Do aliens exist? A Christian perspective.

Aliens are a hot topic these days with talks of government disclosures and a secret meeting involving U.S. military intelligence and several prominent pastors (See here). The question is, are aliens real? And if they are, how should we understand them as Christians, and what should our response be? I will include excerpts from a book I wrote entitled "Fallen: Legacy of the Watchers and Nephilim."

Do I believe aliens exist, as in non-human entities? Yes, but not in the way they are understood today. Strictly speaking, angels and demons could be classified as "aliens" as they are non-human entities. The Bible describes several such classifications, including seraphim and cherubim. So, clearly, there are other beings out there that God created besides humans. Some of which we know about and others that we may not know about. One particular entity of interest that the Bible does mention is the Watchers:

"Shrouded in mystery, the enigmatic figures known as Watchers have gone by many names in times past. In Genesis, they’re referred to as the “sons of God.” In the Book of Daniel and the Book of Enoch, their name is derived from an Aramaic word that means "those who watch" or "watchers." In the Second Book of Enoch, they’re called by the Greek word “Grigori,” which means to be "watchful" or "vigilant." To the Mesopotamians, they were the Apkallu. At other times, they’re identified as angels, holy ones, and elohim."

The Watchers are a distinction order of angels who are mentioned in Daniel 4. These Watchers were loyal to Yahweh (God), but there are other Watchers who rebelled against Yahweh. These Watchers are mentioned in the Book of Enoch:

"In the Book of Enoch, a group of 200 Watchers descended on the summit of Mount Hermon with a nefarious plot. They were led by the Watcher Semyaza  and consisted of 20 leaders who were chiefs over 10. Their intent was to forsake their original assignment and take human wives for themselves. No longer would they merely observe or instruct humanity, but they would actively corrupt them. Semyaza knew such an act violated God’s divine order and would come with a severe penalty. Fearing that he alone would have to bear those consequences, he made a pact with his fellow Watchers. On Mount Hermon, they sealed their fates together by agreeing that they would not abandon their plan. Mount Hermon became synonymous with this rebellious act and means “to cut off” or “forbidden.” The Watchers began to teach humans forbidden skills and knowledge that advanced humanity but also led to corruption and violence upon the Earth."

"The Book of Jubilees tells us the Watchers’ initial mission was just. God sent them to earth to instruct humanity in judgment, uprightness, and divine laws. This may have been God’s way of instructing humanity before He gave us the prophets and the Torah. In fact, Hebrews 2:5 says, “For He has not put the world to come [when Christ reigns], of which we speak, in subjection to angels,” suggesting there was a time before the flood when the world was administered by angels. Jubilees goes on to describe how these angels, or Watchers, descended to earth during the time of Jared, Enoch’s father, whose name in Hebrew means “descent” or “to descend.”"

So, you have an incursion of 200 Watchers who rebelled against God and interfered in the affairs of humanity. They took wives, possibly by force, and tampered with the genetics of humans and animals. They created a hybrid race of giants, part watcher, part human, that were violent in nature and corrupted God's divine order. This ultimately is what led to the Great Flood in Genesis. Contrary to popular belief, demons are not fallen angels or masquerading as aliens. The Book of Enoch says they are the disembodied spirits of these Nephilim giants:

"Because the Nephilim were born of the earth, they are intrinsically linked to it and are cursed to roam it until the great judgment and are permanently removed . Until then, they continue their existence as demons. As disembodied spirits, they still possess their earthly desires, such as thirst and hunger, but are unable to satiate them (1 En 15). Having insatiable desires that can never be fulfilled is a torment in itself and can be seen as another form of judgment inflicted upon the Nephilim."

To the ancient world, the Watchers must have seemed like gods. From our modern perspective, we would think of them as aliens. But really, they are an angelic order of beings who rebelled against God, violated their decree, and were judged harshly for it. Here is why I don't believe they are aliens from another planet:

"From a scientific perspective, the idea that aliens have visited Earth is problematic for several reasons. The first is the issue of distance. Even traveling at the speed of light, a physical impossibility, it would take hundreds, if not thousands, of years to reach Earth."

"The second major obstacle an alien race would encounter would be locating Earth in the first place. There are billions of galaxies in the observable universe alone, with sextillions of planets and stars. Finding Earth among them would be like finding one specific grain of sand in the Sahara Desert."

"There are other factors worth noting. Moving a spacecraft across such distances would require enormous amounts of energy, possibly beyond the capacity of known or theoretical technologies."

"It's the contention of the author that the Watchers were not extraterrestrial but rather extradimensional. In general, all angelic or supernatural entities could be classified as extradimensional beings. This is more plausible when examining the characteristics of legitimate UAP sightings."

It may be that we need to change our concept of what angels are and look like. We think of them as ethereal beings clothed in white, and the Bible does describe some that way. But there are different classifications of angels, and they're not all alike. Some, in fact, may be more corporeal than we imagine, like the angels that visited Abraham and Lot (Gen 18-19). They could be seen, touched, and even sat down and ate a meal. It is also entirely possible that some possess a form of technology that is "alien" to us.

The Watchers in Enoch are currently bound and awaiting judgment, but there's no reason to believe that there are not other rebellious Watchers out there, attempting to illegally trespass on earth once again. As Ecclesiastes 1:9 reminds us, "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun." I believe this also could set the stage for certain end-time events prior to Jesus' return and the great deception that is talked about in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12. Many will indeed fall away from the faith. But do not be deceived. If they suddenly reappear one day, they are not our saviors, creators, or our betters. They will have an evil agenda and will use humanity to their ends.

If you would like to read more about the Watchers and Nephilim, my book is available on Amazon.