In this episode I explore two stories in the Bible. The first one is the Star of Bethlehem and the second is the Story of Ezekiel's wheel within a wheel.
In this episode I explore two stories in the Bible. The first one is the Star of Bethlehem and the second is the Story of Ezekiel's wheel within a wheel.
Ep 29 UFOs in the Bible
Hello and welcome back to the UFO and Aliens Podcast. I’m your host Rick Black. It’s December 19th and this will be the last podcast before Christmas. I hope everyone is having a good holiday. It’s one of my favorite times of the year. And being a Christian, being raised as a Christian, I always think of the bible, the birth of Christ, the reason for the season. Just like I think of the resurrection during Easter. So I’m driving around the neighborhoods, looking at the Christmas decorations and I see that there are several houses that have nativity scenes. The little scenes with Mary, Joseph and Jesus surrounded by the three kings, camels, donkeys and above it all is the shining star of Bethlehem. I have often wondered about that star.
I always thought that the stars we see now are the same stars that were being seen during biblical times. So, which star is the one that the wise men followed? Let’s start with the wise men.
There is an Armenian tradition of naming the “magi of Bethlehem”. They are Balthazar King of Arabia or Ethiopia, Melchior King of Persia, and Caspar King of India.
The Gospel of Matthew speaks of the Magi, or wise men, who followed a star from the East to Bethlehem in search of the new born king. There they found Mary and the baby Jesus and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Most biblical scholars don’t believe the three kings existed at all.
But what are Maji? That’s where we get our word magician. Were they soothsayers, fortune tellers? No, they were most likely astronomers. They studied the stars. The stories in the bible are written in the stars. So, by reading the stars, they learned that the new king would be born on a certain date. But where? Here’s where it gets interesting. They followed a star to the new born king.
I’ve seen stars, you’ve seen stars. I have never seen a star (one that outshines all others) just sit in one place where someone could follow it and it would lead them to a specific spot. Stars don’t do that. So, what was it?
Well, we know that Halley’s Comet was visible in the sky in 11 B.C. Could it be Halley’s Comet that they followed? Probably not. The Magi travelled towards Jerusalem and then on to Bethlehem. They couldn’t have followed a comet because its position would have changed as the Earth rotated. So the comet would not have led them in a single direction. Also, during this time, comets were seen as bad omens. If someone sees a comet, that wouldn’t be a positive event. They were harbingers of impending disaster.
It wasn’t a nova or supernova. Those leave traces and astronomers would be able to see remnants of those and there are none that date back to this time.
You may be wondering why I’m talking about the bible on this UFO and Aliens Podcast. There have been several books written about UFOs in the Bible dating back to 1956. These authors make a good case with their interpretations of the writings in the bible. And there’s a lot to consider also. First, there is the translations. The bible was not written in English so it had to be translated and many of the translations are questionable. Another thing to consider is that most of the gospels were written hundreds of years later. By other people.
I am going to read a passage from Ken Goudswards’ book “UFOs in the Bible” regarding the Star of Bethlehem.
“A star in the sky cannot be traced to a specific house. A comet does not stop in its overhead journey. A supernova does not move across the sky. We are dealing with a glowing or shining object, similar to a star in appearance, that has the ability to stop and start, appears to be aware of the presence of its followers, such that it allows them to stop to speak to the king, and presumably to sleep each night on their journey, and is then able to pinpoint an exact house among many in the village. Did the object hover low over the house? Did the object send down a beam of light to shine upon the correct house? The passage does not say, but clearly there was some method of indication that could not be achieved by a distant star.”
Interesting. Are you supposed to take the stories in the bible literally. Did the three wise men really follow a star? Did they think they were following a star, but were really guided by a UFO? The fact that they needed to stop and ask Herod for directions when they arrived suggests that they were no being led to their final destination by a single bright object.
Astrology was widely used at the time, and with the Magi coming from Bablyon, it’s plausible that they were astrologers. And due to a particular alignment of planets and stars, they may have read a hidden meaning among the stars, leading them to King Herod. For example, Jupiter’s display could have been of great significance here, as astrology associated the planet Jupiter with royalty, so the moon passing it in the constellation of Aries on April 17th, 6 B.C. could have heralded the birth of Christ.
In an article from space.com I found a quote from David Weintraub, a professor of physics and astronomy at Vanderbilt University. He said “If what is in the New Testament is a historical account of something, then that historical account requires an explanation. As an astronomer, you want an astronomical explanation.” ”Modern astronomers don’t put any credence in astrology, but ‘modern’ is important in this context. What’s important is what people thought 2,000 years ago. Astrology was a big deal back then. The explanation I have found that makes the most sense is that it was astrological.”
So, what he is saying is that the Magi weren’t following a single bright object in the sky. They were reading the stars and constellations and interpreting them.
Another explanation is that there WAS a bright object in the sky. A conjunction between planets and stars. A conjunction occurs when two or more celestial bodies appear to meet in the night sky from our location on Earth. These events can continue every night in a similar location for days or weeks. If the wise men were to follow the moment of conjunction, it’s possible they would have been led in a specific direction.
Astronomer Michael Molnar suggested that a conjunction theory might be correct in his book "The Star of Bethlehem". If the "star" was the result of a conjunction (and this historical event did really happen), then there are several different alignments that could be the culprit.
Perhaps the most promising is an alignment of Jupiter, Saturn, the moon and the sun in the constellation of Aries on April 17, 6 B.C. This conjunction fits with the story for a few reasons. First, this conjunction happened in the early morning hours, which aligns with the Gospel's description of the Star of Bethlehem as a rising morning star. The Magi also lost sight of the star, before seeing it come to rest in the place where baby Jesus lay in the stable. This could have been the result of the retrograde motion of Jupiter, which means that it appears to change direction in the night sky as Earth's orbit overtakes it.
"Normally, planets move eastward if you're following them in the sky," Mathews said. "But when they go through retrograde motion, they turn around and go in the direction that the stars rise and set at night [westward]."
Two other conjunctions around a similar time also look promising. One is the meeting of Jupiter, Venus and the star Regulus in the constellation of Leo on June 17, 2 B.C. Without the aid of a telescope, the two planets would appear as a single "star," brighter than Venus and Jupiter individually. Another conjunction occurred in 6 B.C., between Jupiter, Saturn and Mars in the constellation of Pisces. But neither of these latter two conjunctions match the description in the New Testament as closely as the conjunction that occurred on April 17, 6 B.C.
There have been a lot of people from different walks of life looking at the bible and interpreting it based on their views. We all have different perspectives based on our lives and what we’ve seen and heard and learned.
I have often wondered about certain stories in the bible. This is where faith comes in. You read a story about Gods people following a cloud during the day and a column of fire at night for 40 years through the desert. Faith is believing that it was God they were following. Some people say that it was a UFO they were following.
And what do you think of the burning bush, the Fiery Mount, Jacobs Ladder, Jonah and the Whale, the Ark of the Covenant. Are all of these the miracle of God? Is God an extraterrestrial? There are some people trying to convince you of that. I am not. My faith is strong, but that’s my faith. You must find your own truth.
Of all of the stories in the bible, the one that is discussed the most by UFO enthusiasts is Ezekiel. There is a book called “The Spaceships of Ezekiel” and it was written by NASA engineer Josef F. Blumrich. Jim Aho wrote an article about Blumrich’s interpretation of Ezekiels story.
This is Jim Aho’s report:
Of all the UFO accounts in the Bible, the one that I hear mentioned most often is Ezekiel's Wheel. Many people claim that Ezekiel clearly describes a UFO in the following passage:
Ezekiel 1:16 (NIV)
This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: They sparkled like chrysolite, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel.
So I thought about this. What is the craft shown above? It still seems rather mystical looking, and even if it is a spacecraft, it really doesn't make the story told in the book of Ezekiel any clearer. The rest of his narrative still seems pretty confusing to me.
While I was wondering about all of this, a friend passed on a book written by NASA engineer Josef F. Blumrich entitled The Spaceships of Ezekiel. This book concludes that the passage shown above wasn't the whole story. Blumrich agrees that the "wheel within a wheel" was extraterrestrial, but he goes one step further and claims that it only describes a small part of the craft. According to Blumrich, the whole chapter was a detailed description of an encounter with a UFO.
Even the story behind the book is very interesting. Blumrich notes that he began researching the topic in response to Erich von Daniken's book Chariots of the Gods. In the forward to his book, Blumrich states that he "began to read von Daniken with the condescending attitude of someone who knows beforehand that the conclusions presented can by no means be correct." In otherwords, he thought von Daniken was full of it and was going to set out to prove it scientifically.
What he found, after an extensive amount of research from an engineering point of view, was just the opposite. He went from an extreme skeptic to becoming convinced that the book of Ezekiel was a real accurate and detailed account of an encounter with extraterrestrial visitors. Very interesting coming from a person who is not a religious zealot by any means and is about as far as you can get from a gullible person who might be prone to jump to conclusions.
Since Blumrich has already done an outstanding job in analyzing the whole book of Ezekiel, I'm not going to reinvent the wheel by doing that here. But so you can see what I'm referring to, I will post a passage by passage analysis of Ezekiel chapter one that is based on the work of Blumrich. The text shown below isn't directly from Blumrich's book (which contains much, much more detail than I could ever present here) but is instead a capsulization of Blumrich's conclusions as presented in another very interesting book entitled Extraterrestrials in Biblical Prophesy by G. Cope Schellhorn, pages 106-108:
Ezekiel 1:4 (NIV)
I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north--an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal
Blumrich summary:
The spacecraft begins at some distance from the prophet in its initial descent. Vapour cloud is from cooling preliminary to firing of rocket engine. Rocket engine is then fired.
Ezekiel 1:5 (NIV)
and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was that of a man
Blumrich summary:
Looking upward, the prophet sees four shapes surrounded by fire and vapour that look alive. These are helicopter-like bodies deployed before landing.
Ezekiel 1:6 (NIV)
but each of them had four faces and four wings.
Blumrich summary:
The prophet is now able to see more detail because the craft is at low altitude. He sees the four blades of the rotors and the fairing housings above the rotors that give the appearance of faces.
Ezekiel 1:7 (NIV)
Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze.
Blumrich summary:
This is a description of the landing legs. The legs have shock absorbers and round footpads.
Ezekiel 1:8 (NIV)
Under their wings on their four sides they had the hands of a man. All four of them had faces and wings,
Blumrich summary:
This refers to remote-controlled mechanical arms hanging along side the cylindrical helicopter bodies.
Ezekiel 1:9 (NIV)
and their wings touched one another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved.
Blumrich summary:
A reference to the helicopter blades protruding outward is made.
Ezekiel 1:10 (NIV)
Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a man, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle.
Blumrich summary:
The fairing surfaces, which protect the gears and other control devices above the rotors, look to the prophet like faces. The fairings are irregular in shape with some raised and some cut out areas, all of which lends itself to an awe-struck interpretation on the prophet's part. By way of example, Blumrich shows photos of Gemini and Apollo capsules that at certain angles look like monsters. Because like faces face in like directions, we see that the rotors are synchronized at rest position.
Ezekiel 1:11 (NIV)
Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out upward; each had two wings, one touching the wing of another creature on either side, and two wings covering its body.
Blumrich summary:
The first part refers to the rotor blades being divided. The suggestion is that there is a kind of gap in the control mechanism or fairing. The last part of the verse refers to the rotor blades folded in an up and down position.
Ezekiel 1:12 (NIV)
Each one went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went.
Blumrich summary:
This refers to the landing leg assembly and the retractable wheels as part of each leg assembly. Ezekiel doesn't see the wheels until they are actually deployed in verse fifteen. Verses nine, twelve and fifteen are interrelated.
Ezekiel 1:13 (NIV)
The appearance of the living creatures was like burning coals of fire or like torches. Fire moved back and forth among the creatures; it was bright, and lightning flashed out of it.
Blumrich summary:
Ezekiel is referring to the flowing reactor radiator and the bursts from the control rockets. The lightning effect comes from what would seem like leaping random fire but in fact is controlled bursts from the various control rockets for stabilization purposes.
Ezekiel 1:14 (NIV)
The creatures sped back and forth like flashes of lightning.
Blumrich summary:
The spacecraft hovers and moves in various directions until a suitable landing site is found.
Ezekiel 1:15 (NIV)
As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with its four faces.
Blumrich summary:
The wheels are deployed. They appear at the very moment they become necessary.
Ezekiel 1:16-21 (NIV)
This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: They sparkled like chrysolite, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel. As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the creatures faced; the wheels did not turn about as the creatures went. Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around. When the living creatures moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the living creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also rose. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, and the wheels would rise along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. When the creatures moved, they also moved; when the creatures stood still, they also stood still; and when the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels rose along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.
Blumrich summary:
The greenish-bluish color of the wheels suggests a protective film or coating. A further description of advanced reversible wheels is given. Ezekiel is confused - looks to him like a wheel within a wheel. These wheels look like they are obeying orders. He has had experience with wheels but these are puzzling. Thus he gives much time to their description. The craft rolls on the ground, probably in a maneuver to find the most suitable site.
Ezekiel 1:22 (NIV)
Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what looked like an expanse, sparkling like ice, and awesome.
Blumrich summary:
Here is a description of the main body of the craft. We get its basic shape, spreading out like a "firmament." The surface of the main body is metallic, shining, bright.
Ezekiel 1:23 (NIV)
Under the expanse their wings were stretched out one toward the other, and each had two wings covering its body.
Blumrich summary:
We are given additional information concerning the position of the helicopter-like appendages relative to the main body. Rotor blades are at rest.
Ezekiel 1:24-25 (NIV)
When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings, like the roar of rushing waters, like the voice of the Almighty, like the tumult of an army. When they stood still, they lowered their wings. Then there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads as they stood with lowered wings.
Blumrich summary:
Blumrich feels these verses are out of order. They describe operating rotor blade motors and the resultant sound effects.
Ezekiel 1:26 (NIV)
Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man.
Blumrich summary:
The prophet sees the command module shaped and colored like a cabachon-cut sapphire. Seated in the pilot's seat is a man.
Ezekiel 1:27 (NIV)
I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him.
Blumrich summary:
The prophet describes the light effects of the commander's flight suit which, in Blumrich's opinion, are reminiscent of the light effects caused by the reflecting surfaces of certain insulation materials used in the Apollo lunar module. (See Rev 1:12-15 and Dan 10:6) It might be enlightening here to mention the light effects, especially the golden glow effect, described by some present-day witnesses to UFO close encounters, people who have been in near proximity to UFO crew members. A classic example of such an effect would be the Fatima incident earlier in the century. An interesting explanation of this effect is offered by an extraterrestrial in Charles Silva's "Date With The Gods."
Ezekiel 1:28 (NIV)
Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.
Blumrich summary:
Here are the optical light effects of the translucent cabachon-shaped command module sitting atop the main body of the spacecraft. Sunlight hitting the translucent surface and reflecting off other surfaces inside the module causes a rainbow light effect. Blumrich emphasizes that the brightness was "round about him." It did not emanate from "him." Him, we should carefully note, refers to Ezekiel's initial mistake of identity - confusing the spacecraft with God himself.
Blumrich goes on to provide similar observations for the entire book of Ezekiel. He even concludes that Ezekiel went aboard the craft and interacted with the commander of the vehicle a number of times. If you'd like to explore the topic further, I'd definitely recommend finding Blumrich's book so you can read all his conclusions firsthand.
So was Ezekiel's account really his way of telling a detailed story about an encounter with extraterrestrials? Were these beings sent by God to deliver a message to Ezekiel?
Interesting but controversial questions. I'll let you decide for yourself, but I sure haven't heard any other explanations of Ezekiel's experiences that sound as realistic to me.
So that was Aho’s take on it. What do you think? My faith is strong, how’s yours?
Believe nothing you hear and half of what you read.
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