| The Apocalypse of . . . Esther?? concluded |
| The Chronology of Esther |
| All major events in Esther are carefully dated. As with all biblical datings, this chronology was recorded for a specific purpose by an author writing under the Spirit of inspiration. Much about the timetable of latter-day events is revealed in the Esther chronology. In earlier chapters, the "yardstick of time" of the covenant peoples -- 7 times, equalling nearly 2484 solar years -- was shown to apply to many different situations. That is partly because the seven times was the length of a curse on these covenant peoples: because the curse was not applied all at once, neither will its lifting take place all at once. The book of Esther concerns the Israelite/covenant people, so the seven times' prophecy applies to its history also. Here, then, are the approximate dates, both ancient and their modern-day fulfillments. (There is a slight prob-lem in dating the years of Ahasuerus's rule, for it is not known for certain whether the count of his regnal years commenced in the Spring [Nisan] or in the Autumn [Tishri]. Therefore, some events below show different possible dates.) [Note: To understand the following, you need to know that the ancient biblical 'time prophecies' all primarily used the archetypal 360-day year. The 7 times prophecy of Leviticus 26 applied this period using the method of "a day for a year." (See Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6.) Therefore, 7 times = 7 x 360 years = 2520 years. Converted to our current 365.2422-day solar calendar, 2520 360-day years are equivalent to just under 2484 years.] Esther's Days + 2520 sacred years (2484 solar years) = Latter Days |
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| November, 486 BC Ahasuerus/Xerxes ascended the throne. "In the beginning of his reign" (= late 486 or early 485 BC), adversaries of the Jews "wrote...[unto the king] an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem." Ezra 4:6 Ahasuerus, dealing with other revolts in the Empire, allowed Judah's adversaries to sack Jerusalem, burn the Temple, and kill and enslave many Jews throughout the land.* The Jews were accused because they had anointed a king over them, in defiance of the Empire. 3rd year (and the 180 days??) began in the Spring or Autumn of 483 "[K]ing Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom... In [his] third year ... he made a feast unto all his princes and his servants... [and] nobles... [H]e showed [them] the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honor of his excellent maj-esty ... [for] 180 days." Esther 1:2-4 Within Autumn 483 - early 481 Queen Vashti is deposed, six months after sometime in the king's third year. 1:5f. |
Continue (The Book of Esther's allegories and timetables of the Rapture and the 144,000.) Return to Index |
| Late 1999 - 2000 AD On Sept. 4, 1999, the Israeli and Palestinian states signed an agreement that commit-ted both sides to a Final Status resolution of their issues by Sept. 2000. Chief among the disputes was that both claimed sovereignty over Jerusalem. Talks failed, and on Sept. 28, 2000, a violent conflict began on Jerusalem's Temple Mount. Unlike the conflict of 7 times' earlier, in this one the Jews had the upper hand. As of August 2001, they'd inflicted far more casualties than suffered, and had strengthened their control over Jerusalem and all of the land. 2002 or 2003 AD "And immediately I was in the Spirit: and, behold, one sat on the throne. ... And round about the throne were ... 24 elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. ... Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power..." Revelation 4:2, 4, 11 Within late 2002 - early 2004 Mystery Babylon, the false church, is cast down from her glory. Luke 14:24 |
| I believe the Latter Day events began in the Spring of 2002. I'll withhold my reasons, which would be considered too subjective. These were solely heavenly events, but they seemingly had some effect below. |
| * It is known that at the accession of Ahasuerus to the throne, Egypt and Babylon revolted, and within a few years they were subdued with great force by the new king. The Jewish scholar Julian Morgenstern, in the Hebrew Union College Annual (1956), 101-79, and (1957) 15-47, asserted that the Jews in Israel also rebelled at this time. |
There are different interpretations of Mystery Babylon. Many scholars have long claimed it to be the Roman Catholic Church; others believe it will be the ancient Babylon of Mesopotamia (in the modern nation of Iraq). In late 2002 and in 2003, the Catholic Church, the "queen of churches" in the eyes of most of the world (including its own eyes), became 'cast down' from its stature due to the pederasty scandal of its priesthood. The Boston Archdiocese (and others) have been threatened with bankruptcy due to millions of dollars of lawsuits -- including a lawsuit against it by the Catholic Diocese of San Bernardino. Boston sent it a priest which was a known pederast, without mentioning it. He continued his practices, resulting in large lawsuits against the latter diocese by that priest's victims. In June 2003, the Louisville Archdiocese agreed to pay $25.7 million in settlements, about 60% of its net worth. Later in June, former Gov. Keating resigned from heading a bishop's panel dealing with the issue: " 'To resist grand jury subpoenas, to suppress the names of offending clerics, to deny, to obfuscate, to explain away; that is the model of a criminal organization, not my church,' Keating, a former FBI agent and federal prosecutor, said Monday. Keating stepped down after taking heat last week from Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony � and from fellow members of the National Review Board � for comments Keating made comparing secretive bishops with the Mafia." --AP, June 17, 2003 In the course of the Boston criminal and civil investigations, the cover-up has been traced back to high levels in the Vatican. The Massachusetts attorney general's office called the Boston case an "institutionalized culture of acceptance of sexual abuse." -- July 23, 2003 �> This anger and disgust expressed against the Roman Catholic hierarchy by moral worldly magistrates was much like that expressed by King Ahasuerus and his ministers against Queen Vashti: both 'queens' were condemned for rebelling against magisterial authority, despite the fact that both 'queens' were of high stand-ing and a beautiful exterior appearance. ("...having a form of godliness," 2 Tim. 3:5) <� Although this scandal had been smoldering for many years, it began to surface in the public eye in the Spring of 2002, and reached its peak in the Autumn. At that time, Boston's Cardinal Law (who had become the personal symbol of the Church's problem) was forced to resign, after being called to Rome. By late Summer 2003, the scandal had become old news. It's my opinion that these earthly events were only reflections of similar heavenly events. At the same time this fall of a Church was taking place, the U.S. began in the latter half of 2002 to press for an invasion and overthrow of the government of Iraq. The U.N. Security Council voted to give Iraq an ultimatum on Nov. 8, 2002. Under the alleged authority of this resolution, the U.S. and its allies invaded Iraq in the Spring of 2003, and overthrew its government. This was probably a 7 times' link related to the over-throw of Babylon by Persia in 482 BC. (See my article "Biblical Analysis of the Coming War with Iraq.") |