The technology of God: Ezekiel with the wheel
1 Introduction
At church from the pulpit a Head-Elder as a mortal say:
the dimensions of New Jerusalem impossible to be,
for him Jesus to be omnipresent is impossibility:
or appearing in the glory of the Father on Judgement- Day,
while God's superior science and technology is on display
and for every word and act man has got accountability,
where prophets did indescribable objects see:
things that at the heart of superior technology lay,
where similar in the US Indians did of iron-horses speak,
where to a train on a railway line this did pertain,
while any person nowadays will it different describe,
a prophet did with an unknown vehicle fiery horses seek,
where from personal experience we do descriptions maintain:
accustomed to technology, different from a prophetic scribe.
2 Ezekiel
I saw God as the sky opened as if it was a vision:
from the north there was a huge storm-wind,
clouds with fire and lighting striking as if something was destined,
there was a number of entities that arrived for a mission:
they flew air-spacecraft with utter precision,
awestruck and in fear I was for humanity that sinned,
the main craft went straight did not have around to spin,
amidst the entities was God enthroned taking a decision,
a rounded observation instrument was amber glowing,
the main craft was a flying-saucer: a wheel in a wheel,
the entities had like a dome or vault helmets on their heads,
the instrument was in the fire as if alive it was sparkling
and to no direction to go it had to turn or to reel,
for landing had smaller unfolding wheels with threads.
3 The entities struck me with fear and awe
The entities struck me with awe, terror and with great fear
in appearance their form was like that of a human being,
and as attached the wings was to the other very near,
they flew as if the direction that God wanted to go foreseeing
but these pilots had four faces and also four wings,
the one human, like a lion, an ox and an eagle they were
and like a calf's bronze alike feet among other things,
with hands at controls flew together, did not have to concur
As if to the main craft they were attached,
the creatures went with their craft about:
never from it or the others detached,
did themselves for service to God devout
but without turning could move to and thro,
to in any possible needed direction to go.
4 God's throne
A loud voice caused me up to look:
at the main craft I saw a throne of blue sapphire
a place from where the Most High actions undertook:
God was busy at controls as events did transpire
and He was in the image of a man with bright light
but was amber and by flames surrounded:
the light was like a rainbow more than white,
where about His glory I here have expounded,
while He took me to a mountain-top,
as salvation from exile was nearly at hand,
where the cliffs down to Jerusalem did drop:
as He measured the temple I did next to Him stand
but later saw those spacecraft leaving in flight,
face to face knew a God of love and omnipotent might.
[Poet's Notes
In Jewish Scriptures like in most other sacred texts of the whole history of religion of mankind many precise descriptions of flying objects do exist but using the knowledge of the period of time in which the texts were written: where similar Native Americans not
knowing about any kind of mechanical device defined trains with the phrase; "horses of
steel to describe what they saw of a way of transport manufactured by metal. Similarly
the Semitic population living in agropastoral regions with a mix of nomadism
and a semisedentary attitude, there was no terminology available to represent
phenomena that was out of the ordinary and what was different from normal
experience they described in normal everyday language: things, events
and experiences of flight was expressed inherent to the nature of birds,
quick flight was described as "wind / ruàch: a term later denoted to
have the meaning of spirit and visible energy was noted as being
ardent or, , flashes of light or refection was seen as "lightning, "
any rumble, roar or loud noise was identified with "thunder, "
or sound associated with the sound of a huge mass of moving water; t
any round shaped observation instrument became an eye
Ezekiel
Ezekiel whose name means "El / God is strong from a priestly family was a prophet that was exiled to Babylon in 597BC. His mission as prophet was to restore hope to the exiled people that was for Idolatry punished where Israel was going to be re-established in Jerusalem and with the temple being rebuilt.
Ezekiel says that while he was on the banks of the river Chebar (Ezekiel 1: 1) :
The sky opened and of Elohim he saw a vision. The usual translation notes it as a divine vision, while somewhat different the prophet speaks about several entities, after the sky opened.
Ezekiel continues with a wealth of details (Ezekiel 1.4 et seq.) "And I saw...
There was a storm-wind coming from the north with clouds, with fire and lightning striking, that shone around him and in the midst of this there was something sparkling like an eye.
Something was glowing and was amber or electrical.
He encounters a description of an encounter with a spacecraft,
while a storm-cloud comes from the north and on itself rotates fire of propulsion and in the middle of that at the centre is luminous radiation that seems bright and electrical.
Maybe the image described luminescence and colour of the middle part of electromagnetic phenomena or an alloy of gold and silver since amber's electrical properties that the Greeks defined as electron, was known at the time.
Continuing with Ezekiel's description:
from its middle appeared four living creatures
(Ezekiel, verses 1.5-17,
In appearance their form was that human,
Each had four faces and four wings,
Their legs were straight, the soles of their feet were like a calf's foot; sparkled as burnished bronze
Under their wings they had the hands [the term kanàf has several meanings: "wing, tip, edge]
Wings-tips touched each other "female to its sister, " says verse
9,
they did not turn to move, each proceeded straight ahead, the four had the face of a human and the face of a lion on the right side,
the face of an ox on the left side, and the face of an eagle,
each creature had two wings, each of which touched the wing of the
other, while two covered their bodies; each moved straight ahead wherever the spirit would go, they went;
without turning as they did go
«The appearance of the living creatures was like burning coals of fire or like torches. Fire moved back and forth among the creatures»;
Lightning flashed. The creatures sped back and forth [zigzagging in every direction] like flashes of lightning»;
«As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground near
[beside] each creature with its four faces [front side]»;
«the appearance and structure of the wheels as Tarscisc eyes [they sparkled like precious stones, a chrysolite]»;
«and all four looked alike»;
«each appeared to be made as [if] it was a wheel in the middle of a wheel [a wheel intersecting a wheel]»;
«As they moved, they would move in any one of the four sides
[directions] the creatures faced»;
«the wheels did not turn about as the creatures went».
We are undoubtedly faced with a surprising and detailed description, made with the aim of describing very carefully what Ezekiel has seen after the sky had opened.
It absolutely is no dream or vision, as they traditionally tell us!
He is lying on the banks of the river, it is morning and it starts with an impetuous of "something" that comes from a specific direction, the north. Notice how almost obsessively the writer repeats that these "living creatures" would move in all directions without turning around, that is rotating, as normal objects do. Evidently, it was so unique and strange as to make an impression upon whoever was attending the event. Another important detail is the description of the "wheel within the wheel", which reminds us of flying saucers depicted with a dome that looks like "a wheel in the middle of a wheel."
Curiosities, however, are still numerous; let's go on reading (Ezekiel 1: 18) :
«their rims [bending] were tall [of height] and awesome»;
«the rims [bending] of all four were full of eyes all round».
These circles must have seemed mammoth, and all four were all around equipped with what the Prophet called "eyes" and that we would call "door", being sure not to use to much imagination.
Verses 19-21 then describe for us some movements of this machine:
«and [when] the living creatures moved, the wheels [beside] them also moved»;
«and [when] the living creatures rose from the ground»;
«[where] wherever the wind would go, they went»;
«and the wheels would rise at their sides [along with them], the spirit of the living creatures [was] in the wheels.»;
«when the creatures moved, they also moved; when the creatures stood still, they also stood still»;
«and when the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels rose along with them»;
«because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels».
So, there are wheels moving with the whole of this unidentified "object", and along with it, they also rise and fall to the ground!
The following verse 22 gives us an account of another very familiar feature:
And above the heads of the living creatures, right on their heads from up above, was a vault (dome) shaped like an eye of the ice, that being was awesome.
It is not difficult to consider the transparent domes above the living creatures' heads as "helmets, " which in fact would make the creatures "pilots".
Verses 23 and 24 finally show the position of the wings and the noise produced by the movement:
«and under the vault [dome] their wings were stretched out one toward its sister»;
«and each had two wings covering its body»;
«I heard the sound [voice, roar] of their wings, like the roar [voice, sound] of rushing waters»;
«like the voice [roar, sound] of Sciaddài [term that indicated the Elohìm's power] in [when] they moved»;
«sound [voice, noise] of tumult as the sound [voice, noise] of an army»; «in [when] they stood still, they dropped [lowered] their wings». Essentially, Ezekiel tells us that when they raised up, or flew, the wings were spread and their movement produced a loud noise, and when they stood still, the wings lowered!
We do not consider necessary any additional comments on these verses; they are self-explanatory.
Immediately after, something happens that strikes the prophet (Ezek.1: 25-27) : and it was sound [voice, roar] from up the vault [dome] that on their heads»;
and from above the vault [dome] that over their head like apparition of sapphire stone»;
shape [guise] of throne»;
and above form [guise] of throne form [guise] as appearance of a human.
In short, from above the domes that was over the heads of the living creatures, rises a chair-shaped structure (throne) onto which a creature which looked like man was seated.
The prophet then goes on describing all details, and confesses to see something that had already struck him previously:
«he looked like a sparkle eye [electro, amber]»;
«as if resemblance of fire»;
«house around him [it surrounded him]»;
«from image [semblance] of its waist and above»;
«image [semblance] of its waist and below»;
«I saw like image [appearance] of fire and brilliant light surrounded him».
This creature "likewise a man" sitting at the controls, therefore, issued a special light, perhaps recalling the color of the amber or the electro: a golden light, then, with bright shadings particularly evident in the lower part. The chapter ends with a statement that refers to the chapter dedicated to the kevód, namely, the "Glory of God".
Ezekiel says (1: 28) : "like the image [resemblance] of the bow that is in the clouds on rainy days, so [was] the [appearance] of radiance around him..."
It had the same image, semblance of Yahweh's kevód.
At this point we reckon it is no longer possible to translate the term kevód with "Glory" because what is described here only confirms that before Ezekiel - as before Moses - there was something "big, powerful and noisy" just as we found out in the chapter about the Glory of God.
Here, Ezekiel, just like Moses, describes in detail all the elements that define what he has doubtlessly seen that was "great and powerful".
The kevód Takes Off...
This prophet's book gives us further confirmation. After a detailed description of the machine, Ezekiel gives account of what the bright being with the image of Adàm tells him while seating on the "throne" (we would say at the "control bridge") .
After the interview, the prophet (Ezek 3: 12-14) :
«I heard behind me the sound [voice, noise] of loud rumbling»;
«and sound [voice, noise] of the wings of the living creatures brushing against one another»;
«and sound [voice, noise] of the wheels beside them»;
«and sound [voice, noise], like a loud rumbling»;
«and the wind lifted me up and bore me away.».
Listening to Ezekiel, it seems here to hear the different sound produced by flight instruments (wings, propellers) and the car wheels moving on the ground.
We also sense the "loud rumbling" we have heard every time we are on a runway during an airplane takeoff (or when we have watched a television programme on the early departures of NASA's space shuttles) .
...And Lands In the Sanctuary of Jerusalem
Chapters 33 to 48 contain the final message of salvation for a people who are in exile: there will be a new Temple, and a new cult led by a priesthood also renovated.
In chapter 43 Ezekiel says that the Elohìm leads him on a high mountain hence he shows the Temple, then puts him before the door facing east and here (Ezek 43: 2) :
The kevód of the Elohìm of Israel came from the east and produced a sound similar to that of a large mass of water
Here again we read of the Elohìms' flying machines, and the big rumble! Ezekiel finally notes that this was the same vision as the one he had seen at the river Kevàr.
The full text of Ezekiel refers to events that the Prophet has witnessed and has wanted to describe in detail: Flying machines guided by Elohìms, and which land in various geographical locations, and that also function as a comparison element; just like one does for an ordinary story telling there are things that are look like - or are exactly like - what was seen in another place and time!
Finally, it must be said that Maimonides and Nahmanide (among the greatest Jewish commentators of the Old Testament, who lived between the twelfth and thirteenth century AD) claimed that this part of the Bible (along with the chapter about Creation) must be taught by a master to one or at most two disciples, because the knowledge contained in it had to be passed over to very few elected.
Clearly, the information herein contained was considered understandable only by a few previously-prepared people.
This is not difficult to believe, considering that today, there are still many people who are not yet ready to accept these truths.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem