What Does The Bible Say About Aliens? Seeking Extraterrestrial Life In Holy Scripture

The mystery of extraterrestrial life has fascinated humanity since ancient times. We peer into the night sky, strewn with myriads of stars, and ask ourselves: are we alone in the Universe? Some seek the answer in the dark depths of space, while others turn to ancient texts — first and foremost, the Bible. Are aliens mentioned in the Bible? Let’s find out.

Does The Bible Say There Are Aliens?

Before searching for traces of aliens on the pages of the Bible, let’s find out how the word “alien” was understood in those distant times. In modern English, “alien” means “intruder,” “visitor,” or “extraterrestrial creature,” but the latter version came into use in the second half of the 20th century, with the beginning of active space exploration. However, in the biblical context, the word has a different meaning.

What does aliens refer to in the Bible? In the Old and New Testaments, “alien” most often meant “stranger,” “foreigner,” meaning a person from another tribe or nation. In the Old Testament, this could be the name of the Israelites who lived in Egypt or representatives of other peoples who lived in Israel. For example, Abraham, who came to the land of Canaan, was an “alien” among the locals.

In the New Testament, the word “alien” also acquired a metaphorical meaning. Christians who aspire to the heavenly homeland are called “strangers” and “pilgrims” in this world.

What Is The Bible Verse About Aliens And Strangers?

Where in the Bible does it say aliens and strangers in this world? In the Old Testament, there is a direct commandment: to love the alien as you love yourself. “You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” (Deuteronomy 10:19)

“The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”¹ (Leviticus 19:34)

And this is what St.Paul says in the First Epistle, chapter 2, verse 11.

“Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.” (. English Standard Version). 

“Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul”. (New International Version).  

“Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.” (New American Standard Bible).

As we can see, the word ‘alien’ is mentioned in the Bible mainly in the context of spiritual or territorial alienation.

But there is another interesting verse. In the Epistle to the Hebrews, St. Paul writes: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.” (Hebrews 13:1-3) 

Is the Bible talking about aliens here in the sense of extraterrestrials? Of course, it sounds incredible, but let’s see where such theories come from.

What Creature Is Mentioned In The Bible?

The Bible describes many creatures – both earthly and heavenly. In addition to beast-like monsters, there are also intelligent human-like creatures, that could look like aliens – angels, demons, seraphim, cherubs, the Nephilim. As a rule, all these spiritual beings have supernatural abilities. And that’s where the most daring assumptions begin! Some researchers believe that these creatures may be… representatives of extraterrestrial civilisations!

The Book of Ezekiel describes a “chariot of God” vision — a complex mechanism with “living creatures” having four faces and four wings, emitting light and moving at incredible speed.

Ezek. 1:15-18: “I looked, and I saw beside the living creatures, one wheel upon the earth by each of the four faces of the living creatures. As for the appearance of the wheels and their construction, their appearance was like the gleaming of beryl. The four had the same likeness, their appearance and construction being as if they were a wheel within a wheel. When they went, they went in any of their four directions without turning as they went. And their rims were tall and awesome, and the rims of all four were full of eyes all around.”  

Symbolism In The Bible

Most theologians interpret this vision as a symbolic depiction of God’s glory and majesty. But some people, including UFOlogists, see these words as… a description of a ship with alien visitors! You’re telling now, “UFOs and the Bible? You’ve got to be kidding me!” But you must agree that the description is indeed similar.

Another example is the Nephilim (Giants) from the Book of Genesis (6:1-4). These are mysterious creatures born from the union of the “sons of God” and the “daughters of men.” Who are these “sons of God”? There is a version that they are extraterrestrial creatures who had intercourse with earthly women, resulting in the appearance of hybrids — the Nephilim. However, there are more traditional interpretations as well: the “sons of God” are the descendants of the pious Seth, while the “daughters of men” are the descendants of Cain.

Could Angels And Demons Be Considered “Aliens”?

Angels and demons, the most popular biblical creatures, are not described as inhabitants of other planets in the physical sense. They are from another dimension, from the spiritual world. But! They can appear and disappear, move instantly, and possess enormous knowledge and power… Does the Bible mention aliens in this case? You be the judge. The Scriptures are full of stories about people’s encounters with angels and demons, which can well be imagined as contacts with extraterrestrial beings. Here are some of them.

Lot and the Angels in Sodom (Genesis 19:1-22)

“The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground.” (NIV)

Two angels come to Sodom to lead Lot and his family out of the city before it is destroyed. The people of Sodom try to attack the angels, but they are blinded. The angels lead Lot, his wife, and two daughters out of the city, and then Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed with fire and brimstone.

Does the Bible speak of aliens by calling them angels? It is quite possible. Angels have supernatural powers (they blind attackers), know about the coming disaster, and have the ability to rescue people. Cities are probably destroyed by some powerful “weapon” that only a more advanced civilisation, i.e., an alien one, can possess.

Jesus Casting Out Demons (Mark 5:1-20)

“They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him.” (NIV)

Jesus casts out demons, who call themselves “Legion,” from a possessed man. The demons ask Jesus to let them enter a herd of pigs, and He allows them. The pigs throw themselves off a cliff into the sea and drown.

In alien interpretation, demons can be imagined as some form of extraterrestrial intelligence capable of inhabiting people and controlling their behaviour. And here one immediately wants to ask Sir Ridley Scott: was it not the Holy Scripture that inspired him when he came up with his famous Aliens franchise?

Does The Bible Mention Any Other Planets?

The mention of other planets could be a good argument in favour of the concept of aliens in the Bible as intelligent extraterrestrial beings. Still, the canonical Bible books mention nothing of the kind. The cosmology of biblical times was significantly different from the modern one. The Earth was perceived as the centre of the Universe, whereas the stars and planets were celestial bodies created by God to mark the time and send signs.

But! There are apocryphal texts, such as the Book of Enoch (Noah’s great-grandfather). It is not canonical in most Christian churches (except, for example, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church), but it contains amazing descriptions of the celestial spheres, the prophet Enoch’s travels to different parts of the Universe, his meetings with angels, and other heavenly beings. The book describes celestial storage sites, stars… and these descriptions go far beyond a simple geocentric (with the Earth at the centre) picture of the Universe.

“And I proceeded to a place where things were chaotic. And I saw there something horrible: I saw neither a heaven above nor a firmly founded earth, but ¹ a chaotic and terrible place. And there I saw seven stars of the heaven bound together in it, like great mountains and burning with fire.” (1 Enoch 18:12-13)

Let’s agree, the lines are impressive, especially considering that they were written in the 3rd-1st century BC. It’s no wonder that the Book of Enoch had a great influence on early Christian literature and on the ancient people’s ideas on how the cosmos works.

They’ve Definitely Been Here

So, are aliens mentioned in the Bible? In the interpretation as people of a foreign land or a foreign faith, yes. But you will not find answers on the existence of intelligent extraterrestrials in the Bible. For the Holy Scripture is not a book about science. It is about relationships, mistakes and wisdom, teaching how to correct these mistakes instead of repeating them. So, everyone is free to decide how to interpret these or those lines about aliens in the Bible, as well as everything else.

And the scientific question about space aliens remains open. But something tells us that they were here after all…

References And Additional Information:

• What Does the Bible Say about Aliens and Extraterrestrial Beings? https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/what-does-the-bible-say-about-aliens-and-extraterrestrial-beings.html
• ALIEN – Definition from the KJV Dictionary, https://av1611.com/kjbp/kjv-dictionary/alien.html
• Does the Bible Say Anything About Aliens and UFOs? https://www.askanadventistfriend.com/understanding-the-bible/what-does-the-bible-say-about-aliens/
• The Bible and the Question of Aliens https://newspaceeconomy.ca/2024/09/13/the-bible-and-the-question-of-aliens/
• UFO and Alien Encounters in the Bible https://www.thetorah.com/article/ufo-and-alien-encounters-in-the-bible-reconstructed-by-ai