Baruch went to the holy place — the place where the Temple once stood — and sat down on the ruins. The ground where the high priest had once offered sacrifices and placed fragrant incense was now dust and rubble. He wept. He wished his eyes were springs and his eyelids fountains of tears, because no amount of weeping felt adequate for what Zion had become.
<i>"Our glorying has been made into dust, and the desire of our soul into sand."</i>
Exhausted by grief, he fell asleep among the ruins. And in his sleep, he saw one of the most extraordinary visions in all of Jewish apocalyptic literature.
A vast forest stretched across a plain, surrounded by lofty, rugged mountains. The forest was enormous — it covered everything. Then, from the opposite direction, a single vine appeared. Beneath it flowed a fountain, peaceful at first, then rising into great waves that crashed against the forest. The waves tore out the trees by their roots. They toppled the mountains. They leveled everything in their path until the once-mighty forest was reduced to nothing.
Nothing except one cedar. One massive cedar, still standing.
The vine approached the last cedar. And then — impossibly — the vine opened its mouth and spoke.
"Are you not that cedar which was left of the forest of wickedness? By whose means wickedness persisted all those years, and goodness never? You kept conquering what was not yours. You never showed compassion to what was. You extended your power over those far from you and held fast those who drew near in the toils of your wickedness. You lifted yourself up as one that could not be rooted out."
Then the verdict: <i>"But now your time has sped and your hour has come. Depart, O cedar, after the forest that departed before you. Become dust with it. Let your ashes mingle together. Recline in anguish and rest in torment until your last time comes — and then you will be tormented still more."</i>
Baruch watched the cedar burn. And as it burned, the vine grew — spreading across the entire plain, which filled with unfading flowers. He awoke.
He prayed for understanding, and God gave it. The forest represented a succession of world empires. The first kingdom that destroyed Zion would itself be destroyed and subjected to the next. That kingdom too would fall. A third would rise and be destroyed. Then a fourth — more harsh and evil than all the others combined — would rule for ages, exalt itself beyond the cedars of Lebanon, hide the truth, and draw the wicked to it like beasts creeping into a dark forest.
But when the time of that fourth empire's destruction arrived, the principate of God's Messiah would be revealed — the fountain and the vine. The Messiah would uproot the empire's multitudes. The last leader of that age would be captured alive, bound in chains, and dragged to Mount Zion. There the Messiah would convict him of every impiety, laying out before him every evil deed his armies had committed.
Then the Messiah would put him to death.
And the Messiah's kingdom would stand forever — until the world of corruption reached its end and the promised times were fulfilled. The forest would be ash. The vine would bloom eternally. And the plain that once lay in darkness would be filled with flowers that never fade.
And I, Baruch, went to the holy place, and sat down upon the ruins and wept, and said: 'O that mine eyes were springs,
And mine eyelids a fount of tears. For how shall I lament for Zion,
And how shall I mourn for Jerusalem? Because in that place where I am now prostrate,
Of old the high priest offered holy sacrifices,
And placed thereon an incense of fragrant odors. But now our glorying has been made into dust,
And the desire of our soul into sand.'
36-37. The Vision of the Forest, the Vine, the Fountain and the Cedar
Chapter 36
And when I had said these things I fell asleep there, and I saw a vision in the night. And lo! a forest of trees planted on the plain, and lofty and rugged rocky mountains
surrounded it, and that forest occupied much space. And lo! over against it arose a vine, and from under it there went forth a fountain
peacefully. Now that fountain came to the forest and was (stirred) into great waves, and those waves
submerged that forest, and suddenly they rooted out the greater part of that forest, and
overthrew all the mountains which were round about it. And the height of the forest began to be made low, and the top of the mountains was made
low and that fountain prevailed greatly, so that it left nothing of that great forest save
one cedar only. Also when it had cast it down and had destroyed and rooted out the greater part of that
forest, so that nothing was left of it, nor could its place be recognized, then that vine
began to come with the fountain in peace and great tranquility, and it came to a place
which was not far from that cedar, and they brought the cedar which had been cast down to
it. And I beheld and lo! that vine opened its mouth and spoke and said to that cedar: Art you
not that cedar which was left of the forest of wickedness, and by whose means wickedness
persisted, and was wrought all those years, and goodness never. And you kept conquering that which was not yours, and to that which was your you did never
show compassion, and you did keep extending your power over those who were far from you,
and those who drew near you, you did hold fast in the toils of your wickedness, and you
did uplift thyself always as one that could not be rooted out! But now your time has sped and your hour is come. Do you also therefore depart, O cedar, after the forest, which departed before you, and
become dust with it, and let your ashes be mingled together. And now recline in anguish and rest in torment till your last time come, in which you will
come again, and be tormented still more.'
Chapter 37
And after these things I saw that cedar burning, and the vine growing, itself and all
around it, the plain full of unfading flowers. And I indeed awoke and arose.
38-40. Interpretation of the Vision
Chapter 38
And I prayed and said: 'O LORD, my Lord, you do always enlighten those who are led by
understanding. Your law is life, and Your wisdom is right guidance. Make known to me therefore the interpretation of this vision. For you know that my soul hath always walked in Your law, and from my (earliest) days I
departed not from Your wisdom.'
Chapter 39
And He answered and said unto me: 'Baruch, this is the interpretation of the vision which
you have seen. As you have seen the great forest which lofty and rugged mountains surrounded, this is the
word. Behold! the days come, and this kingdom will be destroyed which once destroyed Zion, and
it will be subjected to that which comes after it. Moreover, that also again after a time will be destroyed, and another, a third, will
arise, and that also will have dominion for its time, and will be destroyed. And after these things a fourth kingdom will arise, whose power will be harsh and evil far
beyond those which were before it, and it will rule many times as the forests on the
plain, and it will hold fast for times, and will exalt itself more than the cedars of
Lebanon. And by it the truth will be hidden, and all those who are polluted with iniquity will flee
to it, as evil beasts flee and creep into the forest. And it will come to pass when the time of its consummation that it should fall has
approached, then the principate of My Messiah will be revealed, which is like the fountain
and the vine, and when it is revealed it will root out the multitude of its host. And as touching that which you have seen, the lofty cedar, which was left of that forest,
and the fact, that the vine spoke those words with it which you did hear, this is the
word.
Chapter 40
The last leader of that time will be left alive, when the multitude of his hosts will be
put to the sword, and he will be bound, and they will take him up to Mount Zion, and My
Messiah will convict him of all his impieties, and will gather and set before him all the
works of his hosts. And afterwards he will put him to death, and protect the rest of My people which shall be
found in the place which I have chosen. And his principate will stand for ever, until the world of corruption is at an end, and
until the times aforesaid are fulfilled. This is your vision, and this is its interpretation.'
41-42. The Destiny of the Apostates and of the Proselytes
Chapter 41
