From a friend . . . ********************** STUDY OF QUEEN ESTHER AND HOW GOD PRESERVED THE LINE OF MESSIAH FROM ATAN'S DESTRUCTION Esther is one of the key figures in the entire Bible. When she became Queen of the Gentile King of Persia, her nation, Israel, lay on the garbage heap of history. God had brought Babylon into Israel, beginning in 606 BC, to physically punish her for her national sins that had extended over 800 years. The Jews were in a hostile land, ruled over by a people of great cruelty, the kind of cruelty exhibited by the late Iranian Ayatollah Khomeni. Satan prepared his plan of annihilation of the Jews through the Secretary of State to the King, Haman. This plan of annihilation started with all the Jews in Persia, and would then expand outward to include every Jew in the entire world. If ever Satan had a golden opportunity to destroy the Messianic line, this was the time. If Satan could cut off the Davidic lineage, he could prevent Messiah from appearing in fulfillment of God's prophecies. Therefore, God's honor and prestige were on the line. This supernatural battle had to have been the most intense in the history of the world up until that time. God had chosen to use fulfilled prophecy as one of His main stamps of validity. Thus, we see God telling us, "Seek out of the book of the Lord and read; not one of these details of prophecy shall fail, none shall want and lack her mate in fulfillment. For the mouth of the Lord has commanded and His Spirit has gathered them." [Isaiah 34:16; Parallel Bible, KJV/Amplified Commentary]. These bold promises from God must have stimulated Satan even more in his determination to annihilate the Jews to prevent God's prophecies concerning the first appearance of Messiah from coming to pass. But, before Satan could begin his evil plan, God placed a very special lady, Esther, into a position where she could act according to God's Plan, aided by her Godly uncle, Mordecai. Once Esther's actions had preserved Israel, God's countdown to the birth and ministry of Messiah, Jesus Christ, could continue. Just 28 years later, God stimulated the Gentile Persian King, Artaxerxes, to issue his decree to rebuild Jerusalem, thus beginning God's 70 Weeks of Years prophecy in Daniel 9:24-27. Esther's action comes at a most important time in the supernatural struggle between Satan and Jesus Christ. The most famous line in this story is uttered by Mordecai, when Esther is wavering between acting on behalf of her nation or taking the safe path of keeping her mouth shut while Haman was destroying the Jews. Mordecai said, " Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" [Esther 4:14] Of course, you know the rest of the story. Queen Esther risked her life to appear to her husband, the Persian King, without being summoned. The King received Esther kindly, allowing Esther to put into action the plan that her Uncle Mordecai had conceived. The King realized that Haman had tricked him into signing the decree by which Haman was going to annihilate all the Jews in the entire world. The King ordered that Haman be hung on the very gallows he had erected to begin the annihilation of the Jews. God's uninterrupted Davidic lineage remained intact. Thus, both Matthew and Luke were able to systematically recite the lineage of Abraham to David to Jesus Christ. This unbroken lineage was one of the major fulfillments of prophecy that God used to convince Jews that Jesus was their Messiah! At the very End of the Age, Antichrist will recite a very similar line of lineage unbroken back to King David, so that the Orthodox Jewish priests will be deceived into thinking he is their Messiah, for whom the Jews are awaiting for very anxiously. To show you how the bold action by Queen Esther came at just the right moment in history, let us give you the chronological line of the Messiah Time Line. You will see how Satan's actions through Haman came at a very critical juncture in Israel's history. Just 28 years later, King Artaxerxes issued his decree to rebuild Jerusalem, thus beginning God's countdown to Messiah. QUEEN ESTHER -- PRESERVING THE LINE OF MESSIAH THE CRUCIAL TIME LINE 4001 BC Messianic promise in Garden of Eden [Genesis 3:15] 3874 BC Seth, Head of the Messianic Line 3382 BC Enoch, Gentile, Raptured @ 365 years of age. First person Raptured 2948 BC Noah and the Great Global Flood 2446 BC Shem, Noah's Eldest Son, direct line to Jesus Christ 1996 BC Abraham, declared to be the head of the Messianic nation, Israel 1896 BC Isaac, heir to the Messianic Promise 1836 BC Jacob, Father of Israel and the 12 Tribes 1740 circa Judah born, head of the tribe from which Jesus Christ will come 1055 BC King David assumes position of King of Israel. God promises David that Messiah will come from his family line. 606 BC Israel destroyed in Judgment. Jews taken captive by Babylon 536-516 BC A few Jews return to Jerusalem. Most stay in their new Pagan homes 478 BC Jewish Esther becomes Queen of Persia 473 BC Queen Esther saves Jewish nation. Messianic line preserved 445 BC Artaxerxes issues decree to rebuild Jerusalem, starting Messianic Countdown to Palm Sunday and Jesus' crucifixion 430 BC End of the Old Testament Era (Malachi) 396 BC Nehemiah oversees rebuilding effort. Project completed in 49 years, just as the first portion of the 70 Weeks of Years requires 1 BC Jesus Christ is born, according to the lineage of King David, and right on time with prophecy. " But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son ..." [Galatians 4:4] 33 A.D. Jesus declared to be Messiah on Palm Sunday, crucified 5 days later, precisely on time. First 69 Weeks of Years has been completed perfectly, and on time. 70th Week is Great Tribulation Period. 70 A.D. Jewish Temple totally destroyed -- Fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy in Matthew 24:1-2 135 A.D. Jewish worldwide dispersion begins, all in fulfillment of God's warnings starting in Deuteronomy 28:15-68, but especially verses 58-68 1948 A.D. Israel reborn in one day, as God had prophesied. End of the Age begins and Times of the Gentiles comes to a close. SUMMARY OF TIMELINE STUDY To defeat God, and prevent God's prophecies of Messiah from coming from the Davidic Lineage, Satan attempted to use Haman to completely break the Messianic line. Thus, he could have prevented Jesus from ever appearing. But God is Sovereign. Moving just ahead of Satan, God placed Esther in Satan's path, defeating him totally. This brief study demonstrates several important principles: God is Sovereign -- Totally in control at all times Satan is no match for God God, working through the weakest servant, is more than a match for a person controlled by Satan. This principle holds true even though the person through whom God is working feels totally weak, ineffective, and scared to death. Certainly, Esther felt precisely this way, and yet God worked mightily through her to defeat the King's right-hand man, Haman, through whom Satan was working. God's Eternity and Omniscience is on working powerfully here. God is acting to prevent the destruction of His line of Messiah from Satan's all-out attack. God knew exactly what Satan was planning on doing, He knew when Satan was going to attack, and He knew Satan was going to use Haman. God was not caught off guard. God works through evil situations to further His goals, and He ultimately destroys Satan's plan along with the men who were attempting to carry out the evil plan. This story of Queen Esther has great implications for us today. God is Sovereign, and Satan is no match for God. Even if you feel totally weak and inept, you can rest assured that you are more than conquerors through Him! As we approach the End of the Age, God can and will work through you to reach the people in your sphere of influence who are unsaved. Finally, we can rest assured that God's same power which foiled Haman's plan will work to ultimately foil the plan of Antichrist. Read and know the prophecies of the Book of Revelation, and of the Minor and Major Prophets, as they are all going to come to pass. Jan Ross jross@... http://focusontheword.com ICQ#18767082 "Sha'alu Shalom Yerushalayim" (Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem) Psalm 122:6 ~*~*~*~*~*~* Focus On the Word Banner Exchange--Sign Up Today and Receive 2,500 Free Credits http://focusontheword.com/banex