For those who have not read the post that explains why I’m getting into this and what I mean, read that first.
In that original post, I said there were four trajectories I’d have to track to help people understand the “fundamentalist” view (that this is all about demons). They were:
Basically, there are four reasons for this:
1. Abductee testimony of the forcible trauma of their experience.
2. The similarity of abductee testimony to early Christian (and otherwise) reports of demonization.
3. The similarity of abductee testimony to the events described in Genesis 6:1-4 (and other ancient Jewish texts).
4. A belief that the events of Genesis 6 (and so, an alien presence) is a specific touchpoint in New Testament teaching about the Second Coming (or, for many, the notion of a rapture which is not the same as what is broadly thought of as the Second Coming).
Let’s start with number 1 – the violent forcible trauma described by abductee testimony. In a nutshell, anyone (human or not) who would do such things as described below would be evil — and what better representatives of evil are there than demons? Not difficult to follow.
There are a number of books that chronicle the heinous things abductees report. Dr. David Jacobs’ two books, Secret Life and The Threat, are a good place to start. But it’s probably easier to just show you the tables from pages 354-366 of the book Alien Discussion: Proceedings of the Abduction Study Conference at MIT, Cambridge, Ma. Those pages are the reference for the paper by Gwen Dean entitled, “Comparisons of Abduction Accounts with Ritual Maltreatment” (i.e., ritual and satanic abuse). The comparison pages cover six pages. I invite you to read through them, noting not only the violence, but also the numerous overlaps with ritual and satanic ritual abuse testimony.
The point: It would take a lot to dissuade any “fundamentalist” that such things were not evil and satanic. This is Exhibit A why the fundamentalist believes that, if the abductee testimony is true, if the person *did* have a physical experience, those who perpetrated these acts of violence are anything but enlightened beings with which we should seek to commune, and from whom we should seek wisdom. Such abuses of human rights are not only crimes, they are evil.
Mike,
Thanks for this series. I have been reading Vallee’s “Dimensions” and “Passport to Magonia” over the last few days. I find this subject fascinating because I don’t think anyone really knows what is going on…I favor Vallee’s viewpoint (with some tinkering), but am not dogmatic.
In Christ,
Blake
Mike, thanks for doing this series as a means to provide a Biblical view to this complex, pervasive and often divisive subject.
Many people are looking forward to Parts 2, 3 and other subsequent installments!
John
Mike,
As a believer and experiencer of some of these events, beginning at a very young age, I so appreciate the general guidance which has helped me through the emotional and intellectual challenges of my own experiences. What church or pastor, trying to teach the Bible, where the leadership thinks this kind of “talk” to be crazy, would be available to assist me otherwise? My wife doesn’t realize how important my salvation is to me, but the elimination of “new” experiences since coming back to Christ has made it quite clear to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you for being there for me…
you’re welcome. It’s a shame that I have heard similar things many times (“my pastor just thought I needed therapy” sort of thing, rather than trying to help you process whatever it was you experienced under the assumption that you weren’t nutty).
Granted, there are nuts out there, but most people who struggle with some sort of experience like this aren’t. It isn’t hard to tell someone who is disturbed from someone who isn’t. You usually know after about five minutes.
Dear Mike Heiser,
I pose that the difference between a non-human entity that is evil and a nhe that is good:
1) a good nhe “images” (your def.) YHWY… ie: acts as host to YHWY and, apart from the container, is indistinguishable from LOVE.
2) a good nhe obeys just as christians are supposed to, by hearing the Word and being a doer of the Word-
3) a good nhe speaks so that when heard, they hear YHWY- “my sheep hear my voice, the voice of another they simply will not.”
4) a good nhe is a proponent of free choice for the listener/ viewer…one who delivers choice to humans an allows voluntary response.
5) a good nhe identifies himself as a servant or associated with YHWY or Jesus as evidence of good intensions.
6) a good nhe conceals his divine action from men unless otherwise instructed.
7) a good nhe observes the Laws that govern the sheepfold (the earth) and how one enters the sheepfold (by Me).
Conversely,
1) an evil nhe does not image YHWY but acts as the eyes and ears of “others”.
2) …does not obey
3) …does not sound like YHWY.
4) …does not allow choice
5) …does not identify with YHWY
6) …displays actions to “amaze”….
7) …doesn’t enter by the Gate, but “enters by some other means”
I believe that these may be some of the metrics of “Fundamentally Correct” adoption of nhe phenom. There are of course thousands more hints in the NT to the telltale signs of spiritual discernment. Thanks to current events, I apply these to different contexts and read them in a new light.
Hebrews 13:2 NET
“Do not neglect hospitality, because through it some have entertained angels without knowing it.”
I’m not sure I denied the difference between good and evil nhe’s (?).
Please transliterate the divine name properly. It’s not YHWY; it’s YHWH. I’m not offended, but some might be.
No, there was no denial responded to nor implied.
The fundamentalist view that relegates the phenomenon to the demonic (rather than your definition of extraterrestrials) seems to me to be splitting hairs. If an abductor is biological and evil, does it matter that the abductor is biological or multi-dimensional? (We’d like to know whether abductor EBE or MDE, but if we can’t know right now- its probably best to relegate the abductor to the “bad abductor” category and leave the specifies, origin and allegiances question to future answers.
There are some new age phenomenon enthusiasts who won’t go that far. They say that abductees shouldn’t object to these interventions and rather feel privileged to provide for the “visitors”. They interpret the abductions as interspecies reconnaissance just as we would tag a bear or a whale to study migratory patterns.
The 1-7 above is a poll of angelic appearances in scripture (without providing book chapter and verse). In general, since you are an angelologist, would you agree generally with the idea that a good nhe typically follows the 1-7 when permitted and instructed by YHWH to contact a human on earth?
The point here is to arm humans with some kind of “rules of engagement” that may apply to experiencers so that they may discern whether an nhe is from YHWH or from OTHER GOD.
It seems to me that the relevance of ancient text to spectator humans and experiencers is that there may be some clues to interpreting what may be cosmic activity afoot during these times that is somewhat useful “Insight” per Daniel.
You presentation of these texts is attracting a great following of people who are looking for direction on the phenom. I pose that they instinctively sense the phenom to be smoke where there is fire. Do you believe the Insight referred to in Daniel may be related to understanding of ancient text?
The last sentence is incomplete – which insight?