First, in Esther for the Endtimes #1: Queen of Grace, we'll consider the contrast between two queens found in Esther chapters one and two. Next, in Esther for the Endtimes #2: Intercessor, we'll consider the main story of the book of Esther found in chapters two thru five. In Esther for the Endtimes #3: Redeeming the Time, we'll focus our attention especially on Esther 4:14, and what it means for us to come to the kingdom at this time ourselves. In Esther for the Endtimes #4: Haman's Gallows, we'll look at how the book of Esther parallels the whole great controversy and focus our attention in particular on chapters five thru seven. Finally, in Esther for the Endtimes #5: Standing for Life, we'll look at those last three chapters of the book of Esther so filled with slaughter and death, and see what can be learned there.

But the question is, what can we learn from it all?
 

The King's Feast

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:) that in those days, when the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the palace, in the third year of his reign, he made a feast unto all his princes and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces, being before him: When he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honour of his excellent majesty many days, even and hundred and fourscore days.

And when these days were expired, the king made a feast unto all the people that were present in Shushan the palace, both unto great and small, seven days, in the court of the garden of the king's palace; where were white, green, and blue, hangings, fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rings and pillars of marble: the beds were of gold and silver, upon a pavement of red, and blue, and white, and black, marble. And they gave them drink in vessels of gold, (the vessels being diverse one from another,) and royal wine in abundance, according to the state of the king. And the drinking was according to the law; none did compel: for so the king had appointed to all the officers of his house, that they should do according to every man's pleasure. Also Vashti the queen made a feast for the women in the royal house which belonged to king Ahasuerus. Esther 1:1-9

We know that these stories were given to us as examples--as helps--to our understanding. We know them to be literal, true happenings, divinely selected to help us understand heaven's purposes for us. So let's watch for potential parallels. This King Ahasuerus/Xerxes for example--who might he be figurative of, if anyone? Look at the vast extant of his realm: 127 provinces stretching from Ethiopia to India, covering the greatest portion of civilization. Consider the duration of this feast 180 days--over half a year! And notice that at the close of the feast he has one vast, grand week of festivities at the palace, for rich and poor, to bring it all to a close. The last part of the feast continued seven days, all at the king's expense. The object of the king throughout the feast was to show "the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honour of his excellent majesty" He spared nothing, and shared freely.

But to top it all off, the whole celebration was to close with that which he most treasured in all his kingdom: his queen. Queen Vashti would come before the king wearing the royal crown to show the people and the princes her beauty. This was to be the ultimate event of the feast--on the last day, in the closing hour of the feast she would come. No, not to dance lewdly like the daughter of Herodias who asked for the head of John the Baptist; no, not like Jezebel whose murderous designs were continually afoot. Rather, she would come arrayed in the finest royal garments, wearing the crown that the king himself had provided for her. Her beauty would be displayed for all to see.

But this she refused.

"But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king's commandment by his chamberlains" Esther 1:12.

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The Great Controversy in Miniature

After all, that is exactly what is happening right now in the great controversy, isn't it? Satan has challenged God's government. He wants to rule over the angels, in the sides of the north. Isaiah 14:13. He--a mere created being, has the audacity to seek to be worshiped by other creatures and to stand where the Creator--God Himself stands. And so God has put freely on display the riches of His kingdom. He is letting the universe see both, what would happen if Satan were allowed to run the universe, and also what the riches of heaven's kingdom are. And at the close--at the climax--of His presentation, He presents a people who willingly "follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth" Revelation 14:4. At the close He stands prepared to present to the universe His bride, the church, "a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish," a body loved and nourished by Christ. Sanctified, washed by the Word, cleansed of all sin--the church triumphant is the great mystery the Bible speaks of. Ephesians 5:25-28, 32.

We are fond of stating that "in Bible prophecy, a woman represents a church." And this is true. But not just in Bible prophecy. In Ephesians, in the Song of Solomon, in Genesis, and elsewhere in the Scriptures, women represent the church, both in and out of Bible prophecy.

Vashti was the king's bride, but she refused to wear his crown before him. She refused to wear his royal apparel before him. She refused to show her beauty to the people and the princes. The feast ended in chaos and wrath. The king had shared freely with all rich and poor, but the queen would not.

Friends, what about the church today? If she refuses to be sanctified, washed and cleansed--if she refuses to show her beauty to all--if she refuses to wear the royal crown and clothes provided from the best that the King can provide, what then? If she refuses, in the final climax of the battle between good and evil to show that she is changed, beautified, and prepared by grace to live in a sinless kingdom, what then? If the King's own queen refuses to obey Him, then surely Satan's own rebellion is justified!

Let us not forget that it is not we alone who are on trial in the investigative judgment. Whenever there is a moral evaluation of someone, there is also a moral evaluation of the evaluator. It is logically true that one who evaluates is evaluated according to the justness of their evaluations. This is why in Roman 3:4 Paul says that when it comes to the great controversy, it is important "that Thou [God] mightest be justified in Thy sayings, and mightest overcome when Thou [God] art judged." Don't you doubt it for a moment: we are in this thing together. Either we will triumph with our God, or the whole universe goes down in flames.

God is on trial. We are His character witnesses, individually, and as a church, collectively. He has called His bride to come before Him "without spot or wrinkle." In the book of Esther we see this in miniature, with the most terrible of outcomes: "But the queen Vashti refused to come." Esther 1:12. She had no deep fealty toward her king.

Did you notice that half of Esther chapter one revolves around her refusal and the repercussions it would have on social relationships in the kingdom? Her indifference to her husband and to the common people of her kingdom would endanger the stability of the realm, just like our disobedience threatens the stability of our heavenly Father's realm.

Now we have to keep in mind that this book is set in another time and another place. We have no license to take everything recounted in the Bible as a command. The Bible is plainly against poligamy. In the marriage relationship a man and a woman are to become "one flesh," and as the outcome, the two are no longer two, but one flesh. Yes, this book does not--in every respect--echo God's will for us, or even the character of God. No, a merry king who's had too much to drink (Esther 1:10), or who lightly signs-off a whole race to genocide (Esther 3:8-15) is not a well-rounded representation of what Jesus is like. So let's just admit that this is not necessarily supposed to exactly, in every respect, portray what God is like. Remember, Jesus even used illustrations that sometimes spoke of the Father by the use of an exact opposite (Luke 18:1-8; 11:5-8).

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An Obedient Queen

Consider young Esther, brought now into the king's household in preparation to potentially become the new queen. When she came into the palace, was she left on her own, or was she given whatever she needed to please the king and to become the queen?

• Given things for purification (Esther 2:9).
• Given new belongings (Esther 2:9).
• Given seven maidens to assist her (Esther 2:9).
• Given the best place in the house (Esther 2:9).

A few days ago I found myself in a place of business here in Moab, and in the background, this song is playing. And I stopped and listened to the words for a moment. "How," the song asked, "was a young girl to know? Where, where did my innocence go?" And it occurred to me both how sad and how vile that song was. Behind the words was a sly and sensual music. We replay these songs and the messages of these songs in our minds so often. And we become what we see and what we hear. That song implies a terrible lie. "How was a young girl to know" implies that somehow we have been left in the dark about the strength of temptation or the moral consequences of our actions. But we have not. How is a yougn girl to know? The same way as a young man can know. Psalm 119:9 answers how "shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to Thy word." Esther was trained and was training herself to obey God. She listened closely to the instruction of her parents and those whom God had appointed to instruct her.

Neither she nor we are naturally inclined to this. But when it comes to fighting spiritual battles, there is a pay-off in this habitual obedience that we can scarcely afford to miss. God is preparing a kingdom for princes and princesses. Satan is preparing destruction for a degraded horde who he will have made like himself: selfish, sensual, without self-control. And we get to cast the deciding vote. But that vote must be cast at every decision point. The hands of a righteous man grow stronger and stronger the Bible says. Cultivated, habitual obedience toward God is something that you and I must have.

After the preparation was the evaluation, made by the king (Esther 2:15-17). Do you see here what I see? This story, a true, literal story of literal events, is full of the idea of the same investigative judgment that our spiritual pioneers saw elsewhere in the Bible.

And when Esther went in, what was the king's evaluation of her? Read Esther 2:17 with me:

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.

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A Queen of Grace

He has given us favor and grace, just as Ahasuerus showered Esther with favor and grace. The Bible tells us that God has given to us "all things that pertain unto life and godliness" through Jesus Christ (2 Peter 2:3). He gives us all that we need, so that we can be His sons and His daughters, His princes and princesses, "born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:13). He calls us, then He helps us to prepare, and then He calls us again to the wedding.

Do you remember Revelation 19:7-8? There we find not only the feast of the birds upon the carcasses of the lost, but also another point:

Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready. And to her it was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

Not very politically correct, John. God's wife in the end makes herself ready? Oh yes, indeed she does! Does she do it entirely on her own? Of course not. But does she have a part in it? Obviously she does, she does indeed--so significant a part that the Scripture calls it "making herself ready." Does this happen, do you think, by random chance? Not at all. It happens as the bride cultivates a continual practice of obedience to God; there is nothing fitful about it.

You'll remember a parable of Jesus that so aptly demonstrates this. It's found in Matthew 22:1-14. Let's turn there together. We appear in Scripture not only as the bride, but here in this parable as the wedding guests.

And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: and the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.

The kingdom of heaven is like a kingdom at the moment of an event of vast importance, where the subjects ignore their King and go their own way. But their indifference stops neither the event nor their condemnation by their own actions. Like the parable of the wedding garment, when Esther went in, she was prepared. Like the parable of the wedding garment, the king himself had provided her garments. Like the parable, she was a replacement after her predecessor had been found unfaithful. All these things can be legitimately applied to us too.

When our name comes up in the judgment, we need to be prepared. So God has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness. He wants us to be prepared! The King Himself has provided us with a wonderful wedding garment: the righteousness of Christ. But this righteousness is not just an external covering--it is a garment so extraordinary that it adorns its wearer inwardly as well as outwardly.

Did you ever hear what the great reformer John Wesley wrote about this parable? Hear this excerpt from his 1790 sermon "On the Wedding Garment:"

Does not that very expression 'the righteousness of the saints,' point out what is the wedding garment in the parable? It is the 'holiness without which no man shall see the Lord.'[Hebrews 12:14] The righteousness of Christ is, doubtless, necessary for any soul that enters into glory. But so is personal holiness, too, for every child of man. But it is highly needful to be observed that they are necessary in different respects. The former is necessary to entitle us to heaven; the latter to qualify us for it. Without the righteousness of Christ, we could have no claim to glory; without holiness we could have no fitness for it. By the former we become members of Christ, children of God, and heirs of the kingdom of heaven. By the latter we are 'made meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.'
    From the very time that the Son of God delivered this weighty truth to the children of men, that all who had not the wedding garment would be cast into outward darkness, where are weeping and gnashing of teeth, the enemy of souls has been labouring to obscure it, that they might still seek death in the error of their life, and many ways has he tried to disguise the holiness without which we cannot be saved. How many things have been palmed, even upon the Christian world, in the place of this!

We understand the righteousness of Christ to be both imputed and imparted to us through the power of the gospel. He makes us beautiful all the way through, not just by coating us with a plastic shell with "Christianity" printed on the outside. The real gospel permeates us through and through with the renewing power of the Holy Spirit.

The outcome of all this, is that God enables us to obey Him. We can be, as a church, His queen of grace.

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Faithful to Our King

Back to us now; God has called us as His "character witnesses." We are to reveal to God and to men the power and the goodness of our God. His kingdom will stand or fall. We believe it shall stand. The question is, will it be made sure to Him during our lifetime, or during the lifetime of another generation? His government is on the line. What will we do?

In the last days--at the end of time--God calls a people to step out and be different--to step out and live in the fullness of the Spirit. Will we do it? Will we, like Vashti, refuse to come when we are called? Or will we, like Esther, prepare ourselves, obey, and finally receive the royal crown?

What will you do today to become better prepared? Will you purpose to cultivate a habit of obedience in your youth or adulthood? You can't teach an old dog new tricks, but God can cultivate new life in His people. It's not a trick. And we're not dogs. He remakes us in His image.

God, make us fair inwardly and outwardly, like Esther. Help us to become more like Jesus. Turn our hearts to you. Help us to learn. Help us to live. Help us to walk in new footsteps. This is our prayer in Jesus' name. Amen.
 

Last Modified 23 March 2000