It would be nice to know that! Don Henley, former lead singer of the Eagles, penned a pop song entitled They’re Not Here, They’re Not Coming, suggesting that such highly advanced and civilized beings, E.T. and his cousins, simply wouldn’t bother to drop by and visit earth. Would it be worth a journey of many light years to “go streaming through the universe, just to get McNuggets?”
The fact is that the Word of God gives us no concrete evidence pointing in either direction. The one hint that there may be holy civilizations elsewhere in God’s vast domain is found in the book of Job, which suggests a kind of heavenly grand council. Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them. Apparently “the sons of God,” or perhaps ambassadors from the many worlds, convened together for a meeting. Both chapters one and two describe this event, and we notice how Scripture tells that even Lucifer, the fallen representative of this planet, was permitted to be present.
The Septuagint translates this expression, “sons of God,” as angels; clearly all of these beings, in whatever form, would have been created by God in the beginning. It’s possible that this galactic conference took place in some other location, because the Bible explicitly states that Lucifer has long been banished from heaven itself (Revelation 12).
It certainly seems possible that the great cosmic drama between Jesus and Lucifer, this showdown of which the saga in Job was a small part, could be for the purpose of being witnessed by many unfallen worlds. But we go beyond the pages of Scripture in making that assumption.
In his book Believe in Miracles, But Trust in Jesus, the late Adrian Rogers tells about a pastor who faces this exact question from a college kid. “Do you think there is life on other planets?” This particular minister, perhaps acknowledging the silence of Scripture on the matter, said no.
The student was surprised. “Do you mean that in all of those billions of stars and planets in the vast universe, you don’t believe there is any life?”
“No, I really don’t.”
The perplexed young man then asked: “Then tell me why God went to the trouble to make all of that.”
And the pastor’s answer is classic. “What trouble?’
Our mighty Jesus created this beautiful planet we occupy in six days. We can be sure, if there are other worlds where holy beings bow before the Lord, he fashioned them with similar ease . . . and enjoys their loyal worship through the ceaseless ages.
The good news is – this is one answer we will know soon enough!
David B. Smith Books 