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As human beings, we tend to categorize our experiences and those of others. It’s a useful tool for better organizing our thoughts, but it can also limit our thinking in ways that are not good, or true. Specifically, in this article, I’m addressing those thing we would tend to categorize as “spiritual”.
To begin, we need to lay down a primer of sorts. The following is a video excerpt from Cosmos: A Personal Voyage by Carl Sagan, and it lays the foundation for everything that follows:
To be clear, what we’re discussing here are geometric dimensions. The argument could be (and has been) made that we, in our present state actually occupy upwards of 12 dimensions. Throughout the preceding video and the remainder of this article however, please understand that we’re discussing geometric space.
Hopefully, you can already see where this is going… my thesis is this;
What we perceive to be “spiritual” is, in actuality, hyper-dimensional.
This is not to say that there isn’t such a thing as “spirit” or “spiritual”, or that the use of these terms is incorrect. Our perception regarding them and their meaning however, is. In general, we tend towards a very esoteric view of all things spiritual, as opposed to viewing them as a literal reality – but is this realistic?
I submit that it is not.
Spirits and/ or all things spiritual are not some wispy clouds floating about in an immaterial or ethereal state – they are literal, physical constructs, beings and entities existing in a state of dimensionality that exceeds our own. Inasmuch as the flat-man in Carl Sagan’s (actually Edwin Abbot’s) example was incapable of perceiving the 3-dimensional being (the apple), so too are we incapable of properly perceiving those entities which are comprised of four+ dimensional construction.
Does this render such beings as immaterial, non-corporeal or otherwise “ghost-like”? No. Though it may seem that way from our limited perspective, that really just highlights our own ignorance of a far greater reality – and that’s not an indictment, it’s a fact.
With this in mind, I would draw your attention to a passage of scripture I’ve puzzled over for decades; Ezekiel (Chapter 1) records a vision of God almighty, being carried by 4 living beings. The image invoked is that of a King being carried about on a litter. Note that, while human kings and queens are carried by men, here we see the almighty being carried by Cherubim (Cheruvim in Hebrew):
In the fire were what looked like four living beings. In their appearance they had human form, but each had four faces and four wings. Their legs were straight, but the soles of their feet were like calves’ feet. They gleamed like polished bronze. They had human hands under their wings on their four sides. As for the faces and wings of the four of them, their wings touched each other; they did not turn as they moved, but went straight ahead.
Their faces had this appearance: Each of the four had the face of a man, with the face of a lion on the right, the face of an ox on the left, and also the face of an eagle. Their wings were spread out above them; each had two wings touching the wings of one of the other beings on either side and two wings covering their bodies. 12 Each moved straight ahead—wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went. In the middle of the living beings was something like burning coals of fire or like torches. It moved back and forth among the living beings. It was bright, and lightning was flashing out of the fire. The living beings moved backward and forward as quickly as flashes of lightning.
Ezekiel 1:5 – 14
While I’ve seen numerous attempts to adapt this vision to an artistic rendering, most fall utterly short – looking awkward and strange, or deviating from the description entirely favoring an anthropomorphic representation of the beings described.
So strange is the image evoked that some even assert that Ezekiel had an encounter with Aliens… an assertion I don’t disagree with in principle – it’s the nature of what they call “alien” with which I take issue.
My point is, in the same way that we can understand our view of a tesseract is a distortion, a shadow of an actual fourth dimensional cube, so too am I convinced that Ezekiel’s vision is a distorted perception of Cherubim as they actually are.
I make this distinction because, scripture provides numerous examples of Angels and Heavenly Beings appearing to men in forms that we can easily understand. Here however, as well as in the Book of the Revelation, we see the author grappling with a description of something they can scarcely comprehend.
Assuming you’ve stayed with me to this point, you may be asking “why does this even matter?” It’s a fair question.
It matters because getting this right has far-reaching ramifications on our perceptions, our world-view and, ultimately our understanding with regards to many events in scripture. Thought predicates action and, if we think of matters deemed “spritiual” as being literal and physical, we will treat them as such. “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…” (Proverbs 23:7 KJV).
I am reminded of numerous discussions had in my youth regarding eschatology – specifically pertaining to my assertion that much of what we see unfolding is neither symbolic or parabolic in nature, but a literal description of what was seen as best the author could describe or explain…
Can the sky actually be rolled up like a scroll? (Isaiah 34:4, Revelation 6:4)
Could the demon locusts which rise from the abyss be literal, physical beings? (Revelation 9:3) – I mean, I’ve yet to see a weapon developed that could make men seek death but be unable to find it… have you?
These are but two further examples of what I believe to be a description of dimensional convergence. The author is doing their best, by the hand of God almighty, to relay the information to us.
Some would undoubtedly balk at this notion, and in truth the skeptical, or conservative view of such matters has ultimately reigned within western theology for longer than any of us has been alive.
No offense, but in recent years we’ve seen the birth of technologies that could bear some of these prophecies out in a literal, physical context even without the application of hyper-dimensional physics.
Have a look into CRISPR and see one example for yourself.
Is it possible that the Messiah pointed to an extra-dimensional reality?
From that time Jesus began to preach this message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near!”
Matthew 4:17
Many translations say “at hand”, but in either case, the statement stands – and straight form the mouth of the Messiah Himself. Could it be, that He was describing something to us, not in poetic or symbolic language, not as a parabolic or analogous statement, but a literal, physical truth.
Many would say this is obvious and that He’s talking about Himself – and He is… but this would be far from the only occasion on which His words conveyed layers of meaning. I submit that He’s stating both simultaneously and that, by the observation of dimensional physics, we know that the extra-dimensional can occupy the same physical space as we do without or notice or perception.
In otherwords the Kingdom of Heaven was literally present right then and there… and it still is!
After he had said this, while they were watching, he was lifted up and a cloud hid him from their sight. As they were still staring into the sky while he was going, suddenly two men in white clothing stood near them and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking up into the sky? This same Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come back in the same way you saw him go into heaven.”
Acts 1:9 – 11
Is the ascension of Yeshua we see described here simply one of him floating into the sky to dwell on cloud, or could he be ascending both physical and dimensional space at the same time?
Consider also, the dimensions provided us in Revelation concerning the New Jerusalem…
Now the city is laid out as a square, its length and width the same. He measured the city with the measuring rod at 1,400 miles (its length and width and height are equal). He also measured its wall, 144 cubits according to human measurement, which is also the angel’s.
Revelation 21:16 – 17
For those not familiar or willing to do the math, the space this city occupies is 1.9 million square miles. For those of the metric persuasion, that’s 4.9 million square kilometers. Now John saw this descending from Heaven, so I ask you; where exactly do you put a city that’s roughly the size of Australia?
All of this is driving to the point that God has been impressing upon me for several years – “spiritual” is just a name for physical, but of a higher dimensional order.
You made them a little less than the heavenly beings. You crowned mankind with honor and majesty.
Psalms 8:5
This encourages me greatly, and I hope it does you as well. We’re not talking about some ethereal, non-corporeal, cloud-floating, harp-wielding pudgy babies… we’re talking about literal, physical, mighty beings of a higher dimensional order.
Better yet, 2 out of 3 are actually good-guys!
For he will order his angels to protect you in all you do. They will lift you up in their hands, so you will not slip and fall on a stone.
Psalm 91:11 – 12
Pretty cool, yeah?
As a final thought, I find it perplexing that the only people who have really been actively exploring and discussing extra, or hyper-dimensional realities are secular physicists and “new-agers”, or more aptly, modern day Gnostics.
I’m not suggesting that the mere entry of believers into the conversation would cause some mass-conversion or that sound-science is adequate to bring the academics to faith – these are matters of the heart. I’m saying that, if it’s truth, I want it. If it’s real I want to know it and apply it in my daily walk. If it is evidence that He said what He meant and meant what He said, then it’s relevant. Always.
שלום עליכם – Shalom Aleichem – Peace Be Upon You