The Baal Shem Tov Explains the Mishnah

The Baal Shem Tov explains the Mishnah: “One who reads the Megillah in improper sequence does not fulfill his obligation” – One who is unaware of the sequence of past and present, and reads the Megillah only as an occurrence of the past, has missed the point. A Jew must take a lesson how the Megillah is relevant now.

(Likkutei Sichos v. 6 p. 189)