Esther's Royal Garments*

We just finished observing the feast known as Purim that comes from the Book of Esther. Purim celebrates a great victory over an enemy whose intention was to destroy all of the Jews living in Persia. The enemy's name was Haman, who developed a bitter hatred for a Jew named Mordecai because Mordecai had failed to pay him the honor that Haman felt was his due. Haman drew lots, or pur, to determine the date of the Jews' destruction, when he would go to the king, and enact his plan for revenge against Mordecai (Est. 3:7). These lots, or pur, is where the name of the feast Purim comes from. So, in order to destroy Mordecai, Haman persuaded the king to give an order that would mean the destruction of all of the Jews, even paying money to those who would carry out his order (Est. 3:5-6, 8-9). We will see how this enemy was defeated, and how God's people were delivered from a death sentence. The account starts with the replacement of a queen. The king of Persia had required that his wife, Vashti, who was very beautiful, come and make an appearance before his party guests, who all had been drinking for seven days. Vashti refused, and the king was advised to set aside Vashti, and obtain a more biddable wife, lest all the wives in the kingdom rise up against their husbands as Vashti had done! (Est. 1:5-19). The search for the most beautiful maidens in the kingdom began. Mordecai, a Jew, had raised his niece, Esther, as his own daughter after her parents had died. Esther obeyed the command of Mordecai to hide her Jewish heritage. As the most beautiful women were gathered to the palace, Esther was included. She found favor with the chamberlain who was "the keeper of the women" for the king, and he treated her with kindness (v. 4-9). Esther found favor with all who dealt with her there because she was agreeable and obedient to what the chamberlain told her to do. She was brought before the king, who loved her above all women. Esther found "grace and favor" in his sight, and she was made queen instead of Vashti (Est. 2:15-18). Esther still did not reveal herself as being one of the Jewish people "as Mordecai had charged her: for Esther did the commandment of Mordecai, like as when she was brought up with him." (v. 20). (note: Although the name of God does not directly appear in the story of Esther, His name appears in acrostic form. When Mordecai heard of the order that Haman had persuaded the king to enact that would mean the destruction of the Jewish people, he immediately sat before the king's gate in sackcloth and ashes, crying with a loud voice. All of the Jews did so also (Est. 4:1-3). Mordecai was repenting before God for the deliverance of His people. Esther became alarmed by Mordecai's behavior, for it would surely offend the king, and sent servants to inquire why her uncle was doing such a thing. He passed the information about the king's edict to Esther, and charged her "that she should go in unto the king, to make supplication unto him, and to make request before him for her people (v. 5-8). Esther sent her servants to answer Mordecai that she had not been called for by the king for thirty days, and she could be killed if she went to him without his invitation. Mordecai sent this response: "Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews. 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?" (v. 13-14). Mordecai felt confident in the LORD's deliverance, because he had fasted and prayed for it. Shouldn't we also understand the importance of fasting, repentance and prayer, as commanded by God in 2 Chron. 7:14? Esther answered Mordecai that he should tell all the Jews to fast with her for three days and nights, and then she would go to the king without his invitation. She said, "...and if I persiah, I perish." (v. 15-17). "Now it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on (her) royal (apparel), and stood in the inner court of the king's house.: and the king sat on his royal throne in the royal house...And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen...she obtained favor in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre." (Est. 5:1-2). Regarding the phrase "her royal apparel" in the above verse, the words "her" and "apparel" were added to the original Hebrew to help in translation. However, the Hebrew says that Esther "put on her royal", with all of the kingdom authority that that Hebrew word for "royal" (malkut/malak - kingdom, reign, royal, sovereign power, dominion/ascend to the throne) carries. Esther again obtained favor from the king, granting her whatever she asked (v. 3-4). To add to Haman's further anger and humiliation, Mordecai received an honor from the king that Haman felt should come to him. For saving the king's life, Mordecai was given the king's own royal apparel to wear, the king's personal horse to ride, and the royal crown set upon his head (Est. 6:6-12). Eventually, Haman's plot against the Jews, and therefore against Esther herself, was exposed by Esther before the king at a banquet. The grace and favor of God towards Esther and the Jews appeared several times in the story of Esther, and worked for the deliverance of the Jews. The Torah and the Prophets reflect the grace of God, as I have mentioned in previous messages. The apostle Peter described the same royal apparel of Esther in regards to the believers in Christ: "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood...a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy." (1 Pet. 2:5, 9-10). This royal people who believe in Christ as the chief cornerstone, are obedient to Him, and to His Word (v. 7-8). We saw this same obedience of a royal Esther to Mordecai's aleph-tav commandments to her (see above). Grace and mercy flowed as a result. Peter also wrote to the royal believers: "...abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation." (v. 11-12). Peter wrote that the lusts of the flesh war against your soul. There is a war going on, as the war of Haman against the people of God foretold. Scripture says that the devil has come down having great wrath against the people of God. Jesus said that the days before His return will be like the days of Noah. We must be prepared to enter the Ark provided by God, clothed in our royal apparel. Peter also wrote that we were to have the grace and peace of God multiplied to us, the righteousness of God (not our own), as well as all things that pertain to life and godliness, these exceeding great and precious promises, through the knowledge of God and Jesus. We attain this knowledge through His Word. In this same knowledge is our escape from "the corruption that is in the world through lust...give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall.: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:1-11). An entrance is made for us, in the same way that an entrance was given to Esther by the king's grace and favor, and the royal sceptre was extended to her. Our royal apparel was described by the apostle Paul: "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places...Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perserverance and supplication for all saints." (Eph. 6:10-18). Our enemies, like Haman who sought to destroy all life, are spiritual powers, and our armor and royal apparel is spiritual, including truth, the righteousness of God through Christ, the ministry of the Gospel to all, our faith which is the faith of the Son of God, our salvation, a gift to us by grace, and the Word of God, which establishes all of the above. Not forgetting, the prayers, supplications, including repentance, for all of the saints, just as the Jews of Persia interceded before God, and received His miraculous deliverance. We need our royal apparel today more than ever as we see the wickedness of Haman increasing around us. *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 3/12/23 message to the church. To contact us, submit a prayer request, give a praise report, or to support this ministry: P.O. Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705 OR Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, theshroudofturin.org, and END TIME SCHOOL, also on Facebook. You can also get a free ebook titled "The Shroud of Turin- A Perfect Summary" at www.TheShroudofTurin.org/freebook.

Purim, Persia, and the Third Day*

Esther Comes Before the King

 

We are entering the season of Purim, a rabbinical feast of Israel. Purim revolves around a miraculous event from the Book of Esther. Esther also has a prophetic significance to the Church in these last days. The spiritual principalities and wickedness of the End Times that are revealed in Revelation, also have a striking similarity to the story of Esther and Purim:

"...the accuser of the brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice ye heavens and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child....And the dragon was wroth (violent anger, enraged; root- to stretch one's self out in order to touch or grasp something, to covet, to give one's self up to the love of money)with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."   Rev. 12:10-13, 17

The devil, the dragon is enraged against the people of God in these verses from Revelation, and his actions and persecutions stem from that rage. It is the same with the enemy in the Book of Esther, Haman. The dragon from Revelation spews water like a flood from his mouth to wipe out the woman who gave birth to the man child (Rev. 12:15). The letters of Haman's name in pictographical Hebrew refer to the revealing of a massive flood of chaos against the son/Son, the heir to the throne, the descendants.

This enemy, Haman, driven by rage and resentment against one man, Mordecai, who refused to bow down and pay Haman homage and worship, enlarged his rage to encompass the destruction of all of the Jews in Persia (now Iran). Mordecai explained that he could not worship a man because as a Jew, he could only worship God (Esther 3:1-6). Haman, like the devil in Revelation, accused Mordecai and the Jewish people before the king, and the king allowed Haman to issue a decree for the destruction of the Jews, and to take the spoil of them, setting a specific date for it that had been selected by casting lots (Pur) (v. 8-11). As the news of this decree spread, the Jews across the whole land fasted, cried and repented before God. How was this plot of destruction to be overcome? It was accomplished by the grace and favor of God upon one young Jewish woman, the bride of the great king of Persia, Ahasuerus, whose name was Esther. Mordecai even told Esther that it is possible that she was born for just this purpose.

After telling the Jewish people to fast and pray for three days, Esther risked her life to approach the king out of proper order. Approaching the king without being summoned first was punishable by death. However, when the king saw Esther in all her royal robes, she obtained favor in his sight, and he extended his scepter to her so that she might approach him safely (Esther 5:1-2). Esther requested the king's and Haman's presence at a banquet of wine that she would prepare. At the second banquet, Esther exposed Haman to the king, and Haman and his household were destroyed. The king ultimately overrode Haman's decree calling for the destruction of the Jews. He issued a decree in his own name, sealed with his own seal. Written in this way, it became a decree that no man could reverse (Est. 8:7-10).
The Bride of Christ is also purposed and called to a banquet, royally arrayed in righteousness, to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb:
"Let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 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..."Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb."  Rev. 19:7-9
Esther used the principle of "the third day" in her preparation for her entrance to the king, and her confrontation with Haman and his evil plan. The prophet Hosea connected "the third day" with the Messiah, His and our resurrection, and His twice coming:
"Come and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up and we shall live in his sight...and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth."   Hos. 6:1-3
The Apostle Peter clarified this principle for us regarding the return of Christ, as well as its importance in the events of the End Times for the Church:
"But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."   2 Peter 3:8
Two thousand years, or two days, have already passed since the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, and we are entering into the third millennial, or third day. Persia, or Iran, which played such an important role in the Book of Esther, is once again emerging into the world spotlight as a sponsor of terrorism and its agents in various parts of the world. The declared aim of those terrorists, today's Hamans, like the enraged dragon of Revelation, is to push Israel into the sea, and to make war with those who support Israel, and believe the Messiah of Israel.
Events and timing indicates that the marriage supper of the Lamb grows near, but is the Bride preparing, as Esther did, to make the difference in these End Times, to prepare for the banquet of wine?  Let this season of Purim become a call to the Church to prepare herself in fasting, repentance, and prayer, to don her royal robes, to enter before and petition the King, and to enter into the banquet with Him.

*The above is based upon the 3/24/19 message to the Church from Dr. Kenneth Stevenson.

 

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Prayer of Salvation for all who desire to receive Jesus as their Savior: Lord Jesus, I desire to know You, and to know Your salvation. I believe that You died for me, and that You were resurrected for me. Forgive me of my sins. Come into my heart, change me, fill me with Your righteousness. Inscribe my name in the Lamb's book of life. Baptize me in Your Holy Spirit, so that I can learn the truth of Your Word and ways, and be strengthened in my walk all the days of my life. You are the hope of my life, and You are my eternal life. I place my trust in You, Lord, for myself, and my whole household. Use me to do the will of the heavenly Father, Who sent You, in Whose name You came. In Your name, and in thanks and praise I pray, Amen.

 

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