Occasionally people will ask me, “Do you believe in UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects)?” My answer is always, and it usually surprises them to hear me say it, “Yes, of course. I do believe in UFOs.” Over the past seventy years or so there have been literally tens of thousands of sightings by people all over the world of strange objects in the sky of various sizes and shapes. Those witnesses include airline pilots, astronauts, Air Force and Navy pilots, police officers, and one former President of the United States. In most cases, the sightings have been explained as natural occurrences or normal aircraft. However, some of them defy easy explanation. Recently someone leaked a series of secret Air Force videos of fighter planes tracking what they now call Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP). Some of these UAPs exhibit incredible aerial feats that seem to defy the known laws of physics, flying at super high speeds or instantaneously changing direction and/or altitude.
So yes, I do believe in UFOs or UAPs. But, in my mind, the question is not do they exist, but, and more importantly, what are they? Varying scientists, writers, and government officials have suggested several possible explanations. In this article we will examine each of these alternatives and analyze them as to their credibility and validity. Then I will propose another possible explanation that you will never likely hear extolled in the media or by scientists.
Explanation #1: UFOs are top secret aircraft being tested by the United States military.
This is a very possible explanation. In fact, it has some precedent historically. In the 1970s, many people in the western USA reported seeing unusual flying machines, particularly at night. In 1977, the US Air Force admitted that it was testing new types of high-tech stealth aircraft that did not look at all like conventional planes. They were mostly V-shaped computer stabilized bombers and fighters that were virtually invisible to radar.
In 1991 those kinds of aircraft were used in Operation Desert Storm against Iraq. American bombers hit Iraqi targets that were totally blind to when and from where the planes were coming. Keep in mind, those stealth aircraft were developed more than forty years ago, so we can assume that the technology that produced them has advanced considerably since then. Whether the military is now testing super-advanced aircraft, perhaps at AREA 51 in Nevada, that is capable of such impossible feats as the reported UAPs appear to do, is still highly questionable. But, I must say, that of all the possible naturalistic alternatives, this one appeals to me most. I definitely believe the US military is testing, and has already deployed extremely advanced forms of technology that are stringently kept under wraps.
Explanation #2: The UAPs are actually highly advanced spy technology that originates from another country.
The People’s Republic of China and Russia are sometimes suggested as the most likely culprits. The idea is that one of those countries, or maybe even some other one (North Korea?) have secretly developed these super high-tech aircraft, probably un-piloted drones, that they are using to spy on our military installations. It may very well be that China or Russia is developing aerial technologies for intelligence gathering. But, as with the USA, the chances that either of them have been able to manufacture such super speed UAP aircraft seems to me out of the question. Nonetheless, it cannot be discounted. If there is even a remote possibility that one of our enemies has advanced its technology so highly, our military must investigate it in the interest of our national security.
Explanation #3: UFOs and UAPs are alien spacecraft that are observing the earth and its inhabitants.
This is the most commonly believed theory and has spawned innumerable books, movies, documentary TV series, and online conspiracy theories. Since Englishman H. G. Wells published, in 1898, his classic science fiction novel, The War of the Worlds, people have worried that our planet would some day come under attack or scrutiny by technologically advanced alien invaders. The same theme has been used time and again in books, movies, and TV series such as The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), 2001 A Space Odyssey (1968), and Independence Day (1996). The assumption that alien beings exist on other planets is the basis for dozens of other popular films including the Star Trek series and movies (1966-present), the Star Wars films (1976-present), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Alien (1979), E.T., The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), and many more.
Even the pay-for-view History Channel, which was started in 1995 with the aim of educating viewers about important historical events, has devolved into featuring pseudo-documentary programs that further the ridiculous myth of ancient alien visitors. That theory began in 1968 when a Swiss huckster named Erich von Daniken published a popular pseudo-scientific book titled Chariots of the Gods. He claimed that evidence of aliens visiting earth can be found in ancient texts (even the Bible), and numerous archaeological finds around the world. That book, and others von Daniken wrote, were totally debunked by serious archaeologists in the 1970s. Nonetheless, they are still best sellers today.
In my view, this is the least plausible explanation for UFOs and UAPs. The reason I am so skeptical is that the sciences of physics and astronomy make it virtually impossible that aliens could travel from other solar systems to come to earth. The enormous distances between stars, even in just our galaxy, are so far that even a spaceship traveling at the speed of light (186,000 miles per second – the “c” in E=mc2) would take hundreds of years to arrive. In any case, according to Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity, it is a physical impossibility for anything with physical mass to go anywhere near that fast.
To get an idea of how big outer space really is, think about this. Remember the famous space explorer craft Voyager 1? It was launched from earth in 1977 and, amazingly, is still operating and sending back data. After a forty year tour of the planets in our solar system, it officially left our heliosphere (solar system) and, traveling at 30,000 miles per hour, entered interstellar space in 2012. Nevertheless, it will not draw anywhere close to another star system for another 40,000 years!
So, I find the idea of alien visitors as virtually impossible. It could only happen if some alien race in far away space were to find a way to circumvent the established laws of physics. Traveling at such unimaginable distances and at such high speeds would distort not only space but also time. There are no such things as hyper-drive, worm-holes, warp speed, etc. that the Sci-fi writers invented to do an end-around on the limitations on interstellar travel. Does that mean there is no life on other planets? Only God knows the answer to that question. But we humans on earth will probably never know.
Explanation #4: UFOs are actually modern manifestations of supernatural phenomena.
I mentioned earlier that Erich von Daniken, in his book Chariots of the Gods, and other “Ancient Alien Theorists,” claim that clues to alien visitations can be found in ancient texts, including the Bible. Their argument is that much of what is recorded in Scripture, that was seen by the people then as miraculous, was actually the results of the advanced technology of aliens who were there. For example, von Daniken claimed that Ezekiel’s vision of living creatures and flying wheels in Ezekiel chapter one was, in reality, a spaceship with aliens aboard. They also say that other ancient myths of gods and supernatural beings were all alien encounters.
As I said, that theory has caught on in popular culture. Many people today have bought into that interpretation of ancient history. The truth is, most, if not all, archaeologists dismiss those theories as spurious. But it does present another interesting possible theory as to the identity of UFOs and UAPs. Perhaps the objects that are being observed are actually modern manifestations of the same supernatural events described in the Bible. The Bible clearly attests to the existence of spiritual beings that are not subject to the laws of physics. Angels are described often as visiting and appearing to humans. Also demonic powers can manifest strange occurrences on earth. This would explain why the UAPs are able to perform seemingly impossible acts. Now I know this theory will never be accepted by the scientific establishment. Most of them are committed to the worldview of Naturalism which absolutely rejects any kind of non-physical explanation of any phenomena.
However, those of us who hold to a Theistic and Christian worldview are open to the existence of spiritual forces beyond the materialistic universe. Angels, on numerous occasions, appeared to people to deliver a divine message. For instance, the angel Gabriel appeared to the prophet Daniel twice (Daniel 8:15-17; 9:20-27). He also appeared to Zechariah to inform him that his wife would give birth to a son who would grow to be John the Baptist (Luke 1:8-20). He then spoke to Mary to inform her of her calling to be the mother of the Messiah (Luke 1:26-38). Later, the shepherds in the fields near Bethlehem saw myriads of angels (Luke 2:8-14).
Likewise, throughout the Bible we are told to beware of ungodly supernatural forces at work in the world. Paul says, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). The Apostle John likewise told his readers, “We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” (1 John 5:8)
Yes, I admit that I believe in UFOs. There is plenty of objective evidence that something(s) are out there. But the real question is not if they exist, but what are they? I do not think they are alien space crafts (though I love science fiction). There are several viable theories that a warrant investigation. That the US military is testing and developing new technologies is quite possible. That other countries have developed such high technologies is also possible, and should be a cause for concern. But there is one other possible explanation that, as a Christian, should be taken seriously. The unusual phenomena being observed in the world today may be modern manifestations of supernatural forces that are not subject to the laws of the material world. If that is true, then most of the modern “UFOlogists” have it all wrong, and the Bible is right.
© 2021 Tal Davis