The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible - Part Twenty-One - G Aug 23, 2020 by: John Herbert | Series: The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible Audio Study Notes PDF https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T030_20200823.mp3 Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Hos 6:1 Come, and let us return to the Lord; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. 2 After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight. We will continue to look at Israel in connection with Daniel's 70th seven. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday August 23rd 2020 The Word of God A Survey of the Bible – Lesson 21G The Remains of the Day 1). Hos 13:4 “Yet I am the Lord your God Ever since the land of Egypt, And you shall know no God but Me; For there is no savior besides Me. 5 I knew you in the wilderness, In the land of great drought. 6 When they had pasture, they were filled; They were filled and their heart was exalted; Therefore they forgot Me. 7 “So I will be to them like a lion; Like a leopard by the road I will lurk; 8 I will meet them like a bear deprived of her cubs; I will tear open their rib cage, And there I will devour them like a lion. The wild beast shall tear them. 9 “O Israel, you are destroyed, But your help is from Me. 10 I will be your King…….. Hosea was a prophet who was ministering prior to Assyria taking the 10 northern tribes of Israel into captivity in 722BC and therefore over 100 years before the Babylonian captivity began. And here in these 7 verses from Hosea Chapter 13 we find a complete history of the nation of Israel; from their beginning in Egypt to their repentance, restoration and regality at the end of Daniel’s 70th seven. a). We can see God’s care for His people in the wilderness journey in v5 and His abundant provision for them in v6. But also, in v6, how their abundance caused their heart to be exalted so that they ‘forgot’ the One who had delivered them, no longer seeing a need to trust in Him. b). And in ‘forgetting’ the One true God they turned away after the gods of the Gentile nations among whom they lived and prospered - Hos 13:1 When Ephraim spoke, trembling, He exalted himself in Israel; But when he offended through Baal worship, he died. 2 Now they sin more and more, And have made for themselves molded images, Idols of their silver, according to their skill; All of it is the work of craftsmen. They say of them, “Let the men who sacrifice kiss the calves!” Israel’s involvement with the world system under Satan through embracing the Gentile nations and their gods we have seen described as Israel’s harlotry. A harlotry that’s seen at its zenith during the time of Daniel’s 70th seven – Re 17:1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.” 3 So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. 5 And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 6 I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement. To trust in themselves and their own ability, and to exalt themselves in the works of their own hand rather than trusting in God are actions that fall into the same category as Satan desiring to exalt his throne above the stars of God. And this is something first seen with Israel in the golden calf incident, in Exodus Chapter 32 – Ex 32:8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!’ ” And the wisdom given to Agur, recorded in Proverbs Chapter 30, speaks directly to this - Pr 30:7 Two things I request of You (Deprive me not before I die):8 Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches— Feed me with the food allotted to me; 9 Lest I be full and deny You, And say, “Who is the Lord?” Or lest I be poor and steal, And profane the name of my God. And with respect to ourself, here at the end of the dispensation, in anticipation of the Judgment Seat of Christ, Paul wrote this to Timothy – 1 Ti 6:6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows………………..17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, 19 storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal [age lasting] life. But what do we find the situation to be when all Christians stand before the Lord as Judge? – Re 3:17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— There remains an uncomfortable parallel between the harlot Israel and the adulterous, Laodicean church, with the end result for both clearly visible for those with eyes to see. 2). Let’s go back to Hosea Chapter 13 - 7 “So I will be to them like a lion; Like a leopard by the road I will lurk; 8 I will meet them like a bear deprived of her cubs; I will tear open their rib cage, And there I will devour them like a lion. The wild beast shall tear them. 9 “O Israel, you are destroyed, But your help is from Me. V7-9 look to God’s dealings with His people throughout their history, that would lead to the Assyrian and then the Babylonian captivities, but these verses also take us prophetically to the time of Jacob’s trouble and most especially to the final 3 ½ years of the Great Tribulation. Because I am sure it hasn’t escaped our notice that the imagery in these verses from Hosea is the same as we see later in Daniel Chapter 7, in Daniel’s vision of the 4 great beasts that deal specifically with this time. It is in Hosea that we first see, the lion, the bear, the leopard and the wild beast that appear again in Daniel and then in the Revelation. a). What we will find interesting here in Hosea though, is that God describes Himself as being like the lion, the leopard and the bear in the way He will deal with His rebellious, disobedient people, whereas in Revelation they are used to describe the beast. b). And what is shown to us through this is God’s sovereign control of all things as He uses the Gentile nations, and particularly the 4 phases of the Babylonian kingdom seen in the lion, the bear, the leopard and the wild beast, to which these verses prophetically look, to fulfill His purpose for the Jewish people. c). In Hosea we are given the graphic image of Israel’s rib cage being torn open and later in Daniel Chapter 7 we see – Da 7:5 “And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: ‘Arise, devour much flesh!’ And I wonder if in the 3 ribs, ‘in its mouth between its teeth’ we find that prophesied in Hosea 13:9, ‘O Israel, you are destroyed’ - Israel brought to the complete end of themselves, where there is nowhere else to turn for help except to the God of their fathers, just as Hosea had made clear earlier in his Book – Hos 5:13 “When Ephraim saw his sickness, And Judah saw his wound, Then Ephraim went to Assyria And sent to King Jareb; Yet he cannot cure you, Nor heal you of your wound. 14 For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, And like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear them and go away; I will take them away, and no one shall rescue. 15 I will return again to My place Till they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek My face; In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.” And as we move into the next Chapter, Hosea takes us to the end of the matter – Hos 6:1 Come, and let us return to the Lord; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. 2 After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight. The exercise of God’s sovereign control by working through Gentile rulers to accomplish His purpose can be seen in the Assyrian Pharaoh – Ex 9:16 But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth. And can also be seen in Nebuchadnezzar – Jer 25:8 “Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Because you have not heard My words, 9 behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,’ says the Lord, “and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land, And in Cyrus, whose kingdom is seen in the 2nd beast – Isa 44:28 Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, And he shall perform all My pleasure, Saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,” And to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.” ’ 45:1 “Thus says the Lord to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held— To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut: 2 ‘I will go before you And this is the exact same Divine sovereign control that we had seen last time, pictured through the type of the promotion of Haman by king Ahasuerus in the Book of Esther – Es 3:1 After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him and set his seat above all the princes who were with him. 2 And all the king's servants who were within the king's gate bowed and paid homage to Haman, for so the king had commanded concerning him. But Mordecai would not bow or pay homage. 3). The Book of Esther is a Book that deals exclusively with the Jewish people in relation to their past, present and future. With the future forming the majority of the content. And with respect to the future, it deals with the outworking of God’s purpose through the last king of Babylon, the beast of Daniel, typified through Haman, during the final 3 ½ years of Daniel’s 70th seven. The time of Jacob’s trouble, the great tribulation. a). As we know the purpose for the last 2600 years of Jewish history, the times of the Gentiles, has been to bring the nation to repentance by the hands of the Gentile nations into which they have been scattered. A purpose that will be accomplished by the end of the final 7 years of the 490 years that God has allotted to His people for this end. 490 years that began to be counted from the command to restore and build Jerusalem in 444BC. b). With the fulfillment of this purpose in view, the Jewish people have been scattered in this ‘diaspora’ since 605BC and continue to be scattered even to this day. c). A remnant did return to the land at the end of the Babylonian captivity, before the 490 years began to be counted, and it was the descendants of this remnant, along with the descendants of those who returned with Nehemiah when the command was given to restore and build Jerusalem, who were present in Israel at the Lord’s first advent. And it was this remnant who rejected and killed their King and pledged allegiance to a pagan Gentile ruler – Jn 19:15 But they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!” And as a consequence of this rejection the Jewish Temple and Jerusalem were destroyed by Roman legions under Titus in 70AD with the remnant in the land scattered among the Gentile nations once more. d). National Israel from that time onwards did not exist until another remnant was allowed to return to the land and recognized as a nation in 1948. This remnant and their descendants are the ones who form national Israel in the land today, and they are there in order that the final 7 years of Daniel’s 70th seven can begin – Da 9:27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. The covenant made with many in Israel is not seen in Esther, but we do see God’s sovereign control in the appointment of Haman, the type for the beast, the prince who is to come, as we have previously seen. The one who will make the covenant seen in Daniel. e). And the purpose for Haman’s promotion and the consequence of his actions are set in place at the beginning of Esther, to provide the context for all that will follow. The end is declared from the beginning – Es 1:1 Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus (this was the Ahasuerus who reigned over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, from India to Ethiopia), 2 in those days when King Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the citadel, 3 that in the third year of his reign he made a feast for all his officials and servants—the powers of Persia and Media, the nobles, and the princes of the provinces being before him…………….10 On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus, 11 to bring Queen Vashti before the king, wearing her royal crown, in order to show her beauty to the people and the officials, for she was beautiful to behold. 12 But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king's command brought by his eunuchs; therefore the king was furious, and his anger burned within him. We see that as the Book begins there was a celebration with respect to ‘the third year of his reign’. And with respect to this ‘third year’ we are told that on the 7th day Ahasuerus’s queen, Vashti was summoned by 7 eunuchs to appear before the king ‘wearing her royal crown, in order to show her beauty to the people and the officials’. ‘But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command brought by his eunuchs’ – Jer 25:4 And the Lord has sent to you all His servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, but you have not listened nor inclined your ear to hear. Queen Vashti forms the type of disobedient, unfaithful Israel, to whom God sent ‘all His servants the prophets’ to call the nation to appear in the 7th Day in the regal position for which it had been created. But Israel ‘refused to come at the king’s command’ – Jer 25:5 They said, ‘Repent now everyone of his evil way and his evil doings, and dwell in the land that the Lord has given to you and your fathers forever and ever. 6 Do not go after other gods to serve them and worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands; and I will not harm you.’ 7 Yet you have not listened to Me,” says the Lord, “that you might provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt. In the type, Vashti’s refusal had serious consequences – Es 1:19 If it pleases the king, let a royal decree go out from him, and let it be recorded in the laws of the Persians and the Medes, so that it will not be altered, that Vashti shall come no more before King Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she. And in the antitype, Israel has been divorced as the wife of Jehovah, the Theocracy was brought to an end and Israel has been set aside, awaiting the time of the nation’s repentance. f). And this is where Esther now comes into the picture. As Vashti is the type of disobedient, unfaithful Israel, so Esther is the type of Israel in repentance, restored and forgiven – Es 2:16 So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth [goodness], in the seventh year of his reign. 17 The king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. Ex 19:5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. Here then, in Vashti and Esther, we have the beginning and the end of the matter. Another succinct presentation of the whole of Jewish history, from disobedience to regality. g). What then follows after Esther has become Ahasuerus’s queen forms a type for the final 3 ½ years of Daniel’s 70th seven, into the beginning of the Millennial Kingdom. h). So then, in Esther Chapter 1 we are shown the setting aside of Vashti because of disobedience. In Chapter 2 we are shown Esther becoming queen in Vashti’s place, after a period of preparation, and Chapter 3 begins, as we have seen, with Haman’s promotion to power in Ahasuerus’s kingdom. And Haman’s promotion brings us in the antitype, to the mid-point in the tribulation, when the beast, the prince who is to come becomes the worldwide ruler with the annihilation of the Jewish people at the top of his agenda – Da 7:23 “Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast shall be A fourth kingdom on earth, Which shall be different from all other kingdoms, And shall devour the whole earth, Trample it and break it in pieces. 24 The ten horns are ten kings Who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them; He shall be different from the first ones, And shall subdue three kings. 25 He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, And shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand For a time and times and half a time. Re 12:1 Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth. 3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. 4 His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. Re 13:1 Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. 2 Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. Es 3:5 When Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow or pay him homage, Haman was filled with wrath. 6 But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him of the people of Mordecai. Instead, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus—the people of Mordecai………8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from all other people's, and they do not keep the king's laws. Therefore it is not fitting for the king to let them remain. 9 If it pleases the king, let a decree be written that they be destroyed, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who do the work, to bring it into the king's treasuries.” 10 So the king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. 11 And the king said to Haman, “The money and the people are given to you, to do with them as seems good to you.” We will need to continue with this next time though – if the Lord is willing. The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible - Part Twenty-One - G Aug 23, 2020 Speaker: John Herbert Series: The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible Category: Sunday Morning https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T030_20200823.mp3 Download Audio x
Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Hos 6:1 Come, and let us return to the Lord; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. 2 After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight. We will continue to look at Israel in connection with Daniel's 70th seven. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday August 23rd 2020 The Word of God A Survey of the Bible – Lesson 21G The Remains of the Day 1). Hos 13:4 “Yet I am the Lord your God Ever since the land of Egypt, And you shall know no God but Me; For there is no savior besides Me. 5 I knew you in the wilderness, In the land of great drought. 6 When they had pasture, they were filled; They were filled and their heart was exalted; Therefore they forgot Me. 7 “So I will be to them like a lion; Like a leopard by the road I will lurk; 8 I will meet them like a bear deprived of her cubs; I will tear open their rib cage, And there I will devour them like a lion. The wild beast shall tear them. 9 “O Israel, you are destroyed, But your help is from Me. 10 I will be your King…….. Hosea was a prophet who was ministering prior to Assyria taking the 10 northern tribes of Israel into captivity in 722BC and therefore over 100 years before the Babylonian captivity began. And here in these 7 verses from Hosea Chapter 13 we find a complete history of the nation of Israel; from their beginning in Egypt to their repentance, restoration and regality at the end of Daniel’s 70th seven. a). We can see God’s care for His people in the wilderness journey in v5 and His abundant provision for them in v6. But also, in v6, how their abundance caused their heart to be exalted so that they ‘forgot’ the One who had delivered them, no longer seeing a need to trust in Him. b). And in ‘forgetting’ the One true God they turned away after the gods of the Gentile nations among whom they lived and prospered - Hos 13:1 When Ephraim spoke, trembling, He exalted himself in Israel; But when he offended through Baal worship, he died. 2 Now they sin more and more, And have made for themselves molded images, Idols of their silver, according to their skill; All of it is the work of craftsmen. They say of them, “Let the men who sacrifice kiss the calves!” Israel’s involvement with the world system under Satan through embracing the Gentile nations and their gods we have seen described as Israel’s harlotry. A harlotry that’s seen at its zenith during the time of Daniel’s 70th seven – Re 17:1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.” 3 So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. 5 And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 6 I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement. To trust in themselves and their own ability, and to exalt themselves in the works of their own hand rather than trusting in God are actions that fall into the same category as Satan desiring to exalt his throne above the stars of God. And this is something first seen with Israel in the golden calf incident, in Exodus Chapter 32 – Ex 32:8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!’ ” And the wisdom given to Agur, recorded in Proverbs Chapter 30, speaks directly to this - Pr 30:7 Two things I request of You (Deprive me not before I die):8 Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches— Feed me with the food allotted to me; 9 Lest I be full and deny You, And say, “Who is the Lord?” Or lest I be poor and steal, And profane the name of my God. And with respect to ourself, here at the end of the dispensation, in anticipation of the Judgment Seat of Christ, Paul wrote this to Timothy – 1 Ti 6:6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows………………..17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, 19 storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal [age lasting] life. But what do we find the situation to be when all Christians stand before the Lord as Judge? – Re 3:17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— There remains an uncomfortable parallel between the harlot Israel and the adulterous, Laodicean church, with the end result for both clearly visible for those with eyes to see. 2). Let’s go back to Hosea Chapter 13 - 7 “So I will be to them like a lion; Like a leopard by the road I will lurk; 8 I will meet them like a bear deprived of her cubs; I will tear open their rib cage, And there I will devour them like a lion. The wild beast shall tear them. 9 “O Israel, you are destroyed, But your help is from Me. V7-9 look to God’s dealings with His people throughout their history, that would lead to the Assyrian and then the Babylonian captivities, but these verses also take us prophetically to the time of Jacob’s trouble and most especially to the final 3 ½ years of the Great Tribulation. Because I am sure it hasn’t escaped our notice that the imagery in these verses from Hosea is the same as we see later in Daniel Chapter 7, in Daniel’s vision of the 4 great beasts that deal specifically with this time. It is in Hosea that we first see, the lion, the bear, the leopard and the wild beast that appear again in Daniel and then in the Revelation. a). What we will find interesting here in Hosea though, is that God describes Himself as being like the lion, the leopard and the bear in the way He will deal with His rebellious, disobedient people, whereas in Revelation they are used to describe the beast. b). And what is shown to us through this is God’s sovereign control of all things as He uses the Gentile nations, and particularly the 4 phases of the Babylonian kingdom seen in the lion, the bear, the leopard and the wild beast, to which these verses prophetically look, to fulfill His purpose for the Jewish people. c). In Hosea we are given the graphic image of Israel’s rib cage being torn open and later in Daniel Chapter 7 we see – Da 7:5 “And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: ‘Arise, devour much flesh!’ And I wonder if in the 3 ribs, ‘in its mouth between its teeth’ we find that prophesied in Hosea 13:9, ‘O Israel, you are destroyed’ - Israel brought to the complete end of themselves, where there is nowhere else to turn for help except to the God of their fathers, just as Hosea had made clear earlier in his Book – Hos 5:13 “When Ephraim saw his sickness, And Judah saw his wound, Then Ephraim went to Assyria And sent to King Jareb; Yet he cannot cure you, Nor heal you of your wound. 14 For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, And like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear them and go away; I will take them away, and no one shall rescue. 15 I will return again to My place Till they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek My face; In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.” And as we move into the next Chapter, Hosea takes us to the end of the matter – Hos 6:1 Come, and let us return to the Lord; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. 2 After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight. The exercise of God’s sovereign control by working through Gentile rulers to accomplish His purpose can be seen in the Assyrian Pharaoh – Ex 9:16 But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth. And can also be seen in Nebuchadnezzar – Jer 25:8 “Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Because you have not heard My words, 9 behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,’ says the Lord, “and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land, And in Cyrus, whose kingdom is seen in the 2nd beast – Isa 44:28 Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, And he shall perform all My pleasure, Saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,” And to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.” ’ 45:1 “Thus says the Lord to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held— To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut: 2 ‘I will go before you And this is the exact same Divine sovereign control that we had seen last time, pictured through the type of the promotion of Haman by king Ahasuerus in the Book of Esther – Es 3:1 After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him and set his seat above all the princes who were with him. 2 And all the king's servants who were within the king's gate bowed and paid homage to Haman, for so the king had commanded concerning him. But Mordecai would not bow or pay homage. 3). The Book of Esther is a Book that deals exclusively with the Jewish people in relation to their past, present and future. With the future forming the majority of the content. And with respect to the future, it deals with the outworking of God’s purpose through the last king of Babylon, the beast of Daniel, typified through Haman, during the final 3 ½ years of Daniel’s 70th seven. The time of Jacob’s trouble, the great tribulation. a). As we know the purpose for the last 2600 years of Jewish history, the times of the Gentiles, has been to bring the nation to repentance by the hands of the Gentile nations into which they have been scattered. A purpose that will be accomplished by the end of the final 7 years of the 490 years that God has allotted to His people for this end. 490 years that began to be counted from the command to restore and build Jerusalem in 444BC. b). With the fulfillment of this purpose in view, the Jewish people have been scattered in this ‘diaspora’ since 605BC and continue to be scattered even to this day. c). A remnant did return to the land at the end of the Babylonian captivity, before the 490 years began to be counted, and it was the descendants of this remnant, along with the descendants of those who returned with Nehemiah when the command was given to restore and build Jerusalem, who were present in Israel at the Lord’s first advent. And it was this remnant who rejected and killed their King and pledged allegiance to a pagan Gentile ruler – Jn 19:15 But they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!” And as a consequence of this rejection the Jewish Temple and Jerusalem were destroyed by Roman legions under Titus in 70AD with the remnant in the land scattered among the Gentile nations once more. d). National Israel from that time onwards did not exist until another remnant was allowed to return to the land and recognized as a nation in 1948. This remnant and their descendants are the ones who form national Israel in the land today, and they are there in order that the final 7 years of Daniel’s 70th seven can begin – Da 9:27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. The covenant made with many in Israel is not seen in Esther, but we do see God’s sovereign control in the appointment of Haman, the type for the beast, the prince who is to come, as we have previously seen. The one who will make the covenant seen in Daniel. e). And the purpose for Haman’s promotion and the consequence of his actions are set in place at the beginning of Esther, to provide the context for all that will follow. The end is declared from the beginning – Es 1:1 Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus (this was the Ahasuerus who reigned over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, from India to Ethiopia), 2 in those days when King Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the citadel, 3 that in the third year of his reign he made a feast for all his officials and servants—the powers of Persia and Media, the nobles, and the princes of the provinces being before him…………….10 On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus, 11 to bring Queen Vashti before the king, wearing her royal crown, in order to show her beauty to the people and the officials, for she was beautiful to behold. 12 But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king's command brought by his eunuchs; therefore the king was furious, and his anger burned within him. We see that as the Book begins there was a celebration with respect to ‘the third year of his reign’. And with respect to this ‘third year’ we are told that on the 7th day Ahasuerus’s queen, Vashti was summoned by 7 eunuchs to appear before the king ‘wearing her royal crown, in order to show her beauty to the people and the officials’. ‘But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command brought by his eunuchs’ – Jer 25:4 And the Lord has sent to you all His servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, but you have not listened nor inclined your ear to hear. Queen Vashti forms the type of disobedient, unfaithful Israel, to whom God sent ‘all His servants the prophets’ to call the nation to appear in the 7th Day in the regal position for which it had been created. But Israel ‘refused to come at the king’s command’ – Jer 25:5 They said, ‘Repent now everyone of his evil way and his evil doings, and dwell in the land that the Lord has given to you and your fathers forever and ever. 6 Do not go after other gods to serve them and worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands; and I will not harm you.’ 7 Yet you have not listened to Me,” says the Lord, “that you might provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt. In the type, Vashti’s refusal had serious consequences – Es 1:19 If it pleases the king, let a royal decree go out from him, and let it be recorded in the laws of the Persians and the Medes, so that it will not be altered, that Vashti shall come no more before King Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she. And in the antitype, Israel has been divorced as the wife of Jehovah, the Theocracy was brought to an end and Israel has been set aside, awaiting the time of the nation’s repentance. f). And this is where Esther now comes into the picture. As Vashti is the type of disobedient, unfaithful Israel, so Esther is the type of Israel in repentance, restored and forgiven – Es 2:16 So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth [goodness], in the seventh year of his reign. 17 The king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. Ex 19:5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. Here then, in Vashti and Esther, we have the beginning and the end of the matter. Another succinct presentation of the whole of Jewish history, from disobedience to regality. g). What then follows after Esther has become Ahasuerus’s queen forms a type for the final 3 ½ years of Daniel’s 70th seven, into the beginning of the Millennial Kingdom. h). So then, in Esther Chapter 1 we are shown the setting aside of Vashti because of disobedience. In Chapter 2 we are shown Esther becoming queen in Vashti’s place, after a period of preparation, and Chapter 3 begins, as we have seen, with Haman’s promotion to power in Ahasuerus’s kingdom. And Haman’s promotion brings us in the antitype, to the mid-point in the tribulation, when the beast, the prince who is to come becomes the worldwide ruler with the annihilation of the Jewish people at the top of his agenda – Da 7:23 “Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast shall be A fourth kingdom on earth, Which shall be different from all other kingdoms, And shall devour the whole earth, Trample it and break it in pieces. 24 The ten horns are ten kings Who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them; He shall be different from the first ones, And shall subdue three kings. 25 He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, And shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand For a time and times and half a time. Re 12:1 Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth. 3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. 4 His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. Re 13:1 Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. 2 Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. Es 3:5 When Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow or pay him homage, Haman was filled with wrath. 6 But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him of the people of Mordecai. Instead, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus—the people of Mordecai………8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from all other people's, and they do not keep the king's laws. Therefore it is not fitting for the king to let them remain. 9 If it pleases the king, let a decree be written that they be destroyed, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who do the work, to bring it into the king's treasuries.” 10 So the king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. 11 And the king said to Haman, “The money and the people are given to you, to do with them as seems good to you.” We will need to continue with this next time though – if the Lord is willing.