Is there intelligent life on other planets?
Samuel Smith
23 Jan'19
5
LESSON 10
IS THERE INTELLIGENT LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS?
You are welcome to another edition of Insights from God's Word, a Bible study programme that is committed to sharing God's Word by allowing the Bible to speak for itself.In this edition, we continue with our series on Heaven. The topic for this study is: Is there intelligent life on other planets? This question has been a subject of interest for humanity throughout generations. Many have wanted to know whether there are some intelligent life besides the human race and whether it is possible to contact such beings.
Few centuries ago, quite a small number of secular people might have thought that there were other intelligent beings somewhere in outer space. But samples of better and clearer pictures of outer space taken with today's modern telescopes and other devices have convinced many about the possibility of other intelligent life somewhere within the vast expanse of the universe.
From the online page of Collective Evolution, we read the following: "One of the most popular questions today is, "Are we alone in the universe?" Believe it or not, you’re in the minority if you believe that absolutely no intelligent life exists outside of planet Earth. In the United States alone, at least half of all Americans say that we’re not alone in the universe. Fifty percent of Americans already believe that there is some form of life on other planets, while only seventeen percent believe there is not. A quarter of Americans believe that intelligent extraterrestrial visitors have already come to Earth and have been doing so for a long time.
Here’s one of them:
"Yes there have been crashed craft, and bodies recovered. We are not alone in the universe, they have been coming here for a long time." - Dr. Edgar Mitchell, Apollo 14 Astronaut, Air Force Captain, and Founder of the Institute of Noetic Sciences. (If You Think We Are Alone In The Universe - You Might Want To See This by Arjun Walia, June 20, 2014; www.collective-evolution.com)
From Dr. Brian O’Leary, Former NASA Astronaut and Princeton Physics Professor, we read the following: "There is abundant evidence that we are being contacted, that civilizations have been monitoring us for a very long time, that their appearance is bizarre from any type of traditional materialistic western point of view. That these visitors use the technologies of consciousness, they use toroids, they use co-rotating magnetic disks for their propulsion systems, that seems to be a common denominator of the UFO phenomenon." (If You Think We Are Alone In The Universe - You Might Want To See This by Arjun Walia, June 20, 2014; www.collective-evolution.com)
From Lord Admiral Hill-Norton, Former Chief of Defence Staff, 5 Star Admiral of the Royal Navy, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, we also read the following statement in relation to the UFO phenomenon: "There are objects in our atmosphere which are technically miles in advance of anything we can deploy, that we have no means of stopping them coming here … [and] that there is a serious possibility that we are being visited and have been visited for many years by people from outer space, from other civilizations. That it behooves us, in case some of these people in the future or now should turn hostile, to find out who they are, where they come from, and what they want. This should be the subject of rigorous scientific investigation and not the subject of ‘rubishing’ by tabloid newspapers." (If You Think We Are Alone In The Universe - You Might Want To See This by Arjun Walia, June 20, 2014; www.collective-evolution.com)
Friends, this scientific investigation is what the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the United States and other similar organisations across the globe have been trying to carry out. NASA for instance, has spent billions of dollars in an attempt to discover habitable planets and whether intelligent beings exist on these planets. From the online page of Huffington Post, we read the following about NASA’s expeditions:
"Just this year, NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope picked up on an Earth-like planet in the "habitable zone" of another star. At the time, the observation of the planet, Kepler-186f, was hailed as the first discovery of an Earth-size planet orbiting in the habitable zone of a star similar to our sun.
Scientists believe there are potentially many more Earth-like planets in the universe — and some of them could be home to alien life.
Astronomers think it is very likely that every single star in our Milky Way galaxy has at least one planet," Sara Seager, professor of planetary science and physics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said during the talk. "Sometime in the near future, people will be able to point to a star and say, ‘that star has a planet like Earth.’" (We Are Not Alone In Universe, NASA Scientists Say by Sara Gates, Jul 15, 2014 | Updated Jul 16, 2014; www.huffingtonpost.com)
Quite recently, NASA chief Scientist Ellen Stofan released the following information to the public: "I think we're going to have strong indications of life beyond Earth within a decade, and I think we're going to have definitive evidence within 20 to 30 years," ... "We know where to look. We know how to look," ... "In most cases we have the technology, and we're on a path to implementing it. And so I think we're definitely on the road." (Signs of Alien Life Will Be Found by 2025, NASA Chief Scientist Predicts by Mike Wall, Space.com Senior Writer | April 7, 2015 04:50pm ET)
From Ellen Stofan's statement above, it is clear that NASA is confident that we are not alone in the universe, and that within some few decades they will be able to discover life beyond our planet. That's a bold statement! And I do wish them well. But friends, I believe there is no need to spend the huge amount of money that goes into the search for habitable worlds and life beyond our earth. This is because within an ancient book called the Bible are all the answers that NASA and other similar organisations are searching for. In fact, the Bible supports NASA's position that we are not alone in the universe. Nevertheless, the detail the Bible presents about intelligent life outside our planet is totally different from what many Scientists think is out there.
The Bible actually presents two cases of "extra-terrestrial life" beyond earth. The first case is in relation to a place referred to as heaven, where the Creator God dwells with an innumerable host of angels (
The Bible clearly teaches that "extra - terrestrials" in the form of angelic beings from heaven have visited our planet on numerous occasions. Here are some few examples of angel visits to our planet:
i) An angel visits a young lady called Mary.
Supporting Text:
"26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women" (Luke 1:26-28).
ii) An angel visits a young lady called Hagar.
Supporting Text:
"7 And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. 8 And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. 9 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands" (
iii) An angel visits a priest called Zechariah.
Supporting Text:
"8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course, 9 According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense. 11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth" (
iv) An angel ministers to a prophet called Elijah.
Supporting Text:
"5 And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. 6 And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. 7 And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee" (
v) Angels brought good tidings about the birth of the Messiah.
Supporting Text:
"8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord" (
Friends, we can go on and on and on about angel visits. The Bible is so clear about the fact that intelligent beings called angels have been visiting our planet from outer space. These beings have been contacting us and trying to draw our attention to the Creator God Who loves us so much to the extent that He allowed His only begotten Son to also visit us from the centre of the universe (clothed in the garb of humanity) so that we can be redeemed from our sins, sorrows and death (
Beloved, besides the angels in heaven, the Bible also provide hints that God has actually created other intelligent beings who live in habitable worlds outside our planet. From the book of Hebrews, we read the following in relation to this point:
i) "1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, BY WHOM ALSO HE MADE THE WORLDS" (
ii) "Through faith we understand that the WORLDS were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear" (
In these texts, we obtain the biblical insight that God did not just create our world; He created other worlds as well. Moreover, from the book of Job, we obtain very special insights about the possibility of other worlds in the universe of God. Let us consider the evidence:
i) "6 Now there was a day when the SONS OF GOD came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. 7 And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it" (
ii) "1 Again there was a day when the SONS OF GOD came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD. 2 And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it" (
Beloved, from these two accounts in the book of Job, it is clear that unlike the angelic hosts who reside in heaven, these sons of God are representatives of other worlds who assemble for a council meeting in heaven from time to time. It is important for us to note that on the two occasions when the sons of God met the Father in heaven, Satan joined them. Now, based on the answer Satan gave to God as to why he came with the other sons of God (review
Satan was bold to identify himself with the sons of God, the representatives of the other worlds, because he viewed himself as the legitimate representative of our world. He had stolen the planet's dominion from Adam by tempting him to sin against the commandments of God (see
Friends, since it is clear from Scripture that Satan could present himself at those council meetings in heaven because Adam had fallen, we can safely assume that the other sons of God at those council meetings in heaven were actually the representatives of the worlds in the universe of God that have never sinned. This scriptural fact goes a long way to prove that we are not alone in the universe. There are other intelligent beings on habitable planets in the vast expanse of the universe. However, unlike the angels in heaven who have visited the human family from time to time, there is no hint in Scripture that the intelligent beings in the other habitable worlds have ever visited our planet. I believe that even though these intelligent creation of God may know a lot about us, they might have been cautioned by God not to interfere with anything on our planet because of our rebellion against the government of God.
And so beloved, in as much as I believe the increasing UFO phenomena in various countries is real, I actually do not think that these beings are intelligent beings from other planets who are trying to contact us. Rather, I believe that the UFO phenomenon is actually one of Satan's master plan to deceive the inhabitants of the earth through signs and wonders in these last days. I believe the UFO sign is nothing more than fallen angels or demons trying to masquerade as beings from other planets. And I believe strongly that as we approach the final hours of this earth's history, these beings are going to tell the world something soon that will lead many to accept the deceptions of Satan.
At this point in our study, someone is likely to ask this question: You have shown that the Bible is clear that there are other intelligent creation in the universe of God. Is it possible that humans will be able to contact them now? Friends, my answer to this question is a straightforward no. My reason for this answer is basically that our sinful condition has placed a lot of limitations on our powers of physique and intelligence. In our current condition, there is no way we are going to be able to contact these beings in outer space who may reside trillions of light years from our planet. I actually think that instead of spending billions of dollars every year in search of intelligent beings in habitable planets, we should rather channel our money into useful ventures such as feeding the hungry, clothing the needy, and providing better accommodation for the poor of our world. This is because irrespective of the fact that the issues I have mentioned above are more noble ventures, the Bible clearly teaches that our powers to accomplish such a feat have greatly been diminished because of sin. I believe that it is only after we have been redeemed from our current condition of sin that such an enterprise can be undertaken and successfully achieved. And friends, that will be after the second coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
STATEMENTS REFLECTING BIBLICAL PASSAGES: ELLEN G. WHITE'S COMMENTS ON HABITABLE WORLDS IN THE UNIVERSE OF GOD
1. "All heaven was waiting to welcome the Saviour to the celestial courts. As He ascended, He led the way, and the multitude of captives set free at His resurrection followed. The heavenly host, with shouts and acclamations of praise and celestial song, attended the joyous train.As they drew near to the city of God, the challenge is given by the escorting angels,--
"Lift up your heads, O ye gates; And be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; And the King of glory shall come in." Joyfully the waiting sentinels respond,--
"Who is this King of glory?" This they say, not because they know not who He is, but because they would hear the answer of exalted praise,--
"The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle! Lift up your heads, O ye gates; Even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; And the King of glory shall come in." Again is heard the challenge, "Who is this King of glory?" for the angels never weary of hearing His name exalted. The escorting angels make reply,--
"The Lord of hosts; He is the King of glory." Ps. 24:7-10. Then the portals of the city of God are opened wide, and the angelic throng sweep through the gates amid a burst of rapturous music.
There is the throne, and around it the rainbow of promise. There are cherubim and seraphim. The commanders of the angel hosts, THE SONS OF GOD, THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNFALLEN WORLDS, are assembled. The heavenly council before which Lucifer had accused God and His Son, the representatives of those sinless realms over which Satan had thought to establish his dominion,--all are there to welcome the Redeemer. They are eager to celebrate His triumph and to glorify their King.
But He waves them back. Not yet; He cannot now receive the coronet of glory and the royal robe. He enters into the presence of His Father. He points to His wounded head, the pierced side, the marred feet; He lifts His hands, bearing the print of nails. He points to the tokens of His triumph; He presents to God the wave sheaf, those raised with Him as representatives of that great multitude who shall come forth from the grave at His second coming. He approaches the Father, with whom there is joy over one sinner that repents; who rejoices over one with singing. Before the foundations of the earth were laid, the Father and the Son had united in a covenant to redeem man if he should be overcome by Satan. They had clasped Their hands in a solemn pledge that Christ should become the surety for the human race. This pledge Christ has fulfilled. When upon the cross He cried out, "It is finished," He addressed the Father. The compact had been fully carried out. Now He declares: Father, it is finished. I have done Thy will, O My God. I have completed the work of redemption. If Thy justice is satisfied, "I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am." John 19:30; 17:24.
The voice of God is heard proclaiming that justice is satisfied. Satan is vanquished. Christ's toiling, struggling ones on earth are "accepted in the Beloved." Eph. 1:6. Before the heavenly angels and the representatives of unfallen worlds, they are declared justified. Where He is, there His church shall be. "Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other." Ps. 85:10. The Father's arms encircle His Son, and the word is given, "Let all the angels of God worship Him." Heb. 1:6.
With joy unutterable, rulers and principalities and powers acknowledge the supremacy of the Prince of life. The angel host prostrate themselves before Him, while the glad shout fills all the courts of heaven, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing." Rev. 5:12.
Songs of triumph mingle with the music from angel harps, till heaven seems to overflow with joy and praise. Love has conquered. The lost is found. Heaven rings with voices in lofty strains proclaiming, "Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever." Rev. 5:13. ----------" - (Desire of Ages, pages 833-835; Capital Emphasis Added).
Friends, the Ellen White quote above provides us with a clearer insight that the sons of God we studied about earlier in the book of Job (review
Let us consider some more quotes from Ellen White on other worlds:
2. "The rabbis understood Christ's parable as applying to the publicans and sinners; but it has also a wider meaning. By the lost sheep Christ represents not only the individual sinner but the one world that has apostatized and has been ruined by sin. This world is but an atom in the vast dominions over which God presides, yet this little fallen world--the one lost sheep--is more precious in His sight than are the ninety and nine that went not astray from the fold. Christ, the loved Commander in the heavenly courts, stooped from His high estate, laid aside the glory that He had with the Father, in order to save the one lost world. For this He left the sinless worlds on high, the ninety and nine that loved Him, and came to this earth, to be "wounded for our transgressions" and "bruised for our iniquities." (Isa. 53:5.) God gave Himself in His Son that He might have the joy of receiving back the sheep that was lost." Christ's Object Lessons, page 190, 191
3. "The Lord has given me a view of other worlds. Wings were given me, and an angel attended me from the city to a place that was bright and glorious. The grass of the place was living green, and the birds there warbled a sweet song. The inhabitants of the place were of all sizes; they were noble, majestic, and lovely. They bore the express image of Jesus, and their countenances beamed with holy joy, expressive of the freedom and happiness of the place. I asked one of them why they were so much more lovely than those on the earth. The reply was, "We have lived in strict obedience to the commandments of God, and have not fallen by disobedience, like those on the earth." Then I saw two trees, one looked much like the tree of life in the city. The fruit of both looked beautiful, but of one they could not eat. They had power to eat of both, but were forbidden to eat of one. Then my attending angel said to me, "None in this place have tasted of the forbidden tree; but if they should eat, they would fall." Then I was taken to a world which had seven moons. There I saw good old Enoch, who had been translated. On his right arm he bore a glorious palm, and on each leaf was written "Victory." Around his head was a dazzling white wreath, and leaves on the wreath, and in the middle of each leaf was written "Purity," and around the wreath were stones of various colors, that shone brighter than the stars, and cast a reflection upon the letters and magnified them. On the back part of his head was a bow that confined the wreath, and upon the bow was written "Holiness." Above the wreath was a lovely crown that shone brighter than the sun. I asked him if this was the place he was taken to from the earth. He said, "It is not; the city is my home, and I have come to visit this place." He moved about the place as if perfectly at home. I begged of my attending angel to let me remain in that place. I could not bear the thought of coming back to this dark world again. Then the angel said, "You must go back, and if you are faithful, you, with the 144,000, shall have the privilege of visiting all the worlds and viewing the handiwork of God." EW 39, 40
4. "There, when the veil that darkens our vision shall be removed, and our eyes shall behold that world of beauty of which we now catch glimpses through the microscope, when we look on the glories of the heavens, now scanned afar through the telescope, when, the blight of sin removed, the whole earth shall appear "in the beauty of the Lord our God," what a field will be open to our study! There the student of science may read the records of creation and discern no reminders of the law of evil. He may listen to the music of nature's voices and detect no note of wailing or undertone of sorrow. . . . All the treasures of the universe will be open to the study of God's children. With unutterable delight we shall enter into the joy and the wisdom of unfallen beings. We shall share the treasures gained through ages upon ages spent in contemplation of God's handiwork.--Ed 303, 307 (1903).
5. "Unfettered by mortality, they wing their tireless flight to worlds afar--worlds that thrilled with sorrow at the spectacle of human woe, and rang with songs of gladness at the tidings of a ransomed soul. . . . With undimmed vision they gaze upon the glory of creation--suns and stars and systems, all in their appointed order circling the throne of Deity. Upon all things, from the least to the greatest, the Creator's name is written, and in all are the riches of His power displayed." --GC 677, 678 (1911).
Exhortation: In
"31 "Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, Or loose the belt of Orion? 32 Can you bring out Mazzaroth in its season? Or can you guide the Great Bear with its cubs? 33 Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you set their dominion over the earth? 34 "Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, That an abundance of water may cover you? 35 Can you send out lightnings, that they may go, And say to you, 'Here we are!'?" (
"By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth" (
In our next study, which happens to be the last in our series on Heaven, we will consider the topic: Heaven and the Reward of the Saints. The Bible study references for this study are
Stay blessed and keep shining for King Jesus.
Maranatha!
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