Good evening and welcome to EBible Fellowship’s Bible study in the Book of Revelation. Tonight is study #10 of Revelation, chapter 16, and we are going to look at Revelation 16:10:
And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,
In our last study we were looking at the beginning part of this verse where the vial of the wrath of God was poured out upon the seat of the beast. We saw that the beast was the name given to Satan exclusively for the Great Tribulation period. God did not target the beast for judgment until the Great Tribulation concluded. During the time of the Great Tribulation and the time of the judgment on the churches, God was not judging Satan, but he was using Satan to judge the churches. Satan was His servant and was accomplishing the will of God in destroying the churches and congregations of the world.
In our last study we went to Daniel, chapter 7, and we saw that the judgment was set, the beast was slain and, yet, God said, “the rest of the beasts” had their dominion taken away but their lives were prolonged – they continued to exist for a period of time. The only way that would be possible is what we have learned from the Bible: on May 21, 2011 God brought judgment upon Satan and the unsaved of the world. God put down Satan and deposed him, but God did not utterly destroy him – that will happen at the end of Judgment Day, which will, in all likelihood, be 1,600 days from the beginning point of May 21, 2011. So Satan was defeated, but he will continue to exist until Judgment Day is complete and that matches the language of Daniel, chapter 7, where it says the beast is killed, but “the rest of the beasts,” which is also a reference to Satan, continue to exist. He was judged on May 21, 2011 but his final destruction will not take place until the prolonged period of Judgment Day is fulfilled.
There is another historical example of the judgment of Satan at a certain point in time (with the “rest of the beasts” continuing to a later point in time) which also relates to Judgment Day. It is found in the Book of Esther. In the Book of Esther the main characters are King Ahasuerus, a type and figure of God; Esther, a type of the believers; Haman, a type of Satan; Mordecai, a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ; and Haman’s 10 sons, also a type of Satan. Remember in Revelation 13 we saw the language of the beast coming up out of the sea and it said in Revelation 13:1:
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
The beast had “ten horns” and Haman had “ten sons.” They are a picture of Satan, just as Haman was a picture of Satan. In the Book of Esther, Haman hated the Jews because of Mordecai, because Mordecai refused to bow down and honor him as others did. Haman learned that Mordecai was a Jew and Haman talked to the king and offered the king a bounty if the king would allow him to destroy all the Jews. King Ahasuerus agreed and Haman paid him a large sum of money. Then Purim (or the lot) was cast in the beginning of the year and the lot was cast from month to month and day to day and the date of the twelfth month and thirteenth day was selected for the time when all the Jews would be destroyed. They would be killed on that day. It is interesting that in the date of Purim the date 12/13 comes into view because the number “12” points to fullness and “13” points to super fullness. For instance, 1988 was the 13,000th year of earth’s history and this began the period of the end of time; the Great Tribulation began in that year and that ushered in the end of the world time period. Also, the Bible speaks of earth’s history in the sense that it really should be 12,000 years in duration because the promised Messiah did not come until after 11,000 years of history and then Christ was born in 7 BC, 11,006 years from creation. Then he went to the cross in 33 AD and Satan was bound at that point and the Bible indicates he was bound for a “thousand years” and then he would be loosed at the time of the end for the “little season” of the Great Tribulation. If we consider that Christ came after 11,000 years of earth’s history and Satan was bound for what the Bible says is a “thousand years,” so that would indicate 11,000 years + 1,000 years or 12,000 years. But, in actuality, the “thousand years” was a figurative number and the actual number of years was 1,955 years, so Satan was loosed at a point we would expect to be 12,000 years, but he was loosed in 1988 to begin the judgment upon the churches, which was the 13,000th year. So with that date of Purim being the 12/13, God is indicating it is pointing to the final judgment. It is Satan’s desire to destroy the people of God at the point of the final judgment and, yet, God disappoints that desire and turns it around. Instead of God’s people being destroyed, it is the enemy of God’s people that are destroyed.
What is really interesting about this is that the enemy of the Jews perished on this 13th day of the twelfth month and Haman’s 10 sons perished on that date, but Haman had already been dead for some time. He was killed months earlier before this set date of Purim, the 13th day of the twelfth month, so it would be interesting and significant if we could discover, if possible, the date on which Haman was killed. Remember that Esther had said, “The adversary and the enemy is this wicked Haman,” and the word “adversary” relates to Satan; the name “Satan” means “adversary.” So Haman is a definite type of Satan and, therefore, in the Book of Esther, we have Haman, a type of Satan, who is killed and, yet, his 10 sons continue on for several months until the set date and then they are killed.
There is a period of time between the death of Haman and the death of his 10 sons, which matches with Daniel 7, where it says the beast was slain and “the rest of the beasts” had their dominion taken away, but they continued to live for a time and a season after the beast was killed. Also, Haman’s ten sons had their dominion taken away at the point of Haman’s death because Mordecai, a type of Christ, was given the house of Haman. All that Haman had ruled over would have normally been given to his sons, but it was taken away at the point of Haman’s death and, therefore, the “ten sons” lived on without having dominion, authority or rule. They continued to live, but there was quite a difference in their existence from the point of Haman’s death.
So, is there any way we can pinpoint exactly when Haman died? Let us go to Esther 3:12-15:
Then were the king's scribes called on the thirteenth day of the first month, and there was written according to all that Haman had commanded unto the king's lieutenants, and to the governors that were over every province, and to the rulers of every people of every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language; in the name of king Ahasuerus was it written, and sealed with the king's ring. And the letters were sent by posts into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey. The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was published unto all people, that they should be ready against that day. The posts went out, being hastened by the king's commandment, and the decree was given in Shushan the palace. And the king and Haman sat down to drink; but the city Shushan was perplexed.
The decree for the destruction of the Jews was given. It was approved by the king and the posts (or messengers) of the king were sent into all 127 provinces which King Ahasuerus ruled over and the decree originated from Shushan the palace where King Ahasuerus and Haman were located, as well as where Esther lived. So this means that the news of Purim would have been immediately known in Shushan. It would have taken some time for the posts to travel to the outlying provinces, as King Ahasuerus reigned over provinces from India unto Ethiopia, so all the provinces would not have heard the information all at once. But, eventually, all the provinces heard, starting with the city of Shushan, which would have known the very same day the decree was issued and, therefore, they knew on the “thirteenth day of the twelfth month.”
We read that Mordecai heard about it and he began to sit in “sackcloth and ashes.” Esther learned of this and she sent one of her servants to Mordecai. We find it says in Esther 4:9-11:
And Hatach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai. Again Esther spake unto Hatach, and gave him commandment unto Mordecai; All the king's servants, and the people of the king's provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days.
Notice that Esther says, “these thirty days,” rather than saying, “for thirty days.” If she were trying to simply say how many days it had been since she had seen the king, she would have said, “I have not been called to come in unto the king for thirty days.” But, instead, she said, “have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days,” and the reason for that is the decree was first given on the 13th day of the first month; Esther is letting Mordecai (who had been sitting, day after day, in sack cloth and ashes) know that she has had not had opportunity to go into the king to talk to him about it since the degree was first given thirty days ago. In other words, Esther is saying that this is now the point of 30 days since the decree was given in the city of Shushan, which would mean that it is the 13th day of the second month when her messenger relayed these messages between Mordecai and her. It is 30 days from the original degree and it is now the 13th day of the second month.
Then Mordecai told Esther, in Esther 4:14-16:
For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer, Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.
Esther agrees and she says, “I will go into the king without being called. He could put me to death, unless I find favor in his sight.” The interesting thing is that we are told that Esther requests that they first fast for her, not eating or drinking for “three days, night or day.” Again, it was the 13th day of the second month, because it was 30 days since the decree had been given and now on the 13th day of the second month, Esther requests they fast for three days and three nights, so that would be the 14th, 15th and 16th day of the second month.
Then on this 16th day of the second month, Esther requests for the king and Haman to appear at her banquet. Both agree and Haman is overjoyed. But notice what happens when they appear at the banquet, which is the 16th day of the second month. It says in Esther 5:6-8:
And the king said unto Esther at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed. Then answered Esther, and said, My petition and my request is; If I have found favour in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my petition, and to perform my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I shall prepare for them, and I will do to morrow as the king hath said.
Now let us lay this out again: On the 13th day of the first month the decree was given; Esther was not called to come into the king for “these thirty days,” indicating that her conversation with Mordecai was the “thirteenth day of the second month;” then she requested fasting for three days and three nights and it was on the sixteenth day of the second month that she held a banquet for King Ahasuerus and Haman.
Then, for no apparent reason that we can think of, when they come to that banquet she bids them to come again on the morrow, so there is a second banquet of wine on the “seventeenth day of the second month.” Why does that date sound familiar? That was the day that God shut the door of the ark. In shutting the door, He secured the safety of the eight souls within the ark and He assured the destruction of everyone else in the world that was not in the ark. Then the day that was exactly 7,000 years from the flood of 4990 BC was May 21, 2011 and that date concluded the 23 years of the Great Tribulation and it had the underlying Hebrew calendar date of the “seventeenth day of the second month.” Therefore, that date of 2/17 locks in May 21, 2011.
Esther’s second banquet was on this “seventeenth day of the second month.” And, certainly, God is indicating that this relates to Judgment Day beginning. What happened when Ahasuerus and Haman were called to this banquet? We know the story. The king grants Esther whatever she wants to the half of his kingdom. Esther told the king that she and her people were to be destroyed. The king, who represents God, is indignant. Then we read in Esther 7:5:
Then the king Ahasuerus answered and said unto Esther the queen, Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do so?
Then it says in Esther 7:6:
And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen.
On what day was this? It is the “seventeenth day of the second month,” and Haman is afraid. The king leaves to call the guards and when he returns he finds Haman is on the bed pleading with Esther for his life. Then the king said, “Will he force the queen also?” And they covered Haman’s face and then it says in Esther 7:9-10:
And Harbonah, one of the chamberlains, said before the king, Behold also, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman had made for Mordecai, who had spoken good for the king, standeth in the house of Haman. Then the king said, Hang him thereon. So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king's wrath pacified.
King Ahasuerus, a type of God, is wrathful on that day, the “seventeenth day of the second month.” Who is the target of his wrath and who is destroyed on that date? It is Haman, the adversary of the Jews; it is Haman, who hated Mordecai, a type of Christ; Haman, a picture of Satan, was defeated and hanged. To be hanged in the Bible means that you are made a “curse.”
Yet, after Haman was hanged, the Book of Esther continues and the historical account did not end. We would think that would be the conclusion. Haman had been the enemy. He was the architect of the threat against the Jews, but the threat was not over – there were still the ten sons of Haman and there was another date of the “13th day of the twelfth month,” the final date and the appointed time of destruction.
We can see how all this fits with May 21, 2011, which had the underlying Hebrew calendar date of 2/17. Judgment Day began; Satan is defeated, but continues to exist for a time, as God said, “The rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.”
The “rest of the beasts” are represented by the 10 sons of Haman and they continued to live, but they lost their dominion and authority; King Ahasuerus gave their house to Mordecai. It is also very interesting that another command is given that the Jews may fight back. The Jews, the people of God, were set to be destroyed, but another decree is given by Mordecai, a type of Christ, for that appointed day of judgment and they were told to fight back and do battle with their enemies. They were to destroy their enemies on that day and posts were, again, sent to all the provinces to this effect. This fits perfectly with the things we have learned since May 21, 2011 for this time after the Tribulation – it is God’s plan to publish this news and it is God’s plan to judge the world with the saints: “Know ye not that the saints shall judge the world?”
The saints will do battle in the Day of Judgment by sharing this news from the Bible. They will pour out the vials of the wrath of God and perform the reaping task. Likewise, the Jews in the Book of Esther fought in that time of the “13th day of the twelfth month,” in the Day of Judgment.