Esther is a well known story in the Bible. She's a Jewish girl who is being raised by her uncle. Esther is her Persian name, which means Star. Her Hebrew name is Hadassah, which means myrtle.
In the story, the Gentile queen, Vashti, has refused the king's command to appear. Her name means beautiful one. The king only wanted to show off her beauty- nothing wrong with his request (though some people like to put a wicked spin on it). However, Vashti was having a banquet of her own and didn't want to leave her companions just to show her pretty face for her husband. For this, she lost her position as queen.
This book is very prophetical in many things. First, it's showing the Gentile Queen being replaced with a Jewish Queen- like when the church age dispensation is over and God goes back to dealing mainly with the Jewish people during the Tribulation.
Names have meanings. Many times in the old days, people were named because of the meaning of the word and not necessarily that the parents thought the name was pretty.
Haman is the villain of the story. He comes on scene after the transition from Vashti to Esther happens- prophecy of the antichrist showing up after the rapture of the church.
Haman is furious that Esther's uncle, Mordecai, won't bow down to him. He doesn't know that it's the Queen's uncle because she has kept her heritage a secret. So, when Haman finds out that Mordecai is a Jew, he seeks revenge on the entire nationality.
First, let's look at Haman's heritage. He's an Agagite- a descendant of Agag, whom the Israelites under King Saul were suppose to eradicate. Saul didn't kill Agag, and when Samuel confronted him about it he came up with excuses.
I Samuel 15:9- But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.
Later, you learn that Agag wasn't the only Amalekite that Saul didn't kill. There were those who attacked David's village while he and his men were away; David found them and attacked them, but 400 escaped. And, there were some children of Agag the king of Amalek that survived after Samuel killed him.
So, we see this deep seated resentment towards the Jews from Haman, not only because they wouldn't show him the reverence he thought he deserved, but also because of his family's history.
Haman means unique, magnificent, illustrious. Perhaps his name made him think he was destined for greatness? He was definitely destined for infamy!
Even his children's names have interesting meanings, all are of Persian origin:
Parshandatha = curious
Dalphon = self-pity; weeping
Aspatha = self sufficient; assembled
Poratha = self indulgent; generous
Adalia = weak; humble
Aridatha = strong; assertive
Parmashta = superior; ambition
Arisai = lion like; bold
Aridai = dignified; superior
Vajezatha = self righteous
Many of these are traits that can be very dangerous. It seems that Haman not only had ambition for his own life, but also for those of his children.
In the end, Haman was hanged on his own gallows that he had built for the purpose of executing Mordecai. His sons were also hanged with him, putting an end to the vengeful heritage.
Esther 9:13- Then said Esther, If it please the king, let it be granted to the Jews which are in Shushan to do to morrow also according unto this day's decree, and let Haman's ten sons be hanged upon the gallows.
But what do I mean by "history repeating itself"?
Well, in the early 1900's there was a man who was consumed by an idea of a superior master race. He thought that anyone who wasn't a part of this genetic genepool was subpar vermin that needed to be eradicated.
During World War 2, Hitler set up extermination camps for those he deemed racially impure. These camps held Jews, blacks, homosexuals, mentally and physically disabled people, and anyone who helped them. The goal was to kill off as many of these people as possible.
It is estimated that through the concentration camps, reprisal raids, terror bombings, and medical experiments, the number of people actually killed by the Nazi's and their commerades was over 15 million people (some estimators double that number).
What could lead a person to this kind of depravity?
Some say it's because a Jewish doctor tried to save her life through painful treatment, but was ultimately unsuccessful. Others believe it's because he blamed the Jews for Germany's loss during World War 1.
There are some out there who think that Adolf Hitler himself was of Jewish descent. Knowing that the Bible prophecies that the antichrist will be of Assyrian Jewish descent, I wouldn't be surprised if these rumors were true.
Adolf is an old German name that means noble wolf. I find it interesting that he had no middle name- Adolf Hitler was his full name.
Jeremiah 5:6- Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings are increased.
It is believed that Adolf Hitler committed suicide in April of 1945. Research published by the European Journal of Internal Medicine, claims that French scientists analyzed fragments of Hitler's teeth and according to them, he ingested cyanide and then shot himself in the head.
Most people don't know about the retribution that was levied against some of his military leaders. The Nuremberg executions took place in October 1946, shortly after the end of the Nuremberg Trials. Ten prominent members of the political and military leadership of Nazi Germany were executed. The sentence was conducted by a military tribunal, so it would have been assumed that a firing squad would do the execution. However, they were sentenced to death by hanging, and it was done in the gymnasium of Nuremberg Prison by the United States Army.
History repeats itself!
The wheel of time goes around and around.
We've already talked about the prophecy of the Church Age ending. The time where God is dealing with the entire world, extending the offer of salvation by grace through faith will soon come to an end. The time of Jacob's trouble, the tribulation, where God begins dealing again with the Jewish people and their denial of His Son, their Messiah, Jesus Christ.
The AntiChrist will show up as a smooth talking politician that unites the world in peace after a mysterious disappearance of millions, if not billions, of christians. When he gets assassinated, the world will mourn. I'm not certain if the Jews will accept him as their Messiah before or after his death, but when he comes back to life after 3 days he will claim to be the promised Messiah.
When he resurrects, he will be filled with the spirit of Judas Iscariot. Judas is a Hebrew name that means let him be praised; Iscariot is a Greek name that means man of kerioth (a place in southern Israel near the border of Edom). Judas Iscariot is both Hebrew and Greek, no middle name.
That's when hell will break loose on the surface of our planet. The first few years are going to be bad; the next few years are going to be unfathomable! Think of all the apocalyptic movies you've ever watched, and then mix them all together, and you still won't come close!
Millions will die.
But, when God comes back he will make sure that the antichrist and his 10 comrades (foretold in the book of Daniel and again in the book of Revelation) pay the punishment for what they've unleashed on humanity.
Daniel 7:7- After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.
Daniel 7:24- And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
Revelation 13:1- And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
Revelation 17:12- And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
The time is at hand.
