Aliens in the Bible
by LeeAnn Bonds
Are there aliens in the Bible? No matter what you mean by the word, the answer is yes. We’re talking good guys, bad guys, supernatural powers, time, space and eternity. Really.
Let’s define our terms. Many, many discussions go off track immediately because the discussers are using the same language to mean entirely different things. First, the word translated “alien” in the KJV is the Hebrew word “geyr” (that’s number 1616 for you scholars). It means a guest, and by implication a foreigner. The seventeenth century translators chose to use the word alien in some passages, but sojourner or stranger in others. When we use “alien” today, we think “extraterrestrial being.” But the older and still accurate meaning of the word is a noncitizen resident of a country, or simply an outsider. This is how the word is used in the Old Testament. For example, in Deuteronomy 14, Moses tells the Israelites that they’re not allowed to eat an animal that dies on its own, but that it’s okay to give such meat to “the alien who is within your gates.” He just means foreigners living with you. Job uses the term metaphorically, when he laments that since his terrible misfortunes, his own household treats him like a stranger. He says “I am an alien in their sight.”
Now don’t be disappointed. The aliens you may have been thinking of appear in Scripture, too. But here’s my stand on that. Too many documented sightings have accumulated to deny that lots of people all over the planet are encountering what we commonly call aliens. Much evidence is piling up (and being studied) about how aliens behave, the capabilities of their “ships,” the messages they deliver, who sees them and what it takes to thwart their assaults. This evidence is leading many to come to a different conclusion than you might expect about the nature of aliens, and that conclusion is that they are demons. Demons are fallen angels, allied with our enemy, out to destroy mankind. (The devil and his angels appear in Matthew 25:41, and Revelation 12).
Several things make this the most logical way to identify what people are seeing. The alien ships appear, disappear, and move in ways that defy physics, indicating an inter-dimensional or supernatural nature. The aliens lie, claiming to want to help humans, then doing horrible things to them. They bring anti-biblical messages. Often the people who see them are open to the occult, and invite interaction. And the clincher for me is that the only people that seem able to stop an abduction in its tracks are committed, living-what-they-believe Christians. A call for help from Jesus, from one of the Body of Christ, invokes the One who has power over all things created, including every angel, fallen or not (See Jude and 2 Peter).
And now for the really good news. The best way to be protected from aliens (the evil angel kind), is to become an alien in the New Testament sense. Become a member of the household of God, a citizen of a heavenly country, and you are a stranger and pilgrim (you know, an alien) on the earth.
| Hebrews 11:13-16 (NKJV) |
| These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. |
Commit your life and soul to Jesus and begin the greatest adventure ever, wherein Truth and Love shall reign, where no one will be able to snatch you out of God’s hand, and where exploration of the stars at your leisure, throughout eternity, will require no space ship.
The above article was originally posted at:
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art21016.asp
More About LeeAnn Bonds:
I live in north Idaho with my delicious husband, in a little cabin in the woods. We keep adding on to the cabin, replacing rooms that are falling apart with shiny new ones. We are entertained by the six chickens, various rabbits, deer, chipmunks, gophers (grrr!), and occasional elk that wander through our back yard.
We raised two sons here, after we were done criss-crossing the country from Army post to Army post. I homeschooled the boys, and we had several delightful years doing community theatre together as a family. Our sons are now in college figuring out their own happy lives, and pursuing the arts within their walk with God.
I live and write from within my deep Christian faith. I’ve been a believer since I was a young teen, and a devoted follower of Christ since my twenties. My husband is a co-pastor at our church, and I have served in almost every way you can think of (including directing the choir, but excluding working in the nursery) in this and other churches, and at a private Christian school. I’m also blessed to volunteer with a local group serving women and children in need.
Loving God is a true adventure, and His Word is a magnificent gift. I am grateful for this place in which to share with you the wonders I am discovering about Him and His Word.
