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This dawned on me with all the alien talk going on and coming on the heels of my Aliens, Demons, & a Biblically Illiterate Church article from the other day. Our country and most of the world have jacked around with definitions for so long that people stopped asking for clarification on anything. 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. Speaking of what Scripture actually says about these beings, Old Testament Elohim and New Testament Demons goes deep on exactly that and is one of the most thorough pieces we have on the site. 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. When people finally ask are aliens demons, the entire conversation shifts back to Scripture where it belongs. What you need for understanding everything happening right now has been sitting in there this whole time. © 2026 Jane Isley. Want more content like this? Explore more articles in Culture & Faith. Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.

If the whole point of Christianity is that Jesus rose from the dead, why do we keep Him nailed on the cross then? This is a fair question to ask and think about. Our faith is unique from all other faiths. Jesus died for us so that we could be reconciled to God and enter heaven, and His resurrection is the key to that. Jesus is alive and very well. He’s not hanging on the cross anymore, and He’s not dust in a tomb somewhere. So why do we have images of Him on the cross? Hanging, partially nude, and sometimes completely nude (I will be getting to that), suffering and frozen in the moment of His death? Like I said, it’s a fair question to be asking. Now, while there is a group that widely uses this, that is not my target audience because there are Christians from all denominations all over the world who do this with the cross. This is for anyone who still sees Christ on that cross in their living room. What You See Shapes What You Believe If the predominant image of Jesus in your everyday environment is one of His suffering and still on the cross, that affects how you see and relate to Him in your everyday life. What we repeatedly see shapes what we come to expect and what we believe. Over the years, I’ve come across a large number of people through conversations, reading, or hearing their experiences who believed that Jesus couldn’t or wouldn’t help them. Several of those times, there was also a cross with Christ still on it, dying, in agony, and suffering somewhere in their story. That was the image they associated with Him, not the empty tomb. This is not about ignoring what He did and went through for us; Christ bears the scars as proof of what He did for us. We should be thinking about it at times, and let it hit us like a brick crap house every so often. It should bring us to our knees with gut-wrenching tears to understand that He did that so we, the imperfect humans, can go to heaven. But…….get up off your knees and live, because He is alive. His command is to go forth and make nations. How are you going to do that when you are busy looking backwards at a cross still showing Him hanging on it? Real Thoughts & Reactions I remember my first reaction to seeing a picture of Christ still on the cross, also, He was painted as fully naked. I looked at the picture and remember thinking along the lines of “why didn't He get off? I though He was stronger than that, maybe He’s not?” Yeah, to say I was confused and also highly embarrassed that I saw Jesus naked is an understatement. “His eyes were closed, but his face looked sad. Defeated. […] That’s when it hit me: no wonder he couldn’t protect me and my sisters […] He was too tiny, too frail, and too powerless to do anything about it.” I. M. Koen “Images mislead us. They convey false ideas about God. The very inadequacy with which they represent him perverts our thoughts of him, and plants in our minds errors of all sorts about his character and will. … It is a matter of historical fact that the use of the crucifix as an aid to prayer has encouraged people to equate devotion with brooding over Christ’s bodily sufferings; it has made them morbid about the spiritual value of physical pain, and it has kept them from knowledge of the risen Savior.” (1) “…The pathos of the crucifix obscures the glory of Christ, for it hides the fact of his deity, his victory on the cross, and his present kingdom. It displays his human weakness, but it conceals his divine strength; it depicts the reality of his pain, but keeps out of our sight the reality of his joy and his power.[…]” (challies) Psychology 101 Psychological factors are happening here. Actually, there are a lot of different psychological things going on. I promise to try to keep it concise and to the point. Mere Exposure Effect, identified by Psychologist Robert Zajonc and confirmed across more than 200 experiments. The finding was quite simple, the more we are exposed to something, the more familiar it becomes, and that familiarity can shape our attitude toward it, often without us consciously thinking about it. All we have to do is see it repeatedly. Next, we have Terror Management Theory (TMT). This research shows that when people are repeatedly reminded of death, they often become more defensive, anxious, and resistant to ideas that challenge their existing beliefs. Mortality reminders can push people to cling tighter to what feels safe, despite what the truth is or not. Then I found this nugget: brain imaging studies found that death reminders decreased activity in the regions of the brain associated with open, reflective thinking. As a side note to these, think of social media as an example; we know that what we see every day has an effect on us, it's not even something that is debated; it is something that is known and proven. What we see every day affects us. Did You Know? And I’m betting you didn’t know this, that in the early centuries, Christians rarely, if ever, had crosses showing a crucifixion with a depiction of some kind of male body. Many sources say it is because it was too jarring or too fresh to them, in a sense, because they weren’t that far removed from the era that did crucifixions. And I agree, I can absolutely see that being a part of it. The more graphic and emotionally triggering images of Christ on the cross developed gradually over time. But something important happened in the 16th century. During the Reformation, many reformers rejected religious images completely. In response to that, the Catholic Church reaffirmed the use of sacred images, which helped solidify their continued role in Catholic devotion. (Council of Trent; Session 25) Shameful Depictions That’s the psychology and history side of things. For those who still feel the need to defend keeping Christ on the cross, I want to ask a few simple questions. If someone you loved died today, and their body was exposed or partially clothed, would you want that image put on display? Would you want people looking at it, studying it, returning to it over and over again? Or would you want their dignity preserved? The Romans stripped Jesus as a form of humiliation and public degradation, meant to strip a person of dignity and humanity. A strategically placed loincloth does not change that reality or make it ok. So why preserve that moment of His suffering, His body exposed, His dignity stripped, and center your attention on it? Why is Jesus still on the cross in your living room when the whole point of our faith is that He is not there anymore. “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay” Matt 28:6 © 2026 Jane Isley. Want more content like this? Explore more articles in Rethinking Doctrine. Sources & References: Wikipedia — Terror Management Theory Psychology Today — Terror Management Theory Simply Psychology — Mere Exposure Effect Wikipedia — Mere Exposure Effect Merriam-Webster — “Propaganda” definition PubMed (PMID: 28486837) — fMRI study on mortality salience and self-reflection Catholic Review — crucifix / devotional imagery in Catholic tradition Catholic Standard — crucifix and Catholic practice discussion Council of Trent (Session 25) Challies — Why You Should Not Wear a Crucifix The Conversation — historical crucifixion depiction of Jesus Wikipedia — Caravaggio Encyclopaedia Romana (University of Chicago) — Roman crucifixion context Greg Reese (Substack) — symbolism and subconscious perception

The word Moses picked changes the whole story There is a small but mighty passage in the Bible, and it’s basically ignored, and with the amount of deception satan is raining down on this world these days, I think it is time to pull this out and show you the very real and tangible power that satan has that so many underestimate. “ Each one threw down his walking stick. Each stick turned into a snake.”₁ Plain Jane, It Was Not Satan is the master of deception, illusion, and lies. What is going to make this dissection even more interesting is that you will learn it wasn’t regular, plain Jane snakes either that day. In Hebrew, three different words are traditionally translated to “snake,” each one carries its own definition and meaning that helps you understand context and a story’s full depth. This is most definitely one of those times you want to rabbit hole a word. Nachash (נָחָשׁ) — the “regular” word for snake/serpent Tannin (תַּנִּין) — dragon/sea monster/large serpent Saraph (שָׂרָף) — “fiery/burning” serpent Moses Chose His Words Deliberately At the battle of the staffs, all the staffs involved turned into tannin, but before that, in Exodus 4:3, when God and Moses were essentially doing a practice run, Moses’s staff was referred to as a nachash. Moses wrote this, so it is not like two different people used the wrong words; he was there, and he chose his wording for a reason. I don’t think, although I could be wrong, that these snakes turned into something physically different than normal; it's about what the word means, and this showdown comes down to two equally important things. What Tannin Really Means Tannin carries enormous weight to anyone who knows Scripture; it can be both literal (big aquatic creatures) or figurative (a primordial chaos creature, a symbol of darkness and forces in direct opposition to God). God created the tannin in Genesis 1:21, but satan cannot create, so what was going on here? First, you have to understand this wasn’t some minor showdown. Not only did God transform a staff, but Pharaoh’s magicians did too; not only that, but they did it with more than one staff. So many against one. And here is where this gets a chef’s kiss. God uses that same word later in Ezekiel 29:3 to describe Pharaoh: “Pharaoh Hophra, I am against you.King of Egypt, you are like a huge monster…” So think about what happened that day, the magicians stood before Pharaoh and produced tannins, the same word God would later use to describe their own king. They were invoking the symbol of the man they served without even knowing it. And God’s tannin swallowed theirs whole. Important Thing 1 Satan can and does manipulate our physical world and can perform “miracles.” Job is a prime example; not only did satan manipulate the environment around Job, but he also, at one point, caused a windstorm that brought down a building, killing all of Job’s children. There's too much sugarcoating out there for my taste when it comes to people understanding this. Satan is more than capable of performing wonders and illusions that fool even the most educated people out there. You realize satan will do as he is bidden to keep the lie and deception going that pulls you away from God, right? Important Thing 2 Why did God turn the staff into what is considered a symbol of darkness? Because He owns it. Satan can only ever counterfeit what God created. The difference between the two that day wasn’t what appeared; it was the source behind it. “So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind….” One was a counterfeit manifestation of dark power from satan. The other was the real thing, called up by God who made it, and swallowed up the counterfeit versions. Don’t Skip Past These Words There are a couple of important Hebrew words to consider as you think about this interaction. Pharaoh didn’t ask for a “miracle” in the way we know them; he asked for a “wonder.” And Moses and Aaron’s staff didn’t eat the Pharaoh’s; it swallowed them. Mopheth (מוֹפֵת) — Sign, wonder, miracle (an awe-producing, wonder specifically carrying the idea of intimidation; something that demands to be seen and cannot be ignored) Oth (אוֹת) — Sign, token, mark, miracle (a sign that points to God; can be an ordinary object or event; its purpose is to direct attention toward God) Think of it this way with these two. Oth is like a road sign, its entire purpose is to point you somewhere, aka God. And Mopheth is not a road sign. It is the thing that stops you dead in your tracks and makes your jaw drop before you can even think about where it’s pointing. Oth can be any ordinary object or daily activity as well as an unexpected divine action, but its basic nature is always to point people to God. Mopheth describes God’s supernatural activity, a special manifestation of His power. But, and this is so important. False prophets can also perform Mopheth. Deuteronomy 13:1–3 specifically warns about this. Pharaoh didn’t ask for a road sign pointing to God. He asked for a “mopheth, “ an overwhelming, awe-producing display of power; it was also a deliberate and cocky move on his part. (I’ll show you at the end God’s clap back to that one) Bala (בָּלַע) — To swallow, engulf, consume (It is violent, engulfing, sudden, and the total elimination of something.) Akal (אָכַל) — To eat, ate, eaten (the everyday word for eating food or the act of eating food) Here’s the difference between these two words. Akal is what you do at dinner. It is the ordinary eating of food; something goes in, and then that something is gone. A person “akals” a meal. It is the everyday, regular word for one thing taking in another thing. Now, Bala is something else entirely. Bala is what the Earth did when it opened up and swallowed Korah’s entire rebellion whole in Numbers 16. It is what the great fish did to Jonah. It is the word Moses chose in Exodus 15 when the Red Sea swallowed Pharaoh’s army. Bala means something ceases to exist in a sudden, violent, and very complete manner. So when Moses wrote that Aaron’s staff “swallowed” the magicians’ staffs, he did not use the dinner table word. He used the annihilation word; it was a preview of what was to come. Last But Not Least: The Epic Clap Back “…Confront him on the bank of the Nile, and take in your hand the staff that was changed into a snake.”² No one is ever going to convince me that God doesn’t have a sassy and spicy side, and right here is Exhibit A. Laughing aside, once you get what just happened there, this story, and that one word, tannin, cannot be ignored. Satan produced the Hebrew equivalent of a cosmic monster (monsters, actually), and he did it through human hands. Satan’s power and influence are ignored and downplayed way, way too much these days. People think satan and his horde just knock on walls or give people goosebumps late at night, and yeah, he does because that’s part of the tactic, making people think he’s not the being he is described as. And when people won’t even read their Bible, they won’t be able to recognize an Oth from a Mopheth, and satan is counting on that. © 2026 Jane Isley Want more content like this? Explore more articles in Word Studies. Sources: Exodus 7:10–12 Exodus 7:15 Deuteronomy 13:1–3 Genesis 3:1 · Numbers 21 (nachash) · Job 1:18–19 · Ezekiel 29:3 · Genesis 1:21 · Exodus 7:9 (mopheth) · Exodus 7:15 · Bala Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.

While reading the Gospels, I saw a pattern that I wanted to take a closer look at. Turns out it I was on to something and it painted a larger picture than I realized. For this, it’s essential to recognize that healing of the sick and casting out demons are two distinct actions. It’s been said by some (especially in modern conversations) that the two situations were more than likely just sick people, not actually demonically possessed people. But here’s the problem with having that mindset: it removes the reality that we live in a world filled with demons and it was the same back then when Jesus came. Jesus addresses each issue separately: “For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!” Mark 5:8 “Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.” John 5:8–9 Then the Gospels also make a very clear distinction: “That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed.” Mark 1:32 If you typically follow my writing, you know there’s always a plot twist to how I see something; this one has 5 points, then I tie it all together. One “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12 That is almost (almost not always) a cliché saying at this point. I note this because this verse is frequently repeated in Christian conversations; however, people do not appear to fully or meaningfully comprehend it. It’s often expressed as acknowledgments of potential bumps in the night or as something far removed from their sphere, rather than as recognition of the profound and destabilizing realities Scripture describes. By failing to consider what this passage asserts and by neglecting to examine the actions of Jesus during His ministry in the Gospels, the present reality of these forces is overlooked. They are not confined to a future eschatological moment but are active in the present time, directly involved in our everyday lives, and they are not passively waiting for Revelation 1:1 to start; they are already present and actively contributing to the conditions that Scripture describes. Two “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” Hebrews 13:2 This passage is relevant to this discussion because it shows us that angelic beings are capable of appearing in ordinary, unrecognized human contexts. If Scripture affirms this capacity with respect to angels, it shows the capabilities of fallen angels as well. Consider if such encounters could occur without your awareness, and whether you could fully discern what was going on? We live in a world where people are increasingly being desensitized to what is sick, grotesque, immoral, and demonic. That is satans strategy. That is why we need to be apart from the world. To see what’s wrong, we need to be separate from it. Three If you’re still with me, awesome! It’ll be worth it; this background matters. By the time Jesus arrived on the scene, there had been 400 years of silence between the last prophet and His arrival. During this period, Israel drifted from God (again) and saw the rise of the Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes, and Essenes. Four Hundred Years. That’s actually not as long as it sounds from the last prophet to the birth of Christ, at least not in the grand scheme of things. Jesus walked into a mess: religious confusion, fractured authority, and twisted Scripture. Very much like today’s world. Remember those Jewish leaders? They had their Messiah standing right in front of them and didn’t recognize Him, because they became so blind and filled with self-righteous authority. Pharisees: legalistic, proud, hypocritical, burdening people Sadducees: rigid, spiritually blind, politically motivated, denying God’s power Scribes: rigid, man-made traditions and external rituals over God’s law, hypocritical, neglecting justice and mercy, created loopholes Sound familiar? (think current political and church climate.) Those guys pulled off some serious manipulations and corruption to get their Messiah killed. That’s layered so thick all over the Gospels, it makes me cringe knowing the lengths they went through to kill Him. Seriously, I recommend reading The Trial of Christ by Dee Wampler; you will never regret it, and you’ll see the full scope of what they did and why the betrayal and murder of Jesus was just so utterly horrific. Four So we have: 400 Years | the Jewish “leaders” | Demon Possession Stay with me. Trust me, it's all connected. I’m getting to the point now. Casting Out vs Healing I will be working with direct numbers only from the four Gospels, because it is not possible to ascertain all the numbers with certainty for the purpose of this article. Sources vary because different people define events differently depending on their focus. Some count a demon-possessed person as both a healing and a rebuking, while others treat “multitudes” as single events. So I broke down and used help to narrow my search down to explicit, directly narrated moments from just the Gospels where Jesus healed someone or cast out a demon. This isn’t me removing the other instances; I’m just isolating clear examples. Healings: 25 distinct, narrated healing accounts. Casting Out: 7 distinct narrative accounts. 7 out of 25 = 28% This figure is not meant as a population estimate, but rather reflects the proportion of cases explicitly narrated in the Gospels. Over a quarter of the directly recorded moments are Jesus intervening in a demon possession. Not sickness, not injury, not disease, but spiritual entities inhabiting people. That’s not rare. That’s not on the fringe. And it’s definitely not accidental. This is not a demographic claim, but a proportional signal drawn directly from the Gospels themselves. Five Now, for the last nugget, I’m giving you Luke 4:32–34 to look at before I start tying this all together. “They were amazed at his teaching, because his words had authority. In the synagogue, there was a man possessed by a demon, an impure spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, “Go away! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are — the Holy One of God!” That man wasn’t thrashing about, gnashing his teeth, mute or convulsing. Sometimes in the Bible, even the smallest detail can carry the greatest meaning. He was in the synagogue, a place of worship, a reserved place of God. Surrounded by his friends, family, and neighbors, listening to teachings. And the only reason anyone knew there was a problem was because Jesus showed up, and the demon reacted to His presence. No one else knew. (that should also show that demonic powers are not, in fact, all-knowing and can predict the future.) There he was, hidden in plain sight, right in the middle of everyday life, attending synagogue. That’s Why 28% Should Be So Startling I am using straight numbers and years here to highlight current times and a trajectory. Scripture does not give us quantitative details before the last prophet. But it does give us a defined 400-year period of prophetic silence marked by spiritual decline, political abuse, and religious distortion. That is the condition Jesus stepped into, and it is sufficient for the point being made. Tying Things Together That 28% figure drawn explicitly from the narrated Gospel accounts shows just how frequently Jesus confronted demonic possession relative to physical healing. The pattern is clear. While that number was strictly drawn from the Gospels and not a comment on today’s population, it is sobering to see how often Jesus’ ministry involved deliverance and what that might look like today if we recognize what is walking among us. If it feels unbelievable, just take a look online. The bitterness, rage, moral decline, and violent speech, often paired with visceral reactions to God, Christianity, or anything good and moral, are plastered all over the place to see. Israel had 400 years and got to 28% (and that's lowballing it). We’ve had more than two thousand years since Jesus walked the Earth. Will you be able to recognize the filth beneath all those carefully constructed sparkly narratives and outward appearances? Because recognizing demonic influence today begins with understanding how often Jesus confronted unseen forces and how easily they blend into ordinary life. © 2026 Jane Isley Want more content like this? Explore more articles in Rethinking Doctrine. Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.

On May 8, 2026, the Trump administration released 162 declassified UAP files. Around the same time, several well-respected church leaders publicly said they attended private meetings with unnamed believers who claimed high-level security clearances in military and intelligence circles. The point: Something big dropped, some church leaders got a heads-up, and now everyone is scrambling. What Does Any of This Mean? It means satan is going to have an absolute heyday, and I knew it the moment I heard these files were going to be released. So as people start to ramp this up and spiral down, here is a number that should be keeping every church leader up at night. Only 6% of self-identified Christians hold a biblical worldview. That means 94% of people who call themselves Christian are caught with their pants down right now and about to enter a world of pure deception, riddled with fear and have absolutely no Biblical leg to stand on. We already lost the ability as a culture to define what a woman is, what a child in the womb is, or what our God given sexual design looks like. The church (as a whole) largely rolled over on every single one of those, laziness, silence, and Scripture twisted into a pretzel to validate whatever the culture demanded that week. You really think this stops here? You really think a UFO file drop is going to be handled any differently by a church that has spent years surrendering ground it was never supposed to give up? What Was The Real Intention? I’ll be honest, I have mixed feelings about these meetings and why they happened. I find them murky and ill-timed with everything else going on in the world. What I do notice is that every church leader I could find who was in one of these meetings has a significant social media platform. Was that intentional to manufacture fear? I do not know yet. I am not singling out any specific person here because there was a notable variety of religious leaders at these meetings, but if you have these platforms, if you have these congregations, if people look to you to understand the Word of God, why the scramble now? Why is this the moment the church decided to start “preparing” people? Shouldn’t that have been happening from day one? There should never have been a need for private meetings with church leaders if they were actually doing their job, and if I’m being really blunt, if they were following Scripture, they never would have attended these meetings at all. The 94% walking into this without a biblical foundation did not get there by accident. That lands squarely at the feet of church leadership that was more concerned with keeping their pockets lined and people comfortable than keeping them grounded in Scripture. Yes, this also lands on people to stand up and question things being fed to them and redevelop missing critical thinking skills, but a whole hell of a lot just fell hard on the shoulders of church leaders who are more concerned with being cozy. What Is Going To Happen 1) People are going to question God on every possible level, and why wouldn’t they? It’s not like only 94% of Christians barely know Scripture, let alone how many don't know how to find a book or chapter in it. 2) The normalization of “aliens,” aka demons, because that is what is actually happening here, and this is going to accelerate. This has been building for decades through Hollywood, television, books, gaming, and entertainment. Satan has been softening you up for this moment for a very long time. In the meantime, Old Testament Elohim and New Testament Demons is exactly the kind of grounding you need right now before you go any further down that rabbit hole. The problem is not that people will encounter this information. The problem is that they have been so thoroughly conditioned to find it fascinating instead of spiritually alarming that they will not even recognize what they are looking at. This is not normal, and it has never been normal. Slapping the word alien on it does not change what it is. 3) The worst thing that is going to happen out of all of this is that people are going to be deceived on a global scale. Scriptural Truth The Bible was never once silent on this topic. Ephesians 6:12 NIV: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Principalities and powers. Spiritual forces of evil. That is the biblical description of what is in those files. People just gave it a different name and a press release. 2 Thessalonians 2:9–10 NIV: “The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing.” "Signs and wonders that serve the lie." Read that again slowly. Do not miss any of this while you are busy panicking about “aliens.” And just so you know, an alien would probably be a lot nicer than a demon; confusing the two as different beings is a costly mistake. The Remnant I genuinely do not care what is in those files. I am not worried, and I am not losing any sleep over “aliens” because I know exactly what they are and who wins, and it is not them. What I care about is the staggering number of people who are going to be deceived by this because nobody built them a foundation to stand on. The Christian church failed. Not in a small way, but in a massive, generational, brutal, inexcusable way. This is no longer a nation filled with Christians; it is a nation with a remnant, the 6% left who read Scripture, and the rest are walking into this with their pants down. That is just horrifying to think about. Read your Bible, people. I get it, we are in an age where things have massively accumulated into people struggling to even think for themselves, let alone read or do math, and not to mention being pumped full of addictive additives daily with social media. But that excuse can only take you so far. You are fully capable of opening your eyes, asking questions, getting down and dirty, breaking a mental sweat, and reading Scripture. For the church leaders, I pray you get this one right. The deception is not coming. It is already here. © 2026 Jane Isley Want more content like this? Explore more articles in Culture & Faith. Sources: Perry Stone UFO Briefing Claims - Charisma Magazine Pentagon UAP Files Released May 8 2026 - USA Herald Religious Leaders Told Prepare Now - End Time Headlines Newsweek - Pastor Meeting and Eric Burlison Response American Worldview Inventory - Cultural Research Center, Arizona Christian University, conducted by Dr. George Barna Crosswalk - Survey Finds That Only 6% of Professing Christians Have a Biblical Worldview USA Herald - Multiple Pastors Claim U.S. Military Intelligence Officers Secretly Briefed Them To Prepare Their Congregations For UAP Disclosure Charisma - Viral Claims of Secret Government Briefing to Pastors Ignite Fierce UFO Disclosure Debate Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.

“What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come to torment us before the time?” Matthew 8:29 We read that line too quickly. We imagine little cartoon devils trembling. But first-century Jews did not imagine cartoonish imps. When a Jew heard the word daimonion, “demon," they did not picture Disney villains, red tights, or pitchforks. They heard something older, they heard elohim. And when an Israelite used the word elohim, they did not mean “the one true God.” They meant any inhabitant of the spiritual realm ,  any being whose nature was non-human, non-corporeal, powerful, and divine in rank. Yahweh is Elohim ,  but not the only elohim. And when the New Testament says Jesus cast out daimónia, the connection is deliberate: Jesus was driving out rival spiritual beings ,  rival gods. This is the story beneath the story. This is what makes the Gospels electric. This is why the spirits screamed. Because when Jesus stepped onto the scene, the gods panicked. This is the story of when the gods bowed. Understanding the Old Testamant Elohim and New Testement Demons We have been taught to think too small. Modern Christianity inherited a tiny demonology. We’ve reduced “demon” to: ✔️ a fallen angel ✔️ a mischievous imp ✔️ a tempter ✔️ a nuisance But Scripture presents something far more staggering. If the Old Testament calls members of Yahweh’s heavenly host elohim, and the New Testament calls those same entities daimonia, then the Gospels are not stories of Jesus chasing away annoying spirits. The Gospels record Jesus waging open war on the gods of the nations. When Jesus rebukes a demon, He is not flicking away a mosquito. He is overthrowing another power. He is dethroning a spiritual prince. He is reversing Genesis 11. He is invading Psalm 82 territory. We have been reading a multiverse battle in black-and-white. The Old Testament Context: Elohim Means More Than ‘God’ Let’s clear the ground. The word elohim in Hebrew is not a name. It is a category. It means: a resident of the spiritual realm. Here are biblical examples: • “You shall have no other elohim before Me.” (Exod 20:3) ~ There are other elohim, but they are not Yahweh. • “For Yahweh is the great God above all elohim.” (Ps 95:3) ~ If Yahweh is “above” them, they exist, but He outranks them infinitely. • “The sons of God (bene elohim) came before Yahweh.” (Job 1:6) ~ These are divine beings. • “God takes His stand in the council of elohim.” (Ps 82:1) ~ There is a divine council of spiritual rulers. Every one of these beings is an elohim. Yahweh alone is haElohim , the Most High God, uncreated, eternal. The biblical writers were not polytheists. They simply recognized the supernatural world as populated, structured, and hierarchical. Yahweh is in a class of His own. But other elohim exist,  and they rule nations (Deut 32:8 — 9). When Israel turned to idols, they weren’t just turning to statues. They were turning to the spiritual beings behind the idols (Deut 32:16 — 17; Ps 106:36 — 37; 1 Cor 10:20). These beings ,  the elohim of the nations ,  became rebel powers. In the New Testament, these same beings appear under a Greek label: daimonia — demons A Shift From Elohim to Daimonia: Not a New Category, Just a New Language When Jews in Jesus’ day spoke Greek, they needed a word that matched the Old Testament’s elohim category. They used daimonion. In Greek literature, a daimon is not necessarily evil. It is a powerful spiritual being — divine, intermediary, ruling, influencing. The first-century audience understood daimónia = spiritual powers. So the New Testament did not shrink the unseen realm. Christians did. The apostles simply used the Greek word that captured the same conceptual world as elohim. Thus: • Psalm 96:5 (LXX): “All the gods (elohim) of the nations are daimonia.” • Deuteronomy 32:17 (LXX): “They sacrificed to daimonia, not to God.” There it is ,  front and center. The New Testament’s “demons” are the Old Testament’s “gods.” They are elohim, dethroned by Yahweh, condemned in Psalm 82, but still influential until the Messiah comes. This is why the Gospel narratives explode with supernatural warfare. Jesus isn’t just healing bodies. He is reclaiming territory. He isn’t just telling demons to leave. He is forcing gods to kneel. The Birth of Jesus Was a Declaration of War From the moment Jesus is born, the elohim realm knows something has shifted. Angels fill the sky not with lullabies, but with military announcements: “Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth…” (Luke 2:14) Peace does not come unless a stronger kingdom arrives to break the power of the old. The spiritual realm trembles. Herod ,  not just a wicked king, but a pawn of spiritual rulers , goes into a murderous frenzy. Simeon and Anna prophecy because heaven is stirring. Something is happening that threatens every power, throne, principality, and dominion. The Son of God has entered the turf of the enemy. Why the Demons Always Recognize Jesus Before the Humans Do Humans are slow. The disciples need years. Crowds misunderstand. Pharisees resist. But the spiritual beings? They understand instantly. They cry out: “We know who You are!” “Have You come to destroy us?” “Son of the Most High God!” Why? Because they know Psalm 2. They know Psalm 82. They know Daniel 7. They know the prophecy of the Son of Man who would take dominion and strip the nations’ rulers of authority. They know the seed of the woman has arrived. They know the One who will crush the serpent’s head is walking toward them. So they bow ,  not in worship, but in terror. Jesus terrifies demons because He outranks them. He commands the elohim realm by nature, not by delegation. When Jesus speaks, the gods obey. Every Exorcism Is a Throne Room Event Watch carefully what happens in every Gospel exorcism. The pattern is unmistakable: 1. The demon sees Jesus. 2. The demon reacts violently. 3. The demon acknowledges Jesus’ authority. 4. Jesus commands. 5. The demon obeys. This is courtroom language. Legal language. Throne-room language. They shrink back because He carries the authority of the Most High. This is why the crowds say: “What new teaching is this? With authority He commands unclean spirits, and they obey Him!” (Mark 1:27) No one had ever done this. Israel had exorcists, yes. But Israel never had a King who could walk into a region and empty it of its gods. Jesus’ command is not magical. Not ritual. Not formulaic. It is ontological. He commands because He is Lord. This is Yahweh in flesh stepping into the domain of the lesser gods and stripping them of power. Every exorcism is a dethronement ceremony. The Gerasene Demoniac: The Gods Beg Permission Mark 5 is the clearest example. A man possessed by a legion of daimónia lives among tombs, territory of the dead, the domain of dark powers. Jesus steps off the boat. Instantly the powers react: “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?” Notice the title: Son of the Most High God. This is language used by non-Israelite nations to speak of Yahweh. The gods are confessing: “We know who Your Father is. We know You outrank us. We know You have arrived as Judge.” Then the unthinkable happens: They beg Him for permission. The elohim of the nations — fallen, corrupt, territorial rulers — stand before Jesus and ask: “Please do not torment us.” “Please do not send us out of the region.” “Please send us into the pigs.” They cannot move without His word. They cannot relocate without His approval. This is the moment when the veil tears. This is the moment that reveals the cosmic hierarchy: Jesus is Lord. Every other spiritual being is creature. The pigs rush into the sea,  the symbolic reversal of Egypt’s army drowned in judgment , and Jesus stands victorious on Gentile soil. The gods have bowed. Why Jesus’ Ministry Is Filled With Exorcism, But the Old Testament Isn’t Here is a mystery that confused readers for centuries: Why are there almost no exorcisms in the Old Testament? Why do they explode in the New Testament? The answer: Because the King had not yet arrived to reclaim the nations. Until Jesus came, the rebellious gods,  the elohim of the nations,  still held legal jurisdiction. God had disinherited the nations at Babel (Deut 32:8 — 9). He gave them over to lesser rulers. Israel alone was Yahweh’s inheritance. But when the Messiah comes, the boundaries shift. When Jesus appears, He invades Gentile turf. He begins reclaiming what was lost. He binds the “strong man” (Mark 3:27). He spoils his goods. This is why Jesus’ ministry is filled with exorcisms. It is a sign: The Most High has come to take back the world. Jesus Isn’t Casting Out Demons  He’s Rewriting the Cosmic Map. Every time Jesus casts out a demon, He is not performing a trick. He is redrawing the spiritual geography of earth. He is doing Psalm 82 in real time: “Arise, O God, judge the elohim…” He is throwing down the rulers of the nations: • He heals the sick → reversing death • He cleanses lepers → reversing impurity • He casts out demons → reversing the dominion of foreign gods • He announces the Kingdom → reversing the exile of humanity The cross is the climax. The resurrection is the victory shout. Pentecost is the global takeover. The Gospel going to the Gentiles is the invasion of the nations formerly ruled by rebel elohim. This is why Paul calls them: • principalities • powers • thrones • dominions • rulers of this age And then says: Christ is above every one of them. (Ephesians 1:20 — 23) When the gods Bowed: The Temptation Narrative The temptation in the wilderness is not about Jesus resisting a few sinful ideas. It is about Jesus being confronted by the god of this world. A ruler offering kingdoms he actually governs. Satan shows Him all the kingdoms of the earth. He says: “They are mine to give.” Jesus does not disagree. Because they were, in a limited sense, under his and other elohim’s rule. But when the Son refuses the shortcut, the path is set: He will take the nations back not by compromise, but by conquest. Not through worshipping a lesser elohim, but through destroying them. Not by bowing to a creature, but by making creatures bow to Him. The Cross: The Public Humiliation of the Gods Paul says something wild in Colossians 2:15:“He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, triumphing over them in the cross.” This is courtroom language. This is military parade language. The cross looks like defeat to humans. It looked like victory to the powers. But it was their undoing. The cross was the moment Yahweh in flesh bound the gods of the nations, took away their legal authority, and stripped them publicly. They lost: • the right to accuse • the right to rule • the right to control nations • the right to blind minds • the right to enslave humanity They bowed. Because the Son of God had triumphed. The resurrection is the declaration: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.” (Matt 28:18) Not some. Not partial. All. Every elohim knows it. Pentecost: The Nations Are Reclaimed Pentecost is not a random holiday. It is the reversal of Babel. At Babel: God divided the nations. At Pentecost: God reunites them under Christ. Tongues are not a charismatic party trick. They are a military signal: Messiah is taking back the nations once ruled by the gods. The nations previously under the administration of lesser elohim (per Deut 32) are now hearing the Gospel. The gods are losing territory. Their reign is ending. They bow because they cannot stop the Kingdom. The Early Church: Living Proof the Gods Have Fallen Why did exorcism continue as one of the most expected signs of the Kingdom in the early church? Because the church is the embassy of the new King. Wherever Christians go, idols fall. Wherever the Gospel goes, the gods lose jurisdiction. Wherever the Spirit goes, the rival powers retreat. Paul says: “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers…” We wrestle. But we win. Because Christ sits above them. Because the gods have bowed. Because their authority has been broken. The Christian is not fighting for victory. The Christian fights from victory. What It Means Today Your Struggle Is Not Psychological Only, But Cosmic. This theology is not academic. It is not theoretical. You feel it when: • you wrestle with generational patterns • you feel spiritual heaviness over a city • you encounter idolatrous systems • you meet people tormented by dark forces • you confront the demonic in addiction, hatred, or oppression You are not dealing with cartoons. You are dealing with spiritual powers,  lesser elohim ,  who resist the rule of God. But the good news is the same: Jesus already made them bow. He is Lord. They are subject. You belong to the King. The Final Scene: Every Elohim Will Bow in Judgment Psalm 82 ends with the death sentence of the gods: “You will die like men…” This is not a metaphor. They will lose their immortality. They will be judged. They will be cast down permanently. Revelation shows the end: • The dragon cast into the lake of fire • The beast destroyed • The false prophet judged • The nations reclaimed • The New Jerusalem ruling over all Christ reigns. Humanity ,  redeemed, resurrected, glorified ,  rules with Him. The gods that once oppressed humanity are gone. The Kingdom is restored. Eden is restored. The world is restored. And Yahweh alone is worshiped. Conclusion: Jesus Is Not Exorcising Demons — He Is Expelling gods We have read the Gospels as if Jesus were doing small things. But He is doing the biggest thing imaginable. He is unseating the spiritual rulers of the world. He is taking back the nations. He is forcing the gods to kneel before Him. Every exorcism is a coronation. Every healing is a sign of a new Eden. Every word He speaks echoes through the unseen realm. The gods bow because they must. The gods bow because they fear Him. The gods bow because He is Yahweh in flesh, and He has come to reclaim His world. And today? They still bow. Because Jesus Christ is Lord  of heaven, of earth, and of all the elohim. Seeing the connection between Old Testament elohim and New Testament demons reveals the cosmic scale of Jesus’ authority. Amen. © 2026 Jeff Barlatier (Doctoral Candidate)MDiv candidate Want more content like this? Explore more articles in Rethinking Doctrine. Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.

What Scripture Says About Alien Encounters The conversation around UAPs and alien encounters is louder than ever, and most of it completely ignores what Scripture has to say. Debra Hodges connects the dots between what people are experiencing and what the Bible has been telling us all along. This one is worth your time. Introduction The Internet and YouTube, especially, are full of content on end-times Bible prophecy, which includes intense accounts of spiritual warfare and great deception. A lot of people are interested in extraterrestrial aliens these days. The U.S. government now has an office that investigates UAPs (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) called The AARO (All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office). The DoD released the “FY24 Annual UAP Report,” covering over 1,600 UAP incidents occurring from May 2023 to June 2024. This report attributed most of the sightings to balloons, drones, or atmospheric phenomena. Some of the cases remained unexplained, but the report confirmed that no evidence of extraterrestrial life or technology had been found. Background As Christians, we already know from the Bible that another dimension to reality exists, a spiritual dimension, containing both benevolent and malevolent beings. Scripture affirms that humanity is not alone, but it does not describe non-human intelligent beings as space aliens. Instead, the Bible speaks of: Angels and Fallen Angels (Psalm 82; Daniel 10) Demons with intelligence and intent (Mark 1:23–26) Supernatural beings capable of physical manifestation (Genesis 6; Job 1) Scripture repeatedly warns that deception will increase toward the end of the age: “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14) End-times deception will include lying signs and wonders (Matthew 24:24) Some people in modern society assume that extraterrestrial life exists and that it will be discovered eventually. How should we respond to their assumption? Should we try to argue them out of their belief? That would be an exercise in futility. Using Scripture, we can defend our view of alien encounters as encounters with beings from the demonic realm. The “Aliens = Demons/Fallen Angels” View Christian authors such as Hugh Ross (astrophysicist), Chuck Missler (Bible teacher and former Navy engineer), and Michael Heiser (PhD biblical scholar) all agree that the best explanation for people claiming to have experienced alien encounters is demonic deception. The following examines their reasoning for this claim. Chuck Missler emphasized that the Bible presents a multi-dimensional reality in which spiritual beings operate in invisible realms. “The Bible is a book about a supernatural reality that intersects our own. UFO phenomena fit better into an interdimensional model than an extraterrestrial one.”— Chuck Missler, Cosmic Codes He claims that UFO behavior, such as the sudden appearances and disappearances of aircraft that defy the laws of physics, is incompatible with interstellar space travel but consistent with interdimensional beings. This category aligns with biblical descriptions of angels and demons. “Angels are not constrained by time, space, or mass in the way physical creatures are. UFOs exhibit similar properties.”— Chuck Missler, Alien Encounters Hugh Ross argues that deception is the dangerous hallmark of demonic activity. He says that in our scientifically advanced culture, spiritual beings presenting themselves as “aliens” is far more believable than believing they are evil demons. “Given the Bible’s description of demons as deceptive beings, it makes sense that they would appear as technologically advanced extraterrestrials rather than as mythological creatures.”— Hugh Ross, Lights in the Sky & Little Green Men Hugh Ross has investigated many alleged alien encounters and noticed an unusual detail: many people reported that their encounters stopped when the name of Jesus Christ was invoked. Ross also noted that supposed alien encounters were strikingly similar to cases of demonic oppression. Sleep paralysis and immobilization Telepathic communication Sexual or reproductive themes Psychological trauma Obsession or fear following encounters “There are documented cases where calling upon Jesus immediately ended the experience — something difficult to explain if these entities are merely biological creatures from another planet.”— Lights in the Sky & Little Green Men Dr. Ross writes about how UFO/UAP phenomena exhibit characteristics of an interdimensional reality and states in his book “Lights in the Sky and Little Green Men”: UFOs are often reported to: Appear and disappear suddenly Pass through solid objects Defy known laws of physics What Messages Do These Entities Communicate? People who say aliens have abducted them or have had some contact with non-human intelligent beings say the encounters have the following themes in common. Humanity is evolving beyond Christianity Jesus was merely an enlightened teacher Sin and judgment are outdated concepts Advanced beings are genetically engineered humans L. A. Marzulli, an American author and documentary filmmaker, is best known for his work researching UFO/UAP phenomena and supernatural claims. He uses this research in his interpretation of Bible prophecy and states that the messages conveyed in alleged alien encounters directly contradict the gospel, thereby revealing the source. This aligns with biblical warnings that false spirits will seek to undermine core Christian doctrines (1 John 4:1-3). “The message is always the same — deny the deity of Christ, deny salvation through the cross, and replace it with a counterfeit narrative.”— L. A. Marzulli, On the Trail of the Nephilim Marzulli and Missler both agree that aliens are the perfect end-time disguise, ideally suited to today’s society. Marzulli connects this directly to end-times prophecy, suggesting UFO disclosure by authoritative sources could be used to explain away events such as the Rapture. “Aliens may become the ultimate explanation for biblical prophecy in a world that rejects God.”— L. A. Marzulli, Days of Chaos Dr. Hugh Ross stresses that the goal of this deception is not curiosity, but the erosion of Biblical authority. This is clearly in line with Satan’s character and plans. Conclusion These authors emphasize that, rather than living in fear, Christians should practice discernment and avoid sensationalism. They advise Christians to: Test the spirits (1 John 4:1) Anchor understanding in Scripture Avoid being fascinated by signs apart from Christ The idea that aliens may actually be demons or fallen angels in disguise is a sound argument held by respected Christian thinkers and supported by Biblical narratives. Scripture reminds believers that the greatest threat is not out there somewhere among the stars, but spiritual deception close to home. For Christians, the ultimate question is not “Are we alone in the universe?” The Bible already answers that. The real question is: Whose voices will we trust? © Debra Hodges First published in the Mustard Seed Sentinel on Medium. Recommended Reads: Does the Bible Talk About Aliens? Why the Real Question Is "Are Aliens Demons" Why the modern alien obsession is really a definitions problem, and how Scripture reframes the question entirely. Old Testament Elohim and New Testament Demons: The Powers Jesus Confronted The word study behind it all, how elohim and daimonia describe the same spiritual beings across both Testaments. Hidden in Plain Sight: Recognizing Demonic Influence Today What it looks like to recognize that same demonic activity hiding in ordinary, everyday life right now. Resources Hugh Ross — Lights in the Sky & Little Green Men Chuck Missler — Alien Encounters, Cosmic Codes L. A. Marzulli — On the Trail of the Nephilim, Days of Chaos, The Watchers series

What Scripture Says & How to Stay Anchored There are few words in Scripture that sound as sobering as apostasy. It’s not a term we use often, yet the Bible treats it with deep seriousness. Apostasy means a deliberate, intentional departure from the faith. It’s not a moment of doubt, not a season of spiritual dryness, not confusion or weakness. It is a willful turning away from truth once known, a rebellion of the heart that chooses deception over devotion. The warnings about apostasy are not meant to frighten believers but to anchor us. They remind us that truth is not fragile, that Christ is faithful, and that the Spirit is not silent. God’s people are not helpless in the face of deception. He equips us to stand firm, even when the world around us drifts. Reality of Apostasy Scripture tells us that a great falling away will precede the return of Christ (2 Thessalonians 2:3). It will be a time when truth is rejected, when the man of lawlessness exalts himself, and when deception spreads like wildfire. The word “falling away” describes an active rebellion, not accidental, but intentional. Hebrews 6:4–6 gives a sobering picture of those who have tasted the goodness of God and yet turn away. It’s not that God refuses forgiveness; it’s that the human heart can become so hardened that repentance no longer seems desirable. Apostasy begins not with denial but with a slow, subtle drift, a movement away from truth until the heart no longer feels the pull of conviction. Nature of Deception The Bible repeatedly warns, Do not be deceived. Deception is the enemy’s oldest weapon. It questions God’s Word, elevates self as the authority, promises spirituality without repentance, redefines sin, disconnects believers from the church, and minimizes or replaces Christ. Jesus warned in Matthew 24:4–5 that many would come claiming His name, offering ideas that sound like Him but are not rooted in His Word. Paul cautioned in 1 Corinthians 6:9–10 that sin cannot be redefined to fit culture. In 1 Corinthians 15:33, he reminded us that bad company corrupts good morals. Galatians 6:7 warns that we reap what we sow, and Ephesians 5:6 exposes empty words: spiritual talk without substance. The pattern continues: 2 Thessalonians 2:3–12 describes the great deception that comes when truth is rejected. 1 Timothy 4:1 warns of counterfeit spirituality and deceitful spirits. James 1:16 reminds us that trials do not mean God is untrustworthy, and 1 John 3:7 affirms that holiness still matters, that true faith transforms behavior. All deception has one thing in common: it replaces God’s truth with human reasoning. It whispers, “Did God really say?” and invites the heart to trust feelings over faith. It Begins in the Heart Before apostasy ever becomes visible, it begins quietly within. The heart grows vulnerable through hurt, pride, or betrayal. Hypocrisy wounds deeply, and disappointment can harden the spirit. Desire reshapes doctrine when lifestyle choices become more important than obedience. Confusion arises from spiritual noise and competing worldviews. Temptation, loneliness, and isolation pull believers away from community. Influence plays a powerful role. Friends, teachers, and social media voices can sway the heart. Even spiritual hunger, when misdirected, can lead to deception if it seeks meaning apart from Christ. The drift begins long before denial. That’s why Scripture calls us to guard our hearts, for from it flow the springs of life. Standing Firm God does not leave His people defenseless. He gives us anchors to hold us steady when the winds of deception blow. Anchor #1: Scripture — Truth is the antidote to deception. Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them by the truth; Your Word is truth” (John 17:17). Steady reading strengthens the soul, and God’s Word anchors both mind and heart. Anchor #2: Discernment — Hebrews 5:14 teaches that discernment grows through practice, obedience, and testing everything by Scripture. It’s not automatic; it develops as we walk faithfully with God. Anchor #3: The Holy Spirit — John 16:13 reminds us that the Spirit guides into truth, convicts, protects, and illuminates Scripture. He is our internal compass, pointing us back to Christ when confusion clouds our way. Anchor #4: The Church — Ephesians 4:14–16 and Hebrews 10:25 show that community stabilizes and fellowship strengthens discernment. We are not meant to stand alone. The body of Christ helps us stay grounded and accountable. Anchor #5: The Gospel — The Gospel keeps Christ central. Every false teaching either replaces, reduces, or reimagines Christ. The cross must remain at the center of our faith, reminding us that salvation is by grace through faith alone. Standing firm is not complicated, but it requires consistency. Read one chapter of Scripture daily. Pray short, simple prayers throughout the day. Keep worship music playing to fill your heart with truth. Stay in fellowship and community. Ask questions when something sounds “off.” These small habits build spiritual strength and keep the heart anchored. Final Encouragement Apostasy is a real threat, but believers are not helpless. The truth of God is not fragile. Christ is not threatened. The Spirit is not silent. And God’s people are not alone. We stand firm because the Shepherd is faithful, and He will keep us. The same grace that saved us will sustain us. The same truth that called us will preserve us. The same Spirit that convicted us will guide us home. As Philippians 1:6 reminds us, He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion. So do not be deceived. Do not drift. Stand firm in the truth. The world may shake, but the Word of God stands forever. © 2026 Randy DeVaul, MA. Want more content like this? Explore more articles in Rethinking Doctrine. "Apostasy in the Bible is not the final word for those who stay anchored in Christ, because the same God who warned us is the same God who keeps us." Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.

Spoiler alert! If you haven’t seen this movie yet and you want to, you may want to skip this article, because I’m going to talk about several scenes in it. Spielberg’s new film, released to the public the same day that the Pentagon released a new set of declassified UFO files, is meant to capitalize on public interest and suggest that humanity is on the verge of “first contact”. The declassified material offers no proof of alien life or craft but leaves it to the public to make up their own minds about extraterrestrial life. [1] Background The movie capitalizes on modern society’s UFO anxiety and some people’s suspicions that aliens and their craft have been discovered, and the government has been hiding this evidence for decades. The movie suggests that aliens seeded life on Earth and emphasizes how this knowledge would affect people’s faith and humanity’s place in the universe. It also includes scenes where a man and a woman are shown remembering when aliens abducted them as children and imparted advanced knowledge to them. The young girl develops an extreme capacity for empathy, and the young boy gains an extreme knowledge of mathematics, which Hugo (the main character’s spiritual guide and protector) describes as “the language of the universe.” Unrealistic Scenario The boy (Daniel) grows up and works for a shadow government contractor, “Wardex,” who has been capturing and experimenting on live aliens for decades. He wants to expose them for covering up this evidence because he believes the public “has the right to know”. He steals highly classified documents and goes on the run. The girl (Margaret) grows up in Kansas City and becomes a TV meteorologist. She eventually meets up with Daniel, where he shows her footage of aliens being experimented on to get her to agree with his plan of exposing Wardex. The footage shows an alien screaming in agony throughout the procedure, which makes no sense, considering how advanced the aliens are supposed to be. If they were that advanced, they surely would have worn a medical tag around their neck listing the type of anesthesia they could tolerate in an emergency. An Old Lie Repackaged as Truth Disclosed The movie suggests that these advanced aliens desire to give humanity this advanced knowledge to usher in a new age of enlightenment and enable people to be like gods. What does this sound like to you? To me, it echoes the same lie the serpent told Eve in the garden, “You will be like God” (Genesis 3:5, BSB). The film subtly suggests, through science fiction, that the Creator of the universe can be replaced by aliens with godlike powers. Christians have known for centuries that we are not alone in the universe. The entire Bible speaks of another realm existing, replete with spiritual beings who, like humans, have free will to choose good or evil. Many Christians believe that aliens are actually demons doing Satan’s bidding, who are doing a good job of perpetrating this deception. For more proof of this, please see my article “Aliens or Demons?” Interstellar Travel Is Not Routine In several scenes, you see footage of crashed alien spaceships and live aliens, making it seem like interstellar travel is as routine as taking the subway to work. But real science makes it clear that the vast distances between stars make reaching them impossible. Research shows that the fastest rockets we have can probably reach up to 150,000 miles per hour. At that speed, it would take astronauts about 72,000 years to reach Alpha Centauri, the nearest star to our sun. [2] Science fiction writers imagine we could reach the stars via wormholes, but there’s no scientific proof that they exist or that travel through them would be possible. [3] Humanity’s longing for space exploration may simply be a manifestation of our longing to be with our Creator, because as the Bible says: "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end" (Ecclesiastes 3:11, NIV). Unidentified Does Not Mean Alien For years now, no verified proof of alien spacecraft or extraterrestrial beings has been produced. Recently released declassified information about UAPs (unidentified aerial phenomena) only shows that these sightings are unidentified, not extraterrestrial. This film attempts to exploit these government disclosures to persuade people that aliens have already contacted humanity. This film may stir people up to think we’re missing out on advanced knowledge due to a supposed intentional cover-up of the evidence. In reality, the supernatural is real because God is real. So what is behind all these reports of alien encounters and abductions? The Bible explains that demonic beings can deceive humanity by appearing as higher beings offering forbidden knowledge. For Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14, BSB). This film glorifies the idea that it’s the aliens’ job to enlighten humanity with a counterfeit gospel of cosmic knowledge and evolution. That’s why Jesus said, See to it that no one deceives you (Matthew 24:4, BSB). And that’s why Paul warned us not to let the gospel of Christ be replaced with another gospel. "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: which is not another, but there be some that trouble you and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed" (Galatians 1:6–9, KJV). Conclusion Disclosure Day is full of action, visually stimulating, and emotionally stirring, but it’s definitely spiritually misleading. It feeds people’s egos by giving them hope for the betterment of mankind through extraterrestrial beings rather than the true source of light and truth, Jesus Christ. People need to see that the truth about mankind and its future has already been disclosed to us; the Bible records this disclosure from cover to cover. In it, God revealed the truth about Himself, about us, and about His plan of redemption to secure our eternal destiny. Aliens have not and never will save us. Our salvation has already come in the person of Jesus Christ, the Light of the World (John 8:12, BSB). © 2026 Debra Hodges. Want more content like this? Explore more articles in Culture & Faith. Want to dig deeper into this topic? "Aliens or Demons? A Biblical Look at What's Really Affecting Us" The government is releasing files. But are they telling us the whole story? Here's what Scripture says is really behind it all. "Does the Bible Talk About Aliens? Why the Real Question Is 'Are Aliens Demons'" Little green men might be Hollywood's invention, but the Bible has been talking about "aliens" all along, just not the way you'd expect. References 1. Pentagon begins releasing new files on UFOs and says people can “make up their own minds.” (2026, May 8). PBS News. 2. StenBlog. (2024, December 4). How long would it take to get to the nearest star? | Sten’s Space Blog. 3. News. (2024, October 15). Interstellar Space Travel: But why not dream? Mind Matters. 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Choosing Your Faith If God loved us before the foundations of the earth, why is it up to us to accept that love? Why do we have to choose what He has already offered? And why would someone be condemned for refusing a love they cannot fully understand? God left it as a choice, but is it fair to judge those who struggle to accept what they have never known? Even those of us who are in Christ do not always fully understand what we have received through Him. If someone like me, who was born and raised in a Christian home, is still trying to understand God’s grace and love, can we truly blame those who grew up never hearing about Him? This question bothers me because where we are born is not something we choose. God allows each of us to enter this world in different places, families, cultures, and circumstances. Scripture tells us that God’s purposes prevail (Proverbs 19: 21). So then, is it a mistake for someone to be born into a different faith tradition, whether Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, or another belief system? If God is sovereign and all-powerful, why not determine our origins in a way that gives everyone the same starting point? Why not place everyone in the same environment and with the same understanding before we enter this world? But that is not how life happens. We arrive with much of our understanding already shaped by the places and people we are born into. Before we can think, question, or choose, we are introduced to the beliefs of our families and communities. Prayers are spoken over us. Traditions are practiced around us. Values are taught to us. All of this happens while we are still unaware, waiting to enter the world. Then we arrive. We are taught what our loved ones believe. We are guided by the faith, culture, and experiences that surround us. We did not choose our starting point; it was given to us. As we grow older, some people begin to question, some deepen their faith, and others search for something different. Then there are those who are never introduced to faith at all. At some point, they encounter the gospel and are asked to consider something completely new. They are invited into a relationship with God without the same foundation that others may have received from childhood. As Christians, we believe the Holy Spirit is the One who convicts and guides people as they respond to God. While writing this, I was tempted to discuss whether we can know with complete certainty that one religion is better than another. Every person has experiences, evidence, traditions, and encounters that shape what they believe. These things influence how we understand the world and where we place our faith. But even as Christians, we experience moments of uncertainty. There are days when I question God, when I wonder where He is, and when trusting Him feels difficult. I believe this is part of the human experience. Faith, by its nature, requires trust in what we cannot fully see. Absolute certainty is something we often desire but rarely possess. This is why faith matters. We choose to believe even when we cannot see everything clearly. Sometimes it is difficult to look beyond the physical and trust the spiritual. Yet we continue because we were created with a longing for something beyond ourselves. As people from different backgrounds, denominations, and beliefs searching for meaning beyond this life, none of us has the answer humanity is looking for. Pointing at one another, judging one another, and trying to determine another person’s worth does not bring us closer to the truth. I do not believe God created us to spend our lives condemning one another. We are called to love because we were first loved by Him. This is the command Christ gave us. Without love, our lives become a constant attempt to prove that we are right and others are wrong — something we cannot do with perfect understanding. When I think about all the countries and places I could have been born into, I see myself as a small piece of a much larger puzzle. But every piece matters. Without you or me, the picture is incomplete. So whether our faith looks the same or different, our responsibility is to give what we have been given: love, compassion, kindness, and grace. I do not know how this piece ended up talking about peace and togetherness. That was not where I thought it would go when I started writing. But maybe that is the point. When we truly begin to understand God’s love, we become less focused on proving ourselves and more focused on loving others. Because the God who loved us before we knew Him calls us to love one another. © 2026 Sabina Kumi. Want more content like this? Explore more articles in Culture & Faith. "Choosing your faith is one of the most personal journeys a person can take, shaped by everything you have lived and everyone who has loved you." Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.