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Midnight in the Bible: a Metaphor for Judgment Day

March 30, 2025

Introduction

The word “Midnight” occurs 14 times in 13 verses in the King James Version of the Bible, but those verses are not usually discussed or explained, particularly regarding the significant spiritual implications that they hold when viewed together. This post is a short review of these important verses for the purpose of considering how they relate to one another, and more particularly how they relate to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Midnight?

“Midnight” is literally the middle of the night, mid-way between sunset and sunrise, which we in our modern day refer to as 12:00 AM. From what this teacher can perceive, by comparing scripture with scripture (“spiritual things with spiritual” according to 1 Corinthians 2:13), each time that “midnight” appears, it provides us some reference to, and is a spiritual preview of, Jesus’ return with his Saints in the clouds of glory on Judgment Day.

On Judgment Day, at the end of the world, every human being who has ever lived will be resurrected from the dead to come before the Great White Throne of God’s Judgment, exactly as is so clearly described in Revelation 20:11-15, “¶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. 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. 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. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.“

To be “written in the book of life” is synonymous with being a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, and knowing Him as God and Savior for His Atoning Sacrifice for his or her sins. And that salvation is a gift from God. Ephesians 2:8&9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves:  [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” For more on this please see: The Election of God.

The following verses show us how God has used “midnight” in the Bible to point us to Judgment Day.

1&2) The Destroyer Came at Midnight in Egypt

The first two verses that mention “midnight” are directly related to each other in the book of Exodus:

Exodus 11:4-6, “And Moses said, Thus saith the LORD, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that [is] behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts. And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more.” and…

Exodus 12:29, “And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that [was] in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.“

Midnight marked the arrival of the tenth and final plague against Pharaoh and the land of Egypt. Midnight heralded what in effect was “Judgment Day” brought by God against the people of Egypt, which paved the way for Israel to come out of Egypt (leaving the “house of bondage”). However, because the Israelites had been instructed to place sacrificial lamb’s blood on their doorposts of their homes, the LORD would “pass over” the door and the Destroyer (the angel of death) would not be allowed to kill anyone in each of those homes. As a result the plague of death had no effect on the Israelites. Exodus 12:23, “For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite [you].”

3) Samson Arose at Midnight and Removed the Doors to the Gate of the City

Judges 16:3, “And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put [them] upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that [is] before Hebron.“

Samson can be shown to be a “Type” of the Lord Jesus Christ, and from this verse we see, from a spiritual standpoint, Jesus waiting until Midnight to Arise, and to open the world (typified by “the city”) up to Judgment. (Note this is the only verse in the Bible where the word “midnight” appears twice.)

Job 5:3&4, “I have seen the foolish taking root: but suddenly I cursed his habitation. His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, neither [is there] any to deliver [them].

It should also be noted what we read in Lamentations 4:11&12, “The LORD hath accomplished his fury; he hath poured out his fierce anger, and hath kindled a fire in Zion, and it hath devoured the foundations thereof. The kings of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world, would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy should have entered into the gates of Jerusalem.” While Judgment Day will mark the condemnation of the World, it will also mark the condemnation of the corporate church for its apostasy as typified by the condemnation of national Israel in Lamentations chapter 4 (having been made vulnerable by the taking away of the gates).

4) Boaz Was Stirred Up at Midnight When Ruth Came Under His Protection at the Threshing Floor

Ruth 3:8, “And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet. And he said, Who [art] thou? And she answered, I [am] Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt (כָּנָף (kānāp̄; H3671) over thine handmaid; for thou [art] a near kinsman(גָּאַל (gā’al)H1350).”  Ruth was clearly answering to Boaz that she was Ruth, the “Moabitess”, the daughter-in-law to Naomi, the widow of Elimelech, and the mother of Mahlon (Ruth’s dead husband, who left no progeny). She made it clear, by her appearance and her obeisance, that she was offering herself to be Boaz’s wife, and therefore to bear children up in the name of the dead kin folk of Boaz, Mahlon and Elimelech.

But what about the spreading of the skirt of Boaz over Ruth?, what does that signify?  God tells us in Ezekiel 16:8, “Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time [was] the time of love; and I spread my skirt (כָּנָף (kānāp̄;H3671) over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine.” A complete study of the spiritual implications of the overspreading of Boaz’s skirt can be found here.

However, we must take particular note here that the original Hebrew word used for “skirt” (כָּנָף (kānāp̄;H3671) is most commonly translated as “wings” exactly as it reads back in Ruth 2:12 where Boaz specifically said to Ruth: “The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings (כָּנָף (kānāp̄; H3671) thou art come to trust.”

Boaz, as another “Type” or “Prefigurement” of the Lord Jesus Christ, awoke at Midnight, only to find Ruth (typifying All believers) had sought to come under the shelter of his “skirt”, which typified her having put her trust in Boaz. And it is important to also note that this event occurred at the “Threshing Floor“, which is another element that God uses as an indicator that Judgment Day is in view as is explained fully in this post: The Threshing Floor of God.

5) An Aggrieved Mother Petitioned King Solomon Concerning a Wicked Mother’s Arising at Midnight

1 Kings 3:20, “And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.“

The wicked will also arise at Midnight, but only to Judgment! John 5:28&29, “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”

6) Death Comes at Midnight for the Unsaved

Job 34:20, “In a moment shall they die, and the people shall be troubled at midnight, and pass away: and the mighty shall be taken away without hand.”

This verse unequivocally shows that Midnight is intended by God to be synonymous with Judgment Day. Three other posts that provide additional insights on what to expect on Judgment Day can be found here, here, and here.

7) All Believers will Arise at Midnight to Give Thanks for Their Salvation

Psalm 119:62, “At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments.“

This verse brings to mind what we find in Revelation 4:9, “¶And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for  ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”

8) The Bridegroom (Jesus) Will Come at Midnight!

Matthew 25:6, “And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.“

This verse forms part of Jesus’ Parable of the Ten Virgins in which Jesus makes clear the division between the five wise virgins and the five foolish virgins. It prefigures Jesus’ returning as the Bridegroom at His second coming on Judgment Day to take His Bride (the eternal Church, see Revelation 18:23 and 21:9). The wise virgins had their lamps burning because they had oil in their lamps (typifying The Holy Spirit) and thus were able to enter into the wedding feast, but the foolish virgins (who did not have the oil) could not enter in because the door was shut (they were not true believers).

Jesus Is The Bridegroom Who will be coming at midnight, hence Judgment Day!

For more on the division between the true believers and the non-believers please also see: Jesus’ Parables of The Great Division on Judgment Day.

9) The Master of the House (Jesus) Could Come at Any Time, But Midnight Is Named as a Possibility

Mark 13:35, “Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:“

Given that there are 24 time zones on earth, regardless of when Jesus returns heralding Judgment Day, it will be evening, midnight, and morning simultaneously everywhere on earth. We just don’t know specifically when that will be in literal earthly time reference terms.

10) The Petitioning of a Friend (Jesus) for Bread (Life) at Midnight

Luke 11:5, “And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;“

Jesus is the Friend that the believers have for eternity. Jesus said in John 15:13, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (φίλος (philos)) G5384.” For more on the meaning of “Friend”, as is translated from the original Greek word φίλος (philos)G5384, please see this post on God’s Equity.

11) At Midnight the Prisoners Were Loosed from the Prison House

Acts 16:25, “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.“

Jesus sets the captives free as we read in Ephesians 4:7, “¶But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.“

Also Isaiah 42:6&7 tells us, “I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, [and] them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.“

12) The Preaching Continued Until Midnight and Then a Resurrection

Acts 20:7, “And upon the first [day] of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.“

This is perhaps the most telling of the verses, in that the first day of the week is synonymous with the Resurrection of The Lord Jesus Christ. And note also that Paul was ready to “depart” on the morrow but he continued his speech until Midnight. And what do we see in the next few verses. A young man named name Eutychus (whose name means “Fortunate”) was raised by Paul from the dead. Another resurrection pointing to the end of the world that comes at Midnight when the believers will be raised from the dead!

13) It was at Midnight that Paul was Shipwrecked, but All Aboard Arrived Safely to Melita (Heaven)

Acts 27:27, “But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down in Adria, about midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country;“

“About Midnight“, the shipmen had “deemed” that they were drawing to some country. From a spiritual standpoint this appears to be saying that they knew that the end of their journey was near. And given that it can be shown that the country was the island of Melita, and that Melita is an allegorical reference to Heaven, then we can see that Heaven was in view at “about Midnight“. Subsequent verses explain that the ship was wrecked but all “276 souls” on board the ship made it to the shore of Melita (Heaven) alive!

It was also when the 14th night had come. Creation until now has been ~13,000 years, and given that according to 2 Peter 3:8, “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.“, we can say that the coming of the 14th night could be another presage for the end of time, and hence Judgment Day.

Conclusion

In this post we have reviewed the thirteen verses (and fourteen times) where we can find specific reference to “Midnight” in the Bible, and each time, in one way or another, brings Judgment Day to mind. Judgment Day will be the last event in history when the Lord Jesus Christ will come back in the clouds of Glory to destroy all wickedness, and send all of the unsaved of the world to an eternity in Hell, and put an end to this entire creation, which is under the curse of sin and death.  It will mark the end of time and the beginning of eternity wherein righteousness will dwell in new heavens and a new earth forever.  In 2 Peter 3:10 we read, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.”

And we should also be mindful that while it has been shown that Midnight is a metaphor for Judgment Day, it is ONLY that, and Midnight is NOT a literal temporal time reference! Jesus made this clear in Matthew 24:36, “¶But of that day and hour knoweth no [man], no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.“

Nonetheless, Jesus gave us a number of hints concerning what we should expect in “the season” just prior to Judgment Day by way of example with His referencing the days just prior to Noah’s Flood and leading up to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (for more on these hints, please see: Is Time Almost Up? and Judgment Day is Coming Soon!).

Moreover, in Matthew 24:42-44, Jesus also said to, “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” Thus, everyone has been warned to be ready against that day, but only the believers will truly be ready.

Isaiah 42:9, tells us, “Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.” and Amos 3:7, “Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret (סוֹד (sôḏ))H5475  unto his servants the prophets.” Note that the word translated as “secret” the King James translators interpreted it to mean variously either: secret (9x), counsel (6x), assembly (5x), or inward (1x). as for example: Psalm 89:7, “God is greatly to be feared in the assembly (סוֹד (sôḏ))H5475 of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all [them that are] about him.“

1 Thessalonians 4:13– 18, “¶But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep (the believers who are physically dead), that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. ¶For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive [and] remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent (go before) them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.“

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A Spiritual Exposition of the Book of Esther Chapter 5

March 27, 2025

Introduction

This post is the fifth of what will hopefully total ten posts to provide verse-by-verse expositions of each of the ten chapters of the Book of Esther. The reader should fully understand that these studies are solely intended to show the many spiritually hidden aspects of God’s Magnificent Salvation Plan, which God has intricately interwoven within the historical account of the Book of Esther. The key to understanding the true meaning of the Book of Esther is to see that the whole book is an Historical Parable, which prophetically points us to the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, Who Is The Only Lord, God, and Savior. Moreover the book is one of concealment (“Esther” in Hebrew means “concealment”) that spans from Old Testament National Israel, to the future fulfillment of the feasts of Passover and Pentecost in the New Testament era, and a “preview” of the yet to be Judgment Day and beyond into eternity in the New Heavens and the New Earth. We can also see key personages of the Bible throughout this book by those who serve as “Types” to each represent 1) God the Father, 2) National Israel, 3) the Lord Jesus Christ, 4) Eternal Israel, 5) The Holy Spirit, and 6) the Devil. A summary overview Christian commentary of the Book of Esther is Here (which also includes a link to a much more comprehensive study).

The Spiritual Theme of Esther Chapter 5: The Faith of the Saints (Christ’s Faith, Ephesians 3:11&12)  (Esther 5:1&2). Please see Hebrews 12:2, Numbers 24:17, and Psalms 45:6 (note that Esther did not put on “royal apparel” until the “third day”)

Esther 5:1, “¶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, over against the king’s house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the gate of the house.”

Note also how this mirrors what we read of Ruth in preparing to go to the threshing floor of her future husband, Boaz, after Naomi, Ruth’s widowed mother-in-law gave Ruth these instructions: Ruth 3:3, “Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor: [but] make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking.“

It is clear that just as Ruth was to prepare herself with washing, anointing, and raiment as fit for a bride, which is something at least similar to the preparation of a bride adorned for her husband as we read about in Revelation 21:2, “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” The Bride of Christ (as represented by both Ruth and Esther) will be adorned in the white robes of Christ’s righteousness that we read about in Revelation 7:9.

Note that Esther did not put on “royal apparel” until the “third day” which is reminiscent of the third day that Jesus arose from the grave. It is not possible for anyone to arise and enter into the throne room of grace in Heaven until those three days had passed. Because Jesus paid the full price of redemption for the souls of the Elect of God, as evidenced by Jesus’ Resurrection, then the believers can have the righteousness of Jesus imputed to them, which we refer to, spiritually speaking, as the Royal Robes of Christ’s Righteousness.

Esther’s Faith and Obedience

Esther boldly entered the throne room of King Ahasuerus, per the instruction given to her by her elder cousin Mordecai. Does not this parallel what we read in Hebrews 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.“

And in Hebrews 10:19-22,  “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;  And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.“

Also we read in Ephesians 3:11&12, “According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.”  And in 2 Corinthians 5:7 we read, “(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)”

Jesus instructed us to freely ask of The Father in His Name…John 14:13&14, “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do [it].”  We also read in Philippians 4:6, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.“

Note the similarities with what we are told in 1 John 5:14&15, “¶And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.“

Also, in Psalm 65:4, “Blessed [is the man whom] thou choosest, and causest to approach [unto thee, that] he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, [even] of thy holy temple.“ God caused Esther (a “Type” representing all believers) to approach the king in the throne room, and note that it was done under the Commandment of Mordecai (a “Type” representing Jesus) from Esther 4:13.

The Golden Sceptre of Grace (Another “Type” Previewing Jesus Christ)

Esther 5:2, “And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, [that] she obtained favour in his sight:and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre (שַׁרְבִּיט (šarbîṭ))H8275 that [was] in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched (נָגַע (nāḡaʿ))H5060 the top of the sceptre.“

Regarding the Golden Sceptre (שַׁרְבִּיט (šarbîṭ))H8275 that King Ahasuerus’ hand (likely right hand). The sceptre was a symbol of a ruler’s absolute power and authority over a tribe or nation.

The following verses clearly apply, although they involve a different word in the original Hebrew language, most likely due to Esther having been transliterated from the Persian language. The original Hebrew שַׁרְבִּיט (šarbîṭ))H8275 is only found in the Book of Esther, but clearly equates to the original Hebrew word found elsewhere in the Old Testament as שֵׁבֶט (šēḇeṭ)H7626. Although this word is translated as sceptre (10x), it can also be translated as “rod (34x)”. The verses below show that when this word is translated as “Sceptre”, it provides us with another prefigurement of Jesus, and His Being The Means by Whom we can boldly enter the Throne Room of God the Father to receive God’s Grace as we see manifested in Esther Chapter 5:

Prophetic Verses Pointing to Jesus as “The Sceptre“

Genesis 49:10-12 “The sceptre (שֵׁבֶט (šēḇeṭ))H7626 shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.” Jesus is the Lion of the tribe of Judah (descended from Judah) and Jesus is that Sceptre that does not depart from Judah.

We also know that Genesis 49:10-12 clearly talking about Jesus Christ, as He had to tread the winepress of God’s Wrath alone and stain His raiment as we are told in Isaiah 63:1-6, “Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore [art thou] red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat (winepress, גַּת (gaṯ) H1660 )? I (Jesus) have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people [there was] none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance [is] in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. And I looked, and [there was] none to help; and I wondered that [there was] none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me. And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth.“  For much more detail on this issue and the meaning of the winepress, please see this study on the “Winepress of Shame“.

With respect to the tribe of Judah, this rulership began with king David, and continued to the Babylonian captivity. But, notably, the first governor of Judah after the captivity ended was Zerubbabel, who was also of the tribe of Judah.

Shiloh 

The original Hebrew language word translated as Shiloh is שִׁילֹה (šîlô)h H7886 as found here in Genesis 49:10 is only found once in the Bible, although it is closely related to Shiloh שִׁילֹה (šîlô)H7887, a city in Ephraim and temporary home of the Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle, the place where Samuel grew up inside the Promised Land that we read about in Joshua 18:1, 1 Samuel 1:24, and 1 Samuel 4:3&4.
It would seem to representative of where “God Is Present” but also a “place of rest“. Both words “Shiloh” are derived from a root Hebrew word שָׁלָה (šālâ)H7951 which means “to be at rest”, “to prosper”, “be quiet”, “be at ease.” When Jesus comes again, He will create a place of permanent rest for His Chosen people.

And when Jesus came the first time, He was also called Emmanuel, or “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). Moreover, The Lord Jesus Christ Is The One Who has the true right to take the throne, and to both hold and To Be God’s Sceptre into eternity.

Numbers 24:17 “I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre (שֵׁבֶט (šēḇeṭ))H7626 shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.”

Psalm 45:6, “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre (שֵׁבֶט (šēḇeṭ))H7626 of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.”(שֵׁבֶט (šēḇeṭ))H7626 …

And the Apostle Paul was referring to Psalm 45:6 when he wrote Hebrews 1:8, “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre (ῥάβδος(rhabdos)G4464) of righteousness is the sceptre (ῥάβδος(rhabdos))G4464 of thy kingdom.”

Esther Being Shown Grace by Being Allowed to “Touch” the Sceptre

God’s has total control over the hearts of kings…Proverbs 21:1,  “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.” and in Daniel 4:25, “That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.“

Note also that the word (נָגַע (nāḡaʿ))H5060 means “to touch“, “to reach“, “to strike” and is also found for example in Exodus 29:37, “Seven days thou shalt make an atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and it shall be an altar most holy: whatsoever toucheth (נָגַע (nāḡaʿ))H5060  the altar shall be holy.” This original Hebrew word that is translated as “touch” has a connotation that implies an intimacy, but that the touching of the golden sceptre by Esther is an indication of the intimacy between the king and his queen that is also emblematic of the intimacy of Christ with His Church that will be consummated upon His meeting His Bride on the Last Day.

Two Examples Where (שֵׁבֶט (šēḇeṭ))H7626 is Translated as “Rod”

These verses remind us that Jesus can also be the believer’s “rod” of correction or a “rod” of judgment for the unbeliever.

Psalm 23:4, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou [art] with me; thy rod (שֵׁבֶט (šēḇeṭ))H7626 H7626 and thy staff they comfort me.“

Psalm 2:7-9, “I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou [art] my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give [thee] the heathen [for] thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth [for] thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod (שֵׁבֶט (šēḇeṭ))H7626 of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.“

The Sceptre Was Alluded to in the Atonement

We read in John 18:36, when Jesus was being questioned by Pilat, “¶Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world:  if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. ¶Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end wasI born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.“

We should also take note of what we read in Matthew 27:27-31, regarding the mocking that Jesus endured just before being crucified. The “reed” was a taunt to simulate a “sceptre” rod of kingship: “¶Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band [of soldiers]. And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put [it] upon his head, and a reed  (κάλαμος (kalamos))G2563 in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spit upon him, and took the reed (κάλαμος (kalamos))G2563 , and smote him on the head. And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify [him].” And is it not interesting that we read Revelation 21:15, where the one of the seven angels was holding a “golden reed” (reminiscent of the “golden sceptre“?), “And he that talked with me had a golden reed (κάλαμος (kalamos))G2563 to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.“

Esther 5:3, “¶Then said the king unto her, What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what [is] thy request? it shall be even given thee to the half of the kingdom.“

The king was certainly welcoming to queen Esther and made that clear with his promise to answer her request whatever it might be.

Esther 5:4, “¶And Esther answered, If [it] seem good unto the king, let the king and Haman come this day unto the banquet that I have prepared for him.”

This is not what we would have expected but it was all part of God’s plan that would unfold soon. And interestingly the banquet for the king and Haman was prepared for by queen Esther.

Esther 5:5, “¶Then the king said, Cause Haman to make haste, that he may do as Esther hath said. So the king and Haman came to the banquet that Esther had prepared.“

Here the king quickly responded to that request and ordered that Haman come quickly to the banquet.

Esther 5:6, “¶And the king said unto Esther at the banquet of wine, What [is] thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: and what [is] thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed.“

At this banquet, which Esther prepared, involving wine, and the king asked a second time what was the purpose of her request, as it must have been clear that the Banquet alone could not have been the sole purpose of her having come into the throne room uninvited.

Esther 5:7, “¶Then answered Esther, and said, My petition and my request [is];“

She explained the following in answer to the king…she would like to prepare a second banquet like the first, at which time she would make her request known.

Esther 5:8, “If I have found favour in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my petition, and to perform my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I shall prepare for them, and I will do to morrow as the king hath said.“

Esther promised to make her request known at the second banquet like the first.

Haman’s Pride

Esther 5:9, “¶Then went Haman forth that day joyful and with a glad heart: but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate, that he stood not up, nor moved for him, he was full of indignation against Mordecai.“

The key to this verse is that Haman was puffed up in his pride and was ecstatic for having been exclusively invited twice to a banquet with both the king and queen at the queen’s request. But God ordained that Haman would have his bubble popped when he “happened” to pass by Mordecai in the king’s gate who did Haman no obeisance.

Malachi 3:15, “And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, [they that] tempt God are even delivered.“

Esther 5:10, “Nevertheless Haman refrained himself: and when he came home, he sent and called for his friends, and Zeresh his wife.“

Haman took no action at the time, and, upon arriving home, he was quick to gather his friends to announce his newly bestowed honor and promotion over all others within the entire kingdom.

Esther 5:11, “And Haman told them of the glory of his riches, and the multitude of his children, and all [the things] wherein the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the princes and servants of the king.“

This is perhaps the clearest indication of the level of Haman’s conceit and pride. God has a lot to say about “pride”, and these verses are but a sample:

Psalm 10:4, “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek [after God]: God [is] not in all his thoughts.“

Psalm 73:6-10, “Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment. Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish. They are corrupt, and speak wickedly [concerning] oppression: they speak loftily. They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth.“

Proverbs 16:18, “Pride [goeth] before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.“

2 Samual 22:28, “And the afflicted people thou wilt save: but thine eyes [are] upon the haughty, [that] thou mayest bring [them] down.“

Proverbs 18:12, “Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour [is] humility.“

Proverbs 21:24, “Proud [and] haughty scorner [is] his name, who dealeth in proud wrath.”

Job 26:12, “He (God) divideth the sea with his power, and by his understanding he smiteth through the proud.“

Isaiah 40:4, “Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see [it] together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken [it].”

From Mary’s “Magnificat” as she spoke by God’s Holy Spirit with Jesus in her womb in Luke 1:51, “He (God) hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from [their] seats, and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.” [[Note that this song of Mary is called the “Magnificat”, from the word “magnify”, because of what we read in Luke 1:46&47, “¶And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” And note the consistency with Psalm 40:16, “Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified.” and Psalm 69:30, “I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.“]]

Is it not also interesting how this fits with what Jesus taught in “Parable of the Guests” in Luke 14:7-11, “¶And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them, When thou art bidden of any [man] to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him; And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend* (φίλος (philos))G5384, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” And note how well this correlates with James 1:9, “¶Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.“

Esther 5:12, “¶Haman said moreover, Yea, Esther the queen did let no man come in with the king unto the banquet that she had prepared but myself; and tomorrow am I invited unto her also with the king.“

Haman was beside himself in assuming that all was well and secure with him in his position with respect to the king.

Esther 5:13, “Yet all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.”

However, Haman was not satisfied with his presumed honor, and in his pride was unable to deal with Mordecai’s refusal to honor him.

Esther 5:14, “¶ Then said Zeresh his wife and all his friends unto him, Let a gallows be made of fifty cubits high, and to morrow speak thou unto the king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon: then go thou in merrily with the king unto the banquet. And the thing pleased Haman; and he caused the gallows to be made.“

Here Haman’s wife and friends encouraged him to simply do away with Mordecai by hanging Mordecai on an exceedingly high gallows (that Haman should construct on his own property) to make a spectacle of him, which would reinforce Haman’s authority as being subordinate to only the king himself. Moreover, by hanging Mordecai before the banquet on the morrow, Haman would have nothing more to be concerned about and could enjoy the banquet all the more.

Haman was indeed encouraged, and thus ordered that the gallows be quickly erected such that he could hang Mordecai the next day and just before the second banquet with the king and queen.

That was the plan, and it would have come about had not God intervened, as we will next read in chapter six.

And let us NEVER forget what God tells us in  Psalm 9:16, “The LORD is known [by] the judgment [which] he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.“ (Please also see this post on Psalm 9:16.)

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Spiritual Exposition of the Book of Esther, Chapter 4

March 23, 2025

Introduction

This post is the fourth of what will hopefully be ten posts in total to provide verse-by-verse expositions of each of the ten chapters of the Book of Esther. The reader should fully understand that these studies are solely intended to show the many spiritually hidden aspects of God’s Magnificent Salvation Plan, which God has intricately interwoven within the historical account of the Book of Esther. The key to understanding the true meaning of the Book of Esther is to see that the whole book is an Historical Parable, which prophetically points us to the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, Who Is The Only Lord, God, and Savior. Moreover the book is one of concealment (“Esther” in Hebrew means “concealment”) that spans from Old Testament National Israel, to the future fulfillment of the feasts of Passover and Pentecost in the New Testament era, and a “preview” of the yet to be Judgment Day and beyond into eternity in the New Heavens and the New Earth. We can also see key personages of the Bible throughout this book by those who serve as “Types” to each represent 1) God the Father, 2) National Israel, 3) the Lord Jesus Christ, 4) Eternal Israel, 5) The Holy Spirit, and 6) the Devil. A summary overview Christian commentary of the Book of Esther is Here (which also includes a link to a much more comprehensive study).

The Spiritual Theme of Esther Chapter 4: The Atonement of Jesus Christ (Esther 4:1) followed by “three days and nights” of fasting, and petitioning God the Father in Jesus’ Name.

Esther 4:1, “When Mordecai perceived all that was done, Mordecai rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and a bitter cry;“

The very first thing that a student of the Bible, who is a worshiper of the Lord Jesus Christ and child of God should have come to mind is: Matthew 27:50, “Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.” (see also Mark 15:34&37 and Luke 23:46)

A close look at Esther 4:1 will reveal a beautiful summation of the atonement of Jesus Christ, the One Who “perceived all” that God’s Law decrees.  Jesus knew that He must come as the sin bearer to redeem His people and so He humbled Himself (typified by Mordecai’s putting on of sackcloth with ashes), as the king of Nineveh did in Jonah 3:6, “For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered [him] with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.”  Jesus humbled Himself by taking on a human body of low estate to become the sin bearer of all who would believe on Him. 

Incidentally, if we look at Psalms 69:11, in this clearly Messianic Psalm that, “I made sackcloth also my garment; and I became a proverb (parable) to them.”  Please remember that Psalm 69 so particularly reveals the details of Christ’s atonement on the cross.  As a result it is the most frequently quoted Psalm referring to Jesus Christ in the New Testament, including that by Jesus Himself.  In Psalms 69:4, “They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, [being] mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored [that] which I took not away.”  Compare this with John 15:24 &25, “If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.  But [this cometh to pass], that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.” 

In Psalms 69:21 we also read that, “They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.”  That verse Messianically describes what happened to Jesus while He was hanging on the cross, as we find in Matthew 27:34, “They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted [thereof], he would not drink.”  Also in John 19:28-30 we read, “After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.  Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put [it] upon hyssop, and put [it] to his mouth.  When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.”  In verse 9 we find, Psalm 69:9, “For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.”  Compare this with John 2:17 “And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.” and Romans 15:3, “For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.“

If Jesus had not provided a substitutionary atonement for His people, the “Jews,” the Law would demand that they would perish on Judgment Day at the end of the age (typified by the end of the year in Esther).  When Jesus died on the cross in Jerusalem, Jesus completed that work and, like Mordecai, gave out a “loud and bitter cry” as we read Matthew 27:46, “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”  

We should also remember what God says in Lev 13:45 regarding the leprous (unclean) person, “¶And the leper in whom the plague [is], his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean.” Jesus had to become unclean (as though He was leprous) that the believers might become clean. Praise God, Oh what a Savior! (Please see also Jesus’ Cleansing of the Ten Lepers)

NOTE to the reader…The wicked who are the enemies of Jesus, as Haman was to Mordecai, will suffer the fate that we read of in Psalm 69:22-24, “Let their table become a snare before them: and [that which should have been] for [their] welfare, [let it become] a trap. Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their loins continually to shake. Pour out thine indignation upon them, and let thy wrathful anger take hold of them.” Haman’s decree and gallows, with which Haman had hoped to destroy Mordecai, became his own means of destruction.

Esther 4:2, “And came even before the king’s gate: for none [might] enter into the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth.“

No unclean thing can come into the presence of God in Heaven. Just as Mordecai was cloaked in sackcloth and ashes, Jesus was made naked, bearing the sins of God’s Elect, and was taken outside the walls and city gates of Jerusalem to be crucified.

Esther 4:3, “And in every province, whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, [there was] great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.“

The decree by God of the future coming of Judgment Day because of sin (disobedience to God’s Commandments) has gone out into the entire world, and wherever it is heard, those people understand that “the wages of sin [is] death” (Romans 6:23) and they mourn in their hearts over their sin knowing that have come under God’s eternal wrath and judgment.

James 4:7-10, “¶Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse [your] hands, [ye] sinners; and purify [your] hearts, [ye] double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.“

Esther 4:4, “¶So Esther’s maids and her chamberlains came and told [it] her. Then was the queen exceedingly grieved; and she sent raiment to clothe Mordecai, and to take away his sackcloth from him: but he received [it] not.“

Notice also the parallels between the actions of Esther (as a type for the Church) and Mordecai in Esther 4:4, “So Esther’s maids and her chamberlains came and told [it] her. Then was the queen exceedingly grieved; and she sent raiment to clothe Mordecai, and to take away his sackcloth from him: but he received [it] not.”with that of Peter (as another “type” of the Church) and Jesus when Peter attempted to physically defend Jesus and keep Him from His atoning work.  In John 18:10&11 we read, “Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.  Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?“

That cup was the cup of God’s wrath for sin that Jesus had to drink and suffer for the sins of His Elect!

And we should also consider another case where Jesus refused any attempt to relieve his suffering on the cross during The Atonement in Matthew 27:34, “They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted [thereof], he would not drink.“

Esther 4:5, “Then called Esther for Hatach, [one] of the king’s chamberlains, whom he had appointed to attend upon her, and gave him a commandment to Mordecai, to know what it [was], and why it [was].“

Again, we see another of the king’s chamberlains, who like Hegai/Hege earlier, was a eunuch in charge of the women, just as The Holy Spirit watches over and protects Jesus’ Church, and prepares the believers to come into the presence of the King, God Almighty in Heaven.

Hatach: We are first introduced to Hatach here in Esther Chapter 4.  There we see him as the vehicle of communication between Esther and Mordecai in verses 4&5 and between Mordecai and Esther in verses 9&10. It is also interesting to note that Hatach (הֲתָךְ hăṯāḵ reportedly means “Verily” (hence “Truth“)   or possibly also “Gift” ), and is also a proper masculine noun. Both attributes are clearly used in the Bible as representations of the Holy Ghost/Holy Spirit. See for example: for “Truth”; John 14:17, John 15:26, John 16:13 and for “Gift”; Act 2:38, Act 10:45, Hebrews 6:4. It was through him that Esther communed with Mordecai “to know what it [was], and why it [was]” and thereby learned the details of Haman’s plot against the Jews. Hatach was serving in the role of an intercessory communicant!

If we therefore consider that, if Esther represents the eternal Church (the believers) and Mordecai is an allegorical prefigurement of the Lord Jesus Christ, then it would seem quite reasonable to view Hatach, like Hegai earlier, as another “Type” representing God, The Holy Ghost/Holy Spirit.  Most particularly so, because Jesus said, in John 16:13, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” The Holy Spirit communicates to us The Truth, and we know that Jesus is the Truth (John 14:6). We also know that Salvation is a Gift, for in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” and Hebrews 6:4 says, “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,…” and in John 14:16-18, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; [Even] the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.”

We can now more clearly see that both Hegai and Hatach served an important role in ensuring the deliverance of the Jews through preparation and intercession, just as the Holy Spirit Works in the preparation, sanctification, and intercession for the believers.

There is more that the Bible has to say regarding The Personage of The Holy Spirit/Holy Ghost. In addition to the above, we have this in John 3:5-8, “¶Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and [of] the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” 

We are also instructed concerning the anointing, sealing, and being given “the earnest” of the Spirit, God’s Holy Spirit, by Whom we are sealed to the day of redemption as we read in 2 Corinthians 1:21&22, “Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, [is] God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.” and Ephesians 1:13&14, “In whom ye also [trusted], after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”

But the Holy Spirit is also a “Go-Between” the Church and Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit petitions, and He intercedes with, the Lord God on behalf of the believers as we read in Romans 8:26, “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.“. The Holy Spirit also teaches the believers about Jesus through His Word as we read in John 16:13, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.“

And so it is in this case between Esther and Mordecai, Hatach is that go-between and conveys the truth of the matter from Mordecai to Esther.

Esther 4:6, “So Hatach went forth to Mordecai unto the street of the city, which [was] before the king’s gate.”

This is at least somewhat reminiscent of what we read in Luke 22:43, where an angel from heaven met with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane during the Atonement, “And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.” The word for angel is from the original Greek word, ἄγγελος (angelos)G32, which means “a messenger, envoy, one who is sent, an angel, a messenger from God.”

Esther 4:7, “And Mordecai told him of all that had happened unto him, and of the sum of the money that Haman had promised to pay to the king’s treasuries for the Jews, to destroy them.”

This is a more difficult passage to relate to Jesus’ Atonement, but we do know that the devil did not only want to destroy Jesus, but all of the people of Jesus.

Esther 4:8, “Also he gave him the copy of the writing of the decree that was given at Shushan to destroy them, to shew [it] unto Esther, and to declare [it] unto her, and to charge her that she should go in unto the king, to make supplication unto him, and to make request before him for her people.”

Here we see that Esther is first made aware of the first decree (representative of the Law of God promising that Judgment Day is coming at the end of time for sinners). At this point, in the temporal historical account, there is only Judgment in view, with no hope of the people (the Jews) except for intercession pleading for mercy from the king on their behalf.

This is somewhat reminiscent of the fact that Jesus’ Great Commission was that all the believers should take the Gospel message of Salvation to the world and petition the Father in Heaven that the Gospel would go forth triumphantly, bringing in a great multitude of people who would otherwise be destroyed apart from Divine intervention.

Esther 4:9, “And Hatach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai.”

God’s Holy Spirit teaches us that we are in trouble with God, and that we are all under God’s wrath, and that Judgment Day is soon coming, and our only hope is to cry out to God the Father for Salvation in Jesus’ Name, as there is no other way.

Esther 4:10, “¶Again Esther spake unto Hatach, and gave him commandment unto Mordecai;“

Now here we see are provided evidence that Esther is afraid, and she is essentially stating the reality that no one can come into the presence of God apart from first being bidden by God.

Esther 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 innercourt, 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.“

Esther is stating a truth directly from the Gospel as we read, where Jesus specifically stated, twice for emphasis, the following in John 6:44, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” and John 6:65, “And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.“ And we also know that  Matthew 22:14, “For many are called, but few [are] chosen.” So we can see that the conundrum that Esther faced is the same that every believer faces. The believer is both called and chosen, but does not know that for certain that it is a fact unless he or she heeds the command to “come” as we read in Isaiah 55:3, “Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, [even] the sure mercies of David.” And we also know that, ultimately, 2 Corinthians 5:7, “(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)”. Hebrews 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.“

Esther 4:12, “And they told to Mordecai Esther’s words.”

Mordecai heard and understood Esther’s predicament.

Esther 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.“

Mordecai was saying in effect that, just because she is the queen, she will still not escape the judgment that is decreed, because she is still a Jew by ancestry.

Esther 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?“

This is somewhat reminiscent of what we learn from Jesus in His Parable of the Talents. We cannot be afraid or we will be destroyed just like the unprofitable servant in that Parable.

Isaiah 51:12&13, “I, [even] I, am he that comforteth you: who [art] thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man [that] shall die, and of the son of man [which] shall be made as grass; And forgettest the LORD thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where [is] the fury of the oppressor?“

Here we seen Mordecai (an allegorical “Type” of Jesus) conveying to Esther (an allegorical “Type” of the Believers) by Hatach (an allegorical “Type” of the Holy Spirit), “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?”  By implication, if Esther had not faithfully taken up the instruction to go forth to the king as Mordecai had commanded, she would have been destroyed as a wicked and unprofitable servant. And note what kind of destruction is reserved for the wicked and unprofitable servant as we read in Mark’s version, “And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”   We know from elsewhere in the Bible that outer darkness is equated to Hell.  Hell is for the unsaved sinners who reject Jesus and His Gospel message as found in the Bible. Jesus is equated by God with God’s Word, the Bible, and hence rejecting God’s Word is rejecting Jesus.

Moreover, God warns us very clearly.  There is no reason to be “afraid” of what mankind might say or do to us when we stand up for the Truth through the sharing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but rather we should fear (show reverence and obedience) to God.  In Matthew 10:28, Jesus proclaimed, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”  That latter “him” is God Himself! 

We know from Psalm 27:1 “[[A Psalm of David.]] The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD [is] the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” and Romans 8:31 “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who [can be] against us?”

We must be willing to also die, if it were to become necessary to remain faithful in preaching the Gospel of Salvation in Jesus Christ. However, even if we continue to live, we must do so in keeping with Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service.“

God gives us a glimpse of how God views those who are “afraid“. To God, those who are afraid are like the “slothful” person in Proverbs 22:13, “The slothful (עָצֵל (ʿāṣēl))H6102 [man] saith, [There is] a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets..“, and again in Proverbs 26:13, “The slothful (עָצֵל (ʿāṣēl))H6102 [man] saith, [There is] a lion in the way; a lion [is] in the streets“.

Moreover, if we read and ponder what we find in Mark 8:38, “Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.“, then we will see that being “afraid” is much as being “ashamed” of Jesus and His Words, the Word of God.

And for additional proof, note what the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” and in 2 Timothy 1:12, “For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.”

The Believer, rather than be afraid, slothful, or ashamed, should welcome every opportunity to say just as the prophet Isaiah said, “Here am I; send me” in Isaiah 6:8, “¶Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here [am] I; send me.“

Esther Plans to Intercede

Esther 4:15, “¶Then Esther bade [them] return Mordecai [this answer],“

Esther made petition to Mordecai via the intermediary, Hatach, the following:

Esther 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.”

Note that there is no specific reference to prayer and supplications to God in this verse, as it only mentions communal “fasting”.

Note that we had already compared Mordecai putting on sackcloth and sitting in ashes, and giving out a loud and bitter cry, which foreshadowed the suffering Atonement of Jesus Christ on the cross.  But now we can see mention of a period of three days. It is clearly reminiscent of the three days and three night period of Jesus’ Atoning Sacrifice (His death, burial, and torment in Hell for the equivalent of Eternity)…beginning with Jesus’ agony in the Garden of Gethsemane on Thursday night (Passover evening) until His Resurrection on Sunday, Easter morning, which was on the third day, 1 Corinthians 15:4 “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:“

We see many references to “Three days (and three nights)” in the Bible. Some of the more prominent ones include:

  1. Jonah 1:17, “Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.“
  2. Matthew 12:40, “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.“
  3. Nehemiah 2:11, “¶ So I (Nehemiah) came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.“
  4. Exodus 3:18, “And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days‘ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.”
  5. Exodus 5:3, “And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days‘ journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.”
  6. Exodus 8:27, “We will go three days‘ journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to the LORD our God, as he shall command us.”
  7. Jonah 3:3, “So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days‘ journey.“

Finally, we see that Esther resigned herself to the reality that “If I perish, I perish.” But are we not told that the believers should come boldly unto the throne room of grace as we read in Hebrews 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.” This is exactly what Esther was told to do by Mordecai, and she knew that was exactly what she had to do to obtain mercy and to find Regal help in that desperate time of need. There simply was no other way.

Other verses to consider are these words from Jesus:

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

Mark 8:35, “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.“

Luke 9:24, “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.“

(More on this in Esther Chapter 5.)

We should also consider what we find in Psalm 119:58, “I intreated thy (God’s) favour with [my] whole heart: be merciful unto me according to thy word.“

Finally, should not all believers take to heart the admonition penned by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it].”

Esther 4:17, “¶So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.”

This verse is a bit difficult to understand from a spiritual perspective, as it does suggest that Esther “commanded” Mordecai (as opposed to “requesting”), such that Mordecai appears to hierarchically “obey” Esther. Even from an historical earthly viewpoint this appears somewhat strange, as Mordecai was Esther’s male elder, and Mordecai served in the office of her deceased father.

However, we also know the following which might be relevant from the spiritual perspective

  1. Philippians 4:6&7, “¶Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.“
  2. Jesus said John 14:13&14, “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do [it].
  3. Matthew 7:7&8, “¶ Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” and similarly in Luke 11:9&10, “¶ And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.“

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The Holy Trinity: One God in Three Persons (Comprehending the Incomprehensible)

March 10, 2025
This is from the King James Version. Most other English translations do not read this way (drawing from different source texts), with the result being that they only provide something like: “For there are three that testify:”

Introduction

This post aims to clarify the profound mystery of God as revealed from His Holy Word (the Bible): One God, yet a Triune God. God Almighty is a single Divine Being, unified in essence and purpose, yet manifested in three distinct Personages—1) The Father, 2) The Son (The Lord Jesus Christ, The Word), and 3) The Holy Ghost/Holy Spirit. This “Trinity in Unity” is a great, incomprehensible mystery, yet Scripture affirms its truth, making it accessible to our finite minds to the extent we can accept it by faith.

Through numerous Bible studies, this teacher has sought to edify believers and glorify God, emphasizing that the entire Bible points to the Person and Atoning Work of the Lord Jesus Christ. For example, please see the post titled “Exalting the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ: The Key of Knowledge for Unlocking the Mystery of the Bible“. These studies, rooted in Old Testament allegories, types, and shadows, reveal God’s magnificent Salvation plan for His Glory. By God’s mercy and the Holy Spirit’s guidance, this teaching aims to bless readers worldwide and draw them closer to Him, particularly as Jesus’ Triumphant Return and Judgment Day draws nigh.

As Proverbs 25:2 states: “[It is] the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings [is] to search out a matter.” God conceals various aspects of Jesus within the Scriptures—for His glory, while believers are honored by searching them out.

God as One and Triune: Biblical Evidence

The Trinity Defined

Though the word “Trinity” is absent from Scripture, the doctrine emerges from numerous verses that collectively reveal God as a Triune Being—three Personages working indivisibly as One. Here’s the biblical foundation:

  1. Plurality from the Beginning
    • Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God (אֱלֹהִים, ‘ĕlōhîm))H430 created the heaven and the earth.”
    • Genesis 1:26 “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…”
      The Hebrew word ‘ĕlōhîm (a plural noun) and the plural pronoun “us” suggest plurality within God’s unity, hinting at the Trinity from the outset (see also Isaiah 6:8).
  2. Jesus’ Great Commission Affirms the Three Persons as Co-Equal in Authority
    • Matthew 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…”
  3. Unity Underscored
    • 1 John 5:7, “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” Jesus is the Word made flesh as we read in John 1:14, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
  4. The Three Persons Collaborate and Coordinate
    • Ephesians 2:18, “For through him [Christ] we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.”
  5. Each Person’s Role is Distinct Yet Harmonious
    • 1 Peter 1:2, “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ:…”

Indivisible Unity in Diversity

Despite the three Personages, God remains One. Ephesians 4:6 declares: “One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” John 10:30 reinforces this: “I and my Father are one.”, as does Colossians 2:9, “For in him (Jesus) dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:”

The Mystery of Isaiah 9:6

Isaiah 9:6 presents a striking enigma: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” This prophecy of Jesus, the Son, also calls Him “The everlasting Father.” Colossians 1:15-20 clarifies: Jesus is “the image of the invisible God,” by Whom all things were created, consist, and are reconciled as we read here,

“¶Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in [all things] he might have the preeminence. ¶For it pleased [the Father] that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, [I say], whether [they be] things in earth, or things in heaven.“

1 Timothy 1:17, “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, [be] honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.“

The Significance of Three: A Biblical Pattern

Why Three?

We must first recognize the fact that Numbers Found in the Bible Can Convey Spiritual Concepts.

The number three (“3“), as in the Trinity represents God’s sovereign will and testimony. As a prime number, it signifies indivisibility and completeness. Ecclesiastes 4:12 illustrates: “…a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” and Deuteronomy 19:15, establishes a basis for truth with “…at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.” The Trinity—Father, Son (The Word), and Holy Spirit—embodies this perfect, unbreakable triune unity as we read again in 1 John 5:7, “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word (The Son), and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”

Threes in Jesus’ Earthly Ministry

The number three recurs in Jesus’ atoning sacrifice, fulfilling God’s Will and Purpose:

These patterns underscore the Trinity’s role in redemption.

The Three Persons of the Godhead

Each Person of the Holy Trinity is fully God, yet each Person fulfills a distinct role while remaining indivisible.

1. God The Father

  • Role: The ultimate source and initiator of creation, salvation, and judgment.
  • Scripture:
    • John 3:16&17, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.“
    • Romans 15:6, “That ye may with one mind [and] one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
    • 1 Corinthians 8:6, “But to us [there is but] one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom [are] all things, and we by him.“
    • Revelation 4:11, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.“
  • Attributes: Known as the “Ancient of Days” (Daniel 7:22, Daniel 7:13), seated on the throne (Revelation 4:2&3), worthy of glory and honor (1 Chronicles 29:10-13).

2. God The Son, Jesus Christ (The Word)

  • Role: The Savior, Creator, and Obedient Son, executing the Father’s Will.
  • Scripture:
    • Matthew 1:21, “And she (Mary) shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” 
    • John 1:1-3,: “¶In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
    • John 1:14, ¶And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
    • Hebrews 1:8: “But unto the Son [he saith], Thy throne, O God, [is] for ever and ever…”
    • In the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prayed to the Father in Luke 22:42, “Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.”
    • Philippians 2:8, “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.“
  • Attributes: The Creator (John 1:3), The Lamb slain (Revelation 5:12 and Revelation 13:8), “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS” (Revelation 19:16), The Good Shepherd (Psalm 23:1-6), and revealer of The Father (John 14:9).

3. God The Holy Spirit

  • Role: The means of God’s work—creating, empowering, regenerating, teaching, and interceding for the saints.
  • Scripture:
    • Genesis 1:2, “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness [was] upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.“
    • John 16:13-15, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He (The Holy Spirit) shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew [it] unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew [it] unto you.”
    • Romans 8:26 we read, “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.“
    • Titus 3:5&6, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;“
    • When we pray, we pray in The Spirit/The Holy Ghost, as we read in, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;” and Jude 20&21, “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” 
  • Attributes: The Comforter (John 14:26), Spirit of Truth (John 14:17, 1 John 4:6) indwelling believers (1 Corinthians 3:16), and testifying of Jesus Christ (John 15:26).

Implicit Hierarchy

Scripture suggests a functional subordination:

  1. Jesus Christ, The Son, submits to Our Father in Heaven as we read in John 5:19, “Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.” and, perhaps more importantly, we read in John 14:28, “Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come [again] unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.”
  2. The Holy Spirit proceeds from The Father with Jesus’ involvement as we read where Jesus said in John 15:26, “¶But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, [even] the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:”. Yet, this does not diminish their equality in Deity, it only reflects their differing roles within the Godhead’s intimate Unity.

The Indivisible Trinity

The three Persons are inseparable. Jesus declares in John 14:9, “…he that hath seen me hath seen the Father;” and in John 10:30, “I and [my] Father are one.” The Holy Spirit sent by the Father glorifies the Son, who reveals the Father, forming a perfect unity. As 1 Corinthians 13:12 notes, “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.“, our understanding remains partial until we see God face-to-face.

Conclusion

The Trinity defies complete human comprehension because God’s infinite nature surpasses our finite minds. The Bible affirms that the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God—three Persons, one essential God Being. This mystery invites faith, not full explanation. As we search the Scriptures, we honor God by uncovering His concealed glory, trusting His revelation until the saints know Him fully in eternity.

Source: https://www.gotquestions.org/Trinity-Bible.html

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The Duty of a Christian Is to Share The Word of God Faithfully in Truth (and Not Error)

March 7, 2025

Introduction

This is just a short post of key verses exhorting and admonishing the saints to be faithful in their individual Ambassadorships in witnessing, preaching, and teaching for the Lord Jesus Christ.

The believing servant of the Lord Jesus Christ has a responsibility to not only share the Gospel of Salvation with the world (as is explained in Jesus’ Parable of the Talents), but to do it faithfully, and not as a false prophet whom Jesus described in Matthew 24:24.

Jeremiah 23:28, “…he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully…“

 Proverbs 14:5, “A faithful witness will not lie: but a false witness will utter lies.“

We should emulate our Master, The Lord Jesus Christ, Who we read of in Revelation 1:5, “And from Jesus Christ, [who is] the faithful witness, [and] the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him [be] glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.“

2 Corinthians 2:17, ”For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.”

In 1 Peter 4:11 we read, “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen”.

Psalm 68:11, “The Lord gave the word: great [was] the company of those that published בָּשַׂר (bāśar)H1319 [it].” In this case, the original Hebrew word for ‘publish’ is better understood as “delivering a message” or “preached” the Word.

Mark 13:10, “And the gospel must first be published among all nations.“

Mark 16:15, “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.“

1 Timothy 4:13, “Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.”

2 Timothy 2:15&16, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane [and] vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.“

1 Timothy 6:20&21, “¶O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane [and] vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace [be] with thee. Amen.“

2 Corinthians 5:20, “¶Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray [you] in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.“

 2 Corinthians 4:1-7, “¶Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 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. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to [give] the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. ¶But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.“

The Apostle Paul was moved to instruct the believers to follow this exhortation that we read in Colossians 1:25-29, “Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; [Even] the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what [is] the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.“

Ephesians 4:11-16, “¶And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we [henceforth] be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, [and] cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, [even] Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.“

 1 John 4:1, “¶Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that [spirit] of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. ¶Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.“

Jeremiah 3:15, “And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.“

Finally we read in Acts 1:8, Jesus said after His Resurrection and just before His Ascension, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” and Matthew 28:19&20, as Jesus said, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen.“

Postscript: Wisdom is the Principal Thing

Proverbs 4:7 states, “Wisdom [is] the principal thing; [therefore] get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” Wisdom is ultimately knowing and loving the Lord Jesus Christ.

In Proverbs 2:1-6, God provides this instruction to the believer to search out wisdom as “hid treasures“, “My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, [and] liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as [for] hid treasures. Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge God. For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth [cometh] knowledge and understanding.”

The Apostle Paul declared that he determined to know one thing, Jesus Christ and him crucified in 1 Corinthians 2:1&2, “¶And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” Also, Jesus Christ is made unto us, wisdom (and righteousness, sanctification and redemption) as we read in 1 Corinthians 1:30&31, “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.. 

Jeremiah 29:13, “And ye shall seek me, and find [me], when ye shall search for me with all your heart.“

Proverbs 25:2, “[It is] the glory of God to conceal a thing (Word): but the honour of kings [is] to search out a matter (Word).” Please see this Post.

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A Word to the Wise: The Benefits of Using the King James Bible

March 2, 2025

Bible

Introduction

The purpose of this post is to set forth an explanation of why this teacher relies solely on the Authorized King James Version (KJV) of the Bible versus other more modern English translations. This will not be a long or exhaustive post because the intent is not to argue or make demands, but simply to make a few points for the readership of this blog (and Bible students in general) to see the logic behind this teacher’s preference to rely solely on the King James English Translation of God’s Holy Spirit inspired and crafted Bible. It should also be noted that all of the KJV Bible verses incorporated within all of the studies found on the Bereansearching website are live linked to the https://www.blueletterbible.org website under (KJV).

Key Points to Consider

  1. The Authorized King James Version is NOT copyrighted! All other translations are copyrighted and therefore used to generate profits for the publishers from God’s Holy Word. Think about that!
  2. The King James Translators were devout Christian scholars and their commitment, integrity, and solemnity of duty, and reverence for the Word is clear in their Dedicatory letter to the King James (King James had the power over life and death in England at the time). These were not mere academicians and theologians, but rather true God fearing, Christian men. Moreover, this teacher believes that few men have been so guided by God in their Biblical understanding than were the King James translators.
  3. The King James translators provided a means to alert the reader to the fact that some words and phrases have been added for clarity of understanding through italicization. This feature is not found in any other English translations.
  4. The KJV translation employs the words “you” (singular) and “ye” (plural) which provides additional clarity rather than the all encompassing modern use of the word “you”. Also the use of “Thou”, “Thy” and “Thine”, are more reverent to the ear than “You”, “Your”, and “Yours” when addressing Almighty God. For example, Psalm 119:105, “NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” All other translations fall like a dull thud on the ear.
  5. The KJV properly addresses gender as God ordained, and is therefore not “gender-neutral” as are some of the modern translations (which are not really translations, but are really nothing more than “interpretations”).
  6. And who would presume and/or dare to think for one moment that they could possibly improve upon the KJV translation of Hebrews 11:1, “¶Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.“? And what about the 23rd Psalm? Could that Psalm possibly have the same sweet blessing to the ear and heart in any other English translation? You be the judge!
  7. Almost none of the modern English translations correctly translate some key verses in the Bible
    • In the KJV, Genesis 22:8 reads, “And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.” Almost every other translation reads like this: “Abraham said, God will provide for himself the lamb  for a burnt offering, my son. So they went both of them together.” Do you see the difference? No, God did not just go get a lamb “for himself“, God (Jesus Christ) was Himself The Lamb for a burnt offering! As we read in John 1:29, “¶The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him,  and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” and in Galatians 1:3-5, “¶Grace [be] to you and peace from God the Father, and [from] our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: To whom [be] glory for ever and ever. Amen.” This is a key scriptural and spiritual point that is entirely lost in the other English translations!
    • In the KJV, Galatians 2:16, reads as follows: “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” Almost every other modern English translation reads as follows: “yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” Think about that! The other English translations have it completely wrong, it is the Faith “of” Jesus Christ, NOT “in” Jesus Christ that saves someone! Man cannot save himself…to suggest otherwise is a false free will gospel!
    • This verse does not even exist in most modern English translations: 1 John 5:7, “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” All that you will find is simply this truncated phrase: “For there are three that testify:”
    • Another verse that is missing from most modern English translations is Acts 8:37, “¶And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” The basis for its exclusion is because, “Some Greek manuscripts exclude this verse.” The ESV, which omits verse 37, states in a “footnote” to verse 36: “Some manuscripts add all or most of verse 37.”

The Bible Student Must Still “Search the Scriptures“

Now this is not to say that the King James Version is “perfect”, but rather that the King James Version is the best available English translation above all others.

When reading the Bible, particularly an English translation (as is found on the Bereansearching.com website…using the King James Version), it is easy to breeze through, and not realize the depth of the riches of the words as can be found when looking at the original Hebrew and Greek words. Moreover, it is easy to miss the context and cross-correlations that might be found where the exact same word in the original Hebrew can be translated in an entirely different way, and thereby miss important connections that God had placed there.

This study is intended to provide a brief tutorial on how important it is to view key words in the Bible within the broader context of the entire Bible…bearing in mind that the Old Testament is translated into English from the original Hebrew, while New Testament is translated from the original Greek and Aramaic. Additional insights on the importance of such word studies can be found in these previous posts that focus upon some of the “hidden spiritual gems” that can be found through the conduct of similar efforts regarding Judges 4:6, Ruth 3:9, Psalm 37:37, Psalm 119:18, and 2 Kings 14:25. May all these studies serve to edify and strengthen the faith of the Saints, the believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Three other important examples where a better translation by the King James translators could have helped with spiritual understanding are explained in these three posts where this teacher has endeavored to diligently “search the scriptures”:

  1. Proverbs 25:2
  2. The “pitch” used to waterproof Noah’s Ark
  3. Nehemiah “viewed” the walls of Jerusalem

In any case, NONE of the other English translations provide any suggestion of a correct understanding of the finer Biblical points found in those studies.

And it should also be noted that the https://www.blueletterbible.org website provides all the necessary tools to “search out” the originally intended word meanings from the original Hebrew and Greek, to come to the same conclusions as this teacher. The findings are all academically reproducible to anyone who takes the time to search them out.

Potential Stumbling Blocks to the Modern Reader

While this teacher recommends the King James English translation, it must be acknowledged that, yes, it is written in the “Old English” style, and as a result, can create some confusion, as some words in the Old English have significantly different meanings in today’s modern English. For example, when in the 23rd Psalm we read shall not “want“, it does not mean shall not “desire“, but rather means “shall not lack (anything)”. The word “prevent” does not mean “to inhibit“, but rather means “to go before.“ Such differences are a bit strange at first, but are easily understood when read in context and with regular reading. Nonetheless, as mentioned earlier, the Old English prose conveys a unique sense of both solemnity and reverence to the ear and heart.

May this post be a helpful aid to the serious student of the Bible.

POSTSCRIPT: The Great Theological Divide Over Manuscripts

We should also take note of the fact that there is a great foundational divide regarding the early Biblical manuscripts. The Textus Receptus (Latin for “Received Text”) is a Greek New Testament compendium that provided the textual base for the vernacular translations of the Reformation Period (like the Geneva Bible and the King James Version). It is substantially different from the more recent, generally more well accepted, Nestle Aland translation based on the “Alexandrian Text” (or the other newer translations based on what is known “Majority Text”). Modern textual criticism of the Textus Receptus claims that the newer translations use physically “older” manuscripts (which do not read the same as 1 John 5:7), yet those older manuscripts have a lot of disagreements between themselves (And therefore the case can also be made that, although those manuscripts are “older” than the Textus Receptus, they were not valid because of their inconsistencies and hence judged by many as unreliable.)

Among the arguments against the King James Version (KJV) translation, which used the Textus Receptus, is that somehow the translators “added“ verses. For example, the copyrighted English Standard Version (ESV) Bible relies on the “Alexandrian Text”, with one result being that the Book of Mark ends with verse 8 rather than continuing to verse 20 as is found in the King James Version. A footnote is added to the ESV at verse 9 as follows:

ESV Footnotes

(16:9) “Some manuscripts end the book with 16:8; others include verses 9–20 immediately after verse 8. At least one manuscript inserts additional material after verse 14; some manuscripts include after verse 8 the following: But they reported briefly to Peter and those with him all that they had been told. And after this, Jesus himself sent out by means of them, from east to west, the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation. These manuscripts then continue with verses 9–20″

It is most notable that the KJV of Mark ends in complete harmony with the other three Gospels covering Jesus’ appearance to Mary Magdalene, to the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus, and ending with Jesus’ Great Commission.

On the other hand, arguments have been made suggesting that the scribes of the later copies (Alexandrian Text) omitted verses in the course of making those copies. Given the case that can be made regarding the commitment, sobriety, and declared God fearing understanding of the King James translators, we must trust that God guided those men, such that they did not add or subtract anything in the Scriptures. Except for some of the more fundamental conservative churches, along with a few scattered independent churches, most churches do not use the King James Version of the Bible today. Many church leaders today feel that the King James English is too outdated for our modern world, and to employ the KJV is to make a pastor or teacher appear as a ‘theological dinosaur’.

For anyone interested in pursuing this topic further, a well written treatise by Edward F Hills on the pertinence and validity of the KJV translation is available online for free here: “The King James Version Defended“. One short excerpt from that book:

The Protestant Reformers and the Living Word of God
The Protestant Reformers understood the fact that in the Bible, “God reveals HIMSELF, not mere information concerning Himself. To them the Bible was no mere book of doctrine but the revelation of the living God.“

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A Spiritual Exposition of the Book of Esther, Chapter 3

March 1, 2025
Esther Chapter 3, verse 1, in the Original Hebrew

Introduction

This post is the third of what will hopefully be ten posts in total to provide verse-by-verse expositions of each of the ten chapters of the Book of Esther. The reader should fully understand that these studies are solely intended to show the many spiritually hidden aspects of God’s Magnificent Salvation Plan, which God has intricately interwoven within the historical account of the Book of Esther. The key to understanding the true meaning of the Book of Esther is to see that the whole book is an Historical Parable, which prophetically points us to the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, Who Is The Only Lord, God, and Savior. Moreover the book is one of concealment (“Esther” in Hebrew means “concealment”) that spans from Old Testament National Israel, to the future fulfillment of the feasts of Passover and Pentecost in the New Testament era, and a “preview” of the yet to be Judgment Day and beyond into eternity in the New Heavens and the New Earth. We can also see key personages of the Bible throughout this book by those who serve as “Types” to each represent 1) God the Father, 2) National Israel, 3) the Lord Jesus Christ, 4) Eternal Israel, 5) The Holy Spirit, and 6) the Devil. A summary overview Christian commentary of the Book of Esther is Here (which also includes a link to a much more comprehensive study).

The Spiritual Theme of Esther Chapter 3: Satan Acquires Dominion Over This Creation by Right of Conquest Immediately Upon the Fall of Adam (Esther 3:1 and Esther 8:5)  Please see Romans 6:23.

  • The “Law” is Given , The Temptation of Christ,  Satan Seeks to Destroy Jesus and All of His People, by Accusing the People for Being Sinners…For Their Not Keeping the King’s Laws/Commandments (Esther 3:6-8), Please see: Revelation 12:10

Introduction of Prince Haman

Esther 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.“

The introductory phrase, “After all these things“, replicates what is found in the first verse of Chapter 2. However, in this case, we would seem to have to understand that it is something that followed, and which was also evidently a direct result of, what we had just read about at the end of Esther Chapter 2. That something would have to have been related to the thwarted insurrection attempt against the king.

This verse provides us with the name of a newly exalted prince of the king, prince Haman. The verse tells us that Haman was the son of Hammedatha and that he was an Agagite. From this verse we can learn a lot about this person, but for the purposes of this verse by verse study we can confidently state that Haman, as an Agagite, was also an Amalekite: and hence he was a Vessel “Unto Dishonour” and an unmistakeable portrait of the Devil. This teacher highly recommends that the reader now review the very detailed spiritual character study on Haman that is found here: “The Devil in Disguise“. That study shows that a very strong correlation can be made between Haman and the Devil, because of at least three distinct factors:

  1. Haman’s personality traits and named attributes
  2. The meaning of Haman’s name
  3. Haman’s ancestral lineage and its Biblical spiritual implications

If we consider the spiritual implications we would have to conclude that the ascendency of Haman is consistent with Satan Acquiring Dominion Over This Creation by Right of Conquest Immediately Upon the Fall of Adam. 

Esther 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.“

Irrespective of the fact that king Ahasuerus acknowledged that Haman was a chief prince in the kingdom, the important point of this verse is that Mordecai was the only one who did NOT bow or show any reverence to Haman. What does this remind us of? Yes, the devil wanted Jesus to reverence him in and Jesus rebuked the devil for it (see more below after verse 6).

Remember also  Psalm 15:4 tells us that a child of God has these attributes, “In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. [He that] sweareth to [his own] hurt, and changeth not.“

Esther 3:3, “Then the king’s servants, which were in the king’s gate, said unto Mordecai, Why transgressest thou the king’s commandment?”

This verse is a bit reminiscent of what occurred in the life of Jesus that we read about in Mark 12:13-17 (see also Matthew 22:15–22; Luke 20:20–26 ), “¶And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in [his] words. And when they were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, butteachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see [it]. And they brought [it]. And he saith unto them, Whose [is] this image and superscription? And  they said unto him, Caesar’s. ¶And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And they marvelled at him.“

Esther 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.“

At this point it is safe to say that when the king’s servants questioned Mordecai for his defiance of the king’s decree, Mordecai evidently told them He worshipped only the Lord God of Israel and admitted in the process that he was therefore a Jew. Moreover, Mordecai would likely have quoted scripture (just as Jesus did in Matthew 4:10) referring to Deuteronomy 6:13, “Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.” and Deuteronomy 10:20, “Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name.“

These informants were talebearers working mischief, typical of reprobates. We are told the following concerning such people:

  1. Proverbs 11:13, “A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.”
  2. Proverbs 18:8, “The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.“
  3. Proverbs 20:19, “He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.”
  4. Proverbs 26:20, “Where no wood is, [there] the fire goeth out: so where [there is] no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.“
  5. Proverbs 26:22, “The words of a talebearer [are] as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.“

Mordecai Refuses to Reverence Haman, So Haman Seeks to Destroy Both Mordecai and All the Jews

Esther 3:5, “And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath.“

The Bible specifically warns about man’s wrath in:

  1. Proverbs 14:29, “[He that is] slow to wrath (חֵמָה (ḥēmâ))H2534 [is] of great understanding: but [he that is] hasty of spirit exalteth folly.“
  2. Proverbs 19:19, “A man of great wrath (חֵמָה (ḥēmâ))H2534shall suffer punishment: for if thou deliver [him], yet thou must do it again.“
  3. Proverbs 21:24, “Proud [and] haughty scorner [is] his name, who dealeth in proud wrath (חֵמָה (ḥēmâ))H2534 .“
  4. Proverbs 27:4, “Wrath (חֵמָה (ḥēmâ))H2534 [is] cruel, and anger [is] outrageous; but who [is] able to stand before envy?“

Esther 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.“

In Esther 3:5&6, we read, “And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath (חֵמָה (ḥēmâ))H2534. 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.”

This was a tipping point in the historical narrative of the Book of Esther. Haman’s pride led him to hate Mordecai and desire to murder Mordecai. Notably, Haman was not only being wrathful and hate filled, but in his pride he was in complete rebellion to God and His Word, particularly when we think of these verses of Hannah’s “Song of Thanksgiving” (for her son Samuel) in 1 Samuel 2:2&3, “[There is] none holy as the LORD: for [there is] none beside thee: neither [is there] any rock like our God. Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let [not] arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD [is] a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.” Also 1 Samuel 2:6-9, “The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, [and] lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set [them] among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth [are] the LORD’S, and he hath set the world upon them. He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.“

This historical account is also quite similar what we know what was the situation that found in Matthew 4:8-10, where the devil, having been given the power by God to rule this world upon the Fall of Adam, desired for Jesus to also “fall down and worship” him, to which Jesus answered, “Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” (Please see also Mark 1:12&13; Luke 4:1–13 .)

The devil wrathfully hates God, and not only desired to kill Jesus, but to also continues seeking to kill all of those who believe in Jesus, those who are the true Christians.  In 1 Peter 5:8,  we are told to “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:“

It should also be noted that the word for “wrath” that is used to describe the hate that filled Haman against Mordecai is חֵמָה (ḥēmâ))H2534 in the original Hebrew, which has been translated into English by the King James Translators variously as: fury (67x), wrath (34x), poison (6x), furious (4x), displeasure (3x), rage (2x), anger (1x), bottles (1x), furious (with H1167) (1x), furiously (1x), heat (1x), indignation (1x), wrathful (1x), wroth (1x). And, for the record, it is also the same word used to describe the “wrath” of King Ahasuerus that was “appeased” against Queen Vashti and “pacified” against Haman that we see in Esther 2:1, and Esther 7:7 together with Esther 7:10.

Esther 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.“

Casting the Lot to Determine the Timing of “Judgment Day” (Both Temporally and Spiritually)

In Esther 3:7, we read the following “In the first month, that [is] , the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot(גּוֹרָל (gôrāl))H1486, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, [to] the twelfth [month], that [is], the month Adar.” Now we need to remember what God tells us in two places in the Bible. 

  1. First, in Proverbs 16:33, “The lot (גּוֹרָל (gôrāl))H1486 is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof [is] of the LORD.” This means that even though Haman cast the lot, God is still in charge of how it turns out. 
  2. Then in Isaiah 34:17, “And he hath cast the lot(גּוֹרָל (gôrāl))H1486 for them, and his hand hath divided it unto them by line: they shall possess it for ever, from generation to generation shall they dwell therein.” The “he” is God Almighty, and “them/they” are all those consigned to Hell (a land of brimstone and burning pitch Isaiah 34:9) on Judgment Day (“the day of the LORD’S vengeance” Isaiah 34:8 when the smoke of their torment goes up for ever. Isaiah 34:10 and Revelation 14:11).

All of Isaiah chapter 34 is a warning from God to the entire world of the Judgment Day to come, and that God warns us that none of His Words will fail that are found in the Bible, Which book God tells us all to “read”, as we find in the preceding verse to the one above, “Isaiah 34:16, “Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.“

Haman’s Plot Against the Jews

Esther 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.“

Here we read where Haman, as the chief of the princes with him, because of His pride, reports to the king in this verse, that there is a people that is scattered throughout the kingdom who do not keep the kings laws and the king should not suffer them to live.  Interestingly, part of Haman’s argument was that this certain people (the Jews) had laws that were different from the local laws of the Medes and the Persians. This was actually a true statement in the sense that the Jews followed the Mosaic Laws (dietary, cleanliness, sacrifices to the True God, etc.). However, there is another way of looking at this. If we think of that statement from a spiritual perspective, it could be that everyone by nature does not keep the Law of God Almighty (no one keeps the Law of God perfectly) and pretty much since the Fall of Adam, everybody (by nature) does that which is right in his or her own eyes.

Haman even offered a great sum of silver to bring about the people’s destruction in verse Esther 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.”  Then in Esther 3:12 we read, “¶ 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.”  The Bible, the extant Law of God, has gone out to all the earth and it makes clear in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin [is] death;” We would all remain condemned to Hell according to the Law of God (apart from the Mercy and Grace of God).

Isn’t it an interesting “coincidence” that when God gave the commandment (the Law) to Adam and Eve to not eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and despite God telling them that the day they ate of it that they would die, that the serpent (Satan) effectively had caused them to not “keep the King’s law.”  Is it not also true that, until the cross, Satan was allowed to come before God (see Job 1:6 & 7) to be the accuser of the believers for not perfectly keeping the Law of God, for in Revelation 12:10 we read, “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.”  Note also that the not only was Judgment Day in view when God gave the first commandment, i.e. Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin [is] death;” but in the second part of that verse is the decreed way of escape by God’s grace that we read about in Esther 8:9, “the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.“, but God allowed Satan to have dominion over this whole creation by right of conquest.  That is why Jesus said in John 18:3, ¶”Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.“

Esther 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.“

Regarding Haman’s offer of “ten thousand talents of silver” is indicative of what we read in Psalm 116:15, “Precious in the sight of the LORD [is] the death of his saints.” The number 10,000 is 10X10X10X10 or ten to the fourth power. The number ten is representative (which can also be manifest as 100, 1000, or 10,000s) is most representative of the concept of “Completeness“, “Totality“, and “Fulfillment“. The number four (“4“) represents “Earthly”, “Global”, and “Universal“, something having an impact on the entire world, and can also apply all the way to the end of time. For more on the spiritual implications of numbers in the Bible, particularly the numbers ten and four, please see this post: Numbers in the Bible Can Convey Spiritual Concepts.

Spiritually speaking, it is hard to fully correlate this verse with what we know of the interactions between the devil and God, but we do know that the devil had been given dominion over this world by God until the cross, as we read in Matthew 4:8&9, “¶Again, the devil taketh him (Jesus) up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.” How could the devil make such an offer unless he had that dominion over this world at that time?

It is also notable what is found in Revelation 9:11, “And they had a king over them, [which is] the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue [is] Abaddon (Ἀβαδδών (abaddōnn)G3 , meaning “Destruction”), but in the Greek tongue hath [his] name Apollyon ( Ἀπολλύων (apollyōn)G623 , meaning “Destroyer”).

Esther 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.“

The king’s ring is a sign of authority and dominion.

Esther 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.”

God did not take any spoil from the devil. God simply allowed the devil to have earthly dominion until the cross.

Under the Law, the Wages of Sin Is Death and Total Destruction

Esther 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.“

Because of the Fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden, God decreed that man would die (but it was not just physical death, but spiritual and eternal death and destruction in Hell). And the warnings against disobedience to God’s commandments, and the just penalty for disobedience that will be meted out to all mankind on Judgment Day (at the end of the world) have been sent throughout the entire planet in every language through the publication and distribution of the most widely dispersed publication on earth, the Holy Bible.

How is Judgment Day in View?

It can be easily missed in casual reading, but there are a number of potential time clues that God has provided in this one verse. First we must recognize that The End of the Year is When Judgment Day Comes and Eternity Begins. 

In the Book of Esther, the first decree went forth into all the great kingdom of Ahasuerus to be carried out in the end of the year on the 13th day of the twelfth month, Adar.  Isn’t it interesting that just as it is obvious that the twelfth month in the Book of Esther can be equated to the end of the year, God Himself defines the “end of the year” to a time of harvest.  In Exodus 23:16 we read, “And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, [which is] in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.”  Remember that Jesus said in Matthew 13:39 that, “the harvest is in the end of the world.”  The harvest that is equated to “the end of the world” refers to the completion of the final harvest wherein the believers’ souls, the “wheat,” are gathered into God’s barn, while the unsaved, the “tares,” are gathered together and taken out to be burned as we read in Matthew 13:30, “Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.”   At the end of time, the last Trump should herald the end of this creation and the transition to eternity wherein the true “Jews” (Christians from all nations, kindreds, people, and tongues) will celebrate the eternal Jubilee brought about by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ in the new Heavens and the new Earth in the presence of Almighty God.

Why the “Thirteenth” Day?

The reader should, by now, be aware that numbers in the Bible can convey spiritual concepts. The number 13 is a particularly interesting number in the Bible from several vantage points.

The number thirteen (“13“) is a prime number that represents “Completion” or “Super Fullness” (quite possibly with implications for the end of time, thus the “completion and super fullness of time”).

This is particularly important when we consider that the Biblical calendar of history, as provided by God using patriarchal genealogies, strongly suggests that it had been 11000 years from creation to the coming of Jesus. And given that it is now two thousand years since Jesus was on earth, creation must be very close to being 13000 years old in our day (see the “Numbers” post how the calendar can be Biblically determined).

Have you ever realized that the walls of Jericho fell only after National Israel circumnavigated (compassed) the city thirteen times?  Moreover, that event was a prefigurement of Judgment Day!  Joshua 6:2-5, “And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, [and] the mighty men of valour. And ye shall compass the city, all [ye] men of war, [and] go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long [blast] with the ram’s horn, [and] when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.“

Given that we are very close to Judgment Day, and that this creation is very close to being slightly more than 13,000 years old (please see the two charts in the Postscript to the study of Numbers), could it be that we have been given another time clue in Esther that is telling us that the end of the year (Judgment Day) is linked (both literally and spiritually) with the number 13, as we find in both the Fall of Jericho and in the Book of Esther? Time will tell.

In Joseph’s second dream, thirteen celestial objects (the sun, moon, and eleven stars) bow down to him in Genesis 37:9&10. His brothers and father quickly interpreted the dreams to mean they would one day be under Joseph’s authority. This dream (together with the first dream in Genesis 37:6-8) effectively became reality in Genesis 42:6and Genesis 42:9 . And we should also remember that at the end of time, according to Philippians 2:10, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth;And [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father.“ Seth, in the original Hebrew (שֵׁת (šēṯ))H8352 meaning “compensation” or “substitute”), the third son of Adam, was born to Adam when Adam was 130 (13 X10) years old. Genesis 5:3, “And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat [a son] in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name (קָרָא (qārā’)H7121שֵׁם (šēm)H8034) Seth:“

Esther 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.“

The warning of Judgment Day at the end of this age has been made clear to everyone by way of the publication of God’s Word, the Bible.

Esther 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.“

To be “ready against that day” is a direct reference to being ready for Judgment Day as we read in Matthew 24:44, “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” It should also be noted that we read the same phrase in Esther 8:13, following the second decree proclaimed in the king’s name under Mordecai’s authority, “The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province [was] published unto all people, and that the Jews should be ready against that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.“

Esther 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.“

Again we should remember that, until the cross, Satan was allowed to come before God in Heaven (see Job 1:6 & 7) to be the accuser of the believers for not perfectly keeping the Law of God, for in Revelation 12:10 we read, “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.” Also in Job 1:12, we read where the devil was in “the presence of the LORD” talking with God and then we read, “¶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.“

The key word here is “perplexed” which in the original Hebrew is the word, בּוּךְ (bûḵ)H943, which means “to perplex“, “confuse“, “be confused“, “be confounded“. This happenstance would have most certainly been confusing to anyone witnessing it in the temporal sense, but from a spiritual sense, without the clarity of knowing that there is a way of eternal escape for Eternal Israel, because of Jesus’ Atoning Sacrifice, it would seem to be an entirely hopeless situation without remedy. The Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that the penalty for sin has been paid for the believer, at the cross ,and that there is no longer any fear of Judgment Day!

Perhaps there was another factor involved. Haman was evidently someone who the people likely feared (in the negative sense), so it could also have been a case of what we read in Proverbs 29:2, “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.“

Some other pertinent verses to ponder:

Psalm 12:8, “The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.”

Proverbs 18:5, “[It is] not good to accept the person of the wicked, to overthrow the righteous in judgment.“

Isaiah 26:10, “Let favour be shewed to the wicked, [yet] will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the LORD.“

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