If
you’ve been paying attention to the news, you’ve probably noticed that UFOs
have made a resurgence in media headlines.
In
the summer of 2021 the US intelligence community released an unclassified,
9-page report to Congress of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) aka UFOs. For
decades, the American government totally denied the existence of flying objects
that they simply could not identify or, in some situations, explain. The report
determined that a vast majority of more than 120 incidents over the past two
decades did not originate from any American military or other advanced US
government technology, the officials said. The report concedes that much about
the observed phenomena remains difficult to explain, including their
acceleration, as well as ability to change direction and submerge.
In
a 2021 60 Minutes episode, Navy pilots described first-hand, eyewitness,
video and radar evidence of vehicles that “can do 600-700 G Forces, that can
fly at 13,000 miles an hour, that can evade radar, and that can fly through
air, and water, and possibly space. And have no obvious signs of propulsions,
no wings, no control surfaces, and yet still can defy the natural effects of
earth’s gravity.” (You can watch the video by clicking here)
Then
in May 2022 the US Congress held a UFO hearing in which testimonials were given
by military experts. One Fox News article reported, “The Pentagon showcased
declassified photos and video of UFOs to Congress – including a flying object
without a ‘specific explanation’ – as lawmakers pressed military officials on
the mysterious sightings. In one brief and shaky video, a small object appeared
to zip past a military pilot. In a separate video and a similar photo taken at
a different time, glowing triangles are seeing in the night sky. Deputy
Director of Naval Intelligence Scott Bray said, “I do not have an explanation
for what this specific object is.” Bray also said that there have been at least
11 “near misses” between U.S. military aircraft and UAP.
It
can be difficult to know what to think about these videos and testimonials. Some
feel that these UFOs are evidence of advanced intelligent life, while others
are more skeptical. Mick West, who is described as a UFO video analyst, says
there’s almost always a rational, mundane explanation for them. He wrote in a
piece featured in The Guardian:
“In
2017 I helped solve a UFO case. Using a hi-tech infrared camera, the Chilean
navy had recorded video of a mysterious object in the distance. The
black-and-white footage showed a bizarre black shape flying across the sky, and
at one point it seemed to emit plumes of hot gases. A special group was formed
of military personnel, scientists and other experts. Over two years they
carefully studied the case, eliminated all mundane possibilities, and finally
concluded that this object was a “genuine unknown.” Three days later I, and
others, identified the plane as Iberia flight 6830, departing Santiago airport.
The “hot gases” were just contrails, and the odd movement was the result of a
low viewing angle and a powerful zoom factor on the infrared camera. The glare
from the engines obscured the plane and created the unusual shape. Radar data
confirmed that the exact location of the plane matched the UFO. Case closed.
UFO enthusiasts were annoyed. Something similar seems to be playing out with
the current situation with the US navy. There are people who want UFOs to be
true, and when people start getting excited about UFOs, they start looking up
and they start seeing them everywhere.”
The
question for Christians is how do we make sense of this from a Biblical
worldview? Certainly, there are mysterious things that happen in our world which
defy description or don’t comport with our current understanding. UFOs are “real”
in the sense that they have been observed all over the world for years. As West
pointed out, in most cases there’s a natural and reasonable explanation for
these anomalies. However, just because we can’t explain the outliers doesn’t
mean that we should jump to the conclusion that alien life exists.
In
fact, the Bible gives us no reason to believe that there is life elsewhere in
the universe. The creation account in Genesis 1-2 is geocentric – meaning that
God created earth as the prime stage for His Divine Drama to play out. Humanity,
made in the image of God, is the “crown jewel” of God’s vast creation. There is
no mention of life on other planets. Moreover, when Adam sinned, his sin
affected all of creation (Rom. 8:22). Jesus came as the “last Adam” to save
those of Adam’s race who will repent and believe in His atoning work and
resurrection. If there were intelligent aliens out there, they would suffer the
effects of sin, but couldn’t be saved because Christ died for mankind, not for
aliens, angels or animals (1 Pet. 3:18; Heb. 9:27–28, 10:10). So, theologically,
there is no room for alien life forms to fit into the Gospel.
However,
the UFO / alien craze may serve another purpose in the last days. The Bible
foretells that one day the Lord Jesus will return to remove the Church from the
Earth in an event called “The Rapture” (1 Thess. 4:13-18). The Rapture will
precede the final 7-years of history in which God’s wrath will be poured on the
world during a devastating period known as “The Tribulation Period.” At the
moment of the Rapture, millions of people all across the globe will disappear
without a trace.
One
interesting question that arises in a post-Rapture world is “How will those
left behind explain the mass disappearance of millions of people?” Jesus said
that in the end-times deception would be at a fever pitch, “For false christs
and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to
lead astray, if possible, even the elect” (Matt. 24:24).
We
also know that when the Antichrist emerges on the world scene, he will be able
to sway people through “lying wonders” and a host of other illusions. In fact, 2
Thess. 2:10-11 explains that God will send delusion on the world so that they
will believe the lies of the Antichrist. The Bible also speaks about the
spiritual realm, which is inhabited by angels and demons – who not only defy
the laws of physics, but can take on various forms. One could certainly make
the case, that UFOs are actually demonic activity, and this will be used as
part of the end-times deception campaign of Satan and the Antichrist (1 Tim.
4:1).
This
may sound crazy, but Pew Research has already shown that the beliefs
among the general populace concerning aliens and UFO is very accepting. A 2021 nationwide
survey found that “65% of Americans believe that intelligent life exists beyond
earth and don’t see UFOs as a security threat.” That number jumped to 76% among
the young adults ages 18-29. Contrast that with a 2020
survey done among evangelicals by Ligonier Ministries, which revealed
that 52% of so-called Christians say, “Jesus isn’t God but was a great moral teacher.” Translation: the average
person is more ready to believe in UFOs and alien life than they are that Jesus
is the Son of God!
What
this means is that the belief system for the UFO explanation of the Rapture is
already in place in the hearts and minds of people. Not only could the
Antichrist use the UFO lie to provide answers to the chaotic post-Rapture world,
but it could be used as way to unify the world under a common religion. Since
the days of Darwin, mankind has been looking for ways to explain the origin of
life without a Creator. “Panspermia” is a popular theory among many scientists
today who rather than admit God, will argue that life was “seeded” on earth by
aliens or a meteor strike that brought the first cells to earth and then the
process of evolution led to man. The popular Bible answer website Got
Questions adds, “In order to achieve an agreement between all the world’s
religions, it would make sense for the “uniter” to come from an entirely new
source—an extraterrestrial source. It is hard to imagine one religion becoming
head of all the others, unless new, unearthly knowledge were the source of the
appeal and power of the new “religion.” This would be in keeping with past
deceptions and would be a very effective way to deceive a large number of
people.”
As
we draw closer to the end times, we should expect more deception, unbelief and
insanity from our culture. Just think of all the lies floating around out there.
Evolution: man is the product of time, matter and chance. Transgenderism: you
get to decide what sex you want to be. Socialism: let government redistribute
the wealth to create a utopia. When you consider these lies, its not that far-fetched
that people would go along with aliens. Unfortunately, this is what happens when
a society rejects God and absolute truth. Apart from God’s Word man cannot
explain where we came from, who we are and where we are going. -DM
