Quote: This event is then ceremonially sealed with the institution of the annual Feast of Purim.
The Story Is Set in Persia
For some strange reason, the original story of Hamans plot to kill the Jews takes place in the court of Ahasuerus, king of the Persian Empire. And, today, a new plot to destroy the Jews is emerging from that same country Persia/Iran. As we shall see, there are at least three historical references implying that Persia/Iran will be the country that leads the world into the final conflicts of the Tribulation Period.
The original biblical story takes place in the palace of King Ahasuerus at Susa in the Persian Empire. At a banquet, the king calls upon Queen Vashti to display her beauty before his guests. She refuses and through a strange turn of events the Jewish maiden, Esther, finds favor in his eyes. Eventually, she becomes his queen.
Her cousin, Mordecai, is also favored at court when he uncovers a plot to kill the king. As a reward, those at court were told to honor him. But Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, found it difficult to pay homage to a Jew. Haman was an Edomite, through Esaus son, Amalek. Agag was the king of the Amalekites. Contrary to the direct order of God, King Saul allowed him to live after the Israelites had defeated the Amalekites.
As the story goes, Haman, a descendant of the Amalekites, developed a burning hatred for the Jews. He was made grand vizier above all other princes, and plotted to kill all the Jews, starting with Mordecai.
Haman was so anxious to annihilate the Jews that he cast lots for a whole year to determine the best time to execute his plan. The Assyrian word for lots is puru, which enters the Hebrew language as Purim. He built a gallows and planned to use it to make an example of Mordecai. But in the end, through a final, subtle twist of events, Haman and his sons were hanged upon that same gallows.
Haman stands as an example of the fate given to those who attempt to destroy the Jews.
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A Prophecy in the book of Ezekiel
Ezekiel was a Levite exiled during the Babylonian Captivity. He is one of the most important Old Testament prophets to give us a view of the worlds final battle called in Ezekiel, The Battle of Gog and Magog. Ezekiels adventures (if we can call them that) were spectacular. In chapter 38, he foresaw the Battle of Gog and Magog, which leads to the final confrontation, referred to in Johns Apocalypse as the Battle of Armageddon. Ezekiel tells us that Persia will be the Number One confederate with Gog in the future invasion of Israel: I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet (Ezekiel 38:4,5).
Ezekiel continues with an unusual battle strategy gone terribly wrong for Israels enemies:Every mans sword shall be against his brother (Ezekiel 38:21). Confusion will cloud the minds of the invading army and cause the Persians and their confederates to turn against each other.
A Prophecy in The Book of Enoch
The Book of Enoch appears to be the oldest book ever written. And though it has been corrupted from time to time by would-be authors, it is fairly easy to determine its original autographs. According to the second of seven scrolls that comprise the ancient writing, Enoch was told that Persia would lead the world in its final attempt to destroy the Jews:
And in those days the angels will assemble, and turn their heads toward the east, towards the people of Parthia and Media [Persia/Iran], in order to excite the kings, and that a spirit of disturbance come over them, and disturb them from off their thrones, that they come forth from their resting places like lions, and like hungry wolves amidst their flocks.
And they will ascend and step upon the land of their chosen, and the land of his chosen will be before them a threshing-floor and a path.
But the city of my just will be a hindrance to their horses, and they will take up a battle amongst themselves, and their right will become strong against themselves, and a man will not know his neighbor or his brother, nor the son of his father or his mother, until there shall be sufficient bodies by their death and their punishment over them it will not be in vain. And in those days the mouth of Sheol will be opened, and they will sink into it; and their destruction, Sheol, will devour the sinners from the presence of the chosen (Enoch 56:5-8).
It is possible that this was written before the death of Adam. And, though Persia did not exist at that time, we are told that Enoch traveled into the future on several occasions. As we can tell from the prophecies of Ezekiel, Enoch corresponds with the biblical view that Persia will have an important part in shaping the worlds final battles. Notice that Enoch and Ezekiel both said that the enemy would turn on itself at the height of the confusion and begin to battle each other. Enoch said, They will take up a battle amongst themselves, and their right will become strong against themselves, and a man will not know his neighbor or his brother, nor the son of his father or his mother
while Ezekiel put it this way: Every mans sword shall be again.
The online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, says: The Zohar first appeared in Spain in the 13th century, and was published by a Jewish writer named Moses de Leon. De Leon ascribed the work to Shimon bar Yochai, a rabbi of the 2nd century during the Roman persecution who, according to Jewish legend, hid in a cave for thirteen years studying the Torah and was inspired by the Prophet Elijah to write the Zohar. In this fascinating book, the children of Ishmael were targeted as the end-time enemy of Israel:
The children of Ishmael will at the same time rouse all the peoples of the world to come up to war against Jerusalem, as it is written, For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle
(Zechariah 14:2), also, The kings of the earth stand up and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his anointed (Psalm 2:2); and further, He that sitteth in heaven laugheth, the Lord hath them in derision (Psalm 2:4).
Could he be referring to the wars that lead up to the battle of Armageddon? Of this we need not speculate. The rabbi quotes enough Scripture to convince us that he definitely has Armageddon in mind. Only the resurrection could be in mind as Rabbi Simeon concludes:
Happy are those who will be left alive at the end of the sixth millennium to enter on the Sabbath, for that is the day set apart by the Holy One on which to effect the union of souls and to cull new souls to join those that are still on earth, as it is written, And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written into life in Jerusalem (Isaiah 4:3).
So, there you have it. There are three different sources all from the Jewish Library of books and commentaries that were once kept in the Temple in Jerusalem, and later, in the caves of Qumran. Persia and the children of Ishmael are regarded by Jewish theologians as the enemy who will attempt to destroy the Chosen People in the end-time.
As in the case of Haman, he represented only a small faction of Persians who hated the Jews. Most of the Persians appreciated Gods Chosen People. Cyrus had allowed them the resources to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple. And so it is today. Most of the Modern Persians do not hate Israel. Nor do they want a madman to lead their government. But in the last election, they were unable to rid themselves of their dictator, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Irans modern madman recently announced that he has enough enriched uranium to build a bomb. Also, according to The Huffington Post, during a [recent] speech, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad questioned whether the Holocaust was a real event and called it a pretext used by Jews to trick the West into backing the creation of Israel. He said the Jewish state was created out of a lie and a mythical claim.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said that Ahmadinejad yet again shames the great tradition of the noble Iranian people and has chosen the violent repression of Iranians over a policy of friendship and cooperation that would have promoted their welfare and their honor. Along with his anti-Israel and anti-U.S. rhetoric, Ahmadinejad often portrays himself as the champion of a new world order ending Western domination and providing justice for developing nations.
In the final analysis, it will be important for us to keep an eye on Iran and their constant ranting against Israel. We have every reason to believe that Iran will spark the war of wars in the Middle East and bring the world down to the place of Divine Judgment. We may be that close to the Second Coming of Christ.
http://www.prophecyinthenews.com/feast-of-purim-festival-with-a-prophecy/ _________________ Colin Murray
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