The Bible & UFOs

THE BIBLE & UFOs

By: Arch Patriarch John Stansell, Ph.D.

It has been said that Christians are “pretty narrow minded” to limit the population of the universe to merely GOD, ANGELS, AND MAN. After all, there are billions and billions of stars out there in space, which perhaps have planets, which perhaps have civilizations etc. But does the Bible mention anything about alien life, UFOs, etc.?

Could the "pillar of the cloud" that went with the Children of Israel and guided them when they were brought out of Egypt really have been a spacecraft of some kind? What is the meaning of Ezekiel's prophecy of a "wheel within a wheel?" Had the prophet seen a flying ship from outer space? Could the Star of Bethlehem that led the Magi from the East to find the Baby Jesus been some type of UFO instead of just a literal star in the night sky? Are there indeed accounts of UFOs and visitors from outer space to be found within the pages of the Holy Bible? We will find out in this article.

HOW DO GOD AND THE ANGELS TRAVEL?

"There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky" (Deuteronomy 33:26).

"And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: and he was seen upon the wings of the wind" (2 Samuel 22:11).

"And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind" (Psalm 18:10).

"To him that rideth upon the heavens of heavens, which were of old; lo, he doth send out his voice, and that a mighty voice" (Psalm 68:33).

"Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind" (Psalm 104:3).

"Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as doves to their windows?" (Isaiah 60:8).

Have you ever wondered how God and the angels travel through the universe and from Heaven to Earth? For many years I presumed that God just thought about where He wanted to go and that He would automatically appear there, and that angels flew back and forth to their various destinations. But when one takes a honest look into the Holy Scriptures, and rightly divides the Word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15), they will discover that God and His angels travel through the universe in spacecrafts of some kind. The Bible is crystal clear on this subject.

1. THE GLORY CLOUD OF YAHWEH

The Glory Cloud of Yahweh could refer to a UFO! There are many mysteries in the Holy Scriptures, but there is no greater mystery than the fiery Cloud of Yahweh. It led Israel out of Egypt and throughout their journey to Canaan or the Promise Land (Exodus 40L34-38). Yahweh’s voice spoke the Ten Commandment Law from this fiery Cloud as it sat on top of Mt. Sinai (Exodus 19:16; 20:18-21). The fiery Cloud also resided between the wings of the cherubs above the Mercy Seat in the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle (Exodus 25:22; Leviticus 16:2; Numbers 7:89). The Cloud provided Israel with their basic necessities. Manna rained down from heaven (Exodus 16:1-36) which they made into bread. Their clothes and shoes did not wear out during these forty years in the wilderness (Deuteronomy 29:5).

The purpose of the Cloud was to give light to Israel by night, direct their steps to the Promise Land, and provide for their basic necessities, including Divine Protection. Israel was never in darkness throughout their forty years in the wilderness (Exodus 40:34-38; see Numbers 9:16-22).

NOTE: Since literal clouds don’t have fiery pillars, one can reasonably conclude that the object was something very different – perhaps a UFO with a descending beam of light. One is also forced to wonder how the Israelites got across the Red Sea. Could they have been flown across?

2. ENOCH AND ELIJAH

There is also a great possibility that both Enoch and Elijah were picked up by spaceships when they left this world; especially Elijah: “And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven” (2 Kings 2:11).

3. EZEKIEL’S UFO EXPERIENCE

The prophet Ezekiel, a frequent recipient of extraterrestrial visitations, described a strange object in the sky: “And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the color of amber, out of the midst of fire” (Ezekiel 1:4).

This could very well be a modern-day account of a UFO sighting: a swirling wind accompanied a huge disk-shaped object surrounded by a bright glow. Ezekiel goes on to describe the strange craft descending from the sky, noting its resemblance to a spinning wheel and mentioning that it is piloted by a powerful-looking being.

4. THE WATCHERS OF DANIEL

The watchers in the book of Daniel [read chapter four, verses 13, 17, and 23] are considered by many to be the Nephilim, while others claim they are aliens who are watching the politics and actions that are taking place on Earth and then reporting back to another planet or a higher force. Regardless of who they are, it does show that Earth is being watched by some outside force, and thus proves there is intelligent life out there somewhere.

5. ZECHARIAH’S UFOs

The Book of Zechariah certainly seems to advocate the idea of UFOs:

A. The fifth chapter of Zechariah begins with the following: “Then I turned, and lifted up mine eyes and looked and behold a flying roll.” Could this flying roll have been one of the cigar shaped UFOs that have been so often spotted in modern times? It certainly sounds like a UFO.

B. In Zechariah Chapter 6 you can read about four UFOs and two mother ships! The key to this passage of Scripture is to understand that the description of the horses in the original language doesn’t describe horses at all, but how the chariots moved like horses. Zechariah, like all the Prophets, wrote in symbolic codes. The four chariots could represent four UFOs, and the two mountains of brass, from which the chariots emerge from, could be two mother ships.

6. THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM

Is a UFO recorded in the Bible's account of the Magi from the East visiting the Baby Jesus and following a star until it came and "stood over the place where the young child was"? This "star" has been explained in many different ways over the years. Some claim it was a literal star while others have claimed it was the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn that occurred in 6 B.C. However, neither of these two explanations can be true. Consider the following evidence:

First, we have learned from science that stars can do some strange things. They can collapse and become invisible. A star can explode and become, for a few weeks, the fourth brightest object in the sky (barring the Sun, the Moon and Venus). Stars can suddenly become much brighter and then fade back to dimness. They can spin around thousands of times per second - becoming clocks so accurate that they will not gain or lose a second in five million years. But no star can visibly rush across the heavens and stop over one spot - like a cosmic racing car whose brakes have been slammed on. According to Newton, an object in space can change its course or speed only if "acted on by a force."

Second, a conjunction of planets is simply two or more planets positioned at certain times so that they are seen as one, thus making a very bright appearance. This explanation breaks down completely when one does a honest reading of Matthew 2:9 where it says that the star came and "stood where the young child was."

Other scientists and theologians have come to believe that the Star of Bethlehem was actually a comet. Comets are utterly unlike other celestial objects. Their vast tails seem to stretch across the sky, as if pointing at some place on the ground. Many comets did appear around this time. They were believed to herald the births and deaths of princes. One appeared at Caesar's death in 44bc, and another just before Claudius's death in ad54 - although how this comet "knew" that Claudius's wife was planning to poison him must remain a mystery. Halley's Comet appeared in 12bc - somewhat early to be the Star of Bethlehem - and Chinese astronomers recorded one in 5bc, an apparent year after Christ's birth.

But comets, eclipses, conjunctions, a massive stellar brightening . . . they all, as an explanation of the Star of Bethlehem, suffer from one fatal flaw: according to the Gospel of Matthew the Star of Bethlehem came and "stood over the place where the young child was." We all know that stars don't move across the sky and hover over a particular house.

So what was it that the Wise Men saw hovering over that house? I strongly believe that it was the first UFO recorded in association with the life of Christ. These strange encounters from the sky didn't stop after the birth of Christ. They seemed to follow him throughout his time here on earth.

7. VOICES FROM HEAVEN

There are three places in the Bible where a loud voice from Heaven spoke to Jesus during His time on Earth:

"And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:16-17).

"And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart. And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him" (Matthew 17:1-5).

"Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered; others said, An angel spake to him. Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes" (John 12:28-30).

The above accounts do not give us a weather report, but imagine if there was a low cloud cover that day. Do you think maybe a spacecraft could have been hiding there, watching Jesus speak, when it got a message to relay to the crowds? I don't take anything away from the power of God, but maybe this was one of those cases where God used extraterrestrial workers to help do His work.

8. THE TRANSFIGURATION

The event known as the "Transfiguration" also contains some interesting details that the gospel writers seem to have had a difficult time putting into words. Notice how the event was enough to really scare the usually brave Peter, but Jesus remained calm. Was this something Jesus had seen before? He seemed very at ease with the whole situation. If the bright light came from some kind of spacecraft that had landed, it may indicate that Jesus was very familiar with these craft and they were nothing new to Him. Maybe this was something that actually happened often in those times where Jesus went off by Himself to pray.

9. THE ASCENSION OF JESUS CHRIST

"And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight" (Acts 1:9).

The Bible account of the Ascension of Jesus Christ states that a "cloud" hid Him from their sight. Was Jesus' final departure into a UFO? From what we read here, I think it is very possible; we certainly don't have a better explanation.

10. THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS CHRIST

"And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight . And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven" (Acts 1:9-11).

"And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven" (Mark 14:62).

"And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory" (Luke 21:27).

"Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shalll wail because of him. Even so, Amen" (Revelation 1:7).

If the "cloud" that Jesus ascended into was some kind of spacecraft, which it very well could have been, then Jesus will return in the same manner as when He left - in a spacecraft.

Now if UFOs were involved in the life of Jesus, the implications are astounding. Maybe that's why most churches don't want to deal with the whole issue. But every day the evidence of alien visitors to our planet becomes stronger and stronger. Could some of these visitors be working for the same Jesus Christ that we know from the Biblical record?

IMPORTANT: Please note that I am NOT implying that all encounters with UFOs are related to Jesus. In fact, many could actually be working to try to prevent Jesus' return (a foolish and misguided attempt in my opinion) and in a lot of cases the argument that aliens are "demonic" may well be true. Just as in Biblical times, there are two sides at work today.

The fact that there are two sides at work makes it even more important that people get to know the real Jesus. He Himself predicted that many would come claiming to be Him (Matthew 24:4-5, 24). He also said that many would fall for those kinds of tricks. Certainly, anyone trying to imitate Jesus would play on common stereotypes about what the popular culture believes Jesus would be like.

IN CONCLUSION

Although time and space will not allow me to mention every single Bible reference, I believe that this article has given positive proof to any honest heart that the Bible definitely teaches the existence and reality of UFOs.

As we see an increase in UFO activity today, let us be reminded of what the Lord Jesus Christ told us in Luke 21:25-28, which says: "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh."