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Monday, April 16, 2018

Is the Jersey Devil Real? — (The Nature of Encounters with the Unexplained or Paranormal)

Notice: This article is not appropriate for children under 14 years of age.



Is the Jersey Devil Real? —  (The Nature of Encounters with the Unexplained or Paranormal)


For many years people have been encountering strange beings that take on a variety of forms. They often appear at night or in the twilight and they behave in ways unlike any known animal. Some have feet that resemble human feet, only much larger. Others fly with bat-like wings. Many have red, glowing eyes. What are these creatures? Are they animals? Are they aliens? Are they spirits? Are they purely fictional? Or, are they something else entirely?

THE JERSEY DEVIL

For hundreds of years, a cryptid creature (or creatures) was (were) seen in the thick, mostly uninhabited forests of New Jersey, called the "pine barrens." It is a region of the state consisting of thickets, evergreen trees, ponds, and dense undergrowth. Strange creatures collectively called the "Jersey Devil" were reportedly seen by thousands of people for over 250 years in the state of New Jersey and mostly in the pine barrens.  


The Jersey Devil today is a very controversial topic. Some have said that the creature is fictional and is entirely fabricated from legends which began in the 18th century with the Leeds family, who lived in the New Jersey pine barrens. According to legend, the thirteenth child of Jane Leeds (or Mother Leeds) was supposedly a literal demon with wings (See "New Evidence..." in Works Cited). It was said to have taken off, flying up the chimney of their cabin. Legend has it that all the sightings of the Jersey Devil are of that mythical demon-child. 
(The pine barrens of New Jersey. Source.)

However, it is certain that the actual thirteenth child of Jane Leeds was a normal human being who might have been deformed. Some claim that all the sightings of strange creatures in New Jersey and in the pine barrens are nothing more than wild hearsay and hot air born from legend. They attribute all the sightings of the Jersey Devil to owls, other animals, the wind, or natural causes.

While many laugh it off as a joke, there are a fairly large number of people who are certain that they actually have seen a large, bat-winged creature; shadows of giant wings; something with piercing, red eyes; strange animal-like prints; or other eerie sights. If a large, bat-winged creature exists, it has no actual connection to the 18th century Leeds family in the same way that a rampant dragon on a coat of arms has no genetic connection to the family with that coat of arms.

Some people say that all the eyewitnesses of the Jersey Devil were lying, hallucinating, or merely seeing natural animals, but that is not being fair or reasonable. It is not likely that every eyewitness is lying or misidentifying natural causes. We need to take their statements into consideration. 
(A sasquatch footprint. Click for source.)

With that said, we will give a few examples of some eerie sightings or experiences in New Jersey. 

A Creature in the Basement

In 1963, when Paul Pedersen Jr. was a boy, he heard sounds coming from from his basement. Pedersen said: "I heard something in the basement. It was getting closer and closer. And, it just started screeching this incredible sound. And, I grabbed my sister and ran out onto the front lawn." (Source: Monsters and Mysteries in America; Episode: "Winged Beasts: Flying Humanoid, Jersey Devil, Batsquatch"Note: This episode has vivid computer animation depicting hideous creatures. Parents should not let their children watch this.)

Speaking again about his terrifying experience, Pedersen said: "Just a couple minutes after she [Paul's mom] left, I heard something in the basement. Some kind of commotion going on. Stuff being knocked over. I walked over to the cellar door and heard something coming up the steps in a really strange way—not like [how] a man would walk up the steps—something like hopping up the steps ... almost like wings flapping. I heard some kind of commotion. I had the presence of mind ... to lock the door. It was getting closer and closer. ... I was scared to death." (See "Monsters &...in Works Cited.)

When Pedersen's father went into the basement, he saw a devastating scene. Pedersen said: "All the Christmas balls were broken. All the tinsel... [was] all over the place. All the tools are scattered all over the basement. Something was down there." ("Jersey Devil | Monsters ...")
(Paul Evans Pedersen Jr. Source.)

Pedersen said that all the basement windows were nailed shut and that the only way into the basement was down the kitchen staircase or down a coal chute. He said his father removed the coal chute soon after that strange event. The only way the creature could have escaped the basement was by flying, unless it was inter-dimensional. Paul Pedersen Jr. said: "It shook my father up pretty good." ("Jersey Devil | Monsters ...")

Angus Kress Gillespie, a professor of American studies at Rutgers University, speaking of the Jersey Devil, said: "This story has been around for more than 250 years." He has collected eyewitness accounts for at least 35 years ("New Evidence..."). 

Gillespie said: "There's been many sightings. Many respectable citizens in south Jersey—police officers, sheriffs, city council men, ministers, priests, rabbishave all reported seeing the Jersey Devil. In nearly every case, it wasn't one person telling the story. The story was corroborated by several witnesses. So, that puts a lot of weight on the truth of the story." ("New Evidence...")

[Read Part 2 of 2 here at this link.]

A Winged Monster

Just a little over a decade ago, a family faced a devilish being that did not have their best interest in mind. In January 2004, in the New Jersey pine barrens, Laurie Winkelmann and her then 11-year-old son, Glen Jr., were outside their house walking toward a utility pole to unplug some Christmas lights. There had been a fresh snowfall. 

She said: "I was standing at a utility pole that just had a big electric outlet. And, I bent over and was trying to pull this plug out. Simultaneously, I looked at my son, who was standing right in front of me, and his face was just terrified, and he was making garbled noises, pointing up." ("New Evidence...") (Source: MonsterQuest; Episode: "Devils in New Jersey".)

She saw a giant, black creature perched in a tree high above her head. The creature swooped down on large wings toward them, and the mother and son ran toward their house, in terror. Laurie said: "There was this black, like sensation of a whoosh overhead of us, on top of us. And, in a split-second, I heard it on the roof. ... And, the second that we got to the door step, you could hear it coming down the roof, making these really click-clack, weird, ... [metallic, booming] ... noises. And, we just got in the door, slammed the door, and then just started screaming and freaking out in the kitchen." ("New Evidence...")

Laurie's husband, Glen Sr., went outside in the morning and saw strange tracks in the snow, on their house roof. The tracks were fairly deep and were preserved in the snow, so Glen Sr. took some photos and brought them to a friend who was an expert hunter. Glen Sr. said: "Brought it in. Showed it to him. Not a clue. I have no idea what it was." ("New Evidence...")
(A photo of the tracks on the
 Winkelmanns' roof, taken by Glen Winkelmann, Sr. Source.)

The Winkelmanns brought the photos to an office of the New Jersey division of Parks and Recreation. Regional wildlife experts could not identify what creature might have created the tracks. Laurie and her son, Glen Jr., were given polygraph tests, which confirmed that they were not lying about their experience with the winged creature. They are certain they saw a paranormal, winged creature with bat-like wings. ("New Evidence...")

Descriptions of the Jersey Devil tend to fall into two categories. One version of the monster has it standing on two feet with bat wings. Another version has it walking on four legs with bat wings. But, both versions give the grotesque monster different features of animals. The bizarre creatures seen in the New Jersey pine barrens are likely not just one "species." It is probable that they are different types of monsters.

The Daut Brother's Sighting of a Winged Creature

Besides the Jersey Devil, there have been other large, terrifying, bat-winged creatures with glowing eyes. Two brothers saw a large, hideous creature outside of Houston, Texas, back in February of 1976. David and John Daut were driving to work on a road north of Houston. They worked the night shift at a manufacturing company. When they had reached a rural area and were surrounded by pasture land, their lives were about to change. (Source: Monsters and Mysteries in America; Episode: "Winged Beasts: Flying Humanoid, Jersey Devil, Batsquatch".)

Suddenly, a strange (humanoid) being appeared, standing in the road, and they pulled to a stop. The creature had intense, red eyes and large wings. David Daut said: "The wings were more like bat wings—not feathers, but more like a bat look to it. And, it took three or four steps towards the car. I just freaked. And, then it just flew right over the top of the car." ("Monsters &...")

John Daut said: "And as we looked up through the windshield, all I can remember is these huge, red, glowing eyes staring down at us as it flew over the car. It was a horrible, loud, flapping noise. We looked at each other and said nobody's going to believe us."

The brothers had kept the experience to themselves until recent years when they were finally emboldened to share it. ("Monsters &...")



CONCLUSION

What is the origin of these hideous creatures? Are they aliens? Are they animals? Did God truly create such evil and hideous entities? The truth is that God created all things good, because God is good. He cannot create what is sinful or evil. Sin entered our universe when Adam and Eve chose to rebel against God and eat of the forbidden fruit (See Genesis 3).

And, sin entered the second heaven (where Satan and his fallen angels dwell) when Satan rebelled against God along with a third of God's angels (See Revelation 12). But, the holy heaven, the third heaven, is untainted by sin, and God's holy throne resides there. (Note: God can bring His throne to the gate of His holy realm so He can speak with Satan, who cannot enter the third heaven).

The first rebel, Satan, is the one who took portions of DNA from animals, fallen angels, and humans in order to produce genetically-engineered, paranormal creatures, monsters, "aliens," and extremely tall giants. (Some examples include the 13-plus-foot-tall Og, the king of Bashan, and the 10-plus-foot-tall Goliath of Gath). Humans have altered the DNA of plants and animals to produce genetically-engineered hybrids. If humans can do it, fallen angels certainly can. 

In the last days, Satan will bring a creature to the earth called the beast (a.k.a. the Antichrist). This evil entity will demand that all people worship him and his father Lucifer (a.k.a. Satan). Along with his right-hand-"man," called the false prophet, the Antichrist will have the world receive transhumanist technology that will likely alter human DNA. The Bible describes it as the mark of the beast. Anyone who receives this mark will be incapable of receiving eternal life. People who take the mark of the beast will be so hardened against God that they will be cast into Hell (See Revelation 14). 

[Read more about the transhumanist mark of the beast at this article here.]

But, God provides eternal life right now to anyone who is willing to make Jesus Christ his or her own personal Savior and Lord. Don't wait, my friend. Please accept Jesus Christ today and make Him your personal Lord and Savior. Tomorrow may be too late. You have felt God calling out to you all your life. Don't continue to resist Him. He is merciful and full of loving-kindness. He desires you to be His son or daughter through Jesus Christ. May God bless you as you turn your life over to Him.

If you would like to know Abba God the Father and Jesus Christ (God the Son), and be saved from sin, click here to read more.










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