ON THE WINGS OF ANGELS

The Extraterrestrial Theology of the Hebrew Record

2000 by W. L. Graham Revised and Edited 2005 Reproduced gratefully from: http://www.biblerealitycheck.com/WingsTreatise.htm THIS DOCUMENT MAY BE COPIED OR QUOTED FOR PERSONAL OR GROUP STUDY ONLY. Table of Contents Introduction CosmicTheology The Extraterrestrial Paradigm The Elohim Gods, Angels and Spacemen The Miracles Of Technology Jesus and the Kingdom of Heaven Star Wars Demythologizing Religion In Conclusion

INTRODUCTION This new work is presented as a treatise on the authentic cosmological worldview of the ancient Hebrew writers of the JudeoChristian Bible, particularly as relates to the UFO phenomenon and extraterrestrial contact. Although previously explored by many writers this subject is still virgin territory for many serious students of the Bible, having been shrouded in religious mystery for centuries. We shall endeavor to show that, historically, it is simply the imprecise translation of the biblical texts, guided more by religious bias than by sound linguistic scholarship, that is responsible for the perpetual, unenlightened recitation of many familiar Bible stories having a clearly discernible extraterrestrial context. With a modern perspective on Bible translation, a paradigm shift relative to many assumptions pertaining to human history, the sciences, world religion, and the Judeo-Christian faith in particular, could give rise to a whole new theological dynamic. Because of the degree of uncertainty and discomfiture that has always existed in religious and academic circles with regard to biblical translation, students should carefully and critically examine, with analytical objectivity, the non-traditional interpretations of Bible scripture presented in this treatise. Thoughtfulor prayerful consideration of this work may indeed serve to reinforce ones religious faith even while holding many traditional interpretations of scripture in tension. Though not representative of institutional biblical scholarship, this body of work contains well over two hundred scriptural excerpts and references and is currently the most thorough biblical exegesis on the subject ever offered to lay Bible students and the general public. Readers may also be reassured that considerable care has been taken to present the subject in a simple, straightforward and easily accessible style uncluttered by unscholarly, far-flung speculation. Researchers, commentators and sci-fi writers in the "ancient astronauts" genre have used familiar Bible stories in numerous books, television documentaries and even feature films. Today, there are also a growing number of public personalities and self-appointed new age prophets who use the Bible and UFOs as the backdrop to

promote some personal or cultic agenda. This is especially common with regard to eschatology, the study of apocalyptic Bible prophecy. While public notoriety has increased in recent years for such vocal commentators and authors, provoking lively debate within religious and secular circles alike, sound theological scholarship that addresses the Hebrew extraterrestrial worldview presented in the Bible, the subject of this present work, has been minimal. At the time of this writing, the only acknowledged theological scholar, lecturer and clergyman who has dared to put his respectable credentials and reputation on the line is Dr. Barry Downing, author of The Bible and Flying Saucers, a bold book written in the sixties that pioneered scholarly exegesis of Bible scripture on this controversial subject. Sadly, the neglect of such an important area of study not only inhibits the advancement of Bible theology but also has serious implications for world history, the sciences and modern UFO research. Allowing that there are a few high-profile writers, preachers and talkshow personalities within the larger Christian community who occasionally weigh in on the UFO/ET discussion, there remains a unique problem with respect to most commentary coming from religious fundamentalists, that being an unstudied lack of familiarity with the extraterrestrial theology of the Bible. In the absence of good scholarship in this domain, we have recently begun to see an alarmist religious sophistry that characterizes all UFOs and their occupants as "demonic". As one studies the Hebrew record more closely, however, one is delighted to discover a bounty of historical evidence of extraterrestrial contact that is not as frightening as it is enlightening. Although this evidence bears great significance for Judeo-Christian religious belief as well as modern UFO research, it has been obscured from full view by a biblical translation process that has subjected the texts to the arcane interpretations of religious clerics not exactly reputed for intellectual tolerance. Early in Christian literary history, the "sky gods" of antiquity were dethroned by the Bibles transcribers whose minds were closed to the wonders of a vast living cosmos that space technology has brought to the modern era. A theological mythos that places Earth at the center of the universe and humankind as Gods primary concern was thus crafted by scientifically unenlightened religious men with a myopic view of the biblical literature that has left an imprint on theology to this day.

This is not intended as a broad indictment of institutional Bible scholars who are, after all, strictly accountable to the consumers of traditional biblical curricula who demand that the most widely accepted religious interpretations be applied to the translations. Historically, whenever Bible scholars have dared to more accurately translate a scripture here or there, they have often been met with such hostility and resistance to any literary tinkering with the "holy writ" that they are understandably reluctant to venture far from the safe harbor of orthodoxy. Despite four centuries of archeological discovery and improved translation of ancient texts and codices, the original c.1611 King James English Bible version is still regarded as sacrosanct by millions worldwide, defying numerous attempts at revision and refinement. One of the greatest tragedies of this centuries-old translation bias is that the reality of the Hebrew writers extraordinary interrelationship with their extraterrestrial "gods"a resplendent central theme of the biblical textshas been all but lost. Meanwhile Christian ecumenism has devolved into a highly competitive and materialistic church culture, steeped in institutional mediocrity. The humanistic pop-myth religion being professionally marketed to todays fast food consumer bears little resemblance to the extraterrestrial theology communicated so simply by the writers of the Bible. Indeed, there has never been a point in history that has seen more Bible-based institutional religion, or "churchism", practiced with such disregard for this most fundamental biblical precept. In this new age of enlightenment, the very idea that the Bible, correctly translated, is a repository of amazing first-hand reports of extraterrestrial contact may seem preposterous to modern "churchists" simply because it hasnt been taught that way in Sunday School. Taken in its entirety, the Bible may be the most complete and trustworthy historical account of extraterrestrial contact ever recorded. The problem one encounters in attempting to decipher the available biblical literature and expose the ancient Hebrew worldview is that, with respect to many technical word translation rules and contextual accuracy, the English Bible is something of a mess. This criticism, while perhaps fair in a general way, should be properly viewed in relation to the subject matter at hand and not with regard

to the extensive body of work pertaining to all biblical scholarship. After all, regardless of any flaws of translation, the Bible is still one of the most reliable literary works extant pertaining to historical extraterrestrial contact in addition to its value as the primary moral and spiritual source of wisdom for millions the world over. There are many learned scholars out there who certainly could provide a better academic analysis that accurately reflects the Hebrew writers experience with extraterrestrials, but for the present we must work with the resources we have. By attempting to more accurately transliterate the available biblical texts we hope to develop a baseline reference methodology that will enable one to correctly differentiate between and understand the various cosmological beliefs and extraterrestrial persona represented in the texts. We are thus attempting to lay the foundation for a reasonable extraterrestrial worldview that is both scientifically and theologically sound while being easy to grasp for the average reader. While this treatise is considerate of Christianitys regard for a proper literary exegesis of the Hebrew and Greek Bible texts, it relies entirely on the most widely available biblical reference sources found in any Christian bookstore or library. Only the most common English Bible translations have been used (KJV, NIV, NASB, Phillips New Testament, etc.) and are quoted randomly without annotation simply out of personal preference, the intent being to provide the most easyto-grasp and contextually accurate rendering of a given passage. The familiar apocrypha and other "fringe" works have been purposely ignored in this treatise in order to remain focused on the "authorized" Bible texts, hopefully avoiding the accompanying controversies often associated with extraneous manuscripts. Anyone having access to a common English version of the Bible, a Concordance and a Hebrew/Chaldean and Greek Bible Dictionary will have no trouble confirming the accuracy of any alternative translations offered or their relative context. Without apologies to Jewish and secular scholars, it is understandable that in presenting a Bible commentary that includes and values the New Testament it may appear that this work targets a largely Christian readership in some narrow way. However, this treatise may just as well stir a lively discussion and provoke further scholarly work

within many scientific and theological circles. Perhaps even more important from a larger perspective, it may provide some fresh mortar for the foundation upon which each of us can build a sound extraterrestrial worldview that connects us to a common ancestral source as we consider the authentic religion of the Bible. The closer we look at exactly what the ancient Hebrew scribes actually have to say about their extraterrestrial encounters, the more we are compelled to re-examine the identity, nature and intentions of these marvelous celestial beings and "He" whom we call "God". Ironically, it may ultimately be demonstrated one day that it was through humankinds belief in God that science was finally able to adequately explained the UFO phenomenon, discovered the true origin and history of our species and unraveled many of the greatest mysteries of the universe. The reader is not being asked to abandon his or her religious beliefs in order to make the paradigm shift referred to. One must simply be willing to "boldly go where no one has gone before", if you will, on a short biblical journey into humankinds mysterious ancestral past when primitive men, perhaps wiser than we, consorted with mighty gods who rode across the heavens "on the wings of angels". As we embark upon this voyage of discovery, may we not fear the unknown but desire it as we gaze out into the vast ocean of stars, comforted in the knowledge that faith is not negated by truth, it is deepened.

COSMIC THEOLOGY THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL PARADIGM

Regardless of any religious or secular school of thought one may ascribe to, those seeking a rational explanation for the myriad of incontrovertible reports of UFO/ET encounters should not overlook the extraterrestrial theology present in the biblical record of the Hebrews and other writings of the ancient East. It may come as somewhat of a shock to the Western mind untrained in Semitic languages and the culture of the ancient East to discover that within the classic, all-time

best seller we know as The Holy Bible is the incredible assertion that we humans are an alien-hybrid species genetically spawned by an ancient race of extraterrestrial beings right here on planet Earth, late in its multi-billion-year evolutionary history. The Hebrew scriptures inform us in innocently simplistic terms that we uniquely endowed human beings are a genetically engineered speciesthe special children of alien parentage. We have been watched, protected, directed and corrected in our development throughout the ages as, quite suddenly, we became the planets dominant life form, subduing and exploiting the entire biosphere for ourselves. Yet, unlike all other life forms native to our Edenic blue planet, it has forever been the driving ambition of the "human alien" to depart terra-firma, as if we were somehow genetically predisposed to freely roam Earths heavenly canopy and beyond. As the Bible, and virtually every other record from the ancient world, boldly asserts with unfeigned certainty, we humans are the descendents of a vast citizenry of extraterrestrial beings, the "sky gods" of both primitive legend and modern religion, genetically seeded here long ago in Earths distant past. Were this an accepted truth, then perhaps credible UFO sightings and encounters with otherworldly beings reported throughout history until this very day, might be viewed with scientific objectivity as actual contact with our extraterrestrial cousins who, always and already, have established up-close and personal contact with human beings. The Bible manuscripts clearly show us that the Hebrew scribes firmly believed in the personal accounts of extraterrestrial contact reported since the dawn of human civilization, inspiring their most sacred religious traditions pertaining to God(s) and other off-world beings. But it is only due to our very recent exploration of outer space that we now possess the scientific rationale that permits re-evaluation of the primitive sky god religion of our ancestors. We need only apply a reasonable literary interpretation of the Hebrew record that is both simple and logical while employing a modern cosmological perspective denied to us prior to the birth of aeronautic technology a mere century ago. As we enter the new millennium, a certain degree of fear, anxiety and confusion exists concerning the dramatic rise in UFO sightings and

reports of alien abductions. Some urgency would appear to be warranted, should such activity portend an open public contact event with an advanced extraterrestrial race, especially in religious circles. Developing a "cosmic theology" paradigm that is sensible to both religious and secular scholars would seem to be an appropriate launching point for further enlightened discussion and preparation. It is true that wherever we find preferred traditions and entrenched dogma held in tension with new discovery and scholarly enlightenment, controversy inevitably arises. Nevertheless, as we search for a better understanding of ourselves and our universe we must be willing to allow many of our long-cherished assumptions to wander off to graze with other sacred cows of the pastlong abandoned to childhood memoryand begin to replace yesterdays church-speak with a more accurate, contemporary communication of theological concepts. Unbiased intelligent inquiry and honest scholarship must begin to sort things out so that a new, scientifically credible and biblically authentic cosmic theology can emerge. Presented in the Bible are a range of theological concepts, religious laws and rituals, divine commandments and chastisements, poetry and song, and numerous prophecies subject to endless interpretation and debate. Predominately depicted, however, is the early Hebrew peoples interaction with otherworldly or extraterrestrial beings from an historical perspective, including first-hand accounts of direct personal contact, both physical and telepathic. While contact with extraterrestrial beings may have been commonplace in the religious culture of the Hebrews and other peoples of the ancient world, and therefore thematic in their scripture, the church culture of the modern era embraces a more sanitized view with respect to "personal contact". Admittedly, there are widely differing beliefs relative to communication or interaction with divine and evil extraterrestrial persona within the Judeo-Christian religion (subjective personal experience with charismata is also widely encouraged) but, for the most part, "contact" is limited to prayer and spiritual feelings of a divine or evil presence. Since it is commonly believed that the Bible is mute on the subject of inhabitants of other worlds, or "spacemen", who possess interstellar flight technology, discourse pertaining to UFOs and extraterrestrials is

not normative within fundamentalist religious circles. Absent something like the cosmic theology paradigm presented here, theologians and the clergy are ill-equipped to adequately address the subject and, as we have observed throughout history, new ideas that lie outside the boundaries of doctrinal orthodoxy are too often hastily decried as the work of the devil. If widespread UFO encounters are not to be quickly dismissed as a mass hallucination or the product of some form of mental impairment, they are usually regarded, theologically, as an encounter with divinity, angels, demons, evil spirits or Satan, or some form of spiritual manifestation, holy or evil. Such religious mystery and guesswork as this, supported by fuzzy theology, appears intellectually risky for anyone seeking a straight answer. Thus, much confusion and an awkward uneasiness attends most religious discussion pertaining to UFO/ET encounters. It was not, however, the Bibles authors who originated the confusion. Indeed, the Hebrew record is very consistent and quite plain in its presentation of a sound theological construct, one that is particularly relevant to our own time, which teaches that there are real, physical, very powerful and highly advanced extraterrestrial beings who have made and continue to make contact and interact in various ways with human beings. In unquieted contradiction to the traditional worldview taught in most churches today, the distant voices of our biblical ancestors tell of a vast race of beings (or "gods") who came from outer space and directly impacted their lives. Such tales have entertained and mystified mankind from generation to generation while providing colorful religious subject matter, yet, until the modern era, a literal interpretation of such stories has eluded Bible scholars in the absence of relevant technology. Reasoning men have thus tended to dismiss ancient stories of sky gods as the mythological personification of natural forces and human moods, or else simply diffuse these marvelous beings into spirits or forces relegated to some other dimension where they are perhaps more easily managed. From a twenty-first century perspective, however, it is no longer rational to regard the theory that describes our genetic link to an extraterrestrial civilization more advanced than our own as science

fiction or religious myth. In light of our expanding knowledge of the universe, genetic science, space flight technology and close encounters with UFOs, we simply must get beyond the problem of literary correctness with respect to the traditional biblical translations. While the translation problems are well known among scholars, for the sake of lay Bible students a simple re-translation technique is clearly called for that more accurately expresses the cosmological worldview conveyed by the Hebrew writers, using modern terminology. We shall, therefore, observe the practice of using the most literal definitions for key Hebrew or Greek words to provide a more accurate rendering. As we shall see, this approach is necessary in order to do justice to the language and embrace the most obvious meaning of the biblical texts we will examine. The reader is also encouraged to take a step back in time and frame the texts within their proper historical, cultural and technological context in order to better appreciate the Hebrew writers simplicity of thought and expression. Realizing that simple answers often resist complex questions, it is hoped that both theological and secular scholars alike will not quickly dismiss the simple interpretation of a text presented merely out of sentimental preference for the more thoroughly developed traditions. Let us begin with our use of the noun extraterrestrial, a familiar term widely used in popular culture that is understood to refer to intelligent beings from beyond Earth. It is, therefore, an acceptable contemporary term that can be easily applied to the Hebrew God, gods, angels, devils, and spirits, portrayed in the Bible as having their origin and abode above or beyond our world. But, if beyond this world, where? The Old Testament Hebrew word "shamayim" and the New Testament Greek "Ouranos" (after the Greek sky god) are almost always rendered "heaven" in the English Bible translations, some 700 times. A term burdened with misconceived religious sentiment, heaven, literally defined, has little or nothing to do with any of the popular doctrinal themes pertaining to an after-life experience, realm or condition. Even the most cursory research of off-the-shelf reference sources reveals that heaven is not synonymous with "paradise" (a

park or garden), "glory" (radiance or bright light), or Johns vision of a "Holy City" (streets of gold, pearly gates, etc.) described as "coming down out of heaven" (see Rev 21). Accurately defining the word heaven throughout the biblical texts is a simple matter. Both the Hebrew word shamayim and the Greek ouranos are correctly translated in English as sky, outer space, cosmos or universe and should be so rendered wherever the word "heaven(s)" appears in order to avoid any unintended or ambiguous inferences. In so doing, we are brought instantly to grasp the true meaning of a given passage wherein the writers use of these words in his own language was intended to communicate the observation of something, or someone, extra-terrestrial. Communicating the extraterrestrial theology of the Hebrew record has been exacerbated, until now, by the repetition of traditional Heaven and Hell terminology throughout the English Bible translations, regardless of any differences in definition and context. Yet, try as we may to clarify such important word translations, traditional after-life mythology has become so cherished and enduring from ancient times until now that strong emotional fortresses will surely continue to oppose the authentic cosmological worldview presented in the Bible. Both popular culture and religion alike have successfully persuaded the masses that immortality, abundant pleasure and freedom from disease and all worldly care awaits the worthy soul on the "other side" of death where one is reunited with deceased loved ones in a heavenly paradise. Variations on a simplistic heaven theme have been preached from church pulpits and marketed to the consumers of pop-culture literature and film for so long that, regardless of religious persuasion, one naturally attributes such a concept to the Bible. Heavenly fiction, limited only by ones imagination and materialistic fantasy, is routinely sold in the marketplace of institutional religion as a kind of afterlife insurance policy with an escape hell clause. Admittance to this mystical wonderland in the "great by-and-by" may have a strict "members only" policy according to various and sundry religious edicts, but with so many fanciful beliefs and religious teachings having little or no doctrinal consensus, believers are allowed considerable latitude to choose whatever depiction of an

afterlife reward that personally suits them. Who among us hasnt seen Heaven depicted as having bejeweled gates, streets paved with gold and stately mansions attended by vestal virgins and plump, winged infants? It is also commonly believed that the Bible teaches that all good people go straight to heaven immediately at the point of mortal death. While this belief has become a well-established tradition, it is in direct contradiction to the distinctive Hebrew doctrine of the collective Resurrection of the Dead at the end of the ages, taught in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, as well as the Christian doctrine of Salvation reserved in eternity exclusively for faithful devotees of Yeshua Messiah (Jesus Christ). Replacing the archaic rendering "heaven" with a more accurate Hebrew-English and Greek-English translation is essential to understanding the extraterrestrial theological paradigm, or the "cosmic" quality of Bible theology, by very definition. Inasmuch as the ponderously burdensome word heaven has become so immortalized and directly impacts our analysis of other texts, the following sample passages of scripture are offered to clarify the authentic cosmological worldview of the Hebrew writers. (Note: The words shamayim and ouranos are shown in parenthesis to demonstrate the consistent, contextual reference to the sky and/or outer space. No other meaning is implied by the texts). "And God called the expanse heaven (shamayim)." Gen 1:8 "and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens (shamayim)." Gen 1:20 "and the rain from the sky (shamayim) was restrained." Gen 8:2 "And he took him outside and said, Now look toward the heavens (shamayim) and count the stars, if you are able to count them." Gen 15:5 "For the stars of heaven (shamayim) and their constellations..." Isa 13:10

"And after he (Jesus) had said these things, he was lifted up while they were looking on and a cloud received him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky (ouranos) while he was departing, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them; and they also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky (ouranos)? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven (ouranos), will come in just the same way as you have watched him go into heaven (ouranos)." Act 1:9-11 Although Hebrew and Greek language scholars do translate shamayim and ouranos as sky, outer space, cosmos or universe in other works besides the Bible, the transcribers of the biblical manuscripts remain stubbornly committed to the traditional rendering heaven. Perhaps the most adverse result of such a sentimental approach to this particular word translation is that the immediate context and a sense of reality can be lost in the reading. In the following passages from the Old Testament, selected from among hundreds, we see how a correct translation of shamayim reveals the true origin and habitat of the Bibles extraterrestrials. The New Testament also contains hundreds of such examples (indeed the "kingdom of heaven", or cosmic empire, is one of the key features of the gospel as taught by Jesus) but for now we shall concentrate on the Old Testament that forms the foundation for early Christian beliefs relative to this ancient Hebrew theological view. With the Hebrew shamayim accurately re-translated, the Bibles cosmic theology becomes quite evident while the unique literary quality of the texts is also, arguably, adequately maintained. "Is not God in the height of outer space? Look at the distant stars, how high they are!" Job 22:12 "The Lord is in his Holy Temple; the Lords throne is in outer space." Psa 11:4 "And the universe will praise thy wonders, O Lord; Thy faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones. For who in outer space is comparable to the Lord?" Psa 89:5,6

"The Lord of hosts is mustering the army for battle; they are coming from a far country at the end of the universe." Isa 13:4,5 These selected passages are, in definition and context, completely and substantively accurate. If a translator wishes to substitute the word heaven in such texts it is certainly within his or her right to do so, however there is no rule of translation that governs such a decision. It may be argued that there is some traditional value attached to the word heaven, nevertheless personal preferences do not justify overriding accepted standards of accuracy in linguistic translation. Archaic and potentially misleading terminology should either be avoided entirely or else carefully qualified as an alternative translation, with the proper annotation. A reasonable case can and should be made for scholarly restraint in the use of the word heaven inasmuch as it is so ill defined as to be misleading and open to subjective interpretation. It is a rarely used term in conversational and written English when speaking of the sky or outer space, and could be easily replaced in our modern lexicon with more accurately translated and unambiguous words. This can be done without the slightest harm to the biblical texts, allowing for a few rare exceptions (e.g., "the heavens") in certain poetic passages that are not likely to be misleading. Perhaps most importantly, heaven should cease to be incorrectly associated with primitive, after-life doctrinal themes that are unsupported by an unbiased analysis of the texts in which the word appears. By using simple, universally understood, modern terminology in translation, coupled with a fresh and contextually accurate exegesis of scripture, the Bibles cosmic theology becomes readily apparent, revealing mankinds historic connection to a vast and wondrous universe populated by the most extraordinary beings.

THE ELOHIM GODS, ANGELS AND SPACEMEN

Having clarified the Hebrew perspective on "heaven", or outer space, we will now examine a significant translation discrepancy regarding the rendering "God" in the biblical texts. "God" has become such a common catch-all term for deity used by people of all faiths that it is often given a casual affirmation of presumed agreement as to the identity of God, irrespective of any theological differentiations. In the English translations of the Hebrew and Greek Bible texts, the overuse of "God" as a singular proper noun has led to its almost universal acceptance as the proper name for principal deity throughout the Judeo-Christian religious culture, both in literature and common speech, obfuscating some very important distinctions in the Hebrew. The lengths to which Bible translators are apparently willing to go to preserve and perpetuate the traditional rendering God is apparent in the official definition given in Strongs Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, a primary biblical reference source for Christians. It states that the Hebrew national god Yahweh (alternately rendered Yehovih) is " pronounced by Jews as [elohim] in order to prevent the repetition of the same sound, since elsewhere they pronounce [Yahweh] as [Adonay] God" (Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary, ref. no. 3069). Yet, it is a simple fact of Hebrew linguistics that these three words, spelled totally different, have their own distinctive pronunciation (or "sound") in addition to having altogether different meanings. Such a strange and blatantly incorrect comment in the revered Strongs Concordance stands as an extraordinary example of the failure of biblical scholarship to confront with literary honesty such traditions that have gained firm root in the English Bible translations over time. It should not come unexpected either to find that discrepancy and error relative to a range of theological concepts permeates all common biblical reference and commentary literature inasmuch as such material has been built upon the same foundation of flawed translation scholarship. Bible students are therefore forced to grapple with traditional biblical literature, closely comparing the Hebrew and Greek texts to the English translations, in order to fully grasp the authentic Hebrew worldview relative to extraterrestrial deity and other theological concepts. "God", the principal deity of the Bible who reigns supreme over the Hebrew nation, hereinafter referred to as "Yahweh", was personally introduced to the Exodus Jews by Moses at Mount Sinai where he

became known to the people by the name spelled with the Hebrew letters YHWH. Over time, vowels were added to this mysterious Tetragrammaton to form "YaHWeH" (alternately "YeHoViH") which, by the twelfth century AD, evolved to "JeHoVaH" or Jehovah, the most common English rendering of the name of the chief Hebrew god besides Yahweh. Time would not permit a presentation of the various controversial theories and esoterica surrounding the "Holy Name" of the Hebrew national god, but his identification in the texts is important and should not be ignored. Despite numerous explicit commandments regarding the importance of recording and honoring this distinctive name, and its appearance in the Hebrew texts more than 6,400 times, it is rendered simply as Lord, Lord God or Sovereign Lord in most versions of the English Bible, a practice said to be upholding a "tradition of reverence" for the name of God by, oddly, avoiding its use entirely in the biblical texts and in common speech. Thus, the personal identity of the "Almighty God" of the biblical religion has been displaced and obfuscated through the arbitrary substitution of vague monotheistic terminology in the texts. Not to put too fine a point on the subject, but one might well speculate how strange the biblical texts would read if the same standard were applied to the Bibles other principle characters and translators simply substituted "man" or "woman" for their proper given names. The other frequently used Hebrew term of great respect for the authority of Yahweh is the word adon, or Adonay (emphatic), approximating the English title "Master" or "Lord". In addition to its usage in reference to Yahweh and also his highly revered emissaries, this title of respect was an accepted reference and formal address for a human authority figure, according to Hebrew culture of biblical times. Adonay (or Adonai) is, however, most frequently associated with Yahweh, either by direct attachment to his name or by contextual reference, in order to identify him as the extraterrestrial Lord of the Hebrew nation and accord him supremacy above all other gods. Many otherwise literate Bible students may be unaware that the Hebrew writers of the Bible believed in and taught the existence of a vast race of extraterrestrial gods whom they called the "elohim" (pron. ello-heem). First, to correct a very common misconception,

elohim is neither the proper name nor an exclusive designation for the principle Hebrew god, Yahweh. While this distinctive plural noun is well known by scholars to be correctly translated "mighty ones" and is found throughout the Hebrew texts some 2,570 times, it has been consistently translated as "God", singular proper noun, in all but a few instances where it is arbitrarily rendered gods, angels, sons of God, and (rarely) mighty ones. It should be emphasized that elohim is a term used by the Hebrew writers regardless of whether the particular beings referred to are seen as benevolent or malevolent, and also for specific pagan gods (see Jdg 2:11-13; Jdg 10:6; I Kgs 11:33; II Kgs 1:2). It is also the very same word used in reference to all of the un-named "strange gods" or "other gods" found throughout the Bible texts, the worship of whom was strictly forbidden. Such "gods" are frequently associated with carved or molten idols (i.e. "graven images") and outlawed religious practices, including animal and human ritual sacrifice, and are also portrayed in several passages as living, active extraterrestrial beings, or "mighty ones", as in "new gods (elohim) who came recently whom your fathers did not dread" (Deu 32:16-17) and inferred from numerous references to certain miscreants who "followed after" various gods (elohim) "to serve them". The important point being that the plurality of extraterrestrial elohim (or "gods", high and low) identified throughout the Bible reveals the authentic theological perspective of the original Hebrew writers. Thus, in ancient Hebrew thought, besides Lord Yahweh, multiple gods referred to in the Bible (e.g. Baal-zebub, Dagon, the goddess Ashtoreth, angels Gabriel and Michael, and also the one commonly called "the devil" or "Satan") were all considered elohim, whether divine or evil. Basic research of common reference sources will reveal this little-known Bible fact. To further clarify the correctness of the diverse and plural usage of elohim, the singular form of the word is eloah (rarely used), or simply el, most often used conjunctively to form compound words and names that denote divine power or might (e.g. el shaddai, Isra-el, Beth-el, etc.). The only permissible usage of elohim as a singular noun, despite its plural word form or the absence of a grammatically proper adverb or preposition, is when elohim is definitively identified, by name or designation, with the principle elohim authority figure, Lord Yahweh.

In such cases this usage may be viewed as both a personal and "racial" identification in the same way that an extraterrestrial might introduce the former English Monarch as "Humankinds King James", or simply "James, humankind". Thus also do the biblical texts alternately refer to the Hebrew god as Adonai Yahweh, YahwehElohim, or Elohim Adonai (i.e. "Lord Yahweh", "Yahweh of the Elohim", and "Elohim Lord", respectively). Unfortunately, until such time as biblical translation is addressed with more forthright scholarship, we are forced to deal with such definition problems through independent research of the translations using the most common reference sources available. Allowing that there are minor differences among the various English translations, as a general rule of thumb whenever "God" is found in the Old Testament we may safely read elohim, meaning "mighty ones", always plural except where directly identified with Lord Yahweh or another named deity. Likewise, the title "Lord God" or "Sovereign Lord" should be rendered Yahweh, the supreme ruler of the vast cosmic empire of the elohim, in every instance. In the following examples, a correct retranslation of the words "God", "Lord", "Lord God" and "heaven", reveals the literal meaning of the texts. "In the beginning the mighty ones created the cosmos and the earth." Gen 1:1 "Then the mighty ones said, Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness...and the mighty ones created man in (their) own image, in the image of the mighty ones (they) created him; male and female (they) created them." Gen 1:2627 "I am Yahweh of the mighty ones who brought you out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall (place) no other mighty ones before me." Exo 20:2,3 "For Yahweh of the mighty ones is the mightiest of the mighty ones and the master of masters; the great, the powerful, the awesome mighty ones..." Deu 10:17 "The mighty ones take their stand in the congregation of mighty ones to judge among the mighty ones...I said you are mighty

ones and all of you children of the highest, nevertheless you will die like humans, and fall like one of the princes." Psa 82:1,6,7 "For you are Yahweh, highest over all the earth; you are exalted far above all the mighty ones." Psa 97:9 "Yahweh has established his throne in outer space and has sovereign rule over the universe. Bless Yahweh you his mighty ones...Bless Yahweh all you his troops...in all places of his dominion..." Psa 103:19-22 "But our mighty ones are in outer space..." Psa 115:3 It should also be pointed out that the widely held view that ascribes omnipresence (present infinitely and everywhere) to the Hebrew god also contradicts the greater body of biblical texts. God as an ethereal "force", "spirit" or the quality of "oneness" often described as existing in and through all persons and things, or as ones "Self", is not a Hebrew concept. Although superior consciousness, power and authority are attributed to Yahweh he is described by the writers of the Bible as a humanoid being (having humanlike physical characteristics) as are other prominent elohim. This view is made obvious in the earliest Hebrew texts that portray him as a physical "man", such as in the following passages. "Now Yahweh appeared to him (Abraham)...and when he (looked up) behold, three men were standing opposite him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the earth, and said My lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, please do not pass your servant by. Please let a little water be brought and wash your feet and rest yourselves under the tree; and I will bring a piece of bread, that you may refresh yourselves (etc.)...and he placed (the food) before them and was standing by them under the tree as they ate." Gen 18:1-8 "Then the men rose up from there and looked down toward Sodom; and Abraham was walking with them to send them off. And Yahweh said, shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do...?" Gen 18:16,17

"Thus Yahweh used to speak to Moses, face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend..." Exo 33:11 "Then Yahweh said, Behold, there is a place by me, and you shall stand there on the rock; and... I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by; then I will take my hand away and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen." Exo 33:21-23 The dramatic Exodus encounter with Yahweh also includes the mysterious warning to Moses "You shall not see my face, for no man can see me and live!" (Exo 33:20) which, at first glance, appears incongruent. Yet, since Moses is said to have spoken with Yahweh "face to face" and obviously survived, we can fairly assume that this warning is similar to many others issued by Yahweh for Moses to keep the people away from him "lest they break through to gaze and many of them perish" (e.g. Exo 19:12; 19:21). Exodus does record that other Hebrew elders besides Moses were selectively permitted to ascend Mount Sinai for an audience with Yahweh. The general impression one gets from this series of meetings is that Yahweh, a) was identified as the "Creator God" and supreme authority figure among the elohim, b) instituted the new biblical religion of the Jews with strict moral laws and complex religious rites and observances, and c) possessed extraordinary extraterrestrial powers and characteristics but was seen as humanlike in form and appearance, otherwise we should expect the texts to describe him differently. Angels Not unlike other religious beliefs pertaining to deity, angels have a history replete with speculation, myth and fantasy. For example, even though there is no such concept offered in the Bible, a great many people believe that righteous human beings become heavenly angels at death, a tradition owing to the Greek influence that nudged its way into Christianity as the "gospel" was preached throughout the GrecoRoman empire. Originating from the Greek concept of the soul (Gr. psuche, or Psyche) it was believed that the indwelling human "spirit", or mind, exits the body at mortal death to return to an astronomical star-point associated with various Greek gods. By the thirteenth

century, Greek spiritism was so pervasive that even St. Thomas Aquinas was led to speculate as to how many such "angels" could fit on the head of a pin! With the advent of modern astronomy, Copernicus and Galileo shook many of the religious beliefs of the Greek influenced Christian world relative to the universe. During the reformation, the biblical worldview rebounded for a time, thanks to such brave thinkers as Sir Isaac Newton, one committed as much to theology as science who believed in both the Hebraic doctrine of a bodily resurrection of the human dead at the "end of the ages" and anthropomorphic angels having a cosmic residence. Then, from the art and literature of the Renaissance until today we see the emergence of a kind of childlike mythology that has gained cultural popularity where angels are depicted as super-humans with bird wings and brilliant halos gracefully frolicking in the clouds, strumming golden harps. Such fanciful notions contrast sharply with the Bibles portrayal of angels as extraterrestrial elohim who, as we recall from Genesis, genetically created human beings in their own form and likeness. While "wings" certainly can have a symbolic relevance to space flight, the depiction of biblical angels as bird-like creatures, or in some other fantastic ghostly form, is erroneous and misleading from a biblical perspective The English word "angel", translated from the NT Greek aggellos or the OT Hebrew malak, meaning "one sent" as in a messenger or emissary, human or extraterrestrial, most often refers to a mighty elohim emissary of Yahweh. In some Bible texts elohim actually has been rendered "angel", which, while technically a mistranslation, does represent the correct Hebrew worldview relative to angels as being among the elohim kind. An "angel", then, is simply the biblical term used to describe an extraterrestrial elohim emissary on a mission, sent to Earth from another world, realm or station somewhere in outer space. The Hebrew scribes primarily record their own independent contact with extraterrestrial anthropomorphic "gods" and "angels" (the elohim), not disembodied spirit-entities. Whenever a rare biblical passage does use the term "spirit" to describe an "angel" it need not be viewed as a significant departure from the greater body of texts

that describe them in anthropomorphic terms. To a simple people such elusive beings who wing their way through the cosmic vapors may indeed have seemed like supernatural "spirits" that were everpresent, in the skies or psychically, though seldom seen. There is an intrinsic problem embedded in the biblical translations that confounds the authentic Hebrew worldview concerning all things "spiritual" that is worth noting. The frequent, random and arbitrarily interchangeable terms "soul" and "spirit" creates a unique interpretive challenge for Bible students. It would be a daunting task to sort out the confusion created by such misunderstood terminology since traditional spiritual belief stubbornly prevails over accuracy of translation, regardless. We should observe, however, that the Hebrew authors did not originate many of the spiritual concepts common to the Judeo-Christian religious culture of today even though the abundance of spiritual terminology in the English translations of the Bible leads the reader to assume so. The term "soul" (Heb. nephesh and Gr. psuche) is correctly translated as a living-breathing creature of any species. In other words, a fish, a pig, a cockroach, and a human being can be said to have the same "soul" (biological life) in the most literal sense, from a true biblical perspective. Yet, as an embarrassing example of dishonesty in translation, these two distinctive words that are arbitrarily rendered "soul" throughout the Bible are only correctly translated "life" or "living creature" in certain texts where the rendering "soul" might result in theological controversy (e.g. Gen 2:7, Pro 12:10, Mat 16:25, Rev 8:9). The word "spirit" (noun or pronoun) comes from the Hebrew ruach or the Greek pneuma. Both words are literally defined as wind and, by extension, the indwelling breath or act of breathing. Nowhere in the Bible texts do we find "soul" represented as the disembodied "spirit" of a human being or any creature. The literal definition of ruach or pneuma does not, however, disallow a broader interpretation of a text in which the word "spirit" appears since a writer may occasionally use the words nephesh and ruach figuratively, the immediate and broader context being the primary rule guiding a correct interpretive transliteration.

It is merely a translation bias that reinforces spiritual mysticism that accounts for much of the confusion and doctrinal controversy surrounding the interpretation of many Bible texts. One of the unfortunate results of over spiritualizing the biblical texts is that almost any point of view can be subjectively argued using the same, frequently mystifying, passages of scripture that refer to things "spiritual". With a more literal and non-mystical interpretation of the texts, applying the extraterrestrial paradigm, many former conflicts over difficult spiritual concepts and doctrinal issues are easily laid to rest. Religion, the occult and popular culture is rife with subjective experience with the paranormal and sightings or contact with various angelic beings, ghosts, spirit guides, aliens, poltergeists and assorted hobgoblins. The Hebrew biblical texts, however, warns that any focused effort to contact the dead or otherworldly beings that involves witchcraft, necromancy, angel worship, sorcery, conjuring, or "channeling" various entities, and idolatry in any form, is potentially dangerous and strictly forbidden. Any references to spiritism or occult practices in the biblical texts are therefore either purely anecdotal or are presented in a negative way. It would be a serious error in judgment to presume that all "angels" are inherently guided by the purest virtues with the best of intentions toward humankind. At least from the ancient Hebrew perspective, such is not the case. Biblical "angels" and "gods" (i.e. elohim) are broadly represented throughout the texts and seem to differ as much in character, motives and activities, high and low, as do human beings. Adversarial elohim are also mentioned throughout the Bible, including "Satan" who is said to appear as a "radiant angel" (see II Cor 11:14). As one begins to grasp the ancient Hebrew worldview relative to the vast diversity of extraterrestrial "mighty ones" and the cosmic conflict being waged among them, such warnings take on an ominous tone (see chapter entitled "Star Wars"). Historically, Jews and Christians have shared some of the non-biblical mythology and beliefs of the Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks and other cultures with whom they have lived and so refer to various pagan "gods" (often depicted in the art and culture of the ancient East as having some unusual human, animal, reptilian or hybrid form) throughout the biblical texts. However, elohim "angels" sent by

Yahweh, while sometimes unique enough in appearance to be easily recognized by the contactee (e.g. Jdg 13:6; Dan 10:5,6; Mat 28:3; Luk 24:4), are always described as human-like extraterrestrial beings, or spacemen, who can even pass unnoticed as an average-looking person (see Heb 13:2). There are, however, a few references to extraterrestrial entities under Yahwehs direct command and control that are described much differently, such as those called "cherubim" and "seraphim". Although commonly depicted as plump, infant-like winged beings in religious art, a "cherub" (pron. keroob) is an ancient Chaldean word of unknown derivation that is never defined as an angelic being anywhere in the Bible, yet is associated with flight. Only Ezekiel (Chapter 10) definitively identifies a "cherub" as the incredible spaceship he encountered by the Chebar River in the opening chapter of his prophecy (see chapter entitled "Miracles of Technology"). An unbiased analysis of all other texts pertaining to "cherubim" indicates that this is most likely some type of exotic aircraft, perhaps distinct in appearance from other common UFO shapes (ref. Gen 3:24; Exo 37:17; II Sam 22:11; I Kin 6:23-28; I Chr 28:18; Psa 18:10; Eze Ch.1&10). The Bible makes two references to "seraphim" (Lit. fiery ones) a unique word rendered from the Hebrew seraph, meaning "on fire". Elsewhere though, it has been translated into "fiery flying serpent". Not described in any detail, these "seraphim" are associated with flight and may be an entirely different class of being (i.e. not identical to the humanlike elohim), but also could represent a type of spacecraft of radiant, or "fiery", appearance. Religious art and tradition may depict cherubim and seraphim as anthropomorphic angelic beings but the Bible does not, leaving one to speculate (see Num 21:8; Isa 6:2; Isa 14:29; Isa 30:6). Within an apparent hierarchy of responsibility or rank, Yahwehs emissaries often speak with such authority, as in passages which identify an "Angel of the Lord" (e.g. Gen 22:11 & 31:11; Exo 3:2 & 23:20,21; Jdg 2:1-5) that some Bible students have been led to speculate about their identification with principal deity. Angels are also said to possess highly evolved psychic and telepathic abilities (e.g. Gen 18:12-15 & 20:6; Num 11:17; Exo 28:3; Deu 2:30; I Sam 16:14; I Kin 22:19-23), and scientific technology so advanced as to

dwarf the greatest human achievements of the modern era (see next chapter). While these extraterrestrial beings take care to guard themselves from unwanted human contact (e.g., Gen 19:1-11; Exo 19:20-25), they are obviously not shy about making unannounced appearances or involving themselves directly in human affairs. It is quite clear that they have, from the beginning, monitored their human experiment with intense personal interest and not merely as passive observers. From the first "seeding" of human beings on planet Earth the elohim have authoritatively manipulated their creation, even genetically enhancing the species through unnatural pregnancies that resulted in the birth of special elohim offspring (e.g. Gen 18:9-15 & 21:1-7; Jdg 13:2,3; Mal 2:15; Mat 1:18-25; Luk 1:5-15). At least one passage even suggests their sexual union with human females to procreate a hybrid progeny (see Gen 6:1-4). In the Old Testament, elohim emissaries were frequently sent to assist Israel in times of national peril and to help defeat her enemies, but they also appeared to protect and defend esteemed individuals. What is significant in such instances is not only their zealous concern with Israel but also their willingness to employ extraordinary resources and capabilities to intervene in life-threatening situations, such as in the following selections. "Then (King) Nebuchadnezzar was filled with wrath, and his facial expression was altered toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He answered with orders to heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. And he commanded certain valiant warriors who were in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego...[and] cast them into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire...[and] the fire slew those men who carried [them] up...Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded...and said "Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the mighty ones!"...[Then] he responded and said [to them] "Come out, you servants of the highest mighty ones, and come here!"...Then [they] came out of the midst of the fire...and the kings high officials gathered around and saw [that] the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men, nor was the hair of their heads singed, nor were

their trousers damaged, nor had the smell of fire even come upon them. [The king then] responded and said, "Blessed be the mighty ones of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who sent their emissary to deliver their servants!..." Dan 3:19-28 "Then the king (Darius of the Medes) gave orders, and Daniel was brought in and cast into the lions den. The king spoke and said to Daniel, "Your mighty ones whom you constantly serve will deliver you." And a stone was brought and laid over the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and [those] of his nobles, so that nothing might be changed with regard to Daniel[When] the king arose with the dawnand went in haste to the lions den...he cried out to Daniel...[and] Daniel spoke to the king, "O king live forever! My mighty ones sent an emissary to shut the lions mouths, and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was innocent before them"...[then] Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he had trusted in his mighty ones." Dan 6:16-23 "And when [King Herod] had seized [Peter], he put him in prison, delivering him to four squads of soldiers to guard him...[but that night] Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains; and guards were watching over the prison. And behold, an emissary of [Yahweh] suddenly appeared, and a light shone in the cell; and he [roused Peter] and the chains fell off his hands. And the emissary said to him, "Dress yourself and put on your sandals...and follow me." And [as he did so] he did not know if what was being done by the emissary was real [or a dream]. And when they had passed [the guards] they came to the iron gate [of the prison] and it opened for them by itself, and they went out...and immediately the emissary departed from him; and when Peter came to his senses, he said, "Now I know for sure that [Yahweh] has sent forth his emissary and rescued me from the hand of HerodAnd when the day came there was a great disturbance among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter; and when Herod had searched for him [in vain] he examined the guards and ordered them [executed]." Act 12:4-11

Elohim emissaries were indeed so active in the affairs of Israel and the lives of numerous individuals that we may conclude that, coverto-cover, the Bible is an extraordinary repository of first-hand reports of close encounters with powerful extraterrestrial beings. Yet, after centuries of tampering with the texts, these amazing testimonials have been trivialized as simplistic mythology by the Bibles detractors and over spiritualized by the neo-charismatic church culture of Western Christianity. Respect for the elohim emissaries of Yahweh is further emphasized in the New Testament with regard to one called the "Holy Spirit" or "Holy Ghost". Alternately referred to as "The Helper", "The Comforter" and the "Spirit of Truth", it is said that he alone is the only being, Yeshua included, toward whom blasphemy (i.e., a cursing insult) is directed that automatically results in eternal condemnation without mercy (see Mat 12:31,32). Though not described as having humanoid physical characteristics, as are Yahweh and other elohim emissaries, the Holy Spirit is referred to as a being rather than a "mystical force". But, since the New Testament only ascribes certain extraordinary spiritual phenomena to the manifest presence of the Holy Spirit, the actual form of this uniquely commissioned being remains a biblical mystery. While it may appear that the highly venerated and powerful "Holy Spirit" is unique to Christian teaching, upon closer examination it could be reasonably argued that this extraordinary being may be the same mighty emissary of Yahweh, or "Angel of the Lord", who helped deliver the Exodus Jews from Egypt as in the following sample passages offered from among several. "And the elohim emissary (of Yahweh) who had been going before the camp of Israel moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them." Exo 14:19 "...And the emissary [from Yahwehs] presence saved them...but they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit..." Isa 63:9,10 In the Gospel of John this unnamed Holy One is said to have been sent by Yeshua "from the Father" to personally communicate the Fathers will concerning judgment of the world, to glorify and "bear

witness" to Yeshua, to guide faithful believers "into all the truth" and reveal "things to come" (Jno 14:16,17; 14:28; 15:26; 16:7-15). Uniquely empowered to communicate and act on behalf of the Father and the Son, the un-named "Holy Spirit" is included in Christianitys "Holy Trinity" doctrine (three distinct Gods, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, equal one Triune Godhead), however there are no texts that specifically designate him as principle deity. The following may help clarify the relationship between "The Father", Yahweh, "The Son", Yeshua, and the "Holy Spirit". "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you." Jno 14:26 "The Helper will comethe Spirit who reveals the truth about [elohim] and who comes from the Father. I will send him to you from the Father and he will speak about me." Jno 15:26 "But I am telling you the truth: it is better that I go away, because if I do not go, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go away, then I will send him to you." Jno 16:7 "When however, the Spirit of Truth comes, who reveals the truth about [elohim], he will lead you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own authority, but he will speak of what he hears and will tell you of things to come. He will give me glory, because he will take what I say and tell it to you." Jno 16:13,14 Such identity distinctions may well be a matter of traditional doctrine versus scholarly exegesis of the texts where conflicts and confusion often arise relative to Trinitarian theology, but that is not the subject of this present study. The aim here is to focus on the original and authentic beliefs and teachings of the Hebrew writers of the New Testament texts regarding these three unique persona who are, rightly or wrongly, commonly worshiped as "God" by most Christians. Those wishing to examine this doctrine more closely may, however, find some historical insight of value. Although Trinitarian theology was completely unknown to Christianity prior to its fabrication by the architects of the Nicino-Constantinople Creed under the direction of the Roman Catholic Council of Bishops, led by Emperors Constantine

and Theodosius in the fourth century A.D., it has always been an orthodox doctrine throughout Christian history. This difficult theological construct is clearly intended to controvert any appearance of pantheism (belief in multiple gods) found in the biblical texts, perhaps revealing an underlying motive behind the traditional translation bias we see. What should concern every intelligent person regardless of religious persuasion is that the proscription of the Bibles authentic worldview with respect to the extraterrestrial "mighty ones" deprives the world of an important historical insight into the origin of our species as well as the character and intentions of these beings regarding Planet Earth. Given their obvious technological superiority and our own vulnerability, it would seem to be wise for us to learn everything we can from such an impressive reference source as the Bible about just who and what we are dealing with. The Hebrew writers clearly lived in fear and awe of Yahweh and his mighty ones, teaching strict obedience to their every command. They believed that, as their direct creation, Earth and all of humankind belong to these elohim and, thus, our fate is in their hands. The elohim did not hold open court to consider the counsel of humans and rarely altered their judgments and plans, intervening authoritatively to direct, not merely observe, the course of human history for their own purposes. Significantly, the Hebrew writers paint a picture of a paramilitary vertical command structure descending from Yahweh downward and appear to have been quite impressed with the warlike nature of the elohim. Not only were they actively involved in Israels earthly conflicts and conquests, but they also engaged in battles of cosmic proportions, "star wars" if you prefer, with certain extraterrestrial adversaries who are always portrayed as inherently malevolent. "Now as Jacob went on his way, elohim emissaries met him. And Jacob said when he saw them, "This is an elohim garrison!" So he named that place, "Mahanaim" (meaning "companies" or "regiments"). Gen 32:1,2 "Yahweh is a man of war..." Exo 15:3

"Who is the radiant king? Yahweh, strong and mighty! Yahweh, mighty in battle!" Psa 24:8 "Indeed, I (Yahweh) lift my hand to the universe and say, "As I live forever, if I sharpen my flashing sword and my hand takes hold of justice, I will render vengeance on my adversaries, and I will repay those who hate me." Deu 32:40,41 "...a man was standing opposite [Joshua] with his sword drawn and Joshua went to him and said to him "Are you for us or for our adversaries?" And he said, "No, rather I indeed come now as captain of the troops of Yahweh". And Joshua [bowed low]..." Jos 5:13,14 "For my sword is satiated in outer space..." Isa 34:5 "And there was war in outer space, Michael and his angels [elohim squadrons] waging war with the dragon [Satan] and his angels [elohim squadrons]" Rev 12:7 The Old Testament also contains numerous stunning accounts of Yahweh and the mighty ones ordering or personally carrying out the annihilation of multitudes of human beings. One such instance concerns the familiar report of the total mass destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, the Hiroshima and Nagasaki of the ancient world, for their gravely offensive behavior (see Gen 18:16-19:29). Yahweh and the mighty ones were obviously greatly distressed with the state of affairs here on Earth and were, for whatever reasons, unwilling to let nature run its course with respect to the evolution of those primitive civilizations of the Old Testament era. Indeed, it is the consistent claim of the Hebrew writers of the Old Testament that Yahweh personally directed the wholesale slaughter of the barbaric outlaw nations who stood against tiny Israel, spanning centuries of wars, in order to establish Israel as a "chosen people" and to assert his singular authority over our planet. Beside the chosen few with whom Yahweh interacted personally, we are reminded that millions of eyewitnesses reportedly observed, first hand, the awesome deeds of these mighty spacemen. Yet, throughout their history, Israel continued to practice the lifestyle and religions of the Egyptian, Babylonian, Persian, and Greco-Roman

cultures, which so provoked their "jealous" god that he often rained terrible calamities upon them as punishment for their unfaithfulness. The extent to which guilt and fear is seared into their national conscience (perhaps the principal mood of the Old Testament) leaves little doubt about the reality of Israels experience with these extremely powerful and authoritarian beings. Although certain Old Testament texts, especially the Psalms, praise Yahweh for his mercy and magnanimity, one is nonetheless left with the overall impression that the far-from-perfect nation of Israel obeyed Yahweh (whenever they did obey him) more out of the fear of the consequences of disobedience than from a sincere desire to please him. It would not be until the appearance of Yeshua of Nazareth that the Jews would be treated to the concept of a more merciful and compassionate god who not only rules as the allpowerful monarch of a vast cosmic empire but also dearly loves his Earth children as a kind and caring Father. One of the more interesting examples of the interrelationship between the Old and New Testament worldview regarding the elohim is a reference in the Book of Hebrews to a highly esteemed ancient "priest king" named Melchizedek, ruling on earth during the time of Abraham. This biblical address to Christian Jews presents a technical argument, which holds that Yeshua, as the Messiah, both fulfills and surpasses the Jewish religion with its "old covenant", Law of Moses and Levitical priesthood and confirms his authority in a mysterious ancient order of royal high priests (see Heb 5:5-10; 6:13-20; Ch.7). It is also clearly stated in Hebrews 7:3 that Melchizedek was an immortal being without human heredity, implicitly of extraterrestrial elohim origin, who was so extraordinary that the Hebrew writer declines to give further details about him since, in his view, readers couldnt handle it (Heb 5:11). Given the Bibles characterization of elohim in military terms with references to cosmic warfare, coupled with the NT commentary on a royal high priesthood, one may view Yahwehs cosmic empire as a Royal House served by an Ancient Order (or caste) of great warrior priests. Absent more precise information in the texts, this simplified portrayal of the Hebrew family of extraterrestrial gods and angels should suffice to overcome many long-standing misconceptions while

clarifying the Bibles cosmic theology that provides an exciting "new testament" for modern times.

THE "MIRACLES" OF TECHNOLOGY As the twentieth century dawned in America, Simon Newcomb and other brilliant minds of the day were busy proving that heavier-thanair machines could not possibly fly. Such theories were suddenly shattered on December 17, 1903, when two bicycle mechanics in South Carolina, Wilbur and Orville Wright, took off from Kill Devil Hill in their flying machine, the "Kitty Hawk". When those first American aviators launched the pursuit of a flight technology that would speedily evolve to the point where exploration of outer space (humankinds ancient quest) would become routine, their bold but simple achievement was heralded throughout the world as a true miracle of technology. Succeeding generations would continue to pioneer even greater technological "miracles" at such a dizzying exponential rate of achievement that a shocked religious culture became irresistibly propelled into a futuristic brave new world, ready or not. Indeed much of the world has not been ready. Today, one may venture to remote regions of our planet which has seen little change for thousands of years and discover confined social groups utterly devoid of scientific knowledge and modern technology. Virtually untouched by the outside world, such peoples seem quite content with the daily rigors of a very primitive existence. History has shown that whenever such primitives are contacted by an unknown civilization far more advanced than their own, their first reaction is one of fear and awe. They may even submit themselves to servitude and worship their superiors as gods upon witnessing their apparently supernatural technology. Although crude by modern standards, the technology of sixteenth-century Europe seemed quite awesome to the native peoples of the New World as entire populations were easily subdued by the invading "white gods" with

their killing "fire sticks", that is until the primitives acquired the same equalizing magic for themselves! Science and technology which may thus seem miraculous to one observer may be easily explained and regarded as common by another depending solely on the scientific knowledge and state of technology that exists within a respective culture at any given point along a developmental timeline. This concept becomes very important to our understanding of the Hebrew record under study as we fairly analyze the texts within their proper historical and cultural context. We must take care to view the events described in the Bible through the eyes of the simple people who recorded them, people whose science and technology was at a very primitive level. Lets imagine for a moment that we are time travelers journeying to the Middle East five thousand years ago. Just for fun, lets say were going there in a high-tech DeLorean time-travel automobile such as seen in the movie Back to the Future. Of course well need to wear protective clothing so well be outfitted in a shiny silver space suit. As we are about to zoom in on a tiny primitive village, we see that the residents are busy attending to the duties of personal and social survivalherding animals, tilling fields and gardens with crude tools, carrying (dirty) water from a common wellas they do each day. As we screech to a halt in the middle of town quite unexpectedly with a flash and sonic boom, the startled peasants scatter and hide in a maddening panic. We then step out of our shiny, gull-winged vehicle and attempt to communicate that we mean them no harm. After some time, the village chief is shoved forward by the gathering throng of trembling onlookers and, prostrating himself before us, humbly begs for mercy for his village. Perhaps he even orders a burnt offering, the "fatted calf" or some other sacrifice appropriate to the occasion. Seeing that any real dialogue is probably impossible under the circumstances and not wishing to create further chaos, we graciously accept the offering and politely give the chief a colorfully wrapped nutrition bar in return. Then we get back into our time car, flash our headlights, honk the horn, and fly off in the blink of an eye. Not a big deal, really, from our perspective.

Centuries later, a contemplative scribe sits cloistered in a dark, quiet candle-lit room in a stone temple or monastery, papyrus and quill in hand, penning an age-old tale which might go something like this: "And the heavens were rent with fire and thunder in the sight of Gods people; and behold, there appeared a great beast in their midst, and its appearance was like behemoth and it shone like burnished bronze; and its eyes were as flaming fire, and its voice was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle with which it flew like the wind. And behold, the mighty ones came forth unto Gods people and their appearance was radiant; and they calmed the beast and shut its mouth. And Boaz the Elder took a tender kid and cut it and laid it before them on the fire. And the mighty ones received his offering and spared the city. Then Boaz the Elder put forth his hand and received the Jewel of Wonder from the Angel of the Lord upon which sacred words were written by the finger of God; and this is the sacred Jewel of Wonder which was devoured by Morg the Philistine. And behold, the mighty ones mounted the great beast and a whirlwind received them up into heaven as the sound of a trumpet was heard by Gods people. And an altar was built unto God which is named "Jewel of Mercy" unto this day". This modestly humorous illustration is simply an attempt to show how a primitive scribe might report an encounter with beings possessing a form of technology beyond his experience and therefore quite difficult to explain. With respect to airborne conveyances, for example, we might well expect such a one to use descriptive language symbols associated with the sky (wind, storms, clouds, stars, birds, etc.), as well as vehicular terms familiar to him, such as horses and chariots. Any brilliant external lighting or radiating beam from a spacecraft would appear as "blazing fire" or "lightning", and be described as such for lack of any conventional terminology in his own language that would be more accurately descriptive. Certainly nothing common to the Hebrew writers world would be much help in describing a spaceship. What is most significant to this present study is the Hebrew writers consistent attempt to describe a means of extraterrestrial transportation using contemporaneous symbolic terminology. The key to interpreting such language symbols lies within the context of a

particular passage wherein we simply ask ourselves whether the writer is referring literally to an earthly object or phenomenon, or not. In the case of an airborne "chariot of fire" or "flaming horses", for example, we know that real horses and chariots do not fly through the air with the greatest of ease, nor would they survive being engulfed in flames. Also, vaporous weather phenomena such as clouds and whirlwinds are probably not the common mode of vehicular travel for technologically advanced extraterrestrials. Let us assume that these "mighty ones" (consistently described as flying through the atmosphere or "coming down" from the sky to earth, as noted throughout the Bible) travel to Earth from their residence somewhere in the cosmos. From todays technological vantage point, we may logically reason that the probable means of transport they employ is some type of spaceship. Besides flying in "clouds" and "fiery chariots" which are frequently used language symbols, there are other possible vehicular terms that appear occasionally in certain texts. The Hebrew writers may not have understood exactly what it was they were seeing but they clearly attempted to describe, as best they could, some sort of flying transportation for the mighty ones. As we continue the practice of correctly re-translating key words for clarification, readers must also begin to judge for themselves by the immediate context and the use of symbolic terminology, whether such passages might reasonably refer to extraterrestrial space flight technology. We begin with some examples that quite obviously describe airborne transportation (note the frequent use of the word "ride"). "There is none like the mighty ones of [Israel], who ride from outer space to your help and through the skies, majestically." Deu 33:26 "To Him who rides through the distant cosmos which is from ancient times...His strength is in the skies." Psa 68:33,34 "Behold, Yahweh is riding on a swift cloud..." Isa 19:1 "And He rode upon a cherub and flew; and He sped on the wings of the wind." Psa 18:10 & II Sam 22:11

"Who are these [mighty ones] who fly like a cloud, and like the doves to their perches?" Isa 60:8 "He lays the beams of his upper chambers in the [cosmic] waters; He makes the clouds his chariot; He walks upon the wings of the wind; He makes the winds his emissaries and blazing fire his servants." Psa 104:3,4 "Behold, Yahweh will come in fiery chariots like the whirlwind." Isa 66:15 "Behold, he goes up like clouds; his chariots (are) like the whirlwind and his horses are swifter than eagles." Jer 4:13 "The chariots of the mighty ones are myriads, thousands upon thousands; Yahweh is among them." Psa 68:17 Many of the Bibles most familiar stories reveal an exciting technological relevance. One interesting example is found in the Book of Exodus where the extraterrestrial paradigm holds great historical as well as religious significance. Beginning in chapter three of Exodus, Moses relates his own personal close encounter with an emissary of Yahweh who appeared to him quite unexpectedly as he was tending his father-in-laws sheep. The familiar story of God addressing him from a "burning bush" is not, however, well translated. A more precise interpretation of the event when accurately translated from the Hebrew reveals that an emissary appeared to him in the midst of a bright blaze (of light) which engulfed a thicket. It should be pointed out again that what is often termed the "glory" or "fire" of Yahweh in our English Bible translations may certainly be a reference to the intense brightness of a beam of light projected from a spacecraft. In the aforementioned case the entire thicket or grove where Moses stood was engulfed in a radiant light as the emissary spoke to him. This recorded encounter also mirrors many other similar reports of contact with UFOs emitting intense beams of light, with or without personal extraterrestrial contact, which lends the story a more modern and plausible authenticity perhaps missing in the traditional "burning bush" rendering. Continuing in Exodus with the story of the Hebrew peoples escape from Egypt, Moses records how a spectacular pillar-shaped flying

object led perhaps one million liberated Jews on a nomadic journey through the desert wilderness of the Middle East, guiding and protecting them for an astonishing forty years! The object is said to have moved slowly or hovered overhead in a stationary position so that the vast throng of wilderness wanderers could follow wherever it would lead them. In the Hebrew language the word used here is ammud, which is defined as "a stationary solid column or pillar common to architectural construction" and is obviously meant to describe the shape or form of the extraterrestrial object they observed. It is alternately referred to as both cloud-like by day and glowing like "fire" at night. This definitive description happens to coincide with reports of one of the most frequently sighted UFOs in history, besides the saucershaped craft. In his Anatomy of a Phenomenon: Unidentified Objects in Space; A Scientific Appraisal, Jacques Vallee says of this class of UFO, "(they) appear as huge cylindrical forms surrounded by cloudlike formations, often vertical". Eyewitnesses have also reported various smaller objects flying to and from a cylindrical "mother ship" of this class and a great many sightings report a cloud-like halo or corona of light surrounding such craft. Also, included in many night time encounters are accounts of intense beams of light radiating from UFO vehicles which has been described by some observers as appearing like a "fire in the sky", further reinforcing the Exodus report. Another important observation must be made as we examine this remarkable biblical story. It remains an accepted historical fact that a million or so unsophisticated desert nomads apparently considered it the most important calling of their lives to keep a written record of this compelling report of a mass sighting of an extraordinary UFO upon which future generations would build the Jewish religion. The idea that so many eyewitnesses would have permitted an inaccurate or flawed record of such a momentous extraterrestrial encounter to go unchallenged for thousands of years is unreflective at best. Had these simple people not have fled the relative security of civilized life in Egypt to follow a pillar-shaped aircraft leading them toward an uncertain and potentially perilous future in the desert there might possibly be no biblical religion for us to scrutinize today. Scientists and scholars may debate certain details of the record but

they can hardly claim analytical objectivity if the reality of the report is discounted simply because a primitive scribe makes an error in his wilderness geography or uses peculiar language symbols to describe a technology totally unfamiliar to him. The best scholarship demands that we allow for the possibility that a high degree of historical accuracy exists in the Hebrew record. "And Yahweh was going before them in a "pillar of cloud" by day to lead them on the way, and in a "pillar of fire" by night to give them light, that they might travel both day and night. [And the "pillar" did not depart from them]." Exo 3:21,22 "And it came about, whenever Moses entered the tent, the "pillar of cloud" would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent; and [Yahweh] would speak with Moses. When all the people saw [this event, they would] arise and worship..." Exo 33:9,10 "And the [airborne] emissary of the mighty ones who had been going before the camp of Israel moved behind them and the "pillar" moved from before them and stood behind them; so it [was positioned] between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there [stood] the "cloud" [in] the darkness, yet it gave light at night [so] the one [camp] did not come near the other all night. Then...Yahweh turned the sea into dry land, so the waters were divided. And the sons of Israel [crossed over]...and the waters [stood] like a wall on their right [and] left. Then the Egyptians took up the pursuit...into the midst of the sea; and it came aboutthat Yahweh looked down on the army of the Egyptians [from] the "pillar of fire and cloud" and brought [them] into confusion; and he caused their chariot wheels to [swerve and break off]...so the Egyptians said, Let us flee from Israel, for Yahweh is fighting for them against [us]...Then Yahweh [caused] the sea to return to its normal state...while the Egyptians were fleeing right into it; [and] Yahweh overthrew [them] in the midst of the sea...even Pharaohs entire army that [pursued Israel]..." Exo 14:19-28 At no point is the Exodus story unremarkable. With a total lack of regard for the fantastic nature of the events described, the Hebrews detailed their encounter with the mighty ones in their floating, pillar-

shaped "cloud" vehicle, even reporting that it dispensed a mysterious nutritional substance from the sky (Heb. manna, Lit. "What is it?" a hard-to-describe food of the gods) to feed a million hungry people (e.g., Exo 16:13-21; 16:31; Psa 78:23-25). If such a story is fictitious, then it is darn good science fiction coming from simple nomadic shepherds in 1490 BC! Such extraordinary tales as these have generated ample speculation and controversy among Bible scholars and historians for centuries. While some have dismissed the Exodus stories as imaginative fiction, others involve themselves in endless arguments over whether the body of water the Jews crossed was actually the Red Sea or merely a swamp and whether or not the mysterious Mt. Sinai even exists geographically. Some brave thinkers have even opined that Moses account of his encounter with the extraterrestrial Yahweh at the top of Mt. Sinai, where he received the Ten Commandments inscribed on stone tablets, might really have been just a creatively told story of his [certainly dangerous] experience with an active volcano! A fair consideration of the texts demands that a literal interpretation of this truly amazing extraterrestrial encounter, personally witnessed and recorded by Moses and the most highly esteemed elders of Israel, be consigned to posterity as a historically accurate and scientifically reasonable report. "And Yahweh said to Moses, Behold, I shall come to you in a "thick cloud", in order that the people may hear when I speak with you...and let them be ready...for on the third day Yahweh will come down on Mt. Sinai in the sight of all the people. So it came about that there were loud sounds, flashing lights, and a "thick cloud" upon the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people...trembled. And Moses brought [them] to meet the mighty ones...at the foot of [Mt. Sinai, which was covered in smoke] because Yahweh descended upon it in "fire"...and the whole mountain trembled. When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the mighty ones answered him with a loud noise. And Yahweh came down on Mt. Sinai, to the top of the mountain...and Moses went up. Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, "Go down, warn the people lest they break through to Yahweh to gaze and many of them perish." Exo 19:9-21

"Then Moses went up [on the mountain] with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel,...and they saw the mighty ones of Israel; and under their feet there appeared to be a "pavement of sapphire", as clear as the sky itself...and to the eyes of the sons of Israel the appearance of the radiance of Yahweh was like a consuming fire on the mountain top;And Moses entered the midst of the cloud[where he remained] forty days and forty nights." Exo 24:9-18 Following this extraordinary encounter, Exodus relates how the people marveled and were afraid when they observed that Moses face "shone" with a radiant light (Exo 34:29-35). It is also recorded in some detail that for a protracted period of time Moses and the tribal elders continued to have such personal contact with Yahweh and the mighty ones who would descend in the pillar-shaped craft to a special, elaborately constructed "tabernacle" (Lit. a tent "meeting room") that radiated with bright light, or "glory" of Yahweh (see Exo 33:7-11; 40:34-38). Under the leadership of Moses who was personally appointed by Yahweh, Israel received the Ten Commandments and various moral, social, and religious laws that form the foundation of the Jewish religion. In a broad, historical context within the suggested paradigm, it would be very reasonable to say that the Judeo-Christian belief system is fundamentally rooted in these early Hebrew reports of extraterrestrial contact. To fairly embrace this premise we need only allow the Hebrew writers reasonable literary license and, as a good scholarly rule of thumb, whenever more than one interpretation of a given text is considered, we should prefer the simpler one. Thus, many more reported encounters with "divine" extraterrestrials seem to leap from the pages of the Bible, as in the following examples. "Then Manoah [offered to prepare food for the emissary of Yahweh, who said,] "...I will not eat your food, but if you prepare a burnt offering, then offer it to Yahweh". For Manoah did not know that he was the emissary of Yahweh [and asked], "What is your name, so that when your words come to pass [re: the birth of a "special child"] we may honor you?" But the emissary of Yahweh said to him, "Why do you ask my name seeing that it is incomprehensible?" [Then] he performed wonders while Manoah

and his wife looked on [before ascending within a "flame" into the sky and disappearing from their sight]." Jud 13:15-20 "Now when the servant of [Elisha] had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" So he answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." Then...he saw; and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.And when they descended to him, Elisha prayed to Yahweh and said, "Strike this people with blindness, I pray." So he struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha." II Kgs 6:15-23 "Then it came about as [Elijah and Elisha] were going along and talking, that behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to outer space. And Elisha saw it and cried out, "My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!" And he saw him no more." II Kgs 2:11,12 As we apply our extraterrestrial paradigm to the story regarding the disappearance of the prophet Elijah, another age-old mystery appears to be solved. Learned Bible students will recall that Elijahs departure from Earth was not only rumored among his disciples but in fact had been pre-arranged as he was instructed to go to Beth El (Lit. house of a mighty one) on a specific day prior to his being taken. Many other biblical events also take on a new significance while revealing extraordinary details with a technological relevance, such as the previous association of the term "whirlwind" with a "fiery" vehicle that took Elijah up and away or the "cloud" that carried Lord Yeshua into outer space (see II Kgs 2:11; Act 1:9-11). With such symbolic terminology repeated throughout the Hebrew texts without any reasonable alternative explanation, a modern interpretation that allows for an encounter with extraterrestrial technology is the most plausible one if we are to accept the validity of such stories as actual historical events. One might also safely assume that any extraterrestrial civilization capable of developing stealthy spacecraft that would transport them

across the galaxy would almost certainly possess advanced computer systems and weapons technology. Reports of powerful weaponry capable of totally vaporizing physical objects should come as no surprise then, such as in the following texts which refer to both handheld and ship-fired devices that leave little room for alternative interpretations. "Then Gideon went in and [prepared food for the emissary of the mighty ones, who said to him,] "Take the [food] and lay [it] on this rock"...then the emissary [pointed the end of a hand-held "staff" at the food] and fire sprang up from the rock and consumed [it]. Then [he] vanished..." Jud 6:19-21 "And Elijah came near to all the people [on Mt. Carmel] and said, "How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If Yahweh is the mighty one, follow him; but if Baal, follow him...give us two oxen [prepared as a sacrifice on an altar]...then you call on the name of your mighty one, and I will call on the name of Yahweh, and the [one] who answers by fire, he is the [true] mighty one"...[but, after much ceremony by the prophets of Baal, they failed]...And Elijah [constructed his altar and poured volumes of water over it, then he called upon Yahweh to respond]...then the "fire" of Yahweh fell, and disintegrated the burnt offering and the wood, the stones, the dirt, and [all of the] water." I Kgs 18:21-38 "Then David built an altar to Yahweh there, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. And he called to Yahweh and he answered him with "fire" from the sky on the altar...[then] Yahweh commanded his emissary to put his "sword" back in its sheath." I Chr 21:26,27 "Now when Solomon finished praying, "fire" came down from the sky and disintegrated the [sacrifices] and the radiance of Yahweh filled the house." II Chr 7:1 In addition to the technologies already mentioned, we also note that Israels gods occasionally used their superior biological sciences to kill as well as heal "miraculously". Besides the deadly plagues leveled against Egypt that hastened the Jewish Exodus, there are several other disturbing accounts of toxic biological contamination of masses

of human beings which are directly attributed to the extraterrestrial elohim (e.g. Deu 7:15; I Sam 5:6-12; I Chr 21:14). At times, even Yahwehs "chosen people" were said to be the victims of such horrors, no doubt contributing as much to the Hebrew peoples fear of the gods as any of the heavenly wonders which they observed in awe. Yahwehs distress with the elohims human experiment is punctuated by many accounts of genocide attributed to him throughout the Old Testament. Numerous writers recorded that Yahweh effected cataclysmic weather phenomena, from the Great Flood to severe drought lasting for years, and employed weapons of mass destruction that included biological contamination producing devastating plagues. Moses writes that Yahweh so regretted having created humankind at one point that he considered permanently destroying all life on the planet (see Gen 6:5-7). It is interesting that all of Earths ancient cultures, some predating the Hebrew record, report extraterrestrial contact with events of destruction that are strikingly similar (see chapter: "Demythologizing Religion"). The final text which we shall examine in this chapter contains the most detailed, and perhaps the most remarkable, eyewitness report of a UFO encounter in the entire Bible. In his vivid account, the prophet Ezekiel not only describes the spacecraft he saw but also recounts his own on-board flight. This amazing text which so baffled Bible scholars for centuries can finally be interpreted in its proper light due to the present state of scientific knowledge and our realization that a superior extraterrestrial technology might indeed have predated the invention of the wheel. This text from Ezekiel is not only informative in itself but is without question very compelling proof of the Hebrew writers use of primitive symbolic language to describe their encounters with advanced extraterrestrial technology. A common skeptical criticism of Ezekiels testimony is that he was either "dreaming" or hallucinating a "vision", however a closer examination of the Hebrew language text reveals that Ezekiel was reporting an actual object "of fine craftsmanship" that he "saw" with his own eyes. After first documenting the exact date and location of his encounter, Ezekiel records the amazing event as follows.

"And as I looked, behold, a storm wind was coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing forth continually and a bright light around it, and in its midst something like glowing metal in the midst of the fire." Eze 1:4 Ezekiel attempts to describe in some detail the shape and configuration of the shiny metal craft with its various moving parts and appendages that to him resembled some sort of incredible animated "creature". Yet, significantly, the Hebrew word he uses to describe the rotating object is not nephesh (Lit. a living creature) but chay, a Hebrew word that describes the action or motion of something. Understandably, it is difficult to visualize the exact appearance of the airborne craft from his highly animated symbolism but there are some aspects that we can easily recognize from familiar technology, such as its hovering movements, bright lights, and landing gear. For the sake of clarity this lengthy text is offered here in an abbreviated form. "And within [the glowing metal object] there were figures resembling four creatures...[having] human form [each with] four faces and four wings. And their legs were straight [with] feet like a calfs hoof [which] gleamed like burnished bronze...and their wings touched [and] they did not [rotate] when they moved...their faces [resembled various creatures]...wherever the wind was about to go, they would go, without turning...in the [center] was something that looked like glowing embers of fire [appearing] like torches darting back and forth among the [four creatures]. The fire was bright, and lightning was flashing from the fire. And the [four creatures] darted around [extremely fast, and]...there was a wheel on the earth [for each of the four creatures]...[whose] workmanship was like [a fine jewel]...[and it appeared as if] the wheels were in the midst of a wheel. And whenever they moved, they moved in any...direction without turning...their rims were lofty and awesome...and full of eyes all about. And the [four creatures and the wheels hovered and moved together] and wherever the wind was about to go, the [wheels would rise and go]...for the wind of the creature was in the wheels. Now [above the creatures] was something like an arched expanse [having] the awesome gleam of crystal...I also heard the sound of wings like the sound of [rushing] waters [or other loud noise]...Now above

the arched expanse...there was something resembling a [jewellike throne, upon which was] a figure with the appearance of a man[partly] like glowing metal [which radiated] like fire all around and within it...like a rainbow [of radiant light]...like the radiance of Yahweh. And when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice..." Eze 1:5-28 In Chapter Ten, Ezekiel records another encounter with the same spacecraft where he further marvels at the appearance of the rotating "wheels" with their bright lights. Here he identifies and defines both "cherubim" and the "glory" (or, radiance) of Yahweh as referring specifically to the spacecraft described, giving us an invaluable guide to a correct interpretation of other biblical texts where these words appear. Ezekiel also reports that he was lifted up by the "spirit" (Heb. ruach) into the spacecraft and physically transported to other geographic locations (see Eze 3:12-15; 11:1; 11:24). In this text, and others, the Hebrew ruach (Lit. wind or breath) is apparently a common technoterm used to describe the unseen force or power associated with the elohim and their spacecraft. It is worth noting that numerous observations of extraterrestrial spacecraft include reports of a socalled "tractor beam", presumably a directed anti-gravity force field utilized for levitation and transport of people or objects between two points such as the earths surface and an airborne craft. As the Ezekiel text turns to a harsh chastisement of Israel for their disobedience and sternly warns them of impending doom, one final observation is offered. It would be reasonable to conclude that the story of Ezekiels encounter with Lord Yahweh in an incredible spacecraft, passed down from generation to generation, was taken very seriously by the Hebrew people and that, rather than producing disbelief and skepticism, his prophetic message was perhaps given greater credibility because of it. It certainly would be fair to say that such records were considered to be an important testimonial to the "mighty ones". There are many more exciting possibilities to explore as we are challenged to reconsider other religious traditions and doctrinal views that have been unapproachable in the past but are now, in the modern era, beginning to hold forth a scientifically rational

explanation. One such biblical teaching worthy of further examination is the Hebrew doctrine of the "Resurrection of the Dead". Though seldom the subject of a thorough review and exegesis from the pulpit (perhaps shunned because of its peculiarity) the subject of what happens to human consciousness, or ones "state of mind", during the death experience has always held fascination for even the most skeptical scientific minds, throughout human history. A corporate resurrection of the human dead has always raised difficult questions as is obvious from the Apostle Pauls allegorical commentary on the subject to the Corinthian Christians (see I Cor 15:12-24; 12:35-54). Here Paul strongly reaffirms this doctrines centrality to the belief in Yeshua as the resurrected Messiah and discusses mortality and beyond as an altered state of existence. Significantly, the death state is referred to here and throughout the Bible as "sleeping", implying that the collective resurrection of every human being (to be judged at the "end of the ages") is the condition of "awakening". For Christian believers, this "awakening" holds the promise of being transformed into a new, immortal and "incorruptible" form, living in the realm and presence of Lord Yeshua. The "how" and "when" of this resurrection process has been the source of considerable speculation and sectarian doctrinal debate, being shrouded in religious mystery. From a modern perspective on science and technology, however, this theological concept may contain more information than previously thought. Computer science in the twenty-first century foresees the day when a microbiological data processing system will be created at the DNA level that may become the next generation of supercomputers. Is it not, therefore, also conceivable that an advanced extraterrestrial intelligence could have the means to upload human consciousness, or the essence of all human sentient experience, into a file storage system to be opened for review (subject to being saved, transferred or deleted) at some future point in time? And, might such a "supercomputer" be reasonably thought of as the "Mind" of an Almighty God? As science and religion collide on such issues, it is time to start asking the difficult questions. Secular scholars in many fields of study may want to give a new, open-minded consideration of the Hebrew record and other religious texts from the ancient world that document historical contact with extraterrestrials and their technology. Given

our current knowledge of the vastness of the universe it is widely acknowledged that there could be innumerable civilizations throughout the cosmos that may be far more advanced than our own. Weve done the math. There are also thousands of irrefutable reports of extraterrestrial contact and observations of UFOs throughout the course of human history. The empirical evidence is there. For believers, truth must be mined from the biblical texts and centuries of debris discarded before theology can be refined. The answers to the most important questions are there but some present a challenge to traditional religious teaching. While there is hope in the promise "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free", there is also a warning in the words of the prophet, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." Smart people ask questions, study for themselves and are not content to let others do their thinking for them. Intelligence and reason is a divine gift that should be present at every Bible study. Yet, while our brightest theology scholars do embrace scientific inquiry and are not bound in ignorance to the mystery traditions of old, many also continue to give tacit consent to archaic Bible translations inherited from the dark ages of scholarship. The Hebrew record gives both science and religion an extraordinary insight into the nature and character of our extraterrestrial relatives, as well as some much needed intelligence regarding their technological capabilities. The hope for science may be that such "miracles of technology" will one day be shared with us in a spirit of peaceful cooperation that will benefit our world of shrinking resources and global decay. Or, will they use their fearsome weapons technology against us before we can venture farther into space to exploit and pollute other worlds as we have our own? Perhaps even more awe inspiring than the technologies employed by the elohim is their apparently highly evolved psychic and telekinetic powers. A fair analysis should, therefore, allow that there might be things "spiritual" attributed to the elohim that exceeds our most rational attempts at scientific explanation. It is the supernatural or trans-rational nature of many of the miraculous works demonstrated by the elohim and certain gifted individuals (Lord Yeshua being prominent among the Bibles miracle workers) recounted with such

exuberance and reverence that gives one pause with regard to applying a purely technological construct to the biblical worldview. Ultimately, both the religious and scientific communities share something very important in common, a fragile habitation. From the Bibles prophetic texts pertaining to the "last days" of planet Earth and the recent dramatic increase in UFO activity, everyone, whether faithfully optimistic or cautiously skeptical, should consider the possibility that some sort of extraterrestrial intervention in our affairs may be imminent. Yet, should the mighty elohim simply decide to watch a little longer from a safe distance as we continue on our present course, we will surely reap the consequences of our own technological sin against the earth and her inhabitants which, more than anything else, reveals just how primitive we truly are.

JESUS AND THE "KINGDOM OF HEAVEN" As we turn to the New Testament for further insight into the Hebrew extraterrestrial worldview, we continue the practice of transliteration of the corresponding Greek-to-English texts in the same manner as before, with a few exceptions. The New Testaments references to the Hebrew god as "Father" is understood to be an implicit reference to Yahweh and needs no further comment as to his identity. It is apparent that "Father" was deliberately chosen by Jesus (Heb. Yeshua, and throughout this chapter) to introduce his relationship to Yahweh as well as an intimate, familial concept of his kingdom, a central theme of New Testament teaching. The Greek translations present a unique challenge over the Semitic language texts. For example, with respect to the common practice of rendering the Greek theos as "God", a presumed reference to the Hebrew Lord Yahweh, determining the plural form (i.e. Heb. elohim, "gods" or "mighty ones") or rendering it as an adjective or adverb ("divine", "godlike", "godly", etc.) is complicated. One must ascertain from the context of a particular passage of scripture which usage is most accurate and if a problem arises concerning a specific word translation, maintaining a Hebrew rather than Greek perspective will

facilitate the best interpretation of a text. One must keep in mind that the New Testament was written by Jews who were well acquainted with and communicated the Hebrew extraterrestrial worldview, as discussed in preceding chapters, frequently quoting OT Hebrew scriptures. An analysis of the New Testament worldview with respect to extraterrestrials should properly begin with its principle character, Yeshua of Nazareth. Through his assertion of intimacy with the Father and the mighty ones of his "heavenly kingdom", or cosmic empire, Yeshua encountered immediate hostility from the Jewish religious leaders of his day. They interpreted this as a blasphemous declaration that he himself was one of the elohim (e.g. Jno 5:18; 10:30-39; 14:6-11). While numerous statements attributed to Yeshua and his disciples make it clear that he claimed a divine birthright and authority as the prophesied Hebrew messiah, the New Testament does not emphatically assert that Yeshua is principle deity, the Father, or Almighty God, a dogmatic position nevertheless embraced throughout history by many Christians. It is clearly evident in New Testament scripture that Yeshua acknowledged the Father as superior to himself (e.g. Jno 5:22,24; 5:30; 5:43,44; 12:49,50; 14:28; Mat 24:35,36; Mar 13:32; Act 1:7), always prayed to or personally addressed the Father with praise and gratitude (e.g. Jno Ch.17; Mat 6:5-15; 11:25,26; Luk 10:21, 22:42; Jno 11:41), and repeatedly said that the Father resided in outer space (or "heaven") while he was on earth. Yeshua also specifically instructed his disciples to likewise pray only to the Father with the right to invoke his own name as a form of personal introduction. In the Hebrew culture of the day, this was a great honor that bestowed a venerated masters own status and authority upon a beloved disciple or household member. It is not the goal of this work to delve into Christology however clarification of the authentic views of the Hebrew writers of the New Testament pertaining to deity, including the identity, authority and deification of Lord Yeshua, is relevant to this study. That the New Testament writers clearly understood and believed in Hebrew theology, as previously examined, could not be represented any clearer than in the following unambiguous statement by the Apostle Paul.

"For though there are so-called gods both in heaven and on earth, as indeed there are numerous gods and numerous lords, for us there is only one God, the Fatherand one Lord, Yeshua Messiah" I Cor 8:5,6 (excerpted) Significant to the Hebrew record of humankinds extraterrestrial genesis and the genetic enhancement of "special" human babies birthed throughout the ages, is the New Testaments claim that the baby Yeshua was uniquely procreated as "Gods only begotten (or sired) son". In other words, the New Testament writers assert that Yeshua of Nazareth was the only elohim-human (technically a genetic hybrid) offspring of Father Yahweh. In apparent total disregard for any resulting controversy or skepticism that it might create, the New Testament boldly states that the Father Gods extraterrestrial emissaries chose a young Jewish virgin girl named Miriam (or "Mary") who was already betrothed according to Jewish custom, to birth and nurture this unique child. Given current knowledge of non-sexual in vitro fertilization and gestation this story would appear to suggest that a select ovum was artificially fertilized and then re-implanted into the young womans womb, a clinical procedure common to modern obstetrics yet well beyond the knowledge of even the most learned physicians of that time. Two texts specifically record that an elohim emissary of high rank personally oversaw or administered Miriams conception of the baby Yeshua (see Mat 1:18-25; Luk 1:26-38). Advanced genetic science being completely unknown to the writers of the story who were striving for credibility, it would seem to be inexpedient for anyone to fabricate or embellish such an incredible tale at the expense of the stories highly esteemed central characters. To say that the report of a "virgin conception" might create a monumental scandal for the respective families of the betrothed and the community in which they lived is to grossly understate the repercussions that such an event would have within the Jewish culture of their day. Further complicating the problem of Miriams "divine" pregnancy would be the anticipated reaction of a humiliated fianc. Yet, instead of suffering the kind of hostility which, in their day, could have brought about a public stoning for young Miriam, her betrothed Yosef

(or Joseph) overcame what one might reasonably assume would have been extreme suspicion, embarrassment, and anger, and wed his pregnant virgin bride anyway. His decision, we are told, was based wholly upon his own personal encounter with, and instructions from, another elohim emissary who appeared to him soon after Miriams conception. Yosef and Miriam then raised Yeshua along with other natural-born children, although they clearly always considered him unique. Standing alone, the story of Yeshuas conception and birth is, in itself, so offensive to Hebrew sensibilities within the culture of the day as to seem to beg for its omission from the texts. It certainly could easily have been regarded as an embarrassing family secret and rationally excluded as being detrimental to the publics perception of Yeshua, or at the very least considered unnecessary to mention. Instead, the New Testament writers unabashedly dignify this remarkable story repeatedly as an important testimonial to Yeshuas extraterrestrial genetic origins and divine destiny. The story of Yeshuas birth is surrounded by other extraordinary events as well. For example, it is reported that a "bright star" was tracked across the sky by numerous observers, including learned men of science serving great kings of the Eastern realms. This star-like object was followed to a point where it is said to have hovered above Yeshuas birthplace at Bethlehem before disappearing completely (see Mat 2:9,10). It is an easily verifiable fact that studies of constellations and conjunctions of that time show that no natural astronomical star ever behaved in such a manner. One needs only an elementary knowledge of celestial astronomy to know that any true star which can be viewed from earth does not have the ability to move across the sky and then position itself at a very specific locus directly above a tiny village on earth! We are therefore led to conclude that the so-called "bright star" which many witnesses observed hovering above Bethlehem was more than likely a radiant spaceship transporting a contingent of extraterrestrial elohim who reportedly had direct contact with many of the locals (see Luk 2:8-15). We are further informed that these elohim emissaries had protective charge over the infant Yeshua and even alerted his parents to hasten their escape from an impending slaughter of Bethlehems infant male children, a heinous act perpetrated by the

reigning King Herod in an attempt to slay the prophesied newborn "King of the Jews" (see Mat 2:13-23). As we closely examine this story and the testimony of his followers, the implication seems to be that the baby Yeshua was created as a genetic hybrid (possibly cloned) from Father Yahwehs own DNA, or "seed". Thus, according to the Christian New Testament, Yeshua of Nazareth was the worlds most historically prominent extraterrestrialhuman, genetically created to become the Messiah in fulfillment of ancient Hebrew prophecy. Regardless of opinions to the contrary, he is certainly acknowledged the world over as an extraordinary human being gifted with extraordinary powers and having a most extraordinary destiny. "...the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father has sent me." Jno 5:36 "Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." And Yeshua said to him, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; why do you say, show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?..." Jno 14:8-10 "And (Yeshua) was saying to them, "You are from (Earth) below, I am from (outer space) above; you are of this planet, I am not of this planet." Jno 8:23 "My kingdom is not of this planet. If my kingdom were of this planet, then my servants would be fighting, that I might not be delivered up to the Jews; but as it is, my kingdom is not from here." Jno 18:36 "Or do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of extraterrestrial troops?" Mat 26:53 (Note: Paraphrased texts) Briefly, the New Testament gospels written by Yeshuas disciples portray him as a unique individual of divine parentage. They tell us

that Yeshua demonstrated remarkable powers wherever he went, often seemingly defying physical laws, having a miraculous impact upon the lives of numerous severely handicapped, diseased and impoverished people throughout Palestine. Such miracles were the "works" to which he referred that should have convinced even the coldest skeptic that he was indeed a "mighty one" sent from Yahweh. Yet, it was that very evidence which proved to be an offense to the religious authorities of his day. Having spent his brief life on earth healing the sick, feeding the hungry, ministering to the oppressed poor, and instructing the commoners of Palestine in the principles of love and compassion for one another (principles of his extraterrestrial kingdom) Yeshua was finally forced to surrender himself to the Roman authorities. Having been accused by Israels rabbinical rulers of heresy, he was promptly tried in a mockery of justice and sentenced to a torturous and humiliating execution by crucifixion. Despite having many opportunities to flee capture, the New Testament writers insist that Yeshua willingly submitted himself to this terrible death in order to fulfill a mission of self-sacrifice, demonstrate his own resurrection from mortal death, and "purchase" eternal salvation for faithful believers, whether Jew or Gentile, thus creating a "new and better covenant" between Father Yahweh and all of humankind. It should be mentioned that while orthodox Jews and secular religious historians may respectfully acknowledge Yeshua of Nazareth as a Jewish rabbi and/or prophet, he is usually rejected as the prophesied Messiah outside Christianity. Yet, even his rejection, persecution and execution by his own ethnic kinsmen is portrayed in the New Testament as a kind of twisted irony, said to confirm several key messianic prophecies of the Old Testament (see Mat 26:56; Luk 24:44-47). Many are indeed remarkably accurate, as in Isaiahs prophecy penned five hundred years earlier that details the torture and execution of the Jewish Messiah (Isa 52:13-53:12). The argument offered by Yeshuas disciples that portrays him as "a stumbling stone to the Jews" leads to a startling conclusion. It was their belief and teaching that the long prophesied Messiah who would bring a message of peace and hope to mankind from the stars was destined to be betrayed and killed as the final ritual blood sacrifice (the "Lamb of God" without blemish) performed by Israels temple

priests. While there are many more, perhaps even bolder, claims made by the New Testament writers pertaining to the prophetic destiny and supremacy of Yeshua as relates to our world, it is not the purpose of this treatise to expound upon Christian doctrine, nor present the New Testament faith over and against Judaism. Our focus shall remain, instead, directed toward the testimony of Yeshuas origin and the notable events surrounding his death and resurrection as relates to the cosmic theology paradigm. Significant to this study is the story that, following his confirmed death by crucifixion and burial for three days inside a tomb that had been secured and "sealed" by the government authorities, Yeshuas elohim guardians resuscitated and freed him from the tomb. As a matter of historical record, Roman guards stationed at the tomb site were interrogated by their military commanders but, even under penalty of death, were unable to say what had occurred on their watch and were summarily executed. During the days that followed, Yeshua is reported to have appeared alive in the flesh, bearing the scars of his crucifixion wounds, to personally interact with and instruct many of his disciples. Then he was transported off world to another location somewhere in the cosmos (see Mar 16:19; Luk 24:51; Jno 20:17; Act 1:9-11). Whatever minor differences there may be in the individual accounts of the events, clearly all of the New Testament writers believed that, a) Yeshua was both human and extraterrestrial by birth, b) he demonstrated super-human powers to the masses, c) he submitted himself sacrificially to an unjust execution, d) he was physically brought back to life and, e) he ascended, accompanied by attendant elohim, into outer space to be with his Father, leaving his faithful followers with the promise that he would return one day in the future to take them to a new home world somewhere among the stars. The following passages are offered as an accurate alternative translation of the Greek. "Simon Peter asked, Lord where are you going? Yeshua answered, Where I go, you cannot follow me now; but you shall follow me later...In my Fathers domain are many dwelling places...and if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to myself that where I am you may be also." Jno 13:36-14:3

"According to his promise we are looking for a new world in a new part of the cosmos in which righteousness dwells." II Pet 3:13 "We, however, are cosmic citizens, and we eagerly await our Savior to come from outer space, the Lord Yeshua Messiah." Php 3:20 "...Set your hearts, then, on cosmic things above, where Messiah sits on his throne at the right side of Yahweh. Keep your minds fixed on things there, not on things here on earth." Col 3:1,2 "And then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send forth the mighty ones to gather together his elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of the universe." Mar 13:26,27 This very brief outline of Yeshuas extraterrestrial connection does not pretend to do justice to the gospel teachings nor fully explore the question of his relationship to the elohim or the extent of his cosmic authority. Clearly the New Testament writers ascribe superior authority to Yeshua while also revering other prominent elohim emissaries in much the same way as did the writers of the Old Testament whenever referring to the special emissaries of Yahweh. Finally, any commentary on the New Testament account of the part human, part extraterrestrial "Prince of Peace" would be incomplete without the testimony of Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as the Apostle Paul, author of the main body of New Testament literature that defines the Christian faith. This extraordinary intellectual, thoroughly literate in rabbinical law as well as the culture and philosophy of the Greek world, was a reputable merchant and prominent member of the Jewish religions ruling class known as Pharisees, the group primarily responsible for the eventual persecution and slaughter of Yeshua and his followers. As a respected, legal citizen of Rome it is fair to say that Paul was precisely the sort of individual who would be taken very seriously as a witness in any court proceeding of the day. The fact that he was also

a hostile opponent of Christianity should lend further credibility to his most extraordinary conversion testimony, a testimony that would eventually cost him his life. Though ostracized by his Hebrew kinsmen, Paul stubbornly persisted in recounting the incredible story of his own personal close encounter with the post-resurrection extraterrestrial Yeshua as he spread the "good news" of the Christian faith throughout the Greco-Roman Empire. Undaunted by the severest of persecution and innumerable hardships, he was ultimately imprisoned and executed, nevertheless keeping his faithful testimony, courage and dignity wholly intact to the very end. What could have occurred that was so profound as to utterly and forever alter the life of this once-noble Pharisee? Pauls testimony to the young Christian churches which he founded during his arduous journeys throughout the Near East and southern Europe (his letters to them comprise half the "books" of the New Testament) recounts the story. He happened to be journeying with several companions on the Damascus Road around noon one day when, suddenly and without warning, an airborne Yeshua hit him with an intense blast or beam of light, hurling him to the ground and rendering him temporarily blind (see Acts Ch.9, et al). The unique purpose of this startling encounter, we are told, was Yeshuas stern command to Paul that he cease his persecution of innocent Christians and instead begin to spread the "good news" of the New Testament faith throughout the Gentile world. Being the astute Hebrew scholar that he was, there was obviously no question in Pauls mind that he had had a "close encounter of the elohim kind", effecting his immediate and faithful conversion. At once a devout disciple of Yeshua he quickly became a prominent and often controversial spokesman for the movement referred to simply as "The Way", forsaking his worldly reputation and fortunes. As perhaps the most influential and visible "Apostle" of the Christian Faith, Paul endured numerous bitter hardships, imprisonment, and ultimately death, for preaching the "good news" and repeating the remarkable story of his personal close encounter wherever he went. As one reads his letters, sometimes written from prison, one cannot help being impressed by Pauls lucidity, intelligence and courage. This

is not the ranting of a madman with a death wish. Indeed, it becomes quite impossible to simply dismiss the dramatic testimony of his conversion that so profoundly altered his former life as a staunch opponent and severe persecutor of Yeshuas followers as mere fabrication or hallucination. Nor does it appear in any way to have been self-serving. With an open mind and without prejudice, one can easily concede that something quite extraordinary did indeed occur that day to a certain sojourner traveling along the Damascus Road. Theology, philosophy and institutional religion being another matter, one may rationally believe in the extraterrestrial "God(s)" of the Bible based solely on the testimony of such reliable witnesses even while questioning some of the details of biblical translation with intellectual curiosity.

STAR WARS In this chapter we will undertake a brief analysis of those texts that refer to the Bibles most prominent malevolent beings. Commonly referred to as Satan, devil(s) and demons, these dominantly evil beings are depicted as having destructive intentions toward humankind and are also, presumably, the principal extraterrestrial adversaries at war with Yahwehs empire. Time would not permit us to address the lengthy history of superstition pertaining to the subject, but we should note that the folklore of almost every culture on earth is replete with dark tales of malevolent creatures of every conceivable description who prey upon vulnerable human beings. While some of these frightening tales may simply be born of irrational fears and superstition, others may indeed have had their origin in actual encounters with otherworldly beings. Although it is difficult to identify a specific hierarchical or governmental structure among these "dark forces" from the Bibles somewhat sketchy commentaries, the activities and motivations of adversarial extraterrestrial beings appears quite varied. Of particular concern to this study is the existence of aggressive extraterrestrial

predators identified in the Bible texts that pose a threat to human beings, either through direct physical or psychic harm or through deception with malevolent intent. Modern psychologists and paranormal researchers have observed and recorded many unusual and difficult to diagnose cases of extreme mental and emotional disturbances that are often accompanied by inexplicable phenomenological effects that parallel biblical accounts of "demonization". Without arriving at a consensus as to the origin of or treatment for the phenomenon referred to as "possession" or "demonization" (all known physical effects and clinical disorders having been considered), many researchers do report that certain subjects have appeared to be "possessed" by some external entity or unknown force. The causal theories offered are as diverse as the techniques of exorcism employed by the priests and witch doctors of almost every religion on earth. What emerges as the most common observation of those who have witnessed such cases is that the mind of the "possessed" appears to be taken over by an alien persona who then demonstrates bizarre or destructive behavior through the host subject, behavior which may even appear to defy physical law. This would seem to confirm those biblical texts previously referred to concerning the psychic power of the elohim who can telepathically enter or control the human mind. On the positive side, a benevolent entity can produce welcome effects such as "spiritual" healings, prophecy, cognitive dreams, inspiration, and so forth. Malevolent influence or control, on the other hand, can have serious negative and harmful results, as in the case of "demonization" which may even produce extreme, often violent, behavior in the one so "possessed". Equally common is the observation that such an invasive malevolent entity can be successfully resisted by the target subject or driven away by willing observers who have the spiritual authority or power to do so (i.e., "deliverance" or "exorcism"), which parallels the NT texts pertaining to Lord Yeshuas ministry (see Mat 9:32-34; 12:22; Mar 1:34; 5:1-20; Luk 4:33-37 & 41; 9:38-42; 11:14-26). Such "deliverance" was a central feature of his healing ministry that his disciples and others also tried to imitate with some success (see Mat 7:22,23; 10:8; Mar 3:14,15; 16:17; Luk 9:49,50; 10:17).

Though it is not clear from the biblical texts precisely what kind of beings are involved in human "demonization" or the exact nature and extent of their powers and predatory motives, what is made very clear is that they are not friendly to human beings and must be resisted with all of ones mental strength and faith. Presumably, they are among the adversarial elohim waging cosmic warfare with Yahwehs kingdom and, for reasons not fully explained, also have malevolent and destructive intentions towards Earth and humankind in general. Certain passages seem to suggest that the chief adversary referred to as "Satan" or "the devil" is allowed certain latitude to harm, influence, tempt and deceive people and seems to take a special interest in testing Father Yahwehs most righteous servants. For example, in Genesis we have the account of the temptation and fall from grace of "first man" (Heb. adam), and in the Book of Job we find the story of one righteous mans extraordinarily severe persecution by the devil. Then we have the fascinating story of the devils temptation of Yeshua found in Luke 4:1-13. Apparently, this notorious adversary also has occasional direct access to Yahweh, as do other prominent elohim, with at least some tacit approval to engage in his evil activities (e.g. Job 1:6-12). In the New Testament this adversarial being is even referred to as "the ruler" or "god" of our world (see Jno 12:31; 14:30; II Cor 4:3,4). One possible reason for this loathsome creature being permitted such destructive liberty is suggested in Pauls Second letter to the Thessalonians in a prophecy pertaining to Yeshuas future reappearance or "second coming" (see II Ths 2:8-12). This might be a good opportunity to briefly examine one colorful tradition that may be in need of clarification. The legend that has Lucifer as the personal name of the devil first arose in the middle ages from a misinterpretation of an old Latin Bible text. The word lucifer, from the Latin lux fero (Lit. light bringer) referred to the planet Venus, the bright "morning star", and was also an Old English term for a common sulfur-tipped match. Beginning with the earliest English version of the Bible, the sole reference to "Lucifer" is found in Isaiah chapter fourteen. Even a casual reading of this passage reveals that Isaiahs scathing prophecy addresses the reigning king of Babylon (v.4) and not the devil as the centuries-old legend goes.

In the Hebrew, satan (pron. sah-tahn) literally means any attacker or adversary (battling human beings or the righteous elohim) but is commonly used as a proper name to identify the chief adversary depicted in the Bible. There is, however, another identification offered for the biblical adversary in the name "Beelzebub" (see Mat 10:25; 12:24-27; Mar 3:22-26; Luk 11:15-19) or "Baal-zebub", the notorious elohim "ruler" or "prince" also mentioned in the OT (see II Kgs 1:2). This interesting compound name is formed from the Chaldean Baal (Lit. ruler, as in an adversarial elohim overlord) and Zebuwb, denoting a fast-flying biting insect, hence the tradition of "Lord of the Flies". Rather than a literal reference to an insect "fly", one might speculate that such terminology may originally have been used to ascribe aerospace flight capability to this particularly detestable "god". Among the various accounts of adversarial beings in the Bible is the fascinating story of certain elohim emissaries who have fallen into disrepute among their own kind and are either now imprisoned or facing imprisonment by Yahweh for unspecified grave misdeeds (see I Pet 3:19,20; II Pet 2:4,5; Jud 6). One may reasonably infer that these criminal beings are the ones identified in the aforementioned Genesis chapter six reference to the "Nephilim" (Lit. "those who cause to fall [as from a great height]"), certain beings who may have had forbidden sexual relations with human women. There is simply no accounting for the traditional rendering of "Nephilim" as "giants" in this text, a poor word choice indeed given their suggested mating with human females of the ancient world who were, anthropologically speaking, quite small in stature compared to women of the modern era. The Bible does not develop this story in any detail nor further identify the "Nephilim" however some infer from two NT texts that they are the "angels who sinned" in the ancient world now imprisoned awaiting the "day of judgment" (II Pet 2:5; Jud 6). A question that often arises among students of the Bible as well as researchers into UFOs and extraterrestrial life is how one can properly distinguish between benevolent and malevolent extraterrestrials, and ascertain their motives. Especially alarming to some is the recent rise in cases of UFO abductions and reports of encounters with hostile beings of varying form and appearance. It would be nice if the Bible were to sort out this problem for us but, unfortunately, it does not provide an easy distinction such as "the good guys wear white hats and the bad guys wear black hats". Indeed, given the fact that the

Bible includes adversarial beings that are quite deceptive by nature among the elohim kind, some anxiety appears warranted. Clearly, the Old Testament writers considered themselves no match for the elohim and therefore submitted themselves with pleas for mercy, completely and fearfully dependent upon the intercession of pious prophets and devout priests to intercede on Israels behalf with Yahweh to spare them from their enemies, above and below. The New Testament offers a somewhat more hopeful solution to the adversarial elohim problem. Through the power of faith and trust in the messianic authority of Yeshua who became the Empires "Crown Prince", if you will, following his resurrection and ascension into outer space, believers are granted the power and authority to resist the devil and may even repel or cast out invasive demonic beings. Yet, the New Testament repeatedly warns believers to be alert for deception and also to "test the spirits" to determine whether they are "of God" or are perhaps a clever, even disguised, adversary (see I Jno 4:1-6). Generally, Yeshuas devotees are instructed to exercise dependent, child-like faith in Father Yahweh and are told to use wisdom and sound judgment to differentiate between the righteous and deceptively evil elohim. Beyond this, certain faithful believers may also acquire special "spiritual gifts" including a gift of discernment called "distinguishings" (see I Cor 12:10) and all are instructed to avail themselves of defensive "spiritual armor and weapons" in the war against the extraterrestrial forces of the dark side (see Eph 6:1017). Note in the following passage found in Pauls letter to the church at Ephesus, this striking commentary on human involvement in the struggle against the extraterrestrial forces of evil. "For our struggle is not against [human beings], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual [dark forces] of wickedness in outer space." Eph 6:12 Particularly noteworthy is the biblical worldview pertaining to beings in the elohim class (righteous or evil) who have their abode in outer space but frequently visit or travel to earth. This contradicts another popular myth that has the devil and demons residing in the notorious

nether-region called "Hell". Irrespective of the popular tradition pertaining to Hell that is incorrectly assumed to be biblical teaching, we shall attempt to expose the true Hebrew worldview, through unbiased exegesis of the Hebrew and Greek texts, to determine the biblical origins of this tradition. With its powerfully frightening imagery supported by centuries of unscholarly manipulation of the biblical texts entwined with pagan underworld myth and fictional literature, art and drama that spins vivid, hellish tales of torture and woe, todays religious culture appears, sadly, hell bound to endure the curse of this awful fiction. From the perspective of Hebrew theology and correctly defining the word "hell", we shall see that the true origin and abode of the Bibles malevolent elohim beings who visit earth is extraterrestrial, not subterranean. Briefly, there are three primary words, Sheol, Gehenna and Hades, each having a different definition, which are almost universally rendered hell in the English translations, giving this common myth the appearance of scriptural authenticity while obscuring many important distinctions in the texts. A fourth word, Tartaros, likewise translated hell, is used only once in II Peter 2:4 to refer to the aforementioned imprisoned "angels who sinned". Here, "Tartaros" is merely Peters symbolic reference to a familiar tale about the Greek god Saturn imprisoning the rebellious gods known as Titans in a dark and foreboding region by that name. Most common is the Hebrew word sheol, used sixty-five times in the Old Testament, approximating the meaning of tomb or underground gravesite, which, according to the custom of the day, was often a burial cavern, used as a mass grave. Home to decaying corpses, skeletons and detestable creatures, sheol was understandably a frightful place to be avoided. Yet, it was simply regarded as the underground abode of the buried dead. Over time, sheol may have taken on some of the superstition and religious beliefs pertaining to a hellish underworld from the Egyptian, Babylonian, Greek and other cultures with whom the Hebrew peoples interacted throughout history. However, sheol was never thought to be the abode of living beings (human or extraterrestrial) and should not be equated with any of the prevailing myths that depict a subterranean dungeon of

fire where lost souls are tortured alive by grotesque demonic creatures. In the New Testament there are also two distinctive Greek words having very different meanings that are also translated hell. The first, Hades (pron. hah-dace), used ten times by three writers, is borrowed from another Greek legend of an underworld where gods and monsters are involved in nefarious dramas. One must take care not to infer from this unfortunate word choice that the Hebrew writers of the New Testament intended to endorse any Greek mythos in contradiction to the prevailing Hebrew thinking pertaining to the whereabouts of their buried dead. The Greek Hades is, therefore, correctly rendered "grave", corresponding to the Hebrew sheol, the accuracy of which is confirmed by certain cross quoting between the Old and New Testaments (see Acts 2:27-31 quote of Psalms 16:8-11 where both sheol and Hades are used interchangeably). The second NT word translated "hell" is Gehenna (Heb. Ge Hinnom), a valley outside of Jerusalem where the city dump was located. This term was obviously chosen by Yeshua, quoted eleven times (once by the Apostle James), to convey a specific message regarding the ultimate fate of the wicked, certain Jewish religious authorities and "the devil and his angels". In using the name of the waste disposal site of Ge Hinnom, or "Gehenna", where mounds of garbage burned continuously, Yeshua was describing symbolically, in terms quite familiar to his listeners, that all wicked beings (human or extraterrestrial) would one day be disposed of like garbage and incinerated. Nowhere does Yeshua (or any other biblical Jew) expound upon an afterlife doctrine resembling the classical Greek inspired hell myth nor does he state that "Gehenna" is an actual netherworld location, above or below, where condemned beings are incarcerated and tortured alive. By choosing the name of a well-known waste disposal site he communicated the concept of a fateful annihilation of those reprobate beings considered to be the garbage of the universe. Were it his intention to describe a fiery dungeon within the bowels of the earth where wicked beings are kept alive to be tortured throughout eternity, instead of incinerated like garbage, the infamous institutions of torture existing in his time certainly offered other very graphic

analogies upon which he could draw to better communicate a concept more closely resembling the classic hell myth. But he did not. Clearly, the New Testament promises immortality only to those who are "in Christ", whether alive or dead at his reappearing (the "second coming") coinciding with the resurrection of the human dead at the "end of the ages". All other beings, terrestrial and extraterrestrial, are destined for Yahwehs "everlasting judgment" that can result in total and eternal destruction in a "lake of fire", not an eternal life of torture in "hell" or anywhere else, despite all of the familiar old arguments to the contrary. The term "lake of fire" is found only in the Book of Revelations (Rev 20:14,15 et al) but mirrors several other prophetic texts that specifically point to a final disposal of all evil and corrupt things, including "death and the grave", following a lengthy "last days" scenario. Interestingly, wherever the familiar "fire and brimstone" terminology is found in those texts, the Greek word used is theion, derived from theos, to mean a godly or "divine fire" and not the mineral "brimstone", or sulfur, as it is commonly mistranslated. A more accurate rendering of such texts may also provide a new insight into the Hebrew expression, "God is a consuming fire" (see Due 4:24, Isa 33:14; Heb 12:29). While still the subject of considerable religious debate, it nevertheless remains a difficult undertaking to ascribe to the Hebrew writers of the Bible our favorite underworld hell myths, irrespective of one or two unusual passages that appear in parable form and are not in themselves expositive. Setting aside the most dreadful "hellfire and damnation" doctrines enshrined in the annals of Christian tradition, most important to this study is the view of adversarial elohim as dangerous and powerful extraterrestrial predators on a mission to conquer and rule earth. Rather than being confined to some mythical underworld "hell", they appear to be at liberty to roam the cosmos, including Earth. As the cosmic battle rages against Yahwehs kingdom, they seem to have a special interest in the fate of humankind, even to the point of attempting to gain strategic geopolitical control over particular regions of the planet (e.g. Dan 10:20).

One of the most interesting texts in the Bible pertaining to the cosmic conflict between biblical extraterrestrials is found in Daniel, Chapter Ten. Here, the highly esteemed Hebrew prophet records in revealing detail how an unidentified elohim emissary of Yahweh was opposed in battle for "twenty-one days" delaying his mission to contact Daniel until he received reinforcement from the great "Chief Prince" of the Empire called Michael (Lit. "godlike", or "one who is the mightiest of the mighty ones"; also called an "archangel" in the NT). From this and other similar testimonies in the Bible we may reasonably conclude that the battle for control over Earth and its inhabitants is both arduous and strategically important to both sides of the conflict. The biblical texts are replete with prophecies telling of a climactic end-game scenario wherein the forces of light engage the forces of darkness in a final battle of epic proportion. The New Testaments prophetic message of salvation at Yeshuas reappearing, or the "Second Coming", describes mankinds rendezvous with an apocalyptic destiny that includes global catastrophic events and unparalleled human suffering following which the armies of Lord Yeshua successfully overcome what could be described as a full-scale invasion of our planet by Satans minions and a world ruler commonly referred to as the "Anti-Christ". Apocalyptic themes have been dramatized in a variety of ways both in literature and film wherein mankind is depicted as mounting a heroic military style resistance of an alien invasion that saves the world. But, if one is to believe biblical prophecy, especially the New Testament, our survival is not assured by any human endeavor apart from actualizing ones faithful allegiance to Father Yahwehs kingdom and relying upon Lord Yeshua and the great "warrior priests" of the Empire to rescue faithful devotees and deliver them safely to another world. For Bible students devoted to eschatology, the cosmic theology paradigm holds an important interpretive key to biblical prophecy relative to impending geopolitical and cosmic events. (Authors note: This subject is explored in much greater detail in a separate work currently in development) Since malevolent elohim are portrayed as using psycho-spiritual mind control and "temptation", inspiring various immoral or evil behavior that undermines humanity and leads to civil disorder and social decay, the Bible advises exercising discipline over the mind and

"flesh" along with faithful meditation, prayer and devotion to Yahweh. While the New Testament offers a distinctly joyous message of hope and salvation through faith in the Resurrected Messiah, the threat from the adversary, Satan, and the urgency of resistance is not understated (see I Pet 5:8,9). Faithful believers are repeatedly warned to beware of deception when encountering adversarial elohim who can, and often do, masquerade as the "good guys" (i.e. "false Christs", "false prophets", "an angel of light", etc.) and advises all to use caution, sound judgment, and faith when confronting any extraterrestrial, as in the following sample passages. "You must not revile the mighty ones..." Exo 22:28 "But I would remind you that even the archangel Michael when he was contending with the devil in the dispute over the body of Moses did not dare to condemn him with mockery. He simply said, "the Lord rebuke you!" Jud 9 "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment." Jno 7:24 "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from [Yahweh]..." I Jno 4:1 Finally, in each and every instance of a recorded personal encounter with benevolent extraterrestrial elohim in the Bible, they are always described as recognizably human-like in appearance. If the Hebrew writers had contact with other advanced extraterrestrial biological entities (EBEs), such as those referred to as "greys" or other nonhumanoid alien species that would meet the basic criteria to be called "mighty ones", there are simply no specific references to be found in the biblical texts. Encounters with other off-world species may, however, be accounted for in the writers use of such terminology as "strange" or "new" and "unknown" elohim. Yet, since, according to Hebrew religious law, it was forbidden to give attention to or associate oneself with any "foreign elohim", or even speak their names, such possible encounters remains a biblical mystery.

DEMYTHOLOGIZING RELIGION In this final chapter we will briefly examine other historical religious texts besides the Bible that offer evidence of extraterrestrial contact similar in tenor to the biblical account of the elohim. Since the subject of "ancient astronauts" in world religion has been extensively researched and ably set down by many others, we shall limit this examination to a very small sample of ancient religious texts from around the world. In so doing, we shall not concern ourselves with competing theologies relative to the mission, intentions, or identification and deification of any particular "sky god(s)" nor address the highly controversial and subjective opinions of the numerous "experts" in this field. We shall begin by making the objective observation that the appearance of highly advanced space explorers in world history is not confined within any geo-religious boundaries. It must certainly be more than mere coincidence that the devotees of every diverse religion in Earths ancient history, separated by time, geography, and culture all ascribe to their sky gods similar attributes and behavior. Extraterrestrial origin, vehicular space travel, humanlike form and traits, awesome power and technology, the genetic creation of human beings and the supervised development of earths ancient civilizations are common themes. Centuries before Moses penned Genesis, the same story of creation was told in Indias Days and Nights of Brahma and the story of Noah paralleled in the tale of Vaivasvata who was warned by the god Vishnu to build a ship for the impending Great Flood. Such legends adorn the religious texts of every great civilization in antiquity with only minor distinctions in the plot or characters, as does other firsthand testimony of encounters with sky gods and their spacecraft. Indeed, the very universality of the belief in humankinds genetic descent from and interaction with a highly advanced extraterrestrial race suggests that it arose spontaneously and experientially, overwhelming all discussion pertaining to the origin of world religion. One cannot reasonably regard the similarity of such reports from historys divergent peoples as owing to some larger influence without

at least conceding the possibility of worldwide extraterrestrial contact. While it is reasonable to speculate that at least some of the distinctions found within the various accounts of both benevolent and malevolent "gods" may have arisen from encounters with different extraterrestrial species having quite different contact objectives, it can just as easily be reasoned that all of Earths ancient civilizations had their own independent encounters with the same race of humanoid extraterrestrials serving as the foundation for the worlds prominent religions. The veracity of the extraterrestrial testimony which so distinguishes the great religions of the world is further reinforced by the fact that in every period of recorded history (notably pre-flight history) there have been continuous sightings of extraterrestrial flying craft and encounters with extraterrestrial beings reported from reliable nonreligious sources. Still, we are taught by mythologists to consider such stories as little more than the emotional fantasy of simple minds. They would have us believe that the sky gods are merely the progeny of humankinds imaginative psyche seeking to explain lifes mysteries and earths natural forces through fantastic heroic archetypes. Certainly, if one begins with the assumption that all recorded accounts of extraterrestrial contact are inherently falsethat the "gods" do not existthen such circular reasoning serves the discussion of religious history quite well. But, if that basic assumption is incorrect and highly advanced extraterrestrial beings not only exist but have taken more than a casual interest in our world from the beginning, then a great deal of historical scholarship is in serious trouble. By "demythologizing religion" our aim should not be to lay the axe to the root of all good scholarship pertaining to mythology. We begin by realizing, as we must, that the traditions of storytelling which exist within world culture, while perhaps having their origin in actual historical events, have become seasoned with superstition, folk drama, and religious dogma over time. Yet it would be the worst kind of intellectual hypocrisy to accept and even depend upon the accuracy of our ancient religious texts when it comes to archeology, history, human culture and customs, language and other details of life in the ancient world, but then dismiss detailed reports of

extraordinary encounters with extraterrestrials and their technology, simply because it is odd. Most of us are familiar with the Greek, Roman, and Norse legends that spin grand tales of sky gods who interacted with human beings in a variety of heroic dramas. The Olympian gods and goddesses, recalled from stories like Homers Odyssey were said to have had their abode in the "pure upper air". These colorful legends, full of intrigue, betrayal, and battles of cosmic proportions, often depict the warring sky gods as firing "lightening bolts" and "sun rays" at each other from their sky chariots and flying ships. Yet, such relatively recent European mythological dramas are merely the surviving remnant of much older legends to be found in the texts of the ancient East. In India, for example, we can find a bounty of literature replete with references to the space flight technology of their gods. Take the familiar Ramayana, an epic poem 24,000 verses in length that weaves a colorful tapestry of heroic passion, intrigue, and cosmic conflict. This classic work has delighted and enthralled the Indian people for thousands of years, inspiring the art and culture of that enchanting country to this day. The story centers around Prince Rama and his adored bride Sita. When the evil Ravana kidnaps Sita, Rama, assisted by Hanuman, Lord of the Monkeys, launches an all-out war against him and his legions to rescue the princess. Significantly, the war involves many air battles fought from bird-like craft and "flying cars". Many verses refer to a two-storied flying vehicle with windows and several compartments for passengers and crew called a "Pushpa chariot", depicted in Indian art brightly painted and adorned with flags and flowers. Fascinating descriptions of flight propulsion and weapons systems can be gleaned from the Ramayana texts, as in the following sample passages. "Brave Matali drove the chariot drawn by steeds like solar ray, Where the true and righteous Rama sought his foe in fatal fray. Shining arms and heavenly weapons he to lofty Rama gave, When the righteous strive and struggle, gods assist the true and brave. Take this car!" so said Matali, "Which the helping gods provide; Rama, take these steeds celestial, Indras golden chariot ride!"

The story goes on to describe a lengthy extraterrestrial battle fought between the two adversaries before Ravan is finally vanquished by Lord Rama, apparently blown out of the sky by some sort of missile! "Still the dubious battle lasted until Rama in his ire Wielded Brahmas deathful weapon flaming with celestial fire; Weapon which the Saint Agostya had unto her hero given, Winged as lightening dart of Indra, fatal as the bolt from heaven. Wrapped in smoke and flowing flashes, speeding from the circled bow, Pierced the iron heart of Ravan, lain the lifeless hero low." Reunited with his princess, the victorious Rama returns home in his spaceship to a heros welcome. "Sailing oer the cloudless ether Ramas Pushpa chariot came And ten thousand jocund voices shouted Ramas joyous name. Silver swans, by Ramas bidding, soft descended from the air And on earth the chariot lightedcar of flowers divinely fair." Beside the Ramayana, other ancient texts reveal even greater detail regarding the flight technology of Indias sky gods. From his translation of the Samar in War in Ancient India, Ramachandra Dikshitar notes the capabilities of what are described as various types of "flying machines", saying that they could transport many persons, fly great distances in any direction throughout the stellar regions, and attack invisibly with awesome weaponry. The lengthy epic Mahabharata, which forms the foundation of the Hindu religion, also contains an inexhaustible treasure of information on the subject, such as in the following verses selected at random. "And the gods in cloud-borne chariots came to view the scene so fair, Bright Adityas in their splendor, Maruts in their moving car... Bright celestial cars in concourse sailed upon the cloudless sky" (From Book One, Ch. 4) "Bright immortals robed in sunlight sailed across the liquid sky And their gleaming cloud-borne chariots rested on the turrets high.

Ida, adja, homa offerings pleased the Shining Ones on high" (From Book Three, Ch. 2) "Devas from their cloud-borne chariots, and Ghandarvas from the sky Gazed in mute and speechless wonder on the human chiefs from high." (From Book Eight, Ch. 2) The picture we get from many of the Indian texts is one of a "Star Wars" epic wherein heroic battles are waged among the sky gods for personal, political, and planetary conquest. In the following selections we are treated to some insightful details regarding the weapons capabilities of the extraterrestrial spacecraft. "O King, in the battle between the gods and the Asuras in the days of old, [the "celestial car"] displayed a circular, forward, backward, and diverse other kinds of motion...And then he shot the weapon called Tashiva that is capable of slaying large bodies of foes together." (Samsaptabadha Parva, p.58) "In that dreadful battle, those shafts, O King, like the very rays of the sun, in a moment shrouded all the parts of the compass, the welkin (creation) and the troops. Innumerable "iron balls" also, O King, then appeared like resplendent luminaries in the clear [sky]. Shataghnis, some equipped with four and some with two wheels and innumerable "maces" and disci with edges sharp as razors and resplendent like the sun also appeared there." (Drona Parva, p.661) "...[Bhisma] took up and hurled at them with great force a fierce [weapon] of destruction of hostile ranks. That [weapon]...crushed, O King, thy soldiers in battle. And it seemed to fill, O King, the whole Earth with a loud noise. And blazing forth in splendor, that fierce (weapon) inspired thy sons with fear. Beholding that (weapon) of impetuous course and endowed with lightening flashes coursing towards them, thy warriors fled away uttering frightful cries." (Ibid., p.383) "On one occasion assailed by Valadeva, Jarasandha, excited with wrath, hurled for our destruction a [weapon] capable of slaying all creatures. Endued with the splendor of fire, that

[weapon] coursed toward us...with the impetuosity of the thunder...[then] the Son of Rohimi hurled the weapon called Sthunakarma for baffling it. Its force destroyed by the energy of Valadevas weapon, [it] fell down on the Earth splitting her [with its might] and making the very mountains tremble." (Ibid. p.592) And from page 677 of the Drona Parva, comes a chilling account of an ultimate weapon of destruction, the "Agneya", which is said to be indefensible. "The valiant Adwatthaman...invoked the Agneya weapon, incapable of being resisted by the very gods. Aiming at all his visible and invisible foes...[he] inspired with mantras a blazing shaft of the effulgence of a smokeless fire and let it off on all sides..." The writer then continues at length to describe a frighteningly detailed scenario of mass destruction as the intense energy blast from the "Agneya weapon" scorched the earth and "all points of the compass were enveloped in a darkness". Everywhere there was fiery chaos and death as even "the very elements were perturbed" by what we may reasonably surmise was some form of devastating nuclear radiation weapon from such passages as follows. "...showers of sharp and fierce arrows fell and issued [from the sky] on the wind...burnt by those shafts...the hostile warriors fell down like trees burnt down by a raging fire. Huge elephants burnt by that weapon fell down on the earth all around, uttering fierce cries...The steeds, O King, and the [chariots] also burnt by the energy of that weapon, looked, O Sire, like the tops of trees burnt in a forest fire." Given our present scientific knowledge it is not difficult to envision from this report a horrifying nuclear holocaust in ancient India that may have rivaled the destruction of Sodom and Gomorra or even Hiroshima. There can be no doubt that such a detailed report of the effects of a nuclear weapon would have been beyond even the most imaginative story-telling abilities of one familiar only with primitive weapons hand crafted of wood and iron.

Perhaps even more than the Hebrews, the ancient Indians were extremely fascinated with the flight technology of their gods as is evident throughout their art and literature. Among numerous archaeological finds in India are depictions of countless airborne deities and their conveyances such as carvings at the Konarak that depicts eight "flying wheels" said to be the aerial transport for the Sun goddess Surya. Throughout the ancient texts of India their gods are always portrayed as superior physical beings (never disembodied "spirits") that wing through the cosmos in physical aircraft. In one ancient Sanskrit text, great detail regarding the "flying machines" of Indias sky gods is recorded. From a translation by Maharshi Bharadwaja, entitled Aeronautics, a Manuscript from the Prehistoric Past published by the International Academy of Sanskrit Research in Mysore, India, comes the following fascinating extract. "In this book are described...the art of manufacturing various types of [aircraft] of smooth and comfortable travel in the sky...That which can go by its own force like a bird, on earth, or water, or in air, is called "Vimana". That which can travel in the sky, from place to place, land to land, or globe to globe, is called "Vimana" by scientists in Aeronautics. The secret of constructing [aircraft] which will not break, which cannot be cut, will not catch fire, and cannot be destroyed. The secret of making [aircraft] motionless. The secret of making [aircraft] invisible. The secret of hearing conversations and other sounds in enemy [aircraft]. The secret of receiving photographs of the interior of enemy [aircraft]. The secret of ascertaining the direction of approach of enemy [aircraft]. The secret of making persons in enemy [aircraft] lose consciousness. The secret of destroying enemy [aircraft]...Metals suitable for [aircraft], light and heat absorbing, are of sixteen kinds...these sixteen metals alone are the best for [aircraft] construction." Among Indias most frequently invoked gods are the twin Aswins ("Sons of Heaven") who rode in bright aerial cars armed with thunderbolts. On one particular occasion, so the story goes, they are said to have flown over the ocean in a "tri-columnar, triangular, triwheeled, and well constructed" vehicle to rescue Bhujya from the sea where he had become stranded in a "ship" that he had flown to Earth from outer space.

Another interesting example of the Indian fascination with the flying craft of their gods is a report found in a selection from the Brihat Katha that tells of Queen Vasavadottas obsession to go for a ride in a "flying machine". Since, from the stories context, such aircraft were obviously a familiar sight, she ordered the kings chief artisans to construct one for her. But of course even the best craftsmen in the land did not possess such "secret knowledge" and failed to produce one, whereupon an unidentified stranger appears suddenly in the story, orders some materials, and constructs a "Garuda" or bird-like aircraft. Her dream fulfilled, both king and queen then embark upon a pleasant journey "in the air around the Earth". In other East Asian literature, such as the Feng-shen-yen-i of China and Japans Nihongi, we also find dramatic accounts of both good and evil sky gods who descend to Earth on flying "silver dragons", "birdships", or "wind-fire-wheels" and fight fierce air battles using "globes of flame" and "lightening darts". Though far too numerous to quote here, such powerful language symbolism found throughout these texts serves to further reinforce the idea that extraterrestrial contact occurred throughout the ancient world laying the foundation of world religion. While it may be true that many Eastern religious traditions involve mysticism, shamanism, nature and ancestor worship, and various and sundry superstitions, perhaps more so than in the West, it nevertheless remains that much of what was reported by the scribes of the ancient East can and should be studied from a historical perspective as actual extraterrestrial contact events. Just as we have done with respect to the biblical texts presented in previous chapters here, one must decipher the simple and poetic language symbolism employed by an ancient scribe and note the careful manner in which such extraterrestrial encounters were recorded. In an excerpt from Egypts Annals of Thutmosis III, circa 1500 BC, as translated by Prince Boris de Rachewiltz from the original papyrus document found in the archives of the Egyptian Museum of the Vatican, as in many other documents, the scribe was careful to record the exact date and time of day the following event occurred. "...In the year 22, of the third month of winter, sixth hour of the day, the scribes of the House of Life found that there was a

circle of fire coming from the sky...One rod long was its body and a rod wide, and it was noiseless. And the hearts of the scribes became terrified and confused and they laid themselves flat on their belliesThey reported to the Pharaoh...Now after some days had gone by, behold these things became more numerous in the skies than ever. They shone more than the brightness of the sun and extended to the limits of the four supports of the heavens. Dominating in the sky was the station of these fire circles. The army of Pharaoh looked on with him in their midst...Thereupon these fire circles ascended higher in the sky towards the south...what happened was ordered by the Pharaoh to be written in the annals of the House of Life...so that it be remembered forever." As we focus once again on the Near East we are moving closer and closer to the very birthplace of recorded history. While scholars still labor to analyze the bounty of data already unearthed from ancient Mesopotamia, often called the "cradle of civilization", the discoveries thus far have been extraordinary. The grand empire of Babylon, for example, and the nearly identical culture of the Assyrians to the south, consisted of a high civilization spanning 1,500 years until Babylon fell to Cyrus (called "the anointed of Yahweh" by the Biblical prophet Ezra) in 539 BC. Besides priceless artifacts which adorn the museums of the world, Babylonian and Assyrian digs have produced volumes of written records containing cosmological tales and epic poems, temple records, dynastic histories, astronomical and astrological data, mathematical formulas and scholastic texts, government, public and commercial records, and detailed texts concerning the names, genealogies, powers and duties of their sky gods. During archaeological excavations at Ninevah, the royal capitol of Assyria, certain clay cylinders from the Library of King Assurbanipal were found to contain a remarkably vivid account of King Etans journey in a spaceship. On that particular occasion five thousand years ago, we are told that the "Good King" was taken as an honored guest aboard a spaceship in the form of a rotating "flying shield" surrounded by "flames" and piloted by "gods" described as "tall blonde-haired men with dark complexions, dressed in white".

Against the protests of his advisors, the king departed amidst a "whirlwind" and "flames", soaring high above the earth where he observed the seas and continents. He then continued on a journey around the planets of our solar system for a period of two weeks, during which time his distressed subjects began to prepare a successor to the throne, believing him abducted. But, alas, King Etan returned in the "fiery ship" to his palace where the "blonde gods" remained as his guests for several days. The grand cultures of Babylon and Assyria are considered by Mesopotamian scholars to be a branch of the much earlier Akkadian nation. Capping several decades of work in the latter half of the twentieth century, scholars discovered that the Akkadians were preceded by yet another great civilization, the ancient realm of Sumer. One of the most ambitious archaeological digs undertaken in modern times has unearthed the Sumerian cities of Lagash, Kish, Nippar, Ur, Shurupak, Eshunna, Adab, Umma, Uruk, Eridu, and more. Akkadian-Sumerian lexicons found in Babylon and Assyria have become instrumental in deciphering the Sumerian cuneiform script taken from innumerable clay tablets unearthed from vast libraries at these sites. Utilizing sophisticated computer programs, Sumerologists now routinely translate volumes of data that have been entombed for millennia. Fortunately for us, these first citizens of the ancient world were diligent to record every detail of their life, culture, technology, the origin of their civilization and, of course, their own relationship with their "sky gods". To briefly summarize the work of many eminent scholars, human history began a sudden ascent within sophisticated farming communities located in the fertile mountain valleys bounded by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in the region we now know as northern Iraq. Those first humans were soon domesticating animals, propagating many new species of grains, fruits, and nuts, and vinting wine, things the Europeans would only discover thousands of years later. From that fertile birthplace in ancient Mesopotamia where humankind flourished in a kind of genetic-botanic laboratory - the Biblical Eden - we began our advancement into new territories, far and away.

We developed better tools, weapons, implements, and utilitarian pottery as we went, all in the relatively brief span of five or six thousand years, beginning around 11,000 BC. Then, following a distinct decline around 5,000 BC that resulted in a near total cultural impoverishment, a truly amazing thing happened. Mired in a regressive state with seemingly no hope for advancement, humankinds decline was abruptly halted and the great civilization of Sumer literally burst forth out of nowhere, around 4,000 BC, with a flourishing culture more advanced than many others which antedate it. That unexpected leap from the Stone Age to become the model for civilization, as we know it, has often left scholars baffled as they attempt to reconstruct Earths historical time line in light of relatively new evidence. Many now believe the Sumerian texts to be the key to the origin of many ancient legends pertaining to extraterrestrial contact for it is the Sumerian testimony that a race of mighty extraterrestrials personally directed the development of their civilization prior to the Great Flood. Scholars have been amazed and excited by many features of the Sumerian civilization that reveal a remarkable state of culture and technology given the age in which they appeared. According to the work of many noted Sumerologists, these mysterious people gave us the worlds first written language, the first public school system and the first historians and librarians. They had the worlds first advanced mathematics, unquestionably superior to that of the Greco-Roman system, enabling them to calculate square roots and fractions, multiply to several powers numbers into the millions and perform complex geometric equations. They had the first extremely accurate calendar and possessed a knowledge of astronomy that far surpassed later civilizations. Their scientists developed the worlds first medical science, the first chemistry science, and the first botanical and agricultural sciences. The Sumerians also established the worlds first bicameral congress, had the first legal codes and judiciary and developed the first system of commerce, trade, and transportation. Particularly relevant to our current study, they also gave us the worlds first philosophy promoting world peace and a theology that honored the sky gods as the progenitors of humankind and credited them with direct tutorial

supervision over their cultural development. Indeed, they went to great lengths to record every detail of their life and interaction with the "sky gods", leaving behind one of the most important testimonials extant pertaining to extraterrestrial encounters in the ancient world. Such discoveries have been undeniably troubling to many popular scientific theories regarding natural evolution, placing anthropologists in the awkward position of trying to explain away many apparent contradictions. If one adheres strictly to the Darwinian model, for example, human beings should not be any further advanced than the primitive tribes of New Guinea or Amazonia for at least another two or three million years. Yet, here we are a mere six thousand years removed from Sumer exploring outer space! It is this sudden leap from bushmen to astronauts which is perhaps the most troubling contradiction to the theory of "natural selection" with regard to the human species. From our observation of primitive societies and analysis of new archaeological data, anthropologists note that pre-literate humans are not nearly as superstitious or prone to flights of fantasy as once thought. Indeed, they must be quite practical-minded to survive in the wild, so that in their daily lives religion and mysticism must take a back seat to logic, pragmatism, and experimentation. While we would not presume to say that the religious beliefs of todays primitive societies are analogous to those of the ancients, some principles do appear to evolve within all developing cultures that requires religious experience to have some sort of practical benefit and that it be communicated simply and truthfully. Whether defenders of the Darwinian model attach any historical or scientific value to it or not, the fact remains that humankinds earliest historical records do go to great lengths to describe first-hand experiences with our extraterrestrial progenitors who set humanity on a civilized course with all of the knowledge needed to survive and flourish. That said, we should also observe that there cannot be found so much as a single historical text from the ancient world which describes humankinds evolution from an ape-like ancestry nor one which depicts the rise of human civilization as a gradually occurring achievement unassisted by extraterrestrials.

The story of creation told by the Hebrews, the Sumerians and many other ancient civilizations, is briefly and poetically summarized by Moses in the first chapter of Genesis. There, and in other sacred writings from around the world, we find the amazing story of the genetic engineering of human beings by extraterrestrial "gods", a concept that, if true, begs a scientific reappraisal of the origin of man and the universe. If this extraterrestrial genesis paradigm is to be embraced as fact, then not only must science come to terms with a natural selection scenario in which human beings are the exception but a reconsideration of human history that allows for extraterrestrial influence is also called for. Irrespective of ones scientific or theological predisposition, it is time for all inquiring minds to re-think many previously held assumptions pertaining to the religious experiences recorded by the simpleminded citizens of the ancient world. At the very least we should value, if not celebrate, that uniquely human quality which has allowed us to recall, with childlike wonder, mankinds personal encounters with a vast living cosmos. For it is the discovery of a simple truth, the truth of a shared human experience with our extraterrestrial relatives, that remains the goal of "demythologizing religion".

IN CONCLUSION History has witnessed a bitter conflict between science and religion that has seen devout religious clerics stubbornly resist some of the most important scientific discoveries and scholarly achievements of the modern age, often to the point of crucifying true genius. On the other hand, many astute scientists and secular scholars often tend to regard the worlds sacred religious texts as offering little more than mystical hocus-pocus. Lost within this vitriolic contest of wills between the vocal reactionaries of both camps is the distant voice of our ancestors proclaiming an exciting message for our own time. Perhaps it is the radical nature of that message from the past that now seems so threatening to the positions of science and religion with equal severity.

As we re-evaluate mankinds origin and the evolution of civilization from a "cosmic theology" perspective, we have a new opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the universe and ourselves as science and religion become more reconcilable. In light of the overwhelming evidence of extraterrestrial contact throughout human history one marvels at how institutional scholars have so skillfully managed to ignore the "cosmic theology" equation present in the worlds great religious literature and negate even the possibility of intelligent genetic engineering of human life in ancient earth history. Judeo-Christian scholars have also been notoriously hostile to most scientific theory pertaining to the origin of the universe and the evolution of life on our planet, with a few exceptions. Enlightened theologians now routinely proffer an "intelligent design" paradigm that does allow for an evolution scenario (i.e. "creation science") wherein human beings are the evolutionary exception to the Darwinian model. It has been widely acknowledged by theological scholars for some time that Moses Genesis is but a "six-day" creation synopsis based upon a common oral tradition passed down from ancient times (possibly originating in Sumer) that leaves ample room for speculation as to many details. One popular view holds that Moses provides, in an abbreviated symbolic way, a scientifically valid sequential progression that accurately accounts for millions of years of Earths evolution (from a gaseous to solid state, then vegetation, sea life and higher forms of creatures, etc.) in the Genesis declaration that "God" (Heb. the elohim) said, "Let the earth bring forth...(vegetation and all living creatures)", suggesting a biological evolution scenario. A significant departure from traditional scientific thinking only occurs in Genesis assertion that on the final "day" of Earths evolution the elohim genetically engineered human beings. As skeptical minds acquire a greater esteem for humankinds ancient religious texts, a new and scientifically credible cosmic theology may be found to contain more historical and scientific fact than myth. This area of study could also prove valuable to a new generation of dedicated, if eccentric, researchers known as "UFOlogists" who are frequently discredited simply because they are seen to lack the credible scientific and philosophical relationships which might invite a

more open-minded examination of some very persuasive empirical evidence. Likewise, the purveyors of simplistically reductive Bible story-myth need to be challenged to develop a more accessible, reality-based theology for the times. Certainly one of the most important responsibilities of pious clergy and theologians entrusted with accurately communicating "Gods Word" to the faithful masses is to ensure that the Bible is, at the very least, correctly translated and fairly interpreted using the best scholarship and scientifically objective analysis available in the modern era. Bible scholars must not allow millions of trusting souls to wander about in a dark wilderness of antiquated religious tradition built upon misinformation, cultural bias and inaccuracies in the Bible translations while a lamp of knowledge that could shed new light upon an old path remains "hidden under a bushel". The Bible certainly contains much more than just the earthly record of the Jews or the moral wisdom of venerable sages, pious prophets and saints. It is a timeless collection of stories depicting mankinds relationship with his extraterrestrial relatives. Within its accurately translated and demystified texts, the Bible offers us a message of warning and hope that may very well be the key to understanding our place in the vast living cosmos populated by an ancient and powerful citizenry. Whether one prefers to think of them as "gods" or "spacemen" who come from an advanced civilization somewhere in the universe, all serious students of biblical history would be well served by becoming better acquainted with the distinctive terminology used by the Hebrew writers to describe their extraordinary experiences with the "mighty ones".