Bible Text &  Space Technology - G

Keywords: UFO, unidentified flying objects, Bible, flying saucers, prophecy, Paleo-SETI, ancient astronauts, Erich von Däniken, Josef F. Blumrich, Zecharia Sitchin, Ezekiel, biblical prophecy, spacecraft, spaceship, NASA, Roswell, aircraft, propellant, extraterrestrial hypothesis, Jacques Vallee, interdimensional hypothesis, Project Blue Book, Condon Report, ancient history, Jesus, Judaism, Christianity, Middle East, end times, engines, rockets, helicopters, space travel, aliens, abductions, alien abductions, crop circles, extraterrestrials, astronomy, economics, biology, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Space Shuttle, Apollo, stars, planets, solar system, scriptures, design, fuel tank, aerodynamics, fuels, hydrogen, oxygen, wheels

Chapter 5

    Overwhelmed, he falls with his face to the ground. Yet his undeceivable spirit is still awake: Although he had every reason to qualify what he has seen as the "glory of the Lord" and although such an expression would be entirely understandable at this point, he still expresses two reservations at this moment. He cannot reconcile the massive, real apparition of the spacecraft with a manifestation of the Lord, which he would not expect to be so utterly material. He does not know what he is really seeing, yet whatever it may be, it is colossal, mighty, and overpowering—it seems to be comparable to the glory of the Lord. And this is precisely what he says: "Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord." There is no doubt. about it—he does not identify, he compares. The second reservation concerns the voice he hears. Again one could expect and understand him to believe that he was hearing the voice of the Lord. But Ezekiel again stays aloof and in very sober terms states what he hears: ". . . the voice of one that spoke"; he avoids any tendency to glorify, to be sensational, and quite simply says: ". . . one that . . ."  [p.72] 

    In Chapter 2 only Verse 9 and the first words of Verse 10 are of consequence here. Ezekiel sees the hand of a mechanical arm before him. Since a scroll cannot be opened and spread out by one hand, we find at the beginning of Verse 10 a reference to another mechanical arm. This reference is fully consistent with Verse 8 of Chapter 1: "Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands."

    Verse 12: For the first time Ezekiel is flying in a spaceship! He was lifted into the command capsule in a not clearly defined way and finds himself now at the uppermost point of the spaceship. Since the vehicle is moving vertically upward, Ezekiel hears the noise of the central power plant literally behind him. Through his seat he is now in close bodily contact with the vehicle; he feels therefore its vibrations which, lacking any applicable experience, he compares with "a great earthquake." While he is still aware of all this, the spaceship—"the glory of the Lord"—lifts up from the ground.

    Verse 13: Ezekiel cannot see the rotors from where he sits, but he recognizes their noise again because he describes it as "the sound of the wings of the living creatures." With all the noise going on, he certainly cannot perceive "the sound of the wheels." Besides, helicopters usually start without any rolling. However, in such a large structure with a huge surface there are reverberations of many sounds that could have induced Ezekiel to make this comparison.

    Verse 14: Ezekiel is now aware that he is flying. He is overcome by the full impact of the shock produced by this experience. The "hand of the Lord" which he feels as "strong upon me" could simply have been the pressure of the shoulder straps holding him to his seat. On the other hand, this is again the expression that we have already noted in Chapter 1, Verse 3, and which invariably is used whenever a meeting with the commander is forthcoming. The question of whether that implies some hypnotic or other influence on Ezekiel's thoughts or emotions falls outside the scope of this investigation.

    Verse 15: Ezekiel's condition upon his arrival In Tel-Abib is depicted by varying expressions in the different translations; they range from "most sad" to "distraught" and in all cases point to a severe mental shock. It took him seven days to recover from it.  [p.74]