Vladimir Lenin is purported to have said, “There are decades when nothing happens; and there are weeks when decades happen.” Now, it’s not generally a good idea to take to heart the wisdom of Marxist revolutionaries, but in this instance Lenin is correct. It seems in this post-COVID era decades happen every week.

A quick reflection on the last few years, and we can identify many stories that would have consumed the nations’ attention for months if they weren’t almost immediately overshadowed by a subsequent story that was equally, if not more, shocking. Whether we’re talking about vaccine mandates, transgender athletes in women’s sports, BLM riots, Hunter Biden’s laptop, firebombing of pro-life centers, the withdrawal from Afghanistan, illegal border crossings, bank failures, China’s rise as a superpower, the cognitive decline in Joe Biden, Canadian trucker protests, toxic chemical spills in Ohio, sky high inflation, the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Elon Musk buying twitter, war in Ukraine, the Nord Stream II pipeline attack, states banning gender transitions for minors, FBI raid on Mar-A-Lago, collapsing birth rates, evidence Joe and Hunter Biden accepted $5 million bribes, and, most recently, the indictment of a former president (and current candidate), none of these would match the revelation that our government was in possession of alien spacecraft.

Since the 1950s, Americans have reported seeing unidentified flying objects (UFOs) — or more recently termed “UAPs” (unidentified aerial phenomena) (UFO and UAP can be used interchangeably) — in the sky. Many of these observations can be chalked up to natural phenomenon or even man-made crafts, but a portion of these occurrences remain unexplained. UFOs, UAPs, alien encounters, and abductions have been part of American pop culture for the better part of a century. So when a Pentagon whistleblower, Daniel Grusch, stepped forward to go on the record claiming the U.S. government poses intact and partially-intact vehicles from a non-human source, as well as the bodies of the beings who piloted these craft, it caught the attention of millions.

Grusch is a decorated former combat officer who served in Afghanistan, a veteran of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and served on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force from 2019 to 2021 — the task force was later renamed “AARO,” short for “All-Doman Anomalies Resolution Office.” Grusch’s resume and access make him a compelling voice for many on this subject; however he has not produced any documentation to corroborate his claims as of yet. Thankfully, the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act established protections for government employees and contractors who come forward with information related to UFO encounters, programs, etc., so Grusch is free to present any information in his possession to Congress and the intelligence community inspector general. It’s safe to assume there will be more to this story in the future.

Last month, officials from NASA held their first public meeting to discuss the phenomenon. At this event, Dan Evans, an assistant deputy associate administrator with NASA, stated unequivocally, “There is absolutely no convincing evidence for extraterrestrial life associated with UAPs.” The Pentagon also came out with their own statement on the matter saying: “To date, AARO, has not discovered any verifiable information to substantiate claims that any programs regarding the possession or reverse engineering of extra-terrestrial materials have existed in the past or exist currently.” For what it’s worth, the Pentagon just acknowledged that AARO doesn’t have information proving the existence of any programs that Grusch alleges, although that’s not exactly an unequivocal denial that those programs exist.

Whether you believe Grusch, or NASA and the Pentagon, you probably have preconceived notions about the existence of alien lifeforms piloting craft capable of traversing space and time. Few approach this issue with certainty, and rightfully so — a humble mindset is best. Where extraordinary claims are made, extraordinary evidence must back them up, and all too often the evidence falls short.

Today, computer-generated images are almost indistinguishable from real life, so it is relatively easy to fake a UFO sighting or alien encounter. Take for example, the recent footage from a policeman’s body camera out of Las Vegas — is it a real encounter or is it fake? Or maybe there’s another easily explainable natural phenomenon. Frankly, I don’t know.

As Christians, we mustn’t let these reports shake our faith. The Lord told us, when He gave us His Great Commission, “All authority in heaven and on earth have been given to me.” (Matt. 28:18). So, whatever is out there — if there is life on other planets — we can assume the Lord is sovereign over it, because there cannot be a domain in which the Lord does not have authority. Again, John writes in his gospel, “All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.” So, we can be confident that nothing, whether it be an entity or craft, was created apart from the purposes of Christ.

As more information undoubtedly comes out from Daniel Grusch, NASA, the Pentagon, and elsewhere, let’s resolve to weigh it with discernment, and honor the Lord of hosts as sovereign over this planet and all planets, for all of time.