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As many of my longtime friends will already know, for quite a few number of years now, I have been creating Bible-themed graphics in Adobe Photoshop, and then sharing them online on the Bill's Bible Basics website in my "BBB Graphics Library", on the Bill's Bible Basics Blog, and across the eight social networks in which I currently participate. These graphics -- which number well over 5,000 in total, with new ones being created frequently -- are divided into different categories, based on the theme of each of the images. Currently, there are three hundred such categories. One of these categories is called "Aliens and UFOs". As you can surmise, this particular group of images addresses the popular issue of the aliens and UFOs phenomenon.

Something else which my longtime friends will likewise know, is that I will sometimes use challenging or thought-provoking words in the titles of my graphics, or in the text which the image may contain. I may pose a question, or make a statement which is purposely meant to capture one's attention and make them think. In short, I like to get my online friends' minds churning. The truth is that so much of modern Christianity is so lukewarm, so compromised, and in fact, so spiritually dead, that sometimes it helps to say or suggest something radical in order to get people to sit up and take notice. Yet in some other instances, I will be a bit humorous, or else I'll write something outlandish, just to see if my friends are really paying close attention.

Such was the case with one of the twenty graphics I included in the aforementioned "Aliens and UFOs" category. As you can see below -- if you are viewing the online HTML version of this article as opposed to the PDF version -- this particular image poses the question "Are you an alien?":



Now, obviously, upon seeing this image, any of my friends who really know me are going to understand that I am not actually asking the question "Are you an alien from Outer Space?". It will be obvious to most of them that something else must be intended by this graphic, and by my question. However, someone who has not closely followed my work over the decades -- and who more than likely has not read very many of my articles -- may possibly arrive at a different conclusion. Such was the case with the following person. Not only did they misunderstand the graphic, but they also misunderstood my intention in sharing the KJV Bible Verse List, the URL of which is located at the bottom of the above graphic. This person wrote the following comment to me:

----- Begin Quote -----

"Bill . . . do you have the exact scripture for this? I'm being led by Holy Spirit that there is NO OTHER life but planet earth.

These verses from this link have nothing to do with actual aliens. These verses are about people who have migrated to another land."

----- End Quote -----

By the way, let me mention here that the person who made the aforementioned comments is not one of my Facebook friends. In fact, while writing this article, I decided to visit their FB timeline. Upon doing so, I was unable to learn anything about them, due to their security settings. It is more than likely then that they have not closely examined or studied much of my work, which would explain their confusion regarding this graphic. To continue our discussion, regarding their previous comment in which they take the position that there exists no other life outside of Planet Earth, I will not be discussing it in this current article, because I already fully address this topic in a variety of other articles which you will find listed at the end of this same article.

If there's one thing I have learned over the years, it's that some people will believe what they want to believe, no matter what you try to tell them, and no matter how much the real evidence points in another direction. For example, while this person is adamant that no life exists beyond our own planet, as you no doubt know, there are many people who believe the exact opposite. Let me offer you a clear example of this. As I mention in the updated version of my 1997 series entitled "Nature of the Alien: ETs, Demons or a Government Plot?", in 1998, I engaged in an email conversation with a person who embraced a lot of New Age ideas. This woman firmly accepted the existence of intelligent extraterrestrial beings.

While the existence -- or lack thereof -- of intelligent ETs isn't the focus of this current article, this woman then made the foolish mistake of attempting to validate her beliefs by telling me that space aliens are even mentioned in the Holy Bible. Her exact words were: "The word 'alien' is mentioned twenty-six times in the Bible." Well, to a certain degree the woman was actually right. The word "alien" is in fact found in the KJV Bible, in both the Old Testament, and in the New Testament. However, as I explained to her in my response, the word is not referring to alien beings from Outer Space as she had erroneously assumed.

Sadly, no matter what I said to her, she remained convinced that the word "alien" was referring to the so-called "Greys" from Zeta Reticuli; or perhaps to the fair-skinned alien race some people call the "Nordics"; or maybe even to the benign race known as the "Pleiadians"; or perhaps even to the sinister alien race known as the "Reptilians", a.k.a., the "Dracos". Now, if you are clueless as to what I am even talking about, then consider reading some of the articles which are listed at the end of this current discussion.

So, as we have seen, on the opposite end of the spectrum, we have this person on Facebook who assures me that there is no alien life outside of Planet Earth, because that is what the Holy Spirit supposedly told her. To their credit, I do agree that in the Old Testament, the words "strangers", "stranger", "aliens", "alien", "foreigners" "foreigner", "pilgrimage" and "sojourn" are sometimes used to describe individuals who are of non-Israelite or non-Jewish stock; some of whom decided to settle permanently -- or at least temporarily -- in Israel. However, these words are also used to describe Abram, Moses and the Israelites as well when they dwelt in foreign lands, such as in Egypt, for example. So, yes, as this person stated in their comment, some of these aliens were "people who have migrated to another land." In some cases, these words also refer to one who has been estranged from their own family. In fact, even the meaning of Gershom -- who was one of the two sons of Moses -- means "foreigner", as this group of verses demonstrates:

"And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he [Jethro] gave Moses Zipporah his daughter. And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land."


"Then Jethro, Moses' father in law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her back, And her two sons; of which the name of the one was Gershom; for he said, I have been an alien in a strange land:"


I am also reminded of the beautiful story of Ruth. As many of you will already know, Ruth was a Moabitess woman. As I have mentioned before, Moab was located to the east of the Jordan River and the Dead Sea, and was inhabited by the descendants of Moab. Moab was the son of Lot's eldest daughter through an incestuous sexual encounter with her father, following the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the other cities of the plain. At any rate, after their husbands had died, Ruth was willing to abandon her own land, forsake her gods, and follow her mother-in-law -- Naomi -- into Israel, where she lived as a foreigner, until she was wed to Boaz, who was the grandfather of King David. Thus, God blessed dear Ruth in a great way, and she became an ancestor of Jesus Christ. As she said to Naomi ". . . whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God." -- Ruth 1:16, KJV. Let me share a few more verses with you where these various words are used:

"And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;"


"And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God."


"And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying,I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight."


"Ye shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself: thou shalt give it unto the stranger that is in thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto an alien: for thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mothers milk."


"And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof. One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you."


"He hath put my brethren far from me, and mine acquaintance are verily estranged from me. My kinsfolk have failed, and my familiar friends have forgotten me. They that dwell in mine house, and my maids, count me for a stranger: I am an alien in their sight."


"I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children."


"Remember, O LORD, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach. Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens."


"And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers."


Based upon the various definitions that we find in the Brown, Driver, Briggs, Gesenius Hebrew Aramaic English Lexicon, in the Old Testament, the aforementioned words -- "strangers", "stranger", "aliens", "alien", "foreigners", "foreigner", "pilgrimage" and "sojourn" -- are derived from the following list of Hebrew words, all of which have similar meanings:

ger
guwr
maguwr
nekar
nokriy
towshab
zuwr

It should be clear to you that none of the previous Hebrew words have anything to do with alien beings from the far reaches of Outer Space. When the words "aliens" and "alien" are used, they are usually referring to people of one kind or another who are dwelling in a land which is foreign to them, and not their true home. Either that, or these words are a reference to the inhabitants of the non-Jewish nations which surrounded ancient Israel. Please keep this point in mind regarding not being one's true home, because it is very important. Furthermore, unlike the misguided woman who we discussed earlier, personally, I have never understood the words "aliens" and "alien" to signify extraterrestrial beings anywhere in the Holy Scriptures.

However, as we move into the New Testament, we discover that some of these English words take on a much bigger, and more important meaning, when it comes to God's Salvation plan, and the Kingdom of Heaven. Before continuing, let me share with you the exact verses which are included in my "Aliens to God or Aliens to the World?" KJV Bible Verse List. As a reminder, this is the verse list which is referenced at the bottom of the above graphic. Please pay particular attention to the words which I have placed in uppercase letters:

"Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; THAT AT THAT TIME YE WERE WITHOUT CHRIST, BEING ALIENS FROM THE COMMONWEALTH OF ISRAEL, and STRANGERS from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ . . . Now therefore ye are no more STRANGERS and FOREIGNERS, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit."


"This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, BEING ALIENATED FROM THE LIFE OF GOD through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness."


"And you, THAT WERE SOMETIME ALIENATED AND ENEMIES IN YOUR MIND by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:"


"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. DEARLY BELOVED, I BESEECH YOU AS STRANGERS AND PILGRIMS, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;"


"These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that THEY WERE STRANGERS AND PILGRIMS ON THE EARTH. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city."


As I mentioned earlier, the individual who left a Facebook comment not only misunderstood the graphic itself, but they also completely misinterpreted my intention in sharing the above verse list. So, let us set the record straight, shall we? NOWHERE in that list of Scriptures do I even remotely suggest that they are referring to alien beings from Outer Space; so I am not sure how this person arrived at such an erroneous conclusion. It really leaves me baffled. In fact, if you take another look at the graphic, you will see that there is a prohibited sign placed over the top of the alien. That is an intentional hint on my part to make it clear that extraterrestrial beings are NOT the kind of aliens that the graphic -- or the above group of verses -- are talking about, or that I am referring to. In the previous set of verses, the words "aliens", alienated", "strangers", "foreigners" and "pilgrims" are derived from the following Koine Greek words.

allotrios
apallotrioo
paroikos
paroikia
parepidemos
epidemeo
xenos

The above Koine Greek words have very similar meanings to their Hebrew equivalents in the Old Testament. But there is one primary difference. In the Old Testament verses, these English words are used for the most part to describe the relationship between the Israelites/Jews and the physical land of Israel, their relationship to the foreign lands in which they sojourned, and also their relationship to actual foreigners of non-Israelite stock. As we saw earlier, they are also used to describe estrangement between members of a family.

However, in the New Testament, these words take on a much deeper and wider significance, because they concern not just the physical, earthly land of Israel. Rather, they deal with Christian Believers, and our relationship to the world, to the Kingdom of God, and to God Himself. These words describe how that before we come to Christ by faith, we are aliens to God. We are alienated from the life of God. We are estranged from Him. We are as-of-yet not His born-again children, even though we have been predestinated for that very purpose. We have not yet become members of His holy household. We are in a situation similar to what existed between the Israelites and the pagan foreign nations around them. In a spiritual sense, we are in fact strangers and foreigners to God, just as the Apostle Paul writes in his Epistle to the Ephesians.

Thankfully, as I explain in a number of other articles, and as the previous group of verses also partially reveals, there is no need for any of us to remain in a state of alienation from God. Because of His great love for us, He has made a way for us all to become members of His household. That way is by spiritual adoption through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. By placing our faith in Jesus' Sacrifice, we can become sons and daughters of God, and be grafted into His royal family. God then in fact recognizes us as His own, and we are no longer viewed by Him as aliens. This wonderful truth becomes evident by verses such as the following:

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:"


"And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection."


"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but YE HAVE RECEIVED THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together . . . For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, WAITING FOR THE ADOPTION, to wit, the redemption of our body."


"For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus."


"But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that WE MIGHT RECEIVE THE ADOPTION OF SONS. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father."


"Having predestinated us UNTO THE ADOPTION OF CHILDREN BY JESUS CHRIST to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,"


"Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, THE LORD KNOWETH THEM THAT ARE HIS. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity."


As I mentioned a minute ago, according to the Scriptures, we are in fact predestinated to be adopted into the family of our Heavenly Father. He has called us, and drawn us to His Son for this very purpose. This wonderful truth is clearly revealed in verses such as the following:

"And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and AS MANY AS WERE ORDAINED TO ETERNAL LIFE believed."


"For whom he did foreknow, HE ALSO DID PREDESTINATE to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren."


"According as HE HATH CHOSEN US IN HIM BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love . . . HAVING PREDESTINATED US UNTO THE ADOPTION OF CHILDREN BY JESUS CHRIST to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will . . . In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, BEING PREDESTINATED according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:"


"But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because GOD HATH FROM THE BEGINNING CHOSEN YOU TO SALVATION through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:"


So if I were to summarize the meaning of the above graphic, and all of the verses which I have now shared with you, it would be in the following manner. Basically, there are THREE types of aliens which are described in the Holy Scriptures:

1. The first type of alien refers to those people who were not biologically members of the house of Israel in the Old Testament; some of whom eventually settled in the physical land of Israel. They were strangers and foreigners there. Likewise, the Israelites viewed themselves as strangers and pilgrims -- or aliens -- when they sojourned in foreign lands, because those places were not their true home, as had been promised to them by God.

2. The second group of aliens consists of any person who does not embrace Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Such people are children of this present world. They are in fact strangers and foreigners to God, and they are alienated from the life of God. They are not yet members of His Kingdom. We all belonged to this group before being drawn to Christ, and acknowledging Him as our Lord and Savior; at which point we were adopted into the household of God.

3. The third type of alien is in fact the second group, but in reverse. In other words, after we embrace Christ and begin to live a more godly life and sincerely follow God's Word, we become aliens to the world. We simply no longer fit into the world. We become strangers and pilgrims on the Earth, just like the Saints of the Old and the New Testament periods who realized that this present world was not their home or final resting place. You may recall that Jesus in fact said that the Apostles were NOT of this world, because He had called them out of it to serve a higher purpose, as we see here:

"I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because THEY ARE NOT OF THE WORLD, EVEN AS I AM NOT OF THE WORLD. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth."


So in a spiritual sense, Jesus and the Apostles were aliens, strangers and pilgrims on the Earth, just as we are today as well when we dedicate our lives to God. Please note that in the previous verses, the word "sanctify" means to dedicate, separate or set apart for a special purpose. It is from these same Koine Greek words -- "hagiazo" and "hagios" -- that we derive our English word "holy". As I explain in the article "Striving for Perfection: Are You a Sinless Saint?", that is what the word "holy" means. It has nothing to do with trying to live a sinless life of perfection. It is about separating ourselves from the world, and living our lives for the Lord. This becomes even more evident in verses such as these:

"If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you."


"Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence."


"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,"


"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth."


"No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier."


"Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."


"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."


So that is basically it in a nutshell. I have become an alien to this present world through my faith in Christ. However, I am not an alien to God. This world isn't my real home. Heaven is. For now, I am merely a sojourning stranger and pilgrim here who waits to return Home when my Heavenly Father calls. So how about you? Now does it all make greater sense to you?

With these thoughts, I will bring this article to a close. It is my hope that you have found it informative, enlightening, and I pray that it has been a blessing in your life as well. If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would really appreciate if you'd take the time to click or tap on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!

For additional information and further study, you may want to refer to the list of reading resources below which were either mentioned in this article, or which contain topics which are related to this article. All of these articles are likewise located on the Bill's Bible Basics web server. To read these articles, simply click or tap on any link you see below.

The Heavenly Vision: Have You Got It?
One From Beyond: Hebrew of Hebrews
The Children of Light: Are You One of Us?
This Little Light, Glory of the Lord and Our Bright Future
"Strangers and Pilgrims" KJV Bible Verse List
"Aliens to God or Aliens to the World" KJV Bible Verse List
"Worldliness" KJV Bible Verse List
"No Peaceful Coexistence Between Believers and Nonbelievers" KJV Bible Verse List
"Predestinated and Chosen" KJV Bible Verse List
"Children by Adoption" KJV Bible Verse List
"Children of God" KJV Bible Verse List
"Children of Light" KJV Bible Verse List
"Don’t Be Ashamed to Be Called a Christian" KJV Bible Verse List
"Look Forward and Stay on the Path" KJV Bible Verse List
Striving for Perfection: Are You a Sinless Saint?

Regarding what I personally think about the alien and UFO phenomenon, please consider reading the following articles and series as well. You may find them rather interesting:

Alien Life, Extrasolar Planets And Universal Atonement
Nature of the Alien: ETs, Demons or a Government Plot?
Admiral Byrd and the Hollow Earth Theory
Alien Intervention, Raelians, Pyramids and Nazca Geoglyphs
Billy Meier and the Pleiadian UFO Encounter
Heaven's Gate, Suicide and Other Death Cults
Heaven's Gate: A Subliminal Message Concealed in Their Logo?
Keeping Things in Proper Perspective: ET, Where Are You?
The Nibiru, Planet X, Wormwood Controversy
Under the Cloud: UFO's and the Holy Bible

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