Reflections on Purim, Prophecy, and Spiritual Readiness: Finding Ourselves in the Story of Esther
While we cannot predict the exact timing of Christ’s return, Scripture calls believers to remain watchful and ready. These are remarkable days, and the study of biblical typology—along with celestial signs appointed “for signs and for seasons”—offers rich insight into God’s prophetic calendar.
Purim 2026: A Celebration of Deliverance
Purim is fast approaching this year, falling on March 3rd, 2026 (see). This joyous Jewish festival commemorates the dramatic deliverance of the Jewish people from annihilation in ancient Persia, as recorded in the Book of Esther. The threat came when Haman plotted their destruction: “Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, ‘There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of your kingdom... If it pleases the king, let a decree be written that they be destroyed’” (Esther 3:8-9). Yet God orchestrated their deliverance through Esther, who risked her life by approaching the king unbidden: “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me... And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!” (Esther 4:16). The outcome was remarkable: “On the day that the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, the opposite occurred, in that the Jews themselves overpowered those who hated them” (Esther 9:1). Just as the Jews escaped destruction on that historic day, many believers anticipate a future deliverance through the pre-tribulation rapture of the church.
The apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Thessalonians 5:2-4 that “the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them… and they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this day should overtake you as a thief.” The contrast is clear: while the world faces sudden destruction, those who belong to the Lord are promised escape.
Celestial Signs: Lunar Eclipses on Purim
One of the most striking features of recent years is the occurrence of total lunar eclipses—blood moons—on significant biblical feast days. In 2025, a full blood moon lunar eclipse occurred on Purim (March 14th), followed by another on September 7th, 2025 (NASA, 2025). Now, on Purim 2026 (March 3rd), yet another lunar eclipse will take place. This creates a pattern: two consecutive Purims marked by total lunar eclipses, with a third eclipse precisely in the middle.
A similar celestial pattern occurred around the time of Christ’s crucifixion. Historical records indicate lunar eclipses on April 14th, AD 32 (Passover), October 7th, AD 32, and again on April 3rd, AD 33 (Passover) (See Bible Archeology). The symmetry between these ancient signs and the current series of eclipses invites reflection on God’s sovereignty over time and history.
Looking Ahead: The 2032–2033 Tetrad
The next significant series of lunar eclipses, according to NASA (see also here), will occur exactly seven years from now, in 2032 and 2033—precisely 2,000 years after the crucifixion. This upcoming tetrad includes four total lunar eclipses: April 25th, 2032; October 18th, 2032; April 14th, 2033 (Passover); and October 8th, 2033 (Feast of Tabernacles). The convergence of these celestial events with major biblical feasts, combined with the 2,000-year interval from Christ’s death and resurrection, presents a remarkable pattern that invites contemplation.
The timing of this tetrad is particularly striking. As recorded in Acts, Peter quoted the prophet Joel on the day of Pentecost: “The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord” (Acts 2:20; Joel 2:31). This prophetic declaration gains added significance when we consider that historical records indicate a lunar eclipse occurred on the day of Christ’s crucifixion.
Interestingly, a solar eclipse could not have occurred during the crucifixion due to the presence of a full moon at that time. An observer in Jerusalem would have witnessed an afternoon of unexplained darkness followed by a sunset where the moon rose blood-red. If the daytime darkness resulted from a dust storm, volcanic smoke, or similar atmospheric phenomenon, the suspended particles would have acted as a natural filter, intensifying the red appearance of the already-eclipsed moon. This would have created a continuous supernatural experience—afternoon darkness followed immediately by a blood-red moonrise (Details by Carol).
The parallel with Christ’s words about His second coming is unmistakable: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken” (Matthew 24:29).
The March 3rd, 2026 eclipse reveals intriguing patterns. In most locations, the eclipse will last about three hours, with maximum eclipse occurring at 3 a.m. The eclipse occurs at the foot of Leo, the constellation representing the Lion of the tribe of Judah—a symbol that God will ultimately crush His enemies beneath His feet. Purim 2026 falls on a Tuesday, the third day of the week, mirroring the wedding at Cana where Jesus performed His first miracle. In Jewish tradition, Tuesday is considered especially auspicious for weddings because on the third day of creation, God pronounced His blessing twice: “and God saw that it was good”.
Typology in the Book of Esther
The Book of Esther provides rich prophetic imagery relevant to these themes. The story begins with King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I) hosting an elaborate feast lasting 180 days, followed by a seven-day celebration (Esther 1:3-4). On the final day, Queen Vashti refused the king’s summons, resulting in her removal from the royal position (Esther 1:10-12, 19).
This narrative echoes Jesus’s parable of the wedding feast in Matthew 22. Just as Vashti—representing rebellious Israel—refused the king’s invitation and was removed, those invited to the wedding feast in the parable refused to come (Matthew 22:3). The king’s servants found the invited guests too preoccupied with their farms and businesses to attend—an unthinkable response to a royal invitation (Matthew 22:5). The king then declared: “The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Therefore, go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding” (Matthew 22:8-9).
When Israel did not recognize Jesus as Messiah, the invitation expanded to all who would believe. As John 3:16 declares: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Esther as a Type of the Church
Following Vashti’s removal, beautiful young virgins were gathered from throughout the kingdom for the king to choose a new queen (Esther 2:2-4). Esther represents the church, the bride of Christ. Paul wrote: “For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy, for I have betrothed you to one husband that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:2).
The Greek word parthenos denotes a virgin whose purity remains intact—whether physical virginity or covenant fidelity to the Lord. This same word appears in the parable of the wise and foolish virgins (Matthew 25:1-13), clarifying that these figures represent the bride herself, not merely attendants.
Mordecai, Esther’s cousin who raised her (Esther 2:7), also carries prophetic significance. His lineage—through Shimei, whose life David spared (2 Samuel 16:5-13; 19:16-23), and the tribe of Benjamin, which nearly faced extinction (Judges 20-21)—demonstrates divine providence. Without these narrow escapes from destruction, Mordecai would never have existed to care for Esther.
Preparation and Hidden Identity
When virgins were gathered for the king, Scripture records that “Esther also was taken to the king’s palace” (Esther 2:8). The Hebrew word laqach (to take, receive) corresponds to the Greek lambano and analambano (to take up, receive up). These terms connect to paralambano in Matthew 24:40-41—“one will be taken and the other left”—and in John 14:3: “I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am there you may be also”. These words convey acceptance and marriage, not judgment.
Each young woman underwent twelve months of preparation before appearing before the king—six months with oil of myrrh and six months with perfumes and beautifying preparations (Esther 2:12). This period recalls the six days of creation, which may correspond to 6,000 years of biblical history during which God’s people have been prepared.
Myrrh, an antiseptic resin used in embalming and holy oil, symbolizes spiritual cleansing—the removal of dead or calloused layers. When we believe the gospel, our sins are removed “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12). The second phase—perfumes and beautifying preparations—points toward the moment when Christ will “present her to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:27). This transformation will be fully realized at the rapture, when believers receive their glorified bodies.
Throughout her time in the palace, Esther kept her Jewish identity hidden, as Mordecai had instructed (Esther 2:10, 20). Similarly, believers are “hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). Paul wrote: “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory” (Colossians 3:2-4).
Symbolic Elements and Prophetic Timing
Esther received seven maidservants (Esther 2:9)—a number many scholars connect to the seven churches in Revelation (Revelation 1-3), representing the entire church age. A parallel appears in Exodus when Moses fled to Midian, where the priest had seven daughters who drew water for the flock (Exodus 2:16). Moses’s sojourn in Midian before returning to deliver Israel from Egypt mirrors the church age, while the subsequent plagues foreshadow the tribulation.
Esther received a crown and became queen (Esther 2:17), just as believers will be crowned and seated in the heavenly throne room—where John saw twenty-four elders clothed in white with golden crowns (Revelation 4:4). Significantly, Esther’s coronation occurred before Haman—a type of Antichrist—was exalted (Esther 3:1). Scripture indicates that the restrainer must be removed before the Antichrist is revealed: “the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but He who restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way” (2 Thessalonians 2:7).
When Mordecai refused to bow to Haman (Esther 3:2), Haman plotted to annihilate all Jews throughout the empire. The king’s decree, sealed with his signet, ordered the destruction of every Jew—young and old, women and children—on the thirteenth day of Adar, with permission to plunder their possessions (Esther 3:13). This echoes the midpoint of the tribulation, when Jesus warned those in Judea to flee because “there will be great tribulation such as has not been since the beginning of the world” (Matthew 24:21).
Purim: From Destruction to Deliverance
Purim commemorates a dramatic reversal—the day intended for Jewish destruction became a day of victory. Prophetically, this mirrors mid-tribulation when the remnant flees to God’s protection in the wilderness (Revelation 12:6, 14). Esther 9 records that on the thirteenth of Adar, when the decree was executed, the opposite occurred: the Jews overpowered their enemies (Esther 9:1-2). The Jews in Shushan then assembled on the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth, resting and feasting in celebration (Esther 9:17-18). Similarly, a remnant of Israel—one-third—will be saved during “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Zechariah 13:8-9; Jeremiah 30:7).
An Invitation Extended
The convergence of celestial signs, prophetic patterns, and biblical typology points to the urgency of responding to God’s invitation now, before the Bride is taken and the restrainer removed (2 Thessalonians 2:7). Jesus, King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16), humbled Himself to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). Born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23), He lived a sinless life (Hebrews 4:15) and shed His blood as the spotless Lamb on Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7). He died, was buried, and rose again on the third day exactly as Scripture foretold (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Whoever believes this is saved and sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14)—the guarantee of our inheritance until the day of redemption.
For those who have believed, heaven rejoices. May the Lord meet each person where they are today with His peace and comfort. The signs in the heavens remind us that Church Rapture could occur at any moment.