CHRISTIAN MEDIA RESEARCH - Newsletter - Hadassah Of Shushan Is Prophetic

he book of Esther is the third book in scripture from the time of the Persian Union, a period that addresses the Jewish repatriation to Jerusalem. Set in the shadow of the understanding seen in Nehemiah and Ezra, Esther is the pagan name of the Jewish maiden Hadassah that found herself embroiled in the political intrigue that threatened a genocide against her people.

Her cousin Mordecai had instructed her to conceal her heritage -- hence the usage of the name that is derived from the Luciferian Ashteroth, or Ishtar, or Astarte (each name means a star, and they are all related to queen of heaven that is worshiped to this very day.

The story involves not only an historical event, but like the other books that are mistakenly thought to be simply historical from this period (Nehemiah and Ezra), it is prophetic as the characters are analogous to events at the end of days.

In the tale, Haman, the Agagite is clearly seen as the enemy of the LORD's Old Covenant people (the Christians are now the "chosen generation" - I Peter 2:9). He is opposed by Mordecai, an outsider to the throne, who has intelligence concerning the ensuing political events through the agency of the crypto-Jew in the palace, his cousin Esther.

Some have seen in this account a rather unflattering glimpse of the shadowy practices of the contemporary state of Israel as they maneuver for political advantage behind the thrones of the modern world, and to a certain extent, that element is present. However, the storyline revolves around a pre-existing plot to destroy the Jews by a historical enemy of Israel, the Amalekites.

Agag (note the similarity to the name Gog), the father of the Agagites (from which Haman is descended), was descended from the Amalekites, who are thought to be related to the Arabians. Thus, we might cast the Persian Union, the pagan power of its day, in the role of America, and Haman in the role of Saudi Arabia. As evidence exists indicating the secretive Islamic cell group known as Al Quaida is actually an American financed, trained, and equipped black budget operation under the CIA asset known as Osama bin Ladin (a Saudi Arabian), we have all the components for a shocking tale of intrigue, double-cross, and conspiracy.

One of the most obvious perceptions of the story of Esther (the Persian name for the Jewess Hadassah) is the analogy concerning Vashti and Ahasuerus, her husband and the king of Persia. In the narrative, the king sponsors an enormous celebration of the apparent prosperity of the kingdom.

The huge feasts, banquets, and revelry lasted precisely for 180 days --- a subtle indicator the ancient kingdom was still cycled under the 360 day lunar calendar (180 being precisely six 30 day months). Indeed, later when the king is pressed with a perplexing problem, we learn the "wise men" which the text tells us "knew the times" (Esther 1:13) come in to advise him. Apparently astrologers, those that understand the "times" were in a position of great influence.

At the height of the celebration, Vashti is summoned to the great banquet so Ahasuerus can show her off "her beauty: for she was fair to look on" (Esther 1:11). In an apparent show of defiance, Vashti refused to respond to the king's authority which, and embarrassed him before his court. As the spouse of the king who enjoyed the great benefits of his blessing, this was a great affront.

As the story progresses, Ahasuerus sends her to exile, and a great search is made throughout the vast kingdom for a beautiful virgin to be joined to the king. Thus, Hadassah, who is called Esther, a "maid...fair and beautiful" (Esther 2:7) will end up in the wonderful role as the bride of the great king.

The obvious analogy that practically jumps off the page is that of contentious Israel, who has all the benefits as the wife of Jehovah, but disdains them and dishonours Him. After repeated warnings through his prophets and his priests that such behaviour cannot be tolerated , after much longsuffering, in anger and judgment, the LORD puts her aside. Jeremiah cogently tells the tale:

"Because they have not hearkened to my words, saith the Lord, which I sent unto them by my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but ye would not hear, saith the Lord." (Jeremiah 29:19).

Thus, Vashti, as a symbol of Israel, is put aside, and the king determines to take another to himself. She is Esther, but in her heart, she is actually Hadassah.

As the story of the plot to kill the great king Ahasuerus is revealed, we learn the Jewish Moredecai becomes aware of it, and issues a warning through Hadassah (Esther the Queen). After the Mordecai surreptitiously passes the data concerning the assassination it is firmly implied that Haman takes the credit. Because the plot to kill the king was internal, and existed among the king's "chamberlains" (which were essentially administrative positions), it is likely the king only trusted his inner circle of advisors and royals.

The scripture says that "inquisition was made of the matter" (Esther 2:23) and the perpetrators were taken and hanged. As we recognize the bloodthirsty nature of Haman later in the narrative, he would have been the ideal figure in the Persian court to interrogate the suspects. It should be obvious that torture was a part of that "inquisition."

As we look for the prophetic implications of this aspect of the story, we may ask `is there any indication of torture, involving Arabs, occurring in the modern world that might correlate with this aspect of the tale?

We have previously noted that Haman was the son of Hammed-atha, and the text tells us he was an "Agagite" -- meaning he was a descendant of Agag the king of the Amalekites seen hundreds of years previously in Numbers 24:7.

The reader may recall that Amalek was a bloodthirsty murderer, who killed the "feeble," those that were "faint and weary" and "he feared not God" (Deuteronomy 25:18). As a result of this, "the Lord hath sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation." (Exodus 17:16).

The brilliant scholar of ancient history, Immanuel Velikovsky, citing French archaeological research, has traced the lineage of the Amalekites to the Arabians (World's In Collision, page 142). In short, the names Amalek, Hammed-atha, Haman, and Agag, all have a connection to the land that is now Saudi Arabia.

At this point, it might be appropriate to note the distinct phonetic similarity between Haman's father's name, Hammed-Atha, and the Islamic pilot that flew the first plane into the tower at the World Trade Center. His name was Mohammed Atta, and although he was born in Egypt, he carried a Saudi Arabian passport. We might further note the obvious similarity between Haman's antecedent Agag and the obviously Moslem coalition led by Magog in the end times war wherein a vast coalition of invaders attack Israel in the end times. Last but hardly least, when these invaders are killed, Ezekiel tells us they are all buried in a place to be named "the valley of Hamon-gog" (Ezekiel 39:15).

Turning back to the book of Esther, we see that when the 5th century BC Haman extracted the particulars of the plot to assassinate Ahasuerus, he was promoted to a position of honour and prestige in the kingdom -- even as Mordecai, who was the true hero of the story, went unrewarded for his diligence. Once he is in a position of great authority, the amazing story of Hadassah in Shushan (Esther in the capital of the Persian Union) provides Haman with the vehicle he desires to form a secret plot to exterminate the Jews.

It is simply amazing to realize that in the American dominated world of 2005, the number one Islamic client state of the USA is Saudi Arabia with all their vast oil reserves, whereas Israel is America's primary Middle Eastern ally in a military sense. Further, the name Agag, clearly associated with Arabia, is simply a variant spelling for the name Gog -- see Ezekiel 38 for the particulars. By the way, it s anglicized variant name is George.

Thus, in the hugely prophetic book of Esther, under the auspices of the great gentile kingdom that rules the world, the stage is set for the two factions, the Jews and the Arabs (Mordecai and Haman), to resolve the long standing battle that began thousands of years ago.

[The preceding was excerpted from the book Hadassah Of Shusha]

James Lloyd

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