The Arrangement of Times

The Book of 2 Baruch

Chapter 1
1 And it happened in the twenty-fifth year of Jeconiah, king of Judah, that the word of the Lord came to Baruch, the son of Neriah, and said to him:
2 Have you seen all that this nation (people) are doing to Me, that the evils which these two tribes which remained have done are greater than (those of) the ten tribes which were carried away captive?
3 For the former tribes were forced by their kings to commit sin, but these two of themselves have been forcing and compelling their kings to commit sin.
4 For this reason, I bring evil upon this city, and upon its inhabitants, and it will be removed from before Me for a time, and I will scatter these people among the Gentiles that they may do good to the Gentiles. And My people will be chastened, and the time will come when they will seek the prosperity of this period (their times.)
Chapter 2
1 For I have said these things to you that you may tell Jeremiah, and all those that are like you, to leave this city.
2 For your works are to this city as a firm pillar, and your prayers as a strong wall.
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The chronology of the ages
Baruch was shown by God the arrangement of times from the beginning of creation to the end of the age.

Prophet Baruch was shown the times that which had passed before he was born and the times destined to pass after he was gone. The characteristics of the time of this world are:
• The time of the world was short.
• The times of the world was established by God’s intelligence
Baruch was shown a vision concerning the chronology of all events of the earth. Here is the vision;
2 Baruch Chapter 53
1 And when I had said these things, I fell asleep and I saw a vision. A cloud was ascending from a very large sea, and I kept looking at it and I saw it was full of black and white waters, and there were many colors in those same waters, and it looked like powerful lightning as seen from a summit.
2 And I saw the cloud passing quickly in short courses, and it covered all the earth.
3 Then, after these things that cloud began to pour all the waters that were in it upon the earth.
4 And I saw that all the waters which fell from it looked different.
5 To begin with, the waters were black and there was a lot for a time, and afterwards I saw that the waters became bright, but they were not as much, and after that I again saw black waters, and after these things again bright, and again black and again bright how this was done twelve times, but the black were always more numerous than the bright.
6 At the end of the cloud it rained black waters, and they were darker than had been all those waters that were before, and fire was mingled with them, and where those waters descended, they work devastation and destruction.
7 And after all of this I saw that lightning I had seen on the summit of the cloud seized hold of it and hurled it to the earth.
8 Now that lightning shone very brightly so that it illuminated the whole earth, and it healed those regions where the last waters had descended and work devastation.
9 And it took hold of the whole earth, and had dominion over it.
10 After these things I saw the twelve rivers were ascending from the sea, and they began to surround that lightning and to become subject to it.
11 And because of my fear I awoke.

Chapter 56
1 Nevertheless, because you have asked the Most High to reveal to you the interpretation of the vision you have seen, I have been sent to tell you.
2 And the Mighty One has certainly made known to you the arrangement of the times which have passed, and are destined to pass in His world regarding those of deceit and of those of truth from the beginning of its creation to its end.
3 As you saw, a tremendous cloud ascended from the sea, and covered the earth. This is the duration of the world which the Mighty One made when he thought to make the world.
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Baruch then asked for the interpretation of the vision and was given. You can read the whole of it in the Book of Baruch. I have summarized the 14 events for us to see below.

The First Black waters
1. Black waters: descended previously on the earth. This is the transgression that Adam. On the summit of the cloud. Untimely death came; This is the Black water.
At this time Baruch was given the definition of death as shown below;

The following are the characteristic of what death is and how it manifests itself: It is actually the definition of death. 
• Grief
• Anguish
• Pain
• Trouble
• Disease
• Sheol demands blood to be renewed
• Greatness of humanity was humiliated
• The end of goodness
• Birth of children by passion of parents
• Freedom of Angels limited

2. Bright waters: This is the spring of Abraham and His generations- Israel.
• The unwritten law was named among them. (The conscience started to tell them the requirements of God).
• Belief in the coming judgement was then born.
• Hope of the world that was to be renewed was then created.
• The promise of life to come was began.
3. The third black waters: The mingling of all sins, which the nations committed after the death of those righteous men in the wickedness of the land of Egypt. Where they did all unrighteousness. And made their sons serve unrighteousness.
4. The fourth bright waters: are the birth of Moses, Aaron, Miriam and Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb - all like them.
• The lamp of the eternal law shone on all those who sat in darkness

At this time:
• The heavens were shaken
• Those under the throne of the Mighty One were disturbed
Moses was shown by God:
1. Many reproofs
2. The principles of the law
3. The completion of the times
4. The pattern of Zion and its size
5. The size of the fire
6. The depths of the abyss
7. The weight of the winds
8. The number of the drops of rain
9. The magnitude of His anger He holds back
10. The amount of longsuffering (patience)
11. The truth of His judgement
12. The origin of wisdom and wealth of understanding and wellspring of knowledge
13. The height of the air
14. The greatness of paradise
15. The end of the ages
16. The beginning of the day of judgement
17. The amount of the offerings
18. The earths which are yet to come
19. The mouth of Gehenna(hell)
20. The place of vengeance
21. The place of faith and the place of hope.
22. The visions of future torment
23. The multitude of angelic hosts
24. The flaming hosts
25. The splendor of the lightning
26. The voice of the thunders
27. The orders of the captains of the Angels
28. The treasures of light
29. The changing of times
30. The searching of the law
5. The fifth black waters: The deeds of the Amorites and the spells of their incantations which they performed, the unrighteousness contained in their mysteries and the pollutions they mixed.
Even Israel was polluted.
6. The sixth bright waters you saw is the time in which David and Solomon were born.
In this time:
1. Building of Zion
2. Dedication of the sanctuary
3. Shedding of much blood of the nations that sinned
4. Many offerings were given
5. Peace and tranquility exalted at that time
6. Wisdom was heard in the congregation
7. The wealth of understanding was magnified in the congregations
8. The holy feasts and ceremonies were carried out in blessings and great joy
9. The judgement of the rulers was without guile and it was witnessed as such.
10. The righteous law of the mighty one was accomplished with Truth.
11. The land was then loved by the Lord because its inhabitants sinned not and it was glorified beyond all lands.
12. The city Zion ruled over all lands and regions.
7. The seventh black waters:
It is the:
• Perversion brought about by the counsel of Jeroboam, who decided to make two calves if gold.
• And all the iniquities which kings who were after him sinfully worked.
• The curse of Jezebel and the worship of idols which Israel practiced
• The withholding if rain and the famines which occurred until women ate the fruit of their wombs.
• Their captivity which came from the nine tribes and ½ tribe because they had many sins.
• King of Assyria- Salmanasar came and led them away captive.
But; regarding the Gentiles how they always were sinful and wicked and always unrighteous would be wearisome to tell.
8. Eighth bright waters: Is the correction and uprightness of Hezekiah King of Judah and the Grace of God which came upon him.
Then the mighty One commanded Ramiel His Angel, who speaks with you-
9. The ninth black waters was all the wickedness which was in the days of Manasseh the son of Hezekiah.
Manasseh:
1. Had no regard for God
2. Killed the righteous people
3. Forcibly stole away judgement
4. Shed blood of the innocent
5. Violently raped women
6. He overturned the altars and destroyed the offerings
7. Drove out their priests
8. He made an image of five faces facing east, west, north and south and the top of the image was a passionate enemy of the Mighty One.
Then rage(anger) went out from the presence of the Mighty One to the intent that Zion should be pulled up by the roots just like it happened in your days.
A decree went out from God against the two tribes and ½ that they should also be led away captive as you have now seen.
9. The impiety of Manasseh increased greatly to the point that it removed the praise of the Most High from the sanctuary.
Because of this Manasseh was then named “the impious” and finally his dwelling was in the fire.
V10For He who is able to reward is also able to torment.
Manasseh thought that in his time the Most High / Mighty One would not look into these things
10. The tenth bright waters: Is the purity of the generations of Josiah King of Judah who:
1. Was the only one at the time who submitted himself to the Mighty One with all his heart and with all his soul.
2. Cleansed the land from all idols
3. Sanctified all the vessels which had been polluted
4. Restored the offering to the altar
5. The horn of the Holy One was lifted
6. Exalted the righteous
7. Honoured all that were wise in understanding
8. Brought back the priests to their Ministry
9. Destroyed and removed the magicians and enchanters and necromancers from the land.
10. Killed the sinners that were living and they also took the sepulchers the bones of the dead and burned them with fire
11. Established the festivals and the Sabbaths in their sanctity
12. He burned their polluted ones in the fire and the lying prophets which deceived the people were also burned in the fire and the people who listened to them when they were living he threw them into the brook Cedron and heaped stones upon them.
13. He was zealous with passion for the Mighty One with all his soul
14. He alone was steadfast in the law at that time, so that he left none that was uncircumcised, or that sinned in all the land, all the days of his life.
Therefore, he will receive an eternal reward, and he will be glorified with the Mighty One beyond many at a latter time.
11. The eleventh black waters: which you have seen is the calamity, which is now befalling Zion. During the time of Baruch.
It was:
• Anguish to the Angels.
Yet after these things the gentles will seize and scatter them in the tribulation and they will dwell in shame in every place.
• Zion will be delivered up for Jerusalem has been laid waste.
• The king of Babylon who has now destroyed Zion will arise and he will boast about being ruler over the people and he will speak great things in his heart in the presence of the Most High.
But he will fall in the end. These are the black waters.
12. The twelfth bright waters: Which you have seen is the Word.
After these things occur, a time will come when your people will fall into distress, so that they will run the risk of perishing together.
Nevertheless, they will be saved and their enemies will fall in their presence. After a little space of time Zion will be built again and the offering will be restored gain and the Priests will return to their ministry and the Gentiles will come to glorify it, but not as fully as they did in the beginning
After these things there will be the fall of many nations.
13. The last waters which you have seen were darker than all that were before them.
Those were after the twelfth number were collected together. They belong to the entire world.
The Most High made divisions from the beginning, because He alone knows what will happen due to the depth and breath of the sin which will be committed before Him. He also foresaw six kinds of good works of the righteous which will be accomplished before Him.
They will go beyond those which He will work at the end and conclusion of the age. For Him there were no black waters with black, nor bright with bright because it was the end.
Chapter 20
Hear the interpretation of the last black waters which are come after all other black waters. This is the Word.
The days will come when the time of the age is ripe- that is the harvest of evil and good seeds. This is what the Mighty One will bring upon the earth and its inhabitants and upon the rulers. It is with disturbing to the spirit and lethargy to the heart.
They will:
1. Hate one another
2. Provoke one another to fight
3. The cruel will rule over the honourable
4. Those of low status will be honoured above the famous
5. Many will be delivered into the hands of the few
6. Those who were nothing will rule over the strong
7. The poor will have abundance beyond the rich
8. The wicked will exalt themselves above the heroic
9. The wise will be silent and the foolish will speak.
10. The ideas of men will not be heeded, nor will the counsel of the mighty.
11. The hope of those who hope will not be rewarded.
And when the things which are predicted here are come to pass confusion will fall upon all men. (Year 2020)
Some of them will fall in battle, some of them will die in torment and pain and some of them will be destroyed by their own people.
Then the Most High will reveal those people whom He has prepared from before and they will come and make war with the leaders that will be left.
And whoever survives the war will die in the earthquake and whosoever survives the earthquake will be burned by the fire and whosoever survives the fire will be destroyed by famine.
But whosoever of the victors and the vanquished survives and escapes all these things mentioned before will be delivered into the hands of My servant Messiah. For all the earth will devour its inhabitants.
Chapter 71
And the holy land will have mercy on its own and it will protect its inhabitants at that time. This is the vision you have seen and these is the interpretation.
Chapter 72
The 14th Bright waters
Listen, regarding the bright lightning which is to come at the end, after the black waters. This is the Word. After the signs which you were told of before, when the nations became turbulent and the time of the Messiah is come, he will summon all the nations. Some of them He will spare and some of them He will kill. These things will come upon the nations which are spared by Him;
Every nation which does not know Israel and has not trodden down the seed of Jacob will be spared. This is because some out of every nation will be subjected to your people. But all those who have ruled over you or have known you will be given up to the sword. When He has brought everything that is in the world low and sat down on the throne of His kingdom in peace for the dispensation, joy will be revealed and rest will appear.
Healing will descend in the dew and disease will go away and anxiety, pain and sorrow will varnish from among men. Gladness will go forth through the whole earth. And no one will again die before his time (young) nor will adversity suddenly before any. Judgements, reproach, arguments, revenge, spilling of blood, passions, envy, hatred and things like those will be condemned when they are removed. For it is these very things which have filled the world with evils. On account of these the life man has been greatly troubled. Wild beasts will come from the forest and minister to men, asps and dragons(serpents) will come out from their holes to submit themselves to a little child. Women will no longer then have pain when they bear children or suffer torment when they yield the fruit of the womb.

Arrangement of Events
1. Black waters- Adam’s Transgression
2. Bright waters- Spring of Abraham
3. Black waters- Transgression in Egypt
4. Bright waters of Moses, Aaron, Miriam, Joshua
5. Black waters of Amorites, spells, curses
6. Bright waters of David and Solomon
7. Black waters- perversion of Jeroboam
8. Bright waters of Hezekiah
9. Black waters of Manasseh
10. Bright waters of Josiah
11. Black waters of fall of Babylon
12. Bright waters- Zion will be restored
13. The darkest of all waters- for whole earth inequalities, then confusion, tribulation. We are here in 2020
14. Bright lightning – Millennium- peace, joy, rest, gladness.