God has called you out of the kingdom of this world to his eternal kingdom and calls you to live out of that reality – holy in your conduct with a focus on eternal things.

The Christian is called to walk, in this world, by faith, not by sight, knowing that his life is patterned after Christ’s, namely suffering in this world and glory in the next.

Peter introduces his letter by identifying the church of Christ as exiles in this world, loved of God and set apart with the hope of conformity to Christ through the grace of the gospel.

Esther 9-10 pictures the end of history in which the great battle (Armageddon) is fought, victory won and celebrated with the great Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

Esther 8 gives us a picture of the millennial kingdom in which the nations come to God as the enemy’s house is plundered.

Through death and resurrection, Haman the enemy is undone and conquered and suffers a cursed fate.

Out of the darkness and despair of chapter four, Esther is exalted on the third day in newness of life.

Esther accepts the role of intermediary between God’s people and destruction, even though it will most certainly cost her life.

Esther is shown to be the story of a battle between two peoples – two kingdoms – the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent – it is a story that is as old as creation.

God sovereignly orchestrates history to care for and protect his in ways that we cannot see, some times, until years later.