Aliens on planet Earth

As mankind has looked about our galaxy and even the universe, with telescopes and other aids such as space ships, one question has always remained and is still unanswered today: “Are there aliens or other kinds of beings on other planets?” If there are, the Bible doesn’t have anything to say about life existence on other planets or other worlds like our own. However, the Bible does from time to time use the word aliens, not to describe other life forms on other planets, but to describe certain types of people on this earth.

The word “alien”, used in the Bible, is not what we would think of at all about the word, but rather is used to describe someone belonging to another race or kind: being outside. This is used in a physical sense in Lamentation 5:2: “Our inheritance has been turned over to aliens, and our houses to foreigners.” The word “alien” used here describes those of another race of people, being foreigners. The Bible also uses the word in a spiritual sense in Ephesians 2:11-12, “Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh -- who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands -- that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.” The word here is used by Paul, when speaking to the Ephesians, about how they were once aliens in a spiritual sense, being without God. He goes on to say in vs. 13, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” We see here the transformation that these individuals had gone through, but not only here but also in vs. 19, “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.” We see here that these individuals were not aliens or foreigners anymore because they are now said to be members of the household of God, which would have reference to the church.

Sadly, not everyone is in this condition today, in fact, most of the people in this world aren’t members of the church. They are aliens and outsiders who need to be converted and added to the church. Our duty as Christians is not to be concerned with aliens on other planets, but to be concerned about the aliens on our own planet, looking for opportunities to teach them the gospel and convert them (Mark 16:15)!

Jonathan Glaesemann