Ezekiel’s vision of what has been called God’s chariot or merkava has fascinated philosophers and artists for millennia. It has been connected to the rise of Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah. It was popularized by the Swiss ufologist Erich von Däniken when he used Ezekiel’s vision of the chariot as a prime example of an alien visitation story. Von Däniken first articulated this theory in his 1968 bestseller Chariots of the Gods?, which was followed by a “documentary” of the same name and many other spinoff publications.
The following is an excerpt from theTorah.com of what one history scholar Prof. Carl S. Ehrlich wrote on the subject.
Ezekiel saw what appeared to be a radiant storm-cloud approaching him from the north:
Ezek 1:4 I looked, and lo, a stormy wind came sweeping out of the north—a huge cloud and flashing fire, surrounded by a radiance; and in the center of it, in the center of the fire, a gleam as of amber.
The closer it gets to him, the more he is able to make out what he is seeing, and the more detailed his description becomes. In this manner, we are drawn into the narrative and into the slowly dawning comprehension of the prophet as they both progressively unfold.
The Creatures
As the cloud comes nearer, Ezekiel is able to distinguish four “creatures” (v. 5: ḥayyôt, lit. living beings, or as I like to call them in Yiddish: vilde khayes “wild animals”). Each of these vaguely human creatures has four faces and four wings (v. 6), as well as “a single rigid leg” (v. 7, or: straight legs), whose foot (or: feet) end in a calf’s hoof.
Although their feet are theriomorphic (animal shaped), their hands, which are visible underneath their wings (v. 8), are anthropomorphic. Following a notice that the creatures did not need to turn when they faced in a new direction (vv. 9, 12), their four faces—corresponding to the four points of the compass—are described: a human face in front, that of a lion to the right, an ox to the left, and an eagle in back (v. 10).
Winged Hybrid Creatures
Creaturely hybridity has a lengthy history in the ancient Near East. The best-known of these ancient manifestations is the ancient Egyptian sphinx. Having the body of a lion, the wings of an eagle, and the head of a human, the imagery of the sphinx moved from Egypt to Phoenicia, whence it entered Israelite or Judean iconography in the form of what is known as a cherub.
Contrary to the western artistic tradition, in which cherubs are represented as a class of pudgy baby angels, the biblical cherubs are fearsome creatures that served two main functions: as guardians of sacred or royal space and as the pedestal or throne of the invisible God.
Although the Phoenicians influenced the iconography of the Jerusalem temple (cf. 1 Kings 5:15-26; 7:13-51), the word cherub (kěrûb) itself is probably derived from the Akkadian kāribu/kurību, one of a number of names for the imposing hybrid creatures that guarded monumental entranceways particularly during the Neo-Assyrian Period in the first millennium B.C.E.
The Wheels
After a description of the creatures’ luminosity (vv. 13-14), the text shifts its focus downwards to the wheels that were next to each one of them:
Ezek 1:15 As I gazed on the creatures, I saw one wheel on the ground next to each of the four-faced creatures. 1:16 As for the appearance and structure of the wheels, they gleamed like beryl. All four had the same form; the appearance and structure of each was as of two wheels cutting through each other. [JGH: This author here used a JPS translation different to KJV, ESV, LXX, which translate the expression as “a wheel in the middle of a wheel”.]
Totaling four in all, each wheel consisted of a wheel within a wheel, which some have viewed as being a double wheel, consisting of two parallel parts. More likely, this text was attempting to describe a wheel that was able to face or move in every direction, as exemplified by the four-faced creatures.
In this manner, the two parts of the wheels are described as being perpendicular to each other rather than parallel, once again emphasizing the ability of the wheels to convey the creatures in whatever direction they pleased without having to change position or orientation. [JGH: Though this is not clear from the text]. The concept so fascinated the engineer turned ufologist, Josef Blumrich, that he actually invented an omnidirectional wheel and patented it.
Yet the wheel is not described as merely a nifty piece of engineering but, unlike earthly wheels which are inanimate objects, these wheels had the “spirit of the creatures” (v. 20 rûaḥ haḥayyâ) within them, as well as eyes along their rims (v. 18). Once again, a contrast is implied between mundane earthly and vibrant heavenly reality.
In the following I have chosen verses 15-21, presented in column form and presented in the second column an alternative view of these verses with key words substituted. This is best viewed on a desktop. A phone or tablet will not present the two columns side by side.
I made the following word substitutions: creature → being; wheel → disk; eyes → lights. They are highlighted in bold below.
The beings are angelic beings, cherubim; the disks are what we’d call UFOs and the eyes in the side of a UFO are lights or windows.
Original
15 And I looked at the living creatures, and, behold, one wheel was on the earth beside the living creatures, with the four of its faces.
16 The appearance of the wheels and their workmanship was like the color of beryl; and the one likeness was to the four of them. And their appearance and their workmanship was like the wheel in the middle of the wheel.
17 They went on the four of their sides in their going, they did not turn in their going.
18 And also their rims were high to them, even awesome to them. And their rims were full of eyes round about the four of them.
19 And in the going of the living creatures the wheels went beside them. And in the lifting up of the living creatures from on the earth, the wheels were lifted up.
20 There where the spirit was to go, there they went; there their spirit was to go, and the wheels were lifted up along with them. For the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.
21 In their going, these went; and in their standing still, these stood still. And in their being lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up along with them. For the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.
Ezekiel 1:15-21 KJ3
With words substituted
15 And I looked at the living beings, and, behold, one disk was on the earth beside the living beings, with the four of its faces.
16 The appearance of the disk and their workmanship was like the color of beryl; and the one likeness was to the four of them. And their appearance and their workmanship was like the disk in the middle of the disk.
17 They went on the four of their sides in their going, they did not turn in their going.
18 And also their disks were high to them, even awesome to them. And their disks were full of lights round about the four of them.
19 And in the going of the living beings the disks went beside them. And in the lifting up of the living beings from on the earth, the disks were lifted up.
20 There where the spirit was to go, there they went; there their spirit was to go, and the disks were lifted up along with them. For the spirit of the living being was in the disks.
21 In their going, these went; and in their standing still, these stood still. And in their being lifted up from the earth, the disks were lifted up along with them. For the spirit of the living being was in the disks.
Ezek. 1:15-21 KJ3 with substitutions
In the sequel I have made my own paraphrasing to this Ezekiel passage with knowledge of what UFOs look like. I used the word “UFO” instead of “wheel” from the original or disk but my meaning is that it is a disk-like or saucer-like flying vehicle. I say this to distinguish from other UFO types. Also here I changed the word “living creatures” from the original to “angelic beings”.
15 And I looked at the angelic beings, and saw that a UFO was on the earth beside those angelic beings, who had four faces.
16 The design and appearance of the UFO gave it a blue-green color; all four had the same appearance. And their design and appearance was as an inner disk located in the middle of an outer disk, parallel to one another.
17 The UFOs could take off in any of the four compass directions, without having to turn to go in that direction.
18 Also their disk-like appearance was dreadful, even awesome to them. And their disks were full of lights or windows round about the circumference of all four of them.
19 The UFOs transported the angelic beings in them. As the UFOs lifted up from the earth the angelic beings were lifted up with them.
20 Wherever their spirit wanted to go, they went; wherever their spirit wanted to go the UFOs carried them. For the spirit of the angelic being was carried in the UFO.
21 When they moved, they moved quickly; and when they stood still, they stood still. And the angelic beings were lifted up from the earth, the UFOs lifted them up. For the spirit of the angelic being was within the UFO disks.
This is my paraphrase where I have used modern terminology. In a culture that had no knowledge of aircraft, rockets, man-made satellites and space travel nor that of the myriad UFO and other unidentified aerial phenomena that we have today, how difficult was it for the ancient prophet to describe what he saw. And same goes for the translators.
Prof. Ehrlich makes the point that the “wheels” had the spirits within them. This is another way of viewing these UFOs. They are a means of transportation to the angelic beings who travel in them. The beings are from the spirit world so their craft are also spiritual in some way. They operate on the basis of spiritual physics.
Keep in mind that the description of living creatures in Ezekiel’s vision is of cherubim, some sort of special angels who have four faces and four wings and were benevolent guardian messengers of God. So if these angelic beings were transported in these spiritual craft can we not extend the idea to other less benevolent angelic beings who might be called aliens?
The exotic craft, orbs and UFOs as reported by Pentagon documents, could be transporting malevolent alien beings, not from other star systems but from the spiritual world.
Related Reading
- Why Did the US Government Brief Groups of Christian Pastors About UFOs and Aliens?
- Spiritual Physics | The Science Behind UFOs and Exotic Energy
- Book of Revelation | UFOs are Angelic Beings, Both Malevolent and Benevolent
- Spiritual Physics | Bridging the Gap Between Real and Imaginary
- UFO Sightings | The Nuclear Connection Explained
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