Aliens?

Yes. Of course yes. Who could doubt it? I don’t mean, either, illegal aliens, or undocumented visitors. I mean beings that are not human, that visit our planet, who snatch up people, who seek to seize control over the whole planet. These beings are real, present here and now and have been experienced by thousands over the years. What I don’t believe in is little green men. I don’t believe that intelligent life resides on other planets and travels here through space. I’m not saying such is impossible. It just seems rather improbable that there would be another story on another planet when the triune God has told His story here.

Given the great mystery surrounding the sundry unidentified flying objects recently downed by US fighter aircraft it’s no wonder questions of aliens have cropped up again. It’s difficult to be bereft of what ought to be simple answers- what are these things and where did they come from? I don’t know the answers either. What I do know is that the Bible reminds us that there is a reality beyond that which we experience with our senses, a spiritual realm. The Bible tells us that our battle is not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers.

What is less clear, though some say Genesis 6 teaches such, is how demons interface with this world. That they do we know. How they do we don’t know. Could it be that, given a secular mindset that dismisses anything beyond the natural realm, what some ascribe to visitors from other planets are actually visitors from another dimension? Could experiences of abduction, experimentation, and probing be the work of demons that are wrongly assumed to be from other planets?

Demonic incursions into the natural realm would be, like visitors from other planets, secretive, mysterious, unusual, frightening. It would likewise be in the best interests of demons to pretend to be something other than demons. CS Lewis wisely pointed out that the devil likes either to appear to be virtually omnipresent and all powerful or, on the other hand, non-existent. With the former people are in fear and in awe. With the latter their defenses are down.

Sadly, evangelicals, despite the clear teaching of God’s Word, tend to fall into the latter camp. Because we have been so influenced by the enlightenment, because we so hunger for the world’s approval, we tend to see the demonic realm like some embarrassing reality from our distant pass that we no longer talk about. We have to admit that demons are real because Jesus dealt with them. But, we want to change the subject quickly.

I’m not boldly affirming these unidentified objects are the work of demons. I suspect first that we will likely never be told, and second, that like the first of the objects to be downed, the others likely have been stamped, “Made in China.” That said, we need to remember, as real and as important as geo-political matters may be, the real war is not with flesh and blood.