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NOTE: This article or series has not been updated recently. As such, it may possibly contain some outdated information, and/or ideas and beliefs which I no longer embrace, or which have changed to some degree.



Continuing from part four, the main point we've established,
is that the Lord did possess a physical body following His
Resurrection, and there is no Scriptural evidence to suggest
that He acquired anything different from that time, until
the time of His Ascension to Heaven. So what does that tell
us about the Ascension? If Jesus was in a physical body, and
if the cloud which received Him, (or welcomed Him -- see our
previous discussion), was really just a regular cloud made
up of water vapor, how could it possibly support the weight
of a physical human being who has both weight and mass? As
we have already seen, according to the laws of nature, it is
a total impossibility; therefore, it forces us to adjust our
understanding of what may have really occurred in the first
chapter of the Book of Acts.

Since I have already put myself way out on the limb with
this series, allow me to again suggest a very unorthodox
interpretation of those events. But before I do so, let me
first share those verses with you again in order to refresh
your memory. Luke writes:

"And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he
was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went
up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which
also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into
heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into
heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go
into heaven." Acts 1:9-11, KJV

First of all, notice that those verses do not say that Jesus
ascended under His own power. We are told that He was taken
up, which implies an external, intelligent force, just as I
mentioned earlier. The Greek word used here is "epairo", and
the Greek lexicon defines it as meaning to lift up, to raise
up, to raise on high. So what we are being told here is that
someone, or something, lifted Jesus up from the ground, and
then carried Him to this waiting "cloud" which received Him,
or welcomed Him, so that the Apostles could no longer see
Him. The Apostles stood there awed, looking up into the sky
as this unbelievable event transpired before their very eyes,
until two "men", who were obviously Angelic Messengers, told
them that Jesus would return in the same manner in which He
had just left them. So once again, I can't help but wonder
if that cloud might not have been a "Celestial Craft" which
used its "Tractor Beam" to transport Jesus aboard, before
departing for the Headquarters of the Father's Kingdom.

The final event we will re-examine, is the ascension of the
Two Sackcloth Witnesses of Revelation chapter eleven. In
doing so, once again we encounter the very same problem if
we consider the nature of clouds, and the fact that it is
physically impossible for them to support the weight of any
human being, much less lift them up from the ground; yet
that is what we force ourselves to accept, if we interpret
the following verses to mean a natural cloud formation:

"And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from
God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and
great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a
great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither.
And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies
beheld them." Revelation 11:11-12, KJV

Let me call to your attention again, that just as with the
Lord's Resurrection, there is no mention here of the Two
Sackcloth Witnesses having their bodies transformed in any
way. Perhaps they really did, and for some unknown reason,
John simply didn't make it plain to us. I have suggested in
other articles, such as in "The Two Sackcloth Witnesses Of
Revelation 11", that the ascension of the Two Sackcloth
Witnesses may possibly coincide with Christ's Return in the
clouds, and the Resurrection of the Saints at the sound of
the Last Trump. As we know, it will be at that time when our
physical bodies shall be transformed according to the words
of the Apostle Paul, as we see here:

"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but
we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an
eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the
dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be
changed." 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, KJV

So, if my speculation regarding the ascension of the Two
Sackcloth Witnesses occurring at the same time is correct,
perhaps the voice they hear, which tells them to "Come up
hither", may be the voice of the very same Archangel we
discussed in part four in these verses:

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a
shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump
of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we
which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with
them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so
shall we ever be with the Lord."
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, KJV

There is additional evidence which suggests that these Two
Sackcloth Witnesses will be raised at the Seventh Trump or
possibly just before it. Please note that Paul does say that
the dead in Christ will be raised first, to be followed by
the ascension of the living. Right after John mentions the
ascension of the Two Sackcloth Witnesses, he states that in
that very same hour, a great earthquake strikes Jerusalem,
in which 7,000 people are killed; and then immediately after
this calamity, we read of the Seventh Trump in verse
fifteen:

"And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices
in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the
kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign
for ever and ever." Revelation 11:15, KJV

So, as you can see, there is a very clear link between some
of the things which were said, taught and written by Jesus,
Paul and John regarding the Resurrection and the Rapture.

On the other hand, if the Two Sackcloth Witnesses are not
transformed in any way, that again implies that they may
still possess the same physical bodies as they did prior to
their murder by the unbelievers in Jerusalem. So again, if
we base our interpretation of all of these Endtime events on
the known physical laws of nature, there is no way that the
clouds mentioned in these various accounts which we have now
re-examined, can be natural formations. They must be
something else.

If some of you are still not convinced of this point, allow
me to introduce another scientific fact which further adds
weight to my challenge of the traditional interpretation of
all of these verses. I am by no means a scientist by any
definition of the word. I understand very little regarding
how our physical world operates. However, based upon what
modern science teaches us, (and I do question a lot of it),
we are given to understand that the ability of a planet to
sustain any kind of an atmosphere, is based in part on the
strength of its gravitational field. Thus, by God's Design,
planet Earth has an atmosphere which is rich in nitrogen,
oxygen, small quantities of rare gases, carbon dioxide,
water vapor, etc., and consequently supports an amazing
diversity of life forms, including ourselves.

But herein lies the dilemma. You see, in the New Testament,
the words "heaven" and "heavens" are derived from the Greek
word "ouranos". It is from this same Greek word that the
planet Uranus derives its name. Uranus was the Greek god of
the sky, the personification of Heaven, and the ruler of the
world. But this Greek word is not only used in the Bible to
refer to Heaven, or the Kingdom of Heaven. It also happens
to be translated as "sky" five times; meaning that region of
our atmosphere where clouds are located and where birds fly.
It is also translated as "air" ten times. In three places,
where the phrase "midst of heaven" is found, the original
Greek word used is "mesouranema". Finally, "ouranos" also
refers to outer space where the Sun, Moon, stars and planets
are located. So regardless of which one of these things we
are talking about, the Greek word which is always used is
"ouranos".

But that is only half of the problem. In the accounts we've
been studying, we are told that Jesus and others were taken
to Heaven by these clouds. If we accept the traditional view
that these are natural cloud formations, and if we believe,
as scientists tell us, that the Earth's primary cloud layers
exist in the troposphere, which only extends about six to
twelve miles above the ground, depending on what part of the
world we live in, then we run into a problem. If most clouds
exist in the troposphere, with a few managing to survive in
the thinner and drier stratosphere above it, how is it even
possible for natural clouds to take anyone to Heaven, if it
were even possible for them to do so? The only way to answer
this would be to say that Heaven, that is, the Kingdom of
Heaven, that Celestial Place where God, Jesus and the Angels
currently dwell, is not located in some far-off place deep
in space, but rather in our very own atmosphere!

Now, let me ask you: What if that is indeed true? What if
our idea of a distant Heaven has been totally wrong? Just in
thinking about this, I am reminded of a verse I shared with
you earlier which would certainly seem to lend weight to
this possibility. Here it is again:

"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great
a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the
sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with
patience the race that is set before us," Hebrews 12:1, KJV

If Heaven, that is, the Kingdom of Heaven, where God and the
Angels dwell, is indeed located somewhere in the atmosphere
which surrounds the Earth, then Paul writing that we "are
compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses" makes
perfect sense. Consider also the following verse where the
Greek word "epouranios" is translated as "high places":

"For 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." Ephesians 6:12, KJV

And then we have this well-known verse, which I have shared
on many occasions, where the Greek word "aer" is used,
meaning the lower regions of the atmosphere:

"Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of
this world, according to the prince of the power of the air,
the spirit that now worketh in the children of
disobedience:" Ephesians 2:2, KJV

As I have pointed out before, it is my personal belief that
the previous two verses are referring to none other than
Satan and his minions, who is the current false god of this
world, as we see by this verse:

"In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of
them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious
gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto
them." 2 Corinthians 4:4, KJV

So, with all of the previous verses and explanations, it is
hard to dismiss the possibility that the Kingdom of Heaven
may be much closer than we realize. On the other hand, if it
isn't, and if it is truly somewhere out there in deep space,
at the level of "the third heaven", as Paul called it, then
that brings us right back to our original problem; and that
is, how were Jesus and others transported there? Certainly
not by normal, natural clouds, because most of them cannot
exist beyond the troposphere.

Allow me to ask you another question. If you wanted to rise
above the cloud layer which surrounds the Earth, at least
the lower clouds, how would you go about accomplishing it?
If you have ever taken a commercial flight anywhere, then
chances are that you have already done it. I remember my
first experience in an airplane some twenty years ago. At
the time, I was on my way to Japan. I was totally amazed the
first time that I looked out the window. As I gazed down
below me, I erroneously assumed that I was looking at snow
fields, only to soon realize that I was actually looking
down at the tops of the clouds. What a breath-taker that
was!

So, my point is this: If I had to take an artificial man-made
craft in order to rise above the clouds, doesn't it also seem
to make sense that if the Lord was still in a physical body
following His miraculous Resurrection from the Dead, as the
Bible seems to suggest, and if His body was still subject to
the physical laws which apply to this Earthly life, meaning
that it still had weight and mass, and still required oxygen
in order to survive, that He too might possibly have required
one of His Father's "Celestial Craft", in order to return to
His Heavenly Home, wherever that is? Can we not also apply
these same questions to the Two Sackcloth Witnesses of the
eleventh chapter of the Book of Revelation?

To conclude this series, allow me to offer a few additional
comments. First of all, as I noted earlier, I realize that
there will undoubtedly be a certain sector of Christians who
will be rather offended by some of the things I have stated
in this series. Some Christians may possibly even accuse me
of blasphemy, or of being a New Age advocate, which I most
certainly am not. Some people may possibly question how I
dare to associate the Almighty God with UFOs and advanced
technology. To suggest these possibilities, as I have done,
may even be interpreted by some people as an attempt on my
part to strip God of some of His greatness, and reduce Him
to more of a human level. As I point out in other articles,
this happens to be an error of New Age advocates. After all,
if God is who He says He is in His Word, and if He is who we
Christians presume Him to be, then why would He even have
the need to utilize the theoretical "Celestial Craft" which
I have proposed in this series?

In fact, there are some verses which would seem to point to
the fact that such "Celestial Craft" are not even necessary;
because both before and after His Resurrection, it seems
that Jesus had complete power and control over the physical
elements. For example, as many of you will already know, the
Sea of Galilee was calmed by the command of His voice, as we
see by the following verses:

"And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat
into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the
hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake
him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we
perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto
the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was
a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful?
how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared
exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is
this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"
Mark 4:37-41, KJV

Many of you will also be familiar with the story of how
Jesus walked upon the Sea of Galilee in the middle of the
night, and then bid Peter to do the same, as we see here:

"And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into
a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he
sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the
multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray:
and when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the
ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for
the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night
Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the
disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled,
saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But
straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer;
it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said,
Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And
he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship,
he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the
wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he
cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus
stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him,
O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when
they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they
that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a
truth thou art the Son of God." Matthew 14:22-33, KJV

You will also recall that following the Lord's Resurrection
from the Dead, even though Jesus was still in some form of
physical body, if we understand him correctly, John seems to
be saying that the Lord entered the room where the Apostles
were hiding from the authorities, even though the doors were
locked. In other words, the impression we are given, is that
the Lord passed right through physical structures, as we see
here:

"And after eight days again his disciples were within, and
Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and
stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you."
John 20:26, KJV

So quite frankly, I concur with these thoughts; and I have
in fact been forced to ponder this very same dilemma again,
as I have updated this series from its original form written
six years ago. To be quite honest, I am unable to provide a
satisfactory answer to this question, either for myself, or
for anyone else, regarding why the Lord would even need such
"Celestial Craft", being as the elements are already subject
to Him; yet the Scriptural evidence seems to be there which
supports the existence of such craft. Exactly how physical,
or non-physical they are, is another question. Again, Jesus
was clearly in a physical form following His Resurrection
from the Dead. He could be touched; He could eat and drink;
and yet, He also possessed powers which were clearly not of
this world.

So, I honestly don't know how to find harmony between our
current understanding of who God is, and the many unusual
passages we've examined in this series, which seem to create
an image of God which appears to go beyond our traditional
understanding of Him. Like myself, many of you have grown up
with an image of an all-powerful, unseen, wrathful God who
dwells in some remote, undiscovered corner of the Universe,
where He is accompanied by St. Peter and the Angels, who sit
on fluffy clouds and play harps all day; yet in this series
I've presented a picture of a more technologically-savvy God
who zips around in UFOs. So how do we reconcile these two
very opposing images, both of which appear to have a strong
Scriptural basis?

Let me make it clear that my purpose in writing this series
has not been to dishonor or to disrespect God, or to in any
way try to rob Him of the image we humans have of His Power
and Greatness; it has merely been my personal endeavor to
study, analyze and comprehend the many unusual events we
find in the pages of the Holy Bible, with an open mind, not
clouded by ecclesiastical tradition or other influences. As
I have already stated, even if we were to strip away every
single theory and speculation that I have presented here,
and even if we were to dismiss every single verse with which
we can provide a more mundane explanation, we would still be
left with a preponderance of evidence which is suggestive of
a very technologically-advanced God. If I am wrong about any
of the things I have stated in this series, then it is due
to simple human error on my part, and not due to a malicious
attempt to deny God of His greatness, or to lead His children
astray; and I would hope that you the reader would forgive
me, even as I would hope that God would forgive my folly as
well. As it is written:

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your
ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher
than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my
thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9, KJV

"O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge
of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways
past finding out!" Romans 11:33, KJV

On the other hand, if I'm right about at least some of the
things I have written here, then perhaps we are not dealing
with UFOs in the traditional sense at all. Perhaps their
true nature has been made known to us all along, but we have
simply been either too blinded by ecclesiastical tradition,
or perhaps too stubborn to really want to see it. If that is
the case, (and it is up to you to decide that), then it is
time for all of us to remove the blinders and see things for
what they really are. The only way to rid ourselves of the
darkness of ignorance, is by letting in the truth and light
of God's Word; and that may require some revolutionary ways
of thinking for some of us.

With these thoughts, I will bring this article to a close. It is my hope that you have found it informative, enlightening, and I pray that it has been a blessing in your life as well. If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would really appreciate if you'd take the time to click or tap on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!

For additional information and further study, you may want to refer to the list of reading resources below which were either mentioned in this article, or which contain topics which are related to this article. All of these articles are likewise located on the Bill's Bible Basics web server. To read these articles, simply click or tap on any link you see below.

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