It’s Been Happening For Thousands Of Years – The Persistent UFO And Alien Presence Throughout History

Most of us are familiar with the Ancient Astronaut Theory and the notion that aliens have not only been visiting the Earth for thousands of years but that they have had an influence over humanity’s journey through the ages.

We can find writings of them in the many writings from both the ancient and historic world. Both in Biblical encounters that we might need to interpret with a modern view and in the credible and official documents of a past world that have survived and made it through the test of time, there is seemingly a wealth of evidence to suggest that UFOs have been here at least as long as humans have.

Biblical Encounters Of Alien Abduction?

Perhaps one of the oldest potential alien abductions can be found in the legend of Jonah. According to the incident from the Old Testament, Jonah was swallowed by a huge whale where he would spend three days “inside its belly” before seemingly being returned.

As we might imagine, for those who look to find hidden truths within such writings, the account appears to be one of an Unidentified Submergible Object (USO) as opposed to a whale. And instead of spending three days in the “belly”, he was, in fact, on board an extraterrestrial craft.

Even the arrival of the apparent alien craft was similar to how some modern accounts describe UFOs. A sudden electrical storm appeared out of nowhere around the boat Jonah was traveling. After deciding Jonah was the cause of the bad luck, he was thrown overboard by the crew. However, as soon as this happened the storm ceased, and the waters became calm. It was at this point that the “whale” came out of the water and “swallowed” Jonah.

Whether there is any truth about alien abduction to be found in the Jonah legend remains open to debate. As does the well-known person and potential alien abductee from Biblical times on our next stop.

Just about all of us are familiar with the story of Moses and his travel to the top of Mount Sinai where he received the Ten Commandments. It is perhaps no surprise, then, that many UFO researchers point to the Biblical account as further evidence of alien abduction in the distant past.

They point to such details as his appearance drastically changing when he returned – as he had aged greatly, as though he had been gone a lot longer than we are told. Furthermore, he had a strange glow to him, something which made some of his followers afraid of him.

From a modern perspective, the entire encounter could be one of alien abduction. Even down to Moses knowing exactly where to go to meet “God”. Many abductees speak of receiving strange telepathic instructions on where to go and when. Furthermore, many mountain areas are known as UFO hotspots. Might Moses have been taken on board a UFO here? Even more interesting is the apparent wisdom given to Moses (in the form of the commandments). Once more, many modern alien abductees speak of knowledge and wisdom being given to them by their abductors.

Biblical Descriptions Of UFOs

A very similar description can be found in one of the potentially oldest accounts of alien abduction, in the story of the Biblical Elijah.

According to the verse (in Kings), “And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder, and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven”.

We should note that many such ancient writings are indeed open to interpretation. However, from a modern perspective, it does appear to be describing an aerial vehicle that descended from the sky before taking Elijah on board. It then, seemingly with a great amount of noise and force, ascended back “into heaven” at great speed.

Is this an account of a person being taken on board by extraterrestrial entities? If we assume it is true for a moment, what should we then make of the claims of the mystical Elijah being returned to Earth one day? Has this already happened and gone unnoticed? Or might, if we assume it will happen in the future, it offers details on how time might pass in different ways during space travel?

Perhaps another strange UFO encounter from Biblical times is known as Ezekiel’s Wheel from the Book of Ezekiel. It is the opinion of many UFO researchers with an interest in historic UFO encounters that the verse in question describes a nuts-and-bolts UFO. For example, the first verse reads, “…the heavens were opened, and I saw a vision of God” before a description of a strange object states that “a wheel within a wheel” was making its way through the skies. We might note that many UFO reports of modern times often speak of round objects which feature spinning circles, often spinning in opposite directions to each other. It is perhaps also worth noting that in 1974, NASA employee, Josef Blumrich even produced blueprints based on the descriptions of Ezekiel.

Officially Documented Incidents From Early History

As well as Biblical accounts that could be perceived as UFO encounters, there are also a small plethora of apparent sightings that have been documented over the centuries by writers of their respective eras. Many of these can be found in the Roman writings, which are some of the most accurate and credible of history, in general, on record.

For example, Pontifex Maximus would write in the Annales Maximi of several incidents that took place in the Second Punic War between 218-201 BC. Perhaps the most interesting occurred in 218 BC when “a spectacle of ships (which) gleamed in the sky” appeared overhead. In 217 BC, at Arpi, there was a sighting of “round shields” in the skies above the city.

Another Roman documenter, Plutarch, would tell of an extraordinary incident that took place nearly a century and a half later in 74 BC. According to the writing, as Roman soldiers were advancing on the army of King Mithridates VI, a huge bang sounded out and a strange object was suddenly descending on them. Plutarch would write that “the sky burst asunder, and a huge, flame-like body was seen to fall between the two armies”. He would further describe the object as being a “molten silver” color and shaped “like a wine jar”. Following the incident, each army retreated out of fear of what they had just seen.

Yet another UFO incident was documented by such credible writers in 65 AD when Josephus stated that “chariots were seen in the air” all over the empire. What’s more, multiple residents saw the “armed battalions hurtling through the clouds” in the skies above them. Even more intriguing, and in keeping with some descriptions of close proximity UFO encounters in the modern age, priests in one of the city’s temples suddenly “felt a quaking and heard a great noise” which continued on and off while the strange objects were overhead.

By definition, there were few such detailed accounts following the fall of the Roman empire as the Dark Ages took over, but as documentation began to increase as the next millennium moved on, such incidents, of both UFOs and alien encounters, begins to show up again.

Alien Encounters Through The Middle Ages

The case of Major Thomas Weir is intriguing even before we factor in the possibility of alien abduction. In 1670, Meir – a respected former Scottish soldier – would suddenly make bizarre claims of occult activities having taken place throughout his life with his sister. Partly due to the claims coming while he was gravely ill, and partly due to his social standing, his stories were initially dismissed.

However, upon questioning his sister, Jean, authorities learned the stories to be true. Perhaps of most interest were the claims by Jean that her brother had been taken away in a “fiery coach” guided by strange entities. These entities would pass “supernatural knowledge” to Thomas, including predictions.

While the pair were not suspected (at the time) of being the victims of alien abduction, they were found guilty of heretic crimes and executed. Jean was found guilty of witchcraft, while Thomas was found guilty of incest and bestiality.

The case is certainly an intriguing one, though. And claims of “fiery” coaches or chariots is one often used throughout the ages and is often highlighted as an example of a UFO report in the past.

The claims of Sister Mary of Agreda is another that was seen as heresy by the religious rulers of the day. According to the account, around 1620, the 18-year-old nun would make stunning claims that she had “flown in a craft to Central America”. What’s more, she had even converted a local tribe (the Jumano) to Christianity. Even more intriguing are her claims that during these flights she had “seen the Earth (which was) a spinning sphere below me”.

Needless to say, her superiors dismissed her claims, accused her of heresy, and burned her notes and books. She wouldn’t, however, back down. It wasn’t until several years later when another missionary encountered the same tribe Mary claimed to have converted that her claims were looked at again. The missionary, Father Alonza de Benavides claimed the tribe he had traveled to convert already knew of Christianity. They had learned of it, they claimed, from “a lady in blue” who had shown them “divine articles”.

When he researched further, he learned of the claims of Sister Mary. He was so impressed with her recollections of the village and of the tribe, as well as the local customs that he began to suspect she was the “lady in blue”. What really convinced him, though, was a chalice that the tribe had given to him. They claimed it was given to them by this strange lady. It was later confirmed to be the same chalice that had once belonged to Sister Mary. And what’s more, it had been missing since she made the claims of her bizarre flight.

Had the young nun been taken to another country by aliens to aid in the spreading of Christianity? It is certainly an intriguing thought.

Strange UFO Encounters Of The American Wild West

It wasn’t just in Europe where UFOs were regularly reported. There are many sightings of such apparently otherworldly craft in the documented history of the “wild west” in the centuries following the arrival of the pilgrims. And what’s more, it is unlikely that this is simply a case of transplanted Europeans bringing their legends and myths with them. We can see similar claims of visitors from elsewhere in the legends of many, if not all, of the Native American tribes, whose presence on the continent goes back thousands of years.

Perhaps the best place to start would be with the account of James Lumley, a trapper from Missouri. According to a story in the Missouri Democrat in 1865, Lumley was trapping in the Cadotte Pass area of the state when he suddenly noticed an object appear in the sky overhead. According to Lumley, it sounded like “the bursting of a skyrocket in the air!”

Following this, a huge explosion rang out, and a surge of hot air rushed past him. Lumley returned home but would venture back into the area the following day in an attempt to investigate the scene. Much to his surprise, he discovered an area that had obviously been shredded by whatever had crashed there. He soon came to a strange object that he would recall to the newspaper looked like a “stone”.

When he looked closer, he could see that the stone was cracked open into several sections with a strange glass-like material laying shattered nearby. When he looked inside, however, he was shocked to see strange markings that appeared very much like hieroglyphics. As we might imagine, the account divides opinion as to its authenticity, even in the UFO community. However, it is far from the only such account.

Bright Silver Aerial Serpents And Large Saucers

Just short of a decade later in 1873 in Bonham, Texas, came a sighting of a strange “silvery serpent” by workers in a cotton field. So frightened by the bizarre shining object were the workers that they quickly stopped what they were doing and ran for cover in the buildings surrounding the fields. The object, moving at incredible speed, circled the cotton field before disappearing into the distance in the bright blue sky. Interestingly, only 24 hours later, an almost exact same craft was spotted by soldiers of Fort Scott in Kansas. Similar to the cotton workers, the soldiers quickly ran for cover at the appearance of the bizarre aerial vehicle.

According to a story in the Denison Daily News in January 1878, a farmer in Denison, Texas, John Martin, reported seeing a bizarre object making its way over his land. The object was in the distance when he first noticed it – a strange dark shape in the daytime sky. He quickly took his eyes off it for a second in order to refocus. However, when he looked back, it had covered a considerable distance and was almost directly overhead. He would describe the object like a “large saucer” – more than half a century before the term flying saucer entered the public consciousness. Martin would state that it could not have been a hot air balloon simply because of the great speed with which it moved.

In 1800, future President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, would describe what appeared to be a UFO sighting in a telegram. The sighting was made by a local man in Baton Rouge, Louisiana named William Dunbar. He would describe the object as the “color of the sun near the horizon” and was “the size of a house”. Furthermore, when it moved, it cast a strange glow below. Then, the object moved with great speed which was followed by a “violent rushing noise” and a “tremendous crash”. This description sounds very much from a modern-day perspective as a vehicle breaking the sound barrier.

There is one particular sighting from the wild west times, however, that stands out from the rest. And it is one that would continue to be investigated well into the 20^th century.

The Account Of The Aurora Alien

According to a report in the Dallas Morning News in April 1897, a strange object came screaming out of the skies over Aurora, Texas before crashing into Judge J S Proctor’s windmill. It would then explode into a huge ball of flames causing extensive damage to the estate. What’s more, the incident was witnessed by multiple residents of the town. Then, the incident turns even stranger.

The report would claim that an occupant was discovered in the crashed object. The story would state:

Papers found on his person, evidently the records of his travels, are written in some unknown hieroglyphics and can not be deciphered……….The pilot’s funeral will take place at noon tomorrow!

And what’s more, the townsfolk did go ahead with the funeral for the apparently deceased alien. What’s more, they buried the otherworldly creature in the town’s graveyard, marking it with a stone.

The incident was largely forgotten about until the 1970s when a reporter for the Dallas Times Herald, Bill Case, took an interest in the incident. So much so, that when he actively investigated it, he claimed to have located the grave. However, by the time he had obtained permission to dig up the grave, he would claim that the grave marker had disappeared. What’s more, the grave itself was empty. It was Case’s opinion that the United States government was behind the apparent tampering.

Incidentally, the wreckage of the strange craft was said to have been placed inside a nearby well which was then sealed up. However, in the 1930s, the then-owner of the land upon which the well sat, Brawley Oates, would discover the wreckage and begin attempts to clean it and store it. However, shortly after the discovery, he began to suffer all manner of health problems. It was Oates’ belief that this sudden ill health was down to the close contact he had with the wreckage of the Aurora UFO.

The Attempted Alien Abduction Of Colonel Shaw, Lodi, California, 1896

An “almost” alien abduction attempt took place in the small town of Lodi in California during the summer of 1896. The witness, Colonel HG Shaw, along with a friend, were traveling by horse and carriage on their way to organize an upcoming exhibition in Fresno. However, suddenly their horse came to a complete stop and refused to go any further. It was greatly agitated and frightened.

When the two men looked beyond the spooked animal, though, they could see three strange, tall creatures standing in the road. The descriptions of these creatures (given 60 years before the start of the modern UFO era) match almost entirely those of grey aliens. They had, for example, large, hairless heads with large, dark eyes. Their arms and legs, meanwhile, were seemingly too thin for their bodies.

The two men observed the three creatures for several moments. Each of them would occasionally bring a bag with a tube attached to their mouths. The witnesses assumed this was a breathing aid. They also each carried a lamp of some kind and would speak in a language unknown to Shaw and his friend.

After several moments, the three creatures made their way to a nearby bridge. As their lamps lit up the area around them, the two men could see a hovering, metallic vehicle near the bridge. The entities eventually entered the waiting ship, which then rose into the air and disappeared into the night sky. Incidentally, when Shaw made his report, he would state that it was his belief the strange creatures were from Mars. And while this is perhaps a little wide of the mark given what we know of the red planet today, that Shaw was certain he was witnessing something otherworldly is obvious.

A Debate That Continues To Be Sparked

As we can see, not only the number of historical UFO sightings but the sheer diversity of these encounters not only suggests that UFOs have been witnessed in our skies for thousands of years but raised intriguing questions about the existence of alien life and how it has shaped human history.

We might ask if this alien presence thousands of years ago is the same one that many people believe exists here today or whether multiple different races of aliens have been visiting Earth at different points in history. Did at least some of these cosmic visitors interact and influence various cultures and civilizations around the world?

The fact is, whatever these strange objects and entities might have been, the persistent accounts of them throughout history shows us that something very real is taking place around us, and has been for eons. And the more we go through these sightings from the past, the more they spark debate about not only UFOs but the true nature of our history.

The short video below looks at some of the best UFO encounters connected to the Bible.