“And Mordecai wrote these things and sent letters to all the Jews, near and far, who [were] in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, to establish among them that they should celebrate yearly the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar, as the days on which the Jews had rest from their enemies, as the month which was turned from sorrow to joy for them, and from mourning to a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and joy, of sending presents to one another and gifts to the poor. So the Jews accepted the custom which they had begun, as Mordecai had written to them, because Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to annihilate them, and had cast Pur (that [is], the lot), to consume them and destroy them; but when [Esther] came before the king, he commanded by letter that this wicked plot which [Haman] had devised against the Jews should return on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows. So they called these days Purim, after the name Pur. Therefore, because of all the words of this letter, what they had seen concerning this matter, and what had happened to them,” Esther 9:20-26 NKJV
The festival of Purim is a yearly celebration of the deliverance of the Jews from a plot by Haman to completely annihilate them. The story of Esther occurs during the Babylonian Captivity after the Babylonians had been conquered by the Persians. Haman, advisor to King Ahasuerus (identified by Josephus and others as King Artaxerxes), devises a plan to kill all of the Jews because of personal animosity towards Queen Esther's cousin Mordecai, who was a Jew. The plot is foiled, and Haman is hanged while the Jews are allowed to defend themselves against any attacks they might suffer.
This celebration in Israel is one of the most joyous, including the giving of gifts, wearing costumes, singing, eating, drinking, and of course reading the Book of Esther in the synagogue. The fourteenth of Adar occurs in our month of February or March, and this year it lands on Tuesday, March 7th. Although this is such a happy time in Israel, I chose to bring it up today not only because it is only a week away, but also because of the possibility that history could well repeat itself shortly. While I normally provide links at the end of my articles instead of the beginning, I chose to list them first today in order to provide some context for my thoughts that follow.
https://www.jns.org/irans-highest-ever-uranium-enrichment-level-is-no-mistake-warns-israeli-researcher/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-unveils-new-paveh-cruise-missile-that-can-reach-israel/
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-732166
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/367797
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/367795
https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-huddles-with-military-top-brass-as-israel-looks-to-rattle-some-sabers/
https://allisrael.com/as-iran-enriches-to-84-netanyahu-huddles-with-fmr-secretary-of-state-pompeo-senate-majority-leader-mcconnell-other-u-s-leaders-in-tel-aviv-to-discuss-next-steps-to-neutralize-tehran
https://nypost.com/2023/02/23/netanyahu-readies-strike-on-iran-nuclear-facilities-report/
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-732487
In late 2002, the United States began a building up of forces in the Middle East with the apparent intent of deposing the ruler of Iraq, Sadaam Hussein, who was pursuing the capability of weapons of mass destruction with the stated intent of using them on the nation of Israel. I had been invited to lecture on the situation in the Middle East in early 2003 and was in the process of preparing when I noticed the Festival of Purim on my calendar was just a couple of weeks away. Reminded of the story of Esther, the first thought that went through my mind was what if history was about to repeat itself with God's sense of timing thrown in for good measure? As the world was watching and waiting, I contacted a few friends in the ministry and shared my thoughts about the possibility that an attack on Iraq could occur on the very anniversary of the deliverance of Israel some 2500 years earlier. So, surprise? The festival of Purim, the 14th of Adar, occurred on Wednesday March 19, 2003, the very day the first bombs dropped on Baghdad.
Why do I bring this up? Well, I would hope that after reading the articles I provided for context, you will understand that a great many believe another war is just on the horizon. I find it very hard to believe that the attack on Iraq during the exact time it happened once before in Israel’s history was simply a coincidence. Iran and it’s stated desire to wipe Israel off of the map, and increasing tensions with Syria and Lebanon to the North along with Hamas in Gaza to the West, the future of Israel seems very clear to be another major conflict. Is history about to repeat itself again with action by Israel occurring on Purim? I have no idea, but I am a firm believer that where there's smoke there's fire and with the rhetoric we are seeing it would be no surprise if Israel chooses to take action. As the Bible says, we all need to watch, and pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
Keep watching.
