The Reverend Billy Graham — spiritual advisor to U.S. presidents, evangelist to millions of Christians — wrote a book called Angels in which he shows himself to be remarkably open-minded about UFOs in the world of God. He writes:
Some Christian writers have speculated that UFOs could very well be a part of God’s angelic host who preside over the physical affairs of universal creation. While we cannot assert such a view with certainty, many people are now seeking some type of supernatural explanation for these phenomena. Nothing can hide the fact, however, that these unexplained events are occurring with greater frequency around the entire world and in unexpected places.
(Dr. Graham is a strong believer in the supernatural.) He then details reports of a 1975 “cloud” containing a squadron of UFOs seen in Japan by thousands of people. No doubt Dr. Graham is very familiar with the very many times heavenly occurrences are described as “clouds” in the Bible.
Next, Dr. Graham summarizes the ancient astronaut theory of Erich von Daniken and the theory of “violent scattering of the solar system that caused ruin on earth” set forth by Immanuel Velikovsky, then continues:
The knowledge of the intense suffering of those times was soon repressed, but lies buried in man’s racial memory, explaining his modern self-destructive behavior. Men would dismiss these grandiose cosmologies lightly if it were not that they, along with a number of other theories, have been put forward with such frequency and serious import that no one can shrug them off. They are being studied seriously at many of our universities. As a theme for talk shows, hardly anything or anyone can top concerns like this.
Dr. Graham says:
Some sincere Christians, whose views are anchored in a strong commitment to Scripture, contend that these UFOs are angels. But are they? These people point to certain passages in Isaiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah and the book of Revelation, and draw parallels to the reports of observers of alleged UFO appearances. They take the detailed descriptions, for example, of a highly credible airline crew and lay them alongside Ezekiel 10, and put forward a strong case.
He then references Ezekiel 10:9-13, 16-17 regarding the appearance of cherubim, and says:
Any attempt to connect such passages with the visits of angels may, at best, be speculation. Nor should we become preoccupied or overly fascinated with trying to identify contemporary theories and speculations about UFOs or similar pehnomena with biblical passages. Secular speculations often, in fact, run counter to the Bible’s teaching concerning the origin of life on this planet. What is interesting, however, is that such theories are now being given serious attention even by people who make no claim to believe in the God of the Bible.
Later, in discussing the End Times, Dr. Graham says:
Whether the battle between the forces of Satan and the forces of God involve other planets and galaxies we do not know…. It is almost incredible to us that supernatural beings from outer space are engaged in a struggle for this planet.
