In the Book of Esther, we read of a fascinating story that took place many years ago, in a time known as ‘the days of Ahasuerus.’ In our present study, we will look at the King Ahasuerus, the Queen Vashti, and Esther, as well as some of the other prophetic people, places, and events revealed in this true story. It is our desire to learn, for our benefit, what Yahuweh has hidden for us in this amazing account.

The Prophetic Esther of Today

Our preparation for today can be seen vividly in ‘prophetic’ pictures throughout the Scriptures. Each and every person, place and event seen in Scripture portrays some important aspect of our Heavenly Bridegroom, and His present-day dealings in the preparation of His Bride! Perhaps no other book of the Bible portrays this preparation in such great detail as the Book of Esther, where each character in this historical event pictures some aspect of our preparation.

In the account given in the Book of Esther, we see that some of the characters help the Bride, and some hinder the Bride. Each character reveals something for our preparation, as well as something for our warning. And so as we look at the various characters in the story, let us try to answer the question, “Who do these people speak of today?” But more importantly, let’s ask ourselves, “Which one am I?”

Let the Reader consider, that perhaps some of our closest acquaintances may be seen prophetically in this account. But rather than seeing others represented here, let us endeavour to see where we fit into the prophetic Esther scenario!

Just as everything of our preparation is not about us, but about our King, so we begin our account, just as it begins in the Book of Esther — with the King.

The King Ahasuerus

When we look at King Ahasuerus, we cannot help but to see a fascinating picture emerge. We first catch a glimpse of Ahasuerus in the opening verses of Esther:

Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus, (this is Ahasuerus which reigned, from India even unto Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty provinces:) (Esther 1:1)

Now, in Scripture there is great prophetic significance in the meanings of names of people, places, and things, as well as in the numbers themselves. For instance, the number ‘five’ in Scripture speaks of the enablement provided by the indwelling presence of ‘Messiah-in-you,’ as He lives His Resurrection-life within us, which speaks of Messiah’s Bride — but is also the description of how Biblical ‘Grace’ operates.

And so the number ‘five’ in Scripture speaks of the Bride, and of ‘Grace.’ Likewise, the number ‘three’ speaks of resurrection, the number ‘seven’ denotes completion or perfection, and ‘twelve’ is the Scriptural portrait of Yahuweh’s government or governmental perfection. For further insight, the Reader is encouraged to read any of several excellent works on Biblical Mathematics or Keys to Scripture Numerics.

And so with this understanding, we notice in the opening verses several clues as to the King’s prophetic identity. His name means, “I will be silent and poor,” — a strange name for a King, but a perfect picture of our Bridegroom Yahushua, in the days of His flesh (Acts 8:32).

We see also that the King’s rule was from India [the word is ‘Ho-Doo’ meaning “the Giving of Thanks”] unto Ethiopia [the word is ‘Cush’ meaning “black”]. So we see the extent of his rule was from ‘those who give thanks,’ to the extent of ‘those who are black.’ This description reminds us of the verse describing another picture of the Bride of the King, who is comely, or beautiful, as was the Bride seen in Song of Solomon:

I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon. (Song of Solomon 1:5)

Let us look briefly at the prophetic meaning of these numbers, to give us further clues to the prophetic identity of King Ahasuerus.

Looking further at the extent of his rule, we see that he rules 127 provinces. In Scripture, the number ‘one hundred’ speaks prophetically of the glory that results from the grace given by Messiah. We recall one of the several aspects of ‘Grace,’ can be defined as the power and ability given to men, when Yahushua is living within, to accomplish a particular work — or, as the apostle Paul would say, ‘Messiah-in-you,’ our [only] hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).

The number ‘twenty-seven’ in Scripture depicts the entire realm of the King. The number twenty-seven is also equivalent to 3 x 9. The number ‘three’ speaks of Resurrection; ‘Nine’ speaks of fruitfulness.

In summary, we might say that the number 127 speaks of the Entire realm of the King, whose subjects yield to Messiah-in-them to accomplish the Fruitfulness of Resurrection Life. These are the subjects of the Kingdom — they are those who are yielding to the life of Messiah living within them, and thus bring glory to the King.

Next, we see in verse 2:

That in those days, when the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the palace, (Esther 1:2)

Notice here that his throne was in Shushan the palace. Shushan was evidently a place in Persia, and is also spoken of in Nehemiah Chapter 1. Let’s look at the meaning of the word. The word ‘Shushan’ means “lily.” Yahushua has told His Disciples to “consider the lilies” (Matt 6:28, Luke 12:27). There is therefore something of great importance for the Bride, hidden within the meaning of the lilies!

Where else do we find lilies? We find lily or lilies mentioned fifteen times in Scripture, eight of them in Song of Solomon. The number fifteen in Scripture speaks of “rest.” In the Song of Solomon, we see that the lilies portray the intimate, personal, relationship between Messiah and His future Bride.

We see lilies as part of the adornment of the molten or brasen sea in the Tabernacle, which was for the priests to wash in, as described in 1Kings 7:25-26 and 2Chron 4:5-6. Believers in Messiah are a kingdom of priests unto Yahuweh (Revelation 1:6; 5:10), and Messiah washes us with the water of the Word (Ephesians 5:26). So we see that the brasen sea speaks of the ‘Word’ of Yahuweh.

We may thus conclude the Lilies are in some way related to the prophetic Word of Yahuweh. We see lilies also on the pillars of the Temple, as described in 1 Kings 7:19 and 22, which pillars we are if we overcome, as we are told in Rev 3:12.

In Psalms 45, we see the main theme is the Bride and her wedding. We can likewise see a sub-theme in this Psalm. In the title, we see the theme of Shoshannim, or lilies. We also see in the first few verses of this Psalm, along with the last verse, a theme of words, lips, and tongue, and the offering of praise. We are reminded that the King [Yahuweh] is enthroned on the praises of His people, as written in Psalms 22:3. The lilies may thus speak of words spoken by the King to His Bride, as well as by the Bride to her King.

We might conclude that lilies speak of the words spoken from Yahushua, perhaps whispered in a still, small voice, spoken to the heart of His Bride, who responds because she is at rest in Him. Thus we might say that the King’s palace is in Shushan, the place of lilies, the place of intimate fellowship, between Yahushua and His people, who are at rest in Him.

Last of all we notice in Esther 1:3-5, “…in the third year of his reign…when these days were expired…” [literally, in the third year of his reign, in the fullness of days], that the King made a feast to all those present in the palace. We, too, can expect to attend a feast in the palace of the King, in the fullness of time, to be held in the third year, as likened to the ‘third day’ written in Hos 6:2:

After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. (Hosea 6:2)

Beloved, we are now at the close of the second prophetic day, and are poised at the entrance to the third day of the reign of the King! For, Beloved,

…be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. (2Peter 3:8)

Thus far, we have seen hidden in the caricature of King Ahasuerus a beautiful picture of Our King, and his life of ruling, reigning, and having fellowship with His people.

But why is this portrayal of King Ahasuerus a hidden picture of our King? Why doesn’t Yahuweh just make it very plain and evident, and bring everything out into the open?

Beloved, we are told very clearly that Yahuweh is known to different ones by different names:

And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, as the ‘Mighty One-Most Powerful,’ but by my name Yahuweh was I not known to them. (Exodus 6:3)

Beloved, our King delights in being hidden, so that certain ones would delight in seeking for Him, and searching Him out. After all, it is

“…the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.” (Proverbs 25:2)

Beloved, we must seek for Yahuweh, and search Him out, that we might each come to know Him as our King, so that we might walk in obedience to Him. But it is only by the ability of His Holy Spirit that we may search for Him, and find Him. Thus we will next search out the matter of the identity of the Seven Chamberlains.

The Seven Chamberlains

We will now turn our attention to the King’s Seven Chamberlains, to see whom they might represent today. We might first notice that the word ‘chamberlain’ is mentioned fifteen times in Scripture, with twelve of these in the Book of Esther. As we have previously noted, the number fifteen in Scripture speaks of rest, and twelve speaks of the Government of Yahuweh. These are two important clues in themselves. But let us continue.

We see in Esther 1:10 that on the seventh day, “…when the heart of the King was merry with wine…” Dear reader, let us look closely here. In Scripture the word wine speaks of the blessings of Yahuweh, of rejoicing, and gladness. In Psalm 104:15, Zec 10:7, and others, we see Yahuweh’s own definition of these words, and their figurative meanings. The word wine speaks of gladness. So this seventh day was a day of gladness for the King, as well as for those in his household. But why was the King glad?

Let us notice that it was on the seventh day, that “…the King gave commandment to the seven chamberlains that served in the presence of the King, to bring Vashti the queen before the king.” How beautiful a picture is portrayed for us, that Yahushua is full of gladness in anticipation of His bride, the queen, being brought into his presence!

The Called-Out Ones, the entire Body of Messiah, has been called by Yahushua to be His Bride, His Queen, to rule and reign with Him. In fact, we are told many times in the New Testament that we are to rule and reign with Messiah in the future, as indicated in Rev. 5:10, 11:15, and 20:4. But let us be reminded, Beloved, that we are also told we are to rule and reign even now. We can, while on earth today, rule in the heavenly realm, through prayer — as we are now seated in Him, and He is seated in the Heavenlies, as stated in Romans 5:21, 6:12, and Ephesians 1:20-23.

We are also at the end of the second [millennial] year, and preparing to enter the third [millennial] year, of the reign of our King. We are also at the end of the sixth prophetic day, the start of the seventh prophetic day, seen in Scripture as the “Day of Yahuweh.” Notice that it is on the seventh day that the command is given for the queen to be brought before the King. It will be likewise for us – at the start of the prophetic seventh day – that the King will give commandment to the queen, to come before the King!

Beloved, our King also has Seven Chamberlains to prepare us, and to bring us before the King by the King’s commandment. These seven Chamberlains are prophetic of the Seven Spirits of Yahuweh:

And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars… (Revelation 3:1a)

And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; (Isaiah 11:2)

These Seven Spirits of Yahuweh will prepare us, and will equip us for our preparation to go into the presence of the King. We will not show the details here, but each of the names given to the seven Chamberlains is representative of one aspect of the character of the Holy Spirit, in His dealings with the Bride of the King. We will see more of these seven Chamberlains of the King while looking at the character of Esther. However, before we continue, we must look at one last important point.

In Esther 1:11-12 we see that the King’s commandment was to the Chamberlains, to bring the queen before the King on the seventh day. But notice in verse 11 that the queen refused to come at the King’s commandment by his Chamberlains on that day. Have we today, who rule and reign with the King, refused the King’s Commandment in the same way?

Beloved, Yahushua will never leave us, or forsake us. The only thing that would ever allow our removal from His presence and protection, is our own willful refusal of the King, our disobedience to His commandments, given to us by the Holy Spirit.

Even Yahushua Himself tells us in great detail how this disobedience is the reason the five Foolish Virgins, the ‘Bride’ Candidates who lacked wisdom, will not be ready when He comes for His Bride. He tells us in advance, that those who work ‘iniquity’ [Strong’s number 458] will not be allowed into the Kingdom with Him (Matthew 7:23). The apostle John then tells us that this same word iniquity seen in Matthew 7:23 [Strong’s number 458] is defined as “transgression of the Law” [of Moses], which is sin (1John 3:4).

Messiah also tells us that those who are in His Kingdom, who continue to work ‘iniquity’ [Strong’s number 458 ‘transgress the Law,’ will be rooted out of His Kingdom (Matthew 13:41).

Fellow Believers, Let us awake, and be sober. Messiah is giving us much advance warning! We must not refuse the voice of the Holy Spirit, as He leads us into His preparation, according to His written Word to the Believers (Hebrews 12:25).

We saw above, that the characteristic numbers of the seven Chamberlains are fifteen and twelve, which speak of rest and government. Both of these themes are significant, for our rest in Him is the result of yielding ourselves to obedience to His word — which is to acknowledge His Government, His Kingdom rule in our lives.

We must be warned, however, that we are capable of ‘leaving our first love,’ if we choose (See Rev 2:4), and in such case we are commanded to repent, and do our previous [first] works of obedience. This is made abundantly clear in many Scripture references, a few of which are Heb 12:25; 1John 1:7-9; Rev 2:4, and many, many others.

Let us keep these things in mind, as we now look at Vashti, the Queen.

Queen Vashti

We first notice Vashti the queen in Esther 1:9, where we are told that she made a feast for the women of the King’s royal house, the King’s household. Vashti, whose name means beautiful, was very beautiful, and fair to look upon, as stated in Esther 1:11.

In Scripture, the word beautiful denotes ‘holiness.’ So we see that Queen Vashti portrays the called-out Company of Yahuweh’s Holy Ones. The name Vashti is mentioned ten times in Scripture, all in the Book of Esther. We also note that the word ‘queen’ is mentioned 27 times in Esther, and mentioned eight times along with the name Vashti. Let us notice that the number ten in Scripture speaks of the Torah [‘Law’], and of the Testimony of Yahuweh. The number ’27’ speaks of the Realm of the King, and ‘eight’ speaks of the new creation, the new birth, and a new beginning.

We thus have our next clue as to whom Vashti represents. Queen Vashti is seen to picture Yahuweh’s called-out Company of holy ones, the saints of Yahuweh, those who have been born of Yahuweh, and ordained or appointed to bear the Testimony of Yahuweh, and to live within the Realm of the King’s authority.

We can draw much meaning from Vashti’s name. We can now see that Vashti is a portrayal, a picture of the great company of those that are called out of the world by Yahushua, as a people unto Himself, to carry forth, to shine forth His testimony in the earth. This is the company of those that have been born again, and have been given a new birth, and new beginning. This great, called-out company has a name indicating that the beauty of Yahushua is upon her. She is that part of the great Congregation of Born-Again Believers who are called, but as we shall see, not necessarily chosen or faithful.

We see in Esther 1:12 that Queen Vashti refused to come into the presence of the King on the day He had appointed [the ‘seventh’ day], as the King had commanded by his Chamberlains. We may now observe the spirit of Vashti, in contrast to the spirit of a true Bride. The spirit of Vashti has gained an advantaged position through her association with the Bridegroom, but yet she acts independently of, and without total dependence on, her Husband. The true Bride, however, will rule from a humble and submissive spirit, one of total dependence and obedience.

We might ask the question, “What is the most telling indicator today, of a lack of submissiveness, and lack of dependence upon Yahuweh, within the Body of Believers in this generation?” Let us notice the following passages:

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)

And now they sin more and more, and have made them molten images of their silver, and idols according to their own understanding, all of it the work of the craftsmen: they say of them, Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves. (Hosea 13:2)

Beloved, much of our understanding of the Bible today is merely someone’s ‘own understanding,’ that has been passed along to us, disguised as ‘truth’. That is, most of our Bible understanding has come from some individual Pastor, Teacher, or spiritual Leader — which came from some denomination, Bible School, or Seminary — which came from the Church Fathers — which came from Rome!

Man’s own understanding is an idol. It is like a weed in a garden — it will choke out the Truth, and will prevent us from being fruitful! We must diligently seek the Truth in the Scriptures for ourselves — lest we too be found among those who refuse the King!

So, Vashti refused to come into the presence of the King, on the seventh day He had appointed. Therefore the King was angry. Likewise our King has commanded us to prepare ourselves, and to come into His presence on the appointed seventh day.

Dear Friend, how shall we respond, on that day when He tells us we too have turned away our ear from Him, and have refused Him?

See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: (Hebrews 12:25)

Beloved, the above warning is part of the epistle written to the ‘holy Brethren’ — those who are Born-Again, whom we would call ‘Believers’ (See Hebrews 3:1). Let us therefore look very carefully, and very prayerfully, and learn from this most important of characters in the story — that we might be on our guard against the things that might result in our refusal of the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.

We will look further into Queen Vashti’s refusal, but for now, we shall look at the result of her refusal of the King. In the following verses, we see a two-fold judgment that is given by the King, against the queen, for her refusal:

…That Vashti come no more before king Ahasuerus; and let the King give her royal estate unto another that is better than she. (Esther 1:19)

And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti. (Esther 2:17)

We must pause momentarily, to give an important warning. For the past 2,000 years, it has been commonly taught that Esther is a figure or type of the ‘Church,’ and Vashti is a figure or type of ‘Israel.’ This man-made doctrine would say that Yahuweh — the husband and King of Israel — divorced Israel, and then ‘replaced’ Israel by the church.

Beloved, this notion is simply another Doctrine of Men, taught down through the ages, and is known as Replacement Theology. This notion is not according to Scripture. Consisting of a mixture of part truth, and part error, it is a false doctrine, and contradicts Scripture passages in both Old and New Testaments. It is an interpretation given by tradition, and is not what Yahuweh is speaking in the Book of Esther!

The true, prophetic meaning of Scripture can not be seen in the fleshly attempts of Men to fit Scripture to their own whimsical views! The idea that ‘Israel has been replaced by the church’ is a ‘tradition, and is a doctrine of men,’ one of many examples of ‘Jewish fables’ that turn men away from the Truth (Titus 1:14)! This man-made notion is filled with Scriptural contradiction; We must let ALL of Scripture speak to our hearts, in order to find the Truth!

As we get closer to the time of harvest, the light becomes brighter. As the Truth shines brighter, the man-made, traditional views begin to be seen as a much greater darkness. A very vivid, and striking picture is now coming into view, one that has been deeply hidden within the story. We now can see Esther as being the True and Beloved Bride, the one who is not only the Called of Yahuweh, but will be Chosen, because she is Faithful.

Esther will replace the one that had been called; one that had started out as a true Bride and Queen, but because of her refusal of the King, she had become estranged, or widowed, from her Betrothed One. She had revealed herself as the prophetic False Bride, the Harlot Bride seen vividly in the Book of Revelation.

We will now examine the process of how Queen Vashti, although she started well, became rejected by the King, and then widowed, finally ending up as the rejected Queen. But in order to look further at Vashti, we must introduce the next character, that of Haman.

Haman

One of the primary leaders within the King’s household is Haman, first seen in Esther 3:1. The name in the Book of Esther is translated as “Haman” 53 times, and is mentioned in forty-five verses. The name ‘Haman’ means “magnificent.” The number ‘fifty-three’ in Scripture speaks of those who enter in to the City of the King; the number ‘forty-five,’ which is 9 x 5, speaks of Yahuweh’s provision and preservation of His saints.

We are next told that Haman was the “son of” Hammedatha the Agagite. The term son of speaks prophetically of ‘having the characteristic of,’ and so we see all of the related names contribute to the profoundly important, overall prophetic meaning.

The name ‘Hammedatha’ means “double,” and is mentioned five times. The term ‘Agagite’ means “I will overtop,” or increase to the point of spilling over, and is likewise mentioned five times. We recall that Agag was the King of Amalek, who was spared by Saul, and whose name is mentioned eight times in Scripture.

We recall that the number ‘five’ in Scripture speaks of the Bride in General, but in particular speaks of the operating of the Grace of Yahuweh in the life of the Believers; the double use of the number ‘5’ emphasizes the five as a prophetic characteristic of ‘Grace.’ The number “eight” speaks of Born-Again Believers, and “9” speaks of fruit, and of fruitfulness.

We may conclude that the name ‘Haman’ speaks prophetically of those today who are “recipients of the Grace of Yahuweh, who have received the provision and preservation of Yahuweh, who are looking to ‘enter in’ to the City of the King, and are filled with the Spirit of Yahuweh to the point of ‘overflowing,’ and are ‘doubly fruitful,’ just as the name ‘Ephraim’ means. However, as the “I will” in the definition of ‘Agagite’ indicates, this speaks of a root of pride within, which has not been judged, nor dealt with. As we continue looking at Haman, let’s remember that Haman is significantly prophetic of ‘Grace.’

What had Haman done? In general, we see from Scripture that Haman, as a leader in the King’s household, had brought error and deception into the King’s household, by the words he spoke! But what words did Haman speak?

We get a clue of what Haman was speaking and teaching among those of the King’s household, by the words he spoke to the King. Let us look closely, in order to identify the very heart, the very root of the error and deception that was brought into the King’s household:

And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from all people; neither keep they the king’s laws: therefore it is not for the king’s profit to suffer them. (Esther 3:8)

We see that the doctrinal error regarded the King’s Laws. This is, in a figure, a charge against the elect of the King of Kings, regarding His Laws — His Marriage Covenant — His Word. We are reminded of a strikingly similar charge against Yahuweh’s elect, against Stephen, regarding Yahuweh’s Covenant.

We see in Acts chapter 6, that Stephen had been disputing with certain ones of the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia. And when those men were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which Stephen spoke, notice what they did:

Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council, And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law: For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us. (Acts 6:11-14)

During the witness of Stephen, it was the false witnesses that told lies about the nature of the New Covenant Believers, known in the early days as ‘Nazarenes,’ and as keepers of ‘The Way.’ The False Witnesses said that Stephen had spoken against ‘the Law.’ These false witnesses also said that Yahushua would “change the customs Moses delivered to Israel.”

Beloved, that is what the false witnesses said in Stephen’s day! This is what Haman in the story of Esther was saying! Haman was a false witness! Haman, who was a leader among the king’s household, was teaching error to the King’s household, concerning the King’s laws!

Beloved, there are False Witnesses among the King’s household today, and they are teaching the same false doctrines as those false witnesses of Stephen’s day, and of Haman’s day. The False Witnesses of today are saying, “There is no need to keep the King’s Laws….” They go on to explain, “Why, we heard [from our pastor] this Jesus of Nazareth said [in the Bible, through the words of the apostle Paul] that he has changed, has done away with, the customs which Moses delivered to us.”

Beloved, this is what the false witnesses are saying today — in our generation!

When we study the Scriptures for ourselves, however, we quickly see the Truth! Yahushua did not change any customs of Moses, nor did He do away with the Law! Had He done so, He would have been labelled a false prophet, according to Scripture (Deut 13:1-5), and would thus have been disqualified from being the promised Messiah.

No, He has simply chosen a different set of tablets on which to write the Law [‘Torah’] — onto the tablets of the heart of Man (Jeremiah 31:31-33), which is the very essence of the new Covenant!

As members of the King’s household, Haman and the other leaders brought error and deception into the King’s household in the form of two separate doctrines regarding the King’s Laws. As we shall see, Haman brought:

As we look at these errors, let us take careful note of how Vashti and Esther each responded differently to them.

First we see Vashti, who because she was Queen, found it easy to believe what she had been taught — that as Queen she would remain immune from hardship and sorrow. Let us notice what the prophetic False Bride, the Harlot Bride in Revelation, says regarding her Royal position as Queen, her eternal security as Queen, and her escape from sorrow:

“…for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.” (Rev 18:7)

Beloved, the above verse in Revelation 18:7 is not some isolated, unrelated verse regarding a different matter. We see that Queen Vashti is the very personification of the prophetic woman of Revelation 18:7, and is a strong warning to us today!

Because she had “said in her heart” the three statements highlighted in the above passage, we know that these are three of the teachings that she received while in the King’s household. These three teachings, or ‘doctrines,’ were the error that eventually led her to her final, horrible condition.

The three teachings Queen Vashti received, and by example, we among the King’s household today have received, are as follows:

“I sit a queen…” She was taught about her position as the Queen; that her position was unconditional, regardless of her actions. She did not derive her identity from being the ‘wife of the King.’ She was taught that her actions had no bearing on her position as Queen, thus it was through a spirit of pride that she said, “I sit….” The Queen herself — and not the King — was the sole purpose and initiator of her existence.

Likewise, she was taught, “Once a Queen, Always a Queen.” It would have been to her advantage to search diligently, and to read the King’s Laws for herself, to see whether this “quote” was really there — or not there! She did not realise that perhaps she had been told a lie!

“…and am no widow…” She was taught that her eternal security as queen was unconditional, and that obedience to the commandments of the King was not an issue, or even important. She did not consider that she would ever become divorced, or widowed. She did not have the ‘Fear of the King’ in her, so she refused the King’s Commandment.

“…and shall see no sorrow…” She was taught that as part of the King’s household, the Queen would escape hardship and sorrow. She had glorified herself, and lived deliciously and luxuriously, and she took no thought for sorrow or mourning, which in a figure, speak of the Great Tribulation. She was taught that those of the King’s household would escape the Great Tribulation, but that the “Jews would not escape.”

We see that Esther was taught the same error as all the King’s household, because we get a clue to what Esther was thinking by looking at Mordecai’s response to Esther’s words:

Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews. (Esther 4:13)

Not only was Vashti taught error, but Esther had also been told — in type, in a figure — that only the Jews would have to go through that Great Tribulation, the Time of Jacob’s Trouble, while the members of the King’s household sit idly by, having been caught away to watch the horrifying event from a celestial grandstand.

Beloved, Haman — and by their complicity, all the leaders of the King’s household — had deceived Queen Vashti with many lies and deceits, and many doctrinal errors, all of which contributed to the one result. The result was that Vashti had become deceived, which caused her to not truly ‘know’ the King, and caused her to disobey the King’s Commandment! This is for our admonition and learning today — on whom the ends of the ages have arrived! We are told by the Prophet Jeremiah:

Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the LORD. (Jeremiah 9:6)

Because Queen Vashti did not know the King, she did not obey the King’s Commandment. Notice what Yahushua Himself, as well as the apostle John, both say about knowing Yahuweh, and how ‘knowing’ Him is completely dependent upon obedience to His Commandments:

And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity [Strong’s number <458> lawlessness = “transgression of the Law”] (Matthew 7:23).

And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. (1John 2:3)

In the above passages, both Messiah and John reveal that our knowing Yahuweh is dependent on our obedience. John says something very similar, in the following passage:

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. (1John 5:3)

Beloved, Many have not yet realised that Father’s commandments are the commandments which Messiah Himself, as the WORD of Yahuweh, spoke to Moses from Mt. Sinai — and so Father’s commandments are Messiah’s Commandments (Numbers 3:51; Numbers 4:45; John 14:15; John 15:10).

Let us remember, that Messiah said, “If you love Me, keep MY commandments” (John 14:15). And so those who come to know Yahuweh, are those who are learning to keep Messiah’s commandments, found from Genesis through Malachi, as well as from Matthew through Revelation!

So we see that Vashti was deceived, because she had been taught error. Vashti is a warning for us today! For if we are taught error, we too will be deceived. Deceit results in our refusing to ‘obey’ Yahuweh, which in turn leads to our not ‘knowing’ Yahuweh. Thus it is through deceit that we can refuse to know Yahweh, according to Jeremiah. That is why we must love the truth, and search it out. It is all a matter of deciding what our ultimate goal is to be — either loving and knowing Yahuweh, or not loving nor knowing Yahuweh.

Queen Vashti was told error, and did not search out the truth for herself. The difference between Vashti and Esther is that Esther heeded Mordecai’s words to her, when Mordecai corrected her. Vashti, on the other hand, had no heart to receive correction for her error, neither was there found in her a heart to repent.

Beloved, we in the King’s household will not escape from the Great Tribulation, any more than Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego escaped from the furnace, or Daniel from the lion’s den, or “any more than all the Jews.” We must simply prepare for the event by arming ourselves with the armor of light, and preparing ourselves by walking in the Way of Truth. We must remember the warning Yahuweh has given to all Believers, concerning those who do not have a love for Truth:

“…God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie…” (2Thessalonians 2:10-12)

But how can we guard ourselves from deception? The many voices, the many prophets and teachers, all seem to be saying something different! How can we know which of the many voices out there are speaking the truth?

Well, we will see the answer to these questions, as we look next at the wise men of the King’s household. Yahuweh has indeed sent His prophets and wise men to help us sort things out, to help us discern the error of man-made doctrines, from Yahuweh’s Truth!

The Wise Men

Soon after Queen Vashti refused to obey the King, notice what the King does:

“…Then the king said to the wise men, which knew the times…” (Esther 1:13a)

The wise men ‘knew the times.’ Who in Scripture does this remind us of? We recall that the Sons of Issachar were:

“…men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment.” (1Chronicles 12:32b)

Note in this verse that Yahuweh gives ‘understanding of the times’ to men for one specific purpose — to know what Israel ought to do! Yahuweh always has a purpose in mind!

But would the ‘rest of Israel’ do what these ‘few’ men of understanding told them?

Yes, they would! Notice the end of the verse above: “…all their brethren were at their commandment.” Notice that they all had hearts willing to receive correction! This, my friend, is the heart that is prepared for the Master!

So, what was it that made the wise men of the King’s household to be ‘wise,’ so that they would know the times? Doesn’t everyone know the times, by simply watching the News?

Let’s notice in Esther 1:13 above, that “the King said.”

The King ‘said’ to them; the King ‘spoke’ to them.

That is what makes us wise today. If the King speaks to us, the wise are those who hearken — who hear and obey. That is, if we listen and heed, and walk in obedience, and do what the King says, then we too become ‘wise.’

But notice that the King doesn’t speak to just anyone. There is further qualification. Note carefully to whom the King speaks:

“…Then the king said… for so was the king’s manner toward all that knew law and judgment…” (Esther 1:13b)

What was the King’s manner and custom?

It was the King’s custom to speak to “All that knew Law and Judgment.”

To whom did the King speak?

The King spoke to all who [are knowing, perceiving, understanding, and knowing by experience], Law and Judgment! This is a prophetic picture of those whom the King spoke to in that day. It is prophetic of those under the New Covenant, to whom the King speaks today:

Therefore shall ye observe all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: I am the LORD. (Leviticus 19:37)

“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.” (Ezekiel 36:26-27)

So we see in the above passages the prophetic, New Covenant identity of the wise men of today, those to whom the King speaks, according to Scripture. For those interested, these are none other than the prophetic Wise Virgins of Matthew 25. When we listen to, and heed those to whom the King speaks, we too will be found among the Wise Men, the prophetic Wise Virgins.

Let us ask ourselves, “Do we know [by experience] that we are ‘DO-ers’ of the King’s Laws, His statutes and His Judgments? Or, is this some strange terminology that does not fit in with what we have been taught?”

Dear Reader, Who among the King’s household are you listening to? Are you listening to the prophetic Haman — or to the King?

Have you been taught to know, to be a ‘DO-er’ of the King’s Laws, His statutes and Judgments? Do you desire be a ‘DO-er’ of all of Yahuweh’s Word, as James exhorts us in James 1:25? Let us remember that the King speaks personally to all who know Law and judgment!

Yahuweh sends His wise men and prophets to tell Yahuweh’s people their sin — their ‘Transgression of the Law’ (1John 3:4), in order that His people would acknowledge their sins, and be cleansed by the Blood of Messiah (1John 1:9). For it is when we have a heart to repent and obey, that we are forgiven, as we see in (Luke 17:3,4; Acts 8:22), thus restoring us to fellowship with Yahuweh — restored to the fellowship of ‘knowing’ Yahuweh.

Let’s now look at one example of the prophet’s work in action, as we see Elijah’s response to King Ahab:

“…Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD…” (1Kings 18:17-18)

We can see in Elijah’s reply one of the greatest distinguishing characteristics of a true wise man, or prophet of Yahuweh: he tells Yahuweh’s people their Sin, he tells them the future consequences if not repented of, and he then tells them the solution!

That is the prophet’s purpose — his mission! Yet Because Yahuweh is seeking those who love Him, He will not force or compel anyone to choose to love Him, for that is up to the hearers to do, as a result of their own choice to obey Him (John 14:15; John 15:10).

We may also see the mission of the prophet in the following:

Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. (Isaiah 58:1)

In the following verse the prophet Micah tells us both his enablement, and his mission:

…But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin. (Micah 3:8)

The prophet Micah was to declare to Yahuweh’s people their sin — their ‘Transgression of the Law’ (James 2:9; 1John 3:4). So how did the people recognise Micah as a true prophet of Yahuweh? How is one to recognize a true wise man or prophet today?

First, a true wise man or prophet is full of the Spirit of Yahuweh, and he knows and walks in, and is a ‘DO-er’ of Law and Judgment! Micah walked in Yahuweh’s judgments himself — he walked in obedience to the Scriptures, and in moral discernment, knowing what is holy and what is profane, in the eyes of Yahuweh.

Micah walked in daily testing of himself — judging himself against the written Laws of the King, to reveal any sin (Romans 3:20; 7:7). Micah then judged the sin in himself, by acknowledging, confessing, repenting of his sin, and being cleansed from of all known sin, as we are all exhorted to do in (1John 1:9). Micah also kept in mind at all times the coming trials, testing, and resulting separation and pronouncing of sentence by Yahuweh that will come at the Last Day, the Day of Judgment.

The doing of the King’s judgments here spoken of are not part of our initial justification by the blood of Yahushua, but is a part of the process of sanctification or “setting apart” of the soul. Our walking in the eternal judgments [decrees] of Yahuweh is one of the foundational teachings given in (Hebrews 6:2), and is the obedience Paul referred to when he said that we must “work out our salvation with fear and trembling.”

Peter likewise, when he exhorts us to “give diligence to make our calling and election sure” (2Peter 1:10), was referring to walking in the eternal judgments of Yahuweh, which results in our fruitfulness in the knowledge of Messiah.

Meanwhile, back at the Palace, we see in (Esther 1:14-15), that Queen Vashti’s judgment was to be “according to the Law of the Kingdom.” We, too, will be judged by the “Law of the Kingdom.” Thus it behooves us to judge ourselves [now], that we be not judged [then], at the final day of reckoning.

To be sure, the death and shed Blood of Messiah has removed all our past sins (Romans 3:25), but from that point forward, it is by our daily priestly duty of judging our own sins — by acknowledging them, by repentance, and by cleansing by His Blood (1John 1:9) — that we maintain our daily, intimate walk with Him.

Thus we would do well to find out for ourselves, exactly what applies to us, and what does not, regarding “the Law of the Kingdom.” We would be wise to read it for ourselves, and not entrust our eternal well-being into the hands of well-meaning, but errant Pastors, Ministers, or spiritual Leaders. We will take note of these as we look further.

Precious Saints of Yahuweh, the evil and unstable times that are on our doorstep are going to require us to walk in wisdom and judgment for ourselves. We must therefore draw the water of Truths of Salvation, as from wells of water, from our own wells, and from those who are walking in the judgments of Yahuweh.

In the coming days, we will see how Messiah manifest Himself to us when we are walking in the Fear of Yahuweh, in obedience to Yahuweh’s commandments, statutes, and judgments. Messiah in us truly is our [only] hope of glory, as Paul stated (Colossians 1:27). That is, it is only when we allow “Messiah living within us” to live in obedience to the Commandments, that we will be among the overcomers, in the evil day.

Notice the following verses:

Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man’s heart discerneth both time and judgment. (Ecclesiastes 8:5)

…wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure. (Isaiah 33:6)

Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. (Rev 14:12)

Dear Reader, we too will feel no evil thing in the evil day, and we too will overcome, if we make Yahuweh our treasure, as expressed in the Fear of Yahuweh. We will know that we are among the overcomers, when we are keeping the Commandments of Yahuweh, and [“even”] the Faith of Yahushua.

For our warning and admonition, we must now turn our attention to the specific nature of the false teaching and deception brought by Haman, into the household of the King.

The Error of Haman – a Closer Look

Beloved, there are today false witnesses who have crept into the King’s household, and have told the Queen herself, and the Bride Candidates who hope to be among the Bride Company, that not only is there an ‘escape from the Great Tribulation,’ but that ‘Yahushua came to do away with the Law of Yahuweh!’

These False Witnesses today, just as those false witnesses in the Book of Acts, have spoken lies to all of us who are part of the New Covenant. These false witnesses say, that those who have come out of the Bondage of Egypt by the blood of the Lamb, and have been justified in the precious Blood of Yahushua, need not obey Yahuweh’s commandments!

The False Witnesses of today are saying exactly the same as the false witnesses in Yahushua’s day (Acts 6:13-14), and are saying the same as Dathan and Abiram said in the wilderness, and the same as Korah spoke in the wilderness. And as a result of the words of the False Witnesses of that day, most of that original generation of Israel, except for Joshua and Caleb, failed to enter in!

This example of how most of that original generation of Israel failed to enter in, is given to us today as a warning, which we discuss in more detail in The Way of Salvation: According to the Scriptures. Here we look at some of the examples of Israel in the wilderness, which are given to us as prophetic warnings, to us who have come out by the precious Blood of Yahushua, and who desire to enter in to the Promised Land!

The False Witnesses of today have ‘wrested,’ or twisted and perverted the apostle Paul’s words, which say, “We are not under Law, but under Grace.” A False Witness will use a twisted or man-made paradigm of Paul’s words to support the false notion that Paul’s words claim to say, “We need not obey Yahuweh’s Commandments, Statutes, and Judgments.”

We know an idea or doctrine is man-made, if it contradicts other Scripture passages; a true idea or meaning, on the other hand, finds agreement with all of Scripture.

The False Witnesses of today go on to claim, “Jesus obeyed, so we don’t have to obey.” These False Witnesses are saying, “Isn’t it wonderful — Yahuweh no longer sees our Sin — He sees the Blood of Yahushua.”

Precious Saints, let us be more noble, as were the Bereans (Acts 17:11). Let us search the Scriptures, and study the Scriptures diligently, reading it for ourselves. Let us investigate the claims made originally by Rome, passed along by the ‘Church Fathers,’ then to the institutional seminaries and Bible Schools of this generation, then to our Pastors, Ministers, spiritual Leaders, and teachers, and finally to us.

Let us test these false ideas and man-made doctrines against what the Scriptures actually say, to determine whether they are true, or not.

Notice carefully what Yahuweh says, regarding the wicked that commit sin, but claim that “Yahuweh doesn’t see” our sin:

…Yet they say, The LORD shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it. Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise? He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see? …Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O LORD, and teachest him out of thy law… (Psalms 94:7-12)

We are told in Hebrews 10:17 that Yahuweh will not remember our sins and iniquities any more — that is, after we have confessed, or acknowledged our sins, as 1John 1:9 tells us. We cannot now speak of this in much detail, but we may summarise what we saw in The New Covenant: According to the Scriptures, as follows:

Once a person has been justified by Grace through Faith — not by his own efforts or good deeds, but by the Blood of Yahushua — he is set free from the requirements of the Old Covenant, including the requirement of all its Laws, and its curses, sins, and guilt associated with breaking the laws — in exactly the same way as a wife is set free from the Law of the Husband, when the husband dies.

As the apostle Paul explains in Romans 6:14, after the husband dies, the woman no longer has any obligation to live under the Marriage Covenant of the one who has died. She is no longer under the headship, or government of that husband. She is now free to choose, to marry another Husband!

This is a New Testament figure, or picture, of the Old Covenant, and how, because we have died with Messiah, we are no longer under the requirements of the Old Covenant. We are now free to choose a New Master.

The old husband has died, and the woman is now free to choose. This is a very important concept the apostle Paul has brought out in Romans 6:14. Because we have died [in Messiah], we are no longer under the condemnation and curses the Law pronounced, and are no longer under the requirement or guilt of Breaking the Law. We are therefore no longer under the dominion of the old master [sin], whose strength is the Law (1Corinthians 15:56).

Furthermore, according to the Torah of the freed bond-slave (Lev 25:39,42; Ex 21:5-6), Messiah Himself does not compel, nor are we allowed to compel, anyone to obedience, whom Messiah has set free from bondage to sin. And so from the Torah, and from the Biblical examples (Jer 34:8-20; Acts 15:1,5,24,28-29; Gal 2:3-5), we see that as Followers of Messiah, we can no longer be ‘compelled’ to obedience to Torah. However, according to Exodus 21:5-6, if we love Messiah, we may choose Him as our new Master.

That is, we may now choose whether to love Messiah, by obeying Him, by keeping His Commandments (John 14:15), or we may choose not to love Him, by disobeying His Commandments, which is sin (1John 3:4).

The error in our understanding arises, when we fail to realise that the One who appeared to all the prophets, and the One who spoke ALL the Commandments given to Moses, was the WORD of Yahuweh (Genesis 15:1; Numbers 3:16; Numbers 15:31) — whom we are told is none other than Messiah Himself! (John 1:1; John 1:14).

Thus when we understand that Messiah’s commandments are Yahuweh’s commandments, His words begin to take on new meaning for those who choose to follow Him, and to love Him: “If ye love me, keep MY Commandments…” (John 14:15)

Now the purpose of much of the apostle Paul’s writings [as well as those of all the other New Testament writers], is to appeal to those who truly love Messiah, not to continue in sin, not to continue to ‘Transgress the Law,’ even though we have been set free from the condemnation pronounced by the Law! (see Rom 6:2; 6:15).

Instead, Paul and the others appeal to us, that we should yield ourselves unto Yahuweh, and choose to obey Him from a New motive: that of Love! Paul’s reasoning is, that since we are no longer under the Law, sin no longer has dominion over us, since we are longer under the dominion of sin’s strength [the Law]. Thus we are now free to choose whom we will serve!

Beloved Saints of the Most High, we have been set free from bondage to sin! We are no longer forced to serve Sin, forced to Transgress the Law — we may now choose not to sin — not to Transgress the Law!

We have in effect been set free from an external Law, written on tables of stone. Now, if we choose to follow Yahushua under the ‘New’ Covenant, our obedience is what allows the Holy Spirit to write His Law internally on our heart, the fleshly tables of the heart (Jeremiah 31:31-33; Ezekiel 36:26-27; John 13:17; Heb 8:10).

Thus to follow Yahushua is to obey the same Law — the same Torah as He obeyed — not under threat of death, but from a motive of love.

There are numerous Scripture references to show this, but a few of these are:

This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; (Heb 10:16)

For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: (Romans 7:22)

…not without law to God, but under the law to Christ… (1Corinthians 9:21b)

Beloved, for the leaders to say that “we are not under the Law of Yahuweh” is to speak deception. As Believers in Messiah, we are certainly not under condemnation of the Law. Those who choose to follow in Messiah’s footsteps, however, are those who choose yield themselves to obedience to His Law, that is, they become subject to His Law.

At no time is any New Covenant Believer to be under ‘no’ law at all. To be under [subject to] no law is to be in iniquity, in Lawlessness.

Instead, Paul identifies for us today, exactly who is not under the Law, who is not subject to Yahuweh’s Law:

…the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. (Romans 8:7)

According to the Apostle Paul, only the ‘carnal mind’ is not subject to the Law of Yahuweh. One who is ‘subject to’ another has yielded himself to obedience to another, and is under that one’s jurisdiction.

It is the same in the natural realm. As citizens, we are ‘under’ the law, that is, we have chosen to be subject to the Law, to yield ourselves to obedience to the law of the country and province in which we live. It is only the rebellious and the law-breakers who have not subjected themselves to obedience to the law of the land. These soon come ‘under’ the Law in a different sense — they become under condemnation of the Laws they have broken.

And so it is in the spiritual realm. The carnal mind has not yet yielded itself to obedience to the Laws of God, but considers the Laws of Yahuweh to be an ‘enemy.’ In doing so, he makes himself to be an enemy against Yahuweh’s purposes for him — and he thus becomes an enemy of Yahuweh.

Let us remember, that even our Justification by the Blood of Yahushua is according to the Law. Even our forgiveness, and cleansing by the Blood of Yahushua, are dependent on the Law being still in effect today. Notice the following verse:

…almost all things are by [according to] the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. (Hebrews 9:22)

As babes in Messiah we are under the tutor of the external law [to learn it], until over the course of time, the Holy Spirit writes His Law on our hearts. At all times, however, we have the Blood of Yahushua to cleanse us, when we confess our sins. It is not until we begin to ‘know’ Yahuweh, however, that He reveals Himself in new ways to the Believers, and begins to call us unto a greater degree of preparation, and to greater levels of cleansing — as He opens our eyes to greater levels obedience.

Beloved, we start out spiritually as newborn babes. Then as children, we grow to become young men; but we become ‘Fathers’ when we have known Yahushua, and have seen Yahushua, and walked with Yahushua, from ‘The Beginning,’ that is, from the Book of Genesis (1John 2:13, 14).

When we see and understand who Yahushua really is, we then begin to understand that our ‘New Testament’ Yahushua spoke all of the ‘Old Testament’ commandments. And as we follow in Messiah’s footsteps of obedience, His Commandments become no longer external, on tablets of stone — they become internal, written on tablets of the heart. It is then that we begin to know His true Name (Rev 2:17).

Let’s look at what Yahuweh tells us further about His commandments. It is the Commandments written on the heart, those obeyed and walked in, that reveal to us — and to Yahuweh — whether we truly Love Him, and whether we truly love the brethren:

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. (1John 5:3)

And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. (1John 2:3)

He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. (1John 2:4)

And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. (1John 3:24)

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. (1John 5:2)

If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide [‘remain’] in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide [‘remain’] in his love. (John 15:10)

He that saith he abideth [is ‘remaining’] in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. (1John 2:6)

How did Yahushua walk? How did Yahushua abide [‘remain’] in the Father’s love?

By keeping the Father’s commandments!

And notice above in John 15:10, that He tells us, “ye shall…even as I have….”

We must understand that the enemy of the Brethren desires that we would not abide or remain in the Father’s love. But we are told in (Romans 8:35-39) that nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of Yahuweh, which is in Messiah Yahushua our Lord.

So, how can satan get us to a place that we are not abiding or remaining in the Father’s love? He can do this only if he can deceive us, with the result of preventing us from keeping the Father’s commandments, as stated in John 15:10! [Please notice the word “if” in John 15:10.)

And so in order to entice us away from abiding in Father’s love, satan must somehow deceive us, by convincing the saints that they are exempt from keeping, and obeying, Father’s Commandments. Let us now look at the error of Haman today, to see how satan is bringing this deception to the saints today.

The Prophetic Error of Haman Today

We have seen that one of satan’s goals is to entice the saints away from abiding in Father’s love, and to do this, satan must somehow deceive the saints, by convincing them that they are exempt from keeping, from obeying, the Father’s Commandments, in accordance with John 15:10. But how does satan bring this deception? It is through the prophetic error of Haman.

Let’s look at the Scriptures, to see what this error is, how it comes about, and how this error affects the Believers.

First, let us notice the warning Jude gives us:

Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for [fight, struggle, strive to retain; agonize over] the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. (Jude 1:3)

For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning [‘changing’] the grace of our God into lasciviousness [ungoverned; unrestrained], and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. (Jude 1:4)

Beloved, Jude is telling us in the above passage that men have crept in unawares, and have brought their package of error and deception wrapped in a certain kind of teaching — a certain kind of Grace teaching.

Let us pause here momentarily, to state that everything in the life of the Believers is only by the true Grace given to us by Yahuweh. For it is:

“…by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Eph 2:8-9)

We must now ask, “How does error enter in through the teaching of Grace?”

The answer to this question is in two parts. First, when only part of a Bible truth is presented, to the neglect of its other parts, that truth then becomes out-of-balance, and becomes error.

Second, if a Bible truth is combined with man-made ideas, that truth also becomes error.

It is the imbalanced teaching of Grace, and the teaching of man-made ideas and doctrines of Grace, that combine to become a false Grace teaching. The false Grace teaching is so subtle, because it closely resembles the true Grace teaching — which is one of the greatest foundational truths of those who have been called-out by Yahushua.

Let us now look closely at what Jude tells us in the above passages:

In the above passages, we see the prophetic error of Haman today. We see how it occurs, and we see the results of this error in the lives of the Believers.

We should first note that these men have not turned, changed, or corrupted the literal Grace of Yahuweh, for that is part of His character. Men can only turn, change, or corrupt what they teach about the Grace of Yahuweh. This tells us that these men are among those who teach error, by teaching a corrupted version of Yahuweh’s Grace.

So we see that satan brings about the error of Haman today, just as Jude reveals — by deceiving the saints, by teaching a corrupted version of Yahuweh’s Grace.

We then ask, “Who is it today, that teaches a corrupted version of Yahuweh’s Grace?

To bring this deception Jude warns us of, satan uses those who teach about Yahuweh’s Grace. Today there are multitudes of well-meaning Pastors, Ministers, and spiritual Leaders who are bringing error to the saints, through their teaching of un-Scriptural forms of Grace.

Avoiding Deception

Our avoidance of deception, as everything else, comes only by Yahuweh’s mercy, and by His Grace. If we would escape deception, we must cry out to Yahuweh, just as the Psalmist describes in (Psalms 5:8, 141:8-10). We must then seek His precepts and keep them, as the Psalmist describes in (Psalms 119:100, 104, 128).

To avoid deception, we must also be as the Bereans, and study the Scriptures for ourselves. Now the Bereans were said to be more noble, for when they heard Paul teaching, they:

“…searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11b)

We must take notice that the only Scriptures the Bereans had were what we call the ‘old’ Testament writings, from which they were able to prove all things taught by the apostle Paul! We too may avoid deception when we hear a teaching, if we will study the Scriptures diligently [the ‘old’ Testament writings], just as the Bereans did!

And so we see from the above passages, that the prophetic “Error of Haman” seen today is the false teaching of Grace. It consists of the True teaching of Scripture, along with a number of man-made or False word definitions, and False explanations of the application of Grace, and False accusations against the eternal Laws of the King, turning the entire True teaching into Falsehood.

Indeed, from the examples seen thus far, we may conclude that the prophetic picture of Haman is one of a Leader in the King’s household, one who is identified, even from the meaning of the names and prophetic numbers, as a teacher of Grace.

From the message Haman taught to the King’s household, bringing false statements against the Laws of the King, we may conclude that Haman speaks of the multitudes of Pastors, teachers, prophets, and leaders in the Body of Messiah today, who teach against the Laws of the King, and who bring further separation between Vashti and Esther, to their respective destinations.

As we have seen in the example of Vashti, the false grace teachings have very grave, and serious consequences in the lives of Believers today. The end result of the recipients of a false grace teaching is that they become deceived, and do not know Yahuweh, simply because they refuse to obey His Commandments. “Through deceit they refuse to know me, says Yahuweh” (Jeremiah 9:6b).

In the final day, Yahushua will speak a very frightening word that will be heard by many, heard by those that had been taught the False Grace teaching, for they had been led by their leaders to believe that because they are Born-Again, they already ‘know’ Him:

And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:23)

Notice that those that were refused entry do not know Him, but are engaged in ‘iniquity.’ The word for iniquity is the Greek word anomia, Strongs numbers <458> and <459>, whose meaning is “Lawlessness,” or “without Law” and is the New Testament definition of Sin (1John 3:4). Disobedience to Yahuweh’s Law is the cause of not knowing Yahuweh!

It is also evident from the book of Revelation that the true Bride Company, those who Overcome, are those who obey Him, because they know Him. They are the ones that gain the right to eat of the Tree of Life, and gain the right to enter into the City of Yahuweh. Notice the following:

Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. (Revelation 14:12)

Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. (Revelation 22:14)

Dear Reader, Vashti has been ruling and reigning as Queen, along with the King, for 2,000 years. Vashti has remained under the teaching of that wicked Haman, and has allowed Haman’s teaching to infect her, and all of the King’s household. Although she currently rules and reigns as Queen along with the King, Vashti will soon be judged as the Harlot Bride.

There is one True Bride Company, one that will replace Vashti, the Beautiful One. She is Esther, and she is at this moment undergoing her preparation to go into the presence of the King. Let us now turn our attention to Esther, to see who she is today, so that we might learn, and prepare ourselves to come into the presence of our King.

Esther Is Hadassah

We first see Esther mentioned by her Hebrew name ‘Hadassah,’ and then by her Persian name of Esther.
As the name ‘Hadassah’ is mentioned only once in all of Scripture, we have our first clue as to whom she represents. We are told of the Bride,

“My dove, my undefiled is but one…” (Song of Solomon 6:9)

We are told also in Esther 2:7 that Hadassah had neither father nor mother, reminding us of Melchizedek, who is a figure of our King. We are also reminded of our Master’s admonition to us, as part of our preparation:

Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father’s house; Psalms 45:10

We see then, that Esther was fully prepared in this regard – she had died to all her earthly ties, not only familial, but as to her own ambitions and plans that her parents might have had for her. We are told also, in Esther 2:7 that she is fair and beautiful, both terms being used throughout Song of Solomon to describe the Bride of the King.

Now the Name Esther [meaning “Star”] is mentioned 55 times in the Book of Esther, and is mentioned in 45 verses. The number 45 in Scripture speaks of Yahuweh’s preservation of His saints; and the number 55 speaks of two 5’s, as two walking together by ‘Grace,’ the enablement given to her from Messiah living within her, as she allows “Messiah-in-you” to walk in obedience. The number ‘5’ is thus the number that speaks foremost of the Bride. The word ‘Star’ reminds us of what Yahuweh says in Daniel:

And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness [shall shine] as the stars for ever and ever. (Daniel 12:3)

So we may conclude that Esther speaks of those who will have the characteristics of a ‘star’ – that they will be wise [as seen in the ‘5’ Wise Virgins], and they will turn many to righteousness. These are two of the character traits that the Overcomers will have during their 1260-day ministry during the soon-coming Great Tribulation. They will be wise, and they will turn many to righteousness.

Now the name ‘Hadassah’ means “myrtle” tree, and is mentioned only once in Scripture as the feminine gender. However, the word for ‘myrtle’ in the masculine gender is mentioned six times, so that the single mention of the feminine gender completes and makes the seventh usage. As the number ‘7’ speaks of “perfection” or “completion,” we see in this that the female Bride ‘completes’ the male Husband. As we look at the word myrtle, we catch a further glimpse of the Bride, and her character traits, as one who is fully prepared.

Another fascinating picture of the word myrtle used in Scripture, is seen in the fact that it is listed in both Nehemiah and Isaiah as the ‘third’ in a list of trees. Since the number ‘three’ speaks of resurrection, we understand these passages are significant, and we can thus associate myrtle trees with resurrection, and more significantly, the first resurrection, as Esther is prophetic of the First Resurrection Company.

In other Scripture verses, we see that the branches of myrtle trees are among the branches used to construct the Sukkah, the booths used by the Bride in celebrating the Feast of Succot, also called the Feast of Tabernacles, one of the three main feasts of Yahuweh. The use of this word speaks to us of the tabernacling of our Yahushua among us, and of the presence of the Father with the Son. So we see that this was another trait of Esther — she had the presence of Yahushua “tabernacled” within her.

Likewise, in Zechariah we see a highly-significant prophetic event: the angel of Yahuweh is seen standing among the myrtle trees, and is mentioned three times (in Zec 1:8,10,11). The ‘angel’ or messenger of Yahuweh is seen as a man standing among the myrtle trees, and thus speaks to us of the Captain of Yahuweh’s army, Messiah Himself, standing among the Company of the Bride Company.

We see a further picture of Messiah and His Bride, as we note that Zechariah is the 38th book of the Bible. Thirty-eight is equivalent to 19 x 2. The number ‘nineteen’ in Scripture speaks of faith, so 19 x 2 speaks prophetically of “two walking together by faith.”

We see also, that for each mention of myrtle trees seen in Zechariah, we see Yahuweh walking among them! We also see reference to the end time, in the reference of the horses that are present in these verses. Furthermore, the Strong’s number for the name ‘Hadassah‘ is number <01919>, that is, this Hebrew word is the one thousand, nine hundred and nineteenth word in the Strong’s Hebrew word dictionary.

As we look closely at this number ‘1919,’ we see that by the power and sovereignty of Yahuweh, He has ordained just enough words in the Bible to have it work out thus. Just as we saw above in the number ’38,’ the number ‘1919’ again speaks of two walking together by Faith!

Next we see that Esther was brought unto Hege, also known as Hegai, keeper of the women. We will not go into much detail here, but Hegai represents the work of the Holy Spirit through the various ministries of the Believers, given by Yahuweh to prepare the Bride. We see in Esther 2:13 that everything needed for her purification was given to her, to prepare her to go into the presence of the King.

Like the prophetic Hegai, it is the Holy Spirit who freely gives us all we need, a picture of His Grace, His giftings and enablement He freely gives us. Likewise it is the Holy Spirit who leads us into all Truth, so that by our learning to become ‘DO-ers’ of that Truth, we too might be fully prepared to go into the presence of our King!

Esther Begins Her Preparation

Next, let’s notice the preparation that Esther underwent:

Now when every maid’s turn was come to go in to king Ahasuerus, after that she had been twelve months, according to the manner of the women, (for so were the days of their purifications accomplished, to wit, six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odours, and with other things for the purifying of the women;) Esther 2:12

We could spend hours discussing this verse, but will only look at several items. Throughout Scripture, we see that oil of myrrh was given to Yahushua on three occasions in His life on earth — At His birth, at His death on the cross, and at His burial. Myrrh was used to embalm a body after death. Myrrh speaks to us of “death to self.”

So we see that Esther’s first step of preparation was the “death of self.” That is, she allowed herself to die to her own self-centered life. To do this, she must first die to her fleshly appetites, keeping her body under subjection to her spirit (1Co 9:27). She must also die to her own self-will, her own self-effort, her own ambitions, and her own understanding — along with all that she once held dear in this life on earth.

She must die to self, so that she too may say:

“…not my will, but thine be done.” (Luke 22:42)

And, as a result of giving up ‘all she had,’ she would qualify to be among Messiah’s disciples (Luke 14:26-27,33), and she would be found among those that would overcome:

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. (Revelation 12:11)

Next we see that she was prepared with sweet odours. We are told elsewhere in Scripture what the sweet odours portray:

Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. (Psalms 141:2)

…an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God. (Philippians 4:18)

…golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. (Revelation 5:8)

So we see that Esther’s next item of preparation was with sweet odours, which speak of cultivation of a vital prayer life, one of intimate fellowship with Messiah, of praying in the spirit (1Co 14:14-15; Jude 1:20), and of ‘koinonia’ or sharing of life together.

We then see one final item included in Esther’s preparation — the purifying, or cleansing of the Bride.

The Cleansing of the Bride

The last item of Esther’s preparation was ‘other things’ for her purifying, or ‘cleansing’:

“…and with other things for the purifying [cleansing] of the women…” (Esther 2:12)

Beloved, there are many things in Scripture, that exhort us to be holy [set-apart unto Yahuweh], and to cleanse ourselves, by learning the difference between what is holy and clean, and what is unholy and unclean — all according to Scripture.

Some of these purifyings and cleansings can be seen in the following passages:

Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. (John 15:3)

That he might sanctify and cleanse it [the called-out assembly] with the washing of water by the word… (Ephesians 5:26)

In the above passages, we see that the Word of Yahuweh cleanses our spirit, when we hear it;

And put no difference between us and them, purifying [cleansing] their hearts by faith. (Acts 15:9)

Seeing ye have purified [hagnos: to sanctify; purify; make chaste; cleanse] your souls in [‘by’] obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: (1Peter 1:22)

In the above passages, we see that the Word of Yahuweh cleanses our souls, when by faith, we obey it;

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1John 1:7)

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1John 1:9)

In the above passages, we see that the Blood of Yahushua Messiah cleanses us, when we walk in His light as He does, and when we confess our sins;

But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him. (Psalms 4:3)

Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom. (Proverbs 18:1)

Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves…unto the LORD… All the days of his separation he is holy unto the LORD. (Numbers 6:2a,8)

In the above passages, we see that Yahuweh sets apart people for Himself, and those that are wise set themselves apart, or separate themselves unto Yahuweh. We also see that to separate or consecrate ourselves unto Yahuweh is to be ‘holy.’

For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. (Ephesians 5:5)

Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness that they die not in their uncleanness…. (Leviticus 15:31a)

For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. (1Thessalonians 4:7)

And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean; (Leviticus 10:10)

And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. (Ezekiel 44:23)

In the above passages, we see that the opposite of holiness [separated-ness] is uncleanness. To walk in holiness is to walk in Biblical cleanness. Those who are learning to be holy [set-apart] unto Yahuweh, are learning the difference between what is holy, and what is unholy; between what is unclean, and what is clean, according to Scripture.

Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (2Corinthians 7:1)

For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste <53> [hagnos: sanctified; set-apart; pure; chaste; clean] virgin to Christ. (2Corinthians 11:2)

In the above passages, we see that Yahuweh is calling His ‘new’ Testament Believers to cleanse themselves in both the flesh realm and the spirit realm. Only by performing or accomplishing holiness in the fear of Yahuweh, can we be presented as a chaste virgin to our Bridegroom.

Yahuweh has already begun to bring about the promised restitution of all things. He is restoring His people to their original [intended] state, as demonstrated by Messiah while He was on the earth.

Today Yahuweh’s people are learning the difference between clean and unclean, so that they may walk in true holiness. They are preparing themselves, making themselves ready, in order that they may be presented to Messiah as a chaste [sanctified, set-apart; pure; clean] virgin, at the moment He appears to His Bride (Exodus 19:10-11; Matthew 24:44, 25:10; Luke 12:40,47; 2Tim 2:21; Rev 19:7).

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you… (2Corinthians 6:17)

Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD. (Isaiah 52:11)

In the above passages, we see that in order to maintain our holiness [‘separatedness’], we must come out from among [intimate association with] those who do not desire holiness, but who instead practice uncleanness.

If we are His children, but fail to maintain our holiness, our cleansing or separatedness, Then Father must apply further measures to our backsides:

For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he [chastens us] for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness [set-apart-ness; purity; chastity; clean-ness]. (Hebrews 12:10)

If his [Messiah’s] children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; 31 If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; 32 Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. (Psalms 89:30-32)

The blueness [‘stripes’] of a wound cleanseth away evil: so do stripes [cleanse] the inward parts of the belly. (Proverbs 20:30)

In the above passages, we see that Yahuweh is calling us to cleanse ourselves, in both the spirit realm and the flesh realm. If we are His children by faith in Messiah, but do not cleanse ourselves by keeping His statutes, commandments, and judgments [His house rules], Yahuweh chastens us, to make us chaste; He cleanses us, so that we might be partakers of His holiness.

If Yahuweh’s children do not respond to His initial cleansing, He will then subject them to a much more vigorous scrubbing. This is a chastening that is more intense, and is designed to purify those that are His children. This scrubbing is also designed to separate the wheat from the chaff — to separate those that are His children, from those that are not His children.

In this regard, we are given much information in Scripture to reveal to us several stages of Yahuweh’s further chastening. These advanced stages of chastening are not intended for those who are Wise, who obey Father’s house rules. This further chastening is only for the Foolish, for those who have not chosen to walk in Father’s ways, and will not be found worthy to escape further testing and proving:

Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. (Luke 21:36)

Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, [testing; proving] which shall come upon all the world, to try [test; prove] them that dwell upon the earth. (Revelation 3:10)

In the above passages, notice the words watch and kept. These are very important words, as the Greek words underlying the English words for watch and keep have two primary Hebrew and Aramaic counterparts [natsar <05341> and shamar <08104>]. These words have the meaning of ‘keep, guard, and obey,’ and are used in the context of keeping Father’s covenant and His commandments.

And so in these passages [and in many others!], we see that those who ‘watch’ and pray — that is, those who ‘keep, guard, and obey’ Father’s Torah, along with prayer — will be found worthy to escape the further trials and testings. These will be the Company of the Wise Virgins, the Barley Harvest First Resurrection saints.

We also see that those who do not ‘watch’ and pray — that is, who do not ‘keep, guard, and obey’ Father’s Torah, along with prayer — will not be found worthy to escape the further trials and testings. These will be the Company of the Foolish Virgins, the Wheat Harvest Resurrection saints, who must undergo further trials and testings:

Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him. (Proverbs 27:22)

And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. (Daniel 12:9-10)

In the above passages, we see the great and innumerable company of those who say they are Born-again, Blood-bought, Holy-Spirit-filled Believers, yet they continue to be disobedient to Father’s Laws — His statutes, commandments, and precepts.

Thus far these have not fully shown their love for Messiah (John 14:15), so that Father must bring further trials and testing to them, in order to determine their true spiritual paternity — and to separate those who are His children, from those who are not:

They have blown the trumpet, even to make all ready; but none goeth to the battle: for my wrath is upon all the multitude thereof. (Ezekiel 7:14)

In the above passage, we see those who do not respond to the trumpet [prophetic warnings given to the people], to spur them to make themselves ready. These are the multitudes who have been trained not to respond to what the Scriptures actually say. Instead, these hold only to their denominational doctrines, the various man-made mixtures of truth and error they have embraced, and have become deceived.

And so we are thus warned — the burning of Father’s wrath is not toward His own children, but toward those with whom they mingle. Unless His children separate themselves from them, they too will feel the heat. They too must endure the things that are coming on the earth, to try the sons of men.

Conclusion

Beloved, there is much more that could be said about Esther. But having seen only this brief overview of the King and His household, perhaps we have seen ourselves among these prophetic personalities within the Book of Esther.

We may now ask ourselves, “Which one am I?”

Beloved, perhaps it is time for us to seek Yahuweh, and return to Him, and return to the ‘first love’ — the ‘first works’ of obedience seen in the early Called-Out Ones. Let us cry out to Him, asking Him to reveal His Truth to us, and to give us His help (Ps 119:18,34; Ps 143:10; Jer 33:3)

Just as we are called to “remember Lot’s wife” (Luke 17:32), let us also “remember Vashti,” who refused to come into the presence of the King on the seventh day!

We trust that the little we have shown gives the reader adequate warning of the two possible paths, and of the two possible destinations, of those within the Body of the called-out ones. One path is the Wide Road, with many thereon, going the way of Vashti unto rejection.

The other path is the Narrow Road, with few thereon — that is, only a remnant — going the way of Esther, into the ultimate presence of the King.