When Absalom attempted to usurp the throne of David, the King of Israel, it was a picture of Satan attempting to usurp the Throne of God, the King of the Universe. Satan, the usurper, has desired the throne of God since his rebellion that occurred before the world was created.

“For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God:” – Isaiah 14:13

There is another picture given in this story, and it presents hope to Christians looking for the Coming of our Lord.

The battle between those loyal to King David and the followers of Absalom was a supernatural battle. II Samuel 18:8 tells us “ . . . and the wood (forest) devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.” There were supernatural forces at work that day.

The culmination of the Tribulation and the Revelation is the Battle of Armageddon. It will be a supernatural battle battle, and the Lord will be the victor.

A picture of the Rapture is found in this sad event of Absalom’s rebellion, as we read how David and his loyal followers left Jerusalem. It foreshadows the Rapture when the Lord Jesus will call His Church and will lead them home to Heaven. In this foreshadow, David the King is a type of Jesus.

“And the king went forth, and all the people after him, and tarried in a place that was far off. And all his servants passed on beside him; and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, six hundred men which came after him from Gath, passed on before the king. – II Samuel 15:17-18

If we now parenthetically insert the actual meanings of the Hebrew nouns in the verse above, it helps to clarify this verse for those of us who do not read Hebrew, and helps us to see the rapture foreshadow.

“And the king (Jesus) went forth, and all the people after him, and tarried in a place that was far off (Heaven). And all his servants passed on beside him; and all the Cherethites (bodyguards, cherubim, guardians of the throne of God), and all the Pelethites (messengers, “angel” means messenger), and all the Gittites (those from the winepress), six hundred men which came after him from Gath (the winepress), passed on before the king.”

What a picture of the Royal Retinue of the Lord Jesus! Believers (His servants) and the cherubim and the angels were with Him, along with those from the winepress of this life. They will tarry in a far place, Heaven, while the Great Tribulation, led by Satan the usurper, rages on earth!

There is more confirmation to this wonderful picture in the next lesson. Until then, praise the Lord and pray for the many lost sheep of this world.