Aliens and Scripture - 1

Aliens & Scripture – 1

John 10:14–16 (NIV84)

14“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—

15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.

16I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.

Some have erroneously inferred that the other sheep alluded to aliens.

Other misinterpretations include:

Jehovah’s Witnesses say there are two flocks of God’s people. “The ‘little flock’ in one-fold will rule with Christ in heaven, and the ‘other sheep’ in the other fold will live on the Paradise earth” (The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived, 1991, section 80).

Mormons believe the other sheep mentioned in this verse are displaced Israelites who migrated to America (Smith, 1975, 3:214).

The “other sheep” in John 10:16 are Gentile believers as opposed to Jewish believers. When Jesus said, “I have other sheep, which are not of this [Jewish] fold” (insert added), he was clearly referring to non-Jewish, Gentile believers.

The Gentile believers, along with the Jewish believers, “shall become one flock with one shepherd,” not one flock on earth and one flock in heaven (see John 10:16).

1 Corinthians 4:6 (NIV84)

6Now, brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not take pride in one man over against another.

The words and teachings of Scripture are ultimately sufficient and true. Truth is not dependent on the personality or charisma of those who teach. In the first century AD, the Corinthian church was full of many problems, they were listening to the words of their preferred leader more than they were to the words of Scripture itself.

To not go beyond what is written means to focus on Jesus and His Word above all else. It means to trust that the Bible has all the answers and truths we need to live a holy and pleasing life before God—we don’t need anything beyond what God has provided for us in His Word.

If we don’t adhere to what the Bible strictly says, it’s easy to go beyond what is written. Every time someone says,

“Speaking in tongues is the proof of salvation” or

“Christians shouldn’t own a television” or

“Mary is the mother of God,” that someone is going beyond what is written.

The Bible never says any of those things.

We must be able to tell where the Bible is descriptive versus where it is prescriptive. If we confuse description with instruction, we usually run into error. The Bible must be the final and ultimate authority for believers rather than the latest book, the newest cultural trend, or the most popular Christian speaker.

A passage is descriptive if it is simply describing something that happened, while a passage is prescriptive if it is specifically teaching that something should happen.

Is it a description or a command?

Is the passage describing something (it happened) or is it prescribing something (it should happen)?

The difference is important. When a biblical passage is only describing something but is interpreted as prescribing something, it can lead to errant thinking and behavior.

2 Timothy 3:14–17 (NIV84)

14But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,

15and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Sola Scriptura. (The Cambridge Declaration, formulated by the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals):

“We reaffirm the inerrant Scripture to be the sole source of written divine revelation, which alone can bind the conscience. The Bible alone teaches all that is necessary for our salvation from sin and is the standard by which all Christian behavior must be measured.”

Sola scriptura declares that the Bible is the one and only perfect measure God has given to us as our guide in matters of life and faith.

Sola Scriptura meant “the freedom of Scripture to rule as God’s word in the church, disentangled from papal and ecclesiastical magisterium and tradition.” It viewed the Word as supreme over tradition and the sacraments.

For the Reformers, sola Scriptura meant the Bible was the only divinely revealed word and therefore the believer’s true authority for sound doctrine and righteous living.

They understood the Word of God to be powerful, life altering, and wholly sufficient “for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16–17).

They rightly viewed God’s Word as the authoritative foundation for their Christian faith. They embraced the inerrancy, infallibility, and historical accuracy of Scripture without question, gladly submitting to its divine truth.

Most churches believe in such crucial doctrines as the Bible’s authority, inspiration, and inerrancy. However, few would believe and put into practice the doctrine of the Bible’s sufficiency. The evidence of this is visible in churches all around us.

Many churches no longer look to the Bible as being the key to evangelism. Instead, they put their trust in music, drama, outreach programs, and less imposing but more attractive church buildings.

When people do come to church, they are not challenged by the gospel.

Many churches no longer look to the Bible as their guide to counseling, opting instead to follow the latest methods of psychology. In so doing they deny that the Bible is truly sufficient to guide us in even these matters. And the examples could go on and on.

When we have rejected the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture, we allow Christians to depend on things other than the Bible as their guide to matters of life and faith.

People begin to depend upon mysticism, upon ways of supposedly knowing God apart from the Bible.

They forsake biblical reason in favor of feelings, voices, visions, or other subjective means of supposedly knowing God.

This is a deadly error, for spiritual discernment must be founded upon God’s objective revelation of himself in Scripture.

We can only judge between what is wrong and what is right when we know what God says to be true. We can know this only from Scripture.

Acts 17:11 (NIV84)

11Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

We need to examine the Scriptures before we make any assumptions as to the existence of any extra-terrestrial life.

Dr. Jason Lisle: Many secular scientists believe that one day we will actually discover life on other planets. There are even projects like the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) that scan the heavens with powerful radio telescopes listening for signals from intelligent aliens.

Many Christians have bought into the idea of extraterrestrial alien life. But is this idea really biblical? The Christian should constantly examine ideas in light of Scripture and take “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).

2 Corinthians 10:3–5 (NIV84)

3For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.

4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Psalm 115:16 (NIV84)

16The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth he has given to man.

Isaiah 45:18 (NIV84)

18For this is what the Lord says— he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited— he says: “I am the Lord, and there is no other.

God did not create the earth to be a waste place but created it to be inhabited (in contrast to all other planets).

Isaiah 40:28–29 (NIV84)

28Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

29He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

If intelligent physical life exists only on the earth, the question must be asked, “Why do countless stars and galaxies exist throughout the universe?

Many Christians have asked, “Why would God go to all the work of creating billions of galaxies and then put life on only one comparatively small planet?”

In answer to this question, it must be recognized, first of all, that it required no more exertion of energy for God to create a trillion galaxies than to create one planet.

Genesis 1:14–19 (AMP 2015)

14Then God said, “Let there be light-bearers (sun, moon, stars) in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be useful for signs (tokens) [of God’s provident care], and for marking seasons, days, and years; [Gen 8:22]

15and let them be useful as lights in the expanse of the heavens to provide light on the earth”; and it was so, [just as He commanded].

16God made the two great lights—the greater light (the sun) to rule the day, and the lesser light (the moon) to rule the night; He made the [galaxies of] stars also [that is, all the amazing wonders in the heavens].

17God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to provide light upon the earth,

18to rule over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good and He affirmed and sustained it.

19And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

The three stated purposes for the existence of the universe, as far as man is concerned, are:

signs,

a clock-calendar system, and

illumination by day and by night for earth dwellers.

God apparently considers these three basic purposes sufficient for the creation of the stellar universe, and therefore it is unnecessary to multiply reasons beyond God’s statement in Scripture.

Psalm 8:1–9 (NIV84)

1O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.

2From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.

3When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,

4what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?

5You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.

6You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet:

7all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field,

8the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.

9O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You can believe it or not. God made the vast universe, its vast expanse, to provide light on the earth for man. (See Genesis 1:16.)

“What is man that you are mindful of him?”

Man = אֱנוֹשׁ ‘enosh = man, humankind, mortal, with an emphasis on frailty.

it suggests the frailty, vulnerability, and finitude of “man” as contrasted to God; human frailty, weakness, mortality; fragile, mortal nature.

When biblical writers choose 'enosh, they often want readers to think:

humans are fragile

life is short

people are limited compared to God

(the son of) man = אָדָם ʾādām = man, human being; humankind, people, often in contrast to animals; “son of man” means a human being.

Humanity as a species; earthly origin; sometimes the individual Adam.

Genesis emphasizes 'adam because it is about humanity's creation and vocation.

Psalms and Job frequently use 'enosh when reflecting on suffering, mortality, or the greatness of God.

You are mindful of = זָכַר zākar = to remember: to keep in mind for attention or consideration.

to remember, call to mind; to name, mention; to make known; to profess, praise

remember, reflect on, commemorate

gracious attention that leads to care.

"What are human beings that they should occupy your thoughts and receive your ongoing care?"

What a marvel that the Creator of the vast heavens chooses to keep frail humanity continually in His loving attention!

Jeremiah 31:35–37 (ESV)

35Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the Lord of hosts is his name:

36“If this fixed order departs from before me, declares the Lord, then shall the offspring of Israel cease from being a nation before me forever.”

37Thus says the Lord: “If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth below can be explored, then I will cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done, declares the Lord.”

The main function of the sun, moon and stars, no matter how vast the heavens are with respect to earth, is simply to provide light for the earth and its inhabitants (Genesis 1:14–18).

The vast universe created by God is immeasurable. No one but God is able to measure it.

The Lord reminded the Israelites that He was the one who controlled the course of nature (not Baal). It operated regularly and within His set limits, as He promised Noah it would (cf. Gen. 8:22; 9:8–17). The sun and moon do not vary from their positions.

Fallen Angels and Aliens

1 Timothy 4:1 (NIV84)

1The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

Researchers from both Christian and secular backgrounds have noted that many alleged alien encounters are not merely physical events.

None of these claims have ever been verified by any mainstream scientific, academic, or historical institution.

While the experiences themselves—such as sleep paralysis, altered states, and telepathic sensations—are well-documented as psychological and neurological phenomena, there is zero verifiable evidence linking them to extraterrestrial life.

The messages these people received were distinctly anti-Christian or New Age that reframed Biblical events.

Colossians 2:18–19 (NIV84)

18Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions.

19He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.

The Gnostics prided themselves on special visions of secret things, which were not open to the eyes of ordinary men and women.

They thought that they had attained a height of holiness which enabled them to see what other people, who were considered to be inferior, could not see.

1 John 4:1–3 (NIV84)

1Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

2This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,

3but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

Spiritual beings can influence people; not every supernatural experience is from God.

1 Peter 3:21–22 (NIV84)

21and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

22who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.

We must always remember that no matter what comes our way, whether angelic or demonic, all angels, authorities, and powers are subject to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Where is Everybody?

Genesis 1:20-31 tells us what God created in the beginning.

Day 3: Plants

Day 5: Fish and Birds

Day 6: Land animals and Man

Every living creature God created is connected with the earth.

There are no statements in the Bible such as, “And God created living creatures upon the stars.”

Fermi Paradox: “Where is everybody?” Imagine walking into a city with millions of houses. If you expect many people to live there, but every house is dark, every street is empty, and no one answers the phone, you'd naturally wonder:

"If this place should be full of people, why don't I see anyone?"

That's essentially the Fermi paradox, but on the scale of the galaxy.

Scientists have found thousands of planets outside our solar system, and some appear potentially habitable, but there is currently no confirmed evidence of extraterrestrial life or intelligent civilizations.

What about UFOs?

What about redemption? How does it relate to aliens?

Next Week!!! (The Lord willing)