30.9

2 Baruch—No Wine Shortage in the Age to Come

A Jewish document written about the same time as the book of Revelation contains its own description of what the messianic age would be like. A key point seems to be that there will be lots of wine! But there will also be something to eat and daily marvels to behold:

The earth will also yield fruits ten thousandfold.

And on one vine will be a thousand branches,

and one branch will produce a thousand clusters,

and one cluster will produce a thousand grapes,

and one grape will produce a cor of wine.

Those who are hungry will enjoy themselves*

and they will, moreover, see marvels every day.

—2 Baruch 29:5–6

*So-stated it sounds like the hungry will have so much wine to drink that they will no longer care about their hunger, but this is probably not the point. The writing goes on to say, “the treasury of manna will come down again from on high, and they will eat of it.”

Wine and manna—with marvels every day.