Is there Life on other Planets? by Keith Malcomson

Devotional

Day 1: Stars Named, Earth Cherished in a Universe of Wonder

The universe’s staggering scale—100 billion galaxies, stars like Stephenson 2-18 dwarfing our sun—declares God’s limitless power. Yet Scripture centers on Earth, where God formed humanity as His image-bearers. The same hands that placed stars in precise orbits cradle human lives with intimate care. Creation’s vastness magnifies His greatness, while Earth’s singularity reveals His purposeful love. [19:48]

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? (Psalm 8:3-4, ESV)

Reflection: How does the knowledge that God named every star yet calls you by name reshape your understanding of His care in your current struggle?

Day 2: One Habitable Planet in a Cosmic Desert

Earth alone bears the fingerprint of intentional design—air, water, and seasons calibrated for life. While scientists search barren planets, Scripture insists God “formed [Earth] to be inhabited.” The void of life elsewhere underscores humanity’s unique role as stewards of God’s garden-planet. Alien fascination distracts from our sacred responsibility to cultivate and keep what God deemed “very good.” [30:55]

For this is what the Lord says—he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited—he says: “I am the Lord, and there is no other.” (Isaiah 45:18, ESV)

Reflection: What practical step can you take this week to honor Earth’s God-given purpose through stewardship or worship?

Day 3: Sun, Moon, and Stars as Heaven’s Ministry Team

Celestial bodies serve Earth like a divine support staff—marking seasons, guiding harvests, and declaring glory. The sun’s precise distance prevents burning or freezing, while the moon’s gravitational pull stabilizes tides. These “lesser lights” fulfill their Genesis 1 job description daily, reminding us that even cosmic forces exist to serve God’s plans for humanity. [45:10]

And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky… to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness.” God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. (Genesis 1:14-16, ESV)

Reflection: Which “lesser light” in your life (a routine, relationship, or responsibility) might God want to use anew to reveal His faithfulness?

Day 4: Angels Watching Over a Speck of Stardust

Before Adam drew breath, angels witnessed Earth’s foundation-laying, their joyful shouts echoing through the newborn cosmos (Job 38:4-7). These mighty beings—later divided into loyal servants and fallen rebels—were created not for distant galaxies but to engage with Earth’s story. Their ongoing activity around us proves spiritual realities are more tangible than any UFO sighting. [56:05]

For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. (Colossians 1:16, ESV)

Reflection: How might awareness of unseen spiritual activity change your approach to today’s challenges?

Day 5: No Alien Gospel Needed—Earth’s Fall Demanded Calvary

If intelligent life existed elsewhere, Christ’s incarnation as a human—not a Martian or Pleiadian—would make no sense. The cross specifically addresses Adam’s rebellion, not hypothetical extraterrestrial sins. Demonic forces masquerading as “aliens” cannot receive salvation, but humans can—proof of Earth’s centrality in God’s redemptive plan. [01:13:21]

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16, ESV)

Reflection: How does the truth that Christ came exclusively for Earth’s salvation deepen your urgency to share the gospel?

Sermon Summary

Genesis 1 sets the foundation stone for the whole question of UFOs, aliens, and life on other planets. The present UFO craze may be the subject of the hour, with governments, documentaries, movies, military files, and strange testimonies flooding the world, but Scripture is not caught off guard. The Word of God speaks where it speaks, and silence belongs only where Scripture is silent.

Colossians 1 declares that Christ created all things, visible and invisible, thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers, and all things were created by him and for him. Psalm 8 lifts the eyes to the heavens, the moon and the stars, and then asks the shocking question, “What is man?” The universe is ginormous, with galaxies beyond comprehension, stars beyond numbering, and distances that make human technology look like nothing. Yet the heavens are not the center of God’s plan. The earth is.

Genesis begins with the heavens and the earth, but the earth receives the attention. God created the earth on day one, before the sun, before the moon, before the stars, before the planets. The heavens were an empty space, a blank sheet, but the earth was there from the beginning of physical creation. Day four brings the sun, moon, and stars, and Genesis almost passes over the stars with that little phrase, “he made the stars also.” God spent three days forming the earth, making it habitable, separating waters, shaping it for man. Isaiah 45 says God created the earth “not in vain,” but formed it “to be inhabited.”

The heavens exist for light upon the earth, for signs, seasons, days, and years, and to declare the glory of God. Romans 1 says creation leaves mankind without excuse, because the invisible things of God are clearly seen through the things that are made. The stars do not create mystery that threatens the Bible. The stars preach the Creator.

Job 38 shows the sons of God and morning stars rejoicing when God laid the foundations of the earth. Colossians and Ephesians reveal that invisible powers are created beings, and some of those powers became fallen principalities that Christ defeated at the cross. Lucifer was created perfect, but iniquity was found in him. The intelligent unseen world is real, powerful, and active, but it is not alien life from distant planets.

The fall of Adam affected all creation, and redemption belongs to Adam’s race. Christ became man, not an alien creature, and died for the world of mankind. Angels are the only other intelligent created beings Scripture reveals, and fallen angels are not redeemed. The UFO question therefore must be answered by Scripture: there is intelligent life, but not little men on far-flung planets.

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Key Takeaways

1. Earth stands under God’s eye Genesis places the earth at the center of God’s purpose, not because the universe physically revolves around it, but because God’s plan does. The earth comes before the sun, moon, stars, and planets, and that order matters. The vastness of space is not meant to make man feel insignificant, but to make God’s personal care more staggering. [36:05]
2. The heavens preach God’s glory The sun, moon, stars, and galaxies are not random decoration or hidden alien territory. Scripture says they give light, mark seasons, and declare the glory of the Creator. Creation becomes a witness, and Romans 1 says that witness leaves men without excuse when they refuse the God who made it. [49:34]
3. Invisible powers are created things Colossians names thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers as created by Christ and for Christ. Ephesians says some of those invisible powers now wrestle against the church, but the cross has already spoiled them. Fear loses its grip when the unseen realm is remembered as created, limited, and defeated under Christ. [55:27]
4. Alien fascination needs biblical sobriety The UFO craze can draw the heart by fascination, fear, and mystery, but Scripture calls for clear answers instead of panic. Strange powers, deceiving spirits, and supernatural manifestations are not outside the Bible’s categories. The issue is not whether something intelligent exists, but whether Scripture has already named the kind of intelligence at work. [54:22]
5. Redemption belongs to Adam’s race Christ took on the form of man and died for the world of mankind. The gospel is not an open possibility for imagined alien races, and fallen angels themselves cannot be redeemed. The scope of redemption protects the uniqueness of man, the seriousness of Adam’s fall, and the glory of Christ’s incarnation.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[03:42] - Is There Life On Other Planets?
[05:19] - Disclosure, UFOs, And The Present Hour
[13:06] - Three Foundational Questions
[16:00] - Christ Created All Things
[19:13] - How Big Is The Universe?
[30:23] - The Earth Is Unique
[33:16] - Genesis And The Beginning
[40:29] - Day Four And The Stars Also
[46:32] - Why God Made The Heavens
[54:05] - Angels And Invisible Powers
[61:07] - Job, Satan, And Spiritual Warfare
[67:32] - Why Aliens Cannot Live On Distant Planets
[73:21] - Redemption, Angels, And Adam’s Race

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Genesis 1:1-19
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. And God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. And God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. And God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth." And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth." And it was so. And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.” [13:32]

Colossians 1:16
“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” [15:58]

Isaiah 45:18
“For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did not create it empty, he formed it to be inhabited!): "I am the LORD, and there is no other."” [38:52]

Observation questions

In Genesis 1, what is created before the sun, moon, and stars, and how much attention is given to the earth before day four? [42:30]
According to Genesis 1:14-19, what reasons are given for the lights in the heavens? [44:54]
In Colossians 1:16, what categories of things are said to be created by Christ, and which of those categories are visible or invisible? [55:38]
In Isaiah 45:18, what does God say the earth was formed for, and how does that wording stand out? [39:06]

Interpretation questions

If Genesis gives much more detail to the forming of the earth than to the stars, what does that suggest about the place of earth in God’s purpose? [36:10]
Colossians 1:16 says all things were created by Christ and for Christ. How does that shape the way a Christian should think about unseen powers, spiritual beings, and anything mysterious or frightening? [56:02]
Isaiah 45:18 says the earth was formed to be inhabited. How should that affect the claim that distant planets are home to intelligent races like mankind? [40:27]
Romans 1 was brought in to show that creation reveals God clearly. If the heavens are meant to declare God’s glory, what makes it possible for people to look at the same sky and still come away worshiping something else? [51:37]

Application questions

The size of the heavens can either make a person feel small and forgotten or make God’s care seem even more astonishing. When looking at the world lately, which way has the heart been leaning, and why? [24:49]
Earth stands under God’s eye in a unique way. How might that truth steady a believer who feels insignificant, overlooked, or swallowed up by what is happening in the world? [36:25]
Fascination can pull the heart toward strange and sensational things. Where is there a temptation to be drawn more by mystery, speculation, or fear than by Christ himself? [15:42]
The heavens were made to give light and to declare God’s glory. What practical habit could help the group slow down and actually consider the works of God instead of rushing past them? [52:56]
Invisible powers are real, but they are created and defeated under Christ. Where has fear of the unseen, fear of deception, or fear of the future been pressing in, and how does Christ’s authority answer that fear? [57:45]
Redemption belongs to Adam’s race, and Christ became man for sinners here. How does that sharpen urgency in prayer, holiness, and witness toward the people already in front of us? [49:12]
Children and younger believers are growing up in a world full of bold claims about the supernatural. What would it look like to answer those claims with biblical calm instead of panic, mockery, or avoidance? [12:07]

Sermon Clips

We're told time and time again in the Bible that Jesus took on the form of a man. Not an alien, not a creature, but of humanity. Man is unique. Don't tell me there's other intelligent life forms living on other planets. There is not. There is intelligent life, but not on faristant planets. And I'm telling you, when Jesus Christ died on the cross, God so loved the world of man, human men that he came and died on the cross for your sins. For your sins. [01:13:33]

Do you know what that does? That shows the importance of the earth. See, the earth is not the center of all creation, but it is the center of God's plan and purpose. Everything does not revolve as far as the universe around the earth. It doesn't do that. But I tell you, God's plan revolves around the earth. God's eye is on the earth. Scripture focuses upon the earth. [00:36:05]

Do you realize our God has a name for every single star in the universe? He has it named. He has it cataloged. Men don't stand a chance of cataloging the stars. They don't. They don't stand a chance of cataloging all those in our galaxy. And yet God has every star. He has given them a personal specific individual name. Not just a number. He gives them an actual name. [00:28:01]

But guess what? It's getting bigger. And yet it's as nothing in the hand of our God. Our God holds it within his hand. Oh, if you could only see this tonight, you'd realize how much God loves you and cares about you. How great our God is. How amazing it is. You see, who are we? Who are you? What is man that God should visit him or think about him or consider him or save him? [00:24:44]

You see, in all of this, you know what the Bible does? It centers in on a place called Earth. Not the heavens, not the heavens, not the universe, not the planets, not the stars. Guess what? All of that is not the focus of God's creation. It is so massive. And yet scripture notes notes all of this creation. But he never makes that the issue. He actually makes earth the focus of everything. Man the center of all of his dealings, of all of his loving. [00:30:16]

But if you're a Christian, it operates the reverse. You begin to study the Milky Way, the cosmos, the planets, all of the order. Guess what? There's order here. They they don't crash into each other. They are set in their place. They follow a pattern. There's actual order in the planets. There's order in the stars. There's purpose within them. And you know what? God looks down on you and says, "I love you. I love you. [00:31:48]

Christians aren't scared of issues. New issues arising. In fact, if they're a biblical preacher, they run to it. They deal with it. They're not scared of it. There's nothing this world's going to produce that could shock me, surprise me, catch me off guard, or expose the Bible or the gospel for not being true. [00:02:57]

Notice with me there are invisible powers and principalities that were created in Genesis 1, defeated at the cross and today they fight against the church. They actually there are invisible powers who are in a warfare against the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's why we need the armor of God. [00:58:08]

It is going right back to the origin of all things. If you want to find out the source of all things and the answer to all things, go back to the book of Genesis. And this word in the beginning, it actually shows there was a start to time. There was a beginning of history. There was actually a point in time that you could record and register that that shows the physical creation of all things. [00:33:36]

You need to remember one thing. God created all the planets. Every single planet he knows. He He knows every single planet. All of them. He created them. And yet there's only one in the entire universe he created to be inhabited or to have people live there or any creature live there. [00:39:46]

Your kids are going to live in a supernatural hour, a very unusual age. Deceptive, lying spirits, men of power, seduction in the church. You better know what the word of God says. [00:04:06]

And as we see the awesomeness of this, you're going to see how great our God is. Our God isn't small. And saints, if he created this, he cares about you. He counts every hair on your head. He knows everything about you. He has a heart for you personally. [00:21:33]

But saints, we don't shun or ignore vital things that go on. Some things in scripture are obscure or the Bible says little on. We don't ignore them. We deal with them. We're silent where scripture is silent, but we speak where scripture speaks. [00:01:15]

Saints, if you began to realize how unique the earth is. It's unique as in it was created before all of the rest. It's also unique in the detail. God begins to go into the minor details of creation. But they are not all the focus. The earth is the focus. [00:43:14]

I want to deal with the blood. There's nothing more revolutionary in your Christian life than understanding the blood of Jesus. That's where I'm comfortable. That's where I like to stay. That's what's got to be the emphasis and the focus of this church and of your Christian life. [00:00:59]

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