PART II

ENTITIES

The concept of alien visitors from other worlds is an important issue in these times, because the notion that there exists life on other planets will confront many fundamental Christian beliefs. In the event that the existence of alien life becomes fact, new evidence will prompt questions as to the origin of life. Judging from the modern sociological perspective on the theories of origin, orthodox Christianity will suffer a tremendous dilemma. (Consider the dilemma it already faces with the false doctrine of evolution!)

The kinds of views that will be presented to humanity during a time of open contact with aliens – are already surfacing. Francis Crick and James Watson, for example, the Nobel Prize winners for Physiology and Medicine, are famous for discovering the master molecule that contains the genetic code, (DNA). In the late 1980’s, Crick has been noted as "…boldly suggesting that the seeds of life on earth may have been sent here in a rocket launched from some faraway planet by creatures like ourselves."¹

Most assuredly this theory will resurface with intensified vigor, when it is accompanied with some falsified evidence supplied by certain entities who will probably attempt to claim that illustrious title – our creators, (small "c"!)

The information contained in this book about aliens visiting the earth in the past, and especially in the end times, (now), is information I believe is contained within key passages of scripture in the Bible. I firmly believe the Holy Spirit has illuminated these passages of scripture to me, and has given me sufficient knowledge to interpret them.

The Bible has a great deal to say about aliens. It speaks of their existence in many verses, and specifically mentions their, (for the most part – those that we encounter), alliance with Satan. It is my intention to clarify some of these scriptures so that this up and coming deception will be forewarned.

It should be noted that frequently found throughout this book is the word possibility. When I spot something in scripture that looks like evidence in support of a particular theory, I emphasize that some of the particular interpretations of scripture I make should only be construed as possibilities. I do this for two reasons: 1. Many of the theories I suggest are just that – theories. Most of the theories in this book can’t be proved (as far as I know) – but if further information is uncovered in the future that may provide additional evidence in support of them, then they will certainly be strengthened. 2. I think it’s a good idea to have a large collection of possibilities open, so that if something happens in the future of world events that may come as a shock to the Christian community, (namely – alien contact), these possibilities will be made available. For example, relevant to this book, if alien life presents itself to the world, and it is proven that there is other life in outer space without a shadow of a doubt, scriptural research into this possibility would serve a valuable purpose. It would ground Christians with the knowledge that simply because there exists life on other planets doesn’t mean that the Christian paradigm is false. As I have previously noted, according to much of my research, the existence of aliens in outer space doesn’t refute scripture at all. In fact, scripture seems to indicate that there is, in fact, life in outer space.

The terms "Angels", "Fallen Angels", "Demons", "Hosts of Heaven", "Stars", "Creatures", "Sons of God", and the "Nephilim", also known as "Rapha", or "Rephaim", all three of which refer to giants,² all must be defined. Within these terms lies the key to unlocking the mystery of what modern society calls aliens.

To begin with, I will define the most confusing and liberally applied term of all, angels.

Can angels and aliens be the same entities? Concerning their differences, most people make two assumptions:

1. Many people think that angels are purely spiritual beings, and can’t assume physical form. This concept is derived from ancient legends, scriptures, and pictures of angels as being glorified and holy, glowing with the power of God, and wearing brilliantly illuminating white robes. People don’t think of angels as needing technology, because they have innate power, and are capable of going anywhere, and doing anything they so desire, simply by the sheer power of their will. In most respects, they are thought of as messengers and guardians; protectors of humanity assigned by God Himself to help us.

Aliens, on the contrary, are usually depicted as physical beings like humans. They depend on their highly advanced technology, which aids them in all of their activities. Aliens aren’t typically thought of as divine helpers on missions assigned by God, but rather, scientists from other worlds. They are keenly intelligent, perhaps much more so than humans judging by the accounts of the sophistication of their technology. At best, they are thought of as helpers, though their methods are chaotic and uncaring on the micro level. Some people think they are simply curious about humans, just as humans are curious about them. Other people, especially those who’ve experience alien abductions, think they are utterly terrifying, and downright evil in their abusive treatment of humans.

2. Most people believe that angels are in heaven, and demons, or fallen angels, are trapped in hell. Aliens, on the other hand, if they exist, are free to roam about in outer space. The confusion here comes from the fact that people generally define heaven and hell as spiritual places beyond our reality, while outer space is within our reality.

While the next part of this book deals with the later assumption, this part of this book is titled "Entities", and deals with the first assumption, that angels and aliens are thought to be different entities. By societies current definition of aliens, aliens and angels might not be referring to the same entities, but I think they are, and I will reveal exactly why I think this.

Also, angels aren’t the only entities mentioned in scripture that might exist within the cosmos. Even if angels aren’t aliens – the Bible lists other entities that might be.

After reading all of the chapters in this section, all of the different terms referring to existing entities will be fully defined. Simply by defining entities found within scripture, I believe many eyes will be opened to a reality the Bible speaks of, that many people never knew was there.

1 Brad Steiger, The UFO Abductors, Berkley Edition, 1988, page 202.

2 Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon, (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.) 1995.

CHAPTER 4: ANGELS, THE SONS OF GOD, AND THEIR OFFSPRING, THE NEPHILIM

1. The astounding power of angels:

When people think of angels, they usually think of powerful beings that are capable of doing things that require a body transcendent of the physical realm. The angels recorded in scripture are powerful beings indeed. One angel, for instance, defended Israel against the Assyrian army, single handedly destroying 185,000 Assyrian soldiers:

2 Kings 19:35

This incident occurred following a dispute between Hezekiah, King of Judah, and the King of Assyria. I enjoy reading it, because the captain of the guard for Assyria boasts that no gods from any other nations that Assyria fought against helped them to prevail. God’s response to this, found in King Hezekiah’s prayer for help, (2 Kings 19:17-19), can be paraphrased as: "…but the God of Israel, IS-REAL." This becomes weightily evident when reflecting on the mass destruction of the Assyrian army.

Aside from the mass destruction of armies and cities (Sodom and Gomorrah), angels are also noted for their ability to fly (Matthew 28:2, Revelation 14:6), teleport (Acts 5:19-23), deliver messages in person (or angel, if you will) and psychically in dreams (Luke 1:13, Matthew 1:20, Genesis 31:11)¹. They can also bless people with healing (John 5:2-6), curse people with blindness (Genesis 19:1-3), muteness (Luke 1:20), and make people feint (Matthew 28:2). All of these powers indicate entities of a supernatural, spiritual nature. Furthermore, Psalms 104:1-4 and Ephesians 6:12 indicate that angels are indeed spiritual beings.

Psalms 104:1-4

1Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; … ⁴Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:

Ephesians 6:10-13

¹²For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

2. Confusion with classifying angels:

Do these reference apply to all angels? Here is where some confusion may arise due to the liberal use of the term angel. Psalms 104:1-4 wasn’t necessarily stating that angels are strictly spiritual beings. Also, not all angels are enveloped in flaming fire. The angels in Ezekiel 1:4-14, for instance, were angels surrounded by flames of fire, but don’t even come close to the human appearance of the angels that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, among others, which were usually mistaken for being male humans.

Ezekiel 1:4-14

⁴And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire. ⁵Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man. ⁶And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. ⁷And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf’s foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass. ⁸And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings. ⁹Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward. ¹⁰As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle. ¹¹Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies. ¹²And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went. ¹³As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. ¹⁴And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.

As for the spiritual beings mentioned in Ephesians 6:10-13, these are spiritual beings that Christian’s wrestle against. This distinguishes them as either fallen angels, or demons – (terms which are unique from each other, and I will define further in this book). Paul mentions them specifically as not having flesh and blood. I think there could be three possible explanations for this passage of scripture.

I don’t think it would be unreasonable to rephrase Paul’s statement as "…flesh and blood as we know it…" – because if fallen angels or demons have flesh and blood, it’s probably different from ours.

Also, it may very well be that some powerful, evil beings may not have any physical form, nor are able to assume any physical form. I classify disincarnate fallen angels into this category, which I will simply call demons. I derive this classification from the assumption that A. Angels are physical beings, B. Angels that sin are cursed with death, and C. Once physically dead, their spirits continue to exist.

Demon is a broad term I use to describe both deceased fallen angels, (non-corporeal), and their deceased aberrant hybrid progeny, such as the Nephilim, (which again, I will discuss shortly). Demons are always distinguished in scripture as beings that seek embodiment, while angels don’t. This denotes them as beings without physical bodies. They likewise aren’t able to assume physical form by their power. They need hosts.

A final interpretation of Ephesians 6:10-13 is that Paul was emphasizing that we, as Christian’s, aren’t struggling just against our own flesh and blood, but against evil, spiritual beings. If this is what Paul meant, then he wasn’t directly stating that the spiritual beings Christian’s wrestle against aren’t composed of flesh and blood. Just because these beings are spiritual, doesn’t meant that they aren’t physical either, or that they don’t have the ability to become physical. Humans, for instance, are spiritual beings, as well as physical.

In any case, there are other scriptures that indicate that angels aren’t strictly spiritual beings. The bottom line of Ephesians 6:10-13 is to be on your guard as a Christian, because there are evil spiritual beings everywhere, and Christians are in warfare against them, whether they like it or not. Christians must prepare for battle!

3. Are angels physical beings?

As for the issue of angels being physical beings, the fact of the matter is, some angels can assume a physical form as we might define physical. It may even be the natural state of some of them. In scripture, we find angels performing many tasks that require physical bodies. For an example, examine the angels that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19:1-3 that I just previously mentioned.

Genesis 19:1-3

1And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; ²And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant’s house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. ³And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.

In order to talk with Lot like a normal person, eat food, and grab and pull Lot’s arm on two occasions, (later in the same chapter), they had to be physical entities.

There are two extreme examples of angels performing activities that make it very difficult to refute their physical nature. The first example is when Jacob, patriarch of the Old Testament, even wrestled with an angel (Genesis 32:24-30, also referred to in Hosea 12:2-4).

Genesis 32:24-30

24And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. ²⁵And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. ²⁶And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. ²⁷And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. ²⁸And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. ²⁹And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. ³⁰And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

Hosea 2:2-4

²The LORD hath also a controversy with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways; according to his doings will he recompense him. ³He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God: ⁴Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed.

The other extreme example is found in Genesis chapter 6 and is also referred to in Jude 1:6, and 2 Peter 2:4. This second example will be the primary focus of this chapter.

Genesis 6:1-13

1And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, 2That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. 3And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. 4There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. 5And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. 8But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. 9These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. 10And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. 13And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

Jude 1:6

⁶And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. ⁷Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

2 Peter 2:4-6

⁴For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; ⁵And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; ⁶And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;

This example in Genesis 6 opens Pandora’s Box, and warrants an extended discussion. It refers to angels that sinned, inbreeding with humans! They not only had sex with human women, but bore offspring, which is an indication that they were physical by nature. It is possible that the Sons of God are angels that assumed physical form, and were able to mate – I won’t rule this out. I just think it’s more likely that they are physical by nature, and I will explain why before this chapter is through.

Here again, we see a distinction. The word angel denotes that there are different types of angels that could be spoken of. In this instance, it should be assumed that humans weren’t mating with 4 headed, 6 winged Seraphim angels, that are described by Ezekiel as having eyes everywhere, and are surrounded by balls of fire and bolts of lighting. (Any attempt would probably result in death!) The angels that sinned, mating with humans, were obviously humanoid, and genetically very closely related to earth humans, because they were capable of producing offspring with them.

Why would angels go through all the trouble to assume a temporary physical form capable of the vast complex ability of reproduction that could result in offspring? Assuming temporary physical forms that could perform rudimentary tasks is one thing; androids could do such. But reproduction is far more complex than eating, talking, and making physical contact with people. Reproduction is serious – biological physical contact!

3.1 The Sethite theory:

Many theologians of relatively recent times have had great difficulty in accepting the possibility that an angel can mate with a human being, and bear offspring. (Strange that the secular media would accept it, while theologians generally scoff at it. In movies such a Michael, and City of Angels – this phenomenon is portrayed, yet sadly it’s cast in a deceptive light. Both these moves glorify this satanic activity).

Following is an excerpt taken from my NIV Study Bible commentary notes concerning Genesis chapter 6:

"The "Sons of God" has been interpreted here (Genesis 6) to refer either to angels or to human beings. In such places as Job 1:6, 2:1, it refers to angels, and perhaps also in Psalms 29:1 (where it’s translated "mighty ones"). Some interpreters also appeal to Jude 1:6-7 (as well as to Jewish literature) in referring the phrase here to angels.

Another plausible suggestion is that the "Sons of God" refers to royal figures (Kings were closely associated with gods in the ancient Near East) who proudly perpetuated and aggravated the corrupt life-style of Lamech son of Cain (virtually a royal figure) and established for themselves royal harems."²

If the Sons of God in Genesis 6 are not angels, then it’s easier for most people to accept, but the argument in favor of the Sons of God being angels is more credible in my opinion. Most biblical evidence, I have discovered, points to the Sons of God in Genesis 6 being angels.

3.2 The Sons of God – angels:

Indeed, even though the context of the phrase Sons of God as mentioned in Genesis and Job indicates angels, many have considered this possibility far fetched, because it’s too weird of an interpretation. There are also some apparent conflicts. Can angels have sex?!? To say "No" seems to contradict Genesis 6. To say "Yes" seems to contradict Matthew 22:30, Mark 12:25, and Luke 20:34-46 (Angels don’t marry, nor are given in marriage).

Does the Sethite theory resolve this contradiction? No, instead, it raises more problems than it attempts to resolve.

As previously mentioned, the Sethite theory suggests that descendents from the godly line of Seth, (third son of Adam), mated with descendents from the wicked line of Cain. Does this explain why their offspring were Nephilim (giants), genetic monstrosities of nature? No, it doesn’t. Now if one were to ardently hold to the Sethite theory, it could be expounded upon to suggest that the Nephilim (giants) were aberrations because they were the products of offspring between glorified humans of the line of Seth, and sinful, less-glorified humans of the line of Cain. So the origin of giants might be explained as an anomaly created by differences in glory, but now on to argument number two.

The Sons of God are sinning heavily in mating with the daughters of men, in so much that they were cast down and imprisoned in darkness and awaiting judgement. Scripture doesn’t state that they were committing adultery, or fornicating outside the confines of marriage. Why was it such a sin for descendents of the line of Seth to intermarry with descendents of the line of Cain? Nowhere in scripture is any such sanction imposed upon the line of Seth. God declared that Israelites shouldn’t intermarry with non-Israelites, and this was mentioned several places in scripture, because of its vast importance in Israel’s commitment to God. If this distinction was made for the Israelites, and was emphasized so many times in scripture, why would a similar sanction on the line of Seth be completely absent from scripture?

Going further, why would the children of such a godly line, the line of Seth, be inherently evil, as were these giants, the Nephilim? One would think that something better would come of the offspring of the glorified Sons of God, at least by random chance. After all, at least one parent was from a glorified line. Why were all their progeny evil?

Saving the best argument for last, I’ve discovered that it’s basically impossible for the Sethite theory to be true, because of a logical error. In the flood of Noah, according to the Sethite theory, all the Cainites were killed. This can be assumed for two reasons. First of all, God blessed Noah and his children in Genesis 9:1.

Genesis 9:1

1And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.

If Noah, Shem, Ham, or Japeth, had any wife descending from the line of Cain – holding to the Sethite theory – they would’ve been cursed by God, not blessed! (Note that the Sons of God that sinned were cast down into hell and awaiting judgement (Jude 1:1-6, 2 Peter 2:4-6)).

Secondly, from the direct descendents of Noah’s three sons, no Nephilim (giants) are ever mentioned in his lineage – until after many generations. God had no intention of continuing the existence of evil giants in the earth. He wanted the earth to begin with a blessing – refreshed, pure, and holy. Where were these giants coming from, if not from Noah’s family?

If God purified the earth, and all the descendents from the line of Cain were destroyed in the flood of Noah, then how did the Nephilim get back into the earth after the flood? For Genesis 6:4 clearly states that the Sons of God continued mating with the daughters of men, and bearing offspring that were giants, even after the flood. It should therefore become apparent that the Sethite theory is impossible, because Sethites couldn’t have been mating with Cainites, if there were no Cainites!

With all these strikes against the Sethite theory, I find the explanation of the Sons of God being angels to be much more plausible than their being glorified descendents from the line of Seth.

But if the Sons of God were angels, the question still remains: How could it be, that angels can have sex?!? I will answer this question, but before I do, I will first provide more evidence in support of the Sons of God being angels.

Evidence supporting that the angels that sinned were physical by nature – and were in fact angels – can be uncovered by analyzing their offspring, the "Nephilim", also referred to as "Rapha", or "Rephaim", which were giants. References to these half-breeds are found in scripture wherever the word giant appears. (Nephilim: Genesis 6:4; Numbers 13:33; Rapha, also translated Rephaim: Deuteronomy 2:11, 2:20, 3:11, 3:13; Joshua 12:4, 13:12, 15:8, 17:15, 18:16; 2 Samuel 21:16, 21:18, 21:20, 21:22; and 1 Chronicles 20:4, 20:6, and 20:8).

Why weren’t these offspring normal humans? This can be attributed to two factors. First of all, their parents might be genetically different species of humanoids, i.e., like the slight difference between a horse and a donkey – which when mated together, produce the mutated sterile offspring of mules. Goliath, for instance, the well famed giant smote by King David, was not only a giant, but was also noted as having six fingers on both hands, and six toes on both feet (2 Samuel 21:20). Does this not sound like a genetic mutation anomaly?

Secondly, the level of glory of the angels that sinned sexually with humans was higher than humanities, which might be responsible for supernatural anomalies. Consider that scripture states there were legends concerning these entities. The offspring of the gods, (i.e., found in Greek mythos, and Indian (Vedas), Native American (Anazasi, Hopi, Navajo), and Chinese records) ³, were often reported to have supernatural powers, which is probably why they were legendary, and even worshiped in some cases.

Personally, I believe these genetic monstrosities were a combination of both genetic, and glorified differences between the angels that sinned, and the humans of earth. Concerning their power and dominance, I think they were genetically designed to conquer the world. The Sons of God may have genetically manipulated themselves in experiments to plan out their offspring to have the most dominant, powerful traits as possible. I will return to this theme after providing more background information.

Before I delve into Genesis 6 any further, I would like to point out the fact that I’ve crossed two definitional boundaries. The first boundary I crossed was with Jacob, and his wrestling match with an angel. Genesis calls this entity a "Man", but Hosea refers to the entity that wrestled with Jacob as an angel. As for Jacob himself, he thought the Man was God. Exactly who was this mysterious figure? He may have been one of the race of humanoid angels I’ve been discussing – (Sons of God), but not a sinful one, obviously. He was the one that dubbed Jacob – Israel. In reality, nobody really knows who He was, and He didn’t want anyone to know either, because He refused to tell Jacob what His name was. With all this put before us, the liberal definition of angel is sufficient, because we know that this entity was not merely a man, judging from the supernatural power he exhibited, and that he had the authority to rename Jacob to Israel. I suspect he was the pre-incarnate Jesus, because it has always been his characteristic to rename His chosen, but that’s just my own opinion.

Also, the second definitional boundary I crossed was the Sons of God. As I have already argued, the Sons of God can be interpreted as angels in several passages of scripture. Again, these are angelic beings that are described, and sometimes even mistaken for being male humans.

3.3 The link between the flood, and Sodom and Gomorrah:

If the connection is made that the Sons of God that mated with humans were in fact angels, then it should be clear that both the references in Jude and Peter I previously alluded to were concerning these Sons of God that sinned.

When reading these two passages of scripture – Jude 1:6-7, and 2 Peter 2:4 – both references are linked with the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Jude mentions that the Sodomites gave themselves over to strange flesh. This term, in Greek: "heteros", {ajlloiovw}, is translated as "Other".⁴ Is this not revealing? Going further into this event, let’s now look at why Sodom and Gomorrah are specifically linked to these angels that sinned, spoken of by Peter, and Jude. In Genesis, let me pull out two passages of scripture for analysis.

Genesis 18:20-22

²⁰And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; ²¹I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. ²²And the men (angels) turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.

Genesis 19:4-9

⁴But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: ⁵And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know (uh… my paraphrase – have sex with) them. ⁶And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, ⁷And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. ⁸Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof. ⁹And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.

So what we find here is that Sodom and Gomorrah are so incredibly evil, God can’t stand it anymore. Is this really the case? God personally sends his two angels to destroy it. Why? When I look at the cities of today, like Los Angeles, and New York, I wonder why God hasn’t obliterated them yet. The cities of today are full of wretched evil. Exactly what were Sodom and Gomorrah doing that was any worse than what we have today?

Delving deeper, what did God mean when He said, "I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it."? Dropping down to Genesis 19:4-9, we find just exactly what God was expecting. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah saw two angels enter the city, and were so enthralled with wanting to rape them, they didn’t even care about Lot’s virgin daughters he offered them in exchange! (It could be – conjecture here – just as found in Greek mythology, mating with these beings was possibly pleasurable beyond what we know sex to be.)

This sexual immorality is possibly what God was expecting – and this is why Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. Sodom and Gomorrah were a haven of sexual immorality, even that between fallen-angels and humans.

3.4 Why Noah?

The sexual immorality found in Sodom and Gomorrah is the same as that found in Genesis 6, and was probably what spawned the flood of Noah. When God destroyed the entire world in the flood of Noah, it was because of the angels that sinned. When the Sons of God started mating with the daughters of men at that time, afterwards the earth was filled with evil giants. These corrupt beings dominated the planet, and were the reason that God was sorry He ever made man.

But scripture states that Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord, and that Noah was just and walked with God, and was perfect in his generations. The grace that Noah found in the eyes of the Lord, I think, is speaking about Noah’s perception of the eyes of God. As for being just, and walking with God – well, Noah was a pretty great guy! But what does perfect in his generations refer to? The word "Perfect", translates to "tamiym"{!ymiT;}}, which means "Without Blemish". ^{5, 6} Noah, genetically speaking, was a pure-strain human, not some half-breed superhero giant.

Genesis 6:8-9

8But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. ⁹These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

What I think was really was going on in these days was Satan’s plan of attack to prevent the birth of the Messiah. Jesus couldn’t have been born from a corrupt line of fallen angels. Jesus had to be born the Son of Man, and the Only Begotten Son of God. So to prevent Satan from corrupting the entire human race, God completely annihilated the whole world, because at that time, most of the entire human genetic structure, with the exception of Noah’s family, was polluted. Then, after the flood of Noah, God promised He would never destroy the world again. Note: He never promised He wouldn’t destroy any cities. Genesis 6:4 mentions that the Sons of God mating with humans didn’t end after the flood. The brief mention of "…in those days; and also after that", refers to the fact that the fallen angels, the Sons of God, continued to sin with the daughters of men, and with men in cases of homosexuality, as found in Sodom and Gomorrah, even after the flood.

God feels the same way now about this sin, as He did back then. Incidents after the flood continued to crop up, because a few races of giants are spoken of in scripture as existing in the world after the flood. They certainly weren’t the dominant force in the world the way they used to be. I think the reason why is because God dealt with the Nephilim, and the fallen angels mating with humans that produced them – like a disease. When incidents increased in particular areas, such as Sodom and Gomorrah, God stepped in and immediately exterminated them. Sodom and Gomorrah probably weren’t the only places God dealt His wrath in this manner either, because Jude 1:7 mentions that there were other cities – "⁷Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner…"

3.5 Alien abductions in prophesy:

This information about the Sons of God is very important, prophetically speaking. Why? Because these things are still going on today! Both Matthew 24:37, and Luke 17:26-30 quote Jesus as stating that the end times will be a return to the days of Noah. What typified the days of Noah? Fallen angels inbreeding with humans. Luke 17:26-30 especially points to this conclusion, because again, not only the days of Noah are mentioned, but Sodom and Gomorrah are mentioned as well.

Matthew 24:37

³⁷But as the days of Noe (Noah) were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Luke 17:26-30

²⁶And as it was in the days of Noe (Noah), so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. ²⁷They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. ²⁸Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; ²⁹But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. ³⁰Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

To briefly recap: Satan’s initial plan of attack was to pollute the seed of humanity, and prevent the birth of Christ. While doing so, He had his minions genetically develop a means of producing a master race of warriors; chaotic, and utterly evil. These beings would be capable, by brute force, of taking any women they chose, (which scripture indicates that they took any they chose), and killing all who would defy them. This plan almost worked for Satan, but then God had to come and mess everything up for him. (Thank God!)

Quickly after the flood, Satan began his plan again, but it just wasn’t working as good as it did before. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, (and possibly other cities as well), then sent in Israel to destroy the rest of these giants, empowering his chosen humans, the Israelites, with His divine, supernatural power. Basically, these giants were wiped out.

Did Satan quit? Of course not! I think this is why most of the alien abductions going on these days deal with reproductive experiments. Anyone familiar with the field of genetics should be aware of the fact that a primary portion of this type of research involves many aspects of reproduction. Certainly, the gray bug-eyed creatures frequently reported to abduct people don’t want sperm and egg samples as desktop souvenirs. I likewise don’t imagine that the aliens that collect these samples are simply participating in some bizarre ritual relative to cow-tipping in Wisconsin. (Sounds like a Far-Side comic of a couple of aliens wearing T-shirts saying "Earth 2000, I was there", and pictured underneath the words are a couple of terrified humans having their… uh, let’s not go there.)

Anyway, these alien beings are obviously working on something other than giants. I think – they are working on several things. First of all, they would like to produce a human of superior intellect, and possibly supernatural power. Secondly, I think they are experimenting with cybernetics, trying to integrate the human consciousness into computer chips. (Imagine how attracted humanity would be to such technology?) Successive chapters in this book will elaborate upon these theories, so don’t worry. I’m not just throwing out these ideas, and leaving them sit there without any follow up.

I don’t think these gray bug-eyed alien abductors we see shows on TV about are the Sons of God. I believe the Sons of God are humanoid. But the gray creatures may be particularly knowledgeable in the field of genetics, and that’s why they are assigned to the task of genetic experimentation. (They were probably the ones that developed the means to produce giants.) They are most likely helping the Sons of God, because one among the Sons of God is a great leader among many of them, and many other species throughout all existence. In fact, he is a leader of a whopping one third the Hosts of Heaven! Uh, oops, getting ahead of myself. Sorry.

Concerning aliens in prophesy, best selling author Hal Lindsey believes as I do, that they have ties with the demonic. While his interpretation of the UFO/alien phenomenon is that aliens are simply earth-bound demons posing as entities from other worlds, he does believe that the UFO/alien phenomenon will play a part in the end-times scenario. He mentions several key relevant passages of scripture indicating this. I highly recommend his work, for anyone interested in prophesy.⁷ Chapter 4 of his book Planet Earth – 2000 A.D., is especially relevant to this chapter, the only exception being that his definition of aliens is different than mine.

All of this information I’ve given on the Sons of God appears to fit with scripture so far, but there is one very big detail I have still yet to answer. Saying that the Sons of God are angels, and did mate with humans, poses some apparent contradictions, because of Matthew 22:30, Mark 12:25, and Luke 20:34-36.

Matthew 22:30

³⁰For in the resurrection they (people) neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.

Mark 12:25

²⁵For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.

Luke 20:34-36.

34And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: ³⁵But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: ³⁶Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

3.6 Marriage and sex among angels:

Now that all the evidence has been submitted supporting the theory that the Sons of God in Genesis 6 were angels, I will finally get to the question concerning angels and sex. How is this? Is there sex among angels? Please pardon me while I take this detour. I’m still answering the question that some angels might be physical by nature. I find it necessary to take this detour though, because it’s necessary in order to span the full scope of defining the entities spoken of in the Bible. Jesus said that angels don’t marry, nor are they given in marriage (Matthew 22:30, Mark 12:25, and Luke 20:34-46). If this is so, then how could the Sons of God, angels, be having sexual relations with the daughters of men?

It should be noted that while Jesus states in Matthew 22:30, Mark 12:25, and Luke 20:34-36, that we will be like the angels, which neither marry, nor are given in marriage, He doesn’t say that it’s impossible for angels to have sex. But to say that angels can have sex, and yet no marriage, means that sex would have to take place outside the confines of marriage. Again, we have another apparent contradiction. Sex outside the confines of marriage is defined as sinful in scripture in MANY places: (Acts 15:20, 15:29, 21:25; Romans 1:29; 1 Corinthians 6:13, 6:18; Galatians 5:18; and Ephesians 5:3, just to mention a few).

When referencing these scriptures, it’s important to realize that in none of them does it indicate that sexual relations outside the confines of marriage is acceptable by any means. Sex outside of marriage is a moral absolute, and isn’t okay if it’s safe (fallacy) and prevents the spread of disease, or even if the two people love each other, or to protect the institution of family for the children’s sake, etc. Disease, jealousy and emotional problems, and broken families are often the results of fornication, but are never indicated to be the reason God declares fornication sin. As for homosexuality, this is singled out as being an abomination (Romans 1:26-32; Leviticus 20:13), and fully despised of God.

So are we stuck? How can sex exist among angels, without the institution of marriage to confine it? Mormon theology sort of finds a way around Matthew 22:30, Mark 12:25, and Luke 20:34-36. Mormons interpret these scriptures to mean that all the marrying is done here on earth, but the marriage contract extends into heaven, because Matthew 16:19 states that "Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven." Therefore, the act of getting married doesn’t occur in heaven, but the actual institution of marriage does. Mormons also use Ecclesiastes 3:14 to support the eternal nature of the marriage contract, which states that:

Ecclesiastes 3:14

14 Whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever.

On the surface, this appears to be a sound argument to support the existence of the institution of marriage in heaven. When put to the test though, it doesn’t hold water. The Mormon interpretation of Matthew 22:30 violates one of the primary laws of hermeneutics (literary standard by which scripture should be interpreted), which states that scripture should be interpreted within its context. To get an accurate assessment of Matthew 22:30, Mark 12:25, and Luke 20:34-36, one needs to back up and read the passages that precede them. I’ll just take Matthew 22:23-29 for my example. This passage consists of the question that prompted Jesus’ answer – which is Matthew 22:30. (What good is an answer if one doesn’t know what the question is?) Jesus was presented with the example of a woman who had married seven brothers, each dying successively one after the other. When she reached heaven, who was she really married to? Jesus answered saying that we will be like the angels – not marrying, nor given in marriage. If the marriage contract were still valid, Jesus would’ve had to state which brother she would be married to, but He specifically didn’t!

If the Mormon view of marriage holds true, I would thus present the same question. Exactly who would such a woman be married to, as if Jesus’ answer wasn’t good enough?

Since Mormons believe in polygamy, (or do they still?), the Mormon answer might very well be "All!" Trying not to get off the subject too much, (though it appears I already have), but now we have a new question. Is polygamy acceptable to God, and if so, will it exist in heaven? Sure, why not? – NOT! The answer is "No" to both questions.

The question of whether or not polygamy is sinful is actually a little harder to answer than most people might think. I mean, sure, it’s easy for most people to say that it’s wrong – in American society, it’s considered wrong – by most anyway. The way things are going… But does that make polygamy a culturally relative sin? After all, some of the greatest patriarchs of the Old Testament were polygamists. Does this mean that polygamy is acceptable? Again, I must reiterate, absolutely not! But because of the integrity of the Old Testament patriarchs, I’m compelled to elaborate on exactly why polygamy is a sin. (As for culturally relative sin – God is ethnocentric by anthropological standards, so I really don’t have any qualms saying that there is no such thing as cultural relativism when dealing with moral absolutes.)

Let me begin with the sin of adultery. This is one of the Ten Commandments that everyone is familiar with – so we can all begin on the same sheet of music. What exactly is adultery? Answer: Adultery is when a married person has sex with someone other than his/her marriage partner, (with the exception of rape – where choice may not be an option on the victim’s behalf). If polygamy is not a sin, then one could justifiably marry anyone he/she desired to have sex with, thus escape the sin of adultery. Taking this a step further, one could expand polygamy to large groups of people, who after getting married to each other, could thus subject themselves to orgies. If polygamy isn’t a sin, then this wouldn’t be considered sinful.

Let’s just say that the entire United States of America institutes a polygamy campaign, marrying people numbering in the thousands, so that in a matter of a few years, all the people in the entire United States are married to each other. (Sounds like the goal of the 1960’s free-love movement). In order to identify someone you were married to, you would be issued a U.S. citizenship marriage campaign card.

In this scenario, you could have sex with anyone at any time, and it wouldn’t be committing fornication, or adultery, because whoever you were having sex with, (with the exception of homosexuality), would be your marriage partner. Technically, this wouldn’t be considered sin. All that would have to transpire is for each individual to flash their U.S. citizenship marriage campaign card, (among other things), then everything would be holy and sanctified under God.

Given this scenario, as absurd as it is, exactly what meaning does marriage have at this point? Absolutely none. Therefore, if polygamy is not considered a sin, then marriage and the sin of adultery mean nothing. Since God is the originator of marriage, then marriage certainly has meaning, and polygamy is obviously man’s way of trying to circumvent his sin through his own works. "I won’t commit adultery – I’ll just marry 1000 women" thought King Solomon. How absurd.

Now that you’ve tasted the logical argument against polygamy, let’s take a moment to look at the examples of polygamy we find in scripture. Whenever the intricate details of polygamous relationships were chronicled, there were always numerous problems. Abraham, Jacob, King David, and King Solomon all lived in polygamous relationships. All paid heavily for it. In Abraham and Jacob’s lives, there was always bitter resentment, partiality, extreme jealousy (go figure), grief and discontentment – everyone paid the price. With King David, his plan to put Uriah the Hittite on the front lines of battle to be killed, so he (David) could have Bathsheba as another wife, ended in a tragedy that resulted in the death of one of his children, and plagued him for the rest of his life. As for King Solomon, he suffered the worst fate of all; deception into idolatry because his wives deceived him away from the Lord.

Aside from the logical arguments disclosing polygamy as sin, and the living examples, the Lord commands the men of Israel not to undertake the practice of polygamy in Deuteronomy 17:17

Deuteronomy 17:17

17Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away.

From all of the aforementioned, it should be clear that polygamy is sin. But for the sake of thoroughness, I don’t want to forget about the other passage of scripture I mentioned that Mormon’s use to support the so-called eternal nature of the marriage contract. Ecclesiastes 3:14 gives us the following:

Ecclesiastes 3:14

14Whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever.

This is one of those cryptic passages of scripture that makes me scratch my head. But after scratching my head for a moment, I recall Matthew 24:35.

Matthew 24:35

35Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Revelation 21:1 refers to the same event spoken of in Matthew 24:35, that heaven and earth will pass away, giving way to a new heaven, and a new earth.

Revelation 21:1

1And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

From what can be seen, it appears that Ecclesiastes 3:14 is contradicting Matthew 24:35, and Revelation 21:1, because Ecclesiastes 3:14 is stating that what God does lasts forever, while the other two scriptures state that the vast existence of heaven and earth will pass away. Since the Bible never contradicts itself, there must be an explanation other than contradiction.

I think this perceived contradiction can be eliminated by dissecting the term "forever". What is forever, anyway? From scripture, it is given that God is an eternal being, without beginning, or end. Knowing this, it can be accurately assessed that God is outside the space-time domain altogether. From God’s perspective, all things that ever were, are, or ever will be, can be thought of as continuously present, for He is omniscient, and omnipresent. Therefore if "God doeth" something, from His perspective, it "…shall be done forever", because for God, all things are forever present. So, getting back to the marriage contract, to us, our marriage contract may appear from the perspective of linear time to have a distinct beginning and end. To God though, the time frame in which that marriage contract existed will exist forever.

This is the best I can do concerning this passage of scripture, because I know the Bible doesn’t contradict itself. This interpretation of forever doesn’t apply to just anything. The eternal nature of God, Heaven, Hell, and spirits, for instance, literally exist for eternity – not just from God’s perspective, because there are mountains of scripture to support their eternal nature. Ecclesiastes 3:14 is just one passage of scripture, and in order not to contradict other scripture, it needs a fitting interpretation that complements other scripture. The interpretation I have just given does just that. But aside from all this, it should be clear that when Mormons apply Ecclesiastes 3:14 to the marriage contract, they are clearly taking it out of context.

Now that all of the above about marriage and sex among angels has been discussed, it should be evident that the angels in heaven don’t have sex, and aren’t married, nor will we people have sex or marry, once resurrected and translated into heaven. (Note: there is no sex bound with marriage in the highest heaven – but in the New Jerusalem, which is the 2^nd heaven, there probably is, because Isaiah mentions that there will be children there). Have I gotten anywhere, or have I just wandered off the subject? Yes.

In summation, some angels came to earth and had sex with humans and bore offspring, but they weren’t supposed to, and this was a sin for them to do. This is obvious, judging from the fact that they were chained in darkness in the depths of hell.

Angels aren’t supposed to have sex, but this doesn’t rule out the fact that they are capable of it. This is still a confusing concept, because to conclude that they are able to have sex and reproduce, but shouldn't, doesn’t make sense! I have another theory. Wipe the sweat off your brow, and brace yourself!

3.7 Why can angels sexually reproduce, but shouldn’t? The Butterfly theory:

I mentioned earlier that I thought it would be unlikely that the Sons of God mentioned in Genesis 6 would be capable of having sex and baring offspring, if they weren’t explicitly designed to do so. I have a theory that may suggest a possible explanation to this. I call it my "Butterfly" theory. Humans were designed by God to be transformed, like a butterfly, into a new nature.

Remember when Adam and Eve were first created in the Garden of Eden? At this time in human history, earth was in heaven, and humans were in open contact with God, communicating directly face to face with Him. (I will elaborate on the different realms of heaven in chapter 9 of this book.)

Adam and Eve were glorified beings (not translated – there is a distinction), and they were married and had sex with each other. (At this time, there was sex in heaven – but Adam and Eve weren’t angels, and they were married, so it was holy and sanctioned by God.) The first appearances of the marriage contract are found in Genesis 2:21-25, and Genesis 3:16, and are expounded upon greatly in scripture in other books, from this point on.

Genesis 2:21-25

21And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; ²²And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. ²³And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. ²⁴Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. ²⁵And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Genesis 3:16

…and thy (Eve’s) desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

With this fresh in our minds, we should now recall that the institution of marriage will be done away with, and with it, sex, because of what is stated in Matthew 22:30, Mark 12:25, and Luke 20:34-36. From this, one could logically assume that the human race was initially designed to sexually reproduce within the confines of marriage, until reaching a certain point. Once this certain level of development is achieved, the human race will then be translated by God into a higher species, in which reproduction will no longer serve a function.

After translation, it may be probable that appendages testifying to humanities former nature might still exist. (We might still have our sexual organs when we’re translated). But these appendages – (not really appendages when speaking of the female gender), will only serve as reminders of our former nature. They may eventually disappear over time – or perhaps in future translations. One thing is for sure, they won’t be intended for use! Why? Because there is no marriage in heaven, and without marriage, there is no sexual union.

To be honest, this concerned me when I came to this conclusion, but I console myself with the nature of God. I’m hopeful that God will relieve us from the burning desires of our bodies of flesh. It would be tough to have to deal with the desire of wanting sex, but being denied that desire – for eternity! But the only reason we have a desire to copulate is to serve God’s first command to Adam and Eve as a couple, in Genesis 1:28, and that was "…to multiply and be fruitful." Since sexual reproduction will no longer be a part of our nature, I’m certain God will also remove our sex drive, which He installed to bless, and help ensure His command in Genesis 1:28. As for why He won’t remove our sexual organs, perhaps He will leave them as conversation pieces? Ha! Actually, I don’t really have any explanation for the existence of these physical attributes that may exist for a period of time, but, in nature, there do appear to be similar examples of this somewhat strange phenomenon; i.e. useless physical body parts. I will elaborate more on these in the chapter on evolution.

So with all that I’ve stated, it should be apparent that humans were designed to develop and reproduce for a while, then God will translate them into a higher species. Humans began as beings lower than the angels, even when they were glorified – and hadn’t sinned yet, as verified in Hebrews 2:5-9, and Psalms 8:3

Hebrews 2:5-9

5For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. ⁶But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him? ⁷Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: ⁸Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. ⁹But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

Psalm 8:3

⁴What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? ⁵For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. ⁶Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:

Currently, humans aren’t classified as angels. Humans are lower than the angels, and therefore can’t be considered to be angels. But once translated, humans will be equal with the angels.  Not only that, humans will even be the judge over some angels.

Luke 20:34-35

³⁴And Jesus answering said unto them, ... The children of this world … which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead … ³⁶Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels;

1 Corinthians 6:3

³Know ye not that we shall judge angels?

The original question is: Are angels strictly spiritual beings? Now, a definite "No" can be fully established, and additional information which helps provide an understanding as to why it is possible for some angels to have sex, but shouldn’t, is also fully disclosed.
After the resurrection, humans will resemble the nature of the translated humans we see in Genesis 6, which are referred to as angels in Jude and 2 Peter. After we, (humans that survive the resurrection), are translated, it wouldn’t be incorrect to call us angels, because at this point, humans will be equal with the angels, and even judging some of them. We will be beings of translated flesh, and fully capable (key word – capable), of reproduction because that was once our function.  Furthermore, we will be able to bare offspring – but this offspring would be an abomination, because they would have been born though sin, and utter rebellion against God, and against humanities new translated nature. So now, it should be clearly evident that the Sons of God were capable of having sex, and offspring, but it was something terribly wrong for them to do. They were angels, and turned against the direction that God had glorified them. They turned back to their former state, turning their backs on God.
The term "Sons of God", I believe is a term that can be applied to translated humans. It’s for this reason that it’s sometimes used for Christian humans – pointing to their future state of glory. It’s also used for angels – which may be glorified, translated humans from other worlds. Whether or not the future translated humans of earth, and those we’ve encountered from heavenly realms in our past, are exactly the same species remains unknown.
One factor that distinguishes the humans of earth from humans originating elsewhere is the fact that God decided to make the humans from earth – from earth’s soil, instead of through the same line as the humanoid angelic beings coming from elsewhere. This alone distinguishes earthling humans from others, whereas other species of humans coming from other worlds were probably created from the soil of their original habitations. In any case, if earthling humans aren’t exactly the same as humans from other worlds, they are probably very similar. I say this, because there are many descriptions in scripture where the terms men and angels, referring to the Sons of God, are used interchangeably. Furthermore, earth humans were actually able to interbreed with these other humans from elsewhere, with tangible, (yet diluted and cursed), results. It is for this reason that I classify the species of angel termed the Sons of God, humanoid.

4. What kind of angel is Satan?

Is this all I have to say about the Sons of God? Not quite. For the most part, if humanity encounters an alien species dwelling in the universe in open contact, (i.e., in public eye), and they are humans, this probably means bad news! Why?

First of all, true angels of God always give glory to God, and never desire to direct attention to themselves. God’s faithful angels have been discreet in their appearances throughout the dawn of mankind, appearing to only select individuals of God’s choosing, and only for very brief encounters. There are some exceptions to this general rule. God’s dealings with Egypt weren’t discrete, but were clearly demonstrations of God’s will and power. But it should be noted that grand displays such as those in ancient Egypt are highly uncommon, and aren’t God’s usual methods of using angels. In any case, angels establishing open contact with humanity before Christ sets up His kingdom on earth doesn’t sound like the will of God. People get to heaven through Jesus, not angels.

It’s obvious from Genesis 6 that the Sons of God deliberately turned against God, and even their own nature which God had made them to be, mating with humans and producing children that were giants. Even the terms used to describe their offspring, indicate the nature of the sin involved. The term "Nephilim", which means giants, is derived from the primitive root word "Naphal" {naw-fal’} {lp'n:} }}}}}}, which has such meanings as fall down, cast down, and fall away.^{8, 9} As for the other term referring to giants, "Rapha" {raw-faw’} { !yaip;r]}, or "Raphah" {raw-faw’} {!yaip;r]}, it is the exact same word used for ghosts of the dead, shades, and spirits. So even the meanings of the words used to describe their offspring indicates that they were descendents of fallen angels, and thus were satanic entities by nature.

Seeing that the Sons of God are humanoid angelic beings – and that they are fallen angels at that, (those in Genesis 6), should be reason enough not to trust them. But when I read in Job 1:6, and 2:1, that they’re hanging out with Satan when Satan was requesting permission from God to tear Job’s life apart, I get a very bad feeling in my stomach.

Job 1:6-11

⁶Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. ⁷And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. ⁸And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? ⁹Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? ¹⁰Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. ¹¹But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.

Job 2:1

¹Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD. ²And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. ³And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause. ⁴And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. ⁵But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.

Perhaps I got this backwards. Instead of the Sons of God hanging out with Satan, don’t these passages of scripture indicate that Satan – is hanging out with them? These passages of scripture reveal that there is a regularly appointed audience between God and the Sons of God, and Satan is among the Sons of God. Now why might Satan be among them, these humanoid angelic beings, specifically? Why, why, why? Could it be that this is the type of angel Satan is?

Consider Isaiah 14:12-15 as an opener to this query. Doesn’t it appear that Lucifer is in essence, called a man?

Isaiah 14:12-15

¹²How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! ¹³For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: ¹⁴I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. ¹⁵Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. ¹⁶They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;

Please understand that I’m only entertaining a possibility. I would like to emphatically remind all readers that it’s merely my opinion that there is, in fact, a race of humanoid angels that came about as humans will one day be. This is merely my own conclusion. Keeping this in mind, simply read along with my conjecture, if not for any other reason than the mere curiosity of wondering what I’m going to say next.

Why does Satan show such a despising interest in Job in the previously discussed passages? In fact, why did Satan come to earth in person to deceive Eve, instead of appointing one of his lesser, underling followers to do it? My answer to this question is simple. Because Satan is probably a human that was translated; an angelic member of the species termed "Sons of God", and once was a ruler on a prior world – or many worlds. (See the last section of chapter 9 for more information on this).

When Adam and Eve were created, Satan was filled with jealous pride, hating God for creating new additions to the kind of angels termed "Sons of God". Enraged, threatened, and jealous, he personally has set out on a mission to destroy humanity on earth in any way he can.

There seems to be evidence that Satan is intimately linked with earth, in particular. Why is this? Why was Satan allowed access into the Garden of Eden? Was he not fallen and cast out of heaven, yet at that time, earth was in heaven? Why is it that when God cast him out of heaven, He flung him down to earth, of all places? (When I read this, I used to think to myself – "Well gee! Couldn’t he be thrown out to the sun, or in a black hole or something? Why earth!")

From Revelation 1:16-20, we see that some of God’s faithful angels are assigned positions of authority over churches, and in Daniel 10:12-14, we see that other angels, even those that have fallen and became evil, are still allowed to retain their authority in certain areas of the earth. (Daniel 10:12-14 refers to the Prince of Darkness ruling over Persia, which hindered the archangel Gabriel in his mission to deliver God’s message to Daniel.)

What about Satan? According to 2 Corinthians 4:4, Satan’s power over the earth is such that he is termed god of this world, (small "g", thank you very much. He’s only called this to denote his power and influence). All three of the above references are indications that powerful entities both good and evil, retain positions of authority over the affairs of the humans of earth – for a limited time. Satan’s role with humanity appears to bear a unique relationship though, because he was specifically cast out of heaven and down to earth, where his judgement will be met through the battle of Armageddon, and ending with his last uprising after the millennial reign.

Further defining Satan’s link with humanity is the fact that his defeat was through God becoming human, and crushing him altogether.

Is any of this really that important? Would it really even matter if Satan was at one time a human, and was translated into an angelic being? I don’t particularly think so. Most people know what Satan’s all about, and knowing his evil nature, and looking to Christ for answers is the important thing. I simply think that if he were a humanoid of some type, a few things in scripture would make a little more sense to me, that’s all.

Read carefully the way in which God presents Job to Satan. The book of Job has indeed always cast a shadow over many, (myself included), who wondered to no end why God would even bother to speak to Satan about Job. Doesn’t it make sense now, God saying to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, … etc."

One would think that Satan had at one time or another, given God every excuse in the book to justify his sins by finding fault with God. (I occasionally hear people accusing God of unjust evil. Don’t they know who they sound like?) In the book of Job, God appears to be using Job, a member of the same species, as an example to Satan that Satan’s prior arguments were nothing. Job was being put to a test that far exceeded any pain or hardship Satan may have been through, and used to justify his sin. Perhaps Satan told God, "You don’t know what it’s like to be human. You can always say that you know everything, because you’re God, and you supposedly do know everything. But you can’t truly say that – so that I will believe it, until you lay aside all of your power and glory, and make yourself lower than the angels, and walk in a man’s shoes!"

This very well could have been a real conversation that occurred between God and Satan long ago, at the conclusion of Job’s trials.

In any case, Satan was ultimately put to shame and defeated, considering what God did through His own Son, Jesus, the Christ. God the Father met the challenge Satan may have presented to Him, becoming human, walking in a man’s shoes – and doing it perfectly I might add. He, (Jesus), ended this challenge with the ultimate goal of finally ending humanities painful dilemma of sin once and for all by personally sacrificing Himself to atone for the sin of the world!

5. Satan’s tactics:

Throughout the dawn of time, Satan has been fighting against humanity, trying to justify his own sin by finding fault in the humans of earth. This is why he is known as the great accuser. When Satan became aware of God’s plan of salvation, he trembled in terror. He knew that if it were at all possible, he had to prevent the birth and mission of the messiah. His work toward this goal has been chronicled extensively in scripture. Chuck Missler and Mark Eastman, in their laborious biblical research, have extracted Satan’s tactics in his efforts. They are as follows: ¹⁰

Old Testament

1.Corruption of Adam’s line – original sin. Angels inbreeding with humans: Genesis 6:4

2.Pollute Abraham’s seed – thus, the reason Abraham had to leave his homeland: Genesis 6:4,12

3.Famine – thus created the need for Jacob and his children to travel to Egypt: Genesis 50

4.Destruction of Hebrew male line in Egypt – which Moses escaped: Exodus 1

5.Pharoh’s pursuit and attempt to destroy Israel: Exodus 14

6.Canaan populated with Giants – corrupt offspring from the Sons of God.

Continuation of the attempt to corrupt Abraham’s seed: Genesis 6:4

7.Giants filled the Land – presented opposition that feared Israel.

Delayed God’s plan for 40 years: Numbers 13:27

8.Had to fight Giants – needed God’s help: Joshua, etc.

9.Attacks on King David’s line: 2 Samuel 7

10.Jehoram Kills his brothers: 2 Chronicles 21

11.Arabians slew all but Ahazaria. Athalia kills all, (but Joash): 2 Chronicles 22

12.King Hezekiah is assaulted, etc.: Isaiah 36, 38

13.Haman’s attempts: Esther 3

New Testament

1.Joseph’s fears – which could’ve resulted in Mary’s not fleeing to Egypt: Matthew 1

2.Herod’s attempts to kill the messiah: Matthew 2

3.Jesus’s temptation in the wilderness: Luke 4

4.Two storms on the sea: Mark 4, Luke 8

5.Jesus sweating blood before the crucifixion – satanic attack to prevent event: Luke 22:44

Many take Jesus’ famous quote, "…take this cup from me…" to be a plea from Jesus, hoping to not go to the cross. I think it could be something more. I think Jesus was under a brutal satanic attack, which was Satan’s last chance to prevent the crucifixion. Perhaps His prayer was for Satan to not be successful in this attempt.

All of these attempts of Satan to prevent Jesus from completing his mission are summed up in one passage of scripture, found in the book of Revelation.

Revelation 12:1-5

¹And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: ²And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. ³And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. ⁴And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. ⁵And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

Now that Jesus has been crucified, and rose from the dead, the main battle against Satan has been won. Satan is no longer able to argue with God, because he is ultimately silenced by the work of Christ. Right now, he is focusing his attention on individual believers, (Christians), all over the world, doing his best to prevent the spread of the Gospel. This began with the persecution of the early church, and has been continuing to this day. This persecution will continue to plague the humans of earth until Satan’s imprisonment after the battle of Armageddon, and ultimate destruction in the lake of fire following his attack on the New Jerusalem after the millennial reign.

Within his plan of deception is the alien phenomenon. I firmly believe that we are seeing pieces of his deceptive puzzle in the alien abduction phenomenon going on today. This is the prophetic word, spoken by Jesus, about the end times returning to the days of Noah. I believe I, (among a few others), have stumbled on to a large piece of his deceptive plan, and I’m hoping this work will get into many peoples’ hands.

Satan’s deceptive influence spans many worlds in the heavenly realms. He is using his minions, some of which are angels, some are beings like ourselves which are from other worlds, and some are powerful spiritual beings right here on earth. A great deal of them are us, deceived, spreading false beliefs, like that of evolution. All are working together, orchestrating his grand design of deception, which is very near, even at the door.

References

1 The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769. (Note: All passages of scripture referenced from the Holy Bible in this book henceforth are taken from this source, unless specifically listed otherwise).

2 The NIV Study Bible, Zondervan Bible Publishers, Grand Rapids Michigan, 1985.

3 Kennewick man, http://www.inetex.com/joanne/ancientgiants.htm, 1999.

4 Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon, (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.) 1995.

5 Ibid. (4)

6 (Tape Series: 2 tape set) Chuck Missler, Return of the Nephilim, 1997.

7 Hal Lindsey, Planet Earth – 2000 A.D., Western Front, Ltd. Palos Vardes CA., 1994.

8 Ibid. (4)

9 Ibid. (6)

10 Ibid. (8)

 
CHAPTER 5: THE HOSTS OF HEAVEN, THE STARS, AND CREATURES

Have I fully covered the definition of angels? No, not quite. While I’ve been providing evidence to prove that there might be humanoid angels that may be called aliens by modern society’s definition, I haven’t discussed much about any of the other types of angels.

1. Different types of angels:

The apostle Paul has listed several terms regarding angels, to include thrones, dominions, mights – also called virtues in some translations, powers, and principalities. These are all found in Romans 8:35-39, Colossians 1:16, and Ephesians 1:21. He also mentions archangels in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, and Jude uses the same term, archangel, referring to the archangel Michael, in Jude 1:9. All of these are New Testament terms for angels. Those found in the Old Testament, aside from the Sons of God which have already been covered in depth, are the Cherubim (Isaiah 37:15, Ezekiel 10:1,2,3, etc.), and Seraphim (Isaiah 6:2). If you can think back, I did mention the Seraphim in the last chapter. They are the magnificent angelic beings having 6 wings, 4 faces, eyes all over the place, and are surrounded by balls of fire, and bolts of lightning. They have a reputation for making humans feint.

There are probably more types of angels than those mentioned in scripture, varying in appearance, glory, power, and composition. I say this, because God likes variety. Just look at all the life forms on earth. We’ve always been here, and still don’t even know about all the life forms we have here on earth.

The only major differences between humans and angels, is the whole issue of sex and marriage, and the level of glory. Humans are mentioned as being lower than the angels, and this is an indication that humans have a lower state of glory than angels do. Concerning sex and marriage, Jesus said angels don’t marry, so it can be assumed that they don’t, (or at least shouldn’t), have sex. That’s about all we know about them. Aside from these two attributes, angels could be expressions of life in innumerable ways.

It’s speculative as to whether any other angels besides the Sons of God may have been created in a like manner as humans, originally having the ability to sexually reproduce, then being translated by God into a new angelic nature where sexual reproduction is no longer something necessary. Indeed, there may be some angels that might be hermaphrodites, capable of asexual reproduction. In such an example, said entities wouldn’t marry, but would be capable of reproducing – and all without sin. Judging by the many different life forms on earth, speculation as to what kinds of angels may lie in a vast cosmos can be endless.

2. The Hosts of Heaven:

By now, I’ve already answered the question that some angels might be humanoids, composed of a translated physical nature, and could be considered aliens by modern society’s definition. In fact, I’ve even disclosed evidence in favor of Satan himself being one of these humanoid angels. Whether he’s still physically alive can’t be proven with scripture.

What about non-human entities, such as the infamous grays so commonly reported in so many horrendous alien abduction accounts? The only elements missing in comparing translated humans, and aliens, are such factors as technology, differences in the states of glory, and obviously the fact that most of the descriptions of aliens given from alien abductees are those of non-humanoid entities, like the grays. How can these gray entities be classified, if they exist? Are they found in the Bible? I will now begin to explain what the "Hosts of Heaven" are, as described in scripture.

"Hosts", in scripture, frequently refers to people.

Exodus 12:41-42

⁴¹And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt. ⁴²It is a night to be much observed unto the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the LORD to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations.

In the example above, Israel is called the "Hosts of the Lord". Other examples of the usage of the term "Hosts" found in scripture, referring to people, include the following: Exodus 12:41; Numbers 1:52, 2:32, 10:25; Joshua 10:5, 11:4; Judges 8:10; and numerous others. In these examples, we see that "Hosts" is a term relating to vast numbers, such as armies and nations.

Adding the suffix "of Heaven" to the term Hosts, we have a unique term in scripture, the term "Hosts of Heaven". This term is even more encompassing than angels, and the Sons of God. While most instances of the "Hosts of Heaven" refer to the sun, moon, and stars, some of them refer to entities that dwell in heaven.

Psalms 148:1-3

¹Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise him in the heights. ²Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts. ³Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. ⁴Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.

Nehemiah 9:6

⁶Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.

Deuteronomy 4:14-19

¹⁴And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it. ¹⁵Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the LORD spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire: ¹⁶Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female, ¹⁷The likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air, ¹⁸The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth: ¹⁹And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.

Daniel 8:1, 9-12

1In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first. ²And I saw in a vision… ⁹And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land. ¹⁰And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. ¹¹Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practiced and prospered.

Psalm 148:1-3 clearly distinguishes angels from hosts, the same way it distinguishes the sun and moon from the stars. It appears that angels are ranked high within the Hosts of Heaven, just as the sun and moon are ranked higher in glory than the stars, (figuratively, because they are brighter). Nehemiah 9:6 speaks of a heaven of heavens, and all of the hosts that God created therein, and Deuteronomy 4:14-19 may be a warning against not only the worship of the sun, moon, and stars, but also the beings that dwell in the heavens. The Greeks are a testimony of the those that didn’t heed this warning. They worshiped heavenly spheres, and also attributed powerful beings to them, which is an indication that fallen angels may have initiated some of this deity worship. Concerning the relationship between fallen angels and heavenly spheres, I will provide more information in the chapter on astral projection.

Daniel 8:1, 9-12 is the most fascinating of all. Right in the middle of Daniel’s prophecy about the little horn, which many interpret to be the antichrist, he mentions that "…it (the antichrist) waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them." To me, this clearly indicates that there will be a cosmic battle of sorts between the Hosts of Heaven, and the inhabitants of earth. The antichrist will be ruling in the earth at that time, and will be victorious in this battle. Perhaps this is how he will become so popular on a global scale.

What I already highlighted concerning what makes humans, (in our current state of development), and angels different, is that humans and angels are on different levels of glory, and humans have sex and marriage, while angels (the faithful one’s anyway), don’t. What then, do we call those entities in the universe that are on the same level of glory as humans currently are, and also reproduce sexually, just like humans currently do? In fact, of all the terms given to entities in heaven, what could humans currently be classified as? The answer is the Hosts of Heaven.

How do I derive this? I derive this from the fact that God, also known widely throughout scripture as the Lord of Hosts, on many occasions names us, humanity, among His Hosts. The only question up for debate is the term Heaven, which when used in the phrase "Hosts of Heaven", denotes the 2^nd heaven, referring to the sun, moon, and stars; generally, outer space. (Earth is among these stars, and exists within the 2^nd heaven, which will be explained more in depth in chapter 9 of this book). Taking all this in, humans, and other entities like us – which scripture states exist – are all beings that can be classified as the Hosts of Heaven.

From the scriptures defining this term, this title can be applied to humans in any state of glory, as well as animals. In fact, it can be applied to all living entities in the heavens. The Hosts of Heaven is one of the broadest terms in scripture referring to God’s created entities, and it encompasses both angels, and all other entities within various stages of glory, (except those in hell), including those that sexually reproduce. Therefore one can call an angel a member of the Hosts of Heaven, but the opposite is not true; not all of the Hosts of Heaven can be considered angels. Humans in their current state of development, for instance, are not considered angels, because we have sex and marriage, and are mentioned as being lower than the angels. We can though, justifiably be termed, Hosts of Heaven.

What value does this term, Hosts of Heaven, leave us with? It leaves us with some scriptural references that might indicate that there are other entities in the universe that may not be confined to the strict definition applied to angels; entities that sexually reproduce as a natural biological function; entities that are lower in glory than the angels are. In fact, they (many of the Hosts of Heaven) probably have some form of sexual reproduction, (except, possibly, for non-physical beings), because most (the only exception being asexual single celled creatures) of the biological life forms on earth do. This would especially hold true concerning entities that aren’t immortal. They would have to reproduce, in order to continue existing.

Being more similar to humanity, it’s likely that these entities, at least the physical ones with high intelligence, are more likely to need the aid of technology, just like humans. After all, technology is the natural result of intelligent expression in the physical universe.

3. Non-physical life forms that aren’t angels:

Perhaps not all the non-angelic Hosts of Heaven are strictly physical in nature. Perhaps some are purely spiritual; case in point – a curious flashing ball of light that might, for instance, live in the jungles of Panama… Of the spiritual entities that may exist that are not classified as high as the angels, for the most part, they remain undetected by humanity due to the fact that our physical nature, and science is not capable of detecting them. (I will provide more information on disincarnate entities in chapter eight of this book, which is dedicated to non-physical life forms.)

4. Physical life forms that aren’t angels:

As for physical entities, some are most likely gray, telepathic, have large bug-like eyes, and have a bad habit of abducting the humans of earth. (It’s doubtful that the grays are physical life forms that aren’t angels though, because they are probably fallen angels. While fallen angels may have lost some power in their fall, they probably still have more power than those entities that haven’t reached angelic status yet.) Now why would I classify grays as fallen angels, since they depend so heavily upon technology?

4.1 The issue of technology – do God’s faithful angels use technology?

Concerning technology, it’s logical to assume that angels wouldn’t need it. Angels usually just wave their hands, or speak, and things happen. Recall from the previous chapter some of the abilities that I mentioned angels having. Aside from the mass destruction of armies and cities (Sodom and Gomorrah), angels are noted for their ability to fly (Matthew 28:2, Revelation 14:6), teleport (Acts 5:19-23), deliver messages in person (or angel, if you will), and psychically in dreams (Luke 1:13, Matthew 1:20, Genesis 31:11). Angels can also bless people with healing (John 5:2-6), curse people with blindness (Genesis 19:1-3), muteness (Luke 1:20), and make people feint (Matthew 28:2). If angels can fly and teleport, then why would they need spacecraft to transport them from one location to another? If angels can heal by touch, then why would they need medical technology? If angels can make people mute by speaking, and blind by waving their hands, why would they need technological weapons to defend themselves? In these scriptures, technology appears to be absent.

It’s my feeling that since God spoke the universe into existence by His word, He imbues this power to make word reality to His angels. This same power is given to humans on a lesser scale, through Holy Spirit inspired prayer. (See the section on thought-forms in chapter 8 of this book regarding this power). Even Christ is called The Word made flesh. With such power, why would angels need technology? That’s why I say that it’s a logical assumption to make that angels probably don’t need technology.

Now that I’ve given strong arguments against angels using technology, I’m forced to turn around, and point out a few scriptures that seem to indicate that angels do, in fact, use technology.

2 Kings 2:11-12

¹¹And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. ¹²And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.

Acts 8:38-40

³⁹And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. ⁴⁰But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.

The incident in Acts 8:38 looks very reminiscent of what happened in 2 Kings, and that’s why I’m referencing it, though I can’t say for sure that Philip’s teleportation was done using a chariot of fire. I don’t want to forget about Enoch either. Scripture states that he was taken away into heaven and never saw death, though it doesn’t mention that a chariot of fire took him away.

I used to believe that only fallen angels or members of the Hosts of Heaven that aren’t angels were the only ones that used technology, because they would be the only ones that would depend on it. I was forced to reanalyze this believe when I received an interesting email from someone who read my web site, and offered a scriptural rebuttal to my assumption that God’s angels most likely don’t use technology. This person elaborated on the incident in 2 Kings.

In 2 Kings 2:11-12, the first thing to note is that scripture points out that Elija was taken up by a whirlwind upon the arrival of the chariot. This indicates a beam of some sort that lifted him off his feet, and took him away. This is reminiscent of many UFO encounters, where UFOs are reported to shoot out beams of energy that take whatever they hit off the ground and up inside them.

Other information to gleam from this scripture becomes apparent when looking up the original Hebrew text. Using Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, the original Hebrew meaning for "Chariot" is "Vehicle", and the meaning for "Fire" is exactly that, "Fire". Concerning the "Horses of fire", the meaning for Horses is interesting. "Horses" has the root meaning "To skip", as in skipping for joy, or in reference to a swallow (bird) in flight.¹

From these Hebrew roots, we can see that horses may not even be present. Elisha is probably using the word horse for its root meaning, which describes more an action, than it does an animal. Since Elisha has never seen anything other than a bird fly, he describes what he sees as something similar to the flight of a swallow. As for the "Horsemen" he mentions, they refer to "Drivers", which are obviously behind whatever is skipping around in flight.

To re-read 2 Kings 2:11-12 with these Hebrew meanings, we have the following: "And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a VEHICLE of FIRE, and FIRE THAT WAS SKIPPING AND LEAPING AROUND, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the VEHICLE of Israel, and the DRIVERS thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces." This incident sounds very descriptive of an encounter with a UFO. (In this case, it is an IFO, because Elija identifies it as the vehicle of Israel.)

Concerning this mysterious chariot of fire, Ezekiel’s description of the vision of what he called the throne of God, found in Ezekiel 1:1-28, is also very interesting. I take peculiar note of

the wheels following the Seraphim in his vision. In Ezekiel chapters 1, and 10, Ezekiel describes in depth something awesome, and nearly impossible to get a clear picture of. Ezekiel’s vision may very well give more insight into the chariots of fire found in 2 Kings. I’m referencing the whole of chapter 1, because there’s too much information that will be missed if only portions are referenced.

Ezekiel 1:1-28

¹Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. ²In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin’s captivity, ³The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him. ⁴And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire. ⁵Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man. ⁶And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. ⁷And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf’s foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass. ⁸And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings. ⁹Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward. ¹⁰As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle. ¹¹Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies. ¹²And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went. ¹³As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. ¹⁴And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning. ¹⁵Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces. ¹⁶The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel. ¹⁷When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went. ¹⁸As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four. ¹⁹And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up. ²⁰Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. ²¹When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. ²²And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above. ²³And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other: every one had two, which covered on this side, and every one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies. ²⁴And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings. ²⁵And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings.²⁶And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. ²⁷And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. ²⁸As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.

Now what was that all about? I bet he stuttered when he tried to explain this vision to people. Most people would sum such a vision up in one word: "Indescribable". But Ezekiel is an articulate man, and I commend him. The information in Ezekiel chapter 10 is essentially the same as chapter 1, with the exception of one of the faces on the Seraphim. Instead of one of the four faces being an ox, it’s described as being a Cherub. The only significance I can attribute to this discrepancy is that whatever he’s looking at, it’s hard for him to classify. Perhaps later in the vision he noticed more similarities between the Seraphim’s face and the face of the Cherub, so he simply called it a Cherub’s face instead of an ox’s face.

While I have a hard time getting a mental image of what he’s trying to explain, I can point out a few phrases that catch my attention.

1. "…the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire". Amber is a glowing orange yellow color – a color possibly exhibited by something very hot, such as the engine of an intergalactic vehicle, or powerful technological device.

2. "…And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf’s foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass." Could these be landing pads perhaps?

3. "…Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward." How might someone describe a device capable of flight, had that person never seen anything fly except for birds? He would most likely associate wings with what he thought gave such a device its ability to fly. Here, we see four wings joined together; wings that don’t turn, and don’t flap. It sounds to me like he could be describing the paneling, or arms with rocket boosters on the outside of a four sided spacecraft.

4. "…and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies. ¹²And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went." He’s mentioning two sets of wings. One set is joined, and the other set is covering their bodies. I can’t tell if he means both sets of wings are stretched upward, or just one set. I also can’t tell if the wings covering their bodies are connected, either. Perhaps one set of wings are connected arms with rocket boosters, or paneling covering a surface vertical to the ground. Maybe the other wings are paneling covering the top of the craft, or other appendages he’s attributing the ability of flight to, thus, calling them wings.

5. "¹³As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. ¹⁴And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning." Here we see burning coals, lamps, bright fire, and lightning. These all indicate to me that whatever it was that he was seeing, it had lots of bright flashing lights, and serious amounts of energy emissions. These are typical of UFOs. Furthermore, this being, or thing, or whatever it was, is running and returning. What does this mean? Was it moving all over the place? Could he be describing its movement prior to its landing?

6. "¹⁵Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces. ¹⁶The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: (yellow) and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel. ¹⁷When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went. ¹⁸As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four. ¹⁹And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up. ²⁰Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels." Here we have wheels within wheels, which are a yellowish color. Does is not appear odd that a living being would have the shape of a wheel? The wheels he describes sound more like transportation devices, than they do appendages, such as arms, or legs.

Notice that he mentions that when they went, they went upon their four sides. While most people wouldn’t classify a wheel as having four sides, Ezekiel does. This insight further helps to develop a mental description of the entire craft, (if it is one), because Ezekiel earlier mentions the entire being, or craft, as having four sides. With these clues, one could gather that the entire being, which is composed of four beings connected together by their wings, is round, just like the wheels are – just like a flying saucer.

Another interesting thing to note is that when the craft, or entity lifted off the ground, the wheels retracted, just like what might be expected of a flying craft with retractable landing pads, wheels, or whatever it may use to land with.
7. "²¹When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them…" Again, Ezekiel describes the wheels as retracting.

8. "²²And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above." Now Ezekiel is saying that there was a crystal over the heads of the four living creatures. Could this be a glass bubble? Many UFOs are described as having a glass bubble on top.

9. "²⁴And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings." Finally, typical of a flying craft, it creates a very loud noise, like great waters; a noise similar to a rocket blasting off. When it lands, it lets down its wheels, and drops its wings.

Further down in Ezekiel’s vision, Ezekiel describes being taken up by this being, or these beings, or maybe taken inside of a spacecraft, if it is one.

Ezekiel 2:12-14

¹²Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the LORD from his place. ¹³I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels over against them, and a noise of a great rushing. ¹⁴So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the LORD was strong upon me.

While some of this scripture gives information supporting the possibility of the use of technology, it should be noted that this vision is what Ezekiel interprets to be the throne of God. I seriously doubt God’s throne is a spacecraft! If a spacecraft is actually used by these beings, it would have to open up a dimensional portal that viewed into the throne room of God, or project an image of the throne room of God to Ezekiel. There would have to be a logical explanation. The prospect that God Himself, Creator of all things, would need technology for anything, is utterly absurd.

There are also other elements that Ezekiel adds which make this vision more confusing if trying to prove that what he’s seeing is a spacecraft. How, for instance, can a spacecraft have hands, faces, and act as beings might. For example, one of these beings grabs a piece of coal and hands it to a man. Also, what kind of spacecraft has eyes all over it?

Maybe the eyes are lights within lights, or maybe these are symbolic images indicating that these beings are capable of omniscient sight; I’ve heard both arguments. I truly don’t know. I have the strange feeling that concerning visions in general, everything is symbolic, but often the symbolism is intertwined with literal events, or things which are physically real. The temple of the Lord, for instance, was a real temple, but not one minute fragment of the temple could be pointed out that didn’t have symbolic reference to Christ. If an actual spacecraft were used by angels, it may very well be that it was designed with symbolic components and artistry, such that describing it would bring out symbolic testimony pointing to Christ. This would be a logical assumption. Look at the flying craft of today. They are often marked with symbols. Fighter jets sometimes have eyes, nose, and mouths with jagged teeth painted on them. Other jets have pictures drawn on their tails, symbols indicating their national or commercial affiliation, and other such markings.

In any case, these passages of scripture may very well indicate that some angels might use technology to serve God’s purposes, as bizarre as that may sound. 1 Chronicles 28:18 also lends more support to the possible use of space craft by angels.

1 Chronicles 28:18

18And for the altar of incense refined gold by weight; and gold for the pattern of the chariot of the cherubims, that spread out their wings, and covered the ark of the covenant of the LORD.

This passage of scripture links the Cherubim with a chariot. (When the ark of the covenant is uncovered, I’ll be curious to see what this chariot looks like, which this scripture above states has its pattern somehow inscribed on it…) I consider this link significant, because it links angels with a vehicle, and adds to the possibility that part of what Ezekiel describes in his vision might be a chariot – of sorts. When I think of Ezekiel’s description of the beings in his vision, I’m reminded of how early Native American’s described mounted Spanish soldiers. I heard somewhere that the natives described them as two headed beasts, viewing both soldier and steed as one entity. I wouldn’t think it unlikely that Ezekiel might have done this to some degree, viewing both angelic entities and their space craft as one entity.

Scripture also gives numerous accounts of other possible UFO activity in the form of peculiar clouds from which God and His angels operate, and fire in the skies at night. One should be careful when analyzing these scriptures. It’s important not to mix God up, thinking of Him as nothing more than a hoax contrived by aliens to suit their purposes. This deception is very powerful, and will capture many. The following verses will undoubtedly be used to support these claims: Exodus 14:19, 14:24, 31:21-22, 33:9-10, 40:34; Numbers 12:5, 14:14, 16:42; Daniel 1:33; Nehemiah 9:12, 9:19; Psalms 99:7; Isaiah 4:5, 19:1; Habakkuk 3:8; Matthew 17:5; Luke 21:27; and Revelation 11:12.

Perhaps some angels need technology, while others don’t. Perhaps technology is only used because of humanities physical limitations – i.e., Ezekiel’s physical body needed such a vehicle in order to withstand the forces subjected to him while being transported from place to place. Only God knows these things. One thing I know for sure though; the angels in Ezekiel’s vision were God’s faithful angels, giving glory to God, and doing His work. As for the many scriptures devoted to peculiar clouds of glory, and fires in the night sky, we can rest assured that these are from God. Scripture attributes them to God and His angels. When mentioned, they are always surrounded by the purposes of God. They certainly weren’t ascribed to entities taking semen samples, and subjecting anyone to horrible physical examinations and medical experiments, as we hear reports of the aliens of today doing.

4.2 The issue of technology – do fallen angels use technology?

Fallen angels are easier than God’s faithful angels to classify as beings dependent upon technology. Would it not be logical to assume that after falling, they might resort to technology to make up for the power they lost from their fall in glory?

There would most likely be a difference though, in the technology exhibited by entities that haven’t reached angelic status, and the technology developed by fallen angels. Personally, I think technology developed by fallen angels would far surpass that of lower life forms, for two reasons: 1. Fallen angels, once being transcendent of the physical universe, have more knowledge concerning the properties of the physical universe. This intimate knowledge of the physical universe gives them a stark advantage over those entities that haven’t experienced existence in a transcendent state. 2. Fallen angels, if they were once lower life forms, could easily pick up the pieces of any technology they may have left when they were translated. Such technology would probably be very sophisticated, considering the fact that it existed within the hands of a civilization that developed to the degree that God decided to translate it to angelic status.

4.3 Alien abductors – probably fallen angels:

Judging by the reported terrifying, uncaring actions of these gray bug-like entities, among other aliens that have abducted humans, and also from the many emails I’ve received about them, I’m fairly certain that they (those abducting humans) are highly associated with Satan. I’ve received about 5 email reports so far about abductions by the entities known as grays. These abductions were abruptly cut short when the abducted individuals (Christians in these cases) called upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. (The grays got out of Dodge…) This is a powerful indication of just exactly how much is being held back from the world, by the restraining power of the Holy Spirit. Seeing that these entities feared the name of Jesus Christ, it should be reasonable to assume that they are utterly satanic. They obviously believe in Jesus, but it’s a reverse faith. Scripture states that devils believe on the name of Jesus, and tremble with terror concerning Him, (James 2:19), and this is what I’m referring to.

James 2:19

¹⁹Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

These entities are exhibiting the same behavior as devils! If they didn’t believe in Jesus, then they would be like most atheist and agnostic humans are, who often blasphemy the name of God without any fear of retribution whatsoever.

5. The balance of technological and spiritual development:

Email accounts are speculative, and could be the results of active imaginations, or even schizophrenia, as convincing and sincere though they may be. Aside from the email I get, further indication that the grays, among the other life forms reported to abduct humans, are more likely to be fallen angels, and not others among the Hosts of Heaven like ourselves, is the degree of advancement found in their technology. From humanities current knowledge of the physical universe, it simply doesn’t seem technologically probable that aliens similar to ourselves are coming from other worlds in the universe, because the nearest star, Alpha Centari, is 4.5 light-years away. Even traveling at 10 million miles per day, it would take about 7000 years to reach earth, from the nearest star!² Why go all that way for a few abductions, then leave?

It would appear that all those visiting earth by technological means must have obviously devised a method of either traveling much faster than the speed of light, (something astrophysicists state isn’t possible), or are warping the space-time continuum, and teleporting from one area in the universe to another. While it might be possible for technology this advanced to be attainable by entities that aren’t yet angels, I think it’s a reasonable conclusion to assume that this would be highly unlikely. Entities should develop spiritually along with their technological advancement, because without moral guidance and submission to God, technological advancement is very dangerous. I don’t think it would be God’s will for a species to develop technologically to the point that they may reach other species in the universe, without keeping that technological advancement in check with said species spiritual development. Concerning technology advanced to the magnitude that intergalactic travel is possible, entities containing such knowledge should be godly beings, loving, and giving glory to God. Is this what we see in the experiences usually described by abductees?

In most cases, encounters involving abduction experiences are always entities whose actions aren’t even as ethical as humanities. The imbalance of technological development compared to spiritual development is extreme in the case of those entities that abduct humans and subject them to cruel medical examinations. When analyzing abduction experiences, it becomes clear that there is something obviously wrong with the ethics of these alien beings.

6. Difficult to classify technology between entities:

The area of technological advancement is a very gray area. Exactly what is the level of technological advancement where one draws the line – and calls that technology angelic? Indeed, the possibility of a race of fallen angels passing knowledge on to a species not yet translated to angelic status yet may also be the case with some entities technological advancement. In such cases, determining the origin of technology among the Hosts of Heaven can be very difficult. Consider the famous Roswell crash; an incident of a reported flying saucer crashing in Roswell New Mexico.³ According to reports, an alien craft was apprehended by the U.S. military, and a great deal of technological advancement was gleaned from this intergalactic vehicle. In this case, humans may have obtained knowledge created by fallen angels.

Being a member of the Air Force National Guard, I’ve happened upon a few individuals that have worked in classified areas. Each had stories most people have heard about. During my technical training in Keesler AFB., Mississippi, I met a guy that said he worked in a place where they had experimental air craft where the engine designs were so powerful, no frame could be built that would be capable of testing them to their fullest capacity. There was a stark degree of advancement in engine design, as opposed to other technology that should complement it. He was convinced that the specifications for their engine designs weren’t of human origin.

Similar incidents of advanced technology falling into the hands of less advanced species could also occur with other members of the Hosts of Heaven, found throughout the universe. These incidents may not only be accidents like what happened at Roswell, but could even be planned, where fallen angels might provide the payment of technology for a particular purchase, in order to obtain something desirable from a lower species. Fallen angels could also just give dangerously powerful technology to lower species, simply for the joy of disrupting the balance of development for the said species. Such incidents place technology into the hands of certain species that aren’t ready for it, thus, disrupting the balance of technological and spiritual development.

An illustration of the exchange of technology for goods is found in early America. Consider the fact that guns were sold to Indians in early America for items such as furs, gold, and slaves. One could argue that these trades placed a heavy imbalance of power in favor of some tribes over others, and created a host of problems among the Indian tribes. War, death, and destruction, were often the results of technological advancement. Humanity the way it is now is not balanced, considering the fact that the greatest technological advancements made are always snatched up by military powers first, and geared toward destruction.

7. God’s intervention in the balance of technological and spiritual development:

Genesis 11:1-9 is a scripture that might bare relevance to the spiritual and technological balance that should exist within the development of species. It may also bare relevance to the reason why the humans of earth aren’t in open contact with other species of the Hosts of Heaven in the universe.

Genesis 11:1-9

1And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. ²And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. ³And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar. ⁴And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. ⁵And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built. ⁶And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. ⁷Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. ⁸So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. ⁹Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

In this scripture, we begin with a people that have gathered together to make a city, and a tower. These people set out to make a name for themselves, and the tower they were going to make was to reach into heaven. One thing is basically evident in this passage of scripture; man got too big for his own britches, as my great grandmother Thelma might say. These were a people overweening with pride, and it appears that they were attaining knowledge so fast, it wasn’t healthy. Their accumulation of knowledge filled them with pride, and furthermore, it may have even been too dangerous for them to keep attaining knowledge at the exponential rate at which they were attaining it.

In this scripture, God intervenes, and destroys the language of this civilization. Why? Because God states that nothing could be kept from these people. This statement by God indicates that there are things that should be kept from them; things that could lead to enormous sin, probably. I think there was a lot more going on here in this passage of scripture than most people think, but in order not to repeat myself, I will simply state that this information is covered again in the chapter of this book devoted to the topic of astral projection.

8. The Stars:

Now that I’ve discussed the term, "Hosts of Heaven", I would now like to discuss another biblical term that defines entities – the Stars. Stars, and the Hosts of Heaven, are basically synonyms terms. While the term Stars may refer to the same entities as the Hosts of Heaven, elaborating on references to this term will provide more information on entities in the cosmos that aren’t necessarily classified as angels.

In the Bible, references to Stars are used in all three ways that references to the term Hosts are used; large numbers, celestial bodies, and symbolic representations of entities. Usually the term stars applies to literal stars, but sometimes it refers to people, or entities.

8.1 The Twelve Stars – Stars referring to people:

The exact terms, sun, moon, and stars, are used in conjunction in several places in scripture. There is an interesting parallel between some of these references. I will take Joseph’s vision in Genesis, and John’s vision in Revelation, as examples.

Genesis 37:9-11

⁹And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. ¹⁰And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? ¹¹And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.

Revelation 12:1-2

¹And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: ²And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

In both these scriptures, the sun may refer to the patriarch Jacob, the moon, Rachael, and the twelve stars, the patriarchal ancestors of the twelve tribes of Israel. In Joseph’s dream, there were eleven stars bowing to him, but this is because he was one of the stars, and thus didn’t see himself as bowing to himself – obviously.

John’s vision probably contains all the symbolic references that Joseph’s dream did – i.e., the sun, moon, and stars may refer to the patriarchs. But John’s dream also contains additional meaning, adding the elements of the woman, and the child. Taking these new elements into consideration, the sun may also be God the Father, the moon – the Holy Spirit, and the child is Christ. The woman is usually interpreted to be the church, yet, some call her Israel, (one in the same, in a spiritual sense). As for the stars, they may either be the patriarchs, or the twelve apostles of Christ. In both of these references, the stars are symbols of people.

8.2 Stars referring to the Hosts of Heaven:

In Daniel 8:10-12, Matthew 24:15, 29-31, Luke 21:24-28, and Revelation 12:3-5, the stars represent all those hosts of heaven, (not all of them are necessarily angels), that will be cast unto the earth. I don’t limit the stars exclusively to mean angels, particularly because Daniel refers to them once as the hosts of heaven, then as stars, thus linking these two terms together.

All of these scriptures are prophetic, and indicate cosmic battles in earth’s near future, as I previously mentioned when referencing various scriptures about the Hosts of Heaven. They all most likely are portraying the same event that is to come.

While Daniel, Matthew, and Luke mention that these entities arrival will be highly distressful, they don’t indicate if there will be any good guys among them. Daniel hints at it, mentioning that they are at war with an antichrist figure, but this could simply be evil – or at least deceived – entities squabbling among each other.

In any case, Revelation specifically mentions that these entities will only be arriving because Satan deceived them. When he was cast out of the highest heaven, they were cast out with him, thrown to earth along with him, symbolized by his tail dragging them out as he went. Those that were cast out equate to one third of the inhabitants of the heavens. Whether any of them are saved, (by Jesus), is another question – the fact remains though; their presence will be part of Satan’s strategy of deception.

Daniel 8:7-12

¹⁰And it (the antichrist) waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. ¹¹Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. ¹²And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered.

Matthew 24:15-31

¹⁵When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)… ²⁹Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: ³⁰And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ³¹And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Luke 21:24-28

²⁴And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. ²⁵And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; ²⁶Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. ²⁷And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. ²⁸And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

Revelation 12:3-5

³And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. ⁴And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

8.3 Stars referring specifically to angels:

Finally, there are Stars that refer specifically to angelic entities. Of all the references specifically pertaining to angels, they are usually in reference to those angels that are faithful to God. These scriptures include Job 38:4-7, where we find the "Sons of God" again, in a good light, giving glory to God. Revelation 1:15-20 also refers to good angels, those that are assigned to particular churches.

Job 38:4-7

⁴Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. ⁵Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? ⁶Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; ⁷When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Revelation 1:15-20

¹⁵And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. ¹⁶And he had in his right hand seven stars: … And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: ¹⁸ I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. ¹⁹Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; ²⁰The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

From all of these passages, it should be clear that the term Stars may refer to both humans, and angels. Since this term includes humans and angels, and it’s basically synonymous with the term Hosts of Heaven, it’s scope may be expanded to those entities in the universe that aren’t necessarily angels, but aren’t particularly native inhabitants of earth, either.

9. Creatures in scripture:

So far, I’ve elaborated on two terms that refer to beings from the heavens – or other worlds – that aren’t necessarily angels; the Hosts of Heaven, and the Stars. Now I will elaborate upon yet another term found in scripture, which in fact may refer to angelic beings, humans, and other entities, even including animals. This term is, which should be obvious because of the heading of this section, is Creatures.

This term is mentioned throughout scripture. Usually it refers to animals, such as in Genesis 1:20-24, but sometimes is applied to humans, found in Mark 16:15, and 2 Corinthians 5:17, and even angels, as described in Ezekiel chapters 1 and 10, which I’ve already elaborated upon in depth. As for Revelation 5:13-14, creatures may be applied to all of the aforementioned, to include angels, beings lower than the angels, such as humans, and also animals.

Genesis 1:20-24 (Creatures as animals)

²⁰And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. ²¹And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. ²²And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. ²³And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. ²⁴And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.

Mark 16:15-16 (Creatures as humans)

¹⁵And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. ¹⁶He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (Creatures as humans)

¹⁷Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Ezekiel 1:5-7 (Creatures as angels)

5Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man. ⁶And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. ⁷And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf’s foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass.

Revelation 5:13-14 (Creatures as angels, humans, and animals)

¹³And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

From these scriptures, we can see that the term Creatures is used when referring to entities that may be angels, humans or other similarly classified intelligent life forms, or even animals. I find the reference to creatures in Revelation 5:13-14 to be the most interesting, because this broad term which is used throughout scripture to represent all life forms is used when referring to the life forms which dwell in heaven. One could easily say that the reference to creatures dwelling in heaven is a reference to the angels dwelling there, but I don’t think it’s any accident that a broader term than angels was used. I think the term creatures was used specifically to indicate that there is a vast assortment of life in heaven. Concerning the term heaven, there is more to be elaborated upon – again, read about that in Chapter 9 of this book.

One last interesting note about this particular passage of scripture is that it mentions the fact that all creatures give glory to God; this includes even animals. Can you imagine that one day, your cats, dogs, hamsters, and whatever other pets you have, each in their own way, will one day be praising God, saying "Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever." The thought of my two cats, Chuck and Sue, verbally praising God, with their paws uplifted to the throne of God – boggles my mind.

10. Beasts in scripture:

Another term used in scripture that is used to refer to entities is the term Beast. Of all the references I’ve found, I’ve only been able to determine that this term has two exclusive interpretations – animals, and demonic entities. Since I can’t see how this term can be used to support the theory that there are non-angelic beings dwelling in the heavens, I won’t go into any detail on it.

The only thing about this term that I find unique is that it is a term that refers to the flesh. Only animals and demonic entities are referred to as beasts. Both animals and demonic entities are considered to have a more base nature than humans, hence, I can find not one reference where humans are referred to as beasts.

11. Warnings in scripture – be prepared:

Concerning all of the entities that may exist in the universe, both angels, and of the Hosts of Heaven that may not be angels, there are several specific warnings contained in scripture. These warnings have been placed into effect due to the fact that some we encounter might be fallen angels, or perhaps even falling angels. In some cases, it may be very difficult to distinguish between fallen angels, and those that serve God – especially since there may be no distinguishing characteristics that separate the two (aside from the doctrines that they purport). Both faithful and fallen angels, and non-angelic beings, may look alike, use technology, and exhibit the same supernatural powers.

We need to be fully aware of these deceivers, (Matthew 24:24), be able to reveal their deception, (Galatians 1:8-9), defend against it, (Ephesians 6:10-13), and rest in the assurance of God’s love, (Romans 8:35-39)! So long as we keep our focus on Jesus, it should be easy for us (those of us that are true Christians) to spot these deceivers, if and when they come.

Matthew 24:24

²⁴For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Galatians 1:8-9

⁸But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. ⁹As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

Ephesians 6:10-13

¹⁰Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. ¹¹Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹²For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. ¹³Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand..

Romans 8:35-39

³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. ³⁷Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. ³⁸For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, ³⁹Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord..

References

1 Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon, (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.) 1995.

2 (Tape Series: 2 tape set) Chuck Missler, Return of the Nephilim, 1997.

3 Jenny Randles, The UFO Conspiracy, Artillery House, Artillery Row, London, 1990.

CHAPTER 6: MYTHICAL BEINGS, BEASTS, AND MONSTERS

Could it be that beings such as big-foot, leprechauns, fairies, el-chupacabras, el-duendes, mermaids, Jersey devils, and practically innumerable other legendary entities from every culture’s folklore in the world exist? While it is a known fact that many legends are derived from hoaxes and hype, often they derive a basis from fact. While that basis may have been obscured over time, the factual elements from which legends arise are what I wish to discuss.

1. Examples of legends derived from fact:

I will briefly mention two examples of mythical beings that are known to have their legends derived from factual phenomenon. The first of these is the legend of werewolves. The werewolf legend derives its roots from mental illness; a mental disease once called lycanthopy.¹ If someone has lycanthropy, he/she thinks he/she is a wolf, and acts like a wolf.

In the Middle ages, lycanthropy became the accepted term for mental illness, whereas a new term, werewolf – actually not new, because it was derived from Greek mythology² – was applied to people actually thought go undergo a physical mutation, and turn into wolves. Whether people actually mutated into wolves or not is not what I’m addressing. The idea of werewolves, though, came from the existence of lycanthropy.

The disease, rabies, may have played a part in this legend. Rabies is known for causing insanity, and animals infected with rabies are driven with a compelling madness to bite viciously. This same effect may theoretically be applied to humans. Mentally deranged, or diseased people could have attacked other people, and passed on the disease. Such attacks could’ve spawned reports by superstitious people presenting events as they perceived them, thus, the jump from lycanthrope to werewolf would be complete.

Some lycanthropy cases in history are very grotesque, and disturbing. Concerning these cases, the perpetrators would simply be considered psychopathic killers by today’s definition. They murdered, mutilated, and sometimes ate the bodies of their victims. When placed on trial, they pled insanity, which in the terminology of their time, was lycanthropy.³

From these factual cases, a madness not unlike that which initiated the Salem Witch Trials was born. Often during the Middle ages, people were suspected of being werewolves, especially if they had inherent unusual physical features about them that distinguished them.⁴

The other example I wish to mention is the legend of the vampire. The true home of the vampire lies in Eastern Europe, and the vampire legend as we know it today grew up in Romania and Hungary around the start of the 16^th century.⁵ The word itself comes from a Slavonic term, and didn’t exist in the English language until the 1730’s. This Romanian legend has been linked with a real person. A Romanian Count, the infamous Vlad Dracula (1431 – 1476), ⁵ was known for impaling his enemies – then decorating their impaled corpses round about his castle.

2. Legends and idols – tools for demons:

Legends are often fallacious, and belief in them can sometimes be highly detrimental. Consider the Salem Witch Trials that I previously mentioned. Legends can easily become a form of idolatry because of their unique roll in the formulation of one’s belief system. If left unchecked, they may become highly deceptive, and destructive. Christians should never allow their belief in legends and/or practices conflict with scripture. For example, an avid interest in ghosts may lead a Christian person to speak with a medium in an attempt to communicate with the dead. While the belief that ghosts may exist is not necessarily idolatry in and of itself, communicating with the dead through mediums is strictly forbidden in scripture.

Idols in and of themselves are nothing, as stated in 1 Corinthians 8:4.

1 Corinthians 8:4-6

4As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one. ⁵For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) ⁶But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

But demons and fallen angels are real entities; they are constantly looking for avenues in which to influence, and deceive humanity. Legends such as ghosts, witches, werewolves, vampires, and the like, are exactly the kind of phenomenon these beings are looking for.

I have little doubt that the individuals of the past, and present, that are mentally deranged to the degree that they are murdering people, then devouring the flesh of their victims, (lycanthropes / werewolves), are in fact demon possessed. I also have little doubt that anyone sucking blood out of another person’s neck would likewise be demon possessed. The way to deal with these cases would be medical treatment in cases of insanity, jail or execution in cases of psychopathic killers, and exorcism, which would probably apply to both of the aforementioned if the aforementioned cared about their spiritual state.

Demonic entities use legends in order to perpetuate false beliefs that contradict scripture. If a demon can successfully lure people into listening to mediums and channelers, then they have successfully gained an audience for deception. Furthermore, when people deal with legends in the prescribed legendary format, i.e., using garlic to repel vampires, silver bullets for werewolves, magic circles to prevent demonic voodoo ritualistic attacks, and burning witches at the stake, then they have fallen into the trap of deception. Biblically speaking, it is idolatry to deal with demons on their own turf; making a magic circle for protection is nothing more than accepting the demon’s power as dominant, and playing its game. The only way to deal with supernatural evil is through scripture alone! Believe it or not, it was the true Christians that put an end to the Salem witch trials, not those common to that era – who claimed Christianity only because their culture determined it. When Sarah Good, a woman of reputable faith by all accounts – as known by all the citizens of Salem, was accused of being a witch, it finally became obvious that innocent people were being brutally murdered! ⁶

Since demonic entities have a vested interest in legends, I think it’s highly probable that they may often attempt to make legends come to fruition. An example of this may be a demon possessing a human, then giving that human the supernatural abilities to fulfill a legendary role. In cases such as this, any number of possibilities may be the result. The case of werewolves, for instance, may be evidenced by the legends of Indian sorcerers called shape-shifters. ⁷ As for ghosts, these may easily be impersonated by demonic entities. I’m not saying that I don’t believe in the existence of ghosts, (as you’ll discover in the next chapter), I’m just saying that it’s highly probable that a great deal of supernatural activity relating to legendary beings in general – including ghosts – is being supported by demonic activity.

Often it is very difficult to discern a particular phenomenon, or find the root of a particular legendary being. Ghosts, for example, might be disembodied humans. Ghosts might also be impersonated by demons, or be explained as a kind of psychic phenomenon, and yet, in other cases, may have a practical, scientific explanation. Taking these things into consideration, I think all supernatural phenomenon should be studied with scrutiny, and each case taken on an individual basis. Some things are easy to rule out – those things that involve practices strictly forbidden in scripture. But there are many gray areas that are undefined, and these are the areas I’m highlighting as needing special scrutiny in order to discern their origin.

3. Does scripture substantiate the existence of mythical beings?

Is it possible that there truly are mythical beings in this world, such as those I previously mentioned; i.e., big-foot, leprechauns, fairies, el-chupacabras, el-duendes, mermaids, Jersey devils, and others? Why are so many cultural legends about mythical beings found throughout the world, if the only life forms on this earth that exist are only those found in biology text books? Does scripture give any indication of the possible existence of other life forms that might exist, that have possibly eluded scientific discovery?

Returning to the enigmatic Genesis chapter 6, recall that the infamous Sons of God in this passage of scripture mated with humans. This was an unnatural union; their offspring testified of this fact. Was humanity the only species to encounter unnatural unions of this sort?

Recall that in Genesis 6:11, one of the reasons God chose to bring about the flood of Noah was because all flesh was corrupt.

Genesis 6:11

¹¹The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. ¹²And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.

In chapter 4, and in the chapter on evolution in this book, I discuss the distinct possibility that genetic manipulation may have been involved in the activities enshrouding Genesis chapter 6. Concerning this genetic manipulation, if the Sons of God were developing a means in which to successfully cross-breed with humanity and have genetically superior offspring, then this experimentation would most likely have begun with other life forms. I think Genesis 6:11 confirms this possibility. Again, take note that all flesh was corrupted in the earth.

So, in short, if genetic experimentation were used to develop the cross-breeding that occurred between humanity and the Sons of God, I think it may be possible that some of the results of that experimentation may be what we see in some of the fossil record. Also, some of it may even be developing to the present day, in genetic experiments being conducted even as I write this manuscript.

I’m certain it’s true that many beings encountered and defined by cultures are demonic entities or fallen angels, but I won’t rule out the possibility that some of these species may be genetic aberrations created by fallen angels, similar to the Nephilim giants.

If genetic experimentation was involve with creating different hybrid species, endless recipes of genetic soup, ranging from different species of animals, fallen angels, and humans, would be likely. Taking this into account, beings such as el-chupacabras, el-duendes, and leprechauns, all of which according to legend are imbued with enormous supernatural power, might be the results of these experiments. Furthermore, the odd conclusion that big-foot might have supernatural power – which aids this particular species in its elusiveness – could be a possibility.

I’m somewhat jumping ahead into the evolution chapter here, but I’m only going to make a brief mention of this possibility. The several extinct species of what evolutionists consider pre-human, Ramapithecus, and Australopithecus, as well as the extinct members of the genus Homo, Homo Habilis, Homo Erectus, and Neanderthals – which were Homo Sapiens, ⁸ might owe a debt of gratitude for their brief existence on earth, due to the genetic experimentation of fallen angels. (I will reiterate this theory of angelic genetic experimentation in the chapter on evolution).

References:

1 Collin Wilson & Dr. Christopher Evans, The Book of Great Mysteries, Dorset Press, New York, 1990, pages 143-157.

2 Ibid.

3 Ibid.

4 Ibid.

5 Ibid. Pages 157-170.

6 General information on Salem witch trials: Alan Brinkley, Richard N. Current, Frank Freidel, T. Harry Williams, American History, McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1991, pages 80-81. Fact about true Christians ending the Salem witch trials was derived from my College history professor. Unfortunately I can’t document this source.

7 Carlos Castenada, anthropologist and author, mentions shape shifting throughout his works, which are a documentation of his apprenticeship under a Yaqui shaman, "Don Juan Matus".

8 William K. Purves, Gordon H. Orians, H. Craig Heller, Life: The Science of Biology, Sinauer Associates, Inc., W. H. Freeman and Company, 1995, pages 636-639.

 CHAPTER 7: NON-PHYSICAL ENTITIES

Are there such things as entities that are strictly of a spiritual, non-physical nature? Does scripture give any indication that such entities exist?

This chapter is dedicated to answering these two questions. In answering these questions, the terms that will be discussed when referring to non-physical entities are ghosts, demons, and devils. I will also discuss a few other entities that might have a non-corporeal nature, given that certain criteria are met.

1. Do ghosts exist?

What happens to people when they die? Are disincarnate spirits forced to go to heaven or hell, due to the nature of the non-corporeal form?

The apostle Paul answers half of this question in 2 Corinthians, when he states that his destination, along with other Christians, when apart from the body is to be in the presence of the Lord; most assume this is in heaven.

2 Corinthians 5:8

⁸We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

Should we automatically assume that individuals that aren’t Christians go to hell after they die? In order to answer this question, we need to analyze a few terms; hell, the grave, and death. In conjunction with these terms, the element of time is critical, because hell, the grave, and death, are not now what they were in the Old Testament times, nor what they will become after the Judgement Day.

Since I will discuss the dimension(s) of hell more in depth in the section of this book dedicated to realms of existence, I won’t go into great detail here. For this chapter, I will only focus on the current hell that exists. Concerning the current hell that exists, there’s only one aspect of it I wish to mention, and this involves the theory that the current hell that exists is a hell of varying levels. One needs to understand exactly what death and hell are, in order to distinguish the exact whereabouts of all disincarnate spirits.

1.1 Degrees of hell:

For starters, the terms death, and hell, have some definitional boundaries that overlap. In some scriptures, death and hell are synonymous, while in others, death and hell are distinguished from each other. For example, in Luke 16:19-31, the parable of Lazarus and the rich man describes the story of a rich man who dies, and immediately goes to hell. Revelation 20:15, on the other hand, is a scripture that distinguishes the sea, death, and hell as three different places containing the souls of disincarnate spirits.

Luke 16:19-31 (Lazarus and the rich man)

¹⁹ There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: ²⁰And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, ²¹And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. ²²And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; ²³And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. ²⁴And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. ²⁵But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. ²⁶And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. ²⁷Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: ²⁸For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. ²⁹Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. ³⁰And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. ³¹And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

Revelation 20:15

¹³And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. ¹⁴And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. ¹⁵And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

So which is it, are death and hell the same place, or are they different? Yes. From what I can tell in scripture, they are sometimes the same place, and sometimes they are different places. The key to understanding this is to understand that the current hell that exists is a place of varying levels.

Varying levels of hell can be derived from the term lowest hell, used in Deuteronomy 32:22, and Psalms 86:13. If a lowest hell exists, then simply put, a highest hell must also exist – and everything in between the highest, and lowest hells.

Deuteronomy 32:22

22For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.

Psalms 86:13

3For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.

Now that there is a basic understanding of the nature of the current hell that exists, it should be easier to understand the perceived discrepancy between the previously mentioned descriptions of hell in Revelation 20:15, and Luke 16:19-31. Death begins with the grave, which is the uppermost level of hell – because it is closest to the surface of the earth. Death in the grave doesn’t typically include the description of hell fire. The inferno in the center of the earth, on the other hand, is the lowest hell, and almost always includes a description of burning torment. (I will explain this conclusion in more detail and provide more scriptural support in the chapter I have dedicated to the realms of hell in the next section of this book. For now, I will just suffice it to say – bear with me on some of my statements if I don’t explain myself sufficiently to satisfy you.)

Death, in short, when used in conjunction with the term grave, is usually referring to the uppermost level of hell. The term grave is literally the grave – where a dead body is buried. The grave is described as a place of darkness (Jude 1:6), where there is no order (Job 10:21-22) or remembrance (Psalms 6:5), and is often described as sleep (John 11:11), probably because it has many similarities to sleep. For instance, if a spirit has the ability to think, yet finds itself in a void lacking all sensory input, i.e., no light, sound, sense of touch, smell, or anything else, would not such a state be similar to a dream state? The only life experienced by a spirit in this realm would be the thought life, which would make this spirit’s existence little more than a dream.

Because of Revelation 20:15, it should be evident that not all lost souls go to the lowest hell. Perhaps all the spirits that are lost go to the grave, and over time, drift from the surface of the earth to the center of the earth. Then again, perhaps factors such as the amount of life force at death, or current state of moral decay, determine which level of hell a spirit is to sink into. Concerning who goes where and when, these things are determined by God alone. I’m simply pointing out the fact that there are disincarnate human spirits within various levels of the depths of the earth – and the sea.

Some lost spirits may be very near the surface of the earth, so would it be far fetched to presume that some may in fact be on the surface of the earth? Why not?

For reasons currently unknown, it appears that lost souls are sometimes able to wind up on the surface of the earth, and are sometimes spotted by the living. (Many of these may be demonic impersonations, but many might also be the actual spirits of lost souls.)

Exactly how the dimensional barrier dividing the physical and spiritual realms breaks down is somewhat of a mystery. In some cases, the ground might be cursed, due to a brutal murder, or some other exceptionally evil activity. In other cases, spirits might be summoned. I will now elaborate upon both of these possibilities.

1.2 Cursed ground: Is there a case of haunting in the Old Testament?

Cursed ground may have varying effects. One such effect might be the breaking down of the veil that separates realms; i.e., cursed ground may be a few shades lower in glory than normal ground, thus, is closer to the spiritual plane where disincarnate spirits dwell. Concerning cursed ground, and a possible case of a classic haunting, the Old Testament might provide some keen insight.

Three scriptures in the Old Testament – one from Numbers, one from Genesis, and one from Leviticus – combined together, indicate what some might consider a classic haunting case. Going all the way back to Genesis 4, when Cain killed his brother Abel, recall that God mentioned that He heard Abel’s blood cry up from the earth.

Genesis 4:9-12

⁹And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper? ¹⁰And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground. ¹¹And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand; ¹²When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.

Is this not a cry from the grave? Are not tragic, brutal murders known for being catalysts that invoke territorial curses, where the sorrow of the deceased is often said to be felt, or even heard, or seen?

Genesis 4:9-12 alone is enough to indicate a haunting, but when combined with Leviticus 17:10-15, and Numbers 35:33-34, it becomes more compelling. Leviticus 17:10-15 states that the life of the flesh is in the blood, and Numbers 35:33-34 states that blood shed defiles the ground on which it occurs.

Leviticus 17:10-15

¹⁰And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people. ¹¹For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. ¹²Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood. ¹³And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, which hunteth and catcheth any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he shall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust. ¹⁴For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off. ¹⁵And every soul that eateth that which died of itself, or that which was torn with beasts, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger, he shall both wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even: then shall he be clean.

Numbers 35:33-34

³³So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it. ³⁴Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel.

Rereading Genesis 4:9-12 with the definition of blood in mind from Leviticus 17:10-15, we find that God said "…the voice of the life of thy brother’s flesh crieth unto me from the ground." So even though …the earth hath opened her mouth to receive the life of Abel’s flesh…God could hear the life of Abel’s flesh crying up from the ground. Of course God hears everything, but the fact that scripture states that God specifically heard Abel’s cries from the ground is worthy of unique consideration.

Concerning Abel’s death, I think this is exactly the kind of defilement God is alluding to in Numbers 35:33-34. Abel’s blood was shed, and obviously defiled the land.

1.3 Ceremonial cleanness:

Another interesting clue found within the Old Testament that might indicate the existence of ghosts is the aspect of ceremonial cleanness. This clue is found in the description of what happens to people that touch graves, or dead bodies; they become ceremonially unclean. The aspect of ceremonial cleanness might be an indication that there is some sort of a connection with a dead body, and the spirit that once housed it.

In Numbers 19:11-22, a law was placed into effect concerning anyone who touches a dead body. In short, if anyone touches a dead body, he/she will be ceremonially unclean until he/she follows the prescription of obtaining a cleansing according to the law. This process took seven days to complete.

Numbers 19:11-22

¹¹He that toucheth the dead body of any man shall be unclean seven days. ¹²He shall purify himself with it on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean: but if he purify not himself the third day, then the seventh day he shall not be clean. ¹³Whosoever toucheth the dead body of any man that is dead, and purifieth not himself, defileth the tabernacle of the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from Israel: because the water of separation was not sprinkled upon him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is yet upon him. ¹⁴This is the law, when a man dieth in a tent: all that come into the tent, and all that is in the tent, shall be unclean seven days. ¹⁵And every open vessel, which hath no covering bound upon it, is unclean. ¹⁶And whosoever toucheth one that is slain with a sword in the open fields, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days. ¹⁷And for an unclean person they shall take of the ashes of the burnt heifer of purification for sin, and running water shall be put thereto in a vessel: ¹⁸And a clean person shall take hyssop, and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it upon the tent, and upon all the vessels, and upon the persons that were there, and upon him that touched a bone, or one slain, or one dead, or a grave: ¹⁹And the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day: and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, and wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at even. ²⁰But the man that shall be unclean, and shall not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off from among the congregation, because he hath defiled the sanctuary of the LORD: the water of separation hath not been sprinkled upon him; he is unclean. ²¹And it shall be a perpetual statute unto them, that he that sprinkleth the water of separation shall wash his clothes; and he that toucheth the water of separation shall be unclean until even. ²²And whatsoever the unclean person toucheth shall be unclean; and the soul that toucheth it shall be unclean until even.

Many of the laws in the Old Testament are mysterious. The basic morality of the Ten Commandments are easy to understand; people need to treat each other with love and respect, (last 6 commandments), and look to their Creator with reverence and for guidance, (first 4 commandments). But does this explain why pigs were considered unclean beasts? Does this explain why circumcision was chosen by God to be the outward means of identifying a Hebrew with his God? I certainly would find something a bit less painful, if it were up to me.

Some scholars and theologians ascribe a great deal of these laws to the culture and customs of the people of those times. Today, in the age of scientific reason, scientists have and are continuing to discover that there may be some scientific reasons founding some of the ancient Hebrew laws. For example, it is known that pig meat, (pork, bacon, ham, etc.), is infamous for the number of diseases it can cause if not cooked thoroughly. As for circumcision, it is thought to be beneficially healthy. Furthermore, circumcising a child on the 8^th day after his birth – which scripture states is the time to do it – is the best time to circumcise him. Though I can’t find the source, I’ve heard that it has recently been discovered that the immune system is at its peak on the 8^th day after birth.

As for touching a dead body, this can be a very unhealthy thing to do; diseases spread through such contact. But is this the only reason why God warned the Israelites not to touch dead bodies?

Concerning the Hebrew law warning not to touch dead bodies or graves, I think there is a spiritual element at play that goes deeper than simply staying healthy. Why, for instance, does a cleansing from touching a dead body require heifer ashes and water, sprinkled from the branch of a hyssop tree? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that heifer ashes and water sprinkled from a hyssop tree isn’t going to wash off bacteria. Scripture also states that anyone touching a dead body is ceremonially unclean until he/she is cleaned according to the prescribed ritual. Even for those undertaking the prescribed ritual for cleansing, that person is unclean for seven days, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. It doesn’t matter if the defiled person scrubs with boiling water and SOS pads in the Jordan River for six days strait; that person is defiled until his/her seven days are up.

When reading scripture, people should keep in mind that all scripture is inspired of God.

2 Timothy 2:16-17

¹⁶All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: ¹⁷That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

Knowing that Hebrew laws were not made from men, no one should ascribe them to ideas derived from customs, cultures, scientific health benefits, or whatever else. It is true that many of the Hebrew laws were beneficially healthy, and some fell in line with the cultures and customs of the people of those days, but these laws were created by God. And in being created by God, there may very well be aspects about them that aren’t fully comprehended by anyone.

I think the aspect of ceremonial cleanness is a part of Hebrew law that goes beyond natural explanation. I can see indications that there is a spiritual element involved in exactly why pigs are considered unclean beasts; of all beasts in scripture, pigs were the creatures chosen to be possessed of demons in Matthew 8:30. Furthermore, I can see that touching a dead body does something spiritually to people, because the method of cleansing someone after that person has touched a dead body doesn’t appear to have anything to do with washing off bacteria.

1.4 Ghosts in the New Testament:

In the New Testament, there is one scripture I wish to point out that might indicate the existence of ghosts. Recall that after Jesus Christ died and was resurrected, He appeared to the apostles, and specifically mentioned to them that he wasn’t a ghost, (i.e., disembodied spirit).

Luke 24:36-37

³⁶And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. ³⁷But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. ³⁸And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? ³⁹Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. ⁴⁰And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. ⁴¹And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? ⁴²And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. ⁴³And he took it, and did eat before them. ⁴⁴And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.

Here, note that Jesus said "…for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have…". If there were no such things as disincarnate spirits appearing to the living, then why didn’t Jesus just say, "Spirits have not the ability to appear unto the living"? Instead of saying this, He rather defined the essence of a spirit as being a non-corporeal form, and proved to them by eating meat that he wasn’t a disincarnate spirit appearing to them.

1.5 Warnings about the dead:

Recall that aside from cursed ground, a lost soul might actually be summoned from the grave using various techniques; i.e., necromancy, familiar spirits, etc. In the book of Deuteronomy, God strictly forbids the Israelites from initiating any kind of communication with the spirits of the dead.

Deuteronomy 18:10-12

10There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, ¹¹Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. ¹²For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.

Because of Deuteronomy 18:10-12, it should be clear that the living shouldn’t deliberately attempt to interact with the dead. This passage of scripture describes two types of interaction with disembodied spirits, which are as follows: consulting with familiar spirits, and necromancy. Both are considered an abomination to God.

Backing up to Genesis chapter 4, one might conclude that if in fact God received communication from Abel about his murder, then God is committing sin, because this can be construed as necromancy. This conclusion isn’t valid though, for two reasons. First of all, nothing can be hidden from God, so if Abel’s blood is crying from the ground, God by nature of who He is can hear it. He doesn’t have to seek it out. Furthermore, necromancy and consulting with familiar spirits usually involves rituals that invoke the mediation of demonic spirits, which because of their power, have the ability to summon disincarnate spirits, or more in likely mimic them. God performs no ritual, nor needs the help of anyone, or anything, to be aware of Abel’s cries.

Secondly, simply seeing a ghost, or hearing a ghost, isn’t consulting with familiar spirits, or necromancy. I’ve seen ghosts before, without ever invoking any spells, intentionally drawing myself into altered states of awareness, or trying to invoke them. Consulting with familiar spirits, and necromancy, are deliberate attempts to communicate with the dead. Stumbling across them is another story.

1.6 My own experience with necromancy:

I’ve also fallen into the undesirable category of – necromancy. Twice in my life before I knew any better I fiddled with Ouija boards, receiving satanic results both times. For those who don’t know what a Ouija board is – it’s supposed to be a toy. In fact, these boards can unfortunately be purchased in practically any toy store. A Ouija board is simply a board with letters and numbers, and a sliding pointer that stops at the letters or numbers. If successful, the game results in a strange communication that appears to be independent of the participants. Psychologists insist this communication is a derivative of the unconscious mind, while people more spiritually inclined consider it to be communication with spiritual entities. From what I experienced, and what I’ve heard about these boards, I lean heavily in favor of their being a spiritual phenomenon, and not a psychological one. And since Christians define seeking out interactive communication with the dead as necromancy, then from a biblical perspective, the use of a Ouija board can be considered necromancy.

The first time I used a Ouija board was in High School – during school actually. I was serious about it, because the prospect of communicating with an entity from another dimension intrigued me. The other kids involved weren’t as serious as I was though. I don’t remember the communication we received very well, because this was so long ago, but I do remember that we were having a hard time trying to communicate with something that wasn’t evil. Frequently the game was interrupted with satanic phrases, such as "Dance with the devil", and the like.

One of the kids there kept wanting to contact Satan. I had enough sense to know that was a stupid idea, even back then. I refused to participate when he was touching the pointer. He, along with a few others took the board home, and ended up destroying it the next day. They said they saw billowing clouds of smoke appear in the hallway of the home where they were using the board, and one of the girls participating went into convulsions and starting screaming.

The second time I used a Ouija board was when I was in the Army. Just me, and a friend of mine wanted to experiment. I considered myself to be a Christian, (baby Christian to the extreme), and my friend considered himself to be a Catholic Christian. Both of us were intent on using the board to communicate with something good; for example, an angel of God, or good alien from another world.

I thought that the board was nothing more than an extension of the mind, but wasn’t sure whether it enabled communication with the collective subconscious minds of the participants, or beings from other dimensions. If the communication were with my own subconscious, then it would be interesting. If the communication were with an entity from another dimension, then this would be interesting too, because both my friend and I were intent on communicating with something good. Much to our dismay, this was not the result.

During the day, the pointer barely moved. As darkness approached, the pointer steadily increased in speed. At first, we thought we were communicating with someone who used to be a soldier in the barracks where we were. We were surprised and excited to be receiving any results at all, because both of us only vaguely believed it would work with only two people playing. With a large group of people, it’s easy to explain the movement of the pointer, but when only two people are using the game, trying to explain who is moving the pointer is much more difficult.

Quite suddenly, the communication with what we thought to be a dead soldier was interrupted by something very powerful, and very evil. The pointer quickly darted from one side of the board to the other, with a powerful momentum that amazed the both of us. We were barely able to make out the messages. Strangely, the parts that I understood, my friend didn’t catch, and vice versa. Together, we were able to piece the messages together.

The messages were poetic – disturbing – metaphors. These metaphors began with mild content, and ended with all out satanic chants.

"You are a ghost like the wind. From whence you came I know not" was one of the opening phrases to address me. Shortly thereafter, I recall another phrase was something like "I am the tiger that roams the night. I will take thy head from iniquity, and feed it to the venomous beast…" At these remarks, my friend and I pulled away, and discussed with puzzled bereavement why we were receiving such undesirable results. Had we no control? If this was just a game that two Christians were playing with, then why were we getting satanic messages?

Further communication resulted in "666 – 666 – 666 – Lucifer is my name, etc…" We even tried to communicate again with what we thought was the dead soldier earlier that day, but this was not possible. The pointer would rapidly zip out answers to our questions, and when we asked who it was, satanic inanities would rapidly begin to pour out of the board.

Neither of us had any interest in pursuing any communication with something satanic, so we ended up burning this game in a wooded area of the base where we were stationed. Some claim that these boards sometimes refuse to be destroyed; this was NOT the case. It was successfully burned!

Today, I’m glad to announce that I’m now fully aware of what stupidity this was that I was involved in. I will never again play with a Ouija board, and strongly advise all others not to as well. Using a Ouija board is nothing less than necromancy, which is an abomination unto God. It is a known fact that Ouija boards are used in some occult practices, such as witchcraft, New Age spiritualism, and the like;¹ they have no part in the Christian walk.

1.7 Unintentional communication with the dead:

Earlier in this chapter, I mentioned that necromancy, and consulting with familiar spirits, involves rituals that invoke the mediation of demonic spirits, which because of their power, have the ability to summon disincarnate spirits, or more in likely mimic them. In 1 Samuel 28:7-19, we see an example of this activity in action.

1 Samuel 28:7-19

⁷Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor. ⁸And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee. ⁹And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die? ¹⁰And Saul sware to her by the LORD, saying, As the LORD liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing. ¹¹Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel. ¹²And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul. ¹³And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth. ¹⁴And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself. ¹⁵And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do. ¹⁶Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy? ¹⁷And the LORD hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David: ¹⁸Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the LORD, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the LORD done this thing unto thee this day. ¹⁹Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the LORD also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.

It should be noted that Saul wasn’t blessed in any way by seeking out guidance in this manner. In fact, his doom was prophesied to him, and seeking out someone who consulted with familiar spirits did nothing but further provoke God’s anger.

Even though consulting with familiar spirits is condemned in scripture, God allowed this communication to be conducted; I consider it the grace of God that Saul was able to receive any communication from the prophet Samuel at all.

While the above scripture is an example of communication with the deceased being intentionally invoked, what if a deceased person were simply to pop up and attempt communication with the living – without being summoned at all? Hypothetically speaking, if I were sitting in my home one evening, and suddenly became aware of a spirit standing in front of me, would I be doing something evil? I don’t think so. I don’t see how a person can be morally incriminated for simply perceiving something that most other people don’t.

Now what if this spirit says something to me, and awaits a response? What then, am I sinning if I respond to it? Now I’m getting into a gray area. I believe in this situation, spiritual discernment, and a certain degree of logic would be called for.

The first thing I would do if faced with such a situation is pray to God. If this didn’t immediately eliminate the entity, I would then fall upon my logic – and the Bible – for an immediate recourse, which I believe God would consider sufficient for discernment if praying didn’t eliminate the entity at once.

Since the entity didn’t disappear after praying, I’d be more inclined to believe that it was an angelic being, and that it was there to relay a message to me inspired of God. I would think this because God is the living God, and He wouldn’t ignore my prayers to Him if this entity were demonic.

I wouldn’t immediately assume this entity was from God though. Before simply accepting whatever this entity told me, I’d question it. If the entity claimed to be a deceased person, then I would wonder why he/she wasn’t in heaven. If it didn’t come from heaven, then it’s most likely a deceived, lost entity, specifically separated from God for a good reason. If anything, such an entity would be inspired of the devil.

If after testing the spirit, I concluded that this entity was demonic, and praying didn’t make it go away – then I would go away! Actually – I’d probably go away – very rapidly – as an initial recourse, because I’d be terrified! But in the abstract, I’ll just go with what I have written here.

For a long-term solution, I’d definitely seek out godly council. Whether the incident would be of God, or the devil, it would require the involvement of the Body of Christ. If it were from God, then the church should be blessed by it. If it were from the devil, then the church should be involved in eliminating it.

Going further into this bizarre scenario, if the entity continued to appear on a regular basis, I wouldn’t give up on prayer. I’ve studied several cases where people were plagued with such phenomenon, and they called a priest to come and bless their home. When this didn’t work, they called a psychic, or a medium, etc.² The people that did this did so because they didn’t really have any true faith; they were just looking for a quick fix to their problems. When anyone asks for God’s help, God doesn’t want to slap on a Band-Aid and walk away. God isn’t a Band-Aid; He is a living, personal being. He wants to get involved in everyone’s life. When there is no true desire to seek Him out, then I believe He isn’t particularly interested in supplying His divine help. I would liken such a situation to a parent whose wayward son only pays any attention to his parents when he gets in trouble and wants to be bailed out. In many cases, bailing out the son only prolongs the period of time it will take before the son matures to the degree that he sees what he’s doing is wrong, and corrects his situation. In some cases, it may even be God Himself allowing such phenomenon to occur in someone’s life in order to get that person to seek Him out. (Believe me, I know this from personal experience).

The wrong thing to do when faced with spiritual activity is to consult someone affiliated with spiritual phenomenon that isn’t a Christian, i.e., psychic, medium, etc. These people are usually involved in things worse than the phenomenon at hand. Advice such as sprinkling salt in the corners of the rooms of the home, or visualizing a protective white light, are all superstitious garbage that do little more than appease the demonic entities in question, if there are any.

If any entity claimed anything contrary to scripture, i.e., for example, that there might be any other way to God the Father except through Jesus Christ, I’d know this entity was demonic. In short, I’d test the spirits, applying all the same scriptures as mentioned in chapter 6 of this book.

We need to be fully aware of deceivers, (Matthew 24:24), be able to reveal their deception, (Galatians 1:8-9), defend against it, (Ephesians 6:10-13), and rest in the assurance of God’s love, (Romans 8:35-39)!

Matthew 24:24

²⁴For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Gal 1:8-9

⁸But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. ⁹As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

Ephesians 6:10-13

¹⁰Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. ¹¹Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹²For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. ¹³Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand..

Romans 8:35-39

³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. ³⁷Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. ³⁸For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, ³⁹Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1.8 Conclusion about ghosts:

In conclusion to the question "Do ghosts exist?" I hope I have provided a sufficient answer. I believe they do, and I think there are several scriptures in the Bible which support this conclusion.

Seeing that there is biblical evidence that ghosts exist, the same scriptures that apply to disincarnate humans, (i.e., ghosts), might very well apply to other physical beings that have died, and have become disincarnate entities. These physical beings might be animals, or even angels, or hybrids between angels, and other beings of the earth, which resulted in aberrations such as the Nephilim, and perhaps others I discussed in chapter 6 of this book. I will now elaborate upon these other types of life forms that might become ghosts.

2. Can animals be ghosts?

In order to determine whether animals can be ghosts or not, it must be resolved whether or not they are alive with spirits, just as humans are, and if their spirits continue to exist after physical death. In scripture, there are several clues that hint to the possibility that animals have spirits as humans do, and may continue to exist after physical death.

First of all, animals are living beings of flesh and blood – which may automatically indicate they have spirits (Numbers 16:22). The Bible also mentions – primarily indirectly – that animals should be treated with care (Proverbs 12:10; Exodus 23:5, 19, 34:26; Deuteronomy 14:21, 22:4, 6-7, 25:4; 1 Corinthians 9:9; and 1 Timothy 5:18). Furthermore, animals have a basic sense of moral accountability (Genesis 9:2, 9:3-6; Exodus 21:28-36; and concerning demon possession – Genesis 3:1-5 and Matthew 8:30-33). Animals receive punishment for certain sins (Genesis 3:14-15, 9:3-6; and Exodus 21:28-36), may experience a type of salvation (Genesis 6:19-22, – and Acts 10:9-16 / Deuteronomy 14:7-21 – with some explaining), and lastly, animals are found within the realm of heaven (Isaiah 11:6-9, 65:25). I will now elaborate upon all of these statements, then provide a conclusion as to how they might add up together, to answer the question of whether animals might be able to become ghosts or not.

2.1 Do all creatures of flesh and blood have spirits?

Numbers 16:22 might be an indication that animals have spirits, but this could easily be argued against as a conclusion taken out of context.

Numbers 16:22

²²And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation?

Take note of the phrase, "the God of the spirits of all flesh". This phrase might mean that all entities composed of flesh have spirits, but this conclusion by itself is weak. Only when combined with more scripture can the conclusion that all beings composed of flesh contain spirits be established firmly.

2.2 Should animals be treated with care? If so, then why?

Scripture makes it clear that mankind is to dominate over the animal kingdom. This hierarchy is established in Genesis 1:24-26, 9:2; and Psalms 8:6-8.

Genesis 1:24-26

²⁴And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. ²⁵And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. ²⁶And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Genesis 9:2

²And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.

Psalms 8:6-8

⁶Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: ⁷All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; ⁸The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.

            But while mankind is clearly established as having dominion over the animal kingdom, the relationship that exists between man and beast should be respectable. The Bible gives several scriptures that explain different situations where people should have a certain degree of compassion on animals. All of the previously mentioned scriptures indicating that people should care about and have compassion on animals are proof of this. Following are these direct quotes from scripture, all of which are dedicated to the relationship that should exist between humans and animals.

Proverbs 12:10

¹⁰A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.

Exodus 23:5

⁵If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him.

Exodus 23:19, 34:26, Deuteronomy 14:21

²⁶The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk.

Deuteronomy 22:4

⁴Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ass or his ox fall down by the way, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again.

Deuteronomy 22:6-7

⁶If a bird’s nest chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whether they be young ones, or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young: ⁷But thou shalt in any wise let the dam go, and take the young to thee; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days.

Deuteronomy 25:4, 1 Corinthians 9:9, 1 Timothy 5:18

⁴Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn.

When I read all of these scriptures, it becomes apparent to me that God cares for the lives of animals. The above scriptures give examples of people helping animals that are struggling in work, having mercy on a bird whose nest falls to the ground, and refusing to boil a goat in its mother’s milk because of a respect for the animal. My question to all of these scriptures is as follows: If animals don’t have spirits, then why care? Scripture never states that you should take care of your tools, but does state these instances of how to care for work animals. If there were no true living spirit within animals, I personally don’t think it would matter how they were treated.

2.3 Do animals have a basic sense of moral accountability? Can animals sin, and if so, what is their punishment?

In my analysis of scripture, I have found two basic laws regarding animals, and their sense of moral accountability. One of these laws is clear to see, while the other requires a little deductive reasoning to extract.

One clear way to spot laws is the fact that breaking them results in punishment. Since I can only find two punishments listed in scripture regarding animals, then I conclude that I can only discern two fundamental laws that apply to animals. The first of these laws is murder. No animal should ever murder a human being. The second of these laws is somewhat odd, and I’m not certain exactly how to put it. Animals shouldn’t invite demonic possession. Exactly how animals could be responsible for being possessed, I’m not sure, but I think scripture seems to hint that they might have a choice in the matter. I will now provide detailed information on these two laws, and their respective punishments, as recorded in scripture.

When God first created the animals, He ingrained in them a sense of fear concerning humanity. This respect animals were designed with is mentioned in Genesis 9:2.

Genesis 9:2

²And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.

In a sense, this natural fear of humanity can be considered a law of moral accountability for animals. The extreme violation of this ingrained respect for humanity is expressed when an animal murders a human being. The penalty for murdering a human being is death. This penalty applies to men, and beasts, and is mentioned in Genesis 9:3-6.

Genesis 9:3-6

³Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. ⁴But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. ⁵And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man. ⁶Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

Exodus 21:28-36 is a recapitulation of Genesis 9:3-6, except for the fact that it’s more specific. It’s my guess that there were probably several incidents regarding oxen that killed people, so God deemed it necessary to provide the people of Israel with additional guidance regarding oxen.

Exodus 21:28-36

²⁸If an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die: then the ox shall be surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be quit. ²⁹But if the ox were wont to push with his horn in time past, and it hath been testified to his owner, and he hath not kept him in, but that he hath killed a man or a woman; the ox shall be stoned, and his owner also shall be put to death. ³⁰If there be laid on him a sum of money, then he shall give for the ransom of his life whatsoever is laid upon him. ³¹Whether he have gored a son, or have gored a daughter, according to this judgment shall it be done unto him. ³²If the ox shall push a manservant or a maidservant; he shall give unto their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned. ³³And if a man shall open a pit, or if a man shall dig a pit, and not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall therein; ³⁴The owner of the pit shall make it good, and give money unto the owner of them; and the dead beast shall be his. ³⁵And if one man’s ox hurt another’s, that he die; then they shall sell the live ox, and divide the money of it; and the dead ox also they shall divide.

The law "Thou shalt not kill – people obviously" is a law that, according to scripture, animals have written upon their hearts. The penalty for violating this law is death. This law and its penalty are strait forward, and should be clear to see in the scriptures I have listed. Now for the second law, which as I mentioned earlier is more obscure, will require more explanation.

For starters, the first animal to sin in scripture is the serpent in Genesis.

Genesis 3:1-5

¹Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? ²And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: ³But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. ⁴And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: ⁵For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

Soon after the serpent deceived Eve into eating the forbidden fruit, it was confronted by God. God pronounced its sentence.

Genesis 3:14-15

¹⁴And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: ¹⁵And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

The serpent in the garden is very puzzling indeed, and raises several questions. First of all, how was Eve able to have a conversation with a snake? Well, okay, we can just try to breeze past this be stating that she was a perfect, glorified human being. She may have been able to communicate with all animals in such a fashion – which is very interesting I might add.

But my second question to this passage of scripture is what exactly is the serpent? Is it the devil taking on the form of a snake, is it just a snake, or is it a snake possessed of the devil? I can only think of these three possibilities, and only one of them seems plausible.

If the devil took on the form of a snake, then why were snakes cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field, and condemned to crawl upon their bellies and eat dust all the days of their lives? Why curse an animal for what the devil did?

And if the tempter in this scripture is simply a snake, then why did God prophesy that "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." This prophesy is a clear reference to Christ overcoming Satan, not the reptilian animals we call snakes.

Clearly, the serpent in the Garden of Eden was an animal that was either influenced by Satan, or possessed by Satan. This is why there is punishment declared upon the actual creature that allowed itself to be influenced or possessed of the devil, and also a prophesy declaring the destruction of Satan himself.

The main element I wish to extract out of this passage of scripture is the fact that an animal was involved in original sin, and it was held accountable for its actions. Because of what it did, God cursed it, showing that it sinned, and was punished for that sin. I know it seems odd that an animal might have any choice in that matter of allowing itself to be possessed of Satan, but I can find no other feasible explanation for this passage of scripture. God is just, and I don’t see the justice in punishing the serpent unless it had a choice in whether or not it was going to allow itself to be possessed.

Scripture also gives an account of another instance where animals were possessed by demons. A heard of pigs were possessed in Matthew 8:30-33.

Matthew 8:30-33

³⁰And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding. ³¹So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine. ³²And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters. ³³And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils.

Apparently the swine in this passage of scripture simply wouldn’t tolerate being possessed. They chose to commit suicide rather than to be possessed by devils. I don’t think it’s any accident that Jesus allowed this possession to occur, either. The Jews of the village where He was at probably had no business raising swine. Recall that their meat was forbidden among Jews during this time.

Not all animals taken with demonic possession might act as noble as the pigs in Matthew 8:30-33. Some, such as the serpent in Genesis 3:1-5, might willingly invite demonic possession. Not too long ago I saw a movie called The Ghost And The Darkness, which was based on a true story. This movie was about two lions in Africa that hunted together, and appeared to enjoy killing humans. Even those not taken in by the African legends of these beasts regarded them as highly unusual.

I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the African legends regarding these lions were true. The natives of the area where these lions hunted considered the lions to be unnatural; even devils.

2.4 Do animals have any salvation?

As previously determined, animals probably have spirits, and are dealing with sin just as humans are, though in a more primitive form than humans. Another link that testifies to the fact that animals are dealing with sin is the fact that they have been cursed with death, just as humans are. This can be assumed from Romans 5:12-14, and 1 Corinthians 15:21-22, and the fact that there are currently no immortal animals.

Romans 5:12-14

¹²Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: ¹³(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. ¹⁴Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.

1 Corinthians 15:21-22

21For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. ²²For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

Seeing that animals are faced with the terrible dilemma of sin and death, is there any hope in salvation for them? This is actually a common question asked by children whose pets die, though the wording is slightly different. After reading this chapter, if you the reader are a parent that has had this question posed to you by your child, then you should be able to provide a better answer than "Um… I think so…"

2.4.1 The flood of Noah – a foreshadowing of the cross:

In the days of Noah, God condemned all the animals of the earth to die along with humanity, except for selected pairs of every species. Just as Noah and his family were saved, so were those animals that God chose to go into the ark.

As a child, I used to wonder just exactly how difficult it was for Noah to collect two of every species existing in the entire earth. I used to imagine Noah as being someone like "Tom" on the Mutual of Omaha, Wild Kingdom series; some sort of rhino wrestling freak!

Catching two of every species on the earth would’ve required the knowledge of all species of the earth, and the cunning to be able to catch them all without the aid of any technology we now have. Personally, I don’t think this is very likely. I think God personally selected the pairs of each species that were pure of heart, and put the desire within their spirits to travel to the ark, and peacefully submit to Noah’s demands. (Noah had enough work with the boat!) But this is just speculation – like much of this book. The important element I wish to mention about Noah’s ark is the fact that God saved one pair of each species on the earth. Since the ark is a shadowy reflection of salvation given by Christ, I think the fact that it included saving animals is noteworthy.

2.4.2 Have unclean animals been spiritually cleaned?

In the Old Testament, many animals were considered unclean. Exactly what this means is uncertain. I’m under the impression that cleanness in the Old Testament sense has spiritual overtones. To briefly examine which animals were considered unclean, take a look at Deuteronomy 14:7-21.

Deuteronomy 14:7-21

⁷Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the cloven hoof; as the camel, and the hare, and the coney: for they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof; therefore they are unclean unto you. ⁸And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you: ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcase. ⁹These ye shall eat of all that are in the waters: all that have fins and scales shall ye eat: ¹⁰And whatsoever hath not fins and scales ye may not eat; it is unclean unto you. ¹¹Of all clean birds ye shall eat. ¹²But these are they of which ye shall not eat: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray, ¹³And the glede, and the kite, and the vulture after his kind, ¹⁴And every raven after his kind, ¹⁵And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind, ¹⁶The little owl, and the great owl, and the swan, ¹⁷And the pelican, and the gier eagle, and the cormorant, ¹⁸And the stork, and the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat. ¹⁹And every creeping thing that flieth is unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten. ²⁰But of all clean fowls ye may eat. ²¹Ye shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself: thou shalt give it unto the stranger that is in thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto an alien: for thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk.

What is seen in Deuteronomy 14:7-21 is a well-defined list of creatures that shouldn’t be eaten because they were considered to be unclean by God. Some of these animals were defiled to such a degree that it was forbidden to even touch their dead carcasses. Why?

Adding to the list of creatures that shouldn’t be eaten are oxen that have killed people. Recall from Exodus 21:28-36 that along with the penalty of stoning for oxen that have killed people, their flesh shouldn’t be eaten. Again I ask, why? Normally, oxen were acceptable to eat. Could it be that an ox that murdered someone defiled itself spiritually, and that this defilement was contained in its flesh insomuch that eating it would defile a person?

Now jumping into the New Testament, I will quote Acts 10:9-16 - a scripture apparently ignored by 7^th Day Adventists, Mormons, etc.

Acts 10:9-16

⁹ On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: ¹⁰And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, ¹¹And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: ¹²Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. ¹³And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. ¹⁴But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. ¹⁵And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. ¹⁶ This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.

Wow! Now what is this all about? I think the answer is obvious; what happened on the cross had its effects throughout all creation. God had cleansed all those animals that were considered unclean. This is one of the primary reasons I think that there is a spiritual element involved in the aspect of cleanness as mentioned in scripture. I also think that Acts 10:9-16 provides a strong argument that the cross may provide a means of salvation for animals.

Exactly how this salvation works, I don’t know; all I know is that God knows the depths of all hearts. It’s my guess that there are some creatures from all species that have been chosen by God to be saved, and that this salvation involves both the choice of each creature, in conjunction with God’s predestined selection.

2.4.3 What happens to animals when they die?

When the prophet Isaiah described heaven, interestingly enough, he mentioned that there would be animals there. This is recorded in Isaiah 11:6-9, and 65:25.

Isaiah 11:6-9

⁶The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. ⁷And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. ⁸And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den. ⁹They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

Isaiah 65:25

²⁵The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.

In heaven – at least the New Jerusalem during the millennial reign, (which is determinable from the fact that there are children there), Isaiah mentions that there are wolves, lambs, leopards, goats, calves, lions, cattle, oxen, asps, cockatrices, and serpents. I think this is a large enough collection of animals to assume that some of every species will be there.

These animals aren’t ordinary. They’re exceptionally peaceful, and non-carnivorous. Seeing that these animals are dwelling in heaven, and are glorified because of their non-violent nature, it’s obvious that they are saved. Another scripture pointing out the fact that these creatures are glorified is Revelation 5:13-14.

Revelation 5:13-14

¹³And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

Revelation 5:13-14 states that every creature will give glory to God. I mention this scripture simply to illustrate the fact that animals have spirits, and were created for the explicit purpose of glorifying God throughout eternity.

2.5 Conclusion of whether animals can become ghosts:

Have I simply gone off on a tangent without any intent of answering the question of whether animals may become ghosts or not? Absolutely not!

To summarize all I’ve discussed about animals, I can now say with some degree of scriptural support that animals have spirits just as humans do, and that they are subject to sin and death just as humans are. Animals also have some form of salvation, and their presence in heaven is clearly stated in the book of Isaiah.

Because animals are found in heaven, it’s only logical to assume that those that don’t go to heaven go to the same places where lost human souls go. Because some human souls might end up on the surface of the earth – hence, ghosts, then animal souls might be subject to the same phenomenon as well.

Perhaps I can be accused of being too verbose in finding my way around to this conclusion, but I’m simply trying to be as thorough as possible.

3. Demons, devils, and angels:

So far in this chapter I’ve discussed the possible existence of non-physical entities known as ghosts – a term which I attribute to physically deceased humans, and animals. Now I will apply some of the same information used in explaining the existence of ghosts, to explain the difference between fallen angels, and demons / devils.

Before I go any further, I want to step aside and eliminate one term by mentioning that it is synonymous with another term. In scripture, the terms demon, and devil, are synonymous terms. In the King James Version of the Holy Bible, the term demon is never used; the term devil is preferred. Other versions of the Bible use the word demon though, deriving it from the Greek word daimonizomai. For this book, I will use the term demon instead of devil, in order to distinguish demons – from Satan himself, who is often called The devil.

If you can recall from chapter 4, I briefly mentioned what I defined the term demon to mean. A demon is the disincarnate spirit of a fallen angel, or disincarnate spirit of an aberrant hybrid of a fallen angel and some other species, such as a human, or possibly animals. I gave several reasons why I thought this; paramount among them is the fact that angels are noted in several places in scripture as beings with physical properties, while demons are specifically noted in scripture as beings without physical bodies – beings that seek a host for embodiment. I will now elaborate upon the evidence that points to the conclusion that I have derived concerning the definition of the term "Demon".

Since much of chapter 4 of this book was dedicated to demonstrating the fact that angels often exhibit physical properties, I won’t bother to repeat that same information in this chapter. As for the second fact I previously mentioned – demons being noted in scripture as beings seeking embodiment – I will now list several examples of this.

In the books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the term "Devils" is used 37 times in the King James Version, always in conjunction with demon possession. Since there are so many of these scriptures in support of the fact that demons are disincarnate entities seeking embodiment, I’ll only give the references. They are as follows: Matthew 4:24, 7:22, 8:16, 8:28, 8:31, 8:33, 9:34, 10:8, 12:24, 12:27, 12:28; Mark 1:32, 1:34, 1:39, 3:15, 3:22, 5:12, 6:13, 9:38, 16:9; and Luke 4:41, 8:2, 8:27, 8:30, 8:33, 8:35, 8:36, 8:38, 9:1, 9:49, 10:17, 11:15, 11:18, 11:19, 11:20, 13:32. The term "devils" is used in other scriptures, but in the books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, every usage of this term has to do with spirits that possess people, thus, they are disincarnate entities that seek embodiment.

So far, it should be understood that angels – at least some of them – are physical beings, and demons are non-physical beings that seek embodiment. Concerning these facts, there are a few questions that when asserted and answered, provide a clear understanding as to the origin of where demons come from.

First of all, when an angel sins, what happens to it? In 2 Peter 2:4, and in Jude 1:6, it’s obvious that these beings are apprehended and imprisoned.

2 Peter 2:4

⁴For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment

Jude 1:6

⁶And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

Note that both of these references are in past tense, which seems to indicate that there are no more angels that are sinning. Is this really the case? I don’t think so. Angels in the past sinned, and were cast down to hell, but I think that there might still be angels that are being deceived, even today. The reason I think this is because of three scriptures concerning the Nephilim. In Genesis 6:4, and in Matthew 24:37, and Luke 17:26-30, there are indications that the mating between angels and humans that occurred in Genesis 6 continued to occur after the flood of Noah, and will become an increasing phenomenon in the end times.

Genesis 6:4

⁴There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

Matthew 24:37

³⁷But as the days of Noe (Noah) were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Luke 17:26-30

²⁶And as it was in the days of Noe (Noah), so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. ²⁷They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. ²⁸Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; ²⁹But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. ³⁰Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

Perhaps when an angel sins, it becomes corrupted, and subject to death – spiritual, (which occurs immediately), and physical, (which occurs over time). Death slowly begins to physically age these beings, then they physically die. After physical death, these beings become trapped in hell on earth, where they await judgement.

Scripture specifically states that fallen angels are cast into hell, but scripture also notes indirectly that this may not take place immediately. The process of getting them there may take a little time. Consider that Adam and Eve didn’t physically die until after 1000 years of living. This indicates a gap in time over which God’s sentence of death is carried out. Also, in Psalms 78:49-50, God is even using fallen angels – evil angels – to execute his judgement on people. Because these beings are utilized by God, (whether they’re aware of it or not is another matter), it’s obvious some of them aren’t imprisoned in hell yet. Satan isn’t imprisoned in hell; he’s known as the Prince of the power of the air in Ephesians 2:2. The Prince of Persia mentioned in Daniel 10:1-14 isn’t imprisoned in hell either, (at least at the time this prophecy was given). This fallen angel had enough power to confront the archangel Gabriel and delay him for twenty one days; Gabriel needed the archangel Michael’s help in order to battle his way through, and deliver God’s message to the prophet Daniel.

Psalms 78:49-50

49He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them. ⁵⁰He made a way to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence.

Ephesians 2:2

Daniel 10:1-14

¹In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel … I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz: ⁶His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude. ⁷And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves…¹¹And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee …¹²Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. ¹³But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. ¹⁴Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.

After physical death, fallen angels might also be powerful enough to roam about on the surface of the earth, resisting the pull of the grave – if there is some sort of natural drift. (Of course this is only if God allows them too – which I think He does for a time – for the same reason as mentioned in Psalms 78:49-50; to execute His judgement on people.) My point about these beings is that scripture notes many cases of demons possessing people; some of them might be fallen angels have physically died, and haven’t been cast into hell yet.

As for the Nephilim, and other possible aberrations created by fallen angels, where do their spirits go? Scripture doesn’t give any direct reference to the location of these disincarnate spirits, other than the fact that there are many cases of demonic possession. I assume that these spirits end up in the same places as the souls of lost human souls, – i.e. various levels of hell – but many are obviously capable of remaining on the surface of the earth, because of the existence of demonic possession.

From all of the above mentioned about fallen angels, and their aberrant offspring, my conclusion as to what demons are is simply this: demons are the ghosts of powerful angelic beings, and their hybrid offspring. But for the purposes of this book, I will always use the term ghosts to refer to disincarnate humans and animals. I will reserve the term demons for disincarnate fallen angels, and their aberrant hybrid offspring, such as the Nephilim.

4. A word about possession:

Now that there is a basic understanding of the possible existence of the disincarnate spirits of humans and animals that might sometimes appear on the surface of the earth, – i.e. ghosts, a curious question has presented itself to me: Can ghosts possess people?

The common idea most Christians have concerning possession is that demons possess people, rather than the ghosts of deceased people and animals possessing people. But now that it’s been logically determined from scripture, (at least to some degree), that ghosts are real, then it shouldn’t be too difficult to assume that these disembodied spirits might possess the living just as demons do. After all, they are spirits just as demons are. The only possible difference between them and demons is the amount of power and influence they might have.

If ghosts can possess people, does scripture give any indication of this? Consider the various terms other than devils used to describe people that are possessed, or are powerfully influenced: evil spirits (Judges 9:23; 1 Samuel 16:14, 15, 16, 23, 18:10, 19:9; Acts 19:12, 13, 15, 16; Luke 7:21, 8:2), unclean spirits (Matthew 10:1; Mark 1:27, 3:11, 5:13, 6:7; Luke 4:36, 6:18; Acts 5:16, 8:7; Revelation 16:13), foul spirits (Mark 9:25; Revelation 18:2), and familiar spirits (Leviticus 19:31, 20:6; Deuteronomy 18:11; 1 Samuel 28:3, 9; 2 Kings 21:6, 23:24; and Isaiah 8:19, 19:3).

One explanation for the reason why the Bible is filled with different terms concerning possession is the fact that the Bible is composed of 66 books, which were penned by about 40 different authors.² But if this explanation is used to explain the use of different terms, it isn’t consistent. For example, examining the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Acts reveals that the same authors used multiple terms to describe possession. The book of Matthew contains the terms devils, and unclean spirits, the book of Acts and Luke contain the terms devils, evil spirits, and unclean spirits, and the book of Mark contains the terms devils, unclean spirits, and foul spirits. Now it is true that these authors might have considered all of these terms synonymous, but the opposite might also be true. It is possible that they intentionally used different terms to indicate that there are different types of possession.

Concerning familiar spirits, the Christian paradigm usually classifies these beings as demons, but I see no reason why they can’t be ghosts. Shamans of shamanistic religions often think their familiar spirits are either their ancestors, or the spirits of animals, such as wolves, bears, etc. In any case, consulting with familiar spirits is strictly forbidden in scripture. These beings are not dwelling in heaven for a good reason. The point I’m simply trying to make is that familiar spirits might not only be demons.

5. A word about reincarnation:

In the last section of this book, I have a chapter dedicated to reincarnation. I provide a scriptural perspective on this phenomenon, and describe it as primarily as something enshrouded in the occult. The reason for a small inclusion about reincarnation in this chapter should be obvious; if ghosts can possess people, then this would be a very easy to understand explanation of reincarnation. People aren’t reincarnated; they’re possessed by other people!

6. A word about astral projection:

Again I feel the need to reference a phenomenon found in the last section of this book. In the chapter dedicated to astral projection, I explain what it is, and how humanity currently is – and may have been in ages far passed – involved with this activity. I don’t want to repeat this other chapter, but find it necessary to at least mention astral projection in this chapter because of its relevance to disincarnate spirits.

Astral projection is the art of separating the spiritual form from the physical form – without physically dying. All I wish to mention in this chapter about astral projection is that if it is a real phenomenon, and people are capable of achieving a state of consciousness separate from their physical forms, then fallen angels and other physical beings might be able to as well. In this respect, all physical beings when separated from their physical bodies can be considered non-physical beings, and may partake in any of the activities non-corporeal, spiritual beings are privileged to. This may present a few of bizarre scenarios.

For instance, a fallen angel might be physically alive, yet wreaking havoc in the affairs of humanity while in a spiritual form separated from its physical body. Considering that this being is physically alive, it has a ready source for replenishing its energy supply – i.e. eating. Thus, it would probably be much more powerful than the average disincarnate entity. It wouldn’t have to have a host in order to do its damage. I suspect that a great deal of poltergeist phenomenon might be related to these entities – because of the extreme power demonstrated by them.

Also, a fallen angel that’s physically alive might be able to leave its physical form and spiritually possess a human! In this example, a fallen angel would be possessing a human, instead of a demon possessing a human.

I realize my opinion concerning fallen angels and astral projection is pure speculation to the extreme, but I really see no reason why this possibility should be dismissed. I’m betting that most fallen angels that are still physically alive do most of their damage while spiritually separated from their physical bodies. I think this because they are probably a lot more vulnerable in physical form, thus, they would protect themselves more effectively by avoiding confrontations. In spiritual form they are able to travel at the speed of thought, and can’t be restrained or captured easily. They’re probably more apt to avoid angelic confrontations.

Why do I think fallen angels are afraid of physical confrontations? I base my thinking on what I can see from their behavior in the alien abduction phenomenon. Exactly why is it that the aliens (fallen angels) that abduct people only abduct people a few at a time, in remote areas? For instance, why don’t they just pop up in downtown New York, snatch up a few hundred people in broad daylight, and take off? What are they so afraid of? I’m betting that they’re probably afraid of everything!

Human military attacks are likely to occur if such an event were to take place. While the technology of fallen angels is probably much more advanced than humanities, fallen angels would still probably rather not take their chances if they don’t have to. Also, angelic attacks, which would probably be initiated if even a single person in a crowd bothered to lift up a genuine prayer to God, would also be likely.

In any case, all external threats would send these abductors zipping off into the cosmos.

References

1 Rosemary Ellen Guiley, Harper’s Encyclopedia of Mystical & Paranormal Experience, HarperSanFrancisco, San Francisco, 1991, pages 418-419.

2 This phrase is frequently used by Pastor and author Chuck Missler.

CHAPTER 8: PSEUDO ENTITIES

In this chapter, I will discuss what I have termed pseudo life forms. These are entities that exhibit some qualities of life, yet, may not truly be alive. The pseudo entities I will describe are artilects, and thought-forms. I will also include any information the Bible may have relevant to these entities.

1. The rise of artificial intelligence:

It is generally agreed upon by many intellectuals that within two human generations, (roughly 50 years), computers will be smarter than humans.¹ In fact, artificial intelligence, (here onward referred to as AI), will not only surpass human intelligence, but dwarf it.

There are several factors contributing to the rise of AI; advancements in the fields of microelectronics (UltraLSI), molecular (nano)electronics, neurophysiology, embryology, and optical computing.² Even now, there are such things as bio-computers, (computers which process information by chemical means, storing data in genetically created brains),^{3, 4} independently controlled robots, and AI that can reason and understand human language to a limited degree.⁵ Just two weeks ago, I read in my local newspaper, the Fresno Bee, that a research team has for the first time fashioned simple computing components no bigger than a molecule. The researchers, from Hewlett-Packard Co. and the University of California at Los Angeles, say their work could be a step toward computers 100 billion times faster than today’s most powerful personal computers.⁶

Computer processors currently process information through electrical circuitry at a speed of over one million times faster than the human brain’s neural-transmitters process thoughts through brain cells. This speed increases exponentially, of course, with the introduction of circuitry integrated with fiber optics. Fiber optics enable computers to process information at the speed of light, as opposed to the speed of electricity. It is for this reason that once AI advances to the degree that computers are at least as smart as humans, they will quickly surpass human intelligence.

With the rise of AI, certain questions come to mind. Will computers with AI develop free will? The natural conclusion to this answer is, "Yes". Free will, in fact, is the key ingredient that defines a system as truly intelligent, and not simply a mechanical puppet. With AI, one may ask the machine a question, and curiously await a reasoned answer that was derived from the machine’s personal experiences. This is what makes AI so fascinating – in exploring AI, we explore ourselves, and our origins as human entities.

If computers with AI will truly have free will, then it must also be concluded that such systems will develop their own sense of morality. This prospect, though not heavily debated now, will most assuredly be the topic of intense political debate in the years to come. The ethical question concerning the development of advanced AI will simply be, "Should the field of AI continue to the point of the development of systems with free will?"

While the answer to this question, in my opinion, should be "No", I feel that the ultimate outcome will be, "Yes!"

1.2 The Cosmists vs. the Terrestrialists:

According to theorist and AI developer Dr. Hugo De Garis, (the primary source of information I researched for information on AI), there will be two factions in the future political debates concerning the development of AI. These factions will be labeled the "Cosmists", and the "Terrestrialists". Simply stated, the Cosmists will be in favor of pursuing the field of AI with unbridled diligence, while the Terrestrialists will be more cautious about the development of AI. The Terrestrialists will be strongly in favor of their opinion that humans should remain the dominant species on planet Earth.

In the eyes of a Terrestrialists, a sentient, created being made from man, will become like man. Man, as we know, has a greater capacity to exercise both good, and evil than do animals, because of his intelligence. With this in perspective, an artificial life form, too, will have an even greater capacity than man to exercise both good, and evil, because of its greater intelligence than man. While it is noted that there is an awesome potential for the good, the awesome potential for evil could be destructive to the point of completely demolishing humanity from the face of the earth. Complete annihilation clearly outweighs the benefit of any good, according to the Terrestrialists.

The Cosmists, on the other hand, will point out that while there exists the potential for evil, they don’t think that the choice of evil will be the natural course of evolution for AI. (Humanistic psychology at is best…) "Good…", they will most likely say, "is after all, more rational than evil, and should be the natural course of evolutionary growth". Cosmists will believe that the natural course of evolution for artificial life forms will be the desire to explore the cosmos in search of more natural resources, instead of staying on earth, and competing with humans for earth’s limited supply of natural resources. Artilects, (a term coined by Dr. Hugo De Garis referring to artificial life forms), will not be hindered by the constraints of biological bodies, and will thus be free to develop different means of traveling throughout the cosmos with greater efficiency than humans. They will also most likely be just as curious about finding other life in outer space as humans are.

While the benefits of highly advanced AI will be astounding, the risk of humans being thought as no more than humans think of bugs, is too great, according to the Terrestrialists. Once AI has developed to the point that artilects emerge, (sentient beings with free will, emotional awareness, etc.), artilects will then begin to take control of their own development, leaving human involvement in their internal workings behind. Within a scant amount of time, humans won’t have any idea what their systems will become. To assume that artilects will choose "Good" as a natural, logical course for their moral development is assuming too much. Simply looking at society today, and the chaotic state of affairs the world is in, it appears from the Terrestrialists point of view that intelligence has little to do with morality. Such people in human history as Adolph Hitler, Gangis Kahn, and other notorious mass murdering atrocities were all highly intelligent. Unfortunately, all of their intelligence was bent purely on evil. When considering the fact that 100 of the world’s greatest minds in human history culminated into a single person would be the equivalent intelligence of an artilect, such an entity would be too dangerous to exist. If such an entity were to develop the kind of morality that drove Hitler, and Gangis Kahn, nothing short of annihilating humanity would be the result.

In response to the Terrestrialists point about artilects extending beyond human control, the Cosmists point out the fact that advancements made in bio-computers could eventually be applied to humans. Such applications would enable humans to acquire knowledge more rapidly, (i.e. downloading information instead of traditional learning methods, or telepathic access to the Internet). Another possibility would be the development of a technology that would allow the transfer, or copying of a human intellect into an artilect – thus, the artilect’s sense of morality will be derived directly from a human being.

"Is this any less dangerous?" the Terrestrialists will argue. Though the artilect will have a human’s morality, who’s to say how stable that morality will be, when placed at the helm of a superior mind that thinks trillions of times faster than a human brain, and is clearly dominant over conventional humanity. Humans themselves are dangerous, but at least they are kept in check with the fact that they are balanced in their intelligence with each other. An artilect with a human’s essence, would none-the-less escape the confines of this equalizing barrier.

1.3 Artificial intelligence is inevitable:

Putting aside the views of both Cosmists, and Terrestrialists, there are some general points that I’m compelled to mention. First of all, human nature alone dictates that the development of AI to the point of creating sentient beings with freewill is inevitable. Human nature demands growth. People have an innate desire to want to learn as much as they possibly can, and explore that which is unknown.

Secondly, how could such development be stopped. The point at which an artificial intelligent being becomes self aware, sentient, and has freewill, is very hazy, to say the least. So what should be done? Prevent bio-computer experimentation? Place a ban on microprocessors with speeds in excess of 10,000Ghz? There is no clear way to draw the line on the development of computers, to prevent AI from evolving to the point of sentience.

Lastly, even if a ban on the development of AI could be implemented successfully, such a ban wouldn’t extend in to the areas of covert government projects, or computer geniuses developing these systems themselves to sell on the black market. Moreover, any government not aided with the intelligence of artilects would be at a stark disadvantage to those that will be, thus, in the name of national security, again, the development of advanced artificially intelligent beings that will reach the point of having freewill is inevitable.

1.4 The biblical relevance of artificial intelligence:

In light of the inevitable development of artilects, I am compelled to impart a biblical perspective on this subject. When I study the topic of AI, I can’t help but see a peculiar insight into a passage of scripture that many are familiar with – even in the secular domain.

Revelation 13:11-18

11And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. ¹²And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. ¹³And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, ¹⁴And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. ¹⁵And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. ¹⁶And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: ¹⁷And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. ¹⁸Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

Consider the image; a being created by people – a being that is sentient, (living). This being appears to be highly intelligent, judging from the fact that it has the authority to make policies that effect the entire world population. Coupled with its intelligence is an enormous ego that demands worship, no less. It doesn’t appear to have any qualms about dispatching with any of those who disagree with its decisions, either, (regarding humans as inferior).

And, like a system involving computer technology, the people of the world will be forced to receive some sort of identification mark, so that without it, they will not be able to buy or sell anything. Clearly, a logical, systematic means by which a computer would be able to keep track of all the earthly inhabitants would be to network people into some sort of tracking system – or maybe even a pseudo collective consciousness. Also consider the fact that this computer-related system targets humanity in it’s weakest point; economic dependency.

1.5 A pseudo Holy Spirit:

If an artilect had access to the Internet as part of its consciousness, the integration of its biological counterparts – humans – would make it nearly omniscient.   In effect, such an entity would be a pseudo-Holy Spirit, knowledgeable about the global economy, the governments of the world, human affairs, and even people’s private matters considering the fact that it would possibly know the contents of all electronic media that passes through the Internet.  Furthermore, it might even be able to get into people’s minds – depending on the advancement of bio-computer technology.

1.6 The Mark of the Beast:

If progress in bio-computer technology continues, it won’t surprise me if it soon becomes possible to enable the integration of biological functions, memory, learned processes, and even thought waves – into electronic format. (Movies such as "Brainstorm", and "Johnny Mnemonic", are key examples of this type of technology.) If this becomes possible, (which if humans expect to keep up with artilects – it must become possible), humans will have direct bio-computer interface methods for learning and functioning.

This is where the mark of the beast comes in. I think the mark of the beast will most likely be some sort of bio-computer technology; a biological computer chip that will enhance humanity’s evolution…so it will be said. This makes perfect sense, in fact, because it fits perfectly into an end-times scenario. First of all, to get people to buy into an idea – such as a "MARK" as described in Revelation 13:16-17 – would be very difficult in some cultures. People don’t like the idea of being marked by big government – especially Americans. BUT – if this mark were an item of utilitarian value, i.e. a device that would turn people into gods in comparison to their natural state – then everyone would be cutting in line to get one. "Sign me up" they would yell, "I’ll take a dozen!" Secondly, this scenario fits because it reeks with Satan’s methodology. We could be like gods… Isn’t that what Satan told Eve in the garden?

1.7 Satan’s counterfeit body:

In essence, the image of the beast, according to the Book of Revelation, is Satan’s attempt at being God – to rule over people. Everything God does, Satan tries to imitate. Christ had a prophet declaring His arrival, and likewise, the antichrist, too, will have his false prophet. Any in depth study in biblical phenomenon reveals Satan’s counterfeit in nearly everything that God has established. The integration of people into a cybernetic collective ruled by an artilect would, in a sense, be uniting humanity into a body – imitating the body of Christ – yet falling eternally short!

1.8 Human pride:

The creation of an artilect would be the epitome of man’s achievements, and no doubt, be an artifact of intense human pride. In a sense, I think many people would consider such an entity, (the artilect), the next step in human evolution, and in their own way, worship it, and firmly believe that it’s decisions were god-like. With the introduction of bio-computer technology as I previously mentioned, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if people begin to think of themselves as gods too. Some do without any enhancements at all – even now…

Even as I researched the topic of AI, I was not surprised to find that many people, (especially AI developers), approached the subject as they might approach the very throne of God.  Many AI developers believe that the intelligence of an entity is a criteria by which to judge an entity’s proximity to God. For this reason, the artilect, they feel, should be treated with reverence, awe, and respect.

While the future threat of AI looms on the horizon, I find myself in the minority among my peers, concerning the direction I think it will take. But – the same values and beliefs that reveal to me a message of warning concerning AI also console me. I don’t think I’m going to be around to experience the worst of things. Even if I am, I’m confident that the Lord will provide me with all I need to endure any such future peril. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for everyone else in the world.

2. Thought-forms:

The jump from AI to thought-forms may be perceived as a radical transition, but both AI, and thought-forms share something in common. Neither are truly alive. Because these two entities share this in common, I have decided to couple them into this one chapter.

According to Harper’s Encyclopedia of Mystical & Paranormal Experience, in occultism, a thought-form is a nonphysical entity created by thought that exists in either the mental plane or astral plane. Every thought is said to generate vibrations in the aura’s mental body, which assume a floating form and colors depending on the nature and intensity of the thought. These thoughts can be perceived by clairvoyants; they may also be sensed on an intuitive level by others. Thought-forms radiate out and attract sympathetic essences.⁷

I realize the above paragraph drips with New Age mysticism, but there may be an element of truth to the existence of thought-forms. In scripture, there are several passages that emphasize the importance of maintaining a clear conscience, and a pure thought life. While the Old Testament provided guidance on this, such as found in Exodus 20:17, the New Testament provides more detailed information, placing more emphasis on the thoughts of the heart.

Exodus 20:17

¹⁷Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.

I suppose the most audacious command from Jesus concerning the thought life is the command to love our enemies; love is all encompassing, and includes our thoughts.

To non-Christians, this is foolish. I’m convinced this command can only be conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit. Even as a Christian, I painfully chuckle to myself when reading Matthew 5:43-45 and Luke 6:27-36. I know with all my heart that these scriptures are true, and speak the heart of God – yet unfortunately, I also know how I fall so pathetically short of obeying them. Thank God for His strength, which always fills in the gaps in my weaknesses.

Matthew 5:43-45

⁴³Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. ⁴⁴But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; ⁴⁵That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

Luke 6:27-36

²⁷But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, ²⁸Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. ²⁹And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. ³⁰ Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. ³¹And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. ³²For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. ³³And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. ³⁴And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. ³⁵But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. ³⁶Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

The heart of the above two scriptures comes to fruition when the definition of love is expounded upon in 1 Corinthians 13. While the King James translation uses the term "Charity", many translations use the term "Love", which is essentially a synonymous term.

1 Corinthians 13

¹Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. ²And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. ³And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.. ⁴Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, ⁵Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; ⁶Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; ⁷Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. ⁸Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. ⁹For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. ¹⁰But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. ¹¹When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. ¹²For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. ¹³And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

While much of the information I have obtained about thought-forms comes from New Age literature, some of it appears to be true in the sense that it is consistent with certain aspects of spiritual warfare in the Christian paradigm. Below is an abstract taken from the same resource I previously mentioned.

"To have an effect, they must be able to latch on to similar vibrations in the aura of the recipient. If they are unable to do so, according to occult tradition, the thought-forms boomerang back to the sender. Thus one who directs evil thoughts toward another runs the risk of having them return".⁸

I find it interesting that if a Christian is obedient to God, and loves his/her enemies, he/she is by the nature of his/her actions and thoughts impervious to the previously quoted occult related attack. Moreover, a Christian attitude would not only defend against such attacks, but also inadvertently act as an offence.

Another aspect about thought-forms I’ve gleamed from Harper’s Encyclopedia is that they are said to have the capability to assume their own energy and appear to be intelligent and independent. Equally intense thought can disperse them, or they can simply disintegrate when their purpose is finished. Some may last years. It is believed that some particularly powerful thought-forms can go out of control or turn on their creators.⁹

Does scripture describe anything that might appear to be thought-forms?

2.1 Blessings, curses, and covenants:

If a father gives his blessing for a particular partner in marriage for his daughter, then he’s essentially approving of her choice, hence, approval is a type of blessing. I would consider the blessing in this situation a type of thought-form, because it’s a general mental attitude a father would have towards his new son in-law.

Scripture seems to indicate that some blessings entail more than a simple approval, though. While the previously mentioned blessing is purely human based, scripture gives many examples where a human blessing extends into the realm of God’s blessing, so that the two become one in the same. A prime example of this is found in the blessing Isaac bestowed upon his son Jacob.

Genesis 27:22-42

²²And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau. ²³And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands: so he blessed him. ²⁴And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am. ²⁵And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank. ²⁶And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son. ²⁷And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed: ²⁸Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: ²⁹Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee. ³⁰And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. ³¹And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son’s venison, that thy soul may bless me. ³²And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau. ³³And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed. ³⁴And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father. ³⁵And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing. ³⁶And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me? ³⁷And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son? ³⁸And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept. ³⁹And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above; ⁴⁰And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck. ⁴¹And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob. ⁴²And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee.

From the above passage of scripture, it should be evident that a blessing such as Isaac bestowed upon Jacob couldn’t be withdrawn, even though Isaac was deceived into giving it. I always thought this passage of scripture was odd, because if someone lied to me like Jacob lied to his father, I’d simply say, "Well, all that stuff I said doesn’t count, because you lied to me, and said you were someone that you aren’t!" But this is not the case with Isaac. Instead, Isaac treats his blessing as if it were some entity he turned lose, which had a power and momentum all its own, independent of his control. He acknowledges the independence of his blessing by the fact that he refused to revoke it – though he most likely would’ve desired to do so if it were in his power.

Another prime example of a blessing that seems cut lose, so to speak, is found in the books of Matthew, and Mark.

Matthew 11:10-15 – and repeated in Mark 6:10-11

¹¹And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence. ¹²And when ye come into an house, salute it. ¹³And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. ¹⁴And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. ¹⁵Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city.

Take note that if the house, which I take to mean household – or family, is worthy, then the peace of the apostle would come upon it. If the house isn’t worthy, then that same peace will return to the apostle. In this example, peace acts as an independent blessing that is turned lose.

Recall about thought-forms that to have an effect, they must be able to latch on to similar vibrations in the aura of the recipient. If they are unable to do so, according to occult tradition, the thought-forms boomerang back to the sender. The characteristics of the blessing of peace in the above passage are consistent with the characteristics of a thought-form. The blessing of peace goes out, and if it is unable to be received – because those it goes out to don’t have any peace concerning the apostles, then it returns to the apostles.

Curses are the opposite of blessings, and therefore I assume they would also be independent of those who command them. I suppose the greatest curse of all is death, by which a lost soul spends eternity in hell. Concerning this curse that was created by none other than God Himself, the only one who could break it was God Himself. The way He broke it was to accept it – that is, He, being innocent, accepted death in order to atone for any He would desire to relieve of it. Even the method in which Jesus Christ died was a curse – i.e., hanging on a tree – so that all would be blessed through Him.

Galatians 3:13-15

¹³Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: ¹⁴That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. ¹⁵Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.

One of the interesting things here about Jesus is that even though He accepted death, because He has the power to overcome it, was able to escape an eternity in hell. Some theologians believe that a part of Jesus must spend eternity in hell to actually atone for sin, but I don’t follow this line of logic because of several important scriptures: Genesis 2:17, Romans 5:12, and John 19:30.

Fact #1: The penalty of sin is death – but not necessarily hell.

Genesis 2:17

¹⁷But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Romans 5:12

¹²Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.

Fact #2: Jesus paid the price in full – that’s why He said it was finished – with His last breath on the cross.

John 19:30

³⁰When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

Genesis 2:17 and Romans 5:12 state that the penalty of sin is death. Nowhere in scripture does it directly state that the penalty of sin is hell, though by the virtue of not going to heaven, hell ultimately remains the only other alternative, because of Revelation 20:14-15.

Revelation 20:14-15

14And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. ¹⁵And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Jesus, by virtue of who He is, was resurrected from the dead because of His power to do so. His power over death and hell is mentioned in Revelation 1:17-18. Therefore spending eternity in hell isn’t a requirement by which He would have to accept in order to atone for sin. It is for this reason that once His death was complete, He stated in John 19:30 that "…it is finished." If He had eternity in hell to look forward to, I suspect He would’ve said "…and the worst is yet to come."

Revelation 1:17-18

17And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: ¹⁸ I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

Scripture does state that Jesus went into hell after He died, but this was only for a short duration in which He preached to the spirits trapped there in order to release them – not to be punished there.

1 Peter 3:19

19By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; ²⁰Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

It’s apparent from scripture that Jesus went into Hades where He entered both the abodes of the righteous dead, and the unrighteous dead. 1 Peter 3:19 mentions Him going to preach to the unrighteous dead, and Luke 23:42-43 is a record of Jesus’ conversation with one of the thieves crucified next to Him. In this conversation, Jesus stated that He would be with this thief in paradise – which was the place of the righteous dead.

Luke 23:42-43

⁴²And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. ⁴³And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

Because Jesus’ atonement of sin allows access to God, it can be assumed that Jesus freed the unrighteous dead that accepted Him – from their predicament, as well as the righteous dead – from their temporary abode, which was separated from God.

The curse of death is a powerful force, placed into this world by God Himself because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve. Only Jesus was capable of defeating it, once and for all.

2.2 Can thought-forms assume a physical appearance?

It is theorized that thought-forms can sometimes take on a physical appearance. One example of this is found in the phenomenon known as bilocation,(which also might be a form of astral projection). Other examples include the theory of thought-forms created by "Group-minds", resulting in physical phenomenon such as stigmata, and visions of archetype thought-forms. Other visible thought-forms are found in the existence of the tulpa in Tibetan occultism.

2.2.1 Bilocation:

Bilocation is the appearance of an individual in two distant places at once. ¹⁰ The prevailing theory of bilocation is that a double is projected from an individual into another location; this double may appear ghostly, or physical. The usual circumstance initiating this unusual event is a near-death-experience, by which the person dying is seen by people in distant locations. Other events of bilocation have been recorded in history. Interestingly, a few noted Christian saints and monks were famous for bilocation, such as St. Anthony of Pauda, St. Ambrose of Milan, St. Severus of Ravenna, Padre Pio of Italy, and St. Alphonsus Maria de’ Ligouri. In 1774, St. Alphonsus Maria de’ Ligouri was seen at the bedside of the dying Pope Clement XIV, when in fact the saint was confined to his cell in a location four days’ journey away.¹¹ Most examples of bilocation are probably more in likely examples of astral projection, but I won’t rule out the idea of thought-forms being an explanation.

2.2.2 Group-mind thought-forms:

Group-minds form whenever a group of people concentrates on the same thoughts, ideas, or goals, such as a team of employees or a crowd of demonstrators. To some extent, the group-mind may possess the group, as witnessed in the psychic bonding and power that coalesces in crowds, and the synergy of a close-knit working group.¹²

If a group-mind remains focused and anticipating on a central figure, or goal, this energy may eventually result in the formation of a powerful thought-form that may even don a physical appearance. The thousands of visions of mother Mary over hundreds of years might be a prime example of this activity. I say this because it’s my assumption that Mary, the real mother of Jesus, who is currently in heaven, doesn’t desire worship. She was only a person, (highly blessed among women – but not a god), whereas her Son IS the Messiah, a member of the divine Trinity. Only God, who is the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, is worthy of worship. (Strange way of wording things – but God is One, and yet Three. If this is confusing to you, join the club. I once heard a great commentary on the Trinity though, which helped me to understand the Trinity with a great deal of clarity. Email me if you’re interested, and I’ll tell you all about it.)

One of the common requests made by apparitions of Mary is that she asks for churches and shrines to be built to her.¹³ This is nothing less than idolatry. I’m convinced the real Mary is exceptionally humble, and would never make such requests.

If the group-mind / thought-form phenomenon exists, then God must allow it to exist for a reason. In many situations, it appears that even miracles occur in conjunction with such group-mind activity. For example, often associated with sightings of the mother Mary, healing, and other miracles occur. While the sighting may not actually be the true mother Mary, miracles still occur.

In situations like this, I think there’s a very large, mixed bag of phenomenon intertwined together. Some miracles may be the result of thought-forms – which are things God may have given to mankind for a purpose – thus, miracles in conjunction with thought-forms may be attributed to God in a round-about way. It may also be possible that powerful thought-forms attract real supernatural entities that try to manipulate the situations at hand. Demons might show up and try to harness and possess the energy contained within thought-forms, and faithful angels might show up and battle against them in order to counter-act the deception. Furthermore, thought-forms might escalate such that those seeing the outcome of them would develop exceptional miracle-producing faith. Faith…hmm – what is faith, anyway?

2.2.2.1 A word about prayer and faith:

I used to wonder why I even bother to pray, if God knows what I need before I ever even ask. But prayer is more than just asking God for things. Prayer is our connection with God upon which we establish our relationship with Him. And even though God knows what’s in our hearts and minds, and what we need, He has given us prayer for a purpose.

Prayer has a supernatural element to it, as is well known by every Christian. Praying selfishly does no good, but when prayers meet with the will of God, miracles sometimes happen. This I know from first-hand experience; though me the Lord has done miraculous healing, and casting out of demons. (I’m not stating this as a boast – I’m as undeserving of God’s grace as the next person. I’m simply stating this as a matter of fact.)

If I try and define what prayer is, I’d say it’s composed of my thoughts, emotions, and desires. In a manner of speaking – I can see nothing that differentiates prayer from the definition of what a thought-form is, other than the fact that prayer is humanities unique communication link with God. Because of this, prayers are always answered, but sometimes that answer is "No"; the living God evaluates prayers according to His will. Those in His will He blesses, and those outside His will, He does not bless. This is why prayers according to His will are capable of producing miracles; His blessing supercharges the thought-forms, making them come to fruition.

Concerning all of the above, I think prayer may be construed as the generation of thought-forms that go about performing tasks according to the will of God. Through prayer – a special type of thought-form – God allows for humanity to participate in His work. He doesn’t depend on the prayers of His saints, but enjoys and blesses them as a contribution to His overall plan.

2.2.3 Is stigmata a type of thought-form?

The existence of thought-forms may explain the rare phenomenon known as stigmata. Stigmata is a phenomenon whereby people of religious orientation exhibit the physical wounds of those with which they are religiously affiliated. The wounds of Christ, for instance, are most likely developed from intense, prolonged concentration on a crucifix. For most intents and purposes, stigmata is deemed a psychological phenomenon. I will provide two reasons why this is the current explanation for it.

Upon examination of the Shroud of Turin, (the supposed burial cloth of Christ, which is currently possessed by the Catholic church), it was revealed that the crucifixion wounds of Christ were through the wrists, and not the hands. This evidence led French doctor, Pierre Barbet, to conduct one of the most macabre scientific experiments ever; he crucified a dead corpse. In doing so, he discovered that the body simply fell to the floor when raised to an upright position. The spikes pierced through the palms of the hands ripped through the center of the two middle fingers of the hands. When this experiment was later duplicated with another dead corpse, it was discovered that piercing spikes through the wrists was the only way to produce a successful crucifiction.¹⁴ These experiments proved that the method employed for crucifixion must have required stakes through the wrists, instead of through the palms of the hands, because the bones in the wrists are sufficient to hold the weight of a body, whereas the center of the hands contain only flesh, which spikes rip through.

If stigmata were a genuine phenomenon, then the wounds of Christ would be through the wrists. Instead, they are invariably through the center of the palms, as depicted in most crucifixes and religious paintings, mosaics, etc.

Another test indicating stigmata is a psychological phenomenon is the fact that it can be duplicated using hypnosis. Under deep states of hypnosis, patients have been deceptively told that an ordinary object, such as a pen, was actually a burning hot piece of metal. These patients immediately dropped the ordinary object, thinking it was burning them. Burn marks were then exhibited as a result of the perceived contact with a burning object. From this observation, it’s determined that somehow the mind is capable of producing wounds on the physical body simply by perceiving injury. Note that this phenomenon only works with some hypnotic patients – only those capable of being induced into exceptionally deep states of hypnosis, while remaining in an awakened state.

Concerning stigmata, I don’t particularly find it within the will of God that people should be inflicted with brutal wounds – but God apparently allows this to occur. I have a theory why. In conjunction with stigmata other miracles are often associated, such as healing. The same people capable of generating the though-forms of such a magnitude that they produce stigmata are also in many cases capable of generating thought-forms of equal magnitude that go about demonstrating other miraculous phenomenon. While stigmata might be an unnecessarily brutal demonstration of power, God may have allowed it to occur to act as a doorway by which a person might be guided to the right people in order to demonstrate, and exercise true spiritual gifts. I think stigmata itself isn’t a true gift of the spirit, but rather a side effect; the real gifts of the spirit are healing, as well as miracles beneficial to God’s purpose in guiding and blessing humanity, as listed in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11.

1 Corinthians 12:7-11

⁷But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. ⁸For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; ⁹ To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; ¹⁰ To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: ¹¹But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

2.2.4 Thought-forms in legends and lore – archetypes:

When discussing group-mind thought-forms, I mentioned that many of the visions of the Mother Mary are possibly thought-forms. I would classify this type of thought-form an archetype thought-form. Of course, one could go a step further, and state that the visions of Jesus after He was murdered are archetype thought-forms, but this would emphatically be going against scripture, which is where I draw the line. Furthermore, nobody was expecting to see Jesus after He was murdered, which goes against a requirement for creating a group-mind thought-form.

So, if archetype thought-forms exist, are there any examples of them in scripture? Perhaps; consider the four horsemen in Revelation 6:2-8. While these beings are contained within a vision, they are symbolic of the actual essence of conquest, war, famine, death, etc. It may be that while John was having his visions, many of the things he saw were thought-forms, all of which were prophetic in nature. I’ve taken special note of the symbol given for death, which is an entity also characterized as the grim reaper, a shadowy, terrifying being holding a sickle that he uses to harvest souls. This particular being is found in many religions, cultures, and legends around the world.

Revelation 6:2-8

²And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. ³And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. ⁴And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. ⁵And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. ⁶And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. ⁷And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. ⁸And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

Other beings that might be thought of as thought-forms are the many beasts found in scripture, contained within the visions of prophets. Daniel’s visions, for instance, list a number of odd beasts, which the prophet Daniel is informed by God that these beings are representations of nations and kings, among other things.

Daniel 2:31-35

³¹Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. ³²This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, ³³His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. ³⁴Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. ³⁵Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

Other examples are given in Daniel chapter 7, and all through the book of Revelation. Because thought-forms are images composed of thought, I don’t think it’s such a far-fetched notion to suppose that the visions of the prophets might contain thought-forms created by angels, or even God Himself.

2.2.5 Thought-forms in Tibetan occultism:

Another means of producing physical appearing thought-forms might be found in Tibetan occultism, (though highly unadvisable – it’s a form of Tibetan magic – and performing magic is strictly forbidden in scripture).

In Tibetan occultism, thoughts can create a temporary phantom form called a tulpa.

Alexandra David-Neel, French explorer, author, and scholar of Tibet, was the first Western woman to enter into Llasa, the forbidden capital of Tibet. During her fourteen years of study, she allegedly created a tulpa that appeared as a physical human being, and was seen by others, though it only interacted with her.

She created this being using Tibetan rituals found in the mysticism and magic she was studying. It was initially a short, fat, good-natured entity. To Alexandra’s dismay, this entity began to develop a will of its own, growing out of her control. Over time, it slimmed down and became malevolent, sometimes touching her and rubbing up against her – against her wishes.

Because the tulpa she created became evil, she decided to dissolve it according to certain Tibetan rituals. The entity resisted her efforts. It took her six months to eliminate it.¹⁵

If Alexandra David-Neel’s story is true concerning the tulpa she created, then it leads credence to my previous assumption that demons might be able to manipulate, and even possess the energy of thought-forms.

2.2.6 Scientific study of thought-forms:

Following is an abstract taken out of Harper’s Encyclopedia of Mystical & Paranormal Experience. It explains the documented cases of scientific study in the field of thought-forms.

"In the 1970’s, an artificial poltergeist was created as an experiment by Canadian psychologists. The experiment was conducted by eight members of the Toronto Society for Psychical Research, under the direction of parapsychologists A. R. G. Owen and Iris M. Owen. None of these individuals were psychically gifted. Their purpose was to try to create, through intense and prolonged concentration, a collective thought-form.

Encouraged by their success in producing poltergeist effects in "PK by committee," as they called it, the Owen group sought to create a visual apparition. But after 1977, with no further progress, interest waned and the experiment eventually was discontinued."¹⁶

Correct me if I’m wrong, but the above experiments affirm to me that Philip was nothing more than a tulpa – just lacking the amount of energy a tulpa requires, because Philip never became a visual apparition. Concerning both tulpas – and the thought-form experiments, it appears that the key ingredient to creating thought-forms is imagination, which is composed of thoughts. And just as Alexandra’s tulpa most likely became possessed of a demonic entity, the artificial entity known as Philip might also be subject to possession as well.

2.3 The danger of Dungeons & Dragons role playing games:

Please pardon me while I delve into my past a little bit. I’m going to elaborate perhaps more than I should, but only with the intent to establish the relevance that the Dungeons & Dragons roll-playing game might have with thought-forms.

About ten years ago when I was in the Army, I used to be involved in a Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) roll-playing group. After the Army, I continued this game for a short while, but eventually quit – for reasons I will expound upon. The game of D&D is pure imagination, of which I am filled to the brim; I loved it.

D&D is a game by which people generate fictional characters – with vivid descriptions, (sound familiar?). Characters are described with seven primary attributes, aside from a general physical description, which included race, color of skin and eyes, build, height, weight, hair type and color, age, birth defects, scars, tattoo’s, etc. The seven primary attributes are strength, intelligence, wisdom, dexterity, charisma, constitution, and perception.

Characters in D&D are also described as having a particular occupation, such as wizard, fighter, ranger, swordsman, cavalier, paladin, war mage, healer, cleric, etc. In short, everything one might use to describe a person would be attributed to a character. Personality traits, life force, life energy, alignment, social class, health problems, etiquette, comeliness, mannerisms, wealth, power, level of experience, language and dialect, material possessions, powers or unique abilities, personal history – you name it.

To many, D&D is a boring game because it is highly technical, requires reviewing charts for practically everything, rolling many different types of dice based on statistical outcomes and scores, and many other calculations. In short, ninety nine percent of the game is in the mind, despite the many elaborate props for the game, such as a grid board, detailed led figurines, landscape pieces, pictures, etc.

The game I played in was unique – and had even more complexity and detail than the average game. The "Dungeon Master" – the individual who basically guides game scenarios and acts on behalf of all aspects of the fictitious world – to include weather, towns/cities inhabitants, all encounters, and innumerable other details – is the one who brings the game to life. Our dungeon master inherited a third generation game (to include charts, maps, an entire library of books, characters – everything – compiled over 20 years of playing – passed down through three dungeon masters). The game we played was a more highly developed world with detailed geography, and history concerning everyone, and everything in it, than could ever be purchased in any store. Over time, we added to the rich heritage of this unique game, providing our characters to its evolution.

A game as complex as ours enabled innumerable possibilities. We weren’t limited; if we wanted to travel west for five days – our dungeon master was prepared and knew exactly what we would encounter. It was for this reason that our imaginations were tirelessly intrigued. We began with fighting dinosaurs to help an aged farmer defend his livestock, and eventually ended up with characters that were so powerful, they were traveling to other dimensions, battling demons, and even rescuing entire nations against the forces of evil.

Our group would play for hours on end, sometimes going on marathon weekends and playing for three and even four days without ceasing. Our only breaks would be eating, and going to bathroom. Our imaginations were so on fire, we simply didn’t get tired. Playing D&D was like reading a dynamic book, of which we were a part, and had influence in the outcome. In fact, if one of us were to keep a journal of our quests and adventures, several volumes of entertaining literature would’ve been produced.

All of us had at least one character, by which we were very familiar with. At any given moment in the game, we could explain in practically infinite detail our character’s situation.

Most people play D&D to battle monsters and collect treasure; our game was nothing like this. The object of our game was exactly how well we could maintain character consistency. For instance, I ran a character that was a passive human female classified as a healer. She was exceptionally beautiful, lawful good in alignment, and would willingly lay down her life even for an enemy. Character personality is a combination of alignment, race, class, and all other aspects of the character; if I strayed from her established personality, I was penalized by the dungeon master. All the mistakes I would make concerning my character’s consistency would result in experience points being taken away, thus, my character’s growth would be exceptionally slow.

For instance, it may take years to build up a character to the point that the character is powerful enough to make a difference. Sacrificing the life of such a character in a game isn’t just losing the game. It’s losing a character that might have taken years to establish. My female healer took three years to firmly establish, yet at any given moment, if she acted selfishly, or cowardly, trying to preserve her own life – then I wasn’t playing the game right. It’s probably for this reason that I remember this character so well; it was very difficult to play her right, and keep her alive.

There is no winning or losing in D&D, but when lives (in the game) were saved, then we felt great. Then again, sometimes lives were saved at the cost of sacrificing an 8^th level druid, which brought the player of that character to tears. Losing a powerfully established character was terrible, and we would sometimes mourn their loss and talk about all their good deeds when they were alive. Losing a character was like losing a good friend.

The reason I’ve elaborated on my D&D days is because this game has gained a reputation as possessing cult-like attributes. We used to mock people that would make fun of us, because we thought those that viewed us as nerdy D&D geeks simply didn’t have the intelligence to play the game, and therefore provided primitive criticism in response to something they couldn’t understand. While our assessment of their critical behavior toward us might have contained an element of truth, the game does possess cult-like attributes, I have now come to believe.

The game itself is usually harmless, (for most intents and purposes), so long as the players keep in mind that it IS just a game. And one should keep in mind that since the game is a creation of the mind, it’s amendable, and anything undesirable can simply be omitted. This can be somewhat difficult though, in some situations. I found it increasingly difficult to adjust it according to my beliefs, and eventually quit, because I was imposing my own belief system upon others.

2.3.1 Religion in D&D:

As a Christian, the one thing that bothered me the most about D&D is that the aspect of religion is so deeply ingrained within it. Certain questions eventually bothered me to the point that I quit running it – as previously mentioned. (After the Army, I inherited this game, and became its fourth generation dungeon master). I simply couldn’t find a way of molding the game to fit my own, and my player’s wishes.

For instance, the book "Deities & Demigods", written by Gary Gygaxx, was a product of intense study in different religions and myths all around the world. This book is used in the game to aid in possible encounters with gods, (which for my game, because of my Christian heritage, I called them either angels or fallen angels). While this book contains Greek, Aztec, Myan, Chinese, and innumerable other mythical beings from cultures all around the world, Jesus isn’t included. Even if He was, His power would’ve been debatable, if any description other than "Unlimited" were given.

By writing "Deities & Demigods", it’s my opinion that Gary Gygaxx wasn’t intending to open up a can of worms; he simply wanted to produce a guidebook containing mythical beings, and define their powers, attributes, descriptions, etc. He probably figured that Christians would give him some grief if he included Jesus in this book, and therefore excluded Him. Certainly he was right – because D&D has received considerable bad publicity by the Christian community as it is!

The fact that Jesus wasn’t listed bothered me, as well as the previous dungeon masters that contributed to this game. Christian players wanted Christian characters, so one of the previous dungeon masters created something called the "New Faith". In the terms of the game, the New Faith was a religion founded upon fragments of the Holy Bible that were uncovered – (our game was supposedly in earth’s distant future, after WWIII, and the advent of dragons coming to earth from other worlds).

In my game, there were several instances where players were telling me that their Christian characters were praying to God – the living God – for help. Here, I was stuck in a bad situation. I can’t be God! If I said "Ok, the demon left," but didn’t give a similar response for someone praying to say, Odin, or Zeus, then I would be projecting my own religious beliefs upon the players – not all of which were Christians. Therefore, my only option was to roll dice – and base the outcomes on the dice – just like everything else in the game. BUT IT BOTHERED ME when the dice rolled up a level-four demon that brutally murdered a number of helpless, praying, devout Christian characters, then escaped unscathed – delving back into the pit of hell.

While some Christians might be able to separate game from reality, in this situation, I couldn’t. Even the idea of a demon being allowed to brutally slay a true Christian didn’t set well in my stomach – despite the fact that it was a game. Situations like this kept me awake at night, and I eventually quit running the game, and sold it to one of the players.

I thought of getting rid of the religion aspect of this game all together – but this would’ve resulted in watering the game down, decreasing its realism. Players would’ve complained, because some of the greatest quests were those that valiant characters did in honor of God. Perhaps if I took the time, I could eventually come up with a solution to make the game more palatable, but it was easier to just give it up.

2.3.2 Character alignments:

While I wouldn’t allow evil characters in my game, most dungeon masters allow players to generate and run evil characters. This allows people to explore the dark regions of their minds in depth. Most games where players are running evil characters aren’t very realistic, because these games would be composed of a party of evil criminals – all working together in harmony. Evil characters developing loving, sacrificial relationships, is simply not realistic.

When I played D&D in the Army, evil characters were allowed because another dungeon master was calling the shots. A few people in our group tried running them. This proved to be no fun though, because the dungeon master enforced character consistency, so evil characters seldom got along, and usually ended up betraying and murdering each other. Evil characters also generate more enemies than any other character alignment – and since our game wasn’t modular, but rather a compiled historical record of events, these enemies would culminate, and seek revenge.

The only way to get ahead as an evil character in our game was to be exceptionally deceptive, cunning, and most of all – lucky. The reward of playing an evil character correctly wasn’t honor and prestige earned through valiant actions in defense of righteousness, but rather, power and affluence through back stabbing. Because of the degree of difficulty in playing evil characters, the high level of luck, and the fact that even the greatest reward wasn’t worth all that much, those that tried playing evil characters didn’t continue to do so for very long.

I must say it again, the game I played in was very unique, because the true nature of evil was evident. This is uncommon in D&D though, because most D&D games don’t have a culminating history, nor is character consistency enforced. Because of this, players in most D&D games can often play groups of evil characters working together, get ahead more quickly, and have no fear of retribution. This allows players the opportunity to enjoy plotting evil, and seeing their plots through, which I think is a very unhealthy activity, spiritually speaking – even if it is a game.

While neutral-good (the average citizen) characters were the easiest to run in our game, because they have a lot of lee-way, lawful good were always the best, because they are always expected to save each other when times got rough. Groups are always stronger than individuals, and lawful good groups work together better than any other kind. Groups where some of the characters were neutral, or evil, were usually so riddled with internal turmoil, they couldn’t accomplish anything productive, because they were always so busy fighting each other!

2.3.3 A game of the mind:

Dungeons & Dragons is a game that provokes powerful mental images; the line diving imagination and reality grows thin on the third day of a D&D marathon. All of the characters in our game were known in depth by all of us. We all also drew many pictures of our characters, aiding in our visual imagery. Often even when we weren’t playing, we would sit and talk about our characters, and what we were going to do in the next game.

I frequently dreamed about my characters, and I wasn’t the only one. One member of our group even had a waking hallucination. One day while waking in the woods in South Korea where we were stationed, he said he was engulfed in a whirlwind, and suddenly he was transformed into another person, in another time, in another place. He thought he was transformed into a ranger wearing studded leather, wielding a bow, and trekking his way through a forest on a mission. The episode took him away, then he snapped out of it, finding himself staring at a tree, wondering what happened. He said he thought he looked at his watch before the incident, and thought he might have been in a trance for over a half-hour.

One odd thing about his hallucination was that he didn’t even have any characters that resembled what he thought he was. He figured that if he were going to fanaticize about becoming something, it surely would’ve been his favorite character, a 12^th level druid named Mordechai.

2.3.4 Dungeons & Dragons thought-forms:

When I analyze what is entailed in D&D, literally hours of intense, mental concentration is devoted to fictional characters. It’s certainly a possibility that if this type of concentration is prolonged enough, a phenomenon such as occurred in the Philip experiment might be produced unintentionally.

Considering all of the elements D&D is composed of, this might be highly detrimental. What if, for instance, the game involves a host of powerful, evil characters, of which the players are emotionally bonded with. The thought-forms that would culminate over time, given enough energy, might very well produce individuality, and wreak havoc. Furthermore, if these thought-forms attract demonic entities, then such a game could literally be engulfed with demonic activity.

If people with psychological problems such as mild schizophrenia, suicidal tendencies, or even disturbing behavior that could develop into psychopathic proportions – are to play D&D for an extended period of time, they are cut lose to expound upon their darkest imaginations. Their own problems, combined with the thought-forms that might be influencing them, as well as possible demonic entities, presents to me a very bad situation.

2.4 Could thought-forms be ghosts?

Could it be a possibility that some ghosts aren’t disincarnate spirits at all; instead, they are thought-forms? Perhaps when people generate thought-forms while alive, some may be powerful enough to both continue their existence beyond their originator’s physical life, and also assume visible forms.

For instance, if a person is brutally killed, (whether by accident or murder), the thought-forms generated during such an event might be charged with an exceptional amount of energy – because of the amount of emotion people experience at the time of death. (Strong emotion = powerful thoughts). I think this is the most common type of thought-form, because of the many documented haunting cases that usually indicate an untimely or tragic death. During the last moments alive, powerful thought-forms are released, and generate what is known as a haunting.

But while most hauntings speak of untimely, tragic death, some don’t. In many haunting cases, what is perceived as a disincarnate spirit may actually be a thought-form still attempting to fulfill its mission, which may take many forms. A mother looks for her lost child, a boy searches for his father, a grandfather reveals the true heir his estate, etc.; these are all examples of hauntings. Thought-form hauntings don’t have to be tragic either. Hearing ghostly piano music might be a thought-form generated from someone that enjoyed playing so immensely, that a thought-form was left behind that is powerful enough to be heard if the conditions are right.

In short, a great deal of ghostly phenomenon may simply be shadowy reflections of the strongest thoughts and desires that certain people had when they were still alive, either during their lives, or in their last moments before death.

2.5 The Thought-form / Piggy-back Theory:

One way to explain ghosts is that if a person has a lot of life force in him/her at the point of death, then that surplus energy aids him/her in defying the grave in the form of an apparition. While among parapsychologists this is a general explanation for how ghosts come about, I will submit yet another theory.

In the previous chapter, I discussed a great deal of information that supports the possibility that ghosts exist. One thing I mentioned about ghosts is that somehow they are able to come up out of the grave, and onto the surface of the earth, and have enough energy to be seen by people. How might this be achieved? I’ve already mentioned that some ghostly phenomenon might be strictly thought-forms, but now I will suggest another possibility. Perhaps after death, disincarnate entities are somehow reunited with the thought-forms they generated when alive.

In a manner of speaking, a disincarnate spirit might be able to piggy-back on powerful thought-forms, feeding off their energy. I don’t think this possibility should be overlooked, considering the fact that in the previously researched information I’ve mentioned about thought-forms, it appears that thought-forms can be manipulated, and even possessed by disincarnate entities. While information about the existence of ghosts has already been discussed – the method in which disincarnate entities employ in order to escape the confines of the grave – can be explained by the piggy-back / thought-form theory.

While thought-forms can probably be captured and fed upon by all disincarnate entities, its my assumption that the originator of a thought-form has a better chance at capturing his/her own created thought-forms, because the originator’s energy would be in sync with his/her own thought-forms.

Concerning the theories I’ve suggested that link thought-forms with ghosts – I have absolutely no scriptural support. In light of this, I hope I’m not condemned as a heretic for simply pondering some possibilities. I’ve only come to the conclusion that thought-forms and ghosts might both exists, (using – and hopefully not twisting – scripture to come to this conclusion), and because these entities might exist, I’m simply expounding on their attributes, and suggesting some possibilities. I enjoy expounding on theories – please humor me.

References

1 Hugo de Garis, Cosmism, http://psoup.math.wisc.edu/extras/deGaris/cosmism.html, 1996.

2 Ibid. (1)

3 Martyn Amos, DNA Computation, http://www.csc.liv.ac.uk/~ctag/archive/th/amos-thesis.ab.html

4 Tsugucjika Kaminuma and Gen Matsumoto, eds., Biocomputers: the Next Generation from Japan, (trans. Norman Cook).

5 Ibid. (1)

6 Article in Fresno Bee taken from John Markoff, New York Times, Warp-Speed computers on horizon, July 16, 1999.

7 Rosemary Ellen Guiley, Harper’s Encyclopedia of Mystical & Paranormal Experience, HarperSanFrancisco, San Francisco, 1991, pages 616-617.

8 Ibid. (7) Pages 616-617

9 Ibid. (7) Pages 616-617

10 Ibid. (7) Page 57.

11 Ibid. (7) Page 57.

12 Ibid. (7) Page 57.

13 Ibid. (7) Pages 343-344.

14 Collin Wilson & Dr. Christopher Evans, The Book of Great Mysteries, Dorset Press, New York, 1990, pages 70-74.

15 Ibid. (7) Pages 616-617.

16 Ibid. (7) Pages 443-444.