What Can the Bible Tell Us about Mysteries Like Aliens and UFOs?
People worldwide have reported sightings of unidentified flying objects (UFOs), and even encounters with aliens for years. Movies and TV shows about UFO and alien stories are popular. Government officials in the United States and many other nations have investigated unidentified aerial phenomena, declassifying videos and documents and producing reports for a curious public. Are extraterrestrials really visiting our planet? What does the Bible say about mysteries like aliens and UFOs?
The question of whether the Bible addresses the existence of alien life has intrigued many believers and skeptics alike. While Scripture does not explicitly mention extraterrestrial beings, it offers insights that have been interpreted both ways. Some passages suggest the possibility of other forms of intelligent life, while others focus solely on humanity's unique relationship with God. Understanding these perspectives can help us explore the intersection of faith and the possibility of aliens, a topic that continues to inspire both curiosity and debate among Christians.
What Does the Bible Say About Aliens? >>>
Certain Bible passages can be interpreted as possibly referring to extraterrestrial aliens or UFOs.
In Genesis 1:26-28, before human life is created, God speaks in terms of “us” planning to create human beings: “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. And God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Some readers have suggested that the “us” to whom God is speaking are aliens. However, many Bible scholars believe that God is speaking in terms of the Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – who are distinct yet united forms of himself.
Job 38:4-7 reports that extraterrestrial life (which God describes as “morning stars”) celebrated with joy when the Earth is created, but those extraterrestrials are likely angels.
Genesis chapter 6 describes Nephilim, who were the children of “sons of God” and human women. Biblical scholars have debated whether or not those “sons of God” were aliens or angels. Genesis 6:4 reveals: “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days – and also afterward – when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.”
The prophet Ezekiel’s vision of brightly lit creatures, wheels within wheels, and a vault may seem like a visitation from extraterrestrials with spacecrafts: “I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north – an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures…” (Ezekiel 1:4-5). After experiencing this wondrous vision, however, Ezekiel concludes that it is a manifestation of God’s glory, rather than an encounter with visitors from another planet: “This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown…” verse 28 declares.
Two Bible passages that could be interpreted as referring to UFOs are in 2 Kings 2:1-12 and Zechariah 5:1-2. Elijah is taken to heaven by a celestial vehicle in front of his son Elisha: “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” (2 Kings 2:11). Zechariah sees a flying scroll: “… ‘I see a flying scroll, twenty cubits long and ten cubits wide’” (Zechariah 5:2).
Are Aliens Angelic or Demonic Beings? >>>
It's possible that the term "alien" has been used in past encounters with beings perceived as angelic or demonic. Scripture is rich with references to the spiritual realm, clearly highlighting the presence of spiritual activity in our world, as seen in passages like Ephesians 6 and 2 Corinthians 10:4-5. It's conceivable that an individual might interpret an encounter with a spiritual being as an encounter with an alien. However, if one believes that what they encountered as an alien is actually demonic, it could indeed be just that—a demonic entity, rather than an extraterrestrial.
Biblical References to Extraterrestrial Beings >>>
The Bible doesn’t 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” (Matthew 19:26) 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 Jacob’s 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.
So, the only alien-type of creature that the Bible mentions are angels. The Bible never specifically mentions aliens who are visiting Earth from another planet. However, just because the Bible never mentions aliens from other planets doesn’t necessarily mean that those types of aliens don’t exist.
God intended the Bible’s message to be for human beings, so it makes sense that the Bible focuses on life on our life on Earth.
What UFOs and Aliens Can Show Us about God
Exploring the possibility of intelligent life outside our home planet can inspire us with awe for God. As Jesus says in Matthew 19:26, “… with God all things are possible.” There is always more to discover about our all-powerful Creator from studying creation. Not only are there no limits to God’s power, but there are also no limits to God’s love. 1 John 4:16 tells us: “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” God could have created and redeemed extraterrestrials along with human life. God’s power and love extend throughout the entire universe and all who live within it.
So far, scientists have estimated that there are more than 1 trillion galaxies in the observable universe. We haven’t yet discovered if other forms of life exist. But we can be sure that God has created and sustains everything and everyone. Colossians 1:15-17 declares that Jesus rules the entire universe and all that is in it: “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him, all things hold together.” Learning more about UFOS and aliens can motivate us to seek God, who is at the head of the whole universe.
Many astronauts have been inspired to worship God after experiencing the vast wonders of space. Buzz Aldrin read from the Bible and took holy communion on the moon, to give thanks to God. John Glenn spoke about how he felt looking out from the shuttle Discovery on his last space mission: “To look out at this kind of creation out here and not believe in God is to me impossible... It just strengthens my faith. I wish there were words to describe what it's like.”
If we do discover for certain that aliens are out there, we don’t need to be afraid of them. As evangelist Billy Graham once said, “I firmly believe there are intelligent beings like us far away in space who worship God. But we have nothing to fear from these people. Like us, they are God’s creation.” We can take the same approach to aliens as we do to our fellow human beings: trusting God to help us relate with love and wisdom, no matter what choices they make. We can choose to be lifelong learners who stay connected to the Holy Spirit and follow his guidance in all situations. As we learn more about UFOS and aliens, we can experience awe – and that will draw us closer to the God who made the whole universe.
What does the Bible say about aliens? We simply don’t know for sure right now if intelligent life exists on other planets. However, we can be certain that God is the creator and sustainer of all life throughout the universe. As John 1:3 declares about Jesus: “Through him all things were made; without him, nothing was made that has been made.” We can explore the possibilities of UFOs and aliens with the confidence that Jesus’ power extends throughout the cosmos. As we make further cosmic discoveries, we can enjoy what they show us about God’s wonder!
Conclusion - How Should Christians Look At Aliens and UFOs?
Those of Christian faith have a few options about how mankind fits into the universe. Beyond the moon and stars, our planet may just be another world filled with life. Or it may be that God specifically and intentionally created a universe with mankind unique in the whole heaven and earth. The entire Bible may not explicitly weigh in on creaturely life on other worlds. But does the Bible say that there is a spiritual war? Yes.
This spiritual war may be carried out in the realm of angels and demons but it interfaces with humanity, not on distant planets but in all the earth. For now, all the people on planet Earth may just need to satisfy themselves by paying attention to each other and treating each other not as aliens, other gods, or cosmic powers but as Christ Jesus would treat them.
What UFOs and Aliens Can Show Us about God >>>
Exploring the possibility of intelligent life outside our home planet can inspire us with awe for God. As Jesus says in Matthew 19:26, “… with God all things are possible.” There is always more to discover about our all-powerful Creator from studying creation. Not only are there no limits to God’s power, but there are also no limits to God’s love. 1 John 4:16 tells us: “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” God could have created and redeemed extraterrestrials along with human life. God’s power and love extend throughout the entire universe and all who live within it.
So far, scientists have estimated that there are more than 1 trillion galaxies in the observable universe. We haven’t yet discovered if other forms of life exist. But we can be sure that God has created and sustains everything and everyone. Colossians 1:15-17 declares that Jesus rules the entire universe and all that is in it: “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him, all things hold together.” Learning more about UFOS and aliens can motivate us to seek God, who is at the head of the whole universe.
Many astronauts have been inspired to worship God after experiencing the vast wonders of space. Buzz Aldrin read from the Bible and took holy communion on the moon, to give thanks to God. John Glenn spoke about how he felt looking out from the shuttle Discovery on his last space mission: “To look out at this kind of creation out here and not believe in God is to me impossible... It just strengthens my faith. I wish there were words to describe what it's like.”
If we do discover for certain that aliens are out there, we don’t need to be afraid of them. As evangelist Billy Graham once said, “I firmly believe there are intelligent beings like us far away in space who worship God. But we have nothing to fear from these people. Like us, they are God’s creation.” We can take the same approach to aliens as we do to our fellow human beings: trusting God to help us relate with love and wisdom, no matter what choices they make. We can choose to be lifelong learners who stay connected to the Holy Spirit and follow his guidance in all situations. As we learn more about UFOS and aliens, we can experience awe – and that will draw us closer to the God who made the whole universe.
What does the Bible say about aliens? We simply don’t know for sure right now if intelligent life exists on other planets. However, we can be certain that God is the creator and sustainer of all life throughout the universe. As John 1:3 declares about Jesus: “Through him all things were made; without him, nothing was made that has been made.” We can explore the possibilities of UFOs and aliens with the confidence that Jesus’ power extends throughout the cosmos. As we make further cosmic discoveries, we can enjoy what they show us about God’s wonder!
One of the great truths restored in our day is that we are literally spirit sons and daughters of God. In scriptures brought to light by the Prophet Joseph Smith, we read these words of our Heavenly Father: “I made the world, and men before they were in the flesh” (Moses 6:51; see also Moses 3:5).
Perhaps because the concept of father is easy to grasp, or perhaps because the idea that we are the offspring of God is so empowering (see Acts 17:28), we sometimes tend to focus on that personal relationship and forget that our Heavenly Father, through His Son, is also the Creator and Ruler of the universe. To Moses, He declared:
I am the Lord God Almighty, and Endless is my name.….Read More >>>>
“And worlds without number have I created; … and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten” (Moses 1:3, 33).
The God we worship is more powerful than we can comprehend. The Father, through His Son, not only created the heavens and the earth but also is the power that sustains those creations. Speaking of the Savior and the light, or power, by which He creates and governs, the Prophet Joseph wrote:
“He … ascended up on high, as also he descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth. …
“Which light proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space—
“The light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God” (D&C 88:6, 12–13).
While God is able to comprehend and govern all things, we mortals struggle to comprehend even the most rudimentary of His works. And yet, we are blessed to live in the fulness of times “in the which nothing shall be withheld.…
If there be bounds set to the heavens or to the seas, or to the dry land, or to the sun, moon, or stars—
All the times of their revolutions, all the appointed days, months, and years, and … all their glories, laws, and set times, shall be revealed in the days of the dispensation of the fulness of times” (D&C 121:28, 30–31).
That promised knowledge is being revealed to us by faith, foremost in the revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith. It is also coming to us by study. (See D&C 88:118.) Astronomers, with the aid of powerful instruments, are helping us glimpse the extent of God’s dominions. While astrophysics in the future will surely be modified as more is learned of the universe, what we have learned so far is mind-boggling. And if anything is true of the research done over the past several decades, it is that the more we learn, the more incredible our view of God’s creations becomes.
The Book of Mormon's Mormon cosmology teaches that the Earth is one of many inhabited planets, each created by Jehovah, the pre-mortal Jesus, to help humanity achieve "immortality and eternal life". The Book of Mormon also suggests that Jesus Christ's mercy extends to an infinite number of worlds, beyond human comprehension.
But only an account of this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, give I unto you. For behold, there are many worlds that have passed away by the word of my power. And there are many that now stand, and innumerable are they unto man; but all things are numbered unto me, for they are mine and I know them.
The closest we have to an authoritative statement is an inference from Doctrine and Covenants 76:
For we saw him [Jesus Christ], even on the right hand of God; and we heard [a] voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father — that by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God. (verses 23–24.).
The generally accepted interpretation of this verse is that if Jesus is the creator of many worlds, and the inhabitants of these worlds are children of the Father (both by birth and by covenant), then Jesus must be their savior.
This is getting a little into the deep end, but I've heard from members of the LDS church that Jesus Christ was born on this Earth as a Savior not only to those on this planet, but every single planet where God has created life. Moses 1:33-35. And worlds without number have I created; and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten.
And the first man of all men have I called Adam, which is many.
But only an account of this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, give I unto you. For behold, there are many worlds that have passed away by the word of my power. And there are many that now stand, and innumerable are they unto man; but all things are numbered unto me, for they are mine and I know them.
Did we really luck out with getting the one and only Savior who only lived on this Earth but atones for all of God's children on other planets as well? That is not just winning a lottery, that is winning a lottery with "innumerable" odds stacked against us. I'm not sure how in depth this topic is discussed within the LDS church, but I'd appreciate any insight.
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