other prophecies concerning the Antichrist elsewhere in the Bible don’t appear to make clear reference to this and thus do little to illuminate this rather obscure prophetic statement. To better understand what is being referred to here, one need only study the reign of Solomon, who upon his ascension to the throne–divided the land of Israel into 12 administrative districts for the purpose of implementing a very burdensome food tax in order to provide for his lavish daily banquets and royal feasts (1 Kings 4:22-23). This dividing of the land is described in the book of 1 Kings:
And Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, which provided victuals for the king and his household: each man his month in a year made provision. And these are their names: The son of Hur, in mount Ephraim: The son of Dekar, in Makaz, and in Shaalbim, and Bethshemesh, and Elonbethhanan: The son of Hesed, in Aruboth; to him pertained Sochoh, and all the land of Hepher: The son of Abinadab, in all the region of Dor; which had Taphath the daughter of Solomon to wife: Baana the son of Ahilud; to him pertained Taanach and Megiddo, and all Bethshean, which is by Zartanah beneath Jezreel, from Bethshean to Abelmeholah, even unto the place that is beyond Jokneam: The son of Geber, in Ramothgilead; to him pertained the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead; to him also pertained the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, threescore great cities with walls and brasen bars: Ahinadab the son of Iddo had Mahanaim: Ahimaaz was in Naphtali; he also took Basmath the daughter of Solomon to wife: Baanah the son of Hushai was in Asher and in Aloth: Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar: Shimei the son of Elah, in Benjamin: Geber the son of Uri was in the country of Gilead, in the country of Sihon king of the Amorites, and of Og king of Bashan; and he was the only officer which was in the land. . . . And those officers provided victual for king Solomon, and for all that came unto king Solomon’s table, every man in his month: they lacked nothing. (1 Kings 4:7-19; 4:27)
In his book “Who Wrote the Bible?”, biblical scholar Richard Elliott Friedman does a good job contextualizing Solomon’s division and redistricting of the land:
One of Solomon’s policies in particular cut into the very structure of the tribal system. Solomon established twelve administrative districts, each of which was to provide food for the court in Jerusalem for one month of the year. The boundaries of these twelve districts did not correspond to the existing boundaries of the twelve tribes. Solomon personally appointed the heads of each administrative district. This is like gerrymandering, squared. It would be as if the President of the United States established fifty new taxation districts which did not correspond to the existing fifty states and within which each would have a politically appointed administrator instead of its own elected governor and legislators. Solomon’s redistricting, to make matters even worse, was only of the north. The twelve new districts did not include the territory of Judah.13
As Friedman notes, Solomon’s own tribe–Judah, was exempt from this food tax. This was one among many different examples in which Solomon’s imperial policies gave special preference to his own tribe and burdened those of the north. Insomuch as Solomon is a type of the Antichrist, his redistricting of the land for tax purposes is a prophetic foreshadowing of Daniel’s prophecy that the Antichrist will “divide the land for gain.”
The Antichrist will be full of earthly wisdom and knowledge
Jesus was God in the flesh (John 1:1; 1:14; 1 Tim. 3:16). This means that he was both fully God, as well as fully man. Insomuch as God is perfect in knowledge (Job 36:4; 37:16), Jesus had all knowledge in heaven and in earth (John 16:30; John 21:17). This means he knows everything there is to know about everything. He could tell you exactly how many grains of sand exist on all of the world’s beaches combined off the top of his head, or how many drops of water exist in each of the worlds oceans. He could tell you how many terrestrial planets exist in the Universe, and could tell you their names and exact dimensions. His knowledge is perfect and his understanding is limitless (Job 36:4; 37:17; Ps. 147:5). His mind is like an infinite database containing every fact of every field of knowledge.
The Antichrist will outwardly appear to possess a knowledge of all things. This is someone who is going to possess an advanced knowledge of practically every academic field under the sun. He will likely have multiple advanced degrees from the world’s most highly esteemed institutions of higher learning. He will fluently speak numerous languages. Essentially, this guy will appear to be the most intelligent man who has ever lived as pertaining to the natural ability of human flesh. This trait is foreshadowed in the abundant wisdom and knowledge of Solomon, whose wisdom and knowledge was so abundant that kings traveled from all over to listen to him:
And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore. And Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol: and his fame was in all nations round about. And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five. And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes. And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom. (1 Kings 4:29-34; cf. 2 Chron. 9:22-23)
While his ability to resolve the conflict between the two harlots reflects his wisdom and practical intelligence (not to mention his ability to use his advanced understanding of human nature to discern the motives of the heart)–the above passage more specifically gives us a glimpse of Solomon’s gift of knowledge. From this particular passage we can see that Solomon excelled in the arts (as testified by his numerous proverbs and songwriting abilities), yet at the same time possessed an expert level scholarly knowledge of multiple fields of the natural sciences, such as zoology, marine biology, (perhaps) taxonomy, and botany. One thing to note about this is that Solomon’s knowledge was very earthly, or worldly in its orientation–the sort of knowledge that seeks to explain the law and order of the natural world. All of this is a foreshadowing of the Antichrist–who will be the most academically gifted and high IQ individual that anyone has ever seen (so far as the natural ability of human flesh is concerned). He will be someone who possesses an advanced expert-level knowledge of multiple academic fields, will probably hold several advances degrees from the most highly esteemed institutions of higher learning in the world, will be fluent in numerous languages, and will be deemed a political genius. He will be intellectually gifted far beyond anything the world has ever seen. People all over the globe will marvel and be captivated by this man as he displays the closest thing to intellectual perfection that is possible in the natural ability of human flesh.
The Antichrist is depicted as having “eyes of a man”
Jesus’ knowledge and understanding was not limited strictly to factual book knowledge. Being God, he also knew the inner thoughts of every human being on the planet. Thus it is only when we understand who Jesus actually was, that it suddenly makes sense as to how he was able to know all the personal details about the Samaritan woman whom he had never met (John 4:1-29), or how he was able to know that Nathaniel had been under the fig tree before he came to Jesus that day (John 1:47-49), or how he was able to know the thoughts and inner dialogue of the people around him during his earthly ministry (Matt. 9:1-4; 12:22-25; Luke 11:14-17; 6:6-8; cf. 1 Kings 8:39; Ezek. 11:5). Knowledge of this sort is impossible for men to possess, yet Jesus possessed this knowledge because he was more than just a man–he was God himself. It is important to note, however, that Jesus did not possess all of this knowledge in his flesh. That is to say, he did not have all the facts of the universe stored in the brain of his mortal human body. Although he was God, he was also fully human, and when he was born under the law he submitted himself to all of the limitations and imperfections of human flesh (Gal. 4:4). Jesus’s knowledge of all things was accessed actively in real time through the Spirit of God that indwelt him (John 12:49; 14:10; Matt. 16:17). It was not, in other words, acquired through study, or any kind of formal education (John 7:15; cf. Isa. 50:4). Rather, the Holy Spirit which indwelt him revealed to him in real time whatever it wanted him to know in whatever particular situation he was in in that particular moment.
The prophet Daniel states that the Antichrist will have “eyes like the eyes of man” (Dan. 7:8). There are multiple levels of symbolic meaning being conveyed here. On one level, the “eyes of man” signifies that the Antichrist will be someone who sees as man sees–judging by the sight of his eyes and by outward appearance, as man is accustomed to do by nature (1 Sam. 16:7; cf. Isa. 11:3; John 7:24). However, none of the other kings over whom he reigns is depicted as having the eyes of men, and thus we can safely conclude that there is much more being signified by the “eyes” of the little horn. Indeed, eyes in Scripture symbolize the intelligence, understanding, and insight, and therefore on one level the little horn’s eyes symbolize the advanced knowledge and intelligence that the Antichrist will possess–a trait which we have already seen is clearly foreshadowed by the abundant wisdom and knowledge of Solomon.
Yet once again, there is far more being symbolically conveyed by the little horn’s “eyes of man.” Above all else, the “eyes of man” ultimately signify what we in the English language refer to as the eyes of the Law. Once again, we must recall that the Antichrist will like a mirrored image of Jesus Christ. Thus whereas Jesus Christ sees all and knows all, and knows the thoughts and secrets of the hearts of all men (because he is God), so too the Antichrist will outwardly appear to know the private thoughts and secrets of men. The difference is that unlike Jesus–who knows the thoughts and secrets of the heart because he is God, the Antichrist will appear to know the thoughts and secrets of all men because he will be the chief ruler of a worldwide Orwellian surveillance state (Rev. 16:5; cf. Micah 4:11; Hab. 1:15-17; Gen. 42:1; 42:9; 42:16; Obad. 1:12-13).14. Thus whereas Jesus accessed this type of knowledge lawfully as the Spirit that indwelt him actively revealed to him whatever information it wanted him to know in the moment he was in, the Antichrist will access intimate and personal details about individual people unlawfully via the exploitation of man-made technology and data synthesis. Yet again, this is another trait of the Antichrist which is prophetically foreshadowed in the character of Solomon:
In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee. And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast shewed great mercy unto David my father, and hast made me to reign in his stead. Now, O LORD God, let thy promise unto David my father be established: for thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great? And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king: Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like. (2 Chron. 1:7-12)
One important thing to note about this passage is the way that Solomon tells God that the people over whom he rules are like the sand that is on the sea shore (inferring that they are essentially infinite in number). He then essentially asks God “How in the world am I supposed to judge a people as numerous as this? How can one man judge such an infinitude of people?” As Solomon rightly understands, in order to righteously judge those whom God has placed under him, the judge must possess a very detailed knowledge of the life and character of each and every single person that he is judging. Without truly knowing the heart of a person, the judge is bound to judge unrighteously–as all he has to go by is the sight of his eyes (John 7:24). This is why the only true and righteous judge is Jesus Christ (2 Tim. 4:8; cf. Isa. 11:3), as he is the only person who is perfect in knowledge and infinite in understanding (Job 36:4; Job 37:16; Ps. 147:5). He is the only one who truly knows the depths of every person’s heart, the desires and motivations of which are laid bare before his eyes of fire. (1 Kings 8:39; cf. Matt. 9:4; Luke 11:17; 1 Chron. 28:9; Prov. 21:2; Jer. 17:10; 20:12; Rom. 8:27; Heb. 4:12-13; Rev. 2:23). He possesses perfect knowledge about every single detail about the life and character of every human being who has ever lived (John 1:48-50; 4:16-18; 4:29). Solomon thus understands that it is literally impossible for him as a mere human being to know the hearts of everyone within his kingdom, and therefore understands that it is impossible for him to truly act as a righteous judge. It is for this reason that he asks God to give him an understanding heart–for the express purpose of enabling him to righteously judge the innumerable multitude over whom God has set him. God is pleased by Solomon’s request and grants him his petition–making him more wise and understanding than any earthly king before or after him (1 Kings 4:30-34).
The scene that follows Solomon’s petition for wisdom and an understanding heart (in the 1 Kings 3 account) is immediately followed by his famous judgment of the two harlots–which has obviously been strategically placed by the redactor for the purpose of illustrating the nature and extent of Solomon’s divine wisdom.
Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him. And the one woman said, O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house. And it came to pass the third day after that I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also: and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house. And this woman’s child died in the night; because she overlaid it. And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear. And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spake before the king. Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living. And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king. And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other. Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it. Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof. And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment.
If one reads the above passage without contemplating or reflecting on it too deeply, the natural conclusion that one draws is that Solomon’s wisdom and understanding enabled him to have a deep understanding of a woman’s maternal instinct, which would never allow her baby to be sawed in half. Accordingly, Solomon knew his suggestion would reveal who the true mother of the child was. While this conclusion is not “wrong”, there is far more that is being implied by this scene than what appears on the surface. The first step at discerning the deeper implications being made by the passage, is to observe the harlot’s response to Solomon’s suggestion that they divide the child in half. Whereas the true mother of the child jumped in front of the baby and agreed to let the other woman have it in order to save its life, the harlot says “let it be neither mine nor yours, but divide it.” It is extremely abnormal for any woman to desire for a baby to be killed, regardless of whether or not it is her own biological child. It is simply contrary to a woman’s nature and biological hard-wiring. This is our first clue that something more is being implied about the nature of Solomon’s understanding heart.
When the two harlots stated their case to the king, Solomon already knew who the true mother of the child was. But not only that, he was also equally aware of the internal motivations undergirding the actions of the woman who was not the true mother. He knew that she had stolen the baby because he understood that “misery loves company,” and he knew that after having lost her own child, she simply could not bear to be in the same home with the other woman and have to look at her living baby every day. The implication of the passage is that Solomon already knew the motives of the hearts of the two women. Accordingly, his proposed resolution to the issue was intended not to find out what he already knew to be the case, but rather to publicly reveal the identity of the true mother, and to simultaneously elicit a self-condemning confession from the woman who was not the true mother, thereby exposing the evil motives of her heart.
The reason why all Israel marveled at Solomon’s judgment and feared him is because to them it appeared as if he had a supernatural ability to look into a person’s eyes and see everything that was in their heart–their thoughts, their desires, their internal motivations, and their deepest and most private secrets. This is once again a prophetic foreshadowing of the Antichrist–who will outwardly appear to have the exact same ability. Recall that Solomon requested wisdom and an understanding heart because the people over whom he ruled were too numerous to judge. God therefore gave him wisdom and knowledge as “the sand which is on the sea shore” (1 Kings 4:29), so that he might be able to righteously judge a people who were as numerous as “the sand which is on the seashore” (1 Kings 4:20). There are over seven billion people on the planet today–more than there have been at any other time in history, and that number is only increasing as time goes by. It is absurd to think that one man (other than Jesus Christ) could possibly rule over (let alone righteously judge) such an infinitude of people, unless he was gifted with a supernatural gifts of knowledge and wisdom, as well as the ability to know and perfectly understand the thoughts and motives of the hearts of all men as if he is God himself.
Those of you who have been reading the footnotes will recall me stating earlier that because so much of our English vocabulary was inherited directly from classical Greek and Latin, you can often gleam additional prophetic insight by comparing the English text of a particular verse to the Greek and Latin translations of that verse in the Septuagint and Vulgate. This is one of those instances, as the full prophetic significance of this particular recorded interaction between God and Solomon is not apparent in either English translation or even the original Hebrew text. The full prophetic significance of this passage is much more clear in the Vulgate (note that I am going to begin the quote at verse 10 rather than verse 7 this time):
da mihi sapientiam et intellegentiam ut egrediar coram populo tuo et ingrediar quis enim potest hunc populum tuum digne qui tam grandis est iudicare dixit autem Deus ad Salomonem quia hoc magis placuit cordi tuo et non postulasti divitias et substantiam et gloriam neque animas eorum qui te oderunt sed nec dies vitae plurimos petisti autem sapientiam et scientiam ut iudicare possis populum meum super quem constitui te regem sapientia et scientia data sunt tibi divitias autem et substantiam et gloriam dabo tibi ita ut nullus in regibus nec ante te nec post te fuerit similis tui (VUL, 2 Chron. 1:10-12)
Note that the word “scientia” was simply the Latin word for knowledge, while the word “data” was the neuter past participle of the verb “dare” (to give), and meant “a thing given.” Taken together, what God says to Solomon in the above passage is that he has given (data) him knowledge (scientia). Yet at the same time, in his perfect foreknowledge God knew that the Latin words “scientia” and “data” would both eventually find their way into the modern English lexicon, where they would both be resurrected with new meaning after having died to the old (Matt. 10:39; Luke 11:10). Accordingly, the use of these two words here on a higher level forms a deliberately placed cryptic allusion to the means by which the Antichrist (as typified by Solomon) will unlawfully have access to knowledge of personal and intimate details of the lives of all people who abide within his kingdom. It appears that he will have access to some sort of global database that will bring together all data that has been collected about a person over the course of their entire lives from a multitude of sources.
The Antichrist’s ability to access personal and intimate details about every individual within his kingdom will be made possible by the fact that he is going to rule over a worldwide surveillance state, not at all unlike Oceania from Orweill’s 1984. Exactly what kind of data this database will include is anyone’s guess, albeit all of the following are pretty much a guarantee:
- IDs
- Birth certificate
- Medical Records
- Prescription drug history
- Education history
- Employment history
- Credit history
- Criminal history
- Banking information and purchasing records
- Tax returns
- Driving records
- Cell phone records
- Any and all information on file with all government agencies
- All information on file with your ISP
- All information recorded about you from all private companies (including third party advertising companies) who have files on you
- Social media profiles and posts
- Logs of all sent and received e-mails
- Logs of all text message conversations
- Record of all past Google searches
Note that these are just a few of the examples of information he will certainly have direct access to. At the rate technology is advancing, he will likely have access to data even more personal than this. Smart TVs and apparatuses like Alexa are capable of recording and covertly transmitting the private conversations that take place in one’s home (Luke 12:3), and yet people willingly embrace these technologies for the convenience they bring. Add to that the type of unconstitutional government spying that we now know is not only possible, but is actively taking place, thanks to the revelations of Edward Snowden, and we quickly realize that the nature of personal information that he will have access to about individuals will be essentially endless. A day is coming when world government officials will be able to search for your name or scan your face and learn all kinds of things about you within seconds. We find a second biblical witness affirming the truth of this in the book of the prophet Habakkuk, who under the inspiration of the Spirit of prophecy spoke of the Antichrist’s policy of dragnet surveillance (Hab. 1:15-16; cf. Hab. 2:5). The ability of the Antichrist to know the thoughts and secrets of every man’s heart will make it appear as if he has the eyes of the LORD himself, which are in every place beholding the evil and the good. (Prov. 15:3; cf. 2 Chron. 16:9; Zech. 4:10).
The ability to access and bring together all of this personal information and data about people from such a multitude of sources will enable the world government of the Antichrist to assemble character profiles of every person on the planet that will be so accurate in their assessment of a person’s nature and character that he will be able to look at them and accurately forecast exactly how any given individual will respond to any judgment he proposes–just as Solomon appeared to know exactly how both harlots would react to his command to saw the baby in half.
The Antichrist will understand “dark sentences”
The prophet Daniel prophesied that the Antichrist would understand “dark sentences.” The Hebrew word used here is chiydah. This word appears a total of 17 times in the Old Testament (including Daniel 8:25). It best translates into English as “riddle,” and in the most general sense denotes the idea of a perplexing or difficult question. This is evident from the book of Judges, where the word is used eight times to refer to Samson’s perplexing riddle that he told the Philistines. Yet the same word is also used to speak of any kind of figurative vehicle used to cryptically communicate a spiritual mystery or truth to man–such as a proverb, allegory, dream, vision, and so forth. So for example, we find that this word appears in Psalm 78:2 (“I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:“), which is cited by Matthew in his Gospel, who applies it to Jesus’ using kingdom parables to convey deep spiritual truths and mysteries cryptically through the use of allegory (Ps. 78:2; Matt. 13:34-35). We find an additional witness to this particular use of the word in the book of Ezekiel, where it refers to a divinely given allegory that conveys a prophetic truth–identical in style to Jesus’ kingdom parables (Ezek. 17:2). The way that Moses uses the word in the book of Numbers indicates that it could also be used to refer to prophetic dreams and visions (Num. 12:8; cf. 12:6-7), while Habakkuk uses the term to refer to some sort of proverb or saying that was probably common in Judah in his day (Hab 2:6).
Taken together, it is clear that the Hebrew word chiydah is an expansive one that on the one hand can refer either to any kind of difficult and perplexing question or riddle, and on the other hand can refer to any kind of spiritual truth or mystery conveyed cryptically through the use of figurative language (both verbal and nonverbal). Daniel’s prophecy which states that the Antichrist will have understanding of “dark sentences” thus can be taken to mean that he will on one level be able to solve exceedingly difficult problems and questions unlike anything the world has ever seen. At the same time, it is also telling us that he will be fluent in the figuartive language in which all spiritual truths and mysteries are communicated.15
The Antichrist’s ability to solve exceedingly difficult questions and problems, and to understand spiritual mysteries conveyed figuratively–is foreshadowed once again in the biblical character of Solomon. This is evident from the fact that the Hebrew word in 2 Chronicles 9:1 for the Queen of Sheba’s “hard questions” that she used to test Solomon’s intelligence is none other than chiydah:
And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great company, and camels that bare spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart. And Solomon told her all her questions: and there was nothing hid from Solomon which he told her not. (2 Chronicles 9:1-2)
The word that the KJV translates as “hard questions” in 2 Chronicles 9:1 is the same word that translates in Daniel’s prophecy concerning the Antichrist as “dark sentences.”
What is more, chiydah is also the word that the KJV renders “dark sayings” in his prologue to the book of Proverbs:
The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings. (Prov. 1:1-6)
The Hebrew word that the KJV translates as “dark sayings” in Proverbs 1:6 is the same word that translates in Daniel’s prophecy concerning the Antichrist as “dark sentences.”
In addition to his worldly wisdom and knowledge, Solomon also possessed a very particular type of knowledge and understanding, that is–he also had an overabundance of esoteric knowledge, and the knowledge of spiritual mysteries. This particular aspect of Solomon’s insight is perhaps most easily discernible in the book of Ecclesiastes, in which he repeatedly mentions things in the present functioning as mere shadows of things that will exist in the future (Eccles. 1:9; 3:15).16That Solomon possessed the knowledge of this very important spiritual truth in the tenth century BC, some six centuries before the pre-Hellenistic Greek philosopher Plato came along and laid out his theory of the Forms in his Socratic dialogues–testifies that Solomon was far ahead of anyone of his time as pertaining to the knowledge of spiritual truths and mysteries.
The Antichrist will display a partial reverence for God’s Law
Solomon promoted and enforced the Law of Moses upon the subjects of his kingdom (1 Kings 8:9; 8:53-61), yet he lived as though that Law did not apply to him. For example, the king of Israel was forbidden by the Law of Moses to multiply chariots and horses unto himself (Deut. 17:16), yet that did not stop Solomon from doing exactly that (1 Kings 4:26; 10:28; 2 Chron. 9:24-28). The Law also forbade the king from multiplying wives unto himself (Deut. 17:17), yet Solomon did exactly that (1 Kings 11:1-3). The Law also forbade him from multiplying silver and gold unto himself (Deut. 17:17), yet Solomon did exactly that. What this reveals about Solomon’s character is that he saw himself as above the divine Law, and accordingly had an “eat the fish and leave the bones” kind of approach to it, whereby he freely picked and chose which parts he wanted to follow. This imperfect reverence for God’s law left a spiritual door cracked in Solomon’s life which set the stage for his later apostasy.
The reason I point this out is that partial reverence for God’s law is one of the hallmark identifying markers of the Antichrist. The Antichrist will enforce the Law of Moses upon his subjects, yet he himself will live as though he is some kind of divine god to whom it does not apply. The book of Daniel appears to suggest that he will aggregate unto himself the authority to freely “edit” God’s Law in order to try and make it more compatible with the spirit of the age, in a vain attempt to bring God’s righteousness down from its heavenly throne and make it more compatible with man’s filthy righteousness (Dan. 8:12; Isa. 64:6). Insomuch as not even God himself can alter his Word once it has been spoken (Esth. 8:8; Psalm 89:34), such an action is even worse than blasphemy. Attempting to alter God’s Law is to elevate yourself to a place of authority higher than God himself, and that is exactly what the Antichrist will do (Dan. 11:36-37; 7:25; 8:25). It is probably with this particular trait in mind that Paul by the Holy Ghost referred to him as the “man of lawlessness” (2 Thess. 2:3).
666: The number of his name
One of the first things that comes to mind when people think of the Antichrist is the number 666. This is association is based on the following verse from the book of Revelation:
And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. (Revelation 13:16-18)
This is one of those topics that people have a fascination with (for obvious reasons), and many theories have been put forth to try to solve the above numerical riddle. Throughout the history of the Church, the general consensus has been that this is a numerical cryptogram rooted in the ancient practices of Gematria (Hebrew) or Isosephy (Greek).17If true, then the letters of the name of “the beast”, when summed, yield a precise numerical value of 666.18
It is interesting to point out that the number 666 appears two other times in the Bible, and these other two occurrences are really just one–being two separate accounts of the same thing. The number 666 is recorded to have been the exact weight of the talents of gold that came to Solomon in one year (1 Kings 10:14; 2 Chro. 9:13). What this does is it establishes another undeniable connection between Solomon and the Antichrist. Simply put, this number is linked to Solomon because Solomon is an Old Testament type of the Antichrist.
In terms of what the number 666 signifies, the short answer is that it is the number of man’s righteousness, of whom the Antichrist will be the personified embodiment (just as Jesus Christ (whose name in Greek spelling has a total numerical value of 888) was the personified embodiment of God’s righteousness). The number 666 is thus directly tied to the Antichrist’s imperfect keeping of God’s Law, as was foreshadowed in the character of Solomon. However for the sake of staying on topic, I will have to save proving these truths by Scripture for a future time.
The Antichrist will rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem
The first temple stood from about 960 BC to 586 BC, when it was destroyed by the Babylonians. A second temple was built 70 years later by Zerubbabel and the Jewish remnant who returned with him after Cyrus’ decree of liberation. That temple lasted until 70 AD, when it was destroyed by the Romans in the First Jewish Revolt. There has been no Temple in Jerusalem since that time. It is nevertheless believed by both Jews and Christians that the temple will one day rebuilt. What complicates matters is the fact that the Temple Mount is a sacred site in Islam, and the Al Asqa mosque and Dome of the Rock have resided on the Temple mount since about 691 AD. In order to rebuild the Temple, it is believed that one would have to demolish the Dome of the Rock in order to do it, which would essentially guarantee the Crusades part 2. Because of this obstacle, religious Jews believe that this is something that will only be accomplished by their Messiah when he comes.
The Bible states in multiple places that the Antichrist will sit down in the Temple of God, showing himself that he is God (2 Thess. 2:4; Isa. 14:12-14; Ezek. 28:2; Dan. 11:45).19From these passages, it is widely held in evangelical circles that the Antichrist will rebuild the Temple and reinstate the Jewish Temple worship of the Old Testament. In fact, it is commonly held that Daniel’s prophesy that the Antichrist will make a “covenant” for one week (Dan. 9:2) refers to a seven year peace treaty between Jews and Palestinians, in which the Palestinians will agree to allow the Jews to rebuild their Temple on the Temple Mount. Opinions on the precise particulars of this interpretation varies greatly, but it is widely agreed that the Antichrist will be the one responsible for rebuilding the Jewish Temple. Here again we see yet another trait of the Antichrist exemplified in Solomon–who was responsible for ushering in an era of peace, and building the Temple in Jerusalem. In other words, Solomon’s building the Temple on a prophetic level functions as a foreshadowing of the Antichrist’s rebuilding the Temple in the last days.
The Antichrist will preside over both Church and State
When God first created the world, everything in it was good (Gen. 1:31). Prior to man’s fall, the spheres of Church and State were inseparable, as the offices of king and high priest were united in Adam. It was not until after sin entered the world that God ordained that the clerical and secular spheres be kept separate (Gen. 3:15; cf. Matt. 22:21; Mark 12:17; Luke 20:25). The purpose of this divinely ordained separation was to prevent the secular State (represented by Adam and his seed (Cain and his descendants)) from contaminating the Church (signified by Eve and her seed (Seth and his descendants)) with the sinful pollutions, idols, and false doctrines of the world. Unfortunately, this divinely ordained boundary would be overstepped within a few generations. About three hundred years after the Fall, a divinely forbidden intermarriage took place between Church and State (Gen. 6:1-4), which led to global corruption that increased continually (Gen. 6:), which would ultimately lead to God destroying that first world with a flood.
During his earthly ministry, Jesus reiterated the divine mandate to keep the clerical and secular spheres separate when he said: “Render to Caesar the things which be Caesar’s, and unto God the things which be God’s.” (Matt. 22:21; Mark 12:17; Luke 20:25). Once again this divinely ordained separation would be violated, when a divinely forbidden intermarriage between the Church and the Roman State took place in the early fourth century–an unholy union which resulted in the birth of a bastardized and polluted version of the faith that merged the paganism of Rome with the faith that was once delivered unto the saints (Jude 3). This was the result of Caesar overstepping his boundaries and seizing unlawful authority over the things which be God’s (Matt. 22:21; Mark 12:17; Luke 20:25; cf. Hab. 2:5-6), and he would eventually come to exercise complete rule over the saints of God under the new title of the bishop of Rome. This unholy merger of Church and State would consist for over 1260 years, until God finally sent the flood waters of the European Enlightenment to bury the former world order in the mid seventeenth century.
While the secular and clerical spheres have been kept separate since the mid seventeenth century, the Bible nevertheless testifies that the future Antichrist will overstep these boundaries once again, and will unlawfully preside as head of a one world government and a one world religion. As the Old Testament prophets testify that the Messiah will rule over a one world government (whose capital is Jerusalem) and function as high priest of the one true faith–teaching not only Jews, but also the Gentiles how to properly worship God (Isa. 49:6; Isa. 60:1-5; Zech 4:1-14; 6:11-13; 8:22-23; 14:9; 14:16-21; Ezek. 39:7)–the Antichrist’s establishing of a one world government and a one world religion centered in Jerusalem will all be part of his aforementioned Satanic scheme to deceive the masses into believing he is the promised Messiah and Son of David, and his mimicking the fulfillment of the messianic prophecies concerning Jesus.
The future unlawful unification of the Church & State by the Antichrist is foreshadowed in the biblical character of Solomon–who was king not only of Israel and Judah, but of all the surrounding Gentile kingdoms of the ancient near-east. As we have already noted, the ancient-near east in the biblical narratives about Solomon on a prophetic level function as a figurative microcosm of the entire earth. Not only did Solomon reign as king over both Israel as well as Gentile kingdoms, but he was the only king in the history of either Israel or Judah to have presided over religious functions which normally appertained to the office of the high priest. Thus we find him offering sacrifices on behalf of the sins of the people (1 Kings 3:4; 3:15; 8:1-5; 8:62-64), functioning as an intercessor between God and man (1 Kings 8:14-cf. 1 Tim. 2:5), and so forth. What is more, Solomon clearly saw it as his divinely appointed duty to enlighten the Gentiles over whom he ruled with the knowledge of the one true God, and teach them how to properly worship and honor him (1 Kings 8:43; 8:60; 2 Chron. 6:33). This is something that the Old Testament prophecies prophesied that the messiah would do when he arises (Isa. 2:1-3; 49:6; Mic. 4:1-2; Zech. 8:20-23; 14:16-21), and thus this aspect of Solomon’s character yet again foreshadows the future Antichrist mimicking the fulfillment of messianic prophecies.
Taken together, all of this is a blatantly clear prophetic foreshadowing of the reign of the Antichrist, who will merge together the spheres of Church and State for the first time since the seventeenth century. This will be accomplished when he establishes a one world government and a one world religion which are both capitaled in Jerusalem, and aggregates unto himself the Edenic offices of king and high priest of planet earth. This will all be part of his agenda to present himself as the promised messianic king and son of David, in whom all the words of the Hebrew Prophets find their ultimate fulfillment (Zech. 6:11-13).
The Antichrist will initially be tolerant of all world religions
The books of 1 Kings testifies that Solomon had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines (1 Kings 11:3). Many (if not most) of his wives were Gentiles, and thus it is clear that most of these marriages were politically motivated. As previously noted, the king was forbidden by the Law of Moses from multiplying wives unto himself, albeit it is clear from what the Bible states about Solomon’s lifestyle that he believed himself to be above the Law. These foreign marriages would ultimately prove to be Solomon’s downfall, as we are told that his wives turned away his heart in his old age. As God had raised up Solomon for the express purpose of enlightening the Gentiles with the knowledge of the one true God (1 Kings 8:41-43; 8:60), Solomon had a divine obligation to purge his foreign wives of their false heathen gods and force them to undergo what we might term a process of ecclesiastical assimilation, thereby upholding the righteousness of God. Instead, Solomon trusted in his own human conception of righteousness (man’s righteousness), and erected public altars to the gods of his foreign wives in order to appear considerate and tolerant of the religious views of all the Gentile people over whom he reigned, and to appear to not give preference to any specific religion. While such religious toleration outwardly appears righteous in the eyes of man (Prov. 14:12; 16:25; 30:12), there are undergirding societal consequences to this policy that are not immediately apparent on the surface. As but one example, the gods of foreign nations did not require adherence to the strict moral standard of the God of Israel. As a matter of fact, a lot of the ways in which these gods were to be honored were abominable in eyes of the LORD.20. What is more, the incompatibility between the moral standard of the God of Israel and the gods of foreign nations meant that the worship of foreign gods was directly tied to social injustice. Thus, Solomon’s toleration of foreign gods meant that he was not only promoting both theological uncertainty and religious equality (the idea that no God can be objectively proven to be the true God and therefore all religions are equal because they are all equally uncertain), but also moral relativism (because all foreign gods had their own set of moral standards). So grievous was Solomon’s sin in the eyes of the LORD that he determined that he would tear the kingdom of Israel from the house of David after Solomon’s death, and give the ten northern tribes to Jeroboam I (1 Kings 11:29-39)21
Solomon’s toleration of the gods of his foreign wives is likely a foreshadowing of the imperial policy of the Antichrist., who will be the literal embodiment of the righteousness of man. We know that a woman in the Bible symbolizes a religious body, and therefore Solomon’s foreign wives on a prophetic level may be taken to represent diverse world religions. While he will present himself as the promised Jewish messiah, it is likely that he will initially also present himself as tolerant of all world religions for the sake of bringing peace and unity to the world. He will be a promoter of the “all roads ultimately lead to God” doctrine (cf. John 14:6), which was the core belief of the universal world religion of the Tower of Babel. He will function as both world king and high priest of that universal religion like a new Nimrod (Gen. 10:8-11). To justify his toleration of idolatry and heathenism, he will likely teach that it ultimately doesn’t matter what you believe about God, and that ultimately all that matters are your works (e.g. “being a good person”)–a doctrine which is central to all modern streams of rabbinic Judaism. At some point, however, The Antichrist will do an about-face, end his imperial policy of religious toleration, will proclaim himself to be God, and demand that he be worshipped exclusively (Dan. 11:36-37; 2 Thess. 2:4). It is likely at this point that all of the Jews who embraced him will realize that their reception of him constituted a very grievous lapse in judgment.
The Antichrist will sit in the place of God
The Bible testifies in multiple places that the Antichrist will sit in the place of God. This is something that has been part of Satan’s ultimate five-point plan since sin first entered into the world, as the book of Isaiah testifies:
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. (Isaiah 14:12-14; cf. Dan. 11:45)
These three verses from the prophet Isaiah identify what some have termed Satan’s “five-point plan.” In his desire to be like God, the enemy’s ultimate plan is to sit down in the place of God and be worshiped as if he is God. He intends to accomplish this plan through the person of the Antichrist (Matt. 16:23).
Satan’s ultimate desire is to be worshipped as God (Matt. 4:9; Luke 4:7), and it is for this reason that his ultimate plan is to sit down on the throne of David (God’s throne) in the rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem. This is something he intends to accomplish through the person of the Antichrist (cf. 2 Thess. 2:4; Ezek. 28:2; Dan. 11:45). We know that the only legitimate heir of the house of David who possesses the legal right to inherit the throne of his father David is Jesus Christ (Luke 1:32). David’s throne is thus God’s throne, and it thus follows that anyone who sits upon it is thereby publicly declaring himself to be God.
Once again, we find this aspect of the Antichrist foreshadowed in the biblical character of Solomon. Note the Chronicleer’s account of the Queen of Sheba’s words to Solomon:
And she said to the king, It was a true report which I heard in mine own land of thine acts, and of thy wisdom: Howbeit I believed not their words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the one half of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me: for thou exceedest the fame that I heard. Happy are thy men, and happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and hear thy wisdom. Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee to set thee on his throne, to be king for the LORD thy God: because thy God loved Israel, to establish them for ever, therefore made he thee king over them, to do judgment and justice. (2 Chronicles 9:5-8)
In the Chronicleer’s account of the Queen of Sheba’s words of admiration to Solomon, she refers to Solomon’s throne as God’s throne.
Note that the Queen of Sheba here refers to the throne on which Solomon sits as “his throne” (where the pronoun “his” refers to God). When Jesus Christ (God in the flesh) defeated the kingdom of darkness through his death, burial, and resurrection–he officially became the eternal heir of David’s throne (Hag. 2:22; cf. Matt. 4:8; Luke 4:5). Put another way, the moment he was resurrected–David’s throne officially became “God’s throne.” Thus what we have here in the Queen of Sheba referring to the throne of David as “his throne” (implying that Solomon’s throne belongs to God), is the spirit of prophecy using the anointed pen of the Chronicleer to refer to Jesus Christ (who is God in flesh) becoming the eternal heir to the throne of his father David through his death, burial, and resurrection (Luke 1:32).
Why is this important? It is important because suddenly this interaction between King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba suddenly becomes prophetic foreshadowing of the future Antichrist (who is being figuratively represented by Solomon) unlawfully sitting down on God’s throne, thereby aggregating unto himself all of God’s authority and majesty, and thereby publicly declaring himself to be God (2 Thess. 2:4).
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter
A wise man once said: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter.” (Eccles. 12:13). The conclusion of this matter is that number of objective prophetic connections between the character of Solomon and the biblical description of the future Antichrist are so numerous that it is literally impossible for any serious student of the Bible to deny that Solomon functions in the biblical narrative as a blatantly obvious prophetic foreshadowing of the future Antichrist.
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To give an illustrative example of an antithesis according to the biblical definition–suppose you were asked to bake a cake for a party, but someone at the party cannot consume butter for health reasons. So you seek out a butter substitute–and purchase “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter.” This product looks, feels, and (many would say) even tastes like real butter. Nevertheless, it is not butter–because it fails to meet the set of objective criteria that is required to objectively be butter. It is an imperfect representation of true butter, which it imitates and functions as a substitute for. This is a true antithesis according to the biblical understanding, and therefore this butter substitute might rightly be called “antibutter.”
- Although it would seem that Jews would never accept anyone as Messiah who proclaimed themselves to be Jesus Christ, it must be remembered that the primary reason that the Jews rejected Jesus in the first place was that in their eyes he failed to fulfill the Old Testament prophecies concerning the messiah. This was largely due to the fact that they focused on the prophecies that describe the majesty of the Messiah, his military defeat of all the enemies of Israel, his reuniting the houses of Judah and Israel, his reigning over all the kingdoms of the earth from Jerusalem, and so forth. In short, they chose to focus on the prophecies about the Messiah that Jesus Christ is going to fulfill at his Second Coming and during his millennial reign. They completely missed that the Messiah first had to come to the earth, be rejected, and be killed. Thus when Jesus came and did not fulfill the messianic prophecies that they were focusing on–they concluded that he could not be the Messiah. However, if the Antichrist were to proclaim himself to be Jesus Christ, and tried to sell them the idea that this was his second coming, and made it appear as though he was fulfilling all of the messianic prophecies that he did not fulfill the first time he came–it is likely that many Jews would have absolutely no problem with humbly conceding that their rabbis got it wrong and believing that Jesus Christ is their messiah. Note however that this is only a possibility and by no means certain.
- Because so much of our English vocabulary was inherited from classical Greek and Latin, one can often gleam prophetic insight that isn’t as obvious in English translation (or even in the original Hebrew in many cases) by looking at the text in the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation of the OT) and Vulgate (medieval Latin translation of the Bible).
- The English prefix “anti” was inherited (through Latin) from ancient Greek, coming from the Greek word ἀντὶ that we see here. This word literally means “instead of”, denoting the idea of a substitute for something. Thus it is used in the New Testament where Jesus states that he came to give his life as a ransom for many (Matt. 20:28; Mark 10:45). Likewise it is used in Luke’s gospel where Jesus asks his disciples if a father will give his son a serpent in place of a fish (Luke 11:11).
- Critics of this interpretation will be quick to point out that Joseph rather than Mary is listed in Luke’s genealogy, which shows that Luke understood this to be Jesus’ paternal genealogy rather than a maternal one. What must be understood is that a married couple in the eyes of the LORD is considered to be “one flesh” (Gen. 2:24), and at marriage the woman (as the submissive partner) takes on the name of her husband. It is thus not uncommon in the Bible for both a husband and wife to collectively be referred to by the name of the husband. We find one example of this in Genesis, where Adam and Eve are referred to collectively by the singular name of Adam (Gen. 1:26; Gen. 5:2). This is exactly what is going on in Luke’s genealogy; Mary is referred to by the name of her husband Joseph.
- This mystery was articulated very well by Messianic Jewish Rabbi Jonathan Cahn on the Jim Bakker Show some years ago.
- On one level, Jesus was the “seed of the woman” in that he was descended from the line of Seth (as everyone on earth today is), rather than through the line of Cain (“the seed of the man”). Yet the ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy speaks of him being the biological descendant of David through his earthly mother Mary, as he had no human biological father (Luke 1:35; Matt. 1:20).
- The Antichrist cannot have legal right to the throne of David unless he is a biological descendant of David–and therefore he must come from the tribe of Judah. The only way he could come from the tribe Dan is if he is a direct descendant of David through one parent, and is descended from the tribe of Dan through the other parent. However the blood of the ten tribes is so diffused amongst the entire world population at this point that it is impossible for us to even identify what nations or ethnic groups of the world could rightly claim Danite descent.
- In so doing, he will be living up to his title of “Antichrist”, which literally translated means: “instead of Christ.”
- The notion that the entire ancient near-east is functioning here as a figurative microcosm of the entire inhabited world is supported by the fact that the ten northern tribes of Israel were at this time still confined to the near east and had not yet been scattered into the nations. God told Israel that every place that the soles of their feet would tread upon would legally become their land (Deut. 11:24). Thus, as long as they remained in their land, the kingdom of Israel in the eyes of the LORD was limited only to the near-east, being at that time the only part of the world where the soles of their feet had tread upon. The Assyrians overthrew the kingdom of Israel in 722 BC and began the process of scattering the ten tribes throughout the Gentiles. The ten northern tribes of Israel have long since been absorbed into the Gentiles and have been scattered throughout the entire earth. Traces of Israelite blood now runs through the veins of every ethnic group on the planet. It thus follows that the entire earth has now legally become the dominion of Israel, which is subject to the throne of David. As promised, God has expanded the boundaries of the nation of Israel, and removed it to all the ends of the earth (Isa. 26:15; cf. Deut. 12:20).
- Many who cleave to this view also believe that this peace treaty of which Daniel speaks is what will allow the Antichrist to rebuild the Temple on the Temple mount in Jerusalem
- The name Solomon means “peace.”
- Friedman, Richard Elliott. Who Wrote the Bible? (2nd ed. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 1997), 44-45.
- In his description of the rise to power of the Antichrist, Habakkuk states that he will catch men in his dragnet–a prophetic allusion to the dragnet surveillance that will characterize the beast system–making it possible for the Antichrist to “know” the most intimate and personal details of every individual within his worldwide dominion. Likewise in Genesis 42, the ten sons of Israel represent the ten kings over whom the Antichrist will rule. Joseph’s accusing them of being spies is a prophetic foreshadowing of the worldwide surveillance state over which the 10 kings under the Antichrist will rule
- It is important to note that it is not only the spiritual mysteries of God that are conveyed to man through figurative vehicles such as allegory and riddles. All spiritual truths and mysteries are communicated through the use of such language. It is likely that Daniel’s prophecy (on one level) infers that the Antichrist will be deeply steeped in the occult, perhaps possessing an advanced literacy in the spiritual allegories of the ancient mystery schools.
- This suggests that that Solomon had a firm grasp of the Principle of Form and Fulfillment, which I discussed at length in another post.
- In the ancient Greece and Israel, the letters of the alphabets were used to represent numbers. Gematria and Isosephy is the practice of summing the numerical values of all of the letters in a specific name or word.
- The fact that the name of “Jesus” as it appears in Greek (Ἰησοῦς) yields a total numerical value of 888 would appear to support the notion that Rev. 13:18 is a Gematria / Isosephy cryptogram.
- Note that this prophecy has already been figuratively and partially fulfilled in the office of the bishop of Rome (the Pope)–who during the Middle Ages proclaimed himself to be the head of the Church, thereby figuratively seating himself in the place of Christ within the metaphorical Temple of God (1 Cor. 3:16-17; John 2:21; Eph. 2:21-22; 5:23; Col. 1:18; 2:19). However there remains yet a more perfect and literal fulfillment of these prophecies to be fully realized in the future Antichrist, who will rebuild the Temple on the Temple mount in Jerusalem and literally sit down in the place of God between the cherubims (2 Sam. 6:2; 2 Kings 19:15; Ps. 80:1; 99:1; Isa. 37:16).
- As but one example, worship of the pagan god Molech required child sacrifice (Lev. 20:2-4; Jer. 19:5; Jer. 32:35).
- Just to add to the “Antichrist” nature of Solomon’s character, it is worth noting that after hearing of Ahijah the Shilonite’s prophecy that God was going to give the ten northern tribes to Jeroboam I, the Bible states that Solomon sought to kill Jeroboam (1 Kings 11:40). Now not only his he being obstinate in failing to keep the commandments of the LORD, but here we have Solomon consciously opposing the will of God, and attempting to keep his Word from coming to pass as if he is Satan himself!
I really like it when individuals come together and share thoughts. Great site, continue the good work!