 In 1972 , Applewhite met Bonnie Nettles , a nurse with an interest in <unk> and Biblical prophecy . The two quickly became close friends ; he later recalled that he felt like he had known her for a long time and concluded that they had met in a past life . She told him their meeting had been <unk> to her by extraterrestrials , persuading him that he had a divine assignment . By that time , he had begun to investigate <unk> to traditional Christian doctrine , including astrology . He also had had several visions , including one in which he was told that he was chosen for a role like that of Jesus . In her 2005 profile of Applewhite , Susan <unk> speculates that he had a <unk> episode around this time . 
