The episode is live, here.
Short version: It wasn't a UFO.
In this episode, Dr. Michael Heiser explores the powerful and controversial throne vision of Ezekiel 1—a passage often misunderstood and misused by modern UFO theorists. Heiser takes listeners on a guided tour through the ancient Near Eastern context, clearly showing how Ezekiel's vision of a fiery storm cloud, four living creatures, wheels within wheels, and a radiant humanoid figure enthroned above is steeped in well-known imagery from the Babylonian world and the Israelite temple.
This episode explains how the vision borrows from the iconography of throne guardians (cherubim), the architectural layout and decor of Solomon’s temple, and astral symbolism tied to the zodiac. Drawing on passages like Daniel 7, Exodus 24, Revelation 4, and 1 Kings 6–7, Heiser dismantles the modern myth that Ezekiel saw a UFO. Instead, the vision asserts that Yahweh is still sovereign over all creation—even during Israel’s exile in Babylon.
Listeners will gain insights into:
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Why the throne chariot (merkabah) reflects ancient divine council theology.
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How the four-faced cherubim represent the cardinal points of cosmic geography.
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Why the vision was a message of hope and reassurance to exiled Jews.
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How Revelation draws directly from Ezekiel to reinforce God’s universal rule.
Whether you’re studying biblical theology, ancient iconography, or looking to correct misinformation about “UFOs in the Bible,” this episode offers an essential, scholarly yet accessible breakdown of one of Scripture’s most visually rich and often misinterpreted chapters.
The iconography tells them who’s in control. The message tells them what he’s going to do — what’s the sovereign is going to do.
The second one takes us (again) back into the issue of when the Torah (or parts of the Torah) were composed. Another very perceptive question. One *would* expect Moses (Egyptian context) to use an Egyptian word, like seraf (divine cobra/serpent throne guardian), but that isn’t the case. Instead we get a word drawn from Akkadian (a Mesopotamian / Babylonian context), which suggests the statement was composed during the exile.
Granted, that supposition isn’t certain, nor is it certain that Moses could not have known karub. Akkadian was the lingua franca of the ancient Near East during the New Kingdom in Egypt, so it’s quite possible Moses could have known the word karub.
It just hit me… Do you think the watchers sinning against animals in 1 Enoch 7.5 has to do with them entertaining their fantasy to be worshiped as divine and thus needing their own throne guardians (similar to what YHWH has in Ezekiel 1) like what we see in Babylonian, Greek etc. mythology?
I don’t think so.