2,381 years ago God granted a miracle in Persia; the area that is modern day Iran. If you've read the Biblical Book of Esther you know this story. A man, Haman the Agagite, i.e. a descendant of King Agag - the ancient enemy of the Hebrews, rose to power. He manipulated his King, Achashverosh, to sign an edict to kill the Jews in all 22 provinces of the Persian Empire.
But God had already set the stage for redemption of His People. Years before a young Jewish maiden, Esther, had caught the eye of King Achashverosh. He chose her to be his Queen. Now, you must understand that she hid her heritage from him. He didn't know she was Jewish. Neither did his right hand man, Haman.
Esther's uncle, Mordechai, learned of Haman's edict and revealed the details to her. She ordered her handmaidens, and all the Jews in the land, to enter with her into fasting and praying for 3 days. Then with bravery and faith she stood in the Court of the King and hoped Achashverosh would raise his scepter to her and allow her to enter his presence instead of being instantly sentenced to death. He did and the rest is history. She revealed the plot and her heritage. Achashverosh stood with her and the Jews, and sentenced Haman to hang on the gallows which Haman had ordered erected for the purpose of hanging Mordechai. A new edict was signed giving the Jews the right to defend themselves. On the day of the planned destruction of the Jews, the tables were turned and the Jews prevailed. Haman's 10 sons were hanged on the gallows & the holiday of Purim was established for all our generations. What a story!
Why am I bringing this up today? Purim was months ago! Ahh but the story of Esther didn't happen in a day. In fact, 10 years passed between the time of Esther's coronation, the establishment of Purim, and the recording of the story in the Annals of the Chronicles of the Kings of Media and Persia. So what happened 2,381 years ago? That was the year Esther fasted & prayed, denounced Haman, and begged Achashverosh to save her people. That was the year Haman was hanged. That was the year new Edicts were issued giving the Jews the right to defend themselves.
Those edicts were issued on Sivan 23. Tomorrow is, again, Sivan 23. We would be blind to miss the parallels between what went on in Ancient Persia and modern day Iran. Khamenei has vowed to destroy Israel. He has been the leader & perpetrator of the modern war against the Jews and the West.
If you consider modern history, during the time of the Ottoman Empire Jews lived all over the Middle East. At the end of WWI the Ottoman Empire was overthrown. Europe took control of the region & started setting up puppet states. The British, French, Italians & Russians each controlled different areas and the newly established states include Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Israel. By the end of WWII over 900,000 Jews fled from all the countries in the Middle East, including Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula, to Israel.
If you compare the map of that Sykes-Picot agreement, which dissolved the Ottoman Empire, and the map of the Ancient Empire of Persia there are some stark similarities.
My point here is that the 22 provinces of Ancient Persia certainly encompasses all the areas which became judenrein by the time the modern state of Israel was established in 1948. The only area of that original Persian Empire, where Jews can live freely, is in modern Israel. So Khamenei is trying to finish Haman's Edict by destroying Israel. But, tomorrow is the anniversary of the day that Edict was superseded by Mordechai and Esther's Edict giving the Jews the right to defend themselves.
As I watch the news of Israel's war with Iran I am amazed. I'm seeing the complete destruction of the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps), Iran's SS. I'm seeing the destruction of Iran's ballistic missile bunkers and launchers. I'm watching the IDF drop bombs on the nuclear centrifuge bunkers in Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow. I hear the citizens call out in Farsi "Death to Khamenei". That call, echoing through the night from building to building, spreading across Tehran, sends chills up my back. I hear the news reporting Iran's army is nowhere to be seen, that people are fleeing Tehran, and Khamenei is hiding with his family in an underground bunker. I watch Reza Pahlavi, the former Crown Prince of Iran, call his people to rise up & claim their freedom from the Islamic Regime which has kept them oppressed for the last 47 years. He proclaims that he stands with them & is already busy helping to build a provisional government that will allow them to restore their constitution & elect leaders of their choice. I hear Pahlavi say that he has already been contacted by some of the military leaders, that they want to defect & help establish a free Iran, that they are standing with him and the citizens of Iran. I'm getting goosebumps. I see God's miracle repeating itself.
We've been watching podcasts from a Canadian Rabbi, Efraim Palvanov. He brings together teachings from Torah, Talmud, Mishna, Midrash and Zohar. I highly recommend his YouTube channel! With him we've been tracking the fulfillment of prophecies as we see the fall of Nasrallah/Hezbollah in Lebanon, Assad in Syria, the Sinwars/Hamas in Gaza, and next, gotta be Khamenei in Iran.... Then Russia?
It's all been foretold, God has planned the end of days & tells us what to expect. Hang on to your seats, we're not done yet, but God is Faithful, His promises will be fulfilled. He says "My Children do not be afraid, all that I have done, I do for you." When we unite in our hearts and acknowledge the Majesty of the Almighty, the All Creator, His redemption will come.
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