Does the Bible Talk About Aliens? The Definition Problem

Jane Isley
9 hours ago
3 min read

This dawned on me with all the alien talk going on. Our country and most of the world has jacked around with definitions for so long that people stopped asking for clarification. And now we have a massive mess on our hands with people searching for answers about aliens and demons online, especially in religious circles.

Definition Glitch

The modern meaning of alien seems to be a large hang-up for people. In popular culture the word alien refers to beings from other planets or universes. Little grey guys, E.T. phone home, probes, bright lights, silver saucers, and abduction stories.

That is a cultural thing, not a Bible thing.

All that is shaped by myths, stories and media. So when I see church leaders say alien abductions aren’t in the Bible, or they say because the Bible never recorded an "alien" encounter that doesn't necessarily prove aliens don’t exist, I get annoyed at the blatant inability of reading skills and faith by that church leader.

These answers are responding to a modern cultural construct of "aliens" while completely ignoring Scripture. They are not stepping back from the noise of the world or opening the Bible without a cultural lens. That is a genuinely concerning problem for the enormous number of people right now with serious questions.

An alien figure fades into particles beside an open book. Light beams illuminate the text "Thy Word is Truth, John 17:17." Mysterious mood.

I Need You To Sit On This

If you believe in God, trust His word, pray to Him, and believe He is the master and only creator of this universe and all the others. Don't you think something this darn significant would also be mentioned in the Bible?

And before anyone brings up the Book of Enoch, no. The Books of Enoch are not inspired Scripture, Jude did not validate them, Jesus never quoted from them and the Ethiopian church including them does not validate them either. That happened because of geographic isolation and is a human historical flaw, not divine endorsement.

These books also invalidate themselves by their own content. And to my earlier point, this is God we are talking about. He put Esther, Revelation, and Song of Solomon (if you really want to get nit-picky) in the Bible. Do you really think He would leave out the Book(s) of Enoch if it was supposed to be there?

Scripture Vs Culture

When religion enters this discussion the definition of "alien" often gets its own separate category, while the actual beings discussed numerous times throughout Scripture get completely ignored.

Is it because people have been so desensitized by decades of entertainment that they cannot recognize what they are actually looking at? Probably part of it.
Is this what satan wants? Absolutely.
Is this because teaching Scripture became optional in too many churches? Yes.
Is this because people want a fantasy world to escape this one? Yes.
Is it because people want another reason to argue against God? Yes.
Is it because church leaders are scared to admit they do not have all the answers? Yes.

I could keep going.

Figure Out Your Definitions First

If possible figure out what it is you are actually trying to ask. I mean that sincerely and without the snark I have been bringing to this topic elsewhere, because it is vitally important to start asking the right questions now rather than later when it is too late.

Much of the confusion I am seeing right now comes back to language. People are not asking for definitions. Some are too afraid to. And a lot of church leaders attempting to address this topic for their congregations are just as confused, and their answers are making things worse not better.

It is actually this simple.

If "alien" means the cultural construct, little grey men and flying saucers that has developed over decades of books, movies, and television shows, the Bible is not going to address that.

If "alien" is understood as the demonic beings described in Scripture that we do not fully comprehend physically or scientifically, the conversation shifts correctly into theology and the Bible has quite a lot to say.

Either way the core issue is the same. Before you can debate conclusions you have to agree on what the words actually mean. And before you dismiss what the Bible says or does not say about this topic you have to stop reading it through a Hollywood lens. Open the Bible, read what is actually there for yourself.

What you need for understanding everything happening right now has been sitting in there this whole time.