The Present Day UFO-ALIEN
ABDUCTION PHENOMENON
as interpreted from a Biblical Precedent
by J. Timothy Unruh
Chapter Five
Is it a myth, is it a legend, or is it a hoax? Whatever the creature is, scores of reports have come forth from many places around the world since initial descriptions in 1995 of a mysterious creature ravaging the countryside on the island of Puerto Rico, killing small animals and making local rural dwellers and farmers uneasy. As big of a news story as this is, oddly enough one will not hear details about it from Tom Brokaw or Rush Limbaugh. Almost all of the accounts about the chupacabra have come either through the variety of specialty programs on cable television dealing with the paranormal and a few local radio and newspaper reports, or through the internet. Where ever it is being covered although, it has indeed become "big time." Mysteriously enough, however, in spite of its newsworthyness and journalistic potential, the "mainstream," clearly has not exhibited much effort to cover this unique phenomenon.
The big question everyone has been asking is, just what is the chupacabra and why its sudden rabid appearance? One fact seems consistent; the creature strikes at night and has a thirst for blood. Initially the creature was known for stalking small animals, namely goats, on farms in Puerto Rico, hence the name chupacabra, which, in Spanish, means "goat sucker." The earliest accounts of the recent outbreak, which apparently began in 1995, included details of attacks where goats were found dead, with their blood drained, apparently through peculiar puncture wounds on their necks. There have been some reports of particular organs missing from some of the victim's bodies, without any visible way for those organs to have been removed. Since initial attacks owners of animals say hundreds of chickens, rabbits, sheep, cats and dogs, and even larger animals including pigs and cattle have died in a similar manner, even when "secured" inside locked cages that seemed undisturbed. Sightings have increased with the passing months, fueling paranoia and fear.
Most witnesses of the creature, or its effects, have described it as a half-man, half-beast vampire like predator that roams the countryside terrorizing farm animals, and, indirectly, people. A description of the creature based on the fairly consistent reports by observers provides us with the following composite: "The chupacabra stands about four or five feet tall, is grayish in color with skin like that of a reptile, and spikes from the top of its head down its back, although there is no tail. It has a web-like film hanging beneath short pudgy forelegs, or arms, that end in claws, and large powerful hind legs. Ugly as a demon, it has huge bright red eyes the size of hens eggs, long fangs, and an odd long slimy pointy tongue which continually glides in and out of its mouth." This thing exhibits intelligent behavior and possesses the ability to evade detection and capture at will. Thus instances of close contact with people, so far, have been few. It is thought to dwell underneath the soil in cave-like structures, the origins and nature of which remain mysterious and obscure. The monster is also described as having wings and, in one account, "flew at two human subjects who fled for their lives." The creature reportedly "hops around like a kangaroo and exudes such a pungent sulfur-like stench that one close encounter left an individual coughing for days. It should be noted that there is nothing that would negate a variation of manifestations in the chupacabra entity.
Reactions to this recent phenomenon have varied considerably, from the resolute insistence of those who say they have actually seen the chupacabra first hand, to skeptics and reporters in the media who discount these accounts by writing and publishing falsifying and ridiculing stories against these people and their reports. It seems that some have found the human aspect of the chupacabra phenomenon even more interesting than the creature itself saying that even though this creature is fast it can never catch up with the folklore, rumors, and hoaxes that seem to rush out ahead of it. Thus chupacabras have both alarmed and amused residents in such widely scattered places as Mexico, South America, Florida, Texas, Southern California, and even Oregon, to the point of inspiring theories, satire, mugs, T-shirts, and rap songs. Regarded as a phenomenon as strange and mysterious as cattle mutilations, crop circles, UFO's, and alien abductions, the chupacabra enigma baffles authorities, especially in light of the irrefutable widespread popular accounts the phenomenon has elicited. Because of the skillfully elusive nature of the chupacabra organized parties which have gone out to search, photograph, or capture the creature, have met with limited success and have been able to produce little except for the dead animal victims albeit with their strange puncture wounds, after which individuals in these groups usually lose interest and go back to fishing or knitting until the next inexplicable attack occurs. Most government officials and veterinarians who have followed the "official line" or policy statements, and who have refused to reveal autopsy data about the dead animals, often relegate the reports to hysteria and mischief. Some, although, have honestly conceded that they are up against something which appears to be very real yet difficult to define rationally. There are, however, a few prudent individuals who are taking the matter quite seriously. The mayor of one Puerto Rican town of 40,000 people has been paying close attention, especially since some of his constituents have lost animals. In his jurisdiction there is nothing humorous about the situation because of the widespread concern that people could be next.
Some of the theories raised to explain the Chupacabra include the idea that they represent the appearance of "living fossils," in other words prehistoric dinosaurian animals which were thought to have been long extinct but actually existing undisturbed and unnoticed in some remote or inaccessible area until modern times, and which have now migrated into populated areas for the first time. Some have suggested that the Chupacabra is a human-reptile-insect hybrid product of a highly sophisticated top secret genetic manipulation project gone awry. Another popular idea is that they are alien in origin, that is, creatures from outer space which are presently initiating a world wide mass invasion of Earth. A more sensible explanation which draws from a purely Biblical interpretation, suggests that these creatures are decidedly demonic in their origins. One strong evidence of this possibility is their uncanny ability to come and go in and out of our physical world virtually undetected. This is indeed a power repeatedly demonstrated by angelic beings as recorded in the Biblical record. In other words the chupacabra evidence themselves to be interdimensional beings which can easily evade detection by their ability to enter into and appear or exit out of and vanish from physical reality in an instant. Thus, in the Biblical context, the chupacabra represent the apparitions of transdimensional entities, or fallen angels, or, more specifically, demons.
There is also evidence that this odd manifestation of paranormal activity in our era is not unique in history. There are recorded incidences in ancient times and in medieval days, as well, of strange occurrences involving half-man half-beast like creatures ravaging the countryside at night. For the Bible student this should come as no surprise since Satan and his legions, which occupy the air in vast numbers, have supernaturally effected such diabolical invasions into human affairs ever since Adam and Eve were tempted in Eden by the apparition of Lucifer as a serpent. Much of these traditions have been memorialized in the literature and the arts through the ages, right up to our modern time. For instance, a close inspection of some of the architecture during a walk through one of the larger metropolitan districts will reveal a wealth of peculiar ornamentation embedded in the sides and roof lines of buildings. These likenesses characterized in the gargoyles and other masonry entities of ornamented buildings inescapably suggest the reality of strange and bizarre creatures of another time, if not our own. Many are stone likenesses that seem to sneer, grin, and snarl. They instill a sense of horror that may not necessarily be precisely physical or mental. Since these things are almost always above human sightlines, and because people in the cities rarely look up they are virtually unnoticed. We don't see these "architectural demons" but they "see" us as they constantly stare down at us with their evil stone faced countenances. Unless we are a conscientious churchgoer with some innate sense of their ultimate meaning we go on about our busy lives not giving a thought to the fact they are actually there. This seems most significant, being a parallel to the reality of which the Bible speaks, and that is that our own finite world is infested with powerful invisible principalities which seek our ruin (Ephesians 6:12. Our head does not know much about these creatures but our nerves do once we notice them and learn of their historical significance. So should it be when we see what Holy Writ reveals about our great mortal and immortal enemy. Many of these building details depict grotesque and frightening creatures who patient origin could be none other than the sulfurous bowels of hell itself. These features have been present in the architecture of various civilizations since ancient times.
When we encounter the word gargoyle we intuitively envision monsters, goblins, and other obscure terrors, and rightly so for the practical origins of the device is just so. The word gargoyle itself which has Latin roots means "drain" or "gutter" or "gullet" for routing rainwater from a roof. Hence on some buildings drainpipes become gargoyles, those hideous faces of fury spitting dirty water out of fanged jaws. So also does Satan and his cohorts, insane with rage, issue forth filth upon our broken world. The word gargle, which we do when we have a sore throat, has a similar etymology. Interesting enough, the term gargoyle is often incorrectly used in reference to all sculptures of grotesque beasts on buildings with medieval style motifs. When not used for drains, such creatures are more properly called chimeras. For one who is aware of the life force tradition behind these strange figures which is strong enough to carry over into their usage as architectural motifs the question become more practical: What is the interpretation and my response to them? The answer depends upon the individual. The Bible believer realizes that these images have far reaching implications dealing not only with the immoral but the immortal of which the world at large is unaware. Most simply put, these things represent entities which seek to deceive and destroy our immortal souls if not our physical bodies. Like the world wide traditions of mythological figures, a great Flood, and dragons, all of which have been confirmed in the Biblical record, the Gargoyles and chimera just as well have a sound basis in historical fact.
Several Examples of Gargoyles from Nineteenth Century Engravings
All of this brings us back to the chupacabra. It now seems sensibly apparent that this is yet another creature with a strong basis in historical fact and which has made a strong impression upon the human conscientiousness. In other words, the "chupacabras" as reflected in the cultural traditions world wide as manifested in their building ornamentations have evidently been here before and are arriving again in greater numbers, and perhaps as only a small part of the greater agenda of events prior to the last days.
Perhaps the biggest reason the chupacabra phenomenon is so incredible to most in our present day is that it is incompatible with our modern western rationalistic thinking. If any thing is not "scientifically possible" it is disregarded. By and large twentieth century man interprets reality psychologically and rationally but not theologically. Even among those who proclaim themselves as believers in God, they reject the supernatural beyond that basic tenant. Yet the supernatural, of which the chupacabra phenomenon appears to be but one minor element, and the supernatural aspect of angelology which is an integral part of the economy of divine revelation, is outright rejected. Just as well, the reality of the busy legions of angels, fixed and fallen, active in our world is similarly rejected. The question that should be asked of such folks is this: If one believes in God at all, why is belief in any of this, the lesser matters, such problem? Even though the Word of God came out of eastern culture and prospered in the western world, it is neither eastern or western, it is Biblical and Christian. Today most Roman Catholics, Protestants, and Evangelicals are thinking "western," not Biblical. It is not good enough to believe in the Bible, it must be understood. Today there is too much isogesis (the reader's own notion) often instilled by the "party line" of the particular "fathers" he has been trained and versed in, rather than good exogesis (God's notion) which comes from a sensible and right division of the patent intent of Scripture. Otherwise a truly Biblical theology of demons is misunderstood. I should be remembered that Satan came to our first parents metamorphosed in the form of a serpent (Genesis 3:1-7). In the days of Noah Satan's agents breached their own realm and committed unlawful acts with human women (Genesis 6:1-4) producing offspring heinous, if not more so, as the chupacabra is perported to be. In Pharaoh's court Satan again demonstrated a clear interference with and a paranormal manipulation of physical reality in the imitations of Moses' miracles. It is thus clearly evident that demons have the ability to alter material reality and influence the behavior of their victims, and make physical appearances, even though they themselves by nature are incorporeal. Again, that fallen angels have assumed physical bodies and have interbred with humans and spawned grotesque beasts, as clearly indicated in Scripture, is a fact outright rejected by many theologians who have been heavily influenced by the rationalists. For Satan himself, the master of deception, masquerades as an angel of light (II Corinthians 11:14. When witnesses talk about cattle mutilations, crop circles, UFO's, alien abductions, and chupacabras it is most likely that they are reflecting on not just their imagination or the reality of tradition but on historical reality. Twentieth century man has a distorted view of the supernatural realm of Biblical revelation, and until this deficiency in his thinking is rectified he is going to believe a completely erroneous interpretation of such strategic events of our time.
"And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. (Revelation 9:1-3) |