Does the Bible Explain UFOs?

By: Ben Campbell | Last updated: Jul 17, 2024

Over the past decade, it seems that the US government has begun taking reports of unidentified flying objects seriously. The Pentagon refers to these sightings as unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAPs.

However, according to some experts in the field, it doesn’t appear to be a new-age phenomenon. There’s a wealth of evidence in ancient texts, including the Bible, that suggests people witnessed things they could not explain during that era. This historical context begs the question, have aliens visited Earth?

Pentagon Whistleblowers Speak on Aliens

Last year, three Pentagon whistle-blowers were making headlines around the world after testifying about the existence of alien craft in possession of the US government during a congressional hearing on UAPs.

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A photograph of the US Pentagon

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They also alleged the Pentagon is hiding evidence of these craft, which appear to go beyond the known laws of physics.

David Grusch Claims US Has UAPs

One of the men testifying under oath was David Grusch, a former intelligence officer who shocked the world when he claimed the US government has “intact and partially intact” alien vehicles, some of which contained aliens, per Fox News.

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A photograph of David Grusch

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Whereas two former Navy Pilots, Ryan Greaves and David Fravor, went on record claiming to have observed numerous UAPs during training flights. “The technology that we faced is far superior to anything that we had,” they said.

What to Make of the News

Americans were stunned by Grusch’s claims, but many found themselves nodding in agreement, including Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., who said at the time, “I believe there is something else out there, dadgumit. Whatever the truth may be, we’re done with the cover-up.” This shared reaction sparked a nationwide conversation.

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A man appears visibly shocked while using his phone

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The news led many to search for answers on their own, resulting in several unusual online stories that mention strange objects in the sky thousands of years ago.

Josephus Speaks of Strange Objects

The Roman-Jewish historian and military leader, Josephus, lived in the first century AD. In one of his works, he mentioned a mysterious object observed in the night sky in 70 AD.

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A drawing of the Roman-Jewish historian Josephus

Source: Wikimedia

“Chariots and troops of soldiers in their armor were seen running about among the clouds,” wrote Josephus.

Armed Battalions in the Sky

According to Josephus, similar events were occurring around the country, in what appeared to be “armed battalions hurtling through the clouds” and with “great noise” causing “quakes.”

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A drawing of the celestial phenomenon over the German city of Nuremberg on April 14, 1561

Source: Wikimedia

Josephus’ account isn’t an isolated event, however. Several other writers in the centuries that followed appear to have made reference to ancient UAPs in distinct places around the world.

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UFO Sightings Increase After WW2

Following the end of World War 2, the US experienced a significant surge in UFO sightings, leading to the creation of several top-secret task forces to investigate these anomalies. This period marked a significant increase in public awareness and interest in UFOs.

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A newspaper from 1947 makes reference to the Roswell incident

Source: Wikimedia

The best-known event occurred in 1947, when army personnel were said to have recovered the remains of a flying disc in New Mexico.

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Could Aliens Be Angels and Demons From the Bible?

During a written piece for Fox News, Lt. Col. Robert Maginnis suggested the Bible holds the key to understanding aliens. He explained that the demons and angels mentioned in the text could actually be spiritual aliens.

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A painting depicting an angel and a small child

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Maginnis said, “I believe there is a very real spiritual domain beyond our senses. You can call them aliens, angels, demons, or others.”

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Religions Embrace Spiritual Reality

The retired Maginnis suggested that while modern society rejects the notion of any kind of spiritual realm or reality from which aliens may come, he explains the religions of the ancient world supply ample evidence of this.

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A photograph of a man with a cross

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He wrote, “Jews and Christians will recall in 2 Kings 2:11 that Elijah went up into heaven like a whirlwind aboard a chariot pulled by horses of fire. Was that a UAP? Are the many references to angels in the Bible old wives’ tales?”

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Satan’s Army of Demon Aliens

While we’ve all heard of Satan, better known as the devil from the Bible, Maginnis alleges his army of demons may, in fact, be malicious aliens.

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A painting depicting Satan standing before the Lord

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“Today, Satan’s demonic army is very active. They manifest themselves through various practices such as divination, witchcraft, channeling, and wizardry (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). They deceive, attack the human mind with the intent of control, and they leverage power to take captive people, especially the prominent,” he wrote.

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There’s Much We Don’t Understand

While Maginnis’ comments may appear ludicrous or outlandish, he explains that even if people dismiss his claims, we cannot deny that there’s is a lot about the universe that we have yet to fully understand.

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A woman is pictured reading a book

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“Whether aliens are probing Earth or are already among us is yet to be officially confirmed. What’s not in doubt for many of us is the spiritual battle between the forces of God and Satan, which is intensifying,” he said.

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A Spike in UAP Sightings

According to the former lieutenant, the world may soon begin to experience another surge in UAP sightings.

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A photograph which appears to capture a UFO

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“In fact, the challenges we face today – pandemics, natural disasters, out-of-control crime, wars, and more – are likely influenced by the spirit world, which is leading us to the prophetic end times and might manifest itself as a spike in UAP sightings,” wrote Maginnis.

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Why Don’t Aliens Reach Out?

In “Do UFOs exist? Logic, physics, Scripture, and gratitude for divine grace,” Dr. Jim Denison explains that there are different theories that explain why we haven’t encountered aliens yet despite the UFO sightings.

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A close-up of an alien face

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Statistically, alien civilizations should exist among all the stars and planets that are out there. The Fermi Paradox calls this puzzle, as Earth can’t be the only inhabited planet.

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What Is the Fermi Paradox?

Nobel Prize-winning physicist Enrico Fermi coined the paradox, discussing the possibility that aliens should have visited Earth by now, considering our solar system’s youth compared to the rest of the universe, during a lunch in the 1950s.

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A photograph of Earth from Space

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Since then, scientists have scratched their heads, trying to find a solution to the paradox. One possible answer is that intelligent extraterrestrial beings are extremely rare.

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Expanding the Paradox

“Fermi grasped that any civilization with a modest amount of rocket technology and an immodest amount of imperial incentive could rapidly colonize the entire galaxy,” representatives of the Search For Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute in Mountain View, California, wrote in a Fermi Paradox explainer.

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A silhouette of a person standing underneath a colorful starry night sky.

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“Within a few tens of millions of years, every star system could be brought under the wing of empire. Tens of millions of years may sound like a long project, but in fact it’s quite short compared to the age of the galaxy, which is roughly a thousand times more.”

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Another Answer to the Fermi Paradox

Some believe that aliens have visited the Earth, albeit millions of years ago, and have remained hidden among us. Cixin Liu’s “The Three-Body Problem” suggests that revealing your location as a species in the cosmos means that a civilization far more advanced than you will come, but will mal-intent.

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A photograph of numerous bright stars in space

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A solution to the Fermi Paradox is that the first who shoots survives, and those who stay silent survive, too.

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Unclear Messaging

While we don’t know if aliens exist, Dr. Denison points out, “The Bible is a practical book. It does not tell us what happened to the dinosaurs or the size of the universe.”

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The Gutenberg Bible open with a red bookmarking in dim lighting.

Source: Joshua Keller/Wikimedia Commons

He continues, “We clearly don’t need to know if aliens exist in order to have the personal relationship with God for which we were created (John 1:12).”

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Aliens “Need a Savior”

While the Bible is not an instruction manual for how to live life, the book is relevant to our relationship with God and the living world. Apparently, this includes visitors who may just be making a pit stop in our world.

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Image of the Bible with a beam of light coming from the pages

Source: Freepik

While the Bible does not especially address aliens, Dr. Denison concludes, “If aliens have free will, they need a Savior.”

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Religion and UFOs

However, some believe that aliens and the Bible go hand and hand. Retired Endwell pastor Rev. Barry Downing argued in his book, “The Bible and Flying Saucers,” that many biblical events have connections to UFOs.

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A tall gray alien on the horizon during sunset

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Downing updates his 1968 beliefs in his 2017 follow-up, “Biblical UFO Revelations,” hoping to connect with those who have not warmly accepted his ideas.

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God and UFOs

“I believe UFOs are God’s way of saying to our godless culture: ‘I’m back!’ And if God is back, it is time to repent and be glad that the world lives under the umbrella of God’s love, with his angels looking over us,” he writes (via Press Connects).

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Girl praising the heavens

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Downing also questions whether the church has the “eyes to see, to open the church doors to welcome our UFO strangers, or will we continue to be ‘unaware’?”

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Faith and UFOs

While he has never seen a UFO, Downing believes that they are part of a divine mission.

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A Bible being held high towards the sun.

Source: Timothy Eberly/Unsplash

“I believe by ‘faith,’ in the same way I believe in the resurrection of Jesus by faith. I believe the reports,” he said. “Except, I can question witnesses, which is even better than in the case of the resurrection.”

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The Miracle of the Sun in Fatima

Downing believes a UFO was involved in the religious event celebrating the 100th anniversary of Fatima. During the celebration, the Miracle of the Sun happened, which was the spinning of the sun in the sky.

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The crowd at Cova da Iria looking towards the Sun on 13 October 1917

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Thousands who witnessed the event said the sun turned blue, then yellow and changed sizes for nearly 10 minutes. Many Roman Catholics saw it as a validation of their belief.

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Explaining the Miracle of the Sun

Downing understands the historic moment in 1917 as a validation of belief and notes that UFOs were involved in the phenomenon.

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The crowd looking at "the Miracle of the Sun", during the Our Lady of Fatima apparitions, Fatima, Portugal, 13 October 1917

Source: Judah Ruah/Wikimedia Commons

“The UFO got in the way of the sun,” Downing said, “causing the earth to seem darker, and this would make the ball of light show up even more where the children were.”

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The Church and UFOs

“Church people have trouble with what I’m doing,” he said. “People who’ve seen UFOs have no problem.

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People of all ages and genders in a large group hold their hands up in prayer

Source: jaefrench/Pixabay

“It represents an inversion of the old story of Galileo and the Catholic Church,” Downing said, “because, in that story, the church authorities were squelching a scientist. What we have here are scientists squelching the religious stories.”

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