June 24, 1947. Kenneth Arnold, an experienced pilot, spotted nine high-speed objects skipping through the air as a saucer would across a pond. He saw them with Mt. Ranier, Washington as a backdrop. Thus, at least the terminology of flying saucers was born, although many insist that such phenomena existed far earlier. Since that time, many stories have filtered down into the populace, including one about dead aliens being kept secret.
Hollywood eventually got into the genre of science fiction with Buck Rogers in 1939 and Flash Gordon in the 1940s. The radio version of War of the Worlds convinced many that earth was under attack. Dozens of movies were made throughout the 40s and 50s—a few of them were well done: The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), When Worlds Collide (1951), Forbidden Planet (1954), World Without End (1956). Star Trek was on television in the 1960s, and the original Star Wars became very popular in 1977 with a whole galaxy of space movies to follow, including E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Some have been reporting that they were abducted by aliens for decades now. Scores of books have been written on the subject that rate from looney to plausible. Many folks believe in UFOs and beings from outer space. Scientifically, however, what is the evidence? Is it possible to fly faster than the speed of light? Some scientists are debating it, but no demonstration has been made as yet. Without warp speed, it will be difficult to reach all of those other stars with planets just the right distance away that would theoretically support life (and should, according to evolutionists).
So far, mankind is long on imagination but short on a mechanism to travel through space. But amidst all of the speculation, there is one bit of scientific evidence that cannot be ignored—the results of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI).
According to an article in the Wall Street Journal (December 26, 2014), SETI was “launched in the 1960s” with the hope of receiving radio signals from various parts of the universe (A11). Thus far, in years of researching, no intelligent messages have been received. We would settle for any reasonable communication; the newspaper article stated the results:
But as years passed, the silence from the rest of the universe was deafening. Congress defunded SETI in 1993, but the search continues with private funds. As of 2014, researchers have discovered precisely bubkis—0 followed by nothing (A11).
But there’s even worse news. As scientists search for possible life-supporting planets and what it would take to sustain that life, the vast number of such planets thought to exist has dwindled considerably. In fact, the precise conditions needed are causing the possibility to approach zero. Just one necessary factor will serve as an example.
Today there are more than 200 known parameters necessary for a planet to support life—every single one of which must be perfectly met, or the whole thing falls apart. Without a massive planet like Jupiter nearby, whose gravity will draw away asteroids, a thousand times as many would have hit the earth’s surface. The odds against life in the universe are simply astonishing (A11).
It’s beginning to look as though WE ARE ALONE in this universe. But we are not really all by ourselves; our Creator is still around—and will be even after the elements of the universe have melted with fervent heat (2 Peter 3:10-13). He created this world to be inhabited (Isa. 45:18). And He has created a better, more wondrous place for those who obey Him to dwell in later. We will all be extraterrestrials then.