The Bible is Clear: UFOs Exist

(Don’t forget to sign up to receive all of my blogs and updates automatically–simply click here and never miss an article!)

A short time ago, I happened upon only the second UFO I have ever personally witnessed. The object was an extremely bright light that would disappear and reappear in an instant. It would also jump great distances very quickly. There was no trace of man-made vehicles or debris anywhere in the area: just the lights. My wife and daughter saw this as well, as did many other people in the surrounding area. You can verify this here.

I saw my first UFO twenty-five years ago, as a child, while on vacation at Lake Erie. My entire family saw it—a circular object with lights, which hovered in one spot for hours until it utterly vanished. I have seen other objects/phenomena that may well have had an otherworldly origin, but nothing I feel strongly enough about to classify as such.

I know full well that many people do not believe in UFOs. I can understand the hesitation, even though the evidence is very strong in favor of their existence. That will likely be for another blog, however. For now, I am more interested in what the Bible says about the issue. I have come to find that deeply religious people are often more opposed to believing in UFOs than any other group.

This really puzzles me, because the Bible has quite a lot to say about the matter. More than that, it is pretty clear on what it offers.

The two Hebrew words we often translate as “chariot” are rekeb and merkabah. Rekeb, and its variants, is used a substantial 120 times in the Old Testament. Merkabah, and its variants, is used 44 times. When used, both words always make reference to an actual transportation device: a “vehicle,” if you will. In God Made the Aliens, I make the case that the term “chariot” is exactly equivalent to our “vehicle.”

We all know about the great chariots that the Egyptians used in chasing after the Jewish people during the Exodus. All the surrounding cultures had similar chariots, and most of the biblical references concern earthly transportation devices. It was the official term of the period for anything human beings rode in.

However, human beings were not the only intelligent entities who had chariots; these were not solely used to travel on the ground. In the case of the angels, chariots were flying vehicles. Don’t believe me? Let’s look at some examples.

Having royally frustrated the King of Aram (one of Israel’s enemies), the prophet Elisha and his servant found themselves surrounded by an Aramean army:

“Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, ‘Alas, my master! What shall we do?’ So he answered, ‘Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ Then Elisha prayed and said, ‘O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.’ And the Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (2 Ki. 6:15-17).

Just like that—and in a flash—the angelic army appeared!

Interestingly, this is strongly connected to Jesus’ statement to his apostles (that they should sheathe their swords) when the Roman soldiers came to capture him: “Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” (Mt. 26:53) The angelic army that Elisha and his servant saw was likely the same group Jesus was referring to.

Some time before Elisha and his servant saw the angels, the prophet Elijah—Elisha’s spiritual mentor—was taken away to heaven, with a “chariot” accompanying him (2 Ki. 2:11). The incredible event caused Elisha to cry out, “My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” (2:12)

Of course, most of us are aware that the prophet Ezekiel had an encounter with something strongly resembling a UFO. The account can be read here. Clearly, the prospect of spinning wheels, flashing lights, glowing metal, and plenty of fire (exhaust?), all allude to some type of flying craft. Throw the “four living beings” (pilots?) into the mix, and that conclusion seems inescapable.

Furthermore, both Isaiah 66:15 and Jeremiah 4:13 describe the Lord’s return with “fire” and “chariots.” David’s instructions to Solomon regarding how to construct the temple also involves these vehicles. 1 Chronicles 28:18 describes the cherubim on the ark of the covenant as being somehow connected to a chariot. The angels spreading their “wings” of course implies flight as well.  Visions of heavenly chariots also occurred, like in Zechariah 6:1-9.

What these otherworldly vehicles actually are, of course, remains somewhat of a mystery. However, we can have little doubt that they possess flying crafts of some sort. Prominent biblical figures saw them, wrote about them, and even physically encountered them. As the Bible explains things, they are real. Further, these crafts are tangible, just like the angels who pilot them.

It may be difficult for some of us to imagine that our most cherished text–one of the strongest foundations for belief in all the world–speaks about UFOs this way. But it does; it simply does. If we feel uneasy about this proposition, we can always close our Bibles and stop searching for the truth of the matter. That would be our only course of action, if we are going to believe in the Bible but reject what it says about otherworldly vehicles.

But that may not stop any of us from seeing a UFO–or should I say, a UFA (Unidentified Flying Angel)–as it hovers in the night sky, or streaks over our heads.

If you do happen to encounter one of these UFAs, kindly send my regards to the prophet Elijah.

If you found this interesting, please check out my other blogs on this site.

Looking for a new book to read? Click the links to check out my titles on Amazon: 

The Death Myth: Uncovering what the Bible Really Says about the Afterlife

God Made the Aliens: Making Sense of Extraterrestrial Contact

Spiritual Things: Exploring our Connection to God, the Angels, and the Heavenly Realm

References

Rossiter, Brian M. God Made the Aliens: Making Sense of Extraterrestrial Contact. Amazon, 2018.  https://www.amazon.com/God-Made-Aliens-Extraterrestrial-Contact-ebook/dp/B07JVCRV8D/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Strong’s Hebrew Concordance. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/