[Study Posted September 20, 2020]

Est 7:1  So the king and Haman came to banquet with Esther the queen. 
Est 7:2  And the king said again unto Esther on the second day at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? and it shall be performed, even to the half of the kingdom. 
Est 7:3  Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found favour in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request: 
Est 7:4  For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king’s damage. 
Est 7:5  Then the king Ahasuerus answered and said unto Esther the queen, Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do so? 
Est 7:6  And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen. 
Est 7:7  And the king arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath went into the palace garden: and Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king. 
Est 7:8  Then the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the banquet of wine; and Haman was fallen upon the bed whereon Esther was. Then said the king, Will he force the queen also before me in the house? As the word went out of the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face. 
Est 7:9  And Harbonah, one of the chamberlains, said before the king, Behold also, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman had made for Mordecai, who had spoken good for the king, standeth in the house of Haman. Then the king said, Hang him thereon. 
Est 7:10  So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king’s wrath pacified. 

Chapter 6 ended with the King’s chamberlains bringing Haman to Esther’s banquet. As indicated, this feast is the supper of the great God as revealed in Revelation 19:17-18 where all the fowls that fly in the midst of our heavens, represented by Haman, are invited to come and eat our flesh (our old man) which will consequently result in the death of our old man (Haman) and the birth of a new man created after the image of Christ.

Rev 19:17  And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
Rev 19:18  That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.

Est 7:1  So the king and Haman came to banquet with Esther the queen.
Est 7:2  And the king said again unto Esther on the second day at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? and it shall be performed, even to the half of the kingdom.

There are two lessons we can learn from these two verses above. First, this banquet is also called the banquet of wine. We know that wine is made from grapes which are crushed at a winepress and then allowed to ferment. So winepress and wine are closely related and are sometimes used interchangeably, as shown in Hosea 9:2 where floor and winepress are likened to new wine which shall not feed them – that means will fail them.  Now whenever winepress is talked about in scriptures, it relates to God’s wrath against the old man. So what this means is that this banquet or the supper of the great God is when God opens our eyes through the scriptures to know his wrath against our old man (in this case Haman) as we will see shortly in this story.

Another lesson we will get from verse 2 is that if we are fortunate to be invited to be part of this feast in our lifetime, our eyes will be opened, that is, we will know through scriptures that God has made available enough resources (half His kingdom) for us to be conformed to the image of his son. Peter says that according to His divine power, God has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him and His precious promises.

Hos 9:2  The floor and the winepress shall not feed them, and the new wine shall fail in her.

Rev 14:19  And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.

Rom 8:29  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

2Pe 1:3  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
2Pe 1:4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Est 7:3  Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found favour in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request: 
Est 7:4  For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king’s damage. 

In making petition for her life and the life of the Jews, Esther made a profound statement. I will reproduce verse 4 in NIV to make the statement clearer.

Esther 7:4 For I and my people have been sold to be destroyed, killed and annihilated. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king. (NIV)

Esther and her people, the Jews, are sold to be destroyed. This is the same as saying that the beast within us is made to be taken and destroyed but each man in his own order. Because this process of destroying the beast entails suffering, we have to cry to the Lord as Esther was doing when we come to our wits’ end so that He will deliver us and bring us to our safe haven. But for those who are sold as slaves to sin in this age (not given repentance in this age), they do not see the need to disturb the King because they think that their choices through their free will mentality will bring them out of trouble. In other words, those who are sold as slaves do not need to petition the King because they are not judged in this life and therefore do not come to their wits’ end. Having said that, I want to say that once you are born of flesh and blood, you will suffer because Jesus said that in this world we will have tribulation. What we are talking about is suffering which leads to repentance.

2Pe 2:12  But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

Psa 107:25  For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
Psa 107:26  They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
Psa 107:27  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.
Psa 107:28  Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
Psa 107:29  He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Psa 107:30  Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.

Joh 16:33  These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Est 7:5  Then the king Ahasuerus answered and said unto Esther the queen, Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do so? 
Est 7:6  And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen. 

Immediately we identify who the enemy is in our lives, which is the beast within represented by Haman. The enemy’s death is near. We can see that when Haman was exposed, he was terrified because he knew his death was near. When we were in Babylon, we focused on the devil outside as our main enemy. Yes, the devil is our adversary, but that is not our main focus. The beast within, who is empowered by the devil outside, is our enemy, and when the beast within is put to death, then we have won the victory over the enemy within and without. Just as the kingdom of God is within, the enemy of the kingdom is also within.

Jesus made it clear in his sermon on the mount that we are not to worry about the enemy outside when he said that we should not resist evil but whoever smites us on our right cheeks, we should turn the other cheek also. This is talking about the enemy outside. However, with the enemy within, we are called to resist the devil so that he flees from us.

Rom 6:6  Knowing this, that our old man (Haman) is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

Luk 17:20  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Mat 5:39  But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Jas 4:7  Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Est 7:7  And the king arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath went into the palace garden: and Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king. 
Est 7:8  Then the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the banquet of wine; and Haman was fallen upon the bed whereon Esther was. Then said the king, Will he force the queen also before me in the house? As the word went out of the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face. 

As indicated earlier, this banquet of wine is when God opens our eyes to see the wrath of God on our old man, represented here by the King’s wrath on Haman. As we continue in the word, we come to see that the King (the Lord) has determined evil against the old man (Haman). In other words, the old man is born to be taken and destroyed.

2Pe 2:12  But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

When the King returned from the place garden and saw Haman falling on the couch where Esther was reclining, he asked in anger if Haman is forcing himself on Esther in his house. This questioning by the King means that once we come to appreciate the Lord’s wrath against our old man through feasting on his words, the old man’s stranglehold on us is broken within us, his temple (his house). If we are blessed to be elected, then our body is the house of our Lord, the King and Haman cannot do anything. Haman, represented by the beast within, cannot force himself on us in the King’s house again. In other words, our temples are being cleared of all that offend. This is exemplified by Jesus driving out the money changers and those who were buying and selling and making a declaration that his house (the King’s palace or our temple) will be called the house of prayer, but we have made it a den of robbers. The den of robbers here are represented by Haman (the beast or the nations within) and its influence on our lives.

1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

Mat 21:12  And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,
Mat 21:13  And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

As verse 8 indicates, immediately the King asked “Will he force the queen also before me in the house?” Haman’s face was covered. The question is, “What does it mean when the face is covered?” The first mention of the face being covered gives us the spiritual meaning. In Genesis 38:15 we are told that when Judah saw Tamar, his sons’ wife, he thought she was a harlot because she had covered her face. What this means is that it is through the words of the King (our Lord Jesus Christ) that we come to know that the beast (Haman) within is a harlot. The harlot status of the beast within us is confirmed when we are told in Revelation 17:1 to come and see the judgment of the great whore (harlot) that sits upon many waters (nations within). This harlot’s forehead has the following names: mystery Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth. Yes, indeed we all have played the harlot at certain points in our walk and through the chastising grace of God, we are being delivered from this harlot woman’s clutches.

We must note that in Revelation, it was one of the seven angels that showed John the harlot. In the case of this story of Esther, it was the chamberlains who covered Haman’s face. The chamberlains here therefore represent the elect, just as it was an angel that showed John the harlot woman.  The angel that showed John the harlot also represents the elect as shown in Revelation 22:9 where we are told that the angel is one of us who keeps the sayings in the scriptures. We must therefore pay heed to what we are hearing from those who labor for the gospel.  This is because what we are being taught is the prophetic message which is completely reliable, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in our hearts (2Pe 1:19).

Gen 38:15  When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face.

Rev 17:1  And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:

Rev 17:4  And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
Rev 17:5  And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Rev 22:8  And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
Rev 22:9  Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.

2 Peter 1:19: We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. (NIV)

Est 7:9  And Harbonah, one of the chamberlains, said before the king, Behold also, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman had made for Mordecai, who had spoken good for the king, standeth in the house of Haman. Then the king said, Hang him thereon. 
Est 7:10  So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king’s wrath pacified. 

It is the King’s attendant (Harbonah) that identified the device to put to death Haman. What this means is that it is the elect, represented by Harbonah, the Chamberlain, who shows us how we die daily to the flesh through judgment, which symbolizes the gallows. The gallows here are the judgment or fiery trials that we go through which brings about the death of the old man. It is insightful here to note that the gallows were prepared by Haman for Mordecai. What this means is that our own wickedness (our old way of walking) is what is used by the Lord to put to death the old man resulting in the birth of the new man represented by Mordecai. Remember that the gallows were prepared for Mordecai that is, for the birth of the new man.

Jer 2:19  Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

It is discerning to note the spiritual implication of the measurements of the gallows.  It was 50 cubits high; 50 = 5 x 10. [The common cubit being 1.5 feet, these gallows were 75 feet high and visible to a wide area.] Five means grace through faith and 10 means completeness of the flesh (Refer to the significance of numbers in Scriptures at www.iswasandwillbe.com).  What this is suggesting is that it is God’s grace through faith that brings about the death of the old man. As we continue in Him through faith, we are building the gallows (His chastising grace) for the death of the flesh.

According to verse 9, the gallows were situated in the house of Haman. We were the house of Haman in time past, but as Haman within is being put to death, the house (our bodies) is becoming the temple of the Lord or the palace of the King.

Eventually, Haman was put to death. Once we are dying daily, the old man will surely be put to death. We will have the victory over the enemy within. The outcome of this war against the flesh is obvious. We may lose some battles but we will finally win the war against the flesh or the beast in this age.

Rev 15:2  And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.
Rev 15:3  And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.

[Study Posted September 7, 2020]

Est 6:1  On that night could not the king sleep, and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king. 
Est 6:2  And it was found written, that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s chamberlains, the keepers of the door, who sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus. 
Est 6:3  And the king said, What honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this? Then said the king’s servants that ministered unto him, There is nothing done for him. 
Est 6:4  And the king said, Who is in the court? Now Haman was come into the outward court of the king’s house, to speak unto the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him.
Est 6:5  And the king’s servants said unto him, Behold, Haman standeth in the court. And the king said, Let him come in. 
Est 6:6  So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself? 
Est 6:7  And Haman answered the king, For the man whom the king delighteth to honour, 
Est 6:8  Let the royal apparel be brought which the king useth to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set upon his head: 
Est 6:9  And let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king’s most noble princes, that they may array the man withal whom the king delighteth to honour, and bring him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honour. 
Est 6:10  Then the king said to Haman, Make haste, and take the apparel and the horse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, that sitteth at the king’s gate: let nothing fail of all that thou hast spoken. 
Est 6:11  Then took Haman the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and brought him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour. 
Est 6:12  And Mordecai came again to the king’s gate. But Haman hasted to his house mourning, and having his head covered. 
Est 6:13  And Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends every thing that had befallen him. Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife unto him, If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him. 
Est 6:14  And while they were yet talking with him, came the king’s chamberlains, and hasted to bring Haman unto the banquet that Esther had prepared. 

Chapter 5 deals with how Esther appeared before the King on the third day to request a feast with the King and Haman. As indicated, this feast is not the marriage supper of the lamb but rather the supper of the great God, which represents the invitation of fowls of the air to feast on our flesh. Esther was shown mercy which is accompanied by rulership which God has appointed for those who are shown mercy or overcome. Chapter 6, which we are reviewing today, is about what lies ahead of those who overcome. Let’s therefore take a look at the details of these passages of scriptures and how they relate to our walk with Christ.

Est 6:1  On that night could not the king sleep, and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king. 
Est 6:2  And it was found written, that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s chamberlains, the keepers of the door, who sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus. 
Est 6:3  And the king said, What honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this? Then said the king’s servants that ministered unto him, There is nothing done for him. 

These verses remind us of Isaiah 63:9, which says that in all our suffering, he also suffered and that he personally came to our rescue. The night before Haman was going to ask the King to hang Mordecai, the King could not sleep and asked for the books of records to be read to him. It was through this reading that the King remembered that he had not rewarded Mordecai for revealing the plot to assassinate the King.  The King came to the rescue of Mordecai but not before Mordecai has been brought to his wits’ end.

These verses also assure us that God is a rewarder and that He never forgets the good works which He works through us!! Hebrews 11:6 says that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.

Isaiah 63:9: In all their suffering he also suffered, and he personally rescued them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them. He lifted them up and carried them through all the years. (NLT)

Heb 4:14  Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
Heb 4:15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Heb 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Heb 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Est 6:4  And the king said, Who is in the court? Now Haman was come into the outward court of the king’s house, to speak unto the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him. 
Est 6:5  And the king’s servants said unto him, Behold, Haman standeth in the court. And the king said, Let him come in. 
Est 6:6  So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself? 

Our moments of destruction will turn out to be our salvation. Just when we feel that we have lost the battle is when God makes us realize that our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. From our carnal perspective, we may think that the decision by the King to reward Mordecai and the arrival of Haman at the court of the King to demand the head of Mordecai is coincidence or by chance. However, from the word of God, we know there are no coincidence in life. It shows the extent of God’s involvement in every little detail of our lives. God orchestrates every action of all human race, both good and evil. This story confirms to us that our steps are really ordered or planned – whether it is leading us to do evil, just like Haman, or to do good. We should therefore be encouraged by this that whatever our circumstances are, God is in perfect control and it will turn out for our good!!

The fact that Haman thought that if there should be any person that deserves to be honoured it should be him, makes us aware that the beast within us thinks that having favor with God is the result of our own effort, or what we call the free will.  This is the mindset we used to have when we were in Babylon as we glory in our works and our integrity, just as Job thought that he was righteous.  We were just like the Pharisee who was praying thinking he was more righteous than the publican. So the work of God in our lives is to give us an experience of evil as we walk through this earth so that we will be humbled (come to the realization that we are the greatest sinners) before Him.

Pro 20:24  Man’s goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way? 

Pro 16:4  The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. 

Pro 16:1  The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD. 

Luk 18:9  And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
Luk 18:10  Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
Luk 18:11  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
Luk 18:12  I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
Luk 18:13  And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

Ecc 1:13  And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail (evil experience) hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised (humble) therewith. 

Est 6:7  And Haman answered the king, For the man whom the king delighteth to honour, 
Est 6:8  Let the royal apparel be brought which the king useth to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set upon his head: 
Est 6:9  And let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king’s most noble princes, that they may array the man withal whom the king delighteth to honour, and bring him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honour.
Est 6:10  Then the king said to Haman, Make haste, and take the apparel and the horse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, that sitteth at the king’s gate: let nothing fail of all that thou hast spoken. 
Est 6:11  Then took Haman the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and brought him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour. 

As shown in the scriptures, our God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. As we grow gradually in the things of God, we need our understanding to be enlightened so that we come to appreciate what is the hope of our calling and the riches of the glory of His inheritance in us. In other words, what we should expect when we overcome.  This is very important, as our Lord Jesus was motivated by the joy set out before Him, and therefore He endured the cross, despising the shame. In the same manner, we, too, must know the joy that is set before us to motivate us to fight this fight of faith. Verses 7–9 help us catch a glimpse of what lies in wait for us as we go through our struggles daily. Let’s list them:

Number 1:  We will receive be arrayed in a royal apparel if the King delights in us. Apparel or clothing is used to cover our nakedness (our sins). It is God’s righteousness that covers our nakedness (sinful nature). So, apparel represents God’s righteousness from a positive perspective. In Genesis, when Adam and Eve sinned, they sewed fig leaves to cover themselves when they realized they were naked (sinful). When they heard the voice of the Lord in the garden of Eden, they hid themselves, and when God asked why they were hiding, Adam said that it was because he was naked, even though he was wearing fig leaves as clothes. This means that our human endeavor cannot bring us God’s righteousness. We will always be naked before him. In the end, God clothed both Adam and Eve. It is God’s righteousness that matters. This is to emphasize the fact that the apparel the King wears here represents God giving us His righteousness as He delights in us. The royal nature of the apparel means that we are being made righteous to rule.

Gen 3:7  And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. 
Gen 3:8  And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. 
Gen 3:9  And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 
Gen 3:10  And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. 

Jer 23:6  In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. 

Number 2: The one that the King delights in (the elect) is expected to ride a horse upon which the King rides.  In this case, the elect is expected to ride the horse through the streets of the city. The use of a horse and the riding through the streets of the city suggest that we have come out of a war and that we have been victorious. In other words, we are taking a victory lap as we see frequently in the Olympics when athletes go round the tracks celebrating their victory. In our case, we are celebrating the victory over the beast within (the flesh). All the wars Israel fought spiritually signify the fight against the flesh.  Paul calls it the good fight of faith. In Galatians 5:17, Paul further describes this war as the flesh lusting against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh. These two are contrary against each other so that we cannot do the things that we would.

Proverbs 21:31 The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD. (NIV)

Gal 5:17  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 

The question is when do we celebrate our victory? If we are blessed to be part of the first resurrection, then that is when we will celebrate our victory as the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ (His elect). Revelation 19:11–15 describes our victory as follows:

Rev 19:11  And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 
Rev 19:12  His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 
Rev 19:13  And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 
Rev 19:14  And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 
Rev 19:15  And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 

Number 3: The third honor for those that the king delights in is that they shall receive a royal crown upon their heads. This royal crown is also called the crown of life or the crown of righteousness.  Being crowned suggests that those who prevail will rule over the nations during the period when the kingdom of this world becomes the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ.

Jas 1:12  Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

Rev 2:10  Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

2Ti 4:8  Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

It is worth noting that it is the King’s most noble princes (the elect), represented by Haman as one of the King’s leading princes, that decorated Mordecai and paraded him in the streets of the city.  In this case, Haman here represents the elect which is a positive application. What this means is that it is through the agency of the elect that we learn to win this war of the flesh and to be clothed with Christ’s righteousness. The prophesying (the preaching) of the elect is to edify us (build us up), encourage us to reach for the mark of His higher calling and to comfort us in our trials. This is all done with the objective of us being part of those in whom the King delights so that we can receive the prize at the end of our journey here on this earth.

1Co 14:3  But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort. 

Est 6:12  And Mordecai came again to the king’s gate. But Haman hasted to his house mourning, and having his head covered. 
Est 6:13  And Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends every thing that had befallen him. Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife unto him, If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him. 

The mourning of Haman (the beast within) means that his death is near.  As our eyes are being enlightened and we are going through trials marked out for us, our old man within has started his journey of death, and the new man is increasing in strength. Haman’s wise men and Zeresh, Haman’s wife gave Haman advice that as long as we are spiritual Jews, Haman (the beast within) will surely die! It means that once we have started dying daily, the old man will surely die!! In other words, as long as we have started seeing victories over the flesh in certain areas of our lives, we will surely win the war. He who has started the good work in us is able to bring it to completion.

Php 1:6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: 

Est 6:14  And while they were yet talking with him, came the king’s chamberlains, and hasted to bring Haman unto the banquet that Esther had prepared. 

As indicated in the review of Esther chapter 5, this banquet that the King’s chamberlain hastened to bring Haman, is not the marriage supper of the lamb which is strictly for those who overcome (Haman will not be there). It is the supper of the great God as revealed in Revelation 19:17-18 where all the fowls that fly in the midst of our heavens, represented by Haman, are invited to come and eat our flesh (our old man) which will consequently result in the death of our old man (Haman) and the birth of a new man created after the image of Christ.

This feasting, or banqueting, is the opening of our eyes to understand exponentially the word of God. Thus, this banquet is when the truth of God’s words destroys our attachment to the things of the world signified by the flesh.

Rev 19:7  Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 
Rev 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. 

Rev 19:17  And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; 
Rev 19:18  That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. 

[Study Posted July 11, 2020]

Est 3:1  After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him. 
Est 3:2  And all the king’s servants, that were in the king’s gate, bowed, and reverenced Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence. 
Est 3:3  Then the king’s servants, which were in the king’s gate, said unto Mordecai, Why transgressest thou the king’s commandment? 
Est 3:4  Now it came to pass, when they spake daily unto him, and he hearkened not unto them, that they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai’s matters would stand: for he had told them that he was a Jew. 
Est 3:5  And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath. 
Est 3:6  And he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had shewed him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai. 
Est 3:7  In the first month, that is, the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar. 
Est 3:8  And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from all people; neither keep they the king’s laws: therefore it is not for the king’s profit to suffer them. 
Est 3:9  If it please the king, let it be written that they may be destroyed: and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to the hands of those that have the charge of the business, to bring it into the king’s treasuries. 
Est 3:10  And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it unto Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews’ enemy. 
Est 3:11  And the king said unto Haman, The silver is given to thee, the people also, to do with them as it seemeth good to thee. 
Est 3:12  Then were the king’s scribes called on the thirteenth day of the first month, and there was written according to all that Haman had commanded unto the king’s lieutenants, and to the governors that were over every province, and to the rulers of every people of every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language; in the name of king Ahasuerus was it written, and sealed with the king’s ring. 
Est 3:13  And the letters were sent by posts into all the king’s provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey. 
Est 3:14  The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was published unto all people, that they should be ready against that day. 
Est 3:15  The posts went out, being hastened by the king’s commandment, and the decree was given in Shushan the palace. And the king and Haman sat down to drink; but the city Shushan was perplexed. 

After seeing the end the Lord intended for our lives as portrayed in Esther’s coronation, we are now ready to endure the cross even as our Lord Jesus Christ, because of the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross. Chapter 3 of Esther which we are reviewing can be summarized as the raising of the storm (the seven plagues) by God using Haman to plan for the extermination of the Jews. This raising of the storm in our lives is what brings us to our wits’ end and that is what qualifies us to become overcomers.

Jas 5:11  Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Psa 107:25  For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
Psa 107:26  They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
Psa 107:27  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.
Psa 107:28  Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
Psa 107:29  He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Psa 107:30  Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.

The details of the raising of the storm are as follows:

Est 3:1  After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him. 

One of the revelations we have received when our heavens started opening is that everything that happens in our lives and in the world is in accordance with the counsel of God’s will. Chapter 3 starts with King Ahasuerus promoting Haman above all the princes that were with him. The advancing of Haman is the strengthening of the beast within each of us who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. The question is how does God strengthen the beast within? When we sin, the beast’s control of our lives is strengthened. Since God is the author of every action, including sin we commit, we can say that God is strengthening or promoting the beast (Haman) within.  Outwardly, God has raised Satan (Haman), who influences the beast within as the prince of the power of the air and is also called the god of this world.

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

2Th 2:4  Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Eph 2:2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

2Co 4:4  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Est 3:2  And all the king’s servants, that were in the king’s gate, bowed, and reverenced Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence. 
Est 3:3  Then the king’s servants, which were in the king’s gate, said unto Mordecai, Why transgressest thou the king’s commandment? 
Est 3:4  Now it came to pass, when they spake daily unto him, and he hearkened not unto them, that they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai’s matters would stand: for he had told them that he was a Jew. 

As indicated in our study of Esther Chapter 2, those at the King’s gate are the porters in the company of Levites. So those at the King’s gate include the elect and the Levites. The Levites (Christendom) are those who are joined to us but cannot enter the temple to worship. They serve the tabernacle but have no right to eat at our altar. The reason they cannot eat at our altar is that they have been carried about with divers and strange doctrines. The objectives of these divers and strange doctrines is to bow down to reverence Haman, typifying the beast within. The Levite’s teachings appeal to the lustful desires of the flesh, and we have all in our appointed times imbibed these teachings. When we are carried about by the dictates of the flesh, we are bowing down to Haman. Verse 2 says that the King has commanded all to bow down to Haman. Another way of saying this is that God has created every human being in such a way that we all naturally fulfill the desires of the flesh. This was what God was showing Jeremiah when He took him to the potter’s house to show him the Potter’s work on the wheels.

At our appointed times, we will no longer bow down to these fleshly desires even as Mordecai (representing the elect) refused to bow down to Haman. Mordecai’s refusal to bow down is because he is a Jew (Verse 4).  As we know, a true Jew is not one that is a physical descendant of Abraham but one whose foreskin has been removed spiritually – One whose flesh has been subdued. The servants who were at the King’s gate could not understand why Mordecai would not bow to Haman (verse 3). That was what Peter was talking about when he said that those who bow think it strange that we do not join them in the same excess of riot, and so they speak evil of us (1Pe 4:4).

1Ch 9:18  Who hitherto waited in the king’s gate eastward: they were porters in the companies of the children of Levi.

Heb 13:9  Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.
Heb 13:10  We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.

2Pe 2:17  These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.
2Pe 2:18  For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.
2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
2Pe 2:20  For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
2Pe 2:21  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
2Pe 2:22  But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

Rev 13:16  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:

Jer 18:1  The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
Jer 18:2  Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.
Jer 18:3  Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
Jer 18:4  And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

1Pe 4:1  Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;
1Pe 4:2  That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.
1Pe 4:3  For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:
1Pe 4:4  Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:

Est 3:5  And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath. 
Est 3:6  And he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had shewed him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai. 

Haman’s rage when Mordecai did not bow is similar to the wrath of Nebuchnezzer when the three young Hebrew men (Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego) refused to bow to the golden image. What we need to understand is that the wrath of the world/church against those (the elect) who do not conform to the standards of this world is worked by God to bring to death the old man. But to us this wrath is what brings us to our wits’ end!! It is not an easy experience to go through!! As Peter said, we should not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which tries us, as though some strange thing happened unto us. Rather we should rejoice, inasmuch as we are partakers of Christ’s suffering.

Outwardly, Haman targeting the extermination of the Jews is an example of racism. In recent times, racism has been brought to the fore and most parts of the world are calling for solutions. Xenophobia did not start yesterday. It is part of the manifestations of the beast within each of us. In the scriptures, Egyptians racially abused the Israelites. Haman wanted to exterminate the Jews and Hitler’s rise to power was at the back of his propaganda which calls for the extermination of the Jews. The Samaritans were racially abused by the Israelites. Blacks are target of racism in most parts of the world.  Within Africa itself, some tribes racially abuse other tribes. For example, the genocide in Rwanda in Africa about a decade ago was due to racism. All these are part of the heating up of the world, including the Covid 19 pandemic. All these are part of the four sore judgments of God as people shall be oppressed, everyone by another, and every one by his neighbor (Isa 3:5) with the view of ultimately ushering in the kingdom of God.

As those being prepared by Christ as his bride, we should know that the world does not have the solution to curb or eradicate racism. Promulgating laws will only be superficial resolutions. Solutions to racism can only be addressed by the elect during the thousand year reign.  That is why creation is waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God!!

Psa 2:1  Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
Psa 2:2  The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,
Psa 2:3  Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
Psa 2:4  He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
Psa 2:5  Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.

Dan 3:13  Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.
Dan 3:14  Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?
Dan 3:15  Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?
Dan 3:16  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
Dan 3:17  If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
Dan 3:18  But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
Dan 3:19  Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

Isa 3:5  And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.

Eze 14:21  For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?

Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

Est 3:7  In the first month, that is, the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar. 

As part of Haman’s plan, a lot was cast to determine when the plan to exterminate the Jews will be carried out, and it fell on the twelve month.  Assuming that the lot fell on the first month, that would have been disastrous for the Jews. There wouldn’t have been enough time for Mordecai and Esther to react, as we will see later. The truth is that God is in control of every situation. The word of God says that a lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord (Pro 16:33). Our timings are not in our hands but in the hands of God. The twelve month chosen by lot here is significant as the number twelve is the number of Christ. Thus, the twelve month chosen for the extermination of the Jews applies to us this way – the death of our flesh as Jews is the birth of the new man in us who is after the image of Christ.

Pro 16:33  The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.

Est 3:8  And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from all people; neither keep they the king’s laws: therefore it is not for the king’s profit to suffer them.

Haman’s description of the Jews to the King in verse 8 is interesting. It tells us of the characteristics of the elect (Spiritual Jews). These characteristics are as follows:

• Haman said that they are scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom. Indeed, the elect are scattered all over the world. Both James and Peter’s letters were addressed to the twelve tribes who are scattered abroad. 

Jas 1:1 – James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.

1Pe 1:1  Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.

• Haman said that the Jews’ laws were diverse from the people. Yes!! We are operating under the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus that has made us free from the law of sin and death. No wonder our laws are diverse from all other laws. Carnally minded people cannot understand our law. 

Rom 8:2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

• Haman said that the Jews do not keep the King’s laws. The question is which of the King’s laws are we not keeping? Remember that in verse 2, the King commanded all to bow to Haman.  As indicated, Haman represents the beast within which according to God’s design (law), all human beings bow down to. That is the law of sin and death. But as we begin to die daily to our flesh through the agency of his judgments, we no longer obey (set free from) this law of sin and death. 

Rev 13:16  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:
Rev 13:17  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.

Rom 8:2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

• Haman said that the Jews must not be tolerated by the King. From the perspective of the world including Christendom, we are not to be tolerated. That is why in this world we are hated!! Jesus said that we shall be hated of all men but he that endures to the end shall be saved (Matthew 10:22).

Est 3:9  If it please the king, let it be written that they may be destroyed: and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to the hands of those that have the charge of the business, to bring it into the king’s treasuries. 
Est 3:10  And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it unto Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews’ enemy. 
Est 3:11  And the king said unto Haman, The silver is given to thee, the people also, to do with them as it seemeth good to thee. 

What these passages are telling us relates to the fact that the beast within and its influence in our lives is all part of God’s plan as we had been given over to the old man (Haman) to do what seems good to him at our appointed times. These passages are another rendition of the story of how God gave over Job to be buffeted by Satan with the view of bringing him to his desired haven. Everything that is happening to us and the world, both good and evil, are all part of the counsel of God’s will. Another way of saying this is that it adds to the king’s treasuries. However, who has ever given to God that God should repay back (Rom 11:35)? That was why the King refused Haman’s offer. What is significant is that Haman wanted to add 10,000 silver to the King’s treasuries. The number 10,000 is equivalent to multiples of 10 (10,000 = 10x10x10x10). The number 10 talks about the fullness of the flesh (refer to The Spiritual Significance of the Number Ten).

The refusal of the King to accept the silver offered by Haman means that once the beast within (Haman) is in control of our lives, everything we do to please God will be in the strength of the flesh, which cannot add to the King’s treasuries or please God. That is the same as the offering of strange fires before the Lord by Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron. It is also the same as the offering of Cain, which was not acceptable to God. Let us pray to God that He will put to death the raging beast within so our works will add to the King’s treasuries and not be refused as that of Haman.

Eph 2:3  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
Eph 2:4  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph 2:5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

Job 1:12  And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

Job 2:6  And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.

Lev 10:1  And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not.
Lev 10:2  And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.

Gen 4:3  And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
Gen 4:5  But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

Heb 11:4  By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

Mat 7:22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Est 3:12  Then were the king’s scribes called on the thirteenth day of the first month, and there was written according to all that Haman had commanded unto the king’s lieutenants, and to the governors that were over every province, and to the rulers of every people of every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language; in the name of king Ahasuerus was it written, and sealed with the king’s ring. 
Est 3:13  And the letters were sent by posts into all the king’s provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey.
Est 3:14  The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was published unto all people, that they should be ready against that day. 

Yes, the letters (His words) have gone out clearly to us (Jews) who are in the King’s province that our old man must be destroyed or put to death. That is not good news which carnally-minded people want to hear. However, to us this is the good news that has to be taught to the nations within us according to Matthew 28:19-20. Verse 20 says that we need to be taught to observe all things God has commanded us. Then we will be assured of the Lord’s presence even to the end of the world (when the day of destruction of our world comes), just as the three Hebrew Jews were with Christ in the fire.  The day of slaughter of the Jews being the thirteenth day of the twelve month is no coincidence. It has spiritual significance. What that date means is that our rebellion (the number thirteen means rebellion) will bring about the destruction of our old man but this will result in us bearing the image of Christ (Remember 12 is the number of Christ).

Verse 14 tells us that the people should be ready for that day. How do we get ourselves ready? Let’s hear God’s answer.

Heb 10:25 – Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. So through fellowshipping, we get exhorted and strengthened so that we will be ready for that day. 

Mat 28:19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Mat 28:20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Est 3:15  The posts went out, being hastened by the king’s commandment, and the decree was given in Shushan the palace. And the king and Haman sat down to drink; but the city Shushan was perplexed. 

Hearing from God’s words about the death of the old man in our lives makes us all perplexed even as the city of Shushan became perplexed when they heard the news of the Jews’ destruction. We all love our lives. The love of our flesh is portrayed by the mourning of David when Saul and Jonathan died in battle. Also, when David and his men returned from battle and realized that all their possessions were gone, including their wives and children, David and his men (representing the elect) all wept until they had no strength in them. To become a son, we need first to lose our lives (the old man destroyed).  That is the only way we can gain our lives!! However, that is not something our flesh wants to hear!!

The raging of the beast (Haman) within us makes us all confused/perplexed but what it means is that its death is near. We have this saying in our local language that when one is just about to give up the ghost (die), he/she struggles. So the struggles we are going through concerning the deeds of the flesh in our lives means that its death is near. That is the good news!! We should keep our heads up instead getting perplexed and frustrated!! Where sin abounds, the chastising grace abounds more.  Our salvation (the defeat of the flesh) is nearer now than when we believed!! Remember, blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled!! Do you believe His words that you will be filled when you hunger and thirst for his righteousness?

2Sa 1:11  Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them; and likewise all the men that were with him:
2Sa 1:12  And they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the LORD, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword.

1Sa 30:3  So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.
1Sa 30:4  Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

Mat 16:25  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

Rom 13:11  And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.

Mat 5:6  Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

[Click here to go to part four in this series of Esther.]

Audio Links

God’s Four Sore Judgments – Part 4
When I Send My… Sore Judgment… The Famine – B

Introduction

In Revelation 11 we are told:

Rev 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

This series of studies is designed to answer the question, “How will the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ?”

We have established the fact that the primary application of all scripture is the spiritual, inward application as it applies to “the kingdom of God… within [us]”:

Luk 17:20  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

We need to ask the question, “If the kingdom of God is within you, does this mean that the physical kingdoms of this world will never become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ?” Put another way, does the fact that the primary application of Luk 17:20-21 exclude a time when God’s elect will also bear rule over the kingdoms of this world which are not within? The Biblical answer to that question is, “Absolutely not!” The kingdom of God within God’s elect from the time of Christ to the time of the millennium in no way excludes the necessity for those who have the kingdom of God within them in this age to be given to rule over the nations of this world. The two are not mutually exclusive. Instead it is essential to the revealed plan and words of God that His elect, who at this time have the kingdom of God within them, must bear rule with “a rod of iron” over the physical kingdoms of this world for “a thousand years”, before the “little season” of rebellion of all the nations “in the four quarters of the earth” can take place. Without that rule over the outward “kingdoms of this world”, there would be no rebellion against God’s elect following the thousand years.

Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 
Rev 20:5  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Rev 20:7  And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Rev 20:8  And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
Rev 20:9  And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
Rev 20:10  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Rev 20:11  And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Rev 20:12  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Rev 20:13  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 

These “four sore judgments” which we are covering are expanded into seven seals, seven trumpets and seven vials in the book of Revelation of Jesus Christ. Both God’s four sore judgments and the book of the revelation of Jesus Christ concern themselves with the judgment of the “man of sin”, which is the flesh of every man who has ever lived, probably most succinctly expressed in these words in 1Co 3:

1Co 3:13  Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. 
1Co 3:14  If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15  If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

Last week I closed by telling you we would be learning how this next verse applies to prophecy, and how the principle revealed in this verse would help us to better understand how the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ:

1Co 15:46  Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

Adam, as a type of Christ, is first a natural, carnal and rebellious individual. Afterward through judgment, and “through death… the last Adam becomes a living spiritual [individual]”. This same principle will apply on the national level when “the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ”. As kingdoms they are still “first…that which is natural, and afterward that which is spiritual”.

This is the principle which will prevail in this particular study of how the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ.

Christ teaches us that the primary, ultimate and final understanding of God’s words is their spiritual application (Joh 6:63) as they to relate the establishing of the kingdom of God within. Yet we must never forget or deny that our old man has a definite outward application as “the wicked [man being made] for the day of evil [in the life of] the first man Adam”:

Pro 16:4  The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. 

1Co 15:45  And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

Those two verses are true, both on an individual basis and at “the appointed time” on “the nations of this world”. God has even brought about an outward return of the Jews to the outward land of Israel to lead millions of Christians to conclude that God has both a spiritual elect and a physical elect. That doctrine is a contradiction of this Truth:

Eph 2:14  For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Eph 2:15  Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
Eph 2:16  And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

All outward fulfillment of prophecy concerning the kingdom of God since Christ has had the effect of distracting the attention of mankind away from the beast that sits in “the [true] temple of God… which temple [we] are”. Nevertheless, there comes a time when there is an outward fulfillment to those prophecies which will not be a distraction. Christ had to come outwardly first “after the seed of David, according to the flesh“. Christ was and is the king of the kingdom of God. “This is Jesus the King of the Jews” was a great Truth, and Pilate had no idea just how true it was.

Mat 27:37  And [the Romans] set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

“Jesus the king of the Jews” came outwardly as “the seed of David, according to the flesh” before coming in a spiritual body. In the same manner the kingdom of Israel has been gathered into an outward nation before the spiritual nation of Israel will “judge the world”, in the person of Christ and His elect. The day is coming, “at the appointed time”, when the physical outward kingdoms of this world will become the physical kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ (Rev 11:15).

These words will also be realized in their natural sense first, and “afterward that which is spiritual”.

Mat 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
Mat 24:30  And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 
Mat 24:31  And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Mat 26:62  And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?
Mat 26:63  But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.
Mat 26:64  Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. 

Here is Christ, telling those who are just about to crucify Him that they will “see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” Since this series of studies is being presented in answer to the question “How will the physical nations of this world be made to give their powers of rulership over to the elect of God?”, we must demonstrate with scriptural types and shadows from the Old Testament that a transition of power, from the leaders of this world to God’s typical elect, has already taken place in the past, and then, just as with all other prophecies, we can properly understand how the same thing will be accomplished physically in the future.

Has that actually already taken place in the past? The fact is that this giving of the powers of the kingdoms of this world over to our “Lord and His Christ” has taken place, in type, three times in the Old Testament. By looking carefully at how that was accomplished each time, we will be given some idea of how it will be done on a global scale at the beginning of Christ’s millennial kingdom.

The Story of Joseph

The first time the powers of the nations of this world were given to God’s typical elect was during the time of Joseph. This story has so many parallels to Christ and His Christ that we cannot fail to see how the hand of God worked in the affairs of mankind at that time, to give the power of all of Egypt, a type of the world as a whole, over into the hands of Joseph, who is the Biblical type of “our Lord and His Christ” (Rev 11:15).

Joseph was hated of His brothers, just as Christ was hated of His own nation:

Gen 37:3  Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.
Gen 37:4  And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.

Joseph’s brother typify the religions of this world who hate Christ and His Christ. “The son of His old age”, means “the last man Adam”, who Christ loves more that those who are “born after the flesh”:

Rev 3:9  Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

Joseph’s jealous brothers are led by God (Gen 45:8) to sell their brother for 20 pieces of silver as a slave into Egypt, where Joseph serves in the house of Potiphar and in service to the captain of Pharaoh’s prison for a combined total of thirteen years, before being placed on the throne of Egypt at the age of 30. Christ also began His rule over the kingdoms of this world at “about thirty years of age”:

Gen 41:46  And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.

Luk 3:23  And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,

What did God do to give the power of all Egypt to His typical elect? He “troubled” Pharaoh with dreams which gave him a sense of impending disaster, and then he gave Joseph the ability to interpret the meaning of Pharaoh’s dreams. And what was that impending disaster? It was the very subject of this particular part of our studies into how God’s “four sore judgments” will be used to give the kingdoms of this world to our Lord and His Christ. It was an impending seven years of famine preceded by seven years of plenty.

Gen 41:8  And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.

Gen 41:28  This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh.
Gen 41:29  Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt:
Gen 41:30  And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land;
Gen 41:31  And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous.

Then, just as God the Father has done with our Lord and His Christ, Joseph is demonstrated to be superior to the priests of Egypt, and Pharaoh gives the rule of the kingdom over to Joseph.  Just as is the case with Christ and His Father, “only in the throne” is Pharaoh more powerful than Joseph.

Gen 41:39  And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art:
Gen 41:40  Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.
Gen 41:41  And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.

Is this not the Old Testament type of ruling with a rod of iron when Pharaoh tells Joseph…?

Gen 41:44  And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.

Is that not the meaning of this promise which God has given to our Lord and His Christ?

Rev 2:26  And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Rev 2:27  And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

Rev 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

Daniel, Shadrach, Meshech and Abednego

Our second Old Testament type of how the kingdoms of this world were given to our Lord and His Christ in type is the story of Daniel and his three friends:

Dan 2:48  Then the king [Nebuchadnezzar] made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon. 
Dan 2:49  Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king. 

Again, this incredible event was accomplished by the power of the Creator of all men to work “all things after the counsel of His own will”, and He did so once again by troubling the king of the nations of this world with a dream of impending disaster. In this case, God’s typical elect were given not just to interpret the king’s dream, but to tell the king what His dream even was:

Dan 2:1  And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.
Dan 2:2  Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.
Dan 2:3  And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.
Dan 2:4  Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation.
Dan 2:5  The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.
Dan 2:6  But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.

In both cases, in the story of Pharaoh and in the story of Nebuchadnezzar, God uses the exact same words “his spirit was troubled”, resulting in the transfer of the powers of the kingdom into the hands of those who typify our Lord and His Christ. In both cases, God’s elect are made manifest to be far superior in their relationship with God to the priests of the nations of the world:

In this particular case, Daniel was used to tell the king that he had dreamed of an image of a man whose various body parts typify the kingdoms of this world from the time of Nebuchadnezzar to the time when “the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ”. It was all one continuous image. It was the image of the beast of Rev 13:

Dan 2:26  The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?
Dan 2:27  Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king; 
Dan 2:28  But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;
Dan 2:29  As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass.
Dan 2:30  But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart. 

Daniel tells us that this dream was given “To make known to the king … what shall be in the latter day… [and] for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that you might know the thoughts of your heart.” In other words, Daniel’s entire experience is for our benefit, as the scriptures plainly teach:

Dan 11:32  And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.
Dan 11:33  And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.

2Co 4:15  For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.

The Story of Mordecai and Esther

In this third and final story, we see the king’s wife, Queen Vashti, typifying the churches of this world. Vashti comes to be in great disrepute with the rulers of this world, and is replaced by Queen Esther, typifying God’s elect. In all three stories God’s elect are given great favor in the eyes of the rulers of this world. But in our previous two stories neither Pharaoh’s wife, nor Nebuchadnezzar’s wife played a part in this great transfer or power. Each retelling of how this will be done adds more information, and this story provides for us, in type, how the beast turns against the whore as prophesied in Revelation 17:

Rev 17:12  And the ten horns which thou sawest [on the beast – vs 15] are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
Rev 17:13  These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. 
Rev 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. 
Rev 17:15  And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
Rev 17:16  And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. 
Rev 17:17  For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
Rev 17:18  And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

In this story we have the seven princes of the Medes and the Persians, who hate and destroy the ‘whore’. Then we also have a man named Haman. Haman is a type of the same “ten horns” on the beast, in whose heart God places the desire to fight against the Lamb after the harlot is destroyed. The details of both of our last two stories reveal that it is only after God’s elect come to be favored by the powers that be, that these ten horns will “make war with the Lamb” and are destroyed by the Lamb (Rev 17:14). So Haman is promoted by the king after the rejection of Queen Vashti. At that point it immediately becomes evident that he is “the Jew’s enemy”, and in this story, just as with those who conspired first against Shadrack, Meshech, and Abednego in the Babylonian empire, and then again, like those who later conspired against Daniel after he found favor with King Darius of the Persian empire, God’s elect come to be hated and threatened for their very lives just before they are given to destroy those very enemies.

It is “the Lord and His Christ” who are typified by Joseph and by Daniel and his three friends and by Mordecai and the people of Esther who are slated for destruction by their enemies. As a type of Christ, Esther lays down her life for her people by appearing before the king without first being given a summons from the King. That act by Queen Esther at the very moment her people are about to be destroyed, typifies our being willing to be “crucified with Christ” even as the enemies of God’s elect are intent upon our destruction.

The deliverance of Joseph from the Egyptian dungeon, the saving of Daniel and his friends from the wrath of Nebuchadnezzar, the deliverance of Daniel’s friends, Shadrach, Meshech, and Abednego from the fiery furnace, the deliverance of Daniel from the lion’s den, and now the deliverance of Mordecai and Esther and the Jews from the gallows of Haman, all typify how God’s elect will be given the favor of the leaders of this world before they will then be delivered from the hands of the ten horns of that very same beast. In the end of every story, the kingdoms of this world supernaturally “become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ”, and those who conspired to destroy Joseph come and bow down before him, those who conspired to destroy Daniel and his friends are instead cast into the same flames, and into the same lion’s den which they had intended to be used for the destruction of God’s elect. In this story, Haman is hanged on the same gallows he had intended for Mordecai, the type of God’s elect.

In every case their salvation comes only after it becomes abundantly evident that the enemy has won, and it is all intended to convey to us that God’s elect are drafted by God and are not seeking to be offered up, and that those who slew our Savior were not the winners but were the losers, and that our Lord was in fact “saved… from death… in that He feared”:

Heb 5:7  Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

Esther, as the type of Christ’s Christ, certainly had not asked to be offered up for the sins of her people, but she submitted herself to her Lord:

Est 4:11  All the king’s servants, and the people of the king’s provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days.

Queen Esther, typifying us, feared for her life and did not want to go before the king without first being summoned.

Est 4:12  And they told to Mordecai Esther’s words.
Est 4:13  Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews. 
Est 4:14  For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
Est 4:15  Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer,
Est 4:16  Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.

This is this same spirit:

Dan 3:16  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
Dan 3:17  If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
Dan 3:18  But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

Esther and Shadrach, Meshech, and Abednego, are all types and shadows of Christ and His Christ who say the same thing under the same circumstances:

Luk 22:42  Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

Haman, as the type of the ten horns of the beast, prepares a gallows 75 feet high, on which he intends to ask the king to hang Mordecai (Esther 5), and at this very critical point, just as in the two previous stories, the king’s sleep is taken from him, resulting in a late-night reading of the chronicles revealing that Mordecai, typifying Christ as the head of His elect, has not been given His due reward for having saved the life of King Ahasuerus.

Est 2:20  Esther had not yet shewed her kindred nor her people; as Mordecai had charged her: for Esther did the commandment of Mordecai, like as when she was brought up with him. 

Est 6:1  On that night [the very night Haman had the gallows built for Mordecai’s hanging the next day] could not the king sleep, and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king.
Est 6:2  And it was found written, that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s chamberlains, the keepers of the door, who sought to lay hands on the king Ahasuerus.
Est 6:3  And the king said, What honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this? Then said the king’s servants that ministered unto him, There is nothing done for him.
Est 6:4  And the king said, Who is in the court? Now Haman was come into the outward court of the king’s house, to speak unto the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him.
Est 6:5  And the king’s servants said unto him, Behold, Haman standeth in the court. And the king said, Let him come in.
Est 6:6  So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself?
Est 6:7  And Haman answered the king, For the man whom the king delighteth to honour,
Est 6:8  Let the royal apparel be brought which the king useth to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set upon his head:
Est 6:9  And let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king’s most noble princes, that they may array the man withal whom the king delighteth to honour, and bring him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honour.
Est 6:10  Then the king said to Haman, Make haste, and take the apparel and the horse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, that sitteth at the king’s gate: let nothing fail of all that thou hast spoken.
Est 6:11  Then took Haman the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and brought him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour.

This story is a type of this New Testament prophecy:

Rev 3:9  Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

Est 6:12  And Mordecai came again to the king’s gate. But Haman hasted to his house mourning, and having his head covered.
Est 6:13  And Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends every thing that had befallen him. Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife unto him, If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him. 
Est 6:14  And while they were yet talking with him, came the king’s chamberlains, and hasted to bring Haman unto the banquet that Esther had prepared.

It is at this banquet that Queen Esther is promised by the King to give Esther her request “to the half of [his] kingdom”. Esther, as the type of God’s elect, devises a means of overcoming the impossible task of reversing the effect of the King’s proclamation to destroy all the Jews in all of his 127 provinces.

Est 1:1  Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus, (this is Ahasuerus which reigned, from India even unto Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty provinces)

These 127 provinces typify “the nations in the four quarters of the earth” over whom God’s elect are granted to rule for a thousand years:

Rev 2:26  And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Rev 2:27  And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

This “broken to shivers” prophecy was fulfilled in type when the Jews were given to destroy all their enemies throughout the entire 127 provinces of the Medo-Persian empire:

Est 9:1  Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king’s commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution, in the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them, (though it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated them;) 
Est 9:2  The Jews gathered themselves together in their cities throughout all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, to lay hand on such as sought their hurt: and no man could withstand them; for the fear of them fell upon all people. 
Est 9:3  And all the rulers of the provinces, and the lieutenants, and the deputies, and officers of the king, helped the Jews; because the fear of Mordecai fell upon them. 
Est 9:4  For Mordecai was great in the king’s house, and his fame went out throughout all the provinces: for this man Mordecai waxed greater and greater. 

This story, along with the story of Joseph and the story of Daniel and Shadrach, Meshech and Abednego, gives us the principles by which God will supernaturally make “the kingdoms of this world to become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ”. He will trouble the powers that be, and He will strike them with a fear that will cause them to favor His elect to the point they will see His elect as their only salvation. There will be no space ship to fight against. Our God is as invisible and is much more powerful that all the military might of all of the kingdoms of this world combined. Mankind’s most advanced weapons are rendered useless against Him and His elect. His is the power which gives men their very thoughts, and with that power He is capable of “working all things after the counsel of His own will (Eph 1:11)”:

Isa 66:15  For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. 
Isa 66:16  For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.
Isa 66:17  They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine’s flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, [all the abominable false doctrines of men] shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.
Isa 66:18  For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.

This prophecy is, was and will be true. It is part of the Word of God which “shall never pass away”, and it will be just as applicable at the beginning of the millennium as it will be at the time of the “little season” of rebellion which will follow the millennial reign of God’s elect over the kingdoms of this world.

Mat 24:34  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Mat 24:35  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Next week we will, Lord willing, consider how the Lord’s sore judgment of “the noisome beast”, will be used of our Lord to give the nations of this world over to “the Lord and His Christ”.

Eze 14:21  For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?

Rev 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.