The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible - Part Twenty-One - I Sep 06, 2020 by: John Herbert | Series: The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible Audio Study Notes PDF https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T001_20200906.mp3 Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Es 5:9 So Haman went out that day joyful and with a glad heart; but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate, and that he did not stand or tremble before him, he was filled with indignation against Mordecai. We will continue to look at the parallel between Haman and the beast today. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday September 6th 2020 The Word of God A Survey of the Bible – Lesson 21I The Remains of the Day 1). Es 5:9 So Haman went out that day joyful and with a glad heart; but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate, and that he did not stand or tremble before him, he was filled with indignation against Mordecai. 10 Nevertheless Haman restrained himself and went home, and he sent and called for his friends and his wife Zeresh. 11 Then Haman told them of his great riches, the multitude of his children, everything in which the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and servants of the king. 12 Moreover Haman said, “Besides, Queen Esther invited no one but me to come in with the king to the banquet that she prepared; and tomorrow I am again invited by her, along with the king. 13 Yet all this avails me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate.” 14 Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Let a gallows be made, fifty cubits high, and in the morning suggest to the king that Mordecai be hanged on it; then go merrily with the king to the banquet.” And the thing pleased Haman; so he had the gallows made. In the Book of Esther, we can see that Haman felt secure in all that he had accomplished. He looked at his promotion to a position of authority, and all that had come with that, as a sign of the success he had planned for in the annihilation of the Jewish people. a). And in v11-12 it is clear that his boasting is in himself as he recounts all that he has accomplished. And yet, despite all he has, it is not enough, because there is one thing more, Yet all this avails me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate. b). And in what we see concerning Haman here we can find a direct parallel with Satan and his rebellion – Eze 28:11 Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 12 “Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, “Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created. 14 “You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. 15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created……….. The one we know as Satan had been created for a position of authority, ‘the anointed cherub who covers’, and the description in Ezekiel of what was given to him because of this authority shows it was a position of great honor. But for Satan this was not enough. Firstly, his boast was in himself – Eze 28:17 ‘Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; And secondly, there was one thing more - Isa 14:13 For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ Let us be quite clear that God has sovereign control over all things and within His sovereign control of all things He has determined that Israel, His adopted firstborn son, the nation who will be His wife, will hold the scepter of rulership upon the earth, not Satan and the Gentile nations. c). And it is this that underlies Haman’s actions recorded in Esther. Haman’s problem is with Mordecai in the king’s gate, but the unspoken heart of the matter is the sovereign control of God who has chosen Mordecai to sit there and not Haman. d). And this challenge to God’s sovereign control with respect to rulership and the consequences that come through doing so are seen throughout the Scriptures. e). We have already seen it with Satan and in the realm of men we can begin with Nimrod, the foundational type for the one whom Haman pictures – Ge 11:4 And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” In building a city ‘for ourselves’ and building a tower ‘for ourselves’ ‘whose top is in the heavens’, and making a name ‘for ourselves’, we see both the focus on self and the challenge to God’s sovereign control. The attempt of the creature to elevate itself above its creator, but to no avail – Ge 11:8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. Ex 5:2 And Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go.” And we can see the focus on self and the challenge to God’s sovereign control again through Pharaoh, another type of the one whom Haman pictures. But this also would come to nothing – Ex 14:27 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. And both once more, in what will be a familiar example – Da 4:30 The king spoke, saying, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?” 31 While the word was still in the king's mouth, a voice fell from heaven: “King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you! Also seen again through Belshazzar, Nebuchadnezzar’s son – Da 5:18 O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father a kingdom and majesty, glory and honor. 19 And because of the majesty that He gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whomever he wished, he executed; whomever he wished, he kept alive; whomever he wished, he set up; and whomever he wished, he put down. 20 But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him. 21 Then he was driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses. 22 “But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. 23 And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified…………30 That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain. And all these examples inevitably bring us to the one seen through them, the prince who is to come, the beast, Satan’s son who follows in his father’s footsteps – Da 7:25 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. Da 8:9 And out of one of them came a little horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Glorious Land. 10 And it grew up to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them. 11 He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down. Da 11:36 “Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done. 37 He shall regard neither the [God] gods of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all. 2 Th 2:3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. The events described here show both the self-focused arrogance seen in his father and the challenge to God’s sovereign control as we have already seen through the types. And in terms of timing these events bring us to the mid-point in the tribulation. And as the 3 ½ years of the great tribulation begin there will be only one thing on the beast’s mind – the Jewish people, with a view to their complete annihilation. f). And at the same time there will be only one thing on God’s mind- the Jewish people, with a view to their deliverance and regality. g). And this dual focus is poignantly portrayed at the end of Esther Chapter 5 into Chapter 6 -14 Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Let a gallows be made, fifty cubits high, and in the morning suggest to the king that Mordecai be hanged on it; then go merrily with the king to the banquet.” And the thing pleased Haman; so he had the gallows made. 6:1 That night the king could not sleep. So one was commanded to bring the book of the records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king. 2 And it was found written that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs, the doorkeepers who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. 3 Then the king said, “What honor or dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?” Haman is pleased with his wife’s suggestion, and he has Mordecai uppermost in his mind as he looks to the next day when he can go before the king, confident in his self-aggrandizement, to implement his plan to hang Mordecai on the gallows he had built. However, when the morning comes, that conceived in the night will come to nothing. h). But that same night, Mordecai is also uppermost in the king’s mind as he looks to how he might honor Mordecai when the day dawns. i). And as the 2 men meet the next day and look each other in the eyes, Mordecai is in both their minds at the exact same moment – one with a view for good and the other with a view for evil – Es 6:4 So the king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the king's palace to suggest that the king hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him. 5 The king's servants said to him, “Haman is there, standing in the court.” And the king said, “Let him come in.” 6 So Haman came in, and the king asked him, “What shall be done for the man whom the king delights to honor?” And within this relationship between Haman and Ahasuerus there is only one king, there is only one will that will be done – Es 6:7 And Haman answered the king, “For the man whom the king delights to honor, 8 let a royal robe be brought which the king has worn, and a horse on which the king has ridden, which has a royal crest placed on its head. 9 Then let this robe and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king's most noble princes, that he may array the man whom the king delights to honor. Then parade him on horseback through the city square, and proclaim before him: ‘Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!’” 10 Then the king said to Haman, “Hurry, take the robe and the horse, as you have suggested, and do so for Mordecai the Jew who sits within the king's gate! Leave nothing undone of all that you have spoken.” And here in these verses is revealed Haman’s own aspirations to regality as he seeks to parade himself as a pseudo king. But despite Haman’s aspirations it will be Mordecai who is displayed in regal splendor, a foreshadowing of the role that will soon be his. A role that he was always destined to fulfill, seen through his position in the king’s gate throughout. j). And contrasted with Mordecai’s exaltation is Haman’s humiliation. Just as it will be with the one whom he typifies, Haman’s humiliation and downfall were rapid – Lk 10:18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. God’s sovereign control can neither be challenged nor changed. 2). Ge 45:7 And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8 So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. In Joseph’s words to his brothers we have a foreshadowing of what will take place upon the Lord’s return to the earth at the conclusion of Daniel’s 70th seven. a). Mordecai, in the book of Esther, forms a dual type of both Israel and the Christ and in what follows after Haman’s demise, we can find again that already foreshadowed in the 2 verses from Genesis Chapter 45 as well as that seen in – Ex 14:30 So the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Thus Israel saw the great work which the LORD had done in Egypt; so the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD and His servant Moses. Es 8:1 On that day King Ahasuerus gave Queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told how he was related to her. 2 So the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai; and Esther appointed Mordecai over the house of Haman…………….7 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, “Indeed, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows because he tried to lay his hand on the Jews. 8 You yourselves write a decree concerning the Jews, as you please, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's signet ring; for whatever is written in the king's name and sealed with the king's signet ring no one can revoke.”……………….. 11 By these letters the king permitted the Jews who were in every city to gather together and protect their lives—to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the forces of any people or province that would assault them, both little children and women, and to plunder their possessions, 12 on one day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar [glorious]. 13 A copy of the document was to be issued as a decree in every province and published for all people, so that the Jews would be ready on that day to avenge themselves on their enemies. And as the decree goes forth, whereby the Jews will be delivered from the hands of their enemy, so Mordecai, as a type of Christ, goes forth from the king’s presence – Es 8:15 So Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, with a great crown of gold and a garment of fine linen and purple; and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad. 16 The Jews had light and gladness, joy and honor. 17 And in every province and city, wherever the king's command and decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a holiday. Then many of the people of the land became Jews, because fear of the Jews fell upon them. Here then, through Mordecai, we would see the Lord, following His return to the earth, in the city of Jerusalem, in the midst of His people, prior to the battle we call Armageddon. b). The deliverance of the Jews and the destruction of Israel’s enemies, in the historical account in Esther, is by their own hands – Es 9:1 Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day, the time came for the king's command and his decree to be executed. On the day that the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, the opposite occurred, in that the Jews themselves overpowered those who hated them. 2 The Jews gathered together in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who sought their harm. And no one could withstand them, because fear of them fell upon all people. 3 And all the officials of the provinces, the satraps, the governors, and all those doing the king's work, helped the Jews, because the fear of Mordecai fell upon them. 4 For Mordecai was great in the king's palace, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces; for this man Mordecai became increasingly prominent. 5 Thus the Jews defeated all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, with slaughter and destruction, and did what they pleased with those who hated them. And in the antitype the deliverance of the Jews and the destruction of Israel’s enemies is still in their own hands, within God’s sovereign control, through the actions of the Jewish Messiah – Re 19:19 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. 20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh. The overthrow and destruction of the ‘kings of the earth’, the beast’s 10 nation confederacy, is also prophetically pictured in Esther through the killing of Haman’s 10 sons – Es 9:6 And in Shushan the citadel the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men. 7 Also Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, 8 Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, 9 Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vajezatha— 10 the ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews—they killed; but they did not lay a hand on the plunder. And the complete end of the matter is given to us in the last chapter of Esther, Chapter 10, which takes us into the Millennial Kingdom – Es 10:1 And King Ahasuerus imposed tribute on the land and on the islands of the sea. 2 Now all the acts of his power and his might, and the account of the greatness of Mordecai, to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? 3 For Mordecai the Jew was second to King Ahasuerus, and was great among the Jews and well received by the multitude of his brethren, seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his countrymen. And as we read the conclusion of the type given through the Book of Esther, let’s just remind ourselves of what it was that Gabriel had told Daniel concerning the 70 sevens, because here in Esther is the picture of their fulfillment – Da 9:24 “Seventy sevens are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy. Within God’s sovereign control of all things, this is exactly what is pictured through the historical events recorded in Esther, foreshadowing what is literally going to happen at the conclusion of Daniel’s 70th seven. And all things, even now, are moving in God’s sovereign control towards the fulfillment of God’s purpose for His 3 firstborn sons – Nu 23:19 “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? Isa 55:11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. 12 “For you shall go out with joy, And be led out with peace; The mountains and the hills Shall break forth into singing before you, And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; And it shall be to the LORD for a name, For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.” Ro 13:10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. More next time – If the Lord is willing. The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible - Part Twenty-One - I Sep 06, 2020 Speaker: John Herbert Series: The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible Category: Sunday Morning https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T001_20200906.mp3 Download Audio x
Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Es 5:9 So Haman went out that day joyful and with a glad heart; but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate, and that he did not stand or tremble before him, he was filled with indignation against Mordecai. We will continue to look at the parallel between Haman and the beast today. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday September 6th 2020 The Word of God A Survey of the Bible – Lesson 21I The Remains of the Day 1). Es 5:9 So Haman went out that day joyful and with a glad heart; but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate, and that he did not stand or tremble before him, he was filled with indignation against Mordecai. 10 Nevertheless Haman restrained himself and went home, and he sent and called for his friends and his wife Zeresh. 11 Then Haman told them of his great riches, the multitude of his children, everything in which the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and servants of the king. 12 Moreover Haman said, “Besides, Queen Esther invited no one but me to come in with the king to the banquet that she prepared; and tomorrow I am again invited by her, along with the king. 13 Yet all this avails me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate.” 14 Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Let a gallows be made, fifty cubits high, and in the morning suggest to the king that Mordecai be hanged on it; then go merrily with the king to the banquet.” And the thing pleased Haman; so he had the gallows made. In the Book of Esther, we can see that Haman felt secure in all that he had accomplished. He looked at his promotion to a position of authority, and all that had come with that, as a sign of the success he had planned for in the annihilation of the Jewish people. a). And in v11-12 it is clear that his boasting is in himself as he recounts all that he has accomplished. And yet, despite all he has, it is not enough, because there is one thing more, Yet all this avails me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate. b). And in what we see concerning Haman here we can find a direct parallel with Satan and his rebellion – Eze 28:11 Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 12 “Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, “Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created. 14 “You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. 15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created……….. The one we know as Satan had been created for a position of authority, ‘the anointed cherub who covers’, and the description in Ezekiel of what was given to him because of this authority shows it was a position of great honor. But for Satan this was not enough. Firstly, his boast was in himself – Eze 28:17 ‘Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; And secondly, there was one thing more - Isa 14:13 For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ Let us be quite clear that God has sovereign control over all things and within His sovereign control of all things He has determined that Israel, His adopted firstborn son, the nation who will be His wife, will hold the scepter of rulership upon the earth, not Satan and the Gentile nations. c). And it is this that underlies Haman’s actions recorded in Esther. Haman’s problem is with Mordecai in the king’s gate, but the unspoken heart of the matter is the sovereign control of God who has chosen Mordecai to sit there and not Haman. d). And this challenge to God’s sovereign control with respect to rulership and the consequences that come through doing so are seen throughout the Scriptures. e). We have already seen it with Satan and in the realm of men we can begin with Nimrod, the foundational type for the one whom Haman pictures – Ge 11:4 And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” In building a city ‘for ourselves’ and building a tower ‘for ourselves’ ‘whose top is in the heavens’, and making a name ‘for ourselves’, we see both the focus on self and the challenge to God’s sovereign control. The attempt of the creature to elevate itself above its creator, but to no avail – Ge 11:8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. Ex 5:2 And Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go.” And we can see the focus on self and the challenge to God’s sovereign control again through Pharaoh, another type of the one whom Haman pictures. But this also would come to nothing – Ex 14:27 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. And both once more, in what will be a familiar example – Da 4:30 The king spoke, saying, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?” 31 While the word was still in the king's mouth, a voice fell from heaven: “King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you! Also seen again through Belshazzar, Nebuchadnezzar’s son – Da 5:18 O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father a kingdom and majesty, glory and honor. 19 And because of the majesty that He gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whomever he wished, he executed; whomever he wished, he kept alive; whomever he wished, he set up; and whomever he wished, he put down. 20 But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him. 21 Then he was driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses. 22 “But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. 23 And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified…………30 That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain. And all these examples inevitably bring us to the one seen through them, the prince who is to come, the beast, Satan’s son who follows in his father’s footsteps – Da 7:25 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. Da 8:9 And out of one of them came a little horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Glorious Land. 10 And it grew up to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them. 11 He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down. Da 11:36 “Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done. 37 He shall regard neither the [God] gods of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all. 2 Th 2:3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. The events described here show both the self-focused arrogance seen in his father and the challenge to God’s sovereign control as we have already seen through the types. And in terms of timing these events bring us to the mid-point in the tribulation. And as the 3 ½ years of the great tribulation begin there will be only one thing on the beast’s mind – the Jewish people, with a view to their complete annihilation. f). And at the same time there will be only one thing on God’s mind- the Jewish people, with a view to their deliverance and regality. g). And this dual focus is poignantly portrayed at the end of Esther Chapter 5 into Chapter 6 -14 Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Let a gallows be made, fifty cubits high, and in the morning suggest to the king that Mordecai be hanged on it; then go merrily with the king to the banquet.” And the thing pleased Haman; so he had the gallows made. 6:1 That night the king could not sleep. So one was commanded to bring the book of the records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king. 2 And it was found written that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs, the doorkeepers who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. 3 Then the king said, “What honor or dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?” Haman is pleased with his wife’s suggestion, and he has Mordecai uppermost in his mind as he looks to the next day when he can go before the king, confident in his self-aggrandizement, to implement his plan to hang Mordecai on the gallows he had built. However, when the morning comes, that conceived in the night will come to nothing. h). But that same night, Mordecai is also uppermost in the king’s mind as he looks to how he might honor Mordecai when the day dawns. i). And as the 2 men meet the next day and look each other in the eyes, Mordecai is in both their minds at the exact same moment – one with a view for good and the other with a view for evil – Es 6:4 So the king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the king's palace to suggest that the king hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him. 5 The king's servants said to him, “Haman is there, standing in the court.” And the king said, “Let him come in.” 6 So Haman came in, and the king asked him, “What shall be done for the man whom the king delights to honor?” And within this relationship between Haman and Ahasuerus there is only one king, there is only one will that will be done – Es 6:7 And Haman answered the king, “For the man whom the king delights to honor, 8 let a royal robe be brought which the king has worn, and a horse on which the king has ridden, which has a royal crest placed on its head. 9 Then let this robe and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king's most noble princes, that he may array the man whom the king delights to honor. Then parade him on horseback through the city square, and proclaim before him: ‘Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!’” 10 Then the king said to Haman, “Hurry, take the robe and the horse, as you have suggested, and do so for Mordecai the Jew who sits within the king's gate! Leave nothing undone of all that you have spoken.” And here in these verses is revealed Haman’s own aspirations to regality as he seeks to parade himself as a pseudo king. But despite Haman’s aspirations it will be Mordecai who is displayed in regal splendor, a foreshadowing of the role that will soon be his. A role that he was always destined to fulfill, seen through his position in the king’s gate throughout. j). And contrasted with Mordecai’s exaltation is Haman’s humiliation. Just as it will be with the one whom he typifies, Haman’s humiliation and downfall were rapid – Lk 10:18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. God’s sovereign control can neither be challenged nor changed. 2). Ge 45:7 And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8 So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. In Joseph’s words to his brothers we have a foreshadowing of what will take place upon the Lord’s return to the earth at the conclusion of Daniel’s 70th seven. a). Mordecai, in the book of Esther, forms a dual type of both Israel and the Christ and in what follows after Haman’s demise, we can find again that already foreshadowed in the 2 verses from Genesis Chapter 45 as well as that seen in – Ex 14:30 So the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Thus Israel saw the great work which the LORD had done in Egypt; so the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD and His servant Moses. Es 8:1 On that day King Ahasuerus gave Queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told how he was related to her. 2 So the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai; and Esther appointed Mordecai over the house of Haman…………….7 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, “Indeed, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows because he tried to lay his hand on the Jews. 8 You yourselves write a decree concerning the Jews, as you please, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's signet ring; for whatever is written in the king's name and sealed with the king's signet ring no one can revoke.”……………….. 11 By these letters the king permitted the Jews who were in every city to gather together and protect their lives—to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the forces of any people or province that would assault them, both little children and women, and to plunder their possessions, 12 on one day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar [glorious]. 13 A copy of the document was to be issued as a decree in every province and published for all people, so that the Jews would be ready on that day to avenge themselves on their enemies. And as the decree goes forth, whereby the Jews will be delivered from the hands of their enemy, so Mordecai, as a type of Christ, goes forth from the king’s presence – Es 8:15 So Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, with a great crown of gold and a garment of fine linen and purple; and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad. 16 The Jews had light and gladness, joy and honor. 17 And in every province and city, wherever the king's command and decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a holiday. Then many of the people of the land became Jews, because fear of the Jews fell upon them. Here then, through Mordecai, we would see the Lord, following His return to the earth, in the city of Jerusalem, in the midst of His people, prior to the battle we call Armageddon. b). The deliverance of the Jews and the destruction of Israel’s enemies, in the historical account in Esther, is by their own hands – Es 9:1 Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day, the time came for the king's command and his decree to be executed. On the day that the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, the opposite occurred, in that the Jews themselves overpowered those who hated them. 2 The Jews gathered together in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who sought their harm. And no one could withstand them, because fear of them fell upon all people. 3 And all the officials of the provinces, the satraps, the governors, and all those doing the king's work, helped the Jews, because the fear of Mordecai fell upon them. 4 For Mordecai was great in the king's palace, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces; for this man Mordecai became increasingly prominent. 5 Thus the Jews defeated all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, with slaughter and destruction, and did what they pleased with those who hated them. And in the antitype the deliverance of the Jews and the destruction of Israel’s enemies is still in their own hands, within God’s sovereign control, through the actions of the Jewish Messiah – Re 19:19 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. 20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh. The overthrow and destruction of the ‘kings of the earth’, the beast’s 10 nation confederacy, is also prophetically pictured in Esther through the killing of Haman’s 10 sons – Es 9:6 And in Shushan the citadel the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men. 7 Also Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, 8 Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, 9 Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vajezatha— 10 the ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews—they killed; but they did not lay a hand on the plunder. And the complete end of the matter is given to us in the last chapter of Esther, Chapter 10, which takes us into the Millennial Kingdom – Es 10:1 And King Ahasuerus imposed tribute on the land and on the islands of the sea. 2 Now all the acts of his power and his might, and the account of the greatness of Mordecai, to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? 3 For Mordecai the Jew was second to King Ahasuerus, and was great among the Jews and well received by the multitude of his brethren, seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his countrymen. And as we read the conclusion of the type given through the Book of Esther, let’s just remind ourselves of what it was that Gabriel had told Daniel concerning the 70 sevens, because here in Esther is the picture of their fulfillment – Da 9:24 “Seventy sevens are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy. Within God’s sovereign control of all things, this is exactly what is pictured through the historical events recorded in Esther, foreshadowing what is literally going to happen at the conclusion of Daniel’s 70th seven. And all things, even now, are moving in God’s sovereign control towards the fulfillment of God’s purpose for His 3 firstborn sons – Nu 23:19 “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? Isa 55:11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. 12 “For you shall go out with joy, And be led out with peace; The mountains and the hills Shall break forth into singing before you, And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; And it shall be to the LORD for a name, For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.” Ro 13:10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. More next time – If the Lord is willing.