Purim this year will be a bittersweet commemoration of triumph in God, because of the recent October 7th Hamas attack on Israel and ongoing war in Gaza, as well as increased attacks in the north from Lebanon and increased antisemitism around the world. There are still over 100 hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza taken from the October 7th attack. They still include women and children, and because of the horrible treatment of hostages, which includes torture and rape, that was testified by those that were already released from captivity, there is a dense fog and heaviness of spirit coming into Purim this year, a holiday that took on much joy for Judaism through the centuries.

People everywhere will be looking for God's redemption at Purim as they saw it in the days of Esther and Mordecai when God saved the Jews from certain genocide. This year they ask God to win the war with radicals, to free all the hostages, to bring peace upon the people of God, and to keep Israel intact as a nation for God. May the Lord grant miracles on Purim this year, but unfortunately, because atrocities that happened are because of the peoples' sin, there will be no lasting peace or break from war. Israel as a nation will never cease, for she is in God's eternal hands, but her suffering will continue under that heavy fog because she refuses to acknowledge God's corrections.

This heaviness is not new to me after many, many years in the fight against dark spiritual forces that have grown deep roots in the fields of God’s kingdom. They have become the invisible, untended briars from which sprout tangible sweet smelling and attractive blossoms from the mouths of preachers of false doctrine in which the people absolutely adore (2 Timothy 4:3-4). But underneath, they are the bring with them the false-Vines and venomous thorns that starve God’s people of His good and pure living waters.

So every year for a long time now, for the Purim fast, laments, and prayer before the holiday, I have focused on these spiritual, but real, “Haman” villains of today. They attack God’s people in every sect and belief, whether Jewish, Muslim, or Christian. Every community of faith has these hidden, dark Hamans who hate the people of God (Revelation 12:10, 17:16) and persistently try to harm them, just like the Haman in the Book of Esther. Except today's Hamans put on the mantles of good shepherds.

These are the tares or weeds in God's kingdom (Matthew 13:24-30, 13:36-43), but unknown to them, they are chained to spread lies, sin, and darkness by the dark spiritual forces that the apostle Paul said was our true fight – the demonic rulers and principalities who reign in their realms (Ephesians 6:12) of false teachings and false beliefs. They hate the people of God and create much strife and division, but unfortunately, it was also God’s will that these weeds of the devil remain in God's kingdom throughout the New Covenant Age, at least until the end of the age (Matthew 13:24-30, 13:36-43). It was God’s wisdom to allow this, for The Beast had to continue through the millennia to test, try, and sift the brethren and all peoples.

But we are in the days of the end now, when God sends His angels out to gather and burn the plantings of the devil and remove all stumbling blocks from the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 13:41). Many of these stumbling blocks or things that offend are false teachings from which the devil chains and grows his weeds in the kingdom - the priests, teachers, and prophets who zealously guard and spread the toxic sap that is false teachings. It is against these things I fast and have asked the Lord to save His people from before Purim begins, so may you join me in doing that, and ask the Lord to bring His people everywhere, from every sect, to leave all the darkness of lies and what is false.

Until people accept the truth and leave what is dark, though they so love their ancient traditions and rose-tinted ways of seeing God and kingdom, the heavy fog that comes in atrocities because of the peoples’ sins will continue on because they reject correction and ignore the truth of why they suffer, and so the people continue to run in blissful ignorance of sin until God’s patience ends again and His hand returns with more tragedy, like October 7th upon Israel and Russia upon Ukraine.

So knowing this, may you pray during your fast for Purim for the people to come out of that Harlot Babylon from which the brethren in all sects of faith are only just beginning to suffer in these end times because they share in the sins of the Harlot. It is for no small reason God has been urging these past few years, “Come out of her, [the Harlot Babylon], My people, so that you will not share in her sins" (Revelation 18:4) (see God's Alarm for more).

And so when you begin fasting for Purim, may you pray with me this prayer, Abba Ya, Yeshua, Heavenly Father, bless my fasting for Purim to bring your people everywhere, in every faith, to acknowledge and leave the sins that have hurt us through the millennia. Now is the time of the end when Your call to leave the Harlot Babylon is most urgent, so lift the dark veils covering the eyes of your people to see the light and dark as they truly are, so they may return in purity of spirit and truth to you and so be saved and delivered in eternity and in the great trials that You have ordained for the end of this age. Let these things be in the name of Mashiach Yeshua and Yahovah El Elyon, God Most High. Amen and amen.

After your fast starts, you should sing laments. I suggest the following, but feel free to find or write your own laments as well:

Yesterday, I came across a news story about Jerusalem deciding to go ahead with their planned Purim "Adloyada" Parade after not having one for 42 years^[1.1], despite protests against it because it is insensitive to the Israeli hostages and their friends and families still being held by Hamas^{[1.2, 1.3]}. About 7000 people signed a petition to postpone the parade^[1.2], after all there was not one for decades. Why can't you wait?

This is also a time of tragedy that came from the people's sin, not just for Israelis but also Palestinians are gravely suffering, so having a large raucous, showy parade seems inappropriate, even for Purim by Jewish standards. Other Israeli municipalities planned to tone down their Purim festivities, but Jerusalem is going forward and saying they want to do it for the children to have joy during the holiday. Whether that is really a major concern, or as critics say, it is actually concern for the financial loss from parade preparations^[1.2], I would not feel right putting on costumes and parading and jumping about the city as if everything was wonderful, especially when just a ways away, your kinfolk are held prisoner and tortured.

So as I kept reading the article in dismay, I noted that the word used in the parade, adloyada ( עדלאידע ), means "until one no longer knows," which refers to Halacha Jewish teaching (non-scriptural) using the word to mean drink alcohol during Purim until you can no longer tell the difference between "blessed be Mordecai" (a Jewish hero of Purim) and "cursed be Haman" (the main villain of Purim)^[1.4]. It is no wonder Judaism has turned Purim into a Carnival/Mardi Gras riot of overboard fun. Truly it is for reason the Lord says, "They are not a people of discernment, therefore their Maker will not have compassion on them..." (Isaiah/Yeshayahu 27:9-11), which I noted about the Hamas attack.

But when I noted this notion of adloyada, I also recalled my words yesterday about all of God's people of every sect rejecting correction and the truth, and so just as Jews adloyada with joy in God and blessing, the church too, living in the same drunken adloyada, just as the Jewish brethren - they all reject God's rebukes and guidance towards correction, salvation, and the truth, because they are overly focused on the good things of God and reject anything negative; the people can no longer tell the difference between who is for their good and who is against. So I remind you on the fast of Purim to join me in the prayers I spoke of yesterday.

This thread continues here, A Strange Union of Purim and Palm Sunday...