Some Keywords: The Vine, guarding commandments, patience, testing, pruning, discipling
Introducing a new extra biblical book: 2 Baruch (Apocalypse of Baruch) – included in Syrian orthodox bible.
Baruch was Jeremiah’s scribe at time of siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar II. Links many themes in these Deuteronomy chapters with ‘the consummation’ the end times. God answers Baruch’s lament, fasting and prayer, after the fall of Jerusalem with a ‘How its all going to turn out in the days to come’ – in great detail. E.g. Temporary restoration of Jerusalem for a while then another fall then return of the one preserved above – and a handy timeline of history till Jesus returns; the messiah – which God calls: the ‘vine’, the ‘fountain’, the ‘lightning’; to be revealed from heaven, destroy the evil one and his hordes, judge mankind and make all things new… can you think of anywhere Jesus mentions these images in the gospel accounts?.
Also tells the reader about how the new Jerusalem/Zion is being preserved above the firmament, that the end times will be beyond anything we can imagine, including: ‘specters and attacks of the Shedim’ and the mixing of seed as in the time of the flood – but also ‘good times’ – Storehouses of food open: Behemoth will return and Leviathan from the sea to feed the end times survivors along with manna from above, along with grapevines growing hundreds of branches all over the earth, pure water flowing and healing the earth, winds smelling of aromatic fruit and a strange ‘dew’ covering the earth (healing and long-life returning). It even describes what a resurrected body will look like – sounding much like what Paul describes in 1 cor 15:35-58. Worth a look.
