Esther 3:1 After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him.
2 And all the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, bowed, and reverenced Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence.
3 Then the king's servants, which were in the king's gate, said unto Mordecai, why do you transgress the king's commandment?
Esther chapter three is one of those chapters that we have been asking you to study very closely, for It contains valuable information for persons living in the last days of earth’s history. From the beginning of time the main problem with humanity has always been worship.
In every era that has come and gone, various types of false worship have dominated, and infiltrated the human experience, with the commensurate results which follow like clockwork. In the Antediluvian era it was false worship that lay at the foundation of the rejection of God.
In Egypt, it was false worship that led the nation to worship four-footed creatures, and creeping things, and as we have stated previously, even pharaoh was referred to, and addressed as “the good god”. Later on, it was false worship that led the chosen people of God to reject Christ.
During the dark ages, it was false worship that led the papacy to do the unthinkable, and a very great darkness enveloped its subscribers, and very much of the results still remain today. And in our day, the issue that has led to false theories in our education system, and the veneration of man is false worship.
In fact, false theories such as evolution, and the big bang theory also constitute false worship for when a wrong concept of God is perpetrated, and wherever there’s a mangled version of the origin of species, all who knowingly choose to subscribe, in a deliberate opposition to the knowledge found in the Bible, are counted as worshipers.
Thus, the time has come when the dangers about false worship must be exposed, because, as of yet, there are many people who do not know what is at stake, and many others are not aware of the serious nature of rendering worship to any other person, or thing, other than to God.
The following therefore are the first laws contained in the Decalogue which address the issue of worship and they are strategically written first, because all of humanity’s other problems, come about as a result of the violations of these four. It always boils down to worship. Always! Let’s read:
Exodus 20: 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God
in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work:
10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates.
11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
[The Great Controversy pp 583] In rejecting the truth, men reject its Author. It is as easy to make an idol of false doctrines and theories as to fashion an idol of wood or stone.
With many, a philosophical idol is enthroned in the place of Jehovah; while the living God, as he is revealed in his Word, in Christ, and in the works of creation, is worshiped by but few.
The god of many professedly wise men, of philosophers, poets, politicians, journalists, the god of polished fashionable circles, of many colleges and universities, even of some theological institutions, is little better than Baal, the sun-god of Phoenicia.
In every corner of the globe, and in every nation on earth, the stamp of false worship can be observed. It isn’t only a problem with non-Christian countries, it is also firmly entrenched in places where many of the citizens embrace Christianity, for the claim to be Christian is not conclusive evidence that persons are free from false worship.
In the days of Christ, many persons claimed to be in harmony with the true worship of God, and yet, it was revealed by Christ that most were estranged in their perspectives, concepts, and practice. Outward forms of religion prevailed, and many folks became sticklers for pomp and ceremony, but the kernels of truth were exchanged for the outward husks. Let’s read:
Matthew 15: 8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honors me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
Thus, this is not an indictment of any one person, or any one people, or any one denomination, it is just the plain truth, that there has been a steady rise of false worship globally, including the worship of man for centuries.
In the instance of Haman, in our first passages, we can see that there was a command from the highest judicial authority who had commanded all persons to reverence Haman, and this was in violation of the first commandment given in the law of God, for it is a form of false worship.
And because of this, the true worship of God would dictate that all true worshipers should not bow, nor should they appear to almost bow. Mordecai must stand tall and yet humble, keeping the true worship of God intact, and refusing inroads to the contrary, whenever, and wherever they exist. Let’s read:
Exodus 20: 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them.….
Mordecai refused, and though he was harassed and persuaded daily, he continued to demur, because if he did, he would not merely be worshiping Haman, he would be worshiping the devil, for Haman would just become the vessel to take Mordecai’s worship to the prince of darkness.
Mortal man does not handle worship well, for it was designed for God alone, who is worthy to receive it. Therefore, when persons bow in reverential worship before any man, that veneration goes directly to the one who authored all counterfeit forms of worship, and he then gives the nod of approval, and receipt of such worship.
Thus, as we seek to unravel the deeper meaning of our first passages, we must bear in mind that there are certain inevitable results to man-worship, hence the reason why God warns folks against falling into that snare.
Haman became quite irritated when he heard that Mordecai refused to offer him reverential worship, and wherever this is the case, the persecution of all true worshipers will follow, sooner or later.
Whenever you see any persons craving praise, and worship, whenever you see such persons becoming upset if others fail to admire, or flatter them, there the stage will be set for false worship to be enforced by the one who seeks to be worshipped, if they may have the authority and power to do so. Let’s read:
Esther 3:2 And all the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, bowed, and reverenced Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence.
3 Then the king's servants, which were in the king's gate, said unto Mordecai, why do you transgress the king's commandment?
4 Now it came to pass, when they spoke daily unto him, and he hearkened not unto them, that they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai's matters would stand for he had told them that he was a Jew.
5 And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath.
6 And he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had shewed him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai.
8 And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, there is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from all people; neither keep they the king's laws: therefore, it is not for the king's profit to suffer them.
Then, onward to our day currently, the same issues persist, for we are engulfed in false worship, for the Bible again points us to the fact that false worship of man will take centerstage, and will bring probation on our planet to a permanent and irreversible close.
And again, it is satan who would be on the receiving end, of the man-worship that will be instituted. This point in particular needs to be clearly understood by all, because it is quite possible, that millions today are inadvertently worshiping devils and they know it not. Let’s read:
Revelation 13:3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
There are some fanciful interpretations pertaining to who, or what is referred to as the “dragon” in the previous passage. There’s no need to waste precious time trying to figure it out, for at the back of all false worship stands one person and one person only, the devil.
In other words, every false concept, and every false practice pertaining to worship always comes from a single source, invariably. Thus, the word “dragon” in verse 4 of Revelation 13, tells us that all roads lead directly back to the devil, because all the concepts, and practices of false worship originated with him. Let’s read:
Revelation 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Isaiah 14: 12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north.
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most-High.
When individuals in bygone years claimed to have worshiped gods of wood and stone, the Scriptures clarified who they were actually worshipping. It was not merely the productions of their hands, nor the vain imaginations of their minds.
It was actually satan who was being worshipped, for all of the false concepts, practices, and productions pertaining to false worship are centered in him, and originate from him.
Thus, according to the Bible, any person who bowed down to idols, or who venerated man, even though in most cases they might have been ignorant of the fact, were actually worshipping devils. Let’s read:
Psalms 106:36 And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them.
37 Yea, they sacrificed their sons and daughters unto devils,
38 And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood.
The Psalmist in the above passage makes a specific mention of the instance, which took place at Baal-Peor. He is referring to the event where Balaam had invited the children of Israel to join the Moabites in worshiping their false gods. The Hebrews accepted the invite, and the rest is history.
At the venue in question, there were no visible, live devils, who would certainly have scared the people. It was just your regular graven image that they were bowing down to but the Scriptures certify that there were invisible agencies present, who received their worship.
Question: So, if the people bowed down to gods of wood and stone, how can David say, by inspiration of the Holy Ghost, that they were worshiping devils, and the next logical questions is this: Are all forms of false worship, in fact devil worship, to a greater or lesser extent?
The answer to this question must be given in clear lines, for earth’s inhabitants must be made aware of what is at stake, as the world is hurtling towards the mark of the beast, the epitome, and the zenith of all false worship since the beginning of time. Let’s read:
Numbers 23:1 And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.
2 And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods.
Deuteronomy 32:16 They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger.
17 They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.
When persons leave the true worship of God, and attend services that are not endorsed by the Bible, they too will most likely never see any live devils in the congregation, for the modus operandi of devils is to basically remain hidden from view.
In fact, this format of remaining hidden from view is also adopted by holy angels too. When you hear a pastor, elder, or lay person say that the presence of God and holy angels is here, they say so by faith, but in reality, the immediate presence of all holy beings is beyond our gaze, for the most part.
Yet, God receives the true worship that is given to Him and holy angels are present to do God’s bidding as He directs. The same format of being present, yet hidden is also true of devils, who often pervade the atmosphere where false worship takes place.
And satan, and his hosts are there to receive all the worship that is rendered at the venue in question. Thus, whenever, and wherever you have erroneous doctrines, and concepts, philosophies, and errors being presented by those who may know better, the worship of devils is taking place.
This format will be in for a drastic change in the not-too-distant future but for now, out of sight is out of mind. Again, in our day currently, wherever false worship is taking place, persons will most likely only see well-dressed congregants, with their Bibles in hand.
And they might witness, or take part in speaking in tongues, and there might be a lot of congregants strewn all across the floor, apparently slain in the spirit, while the name of Jesus is repeated ever so often.
But back of all of that, there would be an invisible presence in the midst to accept the worship. It is not the very best of news, but it is the truth. Again, without doing hurt to anyone’s perspectives, there are only two types of worship on the menu; the true, or the false. Any blending of the true with the false renders it false.
It is the plan of devils to mix just enough truth with error so as to give the presentation plausibility, but this practice will render the productions even more dangerous, as the bulk of error is most likely to be swallowed down whole, together with the tidbits of truth.
This sad fact is unequivocally stated in the prophetic writings. In fact, there are really four main brands of presentations which occur at most worship services, and we must be cognizant of the differences, and be able to decipher the sheep from the goats as it were as it pertains to recognizing the four types. Here are they:
[1] The plain unadulterated truths of God’s word.
[2] Erroneous doctrines, theories, philosophies and concepts.
[3] A majority of error blended with a little truth.
[4] A majority of truth blended with a little error.
Now even though devils can use the last three types mentioned, their preference is the last two brands, especially number 4, because a subtle twist of truth often bypasses the conscious mind, and can become embedded in the conscience, without persons even being aware.
The presence of many Bibles in a congregation is no guarantee that true worship is taking place, for the devil almost never approves a church service in our day, without the Bible. In fact, in most instances, he actually insists that the Scriptures be made readily available for everyone to read. Let’s read:
Revelation 18:1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, come out of her my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
[Early Writings pp 274] An innumerable host of evil angels are spreading over the whole land and crowding the churches.
In fact, the very bottom line of 666 is actually devil worship at its core. You can put lipstick on a pig, and you could call it cute names such as Mrs. Piggy, and Porky, but at the end of the day, underneath that outward veneer of cuteness, you will find just an old pig.
In studying the topic for today, we will discover that throughout the ages, there has always been a close relation between food and worship, which is again, brought to view in Revelation 13. The ability to buy or sell is tied directly to one’s worship choice, and it will inevitably include your daily bread.
In other words, all who will in the future, subscribe to the false worship that would be mandated by the lamb-like beast, will be eating their daily bread from the devil, plain and simple. He may allow merchants and peddlers to handle it and ship it, but all roads will ultimately lead back to the dragon. Let’s read:
Revelation 18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buys their merchandise any more.
12 The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,
13 And cinnamon, and odors, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.
This isn’t something new. All you have to do is study the latter history of king Saul, for after bowing down in the cave to the devil, with the witch of Endor, his food was brought out. And he did eat, and Saul was revived. Let’s read:
1st Samuel 28:13 And the king said unto her, be not afraid: for what did you see? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.
14 And he said unto her, what form is he of? And she said, an old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself.
20 Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel: and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night.
21 And the woman came unto Saul, and saw that he was sore troubled, and said unto him, Behold, thine handmaid hath obeyed thy voice, and I have put my life in my hand, and have hearkened unto thy words which thou spoke unto me.
22 Now therefore, I pray thee, hearken thou also unto the voice of thine handmaid, and let me set a morsel of bread before thee; and eat, that thou mayest have strength, when thou goest on thy way.
24 And the woman had a fat calf in the house; and she hasted, and killed it, and took flour and kneaded it, and did bake unleavened bread thereof.
25 And she brought it before Saul, and before his servants; and they did eat. Then they rose up, and went away that night.
Note well that Saul first bowed in worship, before the devil, and then his lunch was brought out. This has happened over and over again in the Scriptural accounts, hence the reason why we concluded that Revelation 13 is not something new. There is a close symbiosis between worship and food. Here it is again. Let’s read:
Exodus 32: 5 And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord.
6 And they rose up early on the morrow and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.
Psalms 106:28 They joined themselves also unto Baal-Peor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead.
Daniel 5:1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.
4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
Thus, it is now fitting and necessary to define, and identify true worship, so that persons and families will not inadvertently bow down to devils anymore. The true worship of God has important identifying marks, of which we should be cognizant.
[1] True worship will always include, and encourage the keeping of all God’s commandments, including the 4th, which the world is so prone to forget.
Worship has much more to do with obedience than praise, and therefore, all who desire to worship God in spirit and in truth will also be willing to obey Him. Let’s read:
Revelation 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
John 14:15 If you love me, keep my commandments.
1st John 2: 3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
4 He that saith, I know him, and keeps not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5 But whoso keeps his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
[2] True worship will always include and encourage the faith of Jesus.
This identifying mark is critically important because it demonstrates to us a total dependence on God for everything that pertains to life, and well-being. For instance, when Jesus was faced with crunch time in the garden of Gethsemane He said “Not my will, but Thy will be done.”
This means that even though Jesus might have had His personal preferences, as He contended with the forces of darkness, He gave deference to God’s will, and therefore, every true worshiper will follow that same lead of Christ, by deferring to God in any given circumstance.
Revelation 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
[The Great Controversy pp 621] The season of distress and anguish before us will require a faith that can endure weariness, delay and hunger, a faith that will not faint, though severely tried. The period of probation is granted to all to prepare for that time.
[3] True worship will always be characterized by the manifestation of Love that is born of God, for it is a natural byproduct of the Holy Spirit living within.
1st John 4: 7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knows God. 8 He that loveth not knows not God; for God is love.
The keeping of God’s commandments isn’t that rigid stern practice which characterized many of the Jews in Christ’s day. Obeying God, even though difficult at times, becomes a joy, not a burden, and when this is the case, both vertical and horizontal manifestations of that Love will be seen.
In closing, let us endeavor by God’s grace to grasp the things that were presented today, for they will pertain directly to the turbulent, sifting times that are on the horizon. In harmony with this fact, we’ll end our discourse with a passage of Scripture which should help us to adopt the true worship of God. Let’s read:
John 4: 23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship him.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
God Bless!