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UFOs as spiritual phenomena

D.S. from the U.S. sent in the following, directed to CMI–US CEO, Gary Bates, who responds below.

alien-spacecraft

Mr. Bates,

I am an “open-minded” pastor who was made fun of by my mentor because I was open to the idea that ufo encounters had demonic undertones. I myself encountered a spiritual issue with recurring blasphemous thoughts, something that many Christians do not understand much about (save John Bunyan who chronicles his trial in ‘Grace Abounding’). I totally get that alien and even ghost encounters are linked to the spiritual. It makes total sense. But, I can’t seem to wrap my head around the ship sightings like the ones that are currently being talked about in the media, like on 60 minutes. I read in your book (great book) that they have been doing this for centuries—flying canoes and the like. But I seem to need more examples of it, it feels like a missing chapter … I know the demons are able to mimic serpents, frogs and things… but ships defying physics?? I am embarrassedly perplexed here. I am so frustrated how so many Christians just ignore this, or simply accept they are from outer space. It makes it so hard to research what is really going on … feels a bit impossible. Thank you for taking this head on!

Hi Pastor D.,

Thanks for touching base. You have asked a good question that I have been asked many times and one that I also struggle with. It is clear that these ‘apparitions’, for want of a better expression, have changed their shape and form over the centuries. Of course, what are we looking at? That is the unknown question. These ships can leave traces on the ground but does it really mean that a real, physical metallic craft like a spaceship is being manifested? Without conclusive proof (we cannot capture one and test it, for example), my best guess is that they are somehow illusory while at the same time they can physically affect our environment. In other words, they are not really a craft, per se, but a spiritual manifestation that can also disguise itself or appear as something else.

I have two articles that cover this somewhat. I invite you to read them:

  1. Can spirits manifest physically?

This is a reply to someone who asked a very similar question. For example, in this article I wrote:

The Bible clearly records that spirits, as in angels, can appear physically, can interact physically with people and can affect our environment just as phenomena in the UFO realm. Some differing scriptural examples follow:

  • In Exodus 12:21–30 God sends His destroying angel or angel of death to kill all the first born in Egypt (except for those who followed His ‘immunity’ instructions). In 2 Kings 19:35 perhaps this same angel killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers.
  • In Genesis 18 Abraham sits down and prepares a meal for three visitors. They ate food so presumably they had stomach organs and digestive tracts, for example. What about the clothes they were wearing? Where did the materials come from?
  • In Genesis 19:11 we see two angels appearing physically as men in the account of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the angels have the power to strike men with blindness. And in Genesis 19:13 they state that they (the angels) are about to destroy the towns (obviously at God’s behest).
  • snake
  • In Exodus 7:9 Pharaoh challenges Moses and Aaron to produce a miracle. Moses is commanded by God to instruct Aaron to throw down his staff so that God would turn it into a serpent (presumably a snake). Then in Exodus 7:11–12 we read, “Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts. For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.” Many think that Pharaoh’s sorcerers conjured up an illusion but this cannot be so, because Aaron’s serpent swallowed the sorcerer’s serpent (note it says the sorcerers “did the same … and they became serpents”. Now, while Satan does not have the power of ex nihilo creation, I believe this is an example of where he and his minions possibly manifested as something distinctly different, yet physical, or somehow he has manipulated matter to appear as something different. This is speculation, of course, but all we can glean is that Aaron’s snake certainly did not swallow an illusion.

The above might provide some biblical examples of how such things might occur. Culturally, when we think of angels and spirits we tend to think of something ethereal only. My view is that this is not just the sum of what they are. They are both spiritual and physical. In fact, humans also possess these two characteristics. I think the difference is that both good and bad angels are able to manifest in their realm and in ours, whereas we are limited to our corporeal existence. And when they manifest in our realm, they seem to be able to alter our perceptions and even our physical environment somewhat.

Also, a bit tangential but you might be interested in:

  1. Are Ghosts Real?

If you haven’t watched the movie Alien Intrusion: Unmasking a deception, I would encourage you to do so. It has updated information in terms of the actual secular UFO researchers claiming the phenomenon is actually spiritual and even demonic. So this is no longer just a Christian point of view. You could point out to your mentor that it is the secular people saying this because of the actual evidence and the way it appears and interacts with us. It’s available as a DVD and you can now stream it from our site.

This has all become very relevant due to the government’s recent Congressional report on UFOs. See Prepare ye the way—the aliens are coming! Part two. Are we on the verge of a humanity-shaping announcement? Fox News’ Tucker Carlson has been reporting on this extensively.

This might be an opportune time to also expose your parishioners to all of this. Public screenings are available for churches and we are just about to drastically reduce the license fees so that churches can take advantage of this.

Also, if you’ve never had a speaker at your church, we would love to serve you. After severely curtailing our events of the last 12 months or so, our speakers are getting back on the road. Please feel free to contact our Events Department to discuss. We can also help you with the licensing issues.

I hope all of the above is of some use to you. Kind regards and let’s hope to catch up someday.

Blessings.

Published: 31 July 2021