The debate about what humans have seen and not seen in the skies is not new.
The interpretation has changed and not a long time ago but only recently. Since man kinds creation and fall into sin (as far as we know things), entities and apparent mechanizations have appeared and disappeared in the skies.
We forget in our busy harried lives that the world and sky around us and the area we call space is vast. There are many "things" in it, many things we know nothing about, can't see and will never see.
New species of animals/insects come and go on our earth without us ever knowing.
The objective open minded view will allow for things we don't know about or understand.
Since the reformation we as individuals have been indoctrinated into becoming world citizens with secularist views.
We are more narrow minded in many ways.
As Christians we say we believe what our creator has said in the Bible except when we won't!
We have selective beliefs. For example many Christians have become so secular/science oriented they dismiss Demons & Angels as folklore. Yet God has shown and stated that they were created and serve him in creation and on the earth.
So lets go right to Aliens/UFO's that have now become a mainstream obsession in our culture. In a society that has by and large abandoned God we need another savior. And we also need a easy button for this as Christianity requires a commitment to change our behavior, Christianity is to difficult.
The neo-pagan solution is "Alien Saviors". UFO religions are now present. In fact the new spiritual practice of CE5 promotes and instructs people how to attract and communicate with "Aliens". Totally unknown entities!!
My concern is that when we view "UFO's/Aliens from a purely secular and a scientific viewpoint we narrow our interpretation.
By allowing for Aliens and other entities to possibly be creatures called Demons in past ages we might help understand what is happening.
Could Aliens Also Be Demonic Entities?
Video from Logos Bible Software
"Dr. Michael S. Heiser explores the unexpected intersection between UFOs, alien abductions, the world of angels and demons, and the ancient texts that speak of them. Produced by Reuben Evans, Bob Pritchett Directed by Reuben Evans" from video introduction
God Can Create Anything
Objectively UFO's and even Aliens could be something other than Demons. In fact there could be other entities that God created He did not tell us about.
We should not be surprised and least of all as Christians.
Could some of these entities have evil intentions? Of course!
The Collins Elite Problem
Back in 2010 Nick Redfern wrote a book about "The Collins Elite". It I believe gave us a lot of information about this group. The name attributed to them is an unofficial name.
The following book review is from the website of Dr. Michael S. Heiser (Nov 27 2010). As many of you know Dr. Heiser has addressed this issue many times over the years. His opinions are valuable in giving us a Biblical analysis of these events.
Review of Nick Redfern’s Final Events
"Nick Redfern, Final Events and the Secret Government Group on Demonic UFOs and the Afterlife (Anomalist Books, 2010)
Well, I finally carved out some time to review Nick Redfern’s latest book. I’m hoping you all went ahead and bought it and read it during the wait (and despite the [deliberately?] cheesy cover). It’s worth a read since it will stimulate discussion in ufology. But as I said a few weeks ago when I first brought it to your attention on this blog, I have mixed feelings about it. My reservations are not related to Nick’s effort, but because of the content. I apologize ahead of time for the inordinate length of the review.
1. Content Overview
1.1. The Collins Elite and their Work
Primarily by means of informants whose true identities are concealed, Final Events tells the story of a secret government cabal called the Collins Elite (CE). The CE was formed in response to interest in the work of occultists such as Aleister Crowley and Jet Propulsion Lab co-founder Jack Parsons. The CE came to believe that the magical / occult activities of these two famous occultists possibly open portals between the human world and the “other side” allowing passage of evil, demonic entities into our world. The CE reached the conclusion that these releases (or transgressions) had explanatory power for the wave of UFO sightings in the late 1940s and which have continued to this day.
As the CE began investigating what they came to consider a cause-and-effect relationship between these entities, UFOs and, as time went on, alien abductions, the group began to pursue research into other paranormal issues that were also associated with alien contact and abductions: out-of-body experiences, the nature of the soul / consciousness, and life after death.
1.2. The Occult/Alien Endgame
Readers naturally wonder what the endgame is in this scenario, and the book doesn’t disappoint. Redfern’s information sources made it clear that the CE firmly believes that not only are the aliens who are thought by millions to be visiting earth and abducting people actually demons, but that these entities are controlling a process (involving humans) of disclosure. The goal of disclosure is quite sinister: to convince the public that ET life is real and that it has been in contact with humanity for some time. And this will of course make the idea put forth by wacky people of faith that aliens are demons look perfectly silly–when that is precisely what they really are. In order to meet the ET threat, or at least to stave off any deadly conflict, a new world order for global governance will have to be put in place. Evil demonic entities masquerading as aliens and wicked humans will run the new world order, thereby enslaving humanity. The alien goal is further described by the CE as the harvesting of human souls. That about covers it.
1.3. The Strategy of the Collins Elite
The CE is described as divided on what to do about all this. On one hand, there is a sense of urgency about stopping the enslavement of humanity and the soul stealing. Yet the CE has been afraid to publicize its findings, sensing that they would wreak social and spiritual havoc. Not only would an official government revelation that demons are real throw people into panic, but an announcement of the CE’s findings would amount to an endorsement of the Bible. End times hysteria on a massive scale would not be far behind. As a result of this predicament, Redfern details how certain members of the CE have in turn moved in the direction of doing all they can to re-establish what can only be called a Christian theocracy in the land. The logic here is that mass conversions would somehow result in a spiritual tide (of the right kind and moving in the right direction) to meet the demonic forces head on. (How that would *not* be Armageddon–or would be a better Armageddon — isn’t clear to me — but there’s a lot of thinking in the book that isn’t clear to me).
2. Content Analysis
2.1. The General Credibility of the Story
What can you say about a story that rises or falls on secret informants? Not a lot. Granted, the mode of information neither argues for or against the material. Nick of course knows this, and is up front about the nature of the material. Along the way, there are crumbs thrown here and there by his informants, mostly in the form of documents that affirm *pieces* of the narrative told by these mystery men — but those pieces tend to be quite innocuous and nothing surprising.. For example, there are documents that affirm that Jack Parsons had a top secret security clearance. Is that really unusual for the co-founder of JPL? There is documentation that the government was involved in having various occultists observed. Big deal. If you are watching Parsons you’re watching others associated with him. True, the intelligence community (and the CE) were interested in occult information and “abilities” — but that isn’t what we really need documented here. What we need is some actual data that shows a cause-and-effect relationship between these occult activities and UFO sightings and “alien abductions.” No such luck in that regard. This leaves me ambivalent toward the general credibility — an ambivalence that turns toward incredulity when I consider the “thinking” demonstrated by the CE.
2.2. Specific Problems
Ah . . . where to begin. There were a number of “this is silly” moments for me in the book with respect to the “research” of the CE. In my mind, the most disturbing thing about the book is that highly-placed insiders within the intelligence community could think so poorly — especially if they are Christians. Maybe I should stop being jolted by this, given that what passes for “serious” Bible teaching these days comes through folks who ought not be thought of as careful biblical readers much less biblical scholars. Think of it this way. The biggest non-fiction publishing sensation in the Christian orbit over the last decade was Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life. While I admire the intent, it’s pretty disturbing that a book whose message is that our lives have a purpose would rocket to bestseller status within the Church. Is it really that much of a revelation that the Bible says our lives have a purpose? Do people within the Church not know that? How could they miss it? Are Christians really that theologically illiterate? I guess the sales numbers answer that question.
2.2.1. Uncritical Assumptions About End Times
My illustration above was from the non-fiction world. The most successful fiction in Christian circles was of course Left Behind. How is it that millions of readers could simply absorb the ideas in Left Behind and have no idea that all its ideas derive from certain assumptions brought *to* the biblical text. Most Christians have no idea these ideas are *not* self evident realities in the Bible but only hold true if certain outright guesses are correct. Here’s a sampling of what I mean.
I ask again, are Christians really this theologically illiterate? Yes. And that includes those in the CE if the content of Final Events is any indication. Didn’t anyone in the CE ever really study eschatology? Aren’t they aware of how tenuous *any* position on end times really is? Did they not filter their “observations” and speculations through any other grid? Did they know any other grid even existed? If the Armageddon / Rapture position they cling to isn’t correct, what then? Was this given any thought at all? How might that position be used anyway to demoralize the Church even if it isn’t correct? Again, if the CE was so careless at analysis here, why should I trust anything else they’re thinking about? At least give some indication that end times has several possible scenarios (but maybe Tim LaHaye heads the CE!). At least Ray Boeche (a key contact person mentioned early in the book) is aware that there are issues here.
2.2.2. A Cartoonish Demonology and Human-Centered Theology
I’ve put my cards on the table (see these archived posts) regarding demons as an explanation for UFOs and alleged alien abductions before. I consider it one of several possibilities (with respect to abductions, not UFOs) and a minority explanation at that. Theologically, I accept the reality of God and a spiritual world. That means I accept the reality of what Christians call demons and angels — but most Christians’ grasp of what is actually said or not said about demons and angels bears little resemblance to the Bible — and it would be based on the English Bible anyway, not the original language texts. Think I’m overstating this? Try this out: Did you know that the word “demon” is only mentioned twice in the Old Testament and never in the context of a hell or underworld? Did you know that the Hebrew term used for “demon” has no parallel in other Semitic languages for a denizen of hell or an underworld? Did you know there are no instances of demonic possession in the Old Testament? And what about the word for “demon” (daimon) in the New Testament — it can be used of any spirit being, good or evil. There are also no biblical verses that call fallen angels demons. I could go on quite a while. My point here is that I wonder if the brain trust in the CE is even aware of any of this. My guess is that they aren’t. Again, why should I trust their thinking if they can’t get this much right? Why should I trust their intuition or whispers about documentation when they have a document right in front of them called the Bible that they haven’t paid close attention to?.." from the article: Review of Nick Redfern’s Final Events
Investigators Should Consider All Possibilities
Since all humans have bias we know that some UFO investigators will be biased one way of another.
Opinions are all over the map.
Indirect evidence of entities and craft in the air is overwhelming, it cannot be ignored.
My point is if investigators dismiss entities that have a track record. Entities that manifest themselves today in peoples lives. If they dismiss this possibility because of a bias against religion then we are not doing our due diligence.
So I encourage anyone who is investigating UFO's/Aliens to do some real research and see IF what we see before us and in the skies may be something else entirely.