I keep feeling the reality of this word annihilation. That is really what the Jews faced during this time of Purim (Esther 3:8–9, 8:6). They were facing absolute total annihilation. In the story of Esther, the king gave Haman his signet ring and told him to do with the Jews as he pleased (Esther 3:11). So Haman decreed the death, destruction, and annihilation of the Jewish people. Now think about that for a moment. Do not just read this as a Bible story. Imagine being those people and suddenly having a law passed that says, “In a few days, all of you—the men, women, and children—are to be killed, destroyed, annihilated, and all your property will be taken as plunder.” That was the horrific decree the Jews faced! “Letters were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces to destroy, to kill and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, women and children, in one day” (Esther 3:13).[1] I want us to feel what they faced. Unless we get this concept of annihilation, we cannot really understand the great rejoicing that takes place during the festival of Purim.

In Matthew 24, Yeshua (Jesus) spoke of another time of great distress and said, “Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved” (Matthew 24:22). These are the days we are facing. Yeshua is saying that unless something happens, unless something changes the determination of satan during these days, all flesh, not only the Jewish people, but all flesh will be annihilated. The heart of satan never changes. The heart that he had toward the Jewish people in the story of Esther has not changed. Satan may feel like his plan was thwarted then, but he plans another day in which he determines to rage, not just against the Jewish people, but this time we are all marked for destruction. Unless something happens to cut short these days and change satan’s plan against all mankind, no flesh will be saved alive.

In the story of Esther, Mordecai linked wisdom together with the grace of God to bring deliverance to the Jewish people. And by faith we rejoice that the wisdom of the prophetic community in connection with the grace of God and the Word of God will bring a miraculous deliverance in our day. But more than that, we rejoice that Christ has already provided our deliverance. Communion is our proof that the annihilation intended against us will be reversed. It is reversed by the cross of Yeshua and by His suffering. It is reversed by the grace of God. Communion is not a sacrament; it is a covenant. It is a covenant with Christ that He has averted the death and annihilation set against us. As we partake, His life comes to us.

The cross of Christ represents our absolute deliverance from death and destruction. Just as life came to the Jews in that deliverance with Esther, so life comes to us through the body and blood of Yeshua (John 6:53–58). The death that was proclaimed against the Jews was turned back on the head of Haman. And today the annihilation set against mankind is turned back on the head of satan. We refuse to live any longer under the threat of annihilation because in Yeshua it is turned back. We receive our deliverance in Christ; and we continue in this same joy, in this same revelation of Purim to proclaim the release of Israel and the Jewish people. Amen.

[1] All Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995).