Are Aliens Real?

In the foreground of an old photo is a protester and his picket sign: “UFOS ARE REAL & THE GOVERNMENT KNOWS IT!” The shot, which recently resurfaced, came from a public demonstration in 1995. Back then, beliefs in extraterrestrial life and alien technology seemed less plausible than they do now.

The topic has moved from society’s fringes to inside the halls of Congress. More and more people are giving weight to the possible existence of aliens.

Are you convinced one way or the other? Is there any way to know for sure?

Claims of extraterrestrial encounters

David Grusch, a former member of the Pentagon’s UAP (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) Task Force, has said some truly extraordinary things. The ex-intelligence official stated before Congress, “I was informed, in the course of my official duties, of a multi-decade UAP crash retrieval and reverse-engineering program.”

Put more simply, he claimed that the U.S. has secretly been collecting and studying crashed UFOs for decades.

Grusch also claimed to have interviewed multiple “high-level intelligence officials” who had “direct knowledge” of the alien craft from these alleged crash sites. But his response to a question about whether bodies of pilots had ever been found in these crafts was particularly startling: “Biologics came with some of these recoveries . . . [They were] nonhuman, and that was the assessment of people with direct knowledge on the program I talked to.”

Could it really be that the U.S. government is hiding evidence of extraterrestrial life?

Congressman Tim Burchett, who headed the investigation, thanked Grusch for his testimony and said, “We’re just going to get to the facts. We’re going to uncover the cover-up.”

Several reputable news outlets have treated this issue of extraterrestrials very seriously, at a time when about two-thirds (65 percent) of Americans already believe that intelligent life exists on other planets (Pew Research Center).

However, Grusch provided no hard evidence to back up his claims, only hearsay. Much of his testimony was based on secondhand knowledge. Grusch indicated that he himself had never seen an alien body or any part of any alleged government-recovered aircraft. In fact, no one, in all of these years, has ever produced evidence that human beings have connected with alien life and technology—let alone that a secret government program exists to handle such encounters.

However, there is a source that gives a definitive answer. We can know that intelligent life did not evolve on other planets by looking into the inspired Word of God.

The doctrinal problem with aliens

Belief in aliens is based on the idea that life evolved in different places in the universe. But that contradicts what the Bible tells us about the Creator and diminishes what He says about humanity and the unique potential He gave us.

Think about how much of the first two chapters in the Bible is dedicated to the creation of man. Only man was made in God’s image. Only man can talk, reason, reflect, form relationships, imagine, build, plan, laugh, enjoy music and read books. Man has abilities that no other physical creature has!

When God inspired the creation account to be written, He was making a statement on the significance and potential of man. (To learn more about mankind’s potential, see our booklet God’s Purpose for You.)

David recognized the immense value God placed on human beings. “You have crowned [man] with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet” (Psalm 8:5-6).

The Bible says that many intelligent, nonhuman life-forms are among us now. They don’t, however, originate from distant planets, but from the spirit world.What we find in Scripture is that earth is at the center of God’s plan. It was on earth that God made man. It was on earth that God sacrificed His Son. It was on earth that Christ began His Church. It will be on earth that Jesus establishes His Kingdom. It will be on earth that the saints rule alongside Him. The only place in the universe given attention to throughout the Word of God is earth.

The Bible mentions no other inhabited planets.

So, then, is there anyone out there besides us?

But it would be incorrect to believe that humans are completely alone. The Bible says that many intelligent, nonhuman life-forms are among us now. They don’t, however, originate from distant planets, but from the spirit world.

The Bible talks sparingly about the spirit world, but enough for us to know it exists and occasionally intervenes in the physical realm. The Bible reveals two orders of existence in the spirit world.

God the Father and Jesus Christ make up the highest and most supreme order. They are eternal beings, responsible for creating everything there is (Genesis 1:1; John 1:1-3).

A lower order is composed of angels—and Hebrews suggests that there are millions, if not billions, of them.

In Genesis, we find several accounts where human beings have a direct encounter with God or one of His angels (for example, Genesis 18:1-2).

In fact, the author of Hebrews reminds us that these interactions still take place today. “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels” (Hebrews 13:2, emphasis added throughout). These encounters are probably few and far between, but they demonstrate how man will occasionally come in contact with the spirit world.

Of course, Scripture also sheds light on the sinister activity of Satan and the demons, who have a diabolical intelligence. They are never up to anything good. We know they can converse with humans (1 Samuel 28:13-20) and possess humans at times (Acts 16:16-18). They are also sometimes responsible for global conflicts (Daniel 10:13).

In these regards, mankind is very much in company with other intelligent beings.

What about UFOs?

Given the very real spirit world, some speculate that UFOs are actually demonic manifestations. This is easier to believe than activity from an unknown alien species.

But is it true?

The Pentagon’s office for investigating potential UFO sightings has received hundreds of reports since its inception in 2022. While some see the surge in reports as proof that aliens are becoming more interested in earth, officials see it as a result of efforts to “destigmatize the topic of UAP and instead recognize the potential risks” associated with aircraft safety and foreign surveillance.

But what do the reports reveal about the nature of these sightings?

Unsurprisingly, hardly anything at all.

According to the unclassified “2022 Annual Report on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena,” the majority of these cases exhibit “unremarkable characteristics” (p. 6). What people thought were UFOs were actually drones, balloons, clutter, weather phenomena and even birds. Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security Ronald Moultrie made this comment: “We have not seen anything that would . . . lead us to believe that any of the objects that we have seen are of alien origin, if you will.”

While some leaked videos do seem to show objects that behave unnaturally, we just can’t be sure whether they are of demonic origin or not. It’s certainly within the realm of possibility—that much we can say.

Satan and his demons are powerful—and they have destructive motives. They can manipulate physical objects and appear to human beings in a variety of ways. Toying with mankind by displaying unexplainable aerial phenomena seems to be right up their alley. But, again, it’s up for debate.

What we do know is that, as the world draws closer to its prophesied end, supernatural signs are going to increase. Satan and his henchmen will use miracles and wondrous displays to induce an unprecedented level of human deception (Revelation 13:13).

Our job is not to get swept off our feet by impressive sights, but to stay focused on Christ’s imminent return (Mark 13:22-23). That will be the day when we get answers to all kinds of inexplicable events we have witnessed over the years.

God equips us with the knowledge we need

The question of extraterrestrial life and UFOs has a long history. While UAP sightings will always spark debate and intrigue, the Bible gives every Christian the perspective he or she needs on the subject.

Human beings, not little green men from some faraway place, are the focal point of God’s wonderful plan of salvation. Earth is where He is carrying that plan out. The gift of eternal life is offered to us and only us, the only intelligent life in the physical world. And one day, we will see God face-to-face, along with the countless millions of angels who are in His company.

Then we will be able to understand more of the mysteries of the vast universe.