"Esdras II" is a book found within the "Apocrypha," and it was written by Esdras himself. We also know him as Ezra, who was the high priest of the temple of Jerusalem when they were allowed to return.
So the first book basically lays the groundwork for who Esdras is and why he is worthy to be involved in this second book. He ends up being approached by an archangel named Uriel who... pretty much treats him like crap. But only verbally! Uriel is there to tell Esdras about the end times. Yes, the same stuff John of Patmos was told about in "Revelations." This is the same thing happening but in the Old Testament.
Esdras is constantly belittled and told that he cannot possibly understand the big things if he cannot understand the small things. The problem about these "small things" is that they are huge things that angels understand perfectly well. The conversation can only go so far before Uriel doesn't want to talk anymore until Esdras can spend a week purifying and humbling himself.
Over time, Uriel warms up to Esdras and it a bit nicer... relatively. The relationship between the two are pretty intense, and at times it may seem unfair. The whole point of why God is even bothering with Esdras is because this man is actually a pretty awesome guy who respects the laws and commandments of God with perfection. But with great humility comes tests and temptation from God, and so Esdras is treated pretty badly in order to see if he stays humble through the full encounter.
One annoying thing is that the Jews keep accusing Esdras of abandoning them while he is on this journey. At first, Esdras just tells them to go away. Later on, he promises them that he is fine and things are going to be okay. I can imagine how stressful this whole thing with Uriel must have been, but I am glad he was taking his role as high priest so seriously.
The book goes into a lot of details we saw in "Revelations." They even talk about Jesus in this book, although he is simply called Christ the Son of God. But probably the most shocking thing was the vision of the "eagle with many wings." This is a dream interpreted by Uriel about the United States of America. I'm not just assuming that because of the eagle thing. The raw description of the interpretation is really just describing modern US. That blew me away and made me tear up a little.
If the book is true, America goes through different phases. It loses everything it gains, then gets it all back. But then it will inevitably lose it all for good when God turns on us. It's sad, but I'm not entirely sure where we are in that timeline. It's frightening to think that we are sitting right in the middle of a prophecy.
The book may suggest at the end that Ezra was not allowed to die. It's a little bit cryptic, but it sounded like God really liked Ezra. He wanted Ezra to write this book first. He gave him a cup that, when drunk, would fill him with all the energy he needs to finish the book, and then it sounded like he was going to send him on his way. Don't quote me on this though. It was written in a way that made it not very clear, but it's a possibility.
Interested in a second perspective on "Revelations?" Then I recommend "Esdras II!" It doesn't really conflict with "Revelations" at all, but there's more of an intensity to it. It's direct and harsh with less confusing imagery. All the bizarre stuff shown in "Esdras II" is interpreted by the angel. Please give this one a go. It's extremely good, and I have no idea why nobody ever talks about this one.
This blog was written on June 1, 2022.
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I am frustrated by human stupidity... and my brain is as mortal and only human. I can only imagine how frustrated Uriel was. He proved his loyalty to God by tolerating the witless human. Ezra proved God right by proving worth the effort. This book is hopeful accordingly. Very strange about the prophecy of the Eagle of Many Wings. I've read it. VERY interesting. Sad that humanity cannot stay the course of what it gets right.
ReplyDeleteI cannot imagine the stress he was over, and it really bugged me that people kept hassling him all the time.
DeleteThose who have been given much will be held to a higher standard. They cannot afford to make the same mistakes that others make because of the attention they have gained. One must prove worthy of such interest, and not let it go to their head.
ReplyDeleteIndeed. A big head on a small person is simply ridiculous. Pride goes before deserved shame.
DeleteI feel for Uriel for having to dumb it down. The vision of America is foreboding but rings true, we are over due for a correction. Ezra did have God's favor, pretty cool that he was given that cup.
ReplyDeleteI hope he made to somewhere wonderful after this encounter.
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