I'm sure all of you are aware of the interest in UFOs and aliens. Our nation [and the world] have long been fascinated with this subject. In our popular culture, most would probably point to the Roswell incident in 1947 as the first time the possibility of extra-terrestrial and alien visitation to our planet seemed a real possibility. Of course, it was all explained away as "just a weather balloon", but it didn't take long for the rumors to surface and spread that it was actually a "government cover-up."
But would it surprise you to know that in 1639, John Winthrop, governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, wrote in his journal that "James Everell, a sober, discreet man" and two others had been rowing a boat in the Muddy River, which emptied into the Charles River [located in eastern Massachusetts] when they saw what we would term some kind of alien apparition?
An article on history.com reveals that "When it stood still, it flamed up, and was about three yards square, and when it ran, it was contracted into the figure of a swine. The mysterious light ran as swift as an arrow, darting back and forth between them and the village of Charlestown, a distance of approximately two miles. When the strange apparition finally faded away, the three Puritans in the boat were stunned to find themselves one mile upstream [which would have only been possible if they were rowing against the tide] -- it was as if the light had transported them there. Furthermore, they had no memory of how they got there. Researchers and historians have speculated that they witnessed an extra-terrestrial spacecraft and experienced a possible alien abduction".
Now to answer the question I posed in the title to this post ... Before we can determine whether these kinds of phenomenon are Biblical, we must first understand the meaning of terms like extra-terrestrial and alien. Once again, I am indebted to the remarkable book Birthright, by Timothy Alberino. Simply put, he defines an Extra-terrestrial as "a being whose provenance [where they come from] is not Planet Earth". An Alien is "a foreign being from an extra-terrestrial world". In that sense, we can consider that angels, whom the Bible tells us are messengers and envoys from Heaven, were in reality, both extra-terrestrials and aliens. Remember, angels came from a place that was not Planet Earth [i.e., Heaven], and they were a foreign being from that extra-terrestrial world. Just think of the visitations by these beings to the inhabitants of earth. Jacob, Abraham, Daniel, Mary and Joseph, the prophets and the Disciples all had encounters with these beings, who we could classify as "Aliens from an extra-terrestrial world". And I guess, you could say Jesus meets that definition, too.
Let's go a little deeper ... From what I could determine through my own research, the term alien appeared around 1300, from the Latin word, alienus, meaning "of or belonging to another, not one's own, foreign, strange"; and around 1400, it came to identify "a foreigner, citizen of a foreign land". It was authors like H.G. Wells, who wrote the science fiction novel War of the Worlds, around 1895, that fed the fantasy of beings beyond our planet. Subsequently, in the 1920s, there arose a public interest in outer space, which reached its height with the popularity of the 1950s/60s science fiction movies like Forbidden Planet, The Thing from Another World, The Day the Earth Stood Still, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers. And in terms of entertainment, nothing has quite grabbed the imaginations of modern-day audiences like the History Channel's Ancient Aliens.
According to the show's own bio, if you will, "Ancient Aliens explores the controversial theory that extraterrestrials have visited Earth for millions of years. From the age of the dinosaurs to ancient Egypt, from early cave drawings to continued mass sightings in the US, each episode in this hit HISTORY series gives historic depth to the questions, speculations, provocative controversies, first-hand accounts and grounded theories surrounding the age old debate. Did intelligent beings from outer space visit Earth thousands of years ago"?
NOTE: the capitalization of "History" is a nod to the show's appearance on the History Channel, but also a contrived effort to persuade watchers that their content is actually historical fact. In reality, it is a cleverly disguised manipulation of facts that pits Science against Religion/Faith. And it's just another attempt by Satan to deceive people into believing a compromised version of the creation, the universe, and God. Notice how the creators of the show begin Season 1 ... the episode is entitled Chariots, Gods and Beyond. They introduce the concept of the show by saying, "According to ancient alien theorists, extra-terrestrials with superior knowledge of science and engineering landed on earth thousands of years ago, sharing their expertise with early civilizations and forever changing the course of human history". They rely heavily on Swiss author Erich von Daniken's book Chariots of the Gods, which hypothesized that thousands of years ago, space travelers from other planets visited Earth, where they taught humans about technology and influenced ancient religions. Of course, in this age of advanced technology, that will make sense to those who are unfamiliar with the Bible.
So, can you see that all these theories and explanations could apply to the Fallen Angels? They came from a place that was not Planet Earth [Heaven]; and they were a foreign being belonging to another [Satan], originally from the extra-terrestrial realm of Heaven. Secondly, can you see how cleverly the creators of the show Ancient Aliens could present fake "experts and archeologists" to begin persuading the naive and uninformed audience that the Bible really supports their false hypotheses and speculations, rather than the other way around? The actual definition of speculation is "the forming of a theory or conjecture without firm evidence".
After watching an occasional episode, it has frustrated me, to no end, to see how they are duping this generation into doubting the existence of the Christian God, His divinely appointed angels, and His redemptive plan for mankind through His Son, Jesus Christ. The fake "experts" will make statements like, "Throughout ancient cultures there are stories of god-like beings providing instruction to early humans, helping our ancestors to establish the first civilizations and teaching them in various disciplines. Could it be true"? They will throw in a Bible verse or two from Genesis, and then continue with their real motive of deception by say, "And do mysterious figures who appear throughout history provide evidence that these otherworldly teachers have been with us all along"? Instead of taking the opportunity to discuss the Bible and how it promotes their line of reasoning, they use the series to overshadow the Bible's truths with their own false teachings.
It may surprise you to know that I think the connections that "the scientists" of Ancient Aliens make between the Biblical narrative and the conspiracy theories of their own making are about 98% correct -- for as far as they go. But they never validate the Bible as their source, nor complete their allegations to the full extent of truth and fact. For instance, they will present their suppositions that humans were once bred with alien "seed", producing a hybrid being. That is true. We know that the Bible tells us in Genesis 6:4 that "The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them...". But rather than explaining the truth that these "sons of God" were actually rebellious angels who followed Satan in his plan to usurp the Throne of God, who developed his own plan to impregnate human women with the alien seed of his followers to create a foreign race of beings that would be enemies of the Most High God, they present their false theory of ancient aliens from outer space and other planets to override the Biblical narrative.
And again, they don't present the Bible or Jehovah God as their authority, but rather their team of false "experts" to validate their combination of New Age and spiritualism as the truth behind "aliens and extra-terrestrials". Why don't they refer to the Bible and the Book of Jude which says, "For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ"?
Or what about this verse: "And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day ---"? Why don't they use the Bible as evidence of real Truth? Because their goal is to make the Bible nothing more than mythology. Satan has once again convinced man to believe his [Satan's] corrupt presentation of God's truth, just as he did in the Garden, when he asked Eve, "Did God actually say..."?
Sadly, the state of the human race is such that far too many have fallen for Satan's cunning ability to disguise and misconstrue the truth from God in the Bible that, yes, by their actual and authentic definitions, aliens and extra-terrestrials have interacted with humans on earth. But just as happened in the Garden of Eden, man's willingness to fall for the ruse of God's enemy has resulted in their spiritual blindness and a spiritual war between three classifications of beings: God's angels and offspring, Satan's angels and offspring, and the race of human beings who must decide whose side they will fight on.
And I would caution you with this ... just as Satan has initiated an incursion of definable aliens into God's plan for His godly creation, we would be foolish to think he won't try again. Christians must stay connected to God and the Holy Spirit. We must be discerning, and as wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Technology has made it easier for the ungodly to present false testimony and evidence to encourage the ill-informed to follow Satan's hoaxes and deceptions. Be forwarned! Stay alert!
I have barely scratched the surface of this interesting topic, but one thing is clear. It is up to each of us to know the truth of our existence and our purpose. We must decide to do our own research to discover who our Creator is; that we have a very real Enemy who desires to lead us astray; and that we must decide we want to know the truth -- not some fantastical story that tickles our ears and our imaginations, but the real Truth of the One who created us and why we're here. If humankind does not make that essential effort, then we will find that through our negligence and ignorance, there will be a huge price to pay. Yes, our ultimate victory is sealed by the blood of Jesus Christ, but man's hunger to feed his appetite for the forbidden fruit will undoubtedly cost him much sorrow and pain.
Jude 8: Nevertheless in the same way, these dreamers [who are dreaming that God will not punish them] also defile the body, and reject [legitimate]authority, and revile and mock angelic majesties.
