“gods and UFOs”: A Review of Within Grasp: My Evolving Journey Discovers More Truths Beyond the Bible by W. Wallace Wagner, Jr.

 

(Creative Short Book Writers Project, 2022). ISBN: 979-8351885292

At 423 pages, Within Grasp is a considered, detailed exploration of the possibility (probability?) that what was termed God in the Old Testament (and various books that were deemed “apocryphal” or otherwise unworthy [undesirable?] of what became the Bible) was actually extraterrestrial beings advanced enough to appear to humans as god-like. This thesis calls to mind Arthur C. Clarke’s third law that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Using numerous approaches: his own close reads of biblical passages; interviews with reverends, ex-military, spiritual practitioners, and lay people; and the complete texts of the Gospel of Thomas, Book of Enoch, Gospel of Mary, and Apocalypse of Baruch (the latter of which comprise roughly half the book), Wagner presents a compelling case. He also graciously leaves a great deal for us to work through on our own.

Although the matter at hand is complex and fraught with the dangers that come with offering alternative reads of the Bible and other religious texts outside of the accepted dogma and tenets of the clergy that market them, Wagner writes in a conversational, accessible voice. This does not mean he is unsure or meek in his position. At the onset, he refers to “Christian gatekeepers… installed to contain us.” Given the mounting scholarship on UFOs in the bible (in addition to Wagner, I think of my colleagues Rev. Michael Carter [interviewed in this book] and Ken Goudsward), we know that the gatekeepers are hard at work in their attempt to prevent Disclosure. They are also—perhaps inadvertently—pushing the Alien Threat agenda, which is nothing more than an excuse for larger defense budgets and a strengthening of their own position as the safest harbor for the masses.

Wagner, after an Introduction, describes his journey. He spent the first 60 years of his life as an adherent to Christian dogma as the church and Bible present it. Following an encounter with a Tic-Tac UFO, however, he began to look for alternate narratives, which resulted in his first book, Crossing the Crevasse. Along the way, he spoke with and interviewed those represented in Within Grasp: Dr. Rev. Barry Downing, Rev. Carter, Dr. Maj. Paul Smith, Barbara de Long (another colleague I deeply respect), and a man called Steven.

Wagner has a varied educational, work, and service background, all of which coalesce in his study and interpretations of the Bible and a wide variety of paranormal phenomena. As a longtime Transdisciplinary researcher, I respect this approach because it allows Wagner to make a salient, provocative case for his hypotheses about the meanings of the Bible and what witnesses at that time encountered.

Through the work of those researchers and experiencers mentioned above, and the likes of Ancient Aliens, you may be familiar with the postulation that the Bible serves in part as a record of visitations by crafts and extraterrestrials. After reading Within Grasp, I am certain you will add Wallace Wagner to your list of credible sources. 

He has certainly not plunged in half-cocked, relying on second-hand information and social media sound bites. This is a careful, considered critique of the traditional interpretations of the Bible. Since his UFO sighting in 2016, he has delved ever deeper into a plethora of subjects. His chapter “God Versus God” (32 pages) took him two years to compose. It quotes extensively from scripture to build a case that there was not one Old Testament God, but many ET “gods.” Wagner analyzes and comments upon the various names of (g)od(s), singular versus plural, and brings to light inaccurate translations and deliberate obfuscations. As he proceeds through the chapters, developing his theses on the level of a seasoned scholar, he employs principles of quantum theory and looks at the development of secret technology, underground bases, remote viewing, and the rise of the military-industrial defense contractor industry Ike and JFK warned us about in separate speeches in 1961. He also examines, and makes a case for, reincarnation.

At this point, Wagner present the interviews. Each begins with a brief, informative biography, before a series of questions and answers. These interviews appear to be unedited, so we are privy to when the interviewees disagree with Wagner or are simply unfamiliar with the subject he wants to discuss. I find this not only refreshing, but also further proof of Wagner’s honesty and integrity. All of the interview subjects are a bit different in background and worldview, and the interviews work together to present a tapestry that fully illustrates the complexity of these subjects. If you are interested in the remote viewing program at SRI, the interview with Maj. Paul Smith will be of particular interest.

Following the interviews, there are two sections—“Tidbits of Info & Commentary” and “Quotes Worth Noting”—that serve as simple summations of the preceding explorations.

The complete texts of the Gospel of Thomas, Book of Enoch, Gospel of Mary, and Apocalypse of Baruch are worth the time it takes to read them. I was quite familiar with the gospels of Thomas and Mary. Many books (fiction and nonfiction), documentaries, and films use them as their basis or reference their provocative postulations. I knew the Book of Enoch less well, and spent the most time with its prophecies and visions. The Apocalypse of Baruch was new to me. Not only do these texts add much to the conversation regarding alternate explanations of what is included in the Bible—they offer insight into why these books and others were NOT included at all.

In this age of possible Disclosure (and the politicization of the existence of and interaction with higher intelligences for nefarious purposes) and the steady decline of those participating in organized religion, the work of researchers and experiencers like Wallace Wagner and our colleague Michael Carter (and the others mentioned and interviewed in Within Grasp) is more essential than ever. If we are indeed on the cusp of public, large-scale contact with non-Earth intelligences, then we do not want to make the mistakes of the past—as much as the gatekeepers would prefer us to do exactly that.