Participants: Stephen Bohr
Series Code: ASTPP
Program Code: ASTPP000012
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00:15 Well Anchor Bible school is advancing very nicely, isn't it.
00:20 It's amazing how much information 00:22 God's Holy Word has, and how inspiring 00:24 and strengthening it is. 00:26 You know, whenever I read Scripture and whenever 00:28 I teach Scripture, my faith is increased 00:32 and my faith is strengthened. 00:33 You know, by repeating things, you are strengthened yourself. 00:38 And so it's a real blessing to share this material with you. 00:42 And I want to say that I appreciate greatly 00:45 your willingness to take a whole week to come here to Fresno. 00:49 Some of you drove from the east coast. 00:51 I know someone here who drove from Atlanta, Georgia. 00:56 And I said, "You really have something to look forward to. 01:00 Driving back." 01:07 Anyway, we'll pray that God will give you 01:10 traveling mercies, brother. 01:12 And we appreciate you coming. 01:13 Of course, we have people here from Australia, 01:16 from Great Britain. 01:18 I mean, it's amazing that we had so many people respond 01:22 to the invitation to come here to the Anchor Bible school. 01:26 We do appreciate it. 01:27 And we hope that it will be a blessing to all of you. 01:31 In our last session today, we are going to discuss 01:35 another story that we find in the Bible that is a 01:38 typological story whose hero is Jesus Christ. 01:44 And we're referring to one of the few occasions 01:47 when a woman is a type of Christ. 01:50 And that is the story of Esther. 01:53 And so turn with me in your Bibles to the book of Esther 01:56 chapter 3, and we're going to be looking at several things 02:01 in this book, but we're going to begin in chapter 3. 02:05 Now the first thing that I would like to mention 02:07 is that there are four key protagonists in this book. 02:13 The first protagonist is a political figure. 02:17 The political figure is, of course, Ahasuerus. 02:21 His Greek name is Xerxes. 02:24 The second figure is a religious figure. 02:29 The second figure is called, Haman. 02:33 And by the way, Haman is instigated by his wife. 02:40 She's a shadowy figure in this story. 02:42 Her name is Zeresh. 02:45 And so basically, you have three enemies of Mordecai 02:50 and of the Jewish people. 02:51 You have King Ahasuerus, you have Haman, 02:56 and you have Zeresh, the wife of Haman, 02:59 who is advising him. 03:00 She's the advisor of Haman. 03:03 And then, of course, besides these three enemies, 03:06 you also have Mordecai. 03:10 He symbolizes the faithful remnant. 03:13 And of course, along with Mordecai, you have 03:15 the Jewish people. 03:16 So you have God's people, 03:19 and you have the three enemies of God's people. 03:22 And then you have one other figure in the story. 03:25 And that figure is an intercessory person. 03:29 And that intercessory person is none other than Esther herself. 03:35 She's the intercessor in favor of God's people at that time. 03:41 Now it's important to realize what this battle 03:45 really involves. 03:47 When you look at this story, you'll discover 03:50 that the battle is between Haman, the son of 03:55 Hammedatha the Agagite, and Mordecai, 04:01 whose total and complete name is also given in the book. 04:05 Now this means that this controversy was much 04:07 longer standing than just between these two individuals. 04:13 Because, if you look at the lineage of Mordecai, 04:17 you're going to discover that Mordecai was a descendent 04:21 of King Saul. 04:25 And you're going to find that Haman, the son of 04:29 Hammedatha the Agagite, is a descendent of King Agag, 04:36 who Saul was committed to kill. 04:40 And Saul did not. 04:42 And that's the reason why you have this story 04:45 in the book of Esther. 04:47 So the enmity is a long standing enmity. 04:50 It's not a recent enmity just in the days of Esther. 04:54 It goes all the way back to the beginning 04:57 of the Hebrew monarchy. 04:59 Now behind the scenes, of course, is Satan himself 05:03 instigating this three-fold alliance to slay Mordecai 05:07 and the remnant. 05:08 In the book, Prophets and Kings, page 601, we find this 05:13 short statement about what the devil's intentions were. 05:18 Ellen White states, "Satan himself, the hidden instigator 05:24 of the scheme, was trying to rid the earth of those 05:30 who preserved the knowledge of the true God." 05:33 So who was behind this triple alliance that we find here 05:37 in the book of Esther, these three enemies? 05:39 It was the devil himself. 05:41 And he wanted to get rid of the knowledge of God, 05:44 of the true God, in the earth. 05:47 Now what was this controversy about? 05:51 Let's go to Esther chapter 3 and read beginning with verse 2. 05:57 Esther 3 and verse 2. 05:59 And there are many things that we could say about 06:02 the first couple of chapters and succeeding chapters, 06:05 but in the interest of time we're only going to be able 06:08 to touch upon the highlights of the book. 06:11 Verse 2 says, "And all the king's servants 06:16 who were within the king's gate bowed 06:20 and paid homage to Haman..." 06:24 So whenever Haman appeared, what did the servants do? 06:28 They bowed before Haman. 06:32 Now why did they do this? 06:34 Let's finish reading the verse. 06:36 "...for so the king had commanded concerning him." 06:43 So is this a political decree to render homage to Haman? 06:50 Yes, it is the civil power giving a decree 06:54 to render homage to Haman. 06:59 But there was a remnant that refused. 07:02 Notice what it continues saying there in verse 2. 07:05 "But Mordecai would not bow or pay homage." 07:11 Incidentally, in the book of Esther the name of God 07:15 is not mentioned. 07:17 In fact, you would believe that this is a secular experience 07:21 that's taking place. 07:23 Because it doesn't use the word, "worship." 07:25 It says that Mordecai would not bow and pay homage to Haman. 07:36 It doesn't use the word, "worship." 07:38 But we know that what is involved here 07:41 is the issue of worship. 07:42 At the end of the presentation I'm going to tell you 07:44 why the name of God does not appear in the book of Esther. 07:47 There's a theological reason why it isn't there. 07:50 So really what you have here is a political figure 07:56 working upon Haman, a religious figure, 08:00 commanding everyone to bow and to pay homage to Haman. 08:06 And then you have a remnant who says, "I will not do it, 08:09 because I obey God's law and I only worship God." 08:14 Notice verse 3, "Then the king's servants who were 08:18 within the king's gate said to Mordecai, 08:23 'Why do you transgress...'" What? 08:26 "Why do you transgress the king's command?" 08:31 Now incidentally, let me mention that whenever 08:33 in the Old Testament these two words, "bow" and "pay homage," 08:37 are used in the same verse, it always refers to worship. 08:41 Without any exception, whenever the two words appear together, 08:45 it has to do with worship. 08:47 So we know that worship is involved here. 08:49 So you find here that the king's servants say, 08:53 "Why do you transgress..." What? 08:55 "...the king's command?" 08:58 So, "Why do you disobey the law of the civil power 09:01 to render homage and reverence to Haman?" 09:08 So you have the political figure flexing his muscles 09:13 and commanding worship to Haman. 09:17 And then we find in verse 4, "Now it happened, when they 09:21 spoke to him daily and he would not listen to them..." 09:25 That is, Mordecai would not listen to them. 09:27 "...that they told it to Haman, to see whether 09:31 Mordecai's words would stand; for Mordecai had told them 09:35 that he was a Jew." 09:38 Now one of the principles that we're going to study, 09:40 we're going to discover that a Jew today is a spiritual Jew. 09:46 Those who have linked their lives with Jesus Christ 09:49 in a covenant relationship. 09:51 So here, the enmity is because Mordecai was a Jew. 09:56 Verse 5, "When Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow 10:00 or pay him homage, Haman was filled with..." What? 10:05 "...Haman was filled with wrath." 10:09 Does that sound familiar? 10:11 Ah, you're starting to catch an interesting picture here 10:14 of a controversy that is reflected in the 10:17 book of Revelation. 10:20 Now let's continue. 10:22 Let's go to verses 5 and 6. 10:25 "When Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow or pay him homage, 10:29 Haman was filled with wrath. 10:31 But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone, 10:36 for they had told him of the people of Mordecai. 10:39 Instead, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews 10:44 who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus; 10:47 the people of Mordecai. 10:50 In the first month, which is the month of Nisan, 10:53 in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, 10:57 that is, the lot, before Haman to determine the day 11:01 and the month, until it fell on the twelfth month, 11:04 which is the month of Adar." 11:06 In other words, they're using a certain type of witchcraft here 11:09 to determine a date. 11:11 And we're going to see in a minute what that date involved. 11:15 Actually, the date involves a death decree. 11:18 So he's casting lots to discover what is the best moment 11:22 to execute the death decree. 11:24 Now notice verse 8. 11:26 Here, the controversy becomes even clearer. 11:29 It says, "Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, 11:34 'There is a certain people scattered and dispersed 11:39 among the people in all the provinces of your kingdom...'" 11:43 In other words, "There are people that are all over 11:45 the place in your kingdom." 11:47 Now listen carefully. 11:49 "...their laws are different from all other people's..." 11:55 Is this a controversy over the law? 11:58 What was the law of the Jews? 12:02 The Ten Commandments. 12:03 And the Ten Commandments say worship only whom? 12:07 God. 12:08 And what was Haman requiring? 12:11 He was requiring worship. 12:13 Because who had commanded it? 12:15 The civil power or the political power. 12:17 Are you seeing how this story develops? 12:20 And so he says, "There is a certain people scattered 12:22 and dispersed among the people in all the provinces 12:25 of your kingdom; their laws are different 12:30 from all other people's, and they do not 12:34 keep the king's laws." 12:37 What is the controversy here? 12:38 It is between the law of God and the law of the civil power. 12:44 But the law of the civil power is by instigation of whom? 12:49 It is by instigation of Satan and Haman. 12:52 And incidentally, Haman's wife is behind the scenes. 12:56 You find her in chapter 5. 12:57 She's the one that says to Haman, "Make a gallows 13:02 for Mordecai so that he can hang there." 13:05 She's the shadowy figure behind, this woman, behind Haman. 13:11 And so Haman continues his argument by saying, 13:16 "Their laws are different from all other people's, 13:19 and they do not keep the king's laws." 13:22 They don't keep the civil laws. 13:23 "Therefore it is not fitting for the king to let them remain." 13:28 In other words, they have to be eradicated. 13:31 A death decree has to be given against them. 13:34 What is Haman really arguing? 13:36 Haman is saying, "Listen, king, if you have people in your 13:39 kingdom that don't obey your laws, eventually 13:42 you're going to have anarchy in the kingdom. 13:45 And your kingdom is going to fall apart. 13:47 So for the good of your kingdom, if you want your kingdom 13:50 to survive, you cannot allow these people who have 13:52 different laws, who don't obey the law to bow 13:57 and reverence me, you cannot allow them to continue living. 14:00 Because if you do, your kingdom is going to fall apart. 14:04 And people are going to lose respect. 14:06 So something has to be done about that." 14:10 And so now I want you to notice what we find in verse 9. 14:17 "If it pleases the king, let a decree be written..." 14:24 The decree is what? 14:27 Written. 14:29 That is important. 14:30 It's a written decree. 14:32 We'll come back to that. 14:35 "...that they may be..." What? 14:37 "...destroyed..." Is this a death decree? 14:41 Yes. Is it a written death decree? 14:44 Yes it is. 14:46 "...let a decree be written that they be destroyed..." 14:49 And now notice, he bribes the king. 14:52 He says, "This is going to be a good deal for you." 14:56 He says, "...and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver 14:59 into the hands of those who do the work, 15:02 to bring them into the king's treasuries." 15:06 So the king says, "Hey, this is a winner. 15:10 You know, if these people really don't obey my laws 15:13 and my commands, well I probably should eradicate them." 15:17 Let me ask you, is the king really the enemy 15:20 of God's people? 15:22 He's only the enemy in so far as he allows himself 15:26 to be used by Haman and deceived by Haman. 15:31 So it says in verse 10, "So the king took his signet ring..." 15:37 His great seal. 15:39 The ring was what was used to sign documents, 15:43 to authenticate documents. 15:45 So it says, "So the king took his ring from his hand 15:48 and gave it to Haman..." 15:51 Did he implicitly trust Haman? 15:54 Yeah. 15:55 He says, "Here, here's my seal. 15:57 Do something about it." 15:59 "...so he gave it to Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, 16:03 the enemy of the Jews. 16:05 And the king said to Haman, 'The money and the people 16:08 are given to you, to do with them as seems good to you.'" 16:14 Let me ask you, who is the enemy here? 16:17 Is it the king who is the enemy? 16:19 No, does the king know what's going on? 16:21 The king doesn't have the foggiest idea what's going on. 16:24 He's simply listening to his religious advisor. 16:29 You know, tomorrow we're going to talk about 16:32 the four Elijah's in Scripture. 16:35 One of those Elijah's was John the Baptist. 16:40 Right? 16:41 In three places in the New Testament we find that 16:43 John the Baptist is Elijah. 16:45 And I'll give you a little inkling of what we're 16:47 going to take a look at. 16:49 Lo and behold, John the Baptist also had three enemies. 16:56 The Elijah of the Old Testament had three enemies. 17:00 The end time Elijah has three enemies; 17:04 the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. 17:08 John the Baptist had three enemies. 17:09 You say, "What were the three enemies of John the Baptist, 17:11 the New Testament Elijah?" 17:13 Have you ever read the story of the death of John the Baptist? 17:18 Do you have a king involved in this story? 17:21 Yes. 17:22 Is the king the dangerous figure? 17:25 The king isn't the dangerous figure. 17:28 The king is oblivious to what's really going on. 17:31 He's drinking wine, you know. He's having a party. 17:35 But there's someone who wants the death of John the Baptist. 17:40 Who is that? 17:41 It's Herodias, the harlot adulterous woman. 17:45 Because he was living with his brother's wife. 17:48 See, so you have an adulterous woman involved. 17:51 But the adulterous woman cannot do things on her own. 17:56 She uses her daughter to influence the king 18:01 to kill John the Baptist. 18:05 Is that an interesting story? 18:08 The same is true at the end of time. 18:11 There is a harlot. 18:13 Revelation 17. 18:15 She fornicates with the kings of the earth, 18:18 but she can't accomplish her purposes without her daughters; 18:25 apostate Protestantism. 18:30 And during the Dark Ages you have the same thing. 18:32 That woman Jezebel, it says in the church of Thyatira. 18:37 And she had children that were born from her; 18:40 the Protestant denominations. 18:43 And she fornicated with the kings of the earth. 18:47 And so you have this trilogy of enemies against God's people. 18:52 And the king is never the enemy. 18:57 Unless he is influenced by someone else. 19:02 Let me ask you, was Herod a menace to John the Baptist? 19:07 No. 19:08 The Bible says he actually enjoyed listening to him. 19:12 When did the king become a menace to John the Baptist? 19:17 He became a menace to John the Baptist when he allowed 19:21 the adulterous woman to use her daughter 19:26 to influence him to kill John the Baptist. 19:32 Do you think the kings of the world are the real enemies 19:34 of God's people in the end time? 19:37 No. 19:39 The kings of the earth are not the enemies of God's people. 19:42 When do they become the enemies of God's people? 19:45 They become the enemies of God's people when they allow 19:48 the church to jump on them, 19:52 and to ask them to impose the decrees of the church. 19:57 At that moment then they become, the kings become dangerous 20:02 to God's people, because they're influenced by the church. 20:07 So this is the picture that you have here in the book of Esther. 20:11 Now let's continue there in chapter 3, 20:14 and let's read verse 12. 20:17 Chapter 3 and verse 12. 20:20 Was the king deceived by Haman? 20:24 Hook, line, and sinker... 20:27 ...fisherman, fishing pole, boat. 20:32 He was totally hoodwinked. 20:35 Now notice verse 12. 20:37 "Then the king's scribes were called on the thirteenth day 20:42 of the first month, and a decree was written according to all..." 20:48 Now listen, a decree is written in the king's name, 20:52 but it says, "...to all that Haman commanded." 20:57 So Haman is commanding with the authority of whom? 21:01 Of the king. 21:03 "...to the king's satraps, to the governors who were over 21:06 each province, to the officials of all people, to every province 21:11 according to its script, and to every people in their language." 21:15 Was this a decree that covered the entire empire? 21:19 It most certainly did. 21:20 "In the name of King Ahasuerus it was written, 21:25 and sealed with the king's signet ring." 21:30 This is a religious decree imposed by the secular power. 21:36 Does it start to ring a bell? 21:39 And it's a death decree. 21:41 And the death decree has a date, 21:43 we're going to notice in a minute. 21:45 And when that date arrives, people are free 21:47 to kill the Jews. 21:50 Notice verse 13. 21:54 It says, "And the letters were sent by couriers 21:58 into all the king's provinces..." 22:00 And notice how much hatred we're talking about here. 22:03 "...to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all the Jews..." 22:09 I think that he kind of hated them. 22:12 Three words; to kill, destroy, and to annihilate all the Jews. 22:21 "...both young and old, little children and women, 22:24 in one day, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, 22:27 which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their possessions." 22:33 So how much time between when the decree is given 22:36 and when the decree is to be executed? 22:38 Exactly 11 months. 22:42 And after 11 months, all of the Jews of the kingdom 22:45 could be killed. 22:48 Notice verse 14. 22:50 "A copy of the document was to be issued as a law 22:53 in every province, being published for all people, 22:57 that they should be ready for that day." 23:00 So you can just picture everybody getting ready 23:03 to execute the death decree at a given moment. 23:06 Does that sound familiar? 23:08 If you read, Great Controversy, page 635, 23:11 it says that there's a death decree. 23:13 And at a certain date, everyone is to gather 23:16 to slay God's people. 23:18 And Ellen White says that the decree that will be given 23:21 against God's people at the end time will be 23:22 very similar to the one that was given in the days of Esther. 23:27 Verse 15, "The couriers went out, hastened by the 23:31 king's command; and the decree was proclaimed 23:34 in Shushan the citadel. 23:36 So the king..." 23:37 And now here comes a very interesting thing. 23:39 "So the king and Haman sat down to drink..." 23:47 What? H2O? 23:50 Absolutely not. 23:52 What did they sit down to drink? 23:54 Wine. 23:55 Is wine involved in this story? 23:58 Oh, absolutely. 23:59 Is wine involved in the book of Revelation? 24:01 It most certainly is. 24:04 So this decree was universal. 24:07 This decree was dated. 24:09 This decree was religious hatred 24:13 vented through the political power. 24:15 And everyone is told to be ready for that day 24:20 to execute the death decree. 24:24 And incidentally, the death decree was irrevocable. 24:28 In the book, Prophets and Kings, page 601, 24:33 Ellen White makes this comment about this death decree. 24:36 She says, "The decree of the Medes and Persians 24:39 could not be revoked; apparently there was no hope; 24:44 all the Israelites were doomed to destruction." 24:50 In themselves, how much hope did the remnant have? 24:54 The remnant had absolutely no hope in themselves. 25:00 They were subject to a death decree of an alliance between 25:05 the king and a religious figure. 25:07 And the religious figure was manipulated by his wife. 25:12 And so there appeared to be no hope. 25:16 And so an agonizing time of trouble ensues 25:21 for Mordecai and his people. 25:23 Esther chapter 4 and verses 1 to 3 describes 25:27 that time of trouble. 25:29 "When Mordecai learned of all that had happened, 25:35 he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes..." 25:43 What does that mean, he tore his clothes 25:46 and put on sackcloth and ashes? 25:48 Is this extreme agony and anguish? 25:52 It's mourning, it's lamentation. 25:54 Why? 25:55 He's lamenting because people are going to be killed. 25:59 He's lamenting before the fact. 26:03 And so it says he goes out, "into the midst of the city. 26:06 He cried out with a loud and bitter cry." 26:13 Would you describe this as a time of trouble? 26:15 Absolutely. 26:16 "He went as far as the front of the king's gate, 26:20 for no one might enter the king's gate 26:23 clothed with sackcloth. 26:24 And in every province where the king's command 26:27 and decree arrived, there was great mourning among the Jews, 26:32 with fasting, weeping, and wailing; and many lay 26:37 in sackcloth and ashes." 26:41 A time of trouble such as never had been seen 26:45 before that time. 26:50 There was only one hope. 26:53 And that hope rested in a next of kin of Mordecai. 26:59 Her name was Esther. 27:02 If somehow Mordecai could convince Esther 27:08 to go before the king to unmask the plot 27:13 and intercede for God's people, God's people might just be 27:19 delivered from certain death. 27:22 So let me ask you, who is the heroine of this story? 27:30 It is Esther. 27:32 It's not Mordecai. 27:34 It's not Israel. 27:37 The only hope of Israel was found in Esther. 27:41 She is the intercessor. 27:44 She is going to unmask this diabolical plot 27:48 of a union of church and state. 27:50 And she is going to intervene so that God's people 27:54 are not destroyed by this death decree. 28:00 If you go to Esther chapter 4 verses 8 and 9, 28:05 we find something very interesting. 28:06 It says there, "He also gave him a copy of the written decree 28:11 for their destruction, which was given at Shushan, 28:15 that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her, 28:19 and that he might command her to go in to the king 28:22 to make supplication to him..." 28:24 Is she going to go and supplicate? 28:26 Is she going to go and intercede? 28:28 Yes. 28:29 "...and plead..." 28:31 Notice, "...make supplication to him 28:33 and plead before him for her people." 28:39 So what is Esther, what is the role of Esther? 28:43 Esther is one who pleads. 28:47 She is one who supplicates. 28:51 She is one who represents God's people. 28:57 And so Mordecai gives this to Esther. 29:00 And he says to Esther something very interesting. 29:03 Notice verses 13 through 17. 29:07 "And Mordecai told them to answer Esther." 29:11 He sends messengers. 29:13 "Do not think in your heart that you will escape 29:15 in the king's palace any more than all the other Jews." 29:18 Don't think that because you're the queen 29:21 that you're going to escape and the king is going to make 29:23 an exception in your case. 29:25 Because the decree says all Jews will be killed. 29:27 And you're one of them. 29:29 "For if you remain," notice, "if you remain completely 29:32 silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise 29:38 for the Jews from another place, 29:42 but you and your father's house will perish." 29:45 And then he says, "Yet who knows whether you have 29:48 come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" 29:54 Do you realize what he's saying to Esther? 29:56 He's saying to Esther, "Do you know what? 29:58 It's a miracle that a Jewess would be the wife 30:03 of the king of the Medes and Persians." 30:06 Actually, of the Persians at this point. 30:09 "God has placed you as the queen in the kingdom 30:13 for this moment. 30:16 This is your destiny; 30:18 to go in and supplicate and intercede for your people. 30:25 God has placed you for this specific reason, 30:27 for this time and this place." 30:30 He says, "If you don't go in, you and your father's house 30:34 are going to perish. 30:35 And God is going to find some other way 30:37 to deliver His people." 30:40 Notice verse 15. 30:44 "Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, 30:49 'Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, 30:53 and fast for me; neither eat nor drink 30:57 for three days, night or day. 31:00 My maids and I will fast likewise. 31:03 And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; 31:08 and if I perish, I perish.'" 31:12 Were the interests of Esther welded with those of her people? 31:16 She said, "I am willing to die in order to save my people." 31:20 Does that sound familiar? 31:23 Can you think of anyone else who said, "I'm willing to die 31:26 to save my people." 31:29 Jesus, and then somebody else. 31:31 Moses at the top of Mt. Sinai. 31:35 When Israel worshipped the golden calf, 31:38 Moses went before the Lord and said, "Lord, if You can't 31:42 save Your people, strike my name from Your book. 31:47 I love my people so much that I cannot even think 31:50 of the possibility of me living and them dying. 31:55 If I perish, I perish." 31:59 So Esther is a symbol of Christ, 32:01 whose interests are welded to ours, because Jesus 32:05 is in a covenant relationship with His people. 32:09 Jesus is committed to protect His people. 32:12 Because once we enter a covenant with Him, Jesus says, 32:15 "I am committed to you because you are committed to Me." 32:20 So we need to understand end time events in the context 32:23 of the covenant; the covenant of God's people with the Lord. 32:30 Ellen White, in Prophets and Kings, page 601, 32:34 speaks of the role of Esther when she says, 32:38 "Mordecai was a near relative of hers." 32:42 That is, of Esther. 32:44 "In their extremity they decided to appeal to Xerxes..." 32:49 Ellen White uses the Greek name. 32:51 "...to appeal to Xerxes in behalf of their people. 32:56 Esther was to venture into his presence as an intercessor." 33:04 Notice the word. 33:05 She was to venture in as a what? 33:07 As an intercessor. 33:10 She's going to intercede for her people. 33:13 But before she goes in before the king, 33:16 she does something. 33:19 She changes her garments... 33:22 ...from her common garments to her royal robes. 33:26 Does that sound familiar? 33:29 Is Jesus going to change His garments 33:32 when probation closes and He rises to defend His people? 33:35 "At that time, Michael shall stand up." 33:37 That's the close of probation. 33:38 And then He will protect His people. 33:42 Notice Esther chapter 5 and verse 1. 33:45 Chapter 5 and verse 1. 33:47 "Now it happened on the third day that Esther 33:49 put on her..." What? 33:51 "...her royal robes and stood in the inner court 33:55 of the king's palace, across from the king's house, 33:58 while the king sat on his royal throne in the royal house, 34:01 facing the entrance of the house." 34:03 So what does Esther do? 34:05 She puts on her garments, her royal garments. 34:09 Like Jesus, when probation closes, when the death decree 34:12 has been given, is going to put on His royal robes. 34:18 And then we find that Haman is invited to a banquet 34:21 with Queen Esther. 34:24 And then after this, I'm synthesizing, 34:27 Haman is invited to another banquet the next day. 34:31 And Haman is feeling pretty good about himself. 34:34 He says, "Ah, the queen and the king invited me 34:37 to a banquet. 34:39 Isn't this wonderful." 34:40 What he doesn't know is that his experience 34:44 is going to be very bitter. 34:46 In fact, when he goes to the king's party 34:51 or to the king's banquet, he's filled with joy, 34:54 but at the same time he goes home and he talks to his wife. 34:58 This is in chapter 5 verses 10 through 14. 35:01 And he says, "You know, this would be the most joyous 35:03 day of my life if it wasn't for Mordecai, who doesn't 35:07 bow and give me reverence." 35:11 So his experience is joyful, but at the same time 35:15 he's bitterly angry because the remnant does not 35:18 bow and render him the reverence that he feels 35:22 that he deserves. 35:23 And so Zeresh says, "Hey, quit complaining. 35:26 Just go put up a gallows where Mordecai can hang, 35:30 and that will take care of it." 35:31 That's in chapter 5 verses 10 through 14. 35:35 Now it's very interesting that the story now takes a twist. 35:42 And that is, that there is an investigative judgment. 35:47 "What? An investigative judgment?" 35:50 Absolutely. 35:52 You see, Mordecai had once saved the life of the king. 35:57 And it was written in the annals of the king 36:00 that he had delivered the king. 36:04 But he had never been rewarded for what he did. 36:08 And so it says in Esther chapter 6 and verse 1, 36:12 "That night the king could not sleep. 36:15 So one was commanded to bring the book of the records 36:18 of the chronicles; and they were read before the king." 36:21 And which volume do you think they read? 36:25 The story of how Mordecai had delivered the life of the king. 36:31 And so the king says, "Hey, you know, we never 36:34 rewarded this guy." 36:36 Are the books going to be examined and is the 36:38 reward for God's people going to be determined? 36:40 Yes. 36:42 And the enemies are going to see the reward of God's people. 36:45 You can read it in spirit of prophecy. 36:47 And you can read it in the psalms. 36:50 And so now what happens is, the king can't sleep, 36:53 so he has the chronicles brought. 36:55 He discovers that Mordecai was never rewarded 36:57 for his good works. 37:01 And so he calls in Haman, he says, "Haman." 37:04 He doesn't mention the name, he says, "There's this individual 37:07 that was good to the king. 37:08 He delivered the life of the king. 37:10 What do you suppose we should do with that man?" 37:15 There's a little bit of humor in this story. 37:18 Esther 6 verses 7 through 9. 37:20 "And Haman answered the king, 'For the man whom the 37:24 king delights to honor...'" 37:25 He said, "That's me." 37:28 "...let a royal robe be brought which the king has worn, 37:32 and a horse on which the king has ridden, 37:36 which has a royal crest placed on its head. 37:40 Then let this robe and horse be delivered to the hand 37:43 of one of the king's most noble princes, 37:46 that he may array the man whom the king delights to honor." 37:49 Because he's thinking, "That's me." 37:52 He doesn't know that the records have been examined. 37:56 "Then parade him on horseback through the city square, 37:59 and proclaim before him, 'Thus shall it be done to the man 38:03 whom the king delights to honor.'" 38:06 And so the king says, "Do that with Mordecai." 38:10 What an insult. 38:12 Things are starting to change. 38:15 The decisions of men are being revoked 38:18 and are being overturned. 38:21 Esther 6 verses 10 and 11. 38:24 "Then the king said to Haman, 'Hurry, take the robe 38:27 and the horse, as you have suggested, and do so 38:30 for Mordecai the Jew who sits within the king's gate. 38:34 Leave nothing undone of all that you have spoken.' 38:37 So Haman took the robe and the horse, arrayed Mordecai 38:41 and led him on horseback through the city square, 38:43 and proclaimed before him, 'Thus shall it be done 38:46 to the man whom the king delights to honor.'" 38:50 Oh, what an insult. 38:52 The wicked shall see the reward of the righteous, 38:55 is what is says in the book of Psalms. 38:59 So the second banquet, Haman comes. 39:03 And Esther takes the opportunity to explain to the king 39:06 what Haman had really done. 39:11 She tells the king, "You know, Haman, this nasty individual, 39:14 Haman, he wants to destroy all the Jews. 39:19 Which means that I would be destroyed too." 39:24 Oh, now the king wakes up from his slumber. 39:31 Now his deception leaves him. 39:35 Now he knows that his religious advisor 39:37 has deceived him into proclaiming this decree. 39:41 And now he is enraged. 39:44 But he is not enraged against the Jews. 39:46 He is enraged against the creator of the plot. 39:51 The weapons that were to be used for the destruction 39:53 of Mordecai now destroys Haman and his family. 39:59 You have this pre-figuring of what is going to happen 40:02 under the sixth plague. 40:04 We're going to talk about this later on this week. 40:07 Ellen White says that the world will be ready 40:10 to execute the death decree. 40:12 They will have their weapons ready to execute God's people. 40:16 And when they're about to deliver the blow of death, 40:20 there will be darkness like the darkest night 40:24 that will fall upon the earth. 40:27 And she says that the angry multitudes who wanted 40:29 to execute the death decree will suddenly be arrested. 40:34 The waters upon which the harlot sat, 40:38 which are multitudes, nations, tongues, and peoples 40:40 that she used to try and drown God's people, 40:44 now will arise to drown her. 40:47 The very instruments that she wanted to use 40:51 to destroy God's people will be used to destroy her. 40:56 We have a prefiguring of that in the book of Esther. 40:59 Because the weapons that were to be used 41:01 to destroy Mordecai were actually used to destroy 41:05 the one who created the plot, along with his family. 41:10 And so Esther talks to the king and says, 41:12 "This is what's really behind this." 41:14 And the king is filled with rage. 41:17 And he turns on Haman. 41:19 And Haman comes to Esther and he says, 41:21 "Please, Esther, intercede for me." 41:23 Esther says, "Intercession has closed. 41:29 Probation has closed for you who proclaimed the death decree." 41:33 Isn't this an amazing story? 41:35 It's a prophetic story. 41:39 In chapter 7 and verse 7 we find these words, 41:42 "Then the king arose in his wrath..." 41:45 Now he's wrathful, but he's not wrathful against God's people. 41:47 Now God's people are safe. 41:49 "Then the king arose in his wrath from the 41:51 banquet of wine..." 41:53 So he was drinking wine. 41:55 But he became sober in a hurry, by the way. 41:58 "...and went into the palace garden; but Haman 42:01 stood before Queen Esther, pleading for his life, 42:06 for he saw that evil was determined 42:08 against him by the king." 42:12 So he says, "Esther, please intercede for me." 42:15 Esther says, "There is no intercession for you, 42:18 the creator of this plot." 42:23 Interesting story, isn't it. 42:25 You have the change of garments, 42:26 you have the investigative judgment, 42:28 you have the reward according to works, 42:30 as it says in Revelation chapter 22, 42:33 you have the death decree, you have a remnant 42:35 that refuses to worship. 42:37 You have all of the elements of the end time crisis 42:39 that we find in the book of Revelation. 42:43 And then, of course, Haman dies with the very weapons 42:46 that he prepared against God's people. 42:48 And you know, you find this phenomena constantly 42:52 in Bible prophecy. 42:53 And we'll deal with this later on in this seminar. 42:56 The Jews said, "This Man must die or the Romans 43:00 will take away our nation." 43:01 But by killing Him, the Romans took away their nation. 43:06 What they wished to prevent, they caused. 43:10 Those who threw Daniel into the lion's den 43:13 ended up being eaten by the lions. 43:15 They were cat food. 43:21 At the end time, the multitudes who were going to destroy 43:24 God's people will destroy the religious advisors. 43:29 In the French Revolution, the state that had been 43:33 used by the church turned against the church, 43:39 and no longer against the remnant. 43:40 This is a recurring theme in Scripture. 43:44 And when the kings of the earth, of this world, wake up 43:47 and they see that apostate Protestantism 43:50 and Roman Catholicism has deceived them into 43:53 giving religious decrees, their anger will be uncontrollable. 43:58 And this is a message for the kings of this world; 44:02 don't allow the church to get involved in civil matters. 44:08 Because it will lead to bad results. 44:11 It has been shown all throughout history. 44:13 It's a sobering fact, folks, that Jesus was killed 44:17 by a union of church and state. 44:20 In fact, the whole experience of Jesus will be repeated 44:23 with God's people. 44:26 You know, the Jews, first of all, had a religious 44:31 trial for Jesus. 44:33 The Sanhedrin. 44:35 They said, "This Man is worthy of death." 44:37 But as a church, they could not execute the death decree. 44:41 Whose help did they need? 44:42 The help of the state. 44:44 And so they go to Pilate. 44:46 And they say, "Pilate, we want you to give the decree 44:49 to execute this Man." 44:52 And Pilate says, "What has He done wrong?" 44:55 "Well, He's blasphemed because He claims to be the Son of God." 45:00 And Pilate says, "Well, what does that have to do 45:02 with my kingdom?" 45:05 And after examining Him, he says, "This Man, 45:08 I find no fault in Him. 45:10 I don't find any fault in Him." 45:14 But it's interesting that Pilate did what the church wanted 45:20 because of political pressure. 45:23 He was afraid of losing his position. 45:25 Because the Jews said, "If you don't condemn this Man, 45:29 we will tell Caesar that you are actually Jesus' friend. 45:32 And he will remove you from your political position." 45:38 Folks, the greatest enemies of God's people throughout history 45:42 have been those churches that have joined the state 45:47 to persecute God's people. 45:49 Whenever you join church and state, the result is evil. 45:53 Because God has said, "Render to Caesar what is Caesar's, 45:56 and to God what is God's." 45:58 They are two kingdoms that have been established by Jesus. 46:02 They both have their legitimate place. 46:05 The problem is when you mix the iron and the clay, 46:09 when the harlot fornicates with the kings of the earth. 46:13 Then what is good separate becomes evil together. 46:19 And God is warning the world with this. 46:22 You know the United Nations and the kings of the world, 46:25 they should stay aloof, as far away as possible, 46:30 from religious issues and from the church. 46:33 Because it will come back to bite them. 46:38 And so the plot is unveiled. 46:40 Notice Esther chapter 7 and verse 10. 46:45 It says, "So they hanged Haman on the gallows 46:48 that he had prepared for Mordecai. 46:51 Then the king's wrath subsided." 46:54 "But when Esther came before the king, 46:56 he commanded by letter that this wicked plot which Haman 46:59 had devised against the Jews should return on his own head, 47:03 and that he and his sons should be hanged on the..." What? 47:07 "...on the gallows." 47:08 Notice Esther 8 verses 3 through 6. 47:11 "Now Esther spoke again to the king, fell down at his feet, 47:14 and implored him with tears to counteract the evil 47:17 of Haman the Agagite, and the scheme which he had 47:20 devised against the Jews. 47:21 And the king held out the golden scepter toward Esther. 47:25 So Esther arose and stood before the king, and said, 47:29 'If it pleases the king, and if I have found favor in his sight 47:33 and the thing seems right to the king, and I am 47:36 pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to revoke the letters 47:40 devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, 47:43 which he wrote to annihilate the Jews 47:45 who are in all the king's provinces. 47:47 For how can I endure to see the evil that will come 47:49 to my people?'" 47:51 She doesn't say, "To me." 47:54 She says, "To my people." 47:56 "Or how can I endure to see the destruction 47:59 of my countrymen?" 48:01 What is the passion of Esther? 48:05 The people. 48:07 So let me ask you, who is the hero of this story? 48:11 Esther. 48:13 Without Esther, they're lost. 48:14 Who was the hero of the story of the three young men 48:16 in the fiery furnace? 48:19 Oh, dare to be a Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. 48:22 I say, praise the Lord. 48:23 We need to have that kind of a character. 48:26 But if it hadn't been for Jesus, all the faith in the world 48:30 would not have saved them. 48:32 And so the hero of these stories is Jesus. 48:36 Not only as a Savior from slavery to sin, 48:41 as a spiritual Savior, but as a literal Savior from death 48:45 at the end of time. 48:47 Jesus is a Savior in every sense of the word. 48:52 And so the day of the battle came. 48:53 You know, the laws of the Medes and Persians 48:55 could not be revoked. 48:57 And so the decree had to remain. 48:59 But now the king gave a new decree, he said, 49:01 "The Jews can defend themselves." 49:04 And you know what's interesting? 49:06 They didn't have to, because the angels did. 49:11 Let me read you from, Prophets and Kings, page 602. 49:14 Are the angels going to fight for God's people 49:16 in the end time? 49:17 Oh, you better believe it. 49:19 Ellen White says this, "Angels that excel in strength 49:25 had been commissioned by God to protect His people 49:28 while they stood for their lives." 49:30 So the angels took the battlefield in favor 49:34 of God's people. 49:37 And then, after the day of the battle 49:41 came the celebration. 49:44 They established a new feast, 49:47 which is known as the Feast of Purim. 49:51 It was a celebration. 49:52 It's similar to a Mardi Gras, it's a Jewish Mardi Gras. 49:56 You know, these days they wear masks and have a lot of music 49:59 and a lot of food and a lot of dancing. 50:02 I mean, it's just a festive time because they're remembering 50:06 their deliverance from certain death in the days of Esther. 50:12 And so it says in Esther 9 verse 17 and verse 18, 50:16 it says, "And on the fourteenth day of the month they rested..." 50:20 Do you know what the word, "rested," there is? 50:22 It's the word, "nuwach." 50:26 That's the same word that appears in the 50:27 fourth commandment. 50:30 It doesn't mean, "to cease." 50:31 It means, "To enjoy delightful rest after much turmoil." 50:36 And so it says, "...they rested, and made it a day of..." What? 50:41 "...feasting and gladness." 50:44 "And on the fourteenth day of the month 50:46 they rested and made it a day of feasting and gladness." 50:53 The name of Esther isn't mentioned in this book... 50:56 The name of God is not mentioned in this book, 50:59 in the book of Esther. 51:01 And some people wonder why. 51:04 I'm going to tell you what I believe is the reason why 51:07 the name of God is not mentioned in this book. 51:11 It's because God wants to reveal how He works providentially 51:16 behind the scenes of history. 51:20 Let me ask you, if you read the book of Esther, 51:23 is it quite obvious that there's another power that's 51:26 working behind the scenes? 51:28 Of course there is. 51:29 And so what God wants to show is that human history 51:34 is guided by a divine hand. 51:37 And He doesn't include the name of God there 51:40 because He wants to show that even though you don't have 51:43 God written all over these events, that it is 51:48 the hand of the invisible God that is guiding the events 51:52 of the human race. 51:55 I'd like to end by reading two statements 51:57 from the spirit of prophecy. 51:59 Incidentally, this story is very similar to the story of Joseph. 52:04 Isn't it? 52:06 You read the story of Joseph, of course the name of 52:08 God is mentioned there, but you can't help but 52:11 see how God's hand is guiding it every step. 52:14 I mean, it's as subtle as a freight train. 52:17 It's as subtle as a tornado, or those jets that fly across here 52:21 every so often. 52:23 Prophets and Kings, 605 and 606. 52:28 Ellen White makes the parallel between the days of Esther 52:31 and our days. 52:33 "Satan will arouse indignation against the minority who refuse 52:39 to accept popular customs and traditions. 52:44 Men of position and reputation will join with the lawless 52:49 and the vile to take counsel against the people of God. 52:54 Wealth, genius, education, will combine to cover 53:00 them with contempt. 53:03 Persecuting rulers, ministers, and church members 53:08 will conspire against them. 53:10 With voice and pen, by boasts, threats, and ridicule, 53:16 they will seek to overthrow their faith. 53:19 By false representations and angry appeals, men will 53:23 stir up the passions of the people. 53:26 Not having a 'Thus saith the Scriptures' to bring against 53:31 the advocates of the Bible Sabbath, they will resort 53:34 to oppressive enactments to supply the lack. 53:38 To secure popularity and patronage, 53:42 legislators will yield to the demand for Sunday laws." 53:47 So who is the moving force behind Sunday laws? 53:51 It's the religious power. 53:54 It says, "To secure popularity and patronage..." 53:56 By the way, that means to get votes. 54:00 "...legislators will yield to the demand for Sunday laws. 54:04 But those who fear God, cannot accept an institution 54:09 that violates a precept of the Decalogue. 54:12 On this battlefield will be fought the last great conflict 54:17 in the controversy between truth and error. 54:21 And we are not left in doubt as to the issue. 54:27 Today, as in the days of Esther and Mordecai, 54:31 the Lord will vindicate His truth and His people." 54:36 And do you know who is going to be the person that will 54:38 go and intercede before the Father? 54:41 It will be Jesus Christ. 54:43 Actually, Ellen White says that He will go before the Father 54:46 and He will utter the words of John chapter 17 and verse 24, 54:50 where He says, "Father, those that You have given to Me, 54:53 I want them to be where I am." 54:57 And then God will arise to deliver His people. 55:05 The last statement I want to read is from, 55:06 Prophets and Kings, page 605, 55:10 where the spirit of prophecy tells us that, 55:12 "The decree that will finally go forth against the remnant 55:17 people of God will be very similar to that issued 55:24 by Ahasuerus against the Jews." 55:28 And in other places, Ellen White explains that the death decree 55:31 will have a date. 55:33 And that after a period of time, the date arrives 55:37 and people will be free to slay God's remnant people. 55:43 So what happened locally over there in Persia 55:52 becomes a local symbol with literal individuals 55:58 of a global experience of God's people at the end of time. 56:03 And the personages in the story become symbolic 56:07 of global entities. 56:10 In other words, you're not talking about a literal Haman 56:13 or a literal king. 56:14 You're talking about all of the kings of the world. 56:18 You see, it becomes much larger in the time of fulfillment. 56:22 You're not talking about an individual Haman, 56:24 you're talking about the daughters of the harlot. 56:28 You're not talking about the wife of Haman, 56:31 you're talking about another church that 56:33 manipulates her daughters. 56:36 You're not talking about Mordecai, 56:38 you're talking about God's people all over the world. 56:42 So what was local and literal... 56:45 And we're going to study this tomorrow in our next principle. 56:47 What is local and literal in the Old Testament 56:50 becomes global and spiritual at the end of time. 56:54 It is an important principle of prophetic interpretation. 56:57 And if you read the book, 56:59 The Certainty of the Third Angel's Message, 57:02 you were able to see that principle 57:05 almost on every single page of that magnificent book. 57:09 Other than, Great Controversy, hands down it's the greatest 57:14 book, I believe, that has ever been written on Bible prophecy. 57:17 The Certainty of the Third Angel's Message. 57:19 That's why I asked you to read it. 57:20 It's not an easy read. 57:24 But if you bear with it, you will be amazed at the truth 57:29 that you find in this book. 57:30 Of course, Great Controversy is number one on the list. 57:35 That's in laymen's language; easy to understand. 57:38 And it has all of these principles 57:40 when we study it carefully. 57:41 So folks, let's look up. 57:44 Jesus is coming soon. 57:45 And He will protect His people. |
Revised 2015-03-02