Esther Rapture
Archetype Part III
Hadassa:
means Myrtle tree
Lots
of good information about these trees:
It has
yellowish-white blossoms, and blooms in February or early March. The nuts
are mature about October. Further proof of God’s Sovereignty
and that he forms us in the womb. Hadassah is Esther’s Jewish
name. Purim is of course the Jewish holiday named after Esther and
Mordecai who overthrew the evil Haman and his plot against God’s people.
This holiday takes place in February or March each year.
God always leaves much deep meaning
for us to glean from. The “fruit” of this tree, which
are nuts mature about October. The branches of this tree are used
in Sukkoth. Also, they are used as wedding decorations.
Through struggles and stress,
Myrtle trees form beautiful pictures in their wood. With a little
imagination one can see animals, ocean scenes, mountains, or rivers. If
you are lucky enough to find a piece with a pink or orange streak, you may
even see a sunset.
Also,
they grow in lush valleys and are nearly symmetrical and look already pruned
when they in fact have not been.
Here
are a couple of interesting Bible passages on Myrtle trees that are deeply
prophetic. Like Esther/Hadassah, these trees represent a select people
God has a special plan for:
Zechariah 1:7-17
"Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month,
which is the month Sebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of
the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet,
saying, I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he
stood among the myrtle trees
that were in the bottom; and behind him were there red horses, speckled,
and white. Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked
with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these be. And the man that stood
among the myrtle trees answered and said, These
are they whom the LORD hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth. And
they answered the angel of the LORD that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked
to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still,
and is at rest. Then the angel of the LORD answered and said, O LORD of
hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities
of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten
years? And the LORD answered the angel that talked with me with good words
and comfortable words. So the angel that communed with me said unto me,
Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem
and for Zion with a great jealousy.
And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease: for I was
but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction. Therefore
thus saith the LORD; I am returned to Jerusalem with
mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith the LORD of hosts, and a line
shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.
Cry yet, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; My cities through prosperity
shall yet be spread abroad; and the LORD shall yet comfort Zion,
and shall yet choose Jerusalem"
Clearly
the horses and riders are angelic riders, one of them probably Jesus.
Since they are positioned among the Myrtle trees they are there for defense
and protection. You’ve heard the saying the “fruit grows
in the valley”. The Myrtle trees grow and grow their fruit in
the valley. Their fruit comes full in the fall, with their blossoms
corresponding to Purim or a time of war and defense. Through stress
(refinement by YHWH) each develops a unique pattern (Spiritual gifting/character).
Here
is yet another verse talking about the Myrtle tree:
Also
fall produces the latter rain, which is a big part of the Feast of Tabernacles
(Sukkoth). It’s a harvest feast, and much is centered around
water and rain. Jesus highlighted this as you will see below after
Isaiah…
Isaiah 55 (New International Version)
Invitation to the Thirsty
1 "Come, all
you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
2 Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what
is good,
and your soul will delight in the richest
of fare.
3 Give ear and come to me;
hear me, that your soul may live.
I will make an everlasting covenant
with you,
my faithful love promised to David.
4 See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander of the peoples.
5 Surely you will summon nations you know not,
and nations that do not know you will
hasten to you,
because of the LORD your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
for he has endowed you with splendor."
6 Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way
and the evil man his thoughts.
Let him turn to the LORD, and he will
have mercy on him,
and to our God, for he will freely
pardon.
8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the LORD.
9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower
and bread for the eater,
11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I
sent it.
12 You will go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
will clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree,
and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the LORD's renown,
for an everlasting sign,
This
verse has direct tie in with the Feast of Tabernacles and the last great
day of the 7/8 day feast, of which was where Jesus said: Come to me
all who are thirsty. And, that he would cause Living waters to flow
from them:
John 7
Jesus Goes to the Feast of Tabernacles
1After this, Jesus
went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea
because the Jews there were waiting to take his life. 2But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near, 3Jesus'
brothers said to him, "You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do. 4No one who
wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these
things, show yourself to the world." 5For even his own brothers did
not believe in him.
6Therefore Jesus told them, "The right time for me has
not yet come; for you any time is right. 7The world cannot hate you, but
it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil. 8You go to the
Feast. I am not yet[a] going up to this Feast, because for me the
right time has not yet come." 9Having said this, he stayed in Galilee.
10However, after his brothers had left for the Feast, he went
also, not publicly, but in secret. 11Now at the Feast the Jews were watching
for him and asking, "Where is that man?"
12Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him.
Some said, "He is a good man."
Others replied, "No, he deceives the people."
13But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the Jews.
Jesus Teaches at the Feast
14Not until halfway
through the Feast did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach.
15The Jews were amazed and asked, "How did this man get such learning
without having studied?"
16Jesus answered, "My teaching is not my own. It comes
from him who sent me. 17If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find
out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. 18He
who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works
for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing
false about him. 19Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps
the law. Why are you trying to kill me?"
20"You are demon-possessed," the crowd answered.
"Who is trying to kill you?"
21Jesus said to them, "I did one miracle, and you are
all astonished. 22Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually
it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a child
on the Sabbath. 23Now if a child can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that
the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing
the whole man on the Sabbath? 24Stop judging by mere appearances, and make
a right judgment."
Is Jesus the Christ?
25At that point
some of the people of Jerusalem
began to ask, "Isn't this the man they are trying to kill? 26Here he
is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities
really concluded that he is the Christ[b]? 27But we know where this man is from; when
the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from."
28Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out,
"Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my
own, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, 29but I know him because
I am from him and he sent me."
30At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on
him, because his time had not yet come. 31Still, many in the crowd put their
faith in him. They said, "When the Christ comes, will he do more miraculous
signs than this man?"
32The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about
him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest
him.
33Jesus said, "I am with you for only a short time, and
then I go to the one who sent me. 34You will look for me, but you will not
find me; and where I am, you cannot come."
35The Jews said to one another, "Where does this man intend
to go that we cannot find him? Will he go where our people live scattered
among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks? 36What did he mean when he said,
'You will look for me, but you will not find me,' and 'Where I am, you cannot
come'?"
37On the last and greatest
day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone
is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38Whoever believes in me, as[c] the Scripture has said, streams of living
water will flow from within him." 39By this he meant the Spirit, whom
those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit
had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
40On hearing his words, some of the people said, "Surely
this man is the Prophet."
41Others said, "He is the Christ."
Still others asked, "How can the Christ come
from Galilee? 42Does not the Scripture say that the
Christ will come from David's family[d] and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?" 43Thus the people were
divided because of Jesus. 44Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a
hand on him.
Unbelief of the Jewish Leaders
45Finally the temple
guards went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, "Why
didn't you bring him in?"
46"No one ever spoke the way this man does," the
guards declared.
47"You mean he has deceived you also?" the Pharisees
retorted. 48"Has any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in
him? 49No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse
on them."
50Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one
of their own number, asked, 51"Does our law condemn anyone without
first hearing him to find out what he is doing?"
52They replied, "Are you from Galilee,
too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet[e] does not come out of Galilee."
((The earliest and most reliable manuscripts and
other ancient witnesses do not have John 7:53-8:11.))
53Then each went
to his own home.
Blessings,
Tony Ellsworth