Purim- A Persian Holocaust?
IT’S WORTH CONSIDERING

Queen Esther by Andrea del Castagno (1423-1457)

At sundown on March 7, Jewish people around the world will celebrate their deliverance from extinction at the hands of the Persians 2300 years ago. The celebration is called Purim, after the Pur (lot) which had been cast to destroy them band Esther 9:24-26. It’s all about the story of how the Lord used Esther to save her people from the wicked Persian, Haman.
 
Determined not to let recorded history get in the way of propaganda of anti-Semitism, the leaders of Iran have ratcheted up their version of the biblical account. For years, Iran their story to schoolchildren has been that the date marks the massacre of 75,000 Persians by the Jews under the command of Queen Esther. Recently, it has been portrayed as and ancient holocaust perpetrated by the Jews. Haman and his decree to have all the Jews killed are conveniently missing from the story. Also missing is the fact that the Jews were defending themselves from the attacking Persians.
 
Last year, the Iranian portrayal took a new turn. Iranian authorities decided to downgrade the status of the “Tomb of Esther and Mordecai the Jews” in the city of Hamadan. No longer would the tomb be considered an official pilgrimage site. The Iranian news agency Fars has been promoting the idea that Esther and her cousin Mordecai were personally responsible for the massacre of thousands of Iranians. In light of this, reverence for the site and all it stands for could no longer be tolerated. Another news agency, Mehr, reported that a group of 250 militant Iranian students had gathered at the tomb, threatening to tear it down.

AS I SEE IT
When you don’t have truth on your side, you have to create your own. When impressionable minds are consistently denied the “real truth,” there’s nothing they won’t believe. This account shouldn’t surprise us. It’s basic Islam-take a portion of the Bible and retell it to promote your ideology. Since the biblical version is easy to determine, great effort must be taken to discredit it. Once again-basic Islam.
 
So, what are we to do with this information? Should we just throw up our hands in disgust and frustration? I don’t think so. Many of the massacres our planet has witnessed were the result of the silence and inactivity of the Church. People who knew better simply did nothing. The good news is that there is something we can do. The people of Iran (as well as the entire Middle East) have a tremendous opportunity to hear the truth, including the gospel. They are hearing testimonies of numerous countrymen whose lives have been transformed by the love of the one true God through the sacrifice of His Son.
 
One of the ways the truth is penetrating the darkness is through the ministry of SAT-7. Check out www.SAT7.org (Facebook: SAT7USA, Twitter: SAT7USA). Occasionally, I include an article about this great ministry. Check it out and see how you can help.

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