The Prophesies of Ezra

2 Esdras 7:45-56 Many have been created, but only a few will be saved. Therefore on the Day of judgement, there can be no mercy for those who have lost their case and no reversal for those who have won. Ezra replied: But Lord, how much better it would be if Adam had been restrained from sinning. O Adam; what have you done? What good is the hope of eternity, in the wretched and futile state to which we have become?
You say that God will save those who lead pure lives, but what of the many who fail to attain that standard and give no thought to what is in store after death.

2 Esdras 7:57-61 This is the thought for every person to keep in mind during the battle of life: Moses, in his time said to the people: “Choose life, that you may live”. But they believed neither him, or the prophets sent after him.
There will be no sorrow over their damnation, but there will be joy for the salvation of those who have believed and obeyed God’s commands.

2 Esdras 7:62-70 I know that God is merciful and compassionate. Without His forgiveness, there could be no hope for this worlds inhabitants. He is our Judge and unless He blots out our countless offences, there would be very few who could be spared. The angel replied: God has made this world for many, the next world for but a few. It is the same with the earth, plenty of clay, not much gold – many have been created, but only a few will be saved.

2 Esdras 8:19-39 This is the prayer offered by Ezra, before being taken up to heaven: O Lord, You inhabit eternity, everything belongs to You.....We and our fathers have lived evil lives, yet it is on account of us sinners that You are called merciful. What is man, that You should be angry with him? The truth is, no one who was ever born is entirely innocent of sin. God will have joy in the salvation of those who trust Him

2 Esdras 8:59-62 Yours, then will be the joys I have predicted.
It is not that the Most High has wanted any person to be destroyed, but those He created, brought dishonour onto their Creators Name and show ingratitude to the One who put life within their reach. That is why My judgement is now close at hand. I have not made this known to all, only to you and a few like you.
Reference: REB Apocrypha. Verses abridged

2 Esdras 1:22-23 These are the words of the Lord Almighty: When you were in the wilderness, suffering thirst by the stream of bitter water and cursing Me, I did not send fire on you for your blasphemies, instead I told Moses to cast a log into the stream and make the water sweet.

2 Esdras 1:24 What shall I do to you, O Jacob? You, Judah, would not obey me. I will turn to other nations and will give them my Name, and they will keep my statutes.

2 Esdras 1:25-26 Because you have forsaken me, I also will forsake you. When you implore me for mercy, I will show you none. When you pray to me, I will not listen to you; for you have defiled your hands with blood, and your feet are swift to commit murder.

2 Esdras 1:27 It is not that you had forsaken Me; you have forsaken yourselves, says the Lord.

2 Esdras 1:28-29 Thus says the Lord Almighty: Have I not pleaded with you as a father pleads for his sons or a mother her daughters or a nurse her children, so that you should be my people and I should be your God, and that you should be my children and I should be your father?

2 Esdras 1:30 I gathered you as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. But now, what am I to do with you? I shall cast you out from My presence.

2 Esdras 1:31 When you offer me sacrifice, I shall turn from you; for I have rejected your feasts, and new moons, and circumcisions of the flesh.

2 Esdras 1:32 I sent you my servants the prophets, but you have taken and killed them and mutilated their bodies; for their murder I shall call you to account, says the Lord.

2 Esdras 1:33-34 Thus says the Lord Almighty: Your house is forsaken; I will drive you out as the wind drives straw; and your sons will have no children, because with you they have neglected my commandments and have done what is evil in my sight.



2 Esdras 1:35-36 I will give your houses to a people yet to come, a people who will trust me, though they have not known Me, who will do my bidding, though I gave them no signs. They have seen no prophets, yet will keep in mind what the prophets taught of old.

2 Esdras 1:37 I call to witness the gratitude of the people that is to come, whose children rejoice with gladness; though they do not see Me with bodily eyes, yet with the spirit they will believe the things I have said.

2 Esdras 1:38-40 And now, father Ezra, look with pride and see the people coming from far away; to them I will give as leaders Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and Hosea and Amos and Micah and Joel and Obadiah and Jonah and Nahum and Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, who is also called the messenger of the Lord.

New Revised Standard Bible Apocrypha, abridged.

2 Esdras 6:1-6 The Angel of the Lord said to Ezra: When the earth began, the gates of the world were not yet in place, no winds blew, or rains fell. The stars and firmaments were still to be established. Zion had not yet been chosen as God’s own footstool, the present age had not been planned, nor had God’s seal been set onto those who have laid a treasure of faithfulness. Then it was, He had His thought and the whole Universe was created by Him. In the same way, through God alone, the end will be.

2 Esdras 6:11-20 My master and Lord, make known to me the signs of the end times. Rise to your feet and you will hear a loud and resonant voice. Do not be frightened when you feel the earth tremble at the sound, for it speaks of the end and the earth’s foundations will understand. I listened and a voice like a mighty torrent said: The time draws near when I shall come to judge the earth’s inhabitants, the time when I shall enquire into the wickedness of wrongdoers, the time when Zion’s humiliation will be over. A time when a seal will be set on the age about to pass away. Then I shall perform these signs – the books will be opened in the heavens and all will see My judgement at the same moment.

2 Esdras 6:23-29 A loud trumpet blast will sound, striking terror into all who hear it. At that time friends will fight friends, all will be terrified. Rivers will stand still and for 3 hours, cease to flow. Whoever is left after all this, will be saved and see the salvation that I bring and the culmination of this world of Mine. They will see men who were taken up into heaven without tasting death. All peoples will have a change of heart, wickedness will be blotted out, but faithfulness will flourish and truth will be revealed. As God spoke, the ground swayed to and fro.


2 Esdras 7:17-24 Again I asked the Angel; In the Law, laid down by the Most High, the just shall inherit blessings, but the ungodly will perish. The just, therefore can endure this life and look to a glorious future, but those who have lived a wicked life will never see it.
He said: You are not a better judge than God, nor wiser that the Most High. Better that many now living should perish, than the Law which God has set before them should be despised. God has given clear instructions to all in this world, telling them how to attain life and how to avoid punishment. The ungodly have refused to obey Him, they have adopted their own futile ways. They make deceit and dishonour their goal and even deny the existence of the Most High. They have rejected His Law and repudiated His promises; they have neither put faith in His decrees nor done what He commanded.

2 Esdras 7:25 Therefore, Ezra, it is emptiness for the empty and fullness for the full.

Reference: Revised English Bible Apocrypha. Some verses abridged.

2 Esdras 16:35-52 But you, servants of the Lord, listen and learn. Do not doubt what the Lord says:
Calamities are close at hand.....Disaster will not defer it’s coming and the world will groan in pain. My people, get ready for battle and when calamities surround you, behave as though you were strangers on the earth.
Those who buy, sell, build or plant must not expect to benefit from it
Those who marry must not expect children. For all who labour, labour in vain.
The indignation of justice toward wickedness, will accuse them to their faces, when the Lord arrives to expose every sin on the earth. Therefore, do not imitate wickedness or her deeds. A very short time she will be swept away and the reign of justice over us will begin.

2 Esdras 16:53-67 Sinners cannot deny their wrongdoing. Everything that people do is known to the Lord, He knows their inmost thoughts.
God made the heavens and the earth. By His word He created all things. He created man, gave him breath, understanding and the Spirit of God. He knows your plans. Woe to the sinners who try to hide their sins!
The Lord will call all to account. Your wicked deeds will accuse you on the Day of Judgement. God is the Judge – fear Him. Have done with wickedness. Then God will set you free from all distress.

2 Esdras 16:68-73 A fire is being kindled and a great horde will descend upon you, you will be seized and compelled to eat food sacrificed to idols. Those who give in to them will be derided and humiliated.
In every place there will be violent attacks on those who fear the Lord. Your enemies will be like maniacs, destroying without mercy all who still fear the Lord. Plundering and ejecting them from their homes.

2 Esdras 16:74-78 Listen, you whom I have chosen; the Days of harsh suffering are close at hand, but I shall protect and help you.
Have done with fears and doubts, God is your guide. As followers of My commandments, do not let any sin weigh you down.
Woe to those who are entangled in their wicked deeds. They are like a field covered in brambles, to be separated off in readiness for destruction by fire.

Reference: Revised English Bible Apocrypha, verses abridged.

2 Esdras 2:18-41 The Lord says: I have set you apart to be My people, I have made ready for you a Land of plenty, with trees, produce and flowers. My servants Isaiah and Jeremiah will help you. There, I shall fill your children with joy.

Now, look after the widow, defend the fatherless, give to the poor, protect the orphan, care for the weak and bring the blind into the vision of My radiance. Be calm, My people, your time of rest will come. Be good parents to your children and teach them the right way to live.
Do not be anxious when the time of trouble and hardship comes, others will lament and be upset, but you will have happiness and plenty. Although you will become the envy of the nations, they will be powerless against you.

Therefore, I say to My people, those who hear and understand: Look forward to the coming of your Shepherd, He who is to come at the end of this age and he will give you everlasting rest. Be ready to receive the rewards of the Kingdom and bear with patience the shadows of the present world until the One whom God has appointed comes, bringing you joy and splendour. Receive Him and be joyful, giving thanks to Him who called you to His realm.

Arise, stand up and see the whole company of those who bear the Lord’s mark and sit at His banquet. They are no longer in the shadow of this present world and have received shining robes from Him. Take your full number, Zion, and complete the roll of those arrayed in white who have faithfully kept the Law of God. The number of your children whom you so long desired is now complete.
Pray that the Lord’s Kingdom may come, so that Your people, whom He called when the world began, may be set apart as His own.

2 Esdras 15:22-50 These are the Words of the Lord: I shall show sinners no pity, My sword will not spare those murderers who stain the ground with innocent blood. The Lord’s anger has burst out in flame scorching the earth and consuming His enemies like burning straw. The Lord well knows all who offend against Him and has consigned them to death and destruction. See the vast storm clouds approaching! Full of fury and tempest, their appearance is hideous. Huge clouds, mighty and full of fury will pile up and ravage the whole land and its inhabitants, the terrible storm will sweep over all that is high and exalted. There will be terror and trembling throughout the world. When the scorching heat bears down upon you, your strength and splendour will wither like a flower. Isaiah 17:4

2 Esdras 16:1-22 Woe to you, Babylon and Asia! Woe to you Egypt and Syria! Lament over your people, for destruction is close at hand. Fire is let loose against you and who can extinguish it? When the Lord’s anger bursts into flame, who will not quake with dread? The fire is alight, nothing will stop it from coming to earth.

2 Esdras 16:35 & 74-76 But you, servants of the Lord, listen and learn. Listen, you whom I have chosen: the days of harsh suffering are close at hand, but I shall save you from them. Have done with fears and doubts, God is your guide. Keep your faith and trust in Him, then it will be seen that My chosen ones have stood the test like gold in the assayers fire.
Reference: Revised English Bible Apocrypha.

2 Esdras 15&16 These are the words of the Lord: I shall show sinners no pity, My punishment will not spare those murderers who stain the ground with innocent blood. The Lord’s anger will burst out in flame, scorching the earth to its foundations and consuming sinners like burning straw. Woe to sinners who flout My commands, I shall show them no mercy. I well know all who offend against Me, I consign them to death and destruction.

See the clouds – full of fury and tempest, their appearance is hideous. They will let loose a vast storm over the land. There will be terror and trembling throughout the world, people will shudder, stricken with panic. Huge clouds will pile up and ravage the whole land and its inhabitants and a terrible storm will sweep over all that is high and exalted, with fire and hail and flying swords.

Strong is the arm that bends the bow and sharp the arrows that He shoots. Once they are on their way, nothing will stop them until they reach the ends of the earth. Calamities are let loose and will not turn back. The fire is lighted and will not be put out. When the scorching heat bears down upon you, your strength and splendour will wither like a flower. When Y’hovah sends calamities, who can avert them? When His anger bursts into flame, who can extinguish it? When the lightning flashes and it thunders, who will not quake with dread?

The Wisdom Of Solomon 5:17-23 The Lord will array Himself from head to foot with the clothing of His wrath and will make His creation the weapon against His enemies. He will take holiness for His invincible shield and sharpen His relentless anger for a sword. The bolts of His lightning will fly straight to their mark and the artillery of His resentment will let fly a fury of hail. A great tempest will rise against them and scatter them like chaff before a whirlwind. So lawlessness will make the whole world desolate.

But the just will live forever, their reward is in the Lord’s keeping. Therefore royal splendour will be theirs and a crown from the Lord Himself. He will protect His people with His Right Hand and shield them with His arm.

The Wisdom of Solomon 16:15-16 From the Lord’s Hand there is no escape, the godless who refused to acknowledge You are scourged by Your mighty arm and pursued by storms of hail in relentless torrents and are utterly destroyed by fire. Ref: Revised English Bible Apocrypha

The Otot haMashiah [the sign of the Messiah, written circa 12th century]
The Holy One, blessed be He, will bring to the world heat from the sun, that will kill a thousand times thousands of all the nations and all the wicked of Israel will also die. Everyone will say: Woe is us, where can we escape to? They will dig holes and hide in caves to cool themselves. If you ask: How will the righteous be saved from the heat of the sun? The Holy One, blessed be He, will give them a remedy in that heat.

The Qibbutz Galuyot [the ingathering of the Exiles]
Ever since the destruction of the Temple, in 70AD, the Jews have prayed daily for the rejoining and the restoration of all the twelve tribes of Israel. To make this complete, there has to be a redemption of the Lord’s people to Himself. Therefore, all the Israelites must return to their ancestral Land and also the Shekinah Glory must return with them.
Happy are those who live in those days, to see the good fortune of Israel which God will bring to pass. For the ingathering of Israel, may God hasten His mercy to His people.

The Lord’s People, His Israelites: are now every faithful Christian. Galatians 3:26-29, Galatians 6:16, 1 Peter 2:9-10

2 Esdras 8:50 In the last days, the inhabitants of the world will be punished for their arrogant lives, by prolonged suffering.

2 Esdras 8:51 But you, direct your thoughts to yourselves and look to the glory awaiting you and those like you.

2 Esdras 8:52 For all of you, paradise lies open- the tree of life is planted, the age to come is prepared and rich abundance is in store. The City is already built, rest from toil is assured. Goodness and wisdom are brought to perfection.

2 Esdras 8:53 From you, the root of evil has been cut off. For you, disease is at an end and death abolished.

2 Esdras 8:54 All sorrows are at an end and the treasure of immortality is revealed.

2 Esdras 8:55-56 Regarding the lost- when they had their freedom, they used it to despise the Most High, to treat His Laws with contempt and to go their own way.

2 Esdras 8:57 What is more, they trampled on the godly.

2 Esdras 8:58 There is no God, they said - knowing full well that they must die.

2 Esdras 8:59-60 Yours then, will be the joys that I have prepared, theirs the thirst and torments. It is not that the Most High has wanted any person to be destroyed, but those people have brought dishonour onto their Creators name and shown ingratitude to the One who put life within their reach.

2 Esdras 8:61-62 That is why My judgement is now close at hand, but I have not made this known to all - only to you and a few like you.

Reference; Revised English Bible Apocrypha, some verses abridged.

The book of 2 Esdras [The Greek name for Ezra], although not part of the Bible lexicon, has some interesting information in it. Particularly in 2 Esdras 13:39-46 where it says that the 10 Northern tribes of Israel, decided amongst themselves to leave Assyria and travel to a distant uninhabited land. They left waymarks; dolmens across Europe. Jeremiah 31:21

In Ezra’s vision, he saw a great company of people:

2 Esdras 13:47-50 The peaceful company is the 10 tribes. [The House of Israel] They have assembled along with your people, [The House of Judah; the Jews], all those who are survivors still in the Land. Isaiah 6:13-15
When He [Jesus] destroys the army of the nations, then He will protect His people and show them many signs.

2 Esdras 13:11-13 A stream of fire, the breath of flame, poured from His mouth and fell on the enormous army advancing to attack. They were totally burned up.
After that, the Man [Jesus] came down from the mountain, Zechariah 14:3, and summoned to Himself a peaceful company of people, some with joy on their faces, some with sorrow.

2 Esdras 15:3-9 Do not be afraid of plots against you, or troubled by the unbelief of your opponents, for all unbelievers will die.
Beware, says the Lord, for I am letting loose over all the earth terrible evils, sword, famine, death and destruction because evil men have spread their wickedness the whole world over.
Therefore, I shall no longer keep silent, I will hear the pleas from all the innocent blood that has been shed.

2 Esdras 15:14-19 Woe to the world and all its inhabitants! Stable government will be at an end. Men driven by famine will attack their neighbours, no pity will restrain them.

2 Esdras 16:40 My people, listen to My Words; get ready for battle and when the calamities surround you, behave as though you were strangers on earth.

2 Esdras 16:45 For all who labour, labour in vain.

2 Esdras 16:51-52 Therefore, do not imitate wickedness or her deeds. In a very short time she will be swept away from the earth and the reign of justice will begin.
Reference: Revised English Bible Apocrypha. Verses abridged.

My people: every faithful Christian: prepare yourselves, keep the faith and persevere until the Lord Returns.