Written by: Dr. Michael Jarvis
In June 2021, the US Pentagon released a report on previously classified sightings and videos by fighter jet pilots of unidentified flying objects (UFOs). The report refers to these observations as unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP). At least 140 observations show that these sightings are real, but remain unexplained. The objects travel much faster than any plane, change direction instantly, stop still, rotate, disappear instantly, and suddenly reappear. In February this year, due to the “tremendous interest shown”, the White House agreed to declassify relevant documents pertaining to UFOs, UAP, and extraterrestrial life. We anticipate these findings will be released over the next few months, which will definitely spark conversations in the Christian world.
What if these sightings are coming from another world?
I am not writing this article to try to convince you that we are being visited by “spaceships” from somewhere in the universe. My motive is to examine how you and I might react if this turns out to be true. Will it shake our faith in God or the Bible? While the Bible does not specifically mention extraterrestrial life, it does detail many supernatural phenomena and gives us wisdom to apply in our lives.
Do Christians believe in extraterrestrial beings?
Would God use “aliens” in “spaceships” to fulfil His plans for humanity and this world? We certainly do find evidence in the Bible for supernatural beings such as angels. Everything that exists was created by God. The Apostle John wrote, “Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:3). In Colossians 1:16 we read, “For by Him all things were created: things in Heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” We call things around us “natural” if we can see, touch, and understand them through science and human experience. Some things we do not understand we call “supernatural” – but to the Creator, all things are natural.
God is the creator of everything
If there are indeed supernatural beings visiting this earth in “vehicles” that behave in mysterious ways, these must also be part of God’s creation. He even created satan! The Bible has several examples of visitations by good angels, who were usually characterised as looking like men, but they appeared suddenly and could disappear in an instant, just like the appearances of Jesus after His resurrection.
Examples from the Bible
The Bible records at least two examples of visitations by mysterious “vehicles”. One is described by the prophet Ezekiel. In this case, the “vehicle” contained a figure that looked “like that of a man. I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell face down and I heard the voice of one speaking” (Eze 1:26-28).
This was clearly God speaking to Ezekiel through someone who looked like a man and spoke with God’s authority: “‘Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.’ As He spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard Him speaking to me. He said: ‘Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites…”
Looking at the Ezekiel account
Ezekiel heard God speaking to him from inside a “supernatural vehicle”. He gives detailed descriptions of the “vehicle” that was part of this visitation in chapter one. This amazing encounter was described by Ezekiel, but he struggled to find words for what he saw. The “vehicle” was composed of moving parts that seemed to be alive and also contained someone enveloped in radiant light, who spoke as if God. As we read the account, it reminds us of the Apostle John’s visions of the resurrected Jesus Christ, enthroned in Heaven. I believe that one reason this event has been included in our Bible is to help prepare us for the times we are living in, when modern scientific inventions, such as fighter jets, are encountering strange unidentified objects. If these UFOs or other unidentified phenomena are in time revealed in greater detail, our question should be: are they messengers from God, or from satan?
What does the Bible say about other chariots of God?
We have two events describing the “chariots of God”, namely:
- Elijah taken up to Heaven
- Elisha in the city of Dothan
There are other Bible passages that speak of the chariots of God, for example Isaiah 66:15.
The chariot of God taking Elijah to Heaven
We read, “And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?’ Elisha said, ‘Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.’ So he said, ‘You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.’ Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, ‘My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!’” (2 Kings 2:9-12).
An eventful life
This was the start of Elisha’s amazing, miracle-filled life, during which he was involved in twice as many miraculous events as took place during the eventful life of Elijah.
Elisha in Dothan city
We read again about chariots of fire when Elisha and his servant were in the town of Dothan, surrounded by a hostile army. His servant was understandably worried, and Elisha prayed: “‘O Lord, open his eyes so that he may see.’ Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (2 Kings 6:17).
God is not limited
In some other places in the Bible, God interacted directly with people without any visible “vehicle”. Clearly, God has not limited Himself in any way. He appeared to Ezekiel in one way, but in the Bible we find a variety of ways that God revealed Himself to specific people. To Moses He revealed Himself in the “burning bush” (Exo 3:1-6) and on the fiery Mount Sinai as the One whose face no one could see and live (Exo 33:20). However, God also came down to the tent of meeting, where He spoke with Moses. We read, “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend” (Exo 33:11).
Abraham’s encounter with God
By contrast, we read about Abraham’s encounter with God. He was visited by three “persons” who looked like men, although Abraham recognised that they were in some way special. He ate with them and then spoke with the one as if to God, and pleaded with Him not to destroy Sodom if there were righteous people in that city. The other two went down to Sodom to extract Lot before the city was destroyed. Clearly, the one was God in human likeness and the other two were angels in human likeness (Gen 18).
Opposition to God’s plan
We also need to remember that the Bible speaks about realities that are in opposition to God’s plans for humanity. Satan and the fallen angels are one example. Paul writes about satan: “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.”
Evil forces in the spiritual world
From passages like this, we are cautioned to realise that there are “spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms”. In other words, if these UFO sightings involve vehicles carrying rational beings, we cannot assume that they are part of God’s interactions with this world. They may be vehicles with deceptive motives, possibly prepared by an “evil force in heavenly realms” to enable the coming Antichrist ruler to do what Jesus said he will do towards the end of this age. Jesus said, “At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There He is!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect – if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time” (Matt 24:23-25).
Warnings from the Bible
We are warned by Paul that, before Jesus returns to earth with power and great glory, the earth will experience a “man of lawlessness”. We read, “For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work, but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of His mouth and destroy by the splendour of His coming. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing”
(2 Thes 2:7-10).
Different sides of conflict
We need to keep in mind the possibility that these UFOs may not be on God’s side in this cosmic conflict. We are given a hint of this when Paul wrote, “Finally, be strong in the
Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph 6:10-12).
Will my faith in God falter if UFOs are proven to be visitors from the universe?
I trust that your faith and mine will not be shaken by any future revelation showing that our world has been visited by “aliens” or “spaceships”. I believe the key to maintaining our belief in the God of the Bible is to experience His reality personally in our lives. I have been on a journey for many years, starting with childhood questions that were amplified by my university training in science.
Conviction in God’s Word
My desire to discover God in personal ways led to a series of experiences that convinced me of His reality. Now, after many years of experiencing God’s reality in my personal life, I can face things like UFOs without being led to abandon my faith in the God of Creation. My most amazing discovery has been that this awesome Creator actually desires to develop personal relationships progressively with us, creatures of dust and mortality! I have become convinced of the truth of this Bible statement: “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him” (Heb 11:6).
A scientist searching for answers
God gave me a passion to discover His reality and to find answers to questions that reconcile scientific discoveries with my Christian faith. It has been my experience that this “earnestly seeking” quest for truth and reality has been answered in many exciting ways, and has given me an unshakeable belief in the God of the Bible and His ability to guide all of human history towards His final victory over satan and his evil schemes and deceptions.
We need not fear!
Whatever may yet be revealed about UFOs or unexplained phenomena, Christians need not live in fear. Our confidence is not in having every answer, but in knowing the God who rules over all creation. Nothing that may come to light will ever place God off His throne or put His purposes at risk. Our calling is to remain rooted in Christ, grounded in His Word, and confident that the Lord of Heaven and earth is fully in control.
This article is featured in the May 2026 issue of JOY! Magazine. Read a digital version of this magazine here: joygifts.co.za
Click here to KEEP UPDATED on the latest news by subscribing to our FREE weekly newsletter.
> Please support Christian media and journalism in South Africa. Help us to spread the Word of God and take a stand for the truth by making a donation to our ministry. We appreciate your support. Click here to take hands with JOY! Magazine.
Date published: 14/05/2026
Feature image: Image for illustrative purposes only.
Artwork adapted from original artwork published in magazine.
DISCLAIMER
JOY! News is a Christian news portal that shares pre-published articles by writers around the world. Each article is sourced and linked to the origin, and each article is credited with the author’s name. Although we do publish many articles that have been written in-house by JOY! journalists, we do not exclusively create our own content. Any views or opinions presented on this website are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the company.
