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.[1]
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.[2]
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.”[3]
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.[4] 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.”[5] 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.”[6]
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
[1] Julian E. Barnes and Helene
Cooper, “U.S. Finds No Evidence of Alien Technology in Flying Objects, but
Can’t Rule It Out, Either,” The New York Times, 1 Sept. 2021
<https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/03/us/politics/ufos-sighting-alien-spacecraft-pentagon.html>
[2] Tyler Olsen, “UFO Hearing:
Pentagon shows declassified photos and video, clip of unexplainable floating
object,” FOX NEWS, 17 May 2022 <https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dod-pentagon-ufo-photos-videos-house-hearing>
[3] Mick West, “I study UFOs – and I don’t believe the alien hype. Here’s why,” The Guardian, 11 June 2021 <https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jun/11/i-study-ufos-and-i-dont-believe-the-alien-hype-heres-why>
[4] Courtney Kennedy, “Most Americans
believe in intelligent life beyond Earth; few see UFOs as a major national
security threat,” Pew Research, 30 June 2021 <https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/06/30/most-americans-believe-in-intelligent-life-beyond-earth-few-see-ufos-as-a-major-national-security-threat/>
[5] Benjamin Fearnow, “52 Percent of
Americans Say Jesus Isn't God but Was a Great Teacher, Survey Says,” Newsweek,
30 August 2020 <https://www.newsweek.com/52-percent-americans-say-jesus-isnt-not-god-was-great-teacher-survey-says-1528617>
[6] Got Questions, “Could Alien
Deception Be Part of the End-Times?” <https://www.gotquestions.org/alien-deception.html>
No comments:
Post a Comment