Alien Abductions And Ufos
Many supposed sightings of alien spaceships have been later identified as stars, weather balloons, or airplanes.
But some claims go beyond UFOs. Some people report that theyve communicated with aliens and even been taken aboard spaceships. Even worse, some people claim aliens carried out bizarre investigations of their bodies that were often sexual in nature.
Its most likely that at least some of the people making these claims simply made up their stories. Perhaps their motives are to get media attention or make a profit. Other alien stories could be the result of intense dreams or hallucinations.
Dr. Danny Faulkner points out that one interesting commonality in many of these abduction stories is spirituality. Many people reporting alien abductions also report indulging in occult or New Age practices.
Interestingly, you dont find any born-again Christians among those claiming to have experienced alien abductions.
In fact, many researchers have collected reports of alien abductions abruptly ending when abductees verbally mention the name of Jesus, Faulkner says.
Ufos Described As A Cloud A Pillar Of Cloud Or A Pillar Of Fire
Exodus 13:21And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light to go by day and night:
Exodus 13:22He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.
Exodus 14:19And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them:
Exodus 14:24And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the Lord looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians,
Exodus 33:9And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses.
Exodus 34:5And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord.
Numbers 12:5And the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth.
Numbers 14:14And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that thou Lord art among this people, that thou Lord art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night.
What Exactly Are Aliens According To The Bible What Does The Bible Say About Aliens And Ufos
The Bible doesnt definitively say whether or not aliens whose homes are on other planets exist. Nor does the Bible answer the question of whether or not aliens from other planets if they do exist have ever visited Earth. The Bible leaves all of that a mystery, but it does leave the door open for such possibilities. Jesus declares that with God, all things are possible and many biblical passages speak about the vastness of the universe God has made.
However, the Bible does clearly describe a different type of aliens intelligent extraterrestrial life forms who travel between different dimensions. Those aliens are angels!
In Genesis 28:12, Jacob dreams of angels moving between heaven and earth: He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. What Jacobs dream shows is essentially interstellar travel. Jesus describes angels traveling in a similar way when he says in John 1:51: you will see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.
The Bible says that both holy and fallen angels are at work on our planet. UFO sightings and alien encounters could sometimes be non-angelic visitors from other planets and they could sometimes represent the work of either holy angels or fallen angels, depending on the context.
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Does The Bible Preclude The Existence Of Life Elsewhere In The Universe
MOHLER: The answer is no thats speculative. What it does make very clear is that the entire cosmos was created for the drama of redemption, as Calvin said. The cosmos is a theater of Gods redemption, of what would take place in here in order to save sinful humanity.
We have no reason to believe there is any other story out there. There is nothing in Scripture that says there cant be some form of life somewhere. But what we are told is that the cosmos was created in order that on this planet Jesus Christ, in space and time and history, would come to save sinful humanity.
GODFREY: In fact, we know theres extraterrestrial life. There are angels. Dont they count? Why do people never talk about the angels?
SPROUL: The New Testament word for angel, angelos, appears more frequently than the word for sin and the word for love. So there is no excuse for not talking about angels.
Lightly edited for readability, this is a transcript of W. Robert Godfreys, R.C. Sprouls, and Albert Mohlers answers given at our2016 National Conference. To ask Ligonier a biblical or theological question, just visitAsk.Ligonier.orgor message us on Facebook or Twitter.
A Theological Contingency Plan For Sentient Aliens
Scriptural silence on a matter in terms of what it directly states/teaches is not enough reason to avoid drawing a doctrinal conclusion on a matter. If there are logical implications of biblical teaching that conflict with an idea, that is also sufficient reason to reject it. For instance, we embrace the Trinity and reject deviations from it not because the Bible gives an explicit summary statement of the Trinity, but because the Trinity is derived from the overall witness of Scripture to the personal nature of the one true God . In like manner, because the Bible says that Jesus saves us because He is the last Adam, only Adamites can be saved. That rules out any supposed aliens, since theyre not Adamites. As such, I see no point in developing a theological contingency plan for something Im confident Scripture conflicts with. In other words, Scripture itself counts as evidence against sentient aliens. Please see Is the Bible falsifiable? and Is the Bible falsifiable? .
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Are Aliens Demonic Beings
Perhaps someone has used the term alien before when encountering a demonic or angelic being? The spiritual realm is very present throughout the Scriptures. It is undeniable that there is spiritual activity in our world . Someone could have become aware of a spiritual being and determined that it was an alien. I would question that if someone thought an alien was a demonic being, that maybe it is just a demonic being and not an alien at all.
Does The Bible Speak About Life Beyond Earth
Some people say that since the Bible doesnt mention life on other planets, it has nothing to say to the discovery of intelligent aliens. But the Bible also doesnt mention Saturns rings, galaxies, or DNA, yet Christians see these as Gods creation.
Many parts of the Bible are provincial, and intentionally so. Scripture focuses on the work of God in one small geographic region of our planet, centered on the descendants of one family. The Bible does not attempt to be comprehensive about the entire Earth or people living on other continents. Rather, God revealed himself in a way suitable for the first audience in the ancient middle east, leaving out information that would not make sense to them.
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Does The Bible Mention Aliens What Does The Bible Say About Aliens And Ufos
Many ufologists believe the stories in the Bible that describe angelic visits or supernatural visions are really biblical encounters of the third kind. They point to Enoch in Genesis 5:24 as the first recorded alien abduction in the Scriptures because it says, Enoch walked faithfully with God then he was no more, because God took him away.
These same UFO enthusiasts also say that the vision of Ezekiel in the first chapter of his prophetic book sounds very similar to the same types of unusual spacecraft people from all over the world claim to have seen in the night sky. Ezekiel writes that he saw four living creatures flying in the air in some kind of aircraft which he describes as spinning wheels of light . In verse twenty-four he says he heard a deafening roaring sound as the creatures and the wheels moved overhead like flashes of lightning. Ezekiel claims this vision was none other than the Lord Himself coming down from heaven , but some read this eye-witness account and marvel at the similarities between Ezekiels description and what other people claim are alien encounters.
Then there is the abduction account in 2 Kings 2 of a chariot of fire that comes down out of the sky and snatches the prophet Elijah away to Heaven. 2 Kings 2:11 says, As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.
The Four Living Creatures
The four living creatures were not space people from some remote planet rather, they are identified as heavenly cherubim! Note Ezekiels own explanation:
And the cherubim mounted up this is the living creature that I saw by the river Chebar .
Cherubim were an order of angelic beings in Jehovahs service. For example, they were used by the Lord to guard the entrance to Eden after Adam and Eves transgression . Cherubim figures were mounted on opposite ends of the mercy seat atop the ark of the covenant within the most holy place of the tabernacle .
In Ezekiels vision, each cherub had four facesman, lion, ox, and eagle. Jewish tradition interpreted this as follows:
Man is exalted among creatures the eagle is exalted among birds, the ox is exalted among domestic animals the lion is exalted among the wild beasts: and all of them have received dominion, and greatness has been given them, yet they are stationed below the chariot of the Holy One .
This is doubtless a symbolic representation of Jehovahs supremacy and sovereignty over the entire creation! There is not the remotest connection with space aliens.
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Bible Verses About Aliens
I have become estranged from my brothersAnd an alien to my mothers sons.
When you reap the harvest of your land, moreover, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field nor gather the gleaning of your harvest you are to leave them for the needy and the alien. I am the Lord your God.
You shall divide it by lot for an inheritance among yourselves and among the aliens who stay in your midst, who bring forth sons in your midst. And they shall be to you as the native-born among the sons of Israel they shall be allotted an inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel.
Yet he does not know it Gray hairs also are sprinkled on him,Yet he does not know it.
Foreigners will build up your walls,And their kings will minister to you For in My wrath I struck you,And in My favor I have had compassion on you.
Your cities are burned with fire,Your fieldsstrangers are devouring them in your presence It is desolation, as overthrown by strangers.
Also the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,To minister to Him, and to love the name of the Lord,To be His servants, every one who keeps from profaning the sabbathAnd holds fast My covenant
The Lord protects the strangers He supports the fatherless and the widow,But He thwarts the way of the wicked.
Christian Theologians Prepare For Extraterrestrial Life
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Little green men might shock the secular public. But the Catholic Church would welcome them as brothers.
That’s what Vatican chief astronomer and papal science adviser Gabriel Funes explained in a recent article in L’Osservatore Romano, the newsletter of the Vatican Observatory . His conclusion might surprise nonbelievers. After all, isn’t this the same church that imprisoned Galileo for saying that the Earth revolves around the sun? Doesn’t the Bible say that God created man — not little green men — in his image?
Indeed, many observers assert that aliens would be bad for believers. Jill Tarter, director of the Center for SETI Research, once wrote that finding intelligent other-worldly life “will be inconsistent with the existence of God or at least organized religions.” But such predictions tend to come from outside Christianity. From within, theologians have debated the implications of alien contact for centuries. And if one already believes in angels, no great leap of faith is required to accept the possibility of other extraterrestrial intelligences.
Since God created the universe, theologians say, he would have created aliens, too. And far from being weakened by contact, Christianity would adapt. Its doctrines would be interpreted anew, the aliens greeted with open — and not necessarily Bible-bearing — arms.
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What Are Aliens & Where Are They From
There is one primary feature that distinguishes an alien lifeform from other lifeforms. It must be a biological entity that originated somewhere other than earth, hence the term extra terrestrial .
Two other features are usually highlighted in the research: intelligence and communication. In other words, ETs are usually not described as single-celled amoebas by those who claim contact with aliens, but can process information similar to or better than humans. Secondly, these aliens can communicate with us. Many claim aliens use telepathy unlike typical human language.
And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.
Opinions vary on the nature of aliens. Many accept the traditional explanation that aliens originated in another part of the galaxy. These beings have supposedly traveled many light years to arrive at earth.
However, many Christian researchers reject this idea. They opt for a more sinister explanation: that aliens are more spiritual in nature or demons with alien skin. One author gives 10 reasons why aliens are demons. His reasons include
- Aliens exhibit similar behavior to Biblical demons.
- Aliens explaining their origins change as time goes on and knowledge of the cosmos improves.
- Aliens often contact occultists and New Agers vs. Christians.
- Alien abductions can be stopped by invoking the name of Jesus.
Finding Water On Marskey To Alien Life
Evidence of water is almost always interpreted with enthusiasm by those who believe that a little water, the right organic compounds, and an awful lot of time are together sufficient for life to appear. The journal Astrobiology reminds scientists that the presence of water, even if its in liquid form, isnt enough for life to survive.
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Aliens In Revelation Or Something Else
Revelation 13:11-17 – Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.
In the Bible, Revelation describes a number of nations under the power of Satan which is where we get the terms “Beast Kingdom” as well as “Anti-Christ”. Christians who believe that Revelation is going to take place in the world, believe that a “Beast Kingdom” will rise up and come to power, much in the same way that perhaps Hitler and the Nazis surprised the world with their sudden rise in the early days of World War II.
Evangelist Billy Graham Told The National Enquirer He Firmly Believed God Created Alien Life Far Away In Space
Weintraub thinks Evangelicals might have a difficult time with Seti, because they approach their Scriptures with a high degree of literalism. Their hermeneutical heritage extends back to Luthers Sola Scriptura, a Reformation rallying cry that affirms Scripture alone is necessary for understanding Gods plan for salvation. These believers maintain that any other writing or idea must be evaluated and judged by the Bible. Take, for example, Darwins theory of evolution, which some Evangelicals reject on the grounds that the Bible says God created the world in seven days.
The worldview of these believers might be summed up in the Christian slogan, God said it, I believe it, that settles it! Were you to ask one of these Christians if she believed in ET life, her first instinct would probably be to consider what the Bible says about Gods creation. Not finding any positive affirmation of alien life, she might conclude, like creationist Jonathan Safarti, that humans are alone in the Universe. Scripture strongly implies that no intelligent life exists elsewhere, he wrote in an article in Science and Theology News. Granted, she might remain open to the discovery of alien life, but shell have to revise her notion of divine revelation in one very big way: by tempering it with some epistemic humility.
Believers may need to question whether their religion – and its routes to salvation – would apply to all alien beings
Identity
His upshot? I am Jewish. God is not.
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