Purim 5780/2020: Threats to Destroy Esther & Mordechai’s Tombs
Esther 9:20-22 Then Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, obliging them to celebrate the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same month, annually, because on those days the Jews rid themselves of their enemies, and it was a month which was turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and rejoicing and sending portions of food to one another and gifts to the poor.
This is the decree for the celebration of the holiday Purim. The celebration is to take place in the Hebrew month of Adar on the 14th and 15th day. In the Gregorian year of 2020, that starts on sundown Monday, March 9th and ends the next day on March 10th. Scripture tells us the holiday is to be celebrated every year.
Today, Hamadan is believed to have approximately 554,000 people per 2016 census numbers. Hamadan is home to the tombs of Esther and Mordechai.
A few weeks ago, the Iranian Basij attempted to do harm to the historical burial site of Esther and Mordechai. This is no accident. They know the history and the time of the year with the pending celebration of Purim.
The Basij is a volunteer militia of the Iranian government. The Basij was set up by the Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979. The stated purpose of the Basij is as follows: “create the necessary capabilities in all individuals believing in the Constitution and the goals of the Islamic Republic to defend the country, the regime of the Islamic Republic, and aid people in cases of disasters and unexpected events.”
The role of the Basij is to handle “resistance areas” within Iran…
Here is a quote that likely best describes the role of the Basij in Iran. This is a group of enforcers.
“But because they receive less training than other Iranian security forces, their tactics are often the toughest against dissidents—and in turn generate more public anger that could weaken rather than strengthen the regime long-term.”
If interested (highly recommended) in more detail of the Iranian Basij, click on the link below.
https://iranprimer.usip.org/resource/basij-resistance-force
The Basij feels justified in their actions because of President Trump and his policies toward Israel in the Middle East. So, they took to Twitter.
“Members of the Iranian Basij attempted to raid the historic site yesterday in an act of revenge against the Israelis Palestinian peace plan by President Trump.”
Esther and Mordechai were real people. They died and they were buried in what is modern day Hamadan, Iran. The book of Esther is not a fable or a fairy tale. Roughly 2,450 years later from their era, Esther and Mordechai are back in the news. Modern day Iran wants to destroy their existence and their place in history in God’s word.
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