In the studies of those Scriptures which we have determined should be included under a single cover which we call the Eth CEPHER, we reviewed the deuterocanonical text called Baruk (Baruch).  This text had been widely accepted throughout the biblical world and has been included in the 1611 KJV-AV, the 1560 Geneva Bible and the 1256 Catholic canonized text.

Because we have included both the Cepher Baruk and the Apocalypse of Baruk, we reference the first book as Baruk Ri’shon, also known as the Prophecy of Baruk. This last book presents a certain unity in point of subject matter; so that most of those who maintain that the whole work was written in Ivriyt (Hebrew), admit also its unity of composition. Some contemporary critics believe that the work was a compilatory process; and that its unity is due to the final editor, who put together the various documents which centered upon the Jewish exile. However, this is speculation which can be as readily explained by a singular authorship. This method of composition does not necessarily conflict with the traditional authorship of the Cepher Baruk Ri’shon. Many of the sacred writers of what is commonly considered “the Bible” were also compilers; and their accusation may also be imputed to them as Baruk Ri’shon has always been numbered among them.

What is the nature of this text? Let’s take a look at a couple of verses:

Baruk Ri’shon 1:13-19

Pray for us also unto Yahuah ELOHAYNU, for we have sinned against Yahuah ELOHAYNU; and unto this day the fury of Yahuah and his wrath is not turned from us. 14 And ye shall read this cepher which we have sent unto you, to make confession in the house of Yahuah, upon the feasts and solemn days. 15 And ye shall say, To Yahuah ELOHAYNU belongs righteousness, but unto us the confusion of faces, as it is come to pass this day, unto them of Yahud, and to the inhabitants of Yerushalayim, 16 And to our kings, and to our princes, and to our priests, and to our prophets, and to our fathers: 17 For we have sinned before Yahuah, 18 And disobeyed him, and have not hearkened unto the voice of Yahuah ELOHAYNU, to walk in the commandments that he gave us openly: 19 Since the day that Yahuah brought our forefathers out of the land of Mitsrayim, unto this present day, we have been disobedient unto Yahuah ELOHAYNU, and we have been negligent in not hearing his voice.

That is pretty clear, isn’t it? Again, just a couple of examples here:

Baruk Ri’shon 2:12-15

O Yahuah ELOHAYNU, we have sinned, we have done wickedness, we have dealt unrighteously in all your ordinances. 13 Let your wrath turn from us: for we are but a few left among the heathen, where you have scattered us. 14 Hear our prayers, O Yahuah, and our petitions, and deliver us for your own sake, and give us favour in the sight of them which have led us away: 15 That all the earth may know that you are Yahuah ELOHAYNU, because Yashar’el and his posterity is called by your name.

Now, of course, many texts here read Israel and his posterity . . . however, as we have discussed in many other blogs, we have elected to use the name Yashar’el because it conveys the true meaning of the word, and demonstrates that in fact, his people are called by his name.

Baruk Ri’shon 3:9-13

Hear, Yashar’el, the commandments of life: give ear to understand wisdom. 10 How happens it Yashar’el, that you are in your enemies' land, that you are waxen old in a strange country, that you are defiled with the dead, 11 That you are counted with them that go down into She’ol? 12 You have forsaken the fountain of wisdom. 13 For if you had walked in the Way of Elohiym, you should have dwelled in peace forever.

Now again, we speak of the way.  Remember what HA’MASHIACH had to say about this:

Yochanon (John) 14:6

Yahusha said unto him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man comes unto the Father, but by me.

And what is this way?

Tehilliym (Psalm) 119:1

BLESSED are the undefiled in the Way, who walk in the Torah of Yahuah.

It appears then, that David and Baruk are on the same page concerning this teaching.

Baruk had personal experience with this teaching as he gives us his testimony in Chapter 4, saying:

Baruk Ri’shon 4:10-13

For I saw the captivity of my sons and daughters, which the Everlasting brought upon them. 11 With joy did I nourish them; but sent them away with weeping and mourning. 12 Let no man rejoice over me, a widow, and forsaken of many, who for the sins of my children am left desolate; because they departed from the Torah of Elohiym. 13 They knew not his statutes, nor walked in the ways of his commandments, nor trod in the paths of discipline in his righteousness.

Finally, we get the prophecy of the second Exodus:

Baruk Ri’shon 5:1-6

PUT off, O Yerushalayim, the garment of mourning and affliction, and put on the comeliness of the glory that comes from Elohiym forever. 2 Cast about you a double garment of the righteousness which comes from Elohiym; and set a diadem on your head of the glory of the Everlasting. 3 For Elohiym will show your brightness unto every country under heaven. 4 For your name shall be called of Elohiym forever The peace of righteousness, and The glory of Elohiym’S worship. 5 Arise, O Yerushalayim, and stand on high, and look about toward the east, and behold your children gathered from the west unto the east by the word of the Holy One, rejoicing in the remembrance of Elohiym. 6 For they departed from you on foot, and were led away of their enemies: but Elohiym brings them unto you exalted with glory, as children of the kingdom.

Again, this is just a summary.  But in our exploration of sacred texts, we found another cepher – the Apocalypse of Baruk, which we have entitled Baruk Sheniy (2 Baruk).   While the Prophecies of Baruk Ri’shon are important to this book, the Apocalypse of Baruch stands out as vital. We have enjoyed the most contemporary reviews of this text as it is revealed anew to the world in the Eth CEPHER.

There are some who doubt the authenticity of the text of Baruk Sheniy. However, A. F. J. Klijn writes: "Until recently the Apocalypse of Baruch was only known from a Syriac manuscript dating from the sixth or seventh century AD. Since the beginning of this century two fragments have come to light in Greek (12:1-13:2 and 13:11-14:3) from the fourth or fifth century. Small fragments of the text, again in Syriac, have been discovered in lectionaries of the Jacobite Church. However, no fewer than thirty-six manuscripts are known because it once belonged to the canon of Scriptures in the Syriac-speaking church.”

At the Cepher Publishing Group, we have always been excited about this particular cepher. There are so many passages deserving of citation, but we can only look at a few here. (For further review, please see the Eth CEPHER).

Baruk Sheniy 1:4

For this reason, behold I bring evil upon this city, and upon its inhabitants, and it shall be removed from before me for a time, and I will scatter this people among the other nations that they may do good to the other nations. And my people shall be chastened, and the time shall come when they will seek for the prosperity of their times.

The amazing part of this prophecy is found in the words it shall be removed from before me for a time. It is not the destruction of the Temple that is so significant, but that Baruch predicts a return.

Consider the prophecy found in Chapter 25:

Baruk Sheniy 25:2-4

You too shall be preserved till that time till that sign which EL ELYON will work for the inhabitants of the earth in the end of days. 3 This therefore shall be the sign. When a stupor shall seize the inhabitants of the earth, and they shall fall into many tribulations, and again when they shall fall into great torments. 4 And it will come to pass when they say in their thoughts by reason of their much tribulation: EL Elohiym no longer remembers the earth yea, it will come to pass when they abandon hope, that the time will then awake. 

No blog would be complete on Baruk Sheniy (2 Baruk) without a discussion of the passage found in chapter 27.

Baruk Sheniy 27:1-14

AND he answered and said unto me: Into twelve parts is that time divided, and each one of them is reserved for that which is appointed for it.

2 In the first part there shall be the beginning of commotions.

3 And in the second part there shall be slayings of the great ones.

4 And in the third part the fall of many by death.

5 And in the fourth part the sending of the sword.

6 And in the fifth part famine and the withholding of rain.

7 And in the sixth part earthquakes and terrors.

8 Wanting.

9 And in the eighth part a multitude of specters and attacks of the Shediym [devils].

10 And in the ninth part the fall of fire.

11 And in the tenth part rapine and much oppression,

12 And in the eleventh part wickedness and unchastity.

13 And in the twelfth part confusion from the mingling together of all those things aforesaid.

14 For these parts of that time are reserved, and shall be mingled one with another and minister one to another.

To unravel this mystery, we begin with the teaching of Kepha:

Kepha Sheniy (2 Peter) 3:8

But, beloved, do not be ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with Yahuah as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

If we then agree that six days is six thousand years from the fall of A’dam to the ultimate coming of MASHIACH, then the mystery of this verse begins to unfold, because we can divide the 6000 years into 12 parts of approximately 500 years apiece. There is nothing stating that each part must be equal in time, so this is an assumption; but let’s go with the assumption for this discussion.

In the first period, there is the beginning of commotions. In these years we see the slaying of H’avel, and the rise of Tubal-Qayin, and the beginning of wickedness.

In the second period, there shall be slayings of the great ones.  What can be meant by this? Does this not reference the Nephiliym (Nephilim) and their progeny? The Eliud, the Repha’iym?

And in the third period, the fall of many by death.  This of course, describes the flood and the death of almost all living things.

And in the fourth period, the sword is sent as the conquering of one tribe over another begins with the conquests of Nimrod.

And in the fifth part period - the withholding of rain – describes that famine that came upon the earth during the time of Yoceph; the seven years of plenty and the seven years of intense famine.

And in the sixth period earthquakes and terrors. Consider here the words of Amoc

Amoc (Amos) 1:1

THE words of Amoc, who was among the herdmen of Teqoa, which he saw concerning Yashar’el in the days of Uzziyahu king of Yahudah, and in the days of Yarov`am the son of Yo’ash king of Yashar’el, two years before the earthquake.

This earthquake would be a significant marker, as all things concerning the whole of the house of Yashar’el would then begin to fall.

Therefore, Baruk Sheniy (2 Baruk) gives us no description of the seventh period, for it is within this period that Baruk (Baruch) was living and prophesying.

Now once we move into the eighth period, serious and difficult prophecy begins to emerge, as Baruch predicts that a multitude of specters and attacks of the Shediym [devils] would arise.  It is within this period that the house of Yashar’el would be taken, and the house of Yahud would fall; the elohiym and idols of Babel, then Persia, then Yavan (Greece) and then Rome would rise over the Adamah Qodesh (the Holy Land).

It is in the ninth period that fire would fall on Yerushalayim, and fire would fall on the Second Temple. The trial by fire of all that remained come on the last of the house of Yashar’el before the great and unmarkable diaspora.

In the tenth period, there would be pillage and oppression of the believers as the Muscle Men of Muhammed spread their wings mightily over the Adamah Qodesh, and Rome rose over the believers in Europe.

And in the eleventh period wickedness and unchastity would arise.  This is a period which is not well described, but one that allowed for the worst of pagan practices to be established and forgiven through the corruption called indulgences.

And in the twelfth period – a period in which we live - we find confusion from the mingling together of all those things aforesaid. Isn’t that the case?

Baruk Sheniy (2 Baruk) 29:1-3

AND he answered and said unto me: Whatsoever will then befall will befall the whole earth; therefore all who live will experience them. 2 For at that time I will protect only those who are found in those selfsame days in this land. 3 And it shall come to pass when all is accomplished that was to come to pass in those parts, that HA’MASHIACH shall then begin to be revealed.

One more example - the prophecy of the resurrection to come - and then I will leave you to read the Cepher Baruk Sheniy for yourself.

Baruk Sheniy 30:1-3

AND it shall come to pass after these things, when the time of the advent of HA’MASHIACH is fulfilled, that he shall return in glory. 2 Then all who have fallen asleep in hope of him shall rise again. And it shall come to pass at that time that the treasuries will be opened in which is preserved the number of the souls of the righteous, and they shall come forth, and a multitude of souls shall be seen together in one assemblage of one thought, and the first shall rejoice and the last shall not be grieved. 3 For they know that the time has come of which it is said, that it is the consummation of the times.

Before we leave this post, however, I want to alert you to one more thing: Baruch Sheliyshy (3 Baruch)! (Which is why this blog is called Baruch! Baruch! Baruch!).  This is a text that is also known as the Second Apocalypse of Baruch, which is the narrative and revelation of Baruch, concerning those ineffable things which he saw by the command of Elohiym, when he stood upon the river Gel, weeping over the captivity of Yerushalayim, when Aviymelek was also preserved by the hand of Elohiym, at the farm of Agrippa, where he was sitting at the Beautiful Gates, where the Holy of Holies lay.

In this cepher, the angel of Yahuah comes to Baruch to show him “the mysteries of Yahuah” (chapter 1, verse 8).  And the mysteries he shows him are the five heavens.  I will leave you with chapter 13:1-5

Chizayon Baruk Sheniy (2 Apocalypse of Baruk / 3 Baruk) 13:1-5

AND then other angels came in like manner weeping and bewailing, and saying with fear: Behold how we are overclouded, O Yahuah, for we were delivered to evil men, and we wish to depart from them. 2 And Miyka’el said: You cannot depart from them, in order that the enemy may not prevail to the end; but say to me what you ask. 3 And they said: We pray, Miyka’el our commander, transfer us from them, for we cannot abide with wicked and foolish men, for there is nothing good in them, but every kind of unrighteousness and greed. 4 For we do not behold them entering into the called-out assembly at all, nor among spiritual fathers, nor into any good work. But where there is murder, they are also in the midst, and where are fornications, adulteries, thefts, slanders, perjuries, jealousies, drunkenness, strife, envy, murmurings, whispering, idolatry, divination, and such like, then are they workers of such works, and of others who are worse. Wherefore we entreat you that we may depart from them. 5 And Miyka’el said to the angels, Wait till I learn from Yahuah what shall come to pass.