Although the book of Esther does not contain the name of God yet it is filled with his living presence and amazing providence. The characters mentioned in the book are not only historical' but prophetic as well; and throw their startling shadows across the face of the centuries. Let us select from this book the leading characters, and in the light of the New Testament, see if we can trace out their prophetic import. Remember, that Ahasuerus was the monarch of the world, and the events here recorded foreshadow things concerning the true and Rightful Ruler of this world, who is the Jehovah Jesus.

1. The great King, at the close of a festivity, wanted his queen, Vashti, to break the rigid customs of an Eastern harem, and come forth in public society, that the Princes might see her beauty, and perhaps thereby be more strongly attached to the dynasty. There is a shadow in this, that Jehovah, who at first arranged to keep his earthly queen, the Jewish people, in seclusion from all other nations as a great national and secret treasure, wanted them at last to accept of the great gospel feast provided by Christ, and the gift of the Spirit, and at that feast God planned that this Jewish people should now break forth beyond their exclusiveness, and be the Lord's gospel missionaries among all the nations.

2. Yashti clung to her harem prejudices, and utterly refused to break the iron law of caste in which she had been trained. So she proudly disobeyed her husband's command and kept to her seclusion. She preferred to break the highest authority in the kingdom, rather than break down the middle wall of caste and education between herself and the people of the kingdom. How truly this fits in with the iron pride of the Jewish people, in preferring to break with Jehovah, and spurn his commands, in preference to giving up their carnal national pride, or breaking over their Hebrew caste, to be a blessing to the hated Gentiles. Paul speaks of the wall of partition that in his day existed between the proud Jew and the Gentile. God wanted the Jewish race to feast on gospel wine, and under those festive joys, to break over their caste, and be evangelists to the Gentiles, and show forth to the poor heathens those queenly beauties of grace and truth which had for centuries been thickly veiled in the pale of Israel. But the Jews as a people clung to their vail and pride, and exclusiveness, and kept on, like Yashti, despising the common people.

3. For this offense Yashti was put away from being queen, and degraded in the eyes of those who had almost worshipped her. This is exactly what happened to the Jewish people, for by rejecting the gospel, with its world-wide evangelism, Israel ceased to be God's earthly queen, and in the language of their own law, God gave them a bill of divorcement, which will continue until the "times of the 'Gentiles are fulfilled," And, like Yashti, that queenly nation turning away from the gospel' went down under disgrace, scattered and peeled, unto this day.

4. Then a call went forth to hunt out among the nations for another queen for the great monarch. How clearly can all see that this portends the going forth among the nations to gather out the church of the firstborn, a holy and elect people, "to be the Lamb's wife," the queen consort of his coming heavenly kingdom. Do not fail to note that a great number of beautiful maidens were gathered out from the nations, but only one of them could be the queen. This is the true teaching of Scripture, that not all the saved ones become the bride of the Lamb, but from among those who are called out from the world, there is a second selection of those who are willing to enter into the baptism of death with Christ, who are to form the Lamb's wife. David speaks of the queen by the King's side, and beside her a great company of virgins who are her companions (Psalm 45:9-14.) The passage, "many called and few chosen," has the meaning of many being saved, while but a few get into the Bridehood company.

5. The young women gathered out for the King were put in charge of the great Chamberlain, to be fed and trained, that in everything they might be rendered noble, attractive, and suitable to adorn the Empire. Of all the maidens Esther won the admiration of Hegai, the Chamberlain, who gave her special care. In like manner all the followers of Christ that are gathered out from the world, are put in the custody of the Holy Spirit, that He may purify, and anoint, and feed, and train them, to be presented to the King. Those believers who have in them the deep disposition of entire abandonment to God are, like Esther, the most attractive to the Holy Spirit, and they are the ones the most docile and obedient to the guidance of the Spirit, and upon whom the Divine Comforter bestows the greatest discipline and care, How, just bend your eyes down a little closer and notice a peculiar trait that distinguished Esther from the other maidens. We are told that When every maid's turn came to visit the King, they were allowed to have every desire, as to what they wanted given to them," and doubtless they plied their wits as to what gifts they would ask. "But when Esther's turn came, she had no desire, and required nothing but what Hegai, the Chamberlain, appointed for her." What a revelation this is of perfect guileless simplicity and purity of soul. Those who wanted gifts had mixed motives, and pride, and selfishness, which is the state of those believers who still have the love of display, or honor, or place, and are attached to their gifts and graces. But Esther is a model of those servants of Christ, who want nothing except what the Holy Spirit appoints, and whose hearts are purged from selfishness, or vanity, or the love of gifts, and who are clad in perfect humility, and in whose souls there is no guile. These are the ones that are fitted for the queenly rank in the great kingdom of God.

6. It was at the end of a specified term of probation that Esther was publicly chosen and accepted by the Monarch to be his queen, and a proclamation was made throughout the kingdom. In like manner, at the close of this dispensation, which from the day of Pentecost is the church age, at the coming of Jesus to gather his saints, all the saved ones will be presented by the Holy Spirit to King Jesus, and from among all the millions who are gathered into him, there will be a special company, whose devotion and spiritual beauty, like that of Esther, will outshine all others, and who will be accepted as the Bride of the Lamb, and clothed with extraordinary rank and authority in the coming age.

7. Soon after the enthronement of young Esther, there began to appear an awful enemy in the person of Haman in the kingdom. This Haman is called the Agagite, and was doubtless a descendant of that wicked Agag that Saul spared but whom Samuel slew, and through all these hundreds of years the family of Agag had sought revenge upon the Jews. So Haman laid a dark plot to have all the Jews slain. He is a fitting type of the beastly Antichrist that is to personally arise among the nations after the Bridehood saints have been caught up from the earth. The apostle speaks of Antichrist "already at work in mystery," but clearly indicates that the presence of the Holy Ghost in believers hinders the Anti-christ coming in person, but when that which hinders is taken away, the saints caught up to the Lord, then that wicked one, the personal Antichrist, will be revealed. (See 2 Thess. 2:3-10.) Thus, as the wicked Haman is revealed after the exaltation of Queen Esther, so the Antichrist will appear after the exaltation of the Bridehood saints to be with the Lord in the air.

8. When Haman"s murderous plot was revealed, Mordecai, acting for his people, rent his clothes, and put on sack-cloth, and went out into the city, crying with a loud and bitter cry! Please note the relationship between the crying Mordecai down in the streets, and the young queen up yonder in the palace. When the saints are caught up to meet the Lord in the air, a vast multitude who believe in God, both Jews and Gentiles, will be left behind on the earth. Under the awful reign of the beastly Antichrist, the nations will mourn, and especially those who believe in God, but who were not prepared to meet Christ, will mourn in dust and ashes, and cry like dear old Mordecai, with a loud and hitter cry. The Scriptures speak of the tribulation of those days, as surpassing anything of the past, even that of the flood. It is called "the time of Jacob's trouble," for as Haman tried to kill the Jews, so the Antichrist will make an effort to destroy them all. (Jer. 30:6, 7.) That will be the time of the wailing of the five foolish virgins who had no oil, that is, foolish Christians who will not have the Holy Spirit.

9. Queen Esther, breaking through all rules of etiquette, took her life in her hand to plead for her people, and for the overthrow of Haman. It requires just such a spirit of martyrdom in the hearts of saints to qualify them for a place in Christ's Bridehood. Let us not think that the life of prayer stops with the believer when he dies, or is caught up to the Lord, for Scripture denies it. Jesus has passed beyond death, but his great life of prayer goes on. John positively affirms that he saw into heaven, and beheld the souls of martyrs under the altar, and heard them pray, and he heard it distinctly announced that the answer to their heavenly prayers depended upon the unfinished work among their brethren down upon the earth. God's vast family is one, though part be in heaven and part on earth. In the prayers of Queen Esther we get a glimpse into those mighty pleadings of the saints in heaven, and near the throne, for the other portion of God's people, who, like poor Mordecai, are out wailing in the streets.

10. Next comes the most marvelous deliverance of Mordecai and his people, and the swift and awful doom that overtook Haman. 'This is all prophetic of the terrific downfall of the Antichrist, who shall be cast alive into the lake of fire. (Compare 2 Thess. 2:8 with Rev. 19:20.) Then the oppressed ones went free with such gladness that the other nations were alarmed and joined in friendly terms with the people of Mordecai, which is a type that when Antichrist is overthrown, the Jewish people will be restored and grafted again upon the sweet olive tree, as Jesus and Paul teach us, and exalted, like the oppressed Mordecai, to the leadership of all the nations, while the glorified saints, and especially those who compose the wife of the Lamb, like the lovely Esther, will shine in dazzling splendor of glory and authority in the palaces of the New Jerusalem. It is all a true story of matchless, divine love; and of the ministry of deepest sorrow, and crucifixion of self, and the outcome of joy and glory in the ages that are to come.