“And Jesus answered and said to them: ‘Take heed that no one deceives you. … For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.’” (Matt 24:4, 24)

Chapter 11

Gap creationism and the end time

SYNOPSIS: A patchwork of pagan cosmogonies – Following the gap theory trail, from ancient to modern times and into the future – The Vatican, the UN, NASA and Rabbinical Judaism: a shared creation philosophy – Alleged UFO sightings and alien abduction cases skyrocketing – World leaders preparing to respond to anticipated contact – Future dilemma for old earth believers of all philosophical persuasions.

Reflecting on what I have learnt about the gap theory, as documented in the previous 10 chapters, it is a creation story that has all the hallmarks of a pagan cosmogony, incorporating a colossal intergalactic battle of the gods, which has been shaped by Chaldean/Babylonian and Jewish mystery religions and conjectured into the Bible. (Refer Chapter 10, ‘The Gap Principle and Kabbalah Connection’.)

This has only been made possible through the teachings of the Oral Law (as interpreted and recorded by Jewish occult scholars in the 2nd century AD). That is because these ideas are not explicitly found in the Written Word of God but rather cryptically “hinted at” and deciphered by “high priests”, that is, those who see themselves as imbued with a special understanding to go “deeper” than what is actually written in the Scriptures.

Later, these ideas have been adopted, embellished and incorporated into Christian theology by “progressive” scholars, such as Thomas Chalmers, Cyrus I Scofield and A. C. Custance, who saw a need for a creation story that could fit into the new sciences of geological and cosmological evolutionism and the belief in an ancient earth (another resurrected pagan concept) – and not done very well when examined! This is because it really messes with Scripture, by employing a literary system that isolates letters at the word level and rejects contrary Scriptural truths at the syntax level.

All this gap theory probing, deep mystery, double-mindedness, obfuscation and contradictions, which maintains the truth is hidden between the lines of Scripture, does not describe the God of the Bible, who tells us: “I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth … I have not spoken in secrets from the beginning” (Is 45:16: Is 48:16).

God – the Logos – chooses his words very carefully and clear passages must always govern unclear passages.

And the wonderful thing is this. We don’t have to be a Greek and Hebrew scholar, or a scientist, and we don’t have to rely on all manner of Bible study aids, or even have more than a basic level of education, in order to understand the Scriptures!

Because the key is to trust God and to desire to do his will, and to believe he is faithful and he has the will and the ability to preserve his truth for us today in his written word, even when Bibles are becoming more and more corrupted.

That is the great miracle of our Almighty God and the work of the Holy Spirit, which will guide us into all truth, if we are humble enough to listen (John 16:13)! (Although it would help for us to be aware of, and to stay away from, some of the more corrupted Bible versions being published today – in particular, The Message and The Voice.)

WHY DO Proponents of pagan philosophies despise young EARTH creation?

I believe it is significant that proponents of pagan philosophies, ancient mystery religions and evolutionary sciences have two things in common. They have not only adopted the view of an ancient earth and reject the 24-hour six-day creation as recorded and believed by the ancient Hebrews, but most of their advocates also utterly despise, scorn and ridicule the belief in a young earth as the most ignorant creation position of all!

Thus closing a long dormant arc between ancient pagan philosophers (mystics) and modern axioms of the philosophers of naturalism (the mysterious origin sciences).

These old-age perspectives do not reveal a world that is becoming more enlightened about its beginnings, but a world that is becoming more and more deceived and moving further away from God’s truth and back to fables, as the Bible predicted, evidenced in the following verses by the apostle Paul (pictured in this painting).

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (2 Tim 4:3-4)

“Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge… nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith.” (1 Tim 6:20; 1 Tim 1:4)

“This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth.” (Titus 1:13-14)

Gap theory and the future

Gap creationism has repercussion for the future, too, as it not only inserts a fictionalised chapter about Satan and his cosmic destruction into God’s glorious creation event at the beginning of time, it will also serve to undermine the faith of believers at the end time.

This is because the great deception that is coming will provide “evidence” that will leave old-earthers of all persuasions less equipped to connect, or on hold on, to biblical truth.

This is already evident to those who are up-to-speed with the philosophical intent driving the theological, scientific and political establishments at the highest levels (as well as what is taking place philosophically at the grassroots level in our modern world). Think of the Intelligent Design Movement and all the origin sciences/philosophies, NASA, the United Nations and the Roman Catholic Church (Vatican Observatory pictured below). Think also of how New Age philosophy (Eastern spirituality) has saturated every sector of our Western culture, since its arrival in the 1960s. 

The path drawing all these bodies together today is the search for spiritual (esoteric) answers to life from a 21st-century worldview that has incorporated a belief in, search for, and considered response to, the existence of extra-terrestrial life in the universe. This perspective also plays a big part in the teachings of the occult, theosophy and Kabbalah. Here is an excerpt from an essay by Rabbi Ariel Bar Tzadok, ‘UFO’s & Aliens in Light of Torah’. 

“I most certainly am not the first Rabbi to reveal material concerning life on other planets. Other Kabbalistic Rabbis before me have written books revealing some of the best-kept secrets in the world.” (www.yeshshem.com/kabbalah-ufo-1.htm)

And the fact is, those who have accepted a different and uncertain history of the earth – stemming from occult mysteries and evolutionary ideas – will find themselves increasingly compromised and less equipped to combat the ingenious deception that is already taking shape at the highest levels of government, religion and science, as evidenced in their public statements.

EXTRATERRESTRIAL RESEARCH DOLLARS IN THE BILLIONS

Cultures can change dramatically. Back in the 1970s, anyone who believed that aliens existed on other planets was laughed to scorn. And if anyone had said they had been abducted by aliens, they would have been certified as insane and locked away.

Nevertheless, just 30 years later and NASA had been provided with an astronomical budget to search for signs of extra-terrestrial life in the universe.

Gary Bates (Creation Ministry International) explains the history of NASA’s astrobiology program, and how the support this program receives today is the outcome of an aggressive campaign launched in the 1990s, which saw the Administration reinvent itself. (Pictured below is Issue 4 of NASA’s Astrobiology ‘The Story of Our Search for Life in the Universe’ magazine.)

The new profile was a response to NASA becoming somewhat irrelevant in the eyes of the public at that time. (After all, the worldwide excitement of the moon landing was now more than 25 years before.) Bates explains that the man who “brought NASA back from the brink of a black hole” was NASA’s administrator, Daniel Goldin. He achieved this by initiating the Origins Program, which focused on the search for signs of extra-terrestrial life. Daniel Goldin was described on NASA’s website as a “brilliant visionary”. Goldin’s Origins Program sought to “answer two enduring human questions that we once considered around ancient campfires, yet still keep alive in today’s classrooms … ‘Where do we come from?’ And ‘Are we alone?’” (Refer to Alien Intrusion: UFOs and the Evolution Connection, DVD and book, Gary Bates, CMI.)

And this is no small program. NASA’s astrobiology budget rose from US$9 million in 1998 to a staggering US$65 billion in 2005. 

“Under NASA’s 2007 budget proposal, currently before Congress, the U.S. space agency would spend $32.5 billion on astrobiology in the year ahead – half of what it spent on astrobiology in 2005.” (space.com/3031-nasa-budget-cuts-looming-seti-eyes-private-funding.html, 23 October 2006)

And this is the budget for just one such extra-terrestrial research organisation. Between them, NASA, the SETI Institute (Search for Extra-terrestrial Intelligence) and other such organisations employ thousands of highly qualified scientists, educators and support staff in their research.

In July 2014, NASA reported the following in an article titled ‘Finding Life Beyond Earth’s Reach’:

“Many scientists believe we are not alone in the universe. It’s probable, they say, that life could have arisen on at least some of the billions of planets thought to exist in our galaxy alone – just as it did here on planet Earth. This basic question about our place in the Universe is one that may be answered by scientific investigations. What are the next steps to finding life elsewhere?

“Experts from NASA and its partner institutions addressed this question on July 14, at a public talk held at NASA Headquarters in Washington. They outlined NASA’s roadmap to the search for life in the universe, an ongoing journey that involves a number of current and future telescopes.” (https://www.nasa.gov/content/finding-life-beyond-earth-is-within-reach)

In the article, Dr Matt Mountain, director and Webb telescope scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, is quoted as saying.

“Just imagine the moment, when we find potential signatures of life. Imagine the moment when the world wakes up and the human race realizes that its long loneliness in time and space may be over – the possibility we’re no longer alone in the universe.” (ibid)

Entertaining ideas of life beyond our planet is the natural philosophical outcome of long ages and evolutionism.

ALIEN MANIFESTATIONS AND ABDUCTIONS

And it is not just scientists who are focusing on the possibility of extraterrestrial life. Half of the American population believes in aliens, millions claim to have seen these ETs, and four million allege they have been abducted and taken on board alien spacecrafts. (Refer to the Huffington Post, ‘New Survey Shows Nearly Half of Americans Believe in Aliens’, August, 2017.) 

According to a 2009 report on ABC Primetime (‘Abducted by Aliens: Believers Tell Their Stories’), a growing membership of a 1500-strong support group meet secretly in a small New England town. Their purpose? To cope with the trauma of alien visitations and abductions. The article reads:

“Many people have wondered: are earthlings living on a speck of dust – alone in the infinite universe or are there other intelligent life forms out there in the cosmos?

“Nearly half of all Americans and millions more globally believe we’re not alone, according to a 2000 ABC poll. 

“While 40 million Americans say they have seen or know someone who has seen an unidentified flying object, or UFO, a growing number believe they’ve actually met aliens.” (Juju Chang, abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?id=8330290, 17 Aug 2009)

For those people who believe God’s Word, it should be no surprise that the experiences of these “abductees” are similar in nature to metaphysical/ transcendental forms of Eastern meditation, or of those who take hallucinogenic drugs. (For example, visitations, astral travel and visions, etc.) That is because they have the same origin – they are manifestations of the fallen spirit world, whose aim it is to deceive people in any way possible.

The devil’s lies will morph into any form or illusion that is culturally popular and significant, as it is more believable and acceptable to the individual.

For example, Celtic folklore popularised the belief in leprechauns, which was once widespread in Ireland. And according to a survey conducted by the Irish digital media company Irish Central in 2011, “One-third of Irish people believe that leprechauns exist”. Another example is that of Icelanders today, whose mystical geography and ancient sagas still capture the imagination of some locals so deeply, the existence of trolls is considered a reality. (Refer to 2013 article by Ryan Jacobs in The Atlantic magazine, ‘Why So Many Icelanders Still Believe in Invisible Elves’.) And in 19th century Britain there was a popular belief that fairies and sprites lived at the bottom of the garden.

The fact is, the belief in ghosts and ghouls and magical creatures (and reports of supernatural manifestations) have existed in all cultures in all eras. And in the 21st century, in the midst of phenomenal technological advancement, people are searching for spiritual meaning, answers and hope.

Thus our modern culture today is being spiritually conditioned for a global deception of unprecedented proportions (with the help of the worldwide web). Writes Eva Wiseman in The Guardian:

“Millennials who grew up on Harry Potter and The Craft are embracing witchcraft as an aspirational, inclusive lifestyle choice, complete with high street high priestess designs, and plenty of stars, and moons, and tiny little mirrors to reflect bad energy. Spellcasting is one step on from Facebook affirmations and quotes about positivity in typewriter font. Partly as a replacement for religion, partly, perhaps, an extension of ‘wellness’, this new mysticism is related to mindfulness, to finding inner-peace, and feels like a reaction to powerlessness. (‘I Believe in Fairies, You Should, Too’, 12th November, 2017)

And with so much attention today directed at space travel – and space movies, games and books – alien mythology and experiences have entered our Western consciousness and culture big time, built on the philosophy of an ancient earth and evolutionary theory. It is even the hope of many people today that these extra-terrestrial life-forms may save the planet from destruction.

SO WHAT DOES ALL THIS HAVE TO DO WITH THE GAP THEORY?

All people who believe in an ancient earth, or a previous earth, or other creations, will struggle to overturn the “enlightened” teachings and “discoveries” that will move to centre stage when the well-documented ecumenical/ interfaith/one-world religion and one-world government emerges, backed up by “scientific findings” (possible “relics” of “intergalactic” significance). This will be “supported” by spiritual manifestations that the Bible foretells will appear on a global scale (Matt 24:24-25).   

Think of the many fraudulent and unsubstantiated “missing links” that have been “found” in an effort to support Darwinism (philosophically and in a bid for scientific funding) over the years. But also understand that a future discovery is sure to be coming, one which will prove far more convincing, as people are being primed for it! 

Today, the media and scientific establishments are certain alien life-forms will be discovered soon, or that they are already here. For example NASA astronaut Ed Mitchell (pictured left) says aliens are with us today.

And he’s not alone, as a recent article in the UK’s Independent reported: “A NASA scientist says Earth may have already been visited by extra-terrestrials – but that humans may not have noticed” (December 4, 2018). Right now, a great deal of money is being injected into the scientific establishment to find out if life on earth was seeded by extra-terrestrial beings from another galaxy, far, far away.

The world’s acceptance of this idea has come a long way in a short time since outspoken atheist Francis Crick, co-discoverer of DNA, first floated his hypothesis of directed panspermia back in 1973. (Directed panspermia being the deliberate transport of microorganisms in space to be used as introduced species on lifeless but habitable astronomical objects.) Back then it was known as pseudo-science and Crick later discarded the idea. 

This philosophising that the earth was populated by beings from outer space really is just a resurrection of ancient pagan Hindu, Greek and Roman creation myths. (Ancient Hindu texts describe aircraft called Vimana piloted by other-worldly beings. And the Ancient Greeks and Romans believed that a race of super-beings – gods – had visited the planet from outer space.)  

Today, however, there is big money, a worldwide media movement and the latest technology being used to promote these philosophical musings.

“If life on Earth really did begin from the design of extraterrestrial beings, then perhaps we might someday establish remote communication with them. The recent $100 million Breakthrough Listen Initiative is one effort at addressing this question over the next decade.” (‘A Better Theory of Intelligent Design, Jacob Haqq-Misra, The Boston Globe, September 11, 2016)

Another authoritative voice on the matter of UFOs and extra-terrestrial beings is Harvard Professor David Kipping of the Royal Astronomical Society. Only this philosopher is concerned that making contact with alien life-forms may not be in the earth’s best interest and that science should be developing some type of cloaking technology to hide the earth’s location.

“‘There is an ongoing debate as to whether we should advertise ourselves or hide from advanced civilizations potentially living on planets elsewhere in the Galaxy,’ said Kipping. ‘Our work offers humanity a choice, at least for transit events, and we should think about what we want to do.’” (thescienceexplorer.com/universe/scientists-want-use-lasers-hide-alien-civilizations)

the world will focus on outer space

Below are quotes from three of the most influential bodies in the world today – the Vatican (spiritually), NASA (scientifically) and the UN (politically). These various bodies  express our mainstream modern culture today.

The Vatican Observatory and the Pontifical Academy of Sciences have just concluded a week-long gathering of scientists to examine the origin of life and the possibility of extra-terrestrial life. These questions offer many philosophical and theological implications,’ said Fr. Jose Funes, director of the Vatican Observatory.” (www.catholic newsagency.com/news/vatican_ observatory_examines_ theological_implications_of_ finding_alien_life.)

“‘I was heartened or at least surprised about a year ago when the chief scientist for NASA, Ellen Stofan [pictured], said, yes, we’ll find life within 20 years,’ said Seth Shostak, senior astronomer at the Search for Extra-terrestrial Intelligence Institute.”

(www.nasa.gov/feature/langley/search-for-extraterrestrial-life-is-accelerating-astronomer-says)

The General Assembly [of the UN] invites interested member states to take appropriate steps to coordinate on a national level scientific research and investigation into extra-terrestrial life, including unidentified flying objects, and to inform the secretary-general of the observations, research and evaluation of such activities.” (www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/wikileaks-ufos-united-nations_us_5813aa17e4b0390e69d0322e)

Introducing the concept of extra-terrestrial life arriving on this planet has begun at the smallest and most publicly acceptable level right now, but it is sure to escalate. It has to, because NASA needs both relevance and funding to survive as a prestigious and heavily funded organisation. And the concept of life existing in other parts of the galaxy is exciting and seductive to many people. NASA’s current drive is to protect the Earth from any potential danger that may result from astronauts inadvertently carrying biological contaminants or pathogens back to our planet on their return from space travel.

At this point in time, the discussion is focusing on the microbiological plane in an effort to safeguard the Earth’s biosphere from potentially harmful alien microbes. This has resulted in NASA hiring a Planetary Protection Officer. (Refer to The Washington Post article by Andrew deGrandpre, ‘NASA is Hiring a “Planetary Protection Officer” to Guard us Against Alien Life — and Vice Versa’, 2017.) This focus has resulted in more and more emboldened scientists voicing their thoughts on panspermia – the theory that life on earth originated from microorganisms present in outer space that found our planet’s environment suitable to initiate the evolutionary process. In other words, what started as a small concept among a few people will soon be mainstream, as the world becomes more accepting of these philosophical ideas.

NASA is even working to bring the Christian community on board – with governmental backing.

“In 2014, NASA awarded US$1.1M to the Center of Theological Inquiry, an ecumenical research institute in New Jersey, to study ‘the societal implications of astrobiology’. … For example, when we ask, ‘What is life?’ are we asking a scientific question or a theological one? Questions about life’s origins and its future are complicated, and must be explored holistically, across disciplines. And that includes the way we respond to the discovery of aliens.” (‘If We Made Contact with Aliens, How Would Religions React?’ Brandon Ambrosino, BBC, 16 December 2016).

Imagine what would happen if/when such “evidence” turns up, because this growing Satanic deception is not going nowhere!

the threat of artificial intelligence and Deepfake on the truth

Factor into all of this the advancements in artificial intelligence in the world of predictive text software, and few people will have the ability to discern what news is true and what is totally fabricated. In fact, the matter of fake news and deepfake is very topical now. 

“The amount of deepfake content online is growing at a rapid rate. At the beginning of 2019 there were 7964 deepfake videos online, according to a report from startup Deeptrace; just nine months later, that figure had jumped to 14,678. It has no doubt continued to balloon since then… It does not require much imagination to grasp the harm that could be done if entire populations can be shown fabricated videos that they believe are real.” (‘Deepfakes Are Going to Wreak Havoc on Society. We Are Not Prepared’, Rob Toews, Forbes Billionaires, May 25, 2020.)

Journalist Nick Whigham, from news.com, describes this destabilising scenario in a February, 2019, article titled, ‘This Technology Could “Absolutely Devastate” the Internet As We Know It’. He explains how this software program can mimic the style and tone of a writer with such accuracy it can realistically replicate news reports and video footage complete “with fake quotes and a perfectly convincing narrative”. Called the GPT-2, this form of AI is said to be open to abuse and misuse and represents “one of the major potential threats facing the future of humanity”.

“A group of scientists previously backed by Elon Musk have designed a predictive text machine that is so eerily good its creators are worried about releasing it to the world … A couple of journalists from The Guardian were given the chance to take the technology for a spin and were suitably concerned by its power. ‘AI can write just like me. Brace for the robot apocalypse,’ reads the headline by journalist Hannah Jane Parkinson. The OpenAI computer was fed an article of hers and ‘wrote an extension of it that was a perfect act of journalistic ventriloquism’, she said.

“The [OpenAI] organisation said it was concerned such software could be used to generate misleading news articles, impersonate others online, automate abusive or fake content on social media and automate email scams… Elon Musk says he has left OpenAI.”

The fact is, if Christians do not know where to place their faith now and are not firmly rooted in the truth – from the first verse to the last verse of the Bible – it will become increasingly difficult for them to discern fact from fiction. And with the continuous advancement of AI, fake news and deepfake, a whole new dimension for deception has been opened up on a global scale.

ESOTERIC BELIEFS AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS IN OUR WORLD

Returning to the subject of extra-terrestrials, it is also important to know that the existence of alien lifeforms is taught in Theosophy (another esoteric religious movement).

The central belief of these “Masters of Occult Wisdom”, as they call themselves, is the reappearance of [a false] Messiah – “Lord Maitreya”.

This internationally anticipated World Teacher – also being hailed “a new Saviour of Humanity” – is said to arrive when “a large bright star appears in the sky”.

Here is a description of the Theosophical Society (refer Encyclopedia Britannica) and, once again, the connection between Eastern spirituality, Kabbalah and Gnosticism is confirmed.

“Another movement influenced in part by Hinduism is the Theosophical Society. Founded in New York City in 1875 by Helena Blavatsky of Russia, it was originally inspired by Kabbalah (Jewish esoteric mysticism), Gnosticism (esoteric salvatory knowledge), and forms of Western occultism.”

Theosophy is no joke – it is the very foundation the 1950s New Age Movement and it is operating abstrusely at the highest governmental levels throughout our worldly system under “the god of this world” (2 Cor 4:4). Theosophy actively works to undermine every single Christian doctrine. For example, the Bible tells us that sin separates man from God (Is 59:2; Mic 3:4, Eze 39:23). Theosophy teaches that man is not a sinner and there is NO separation, because man IS god.”

“We are all part of the whole and there is no separation in the Universe,” (https://blavatskytheosophy.com/12-things-theosophy-teaches/)

“’Destroy the sense of separateness,’ repeats Krishna under every form.” (www.blavatsky.net/newsletters/non-separateness.htm)

And I wonder how many people know about the New Age-based philosophical drive to bring about an interfaith one world religion. 

In May 2012, for example, under the very respectable guise of World Health Day, more than 500 million people, representing all faiths, in seven continents and seven countries, were encouraged to link en mass to meditate for good health and world peace. On the surface, this sounds very noble.

Another such “noble” event  was the signing of the ‘Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together’ by Pope Frances and the Grand Iman of Al-Azhar. This ceremony took place in February 2019 during a Global Conference on the topic Abu Dhabi. 

The Vatican News describes this historic Document as working to awaken spiritual awareness in the hearts of all people from all cultures and all faiths around the world. Its claimed purpose is to bring about world peace and eradicate terrorism and extremism and to “safeguard the creation and the entire universe”. This brotherhood of man project will operate under the terms of the Vatican. 

In practice, however, it is in direct opposition to the God of the Bible, who tells us there is only one God and “I will not give my glory to another” (Is 42:8). And he commands his people not to unite with other faiths for any reason, as this admix of the holy and the profane is an abomination and results in deadly “strange fire” (Lev 10:1; Num 26:61).

The spiritual movement to bring about an ecumenical, interfaith, New Age form of a one-world religion is not a secret.

There is evidence of it everywhere, from those who promote and support it and those who warn about it and condemn it. The latter group points out the natural trajectory of combining government with religion/ideology – a dictatorship that would not tolerate dissenters. (We have many examples of this unholy alliance, both in history and present in the world today.)

Furthermore, the Bible warns of the “end time” when the world will join together in spiritual worship – not of the Creator God but of the Great Deceiver – “the god of this world”. And Jesus foretold that unless godly intervention occurs, the earth will be destroyed.

“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened… Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Matt 24:21-22;44)

Could GOD have created aliens? 

But, some might ask, “Couldn’t Jesus have died for Aliens, too?”. The Bible, however, makes it clear that the gospel of Jesus Christ is irrevocably incompatible with a belief in extra-terrestrials, prehistoric evolutionary man or any other imaginary form of life.

 When King David gazed up at the stars, he marvelled at the work of God’s hands and how man (alone) was the crowning glory of God’s creation, saying:

“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, All sheep and oxen – Even the beasts of the field, The birds of the air, And the fish of the sea That pass through the paths of the seas. O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth!” (Ps 8:3-9).

A straight-forward reading of the Bible tells us that “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth”. The earth’s land masses were formed on Day 3 and the heavenly bodies were formed afterwards, on Day 4. As for man, he was formed on Day 6, in the image of his Creator. “God created man in His own image.” At the beginning of creation, the earth gets a very special mention in the entire universe – and man is placed at the focus of God’s creation and plan. And whatever happens here on earth affects the whole creation.

Out of all the creatures God has made, seemingly insignificant man is the pinnacle of his creation. And, amazingly, our Creator has appointed humankind as vice regents over the earth at this time, putting all things under his feet, and exalting him and setting His heart on him (Ps 8:6; Job 7:17). But such a plan came at a terrible cost to our Creator, who knew that by giving man freewill he would choose to sin and become corrupted, and He (our Maker) would have to sentence him to die. This is because God is a holy God who cannot dwell with evil. (Just imagine living an eternity with a capricious God who could lie and change his mind to accommodate evil.) Thus God decreed that sin equals death, separation from him for eternity.

But our Creator loves us so much he did not leave us without hope and a future. And so he came to earth in the human form to redeem man from the penalty of death by paying the price for our sins Himself and offering man the choice to believe, repent and be saved. 

“For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, Nor shall evil dwell with You” (Ps 5:4).

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-17).

“… knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. 

“He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world…” (1 Pet 1:18-20). 

“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19).

But COULD JESUS HAVE DIED FOR ALIENS, too?

Scripture has the answer to this question. God tells us that Christ died once for all mankind (Rom 6:10, 1 Peter 3:18) on the earth. And Heb 9:25-28 confirms that Jesus was not destined to be sacrificed more than once in God’s created (singular) universe.

“Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him” (Heb 9:25-28).

And we know this is true because in Isaiah 40:8, God tells us: “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever”.

As Gary Bates points out: Through His amazing grace, the Creator of the universe offers mankind alone the opportunity to participate in His awesome plan. God’s word tells us that Jesus came to earth – not the planet Mercury. That he is a descendant of Adam  not aliens.

And Jesus came to pay the price for man’s sinsnot Martians, or even angels.

One thing is sure, as more and more scientists, politicians, religious leaders (even among Christians), and the general public are seduced by a philosophy that believes in aliens, those people who dare to disagree, and stand on the authority of the Bible, will be challenged and labelled as ignorant and primitive.

WE HAVE BEEN WARNED 

God has not left his people without warning about the monumental deception that will strike wonder, fear, and false hope into the hearts of all mankind, just prior to Christ’s return, when great signs will appear in the heavens (Rev 13:13-14). And it is significant that the first instruction Jesus gave to his disciples, when warning them about what was going to happen at the end of the world, just prior to his return, was specifically to be on guard – against all forms of deception.

“Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’ And Jesus answered and said to them: ‘Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, “I am the Christ,” and will deceive many. …Then if anyone says to you, “Look, here is the Christ!” or “There!” do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand.’” (Matt 24:3-5, 23-25)

One thing is sure, those who believe and have faith in God’s 6-day CREATION story, as he has explained it clearly and not in riddles in Genesis 1, are less likely to be led astray when all this occurs, compared to those who are already compromised by having been led astray by pagan concepts of the history of the world. That is, those who hold to an esoteric history of an ancient earth, inhabited by fallen angels and an ensuing battle of “the gods”, which continues to morph and evolve in its bid to deceive all its inhabitants.

Images: Ints Vikmanis/Shutterstock.com; iStock.com/CrossEyedPhotography; iStock.com/enter89; iStock.com/krisanapong detraphiphat; iStock.com/xijian; iStock.com/3000ad; Lightstock; mpaniti/Shutterstock.com; NASA; Pexels; Pixabay; Wikicommons; Yuriy Mazur/Shutterstock.com.

“The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, … And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie” (2 Thess 2:9, 11)…  “People worshiped the dragon … All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast – all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life …”
(Rev 13:4, 8-9).