be no fuel to bum itself out; there will be no tubes to get clogged; there will be no possibility of any electrical “ shorts” or mishaps to disrupt proper function of the mechanism. There will be no dials to read, no gauges to watch, no records to keep, no anxious moments for fear something may go wrong and no wondering if or how I will be able to land successfully at the appointed place. Whatever man makes, sooner or later, will wear out or fail. But when I make my journey, it will not be in any man-made gadget. Until that moon shot is made, the astronauts are studying carefully every word they can find in regard to the conditions that will be met in space. They are memorizing the rules by which the space ship is con trolled and learning all they possibly can about every phase of their projected trip. I, too, have a Book which tells about my forthcoming flight. And I find in it in creasingly thrilling information about individuals whom I shall meet, experiences I shall enjoy, sights that I shall see. Also I find there rules which in the meantime must govern my life down here on earth. The astronaut at Cape Canaveral expects to get out into space where everything is absolutely clean and pure. He will catch a glimpse of God’s created heavens totally unlike anything that we earth creatures have ever im agined. But after all of those wonderful experiences, the poor fellow will have to come back to this same old world with all of its potential horror, its sin, misery, sickness, sorrow and death. He will have the same body, subject to the same physical laws and the ailments of mankind. But when I take off, thank God, I shall leave behind all of these physical trappings. I shall discard everything that pertains to this physical life, everything that we experience down here that produces sadness of any kind. Even the joys that I have here in this earthly life will be completely surpassed by the new joys that will be experienced out there. And when I finally get into space I shall never worry about coming back again. I shall be able to keep right on going and enjoying the ever-new experiences which will unfold where the Lord is. When the astronaut of Cape Canaveral goes into space, he will travel at approximately 25,000 miles an hour. But when I take off, I shall not be traveling at that comparative snail’s pace; I shall not even be traveling at the ultra-slow speed of light of only 186,000 miles per second! I shall move at the speed of mind which will be instantaneous. Yes, it is true that the astronaut at Cape Canaveral has a wonderful experience awaiting him. But it is absolutely nothing compared to the wonderful experience that I shall have when “ that day” of the Lord’s return actually arrives. There are seven astronauts at Cape Canaveral, one of whom has been selected for the initial trip into space. But, thanks be to God, the trip that I am talking about and which I shall be making will be enjoyed by a great company of multiplied millions of people who have lived in the centuries past and who are living today. For the time is coming when “ The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (I Thess. 4:16, 17). “ It may be at morn, when the day is awaking, when sunlight through darkness and shadow is breaking; that Jesus will come in the fullness of glory to receive from the world His own. It may be at midday, it may be at twilight, it may be perchance that the blackness of midnight will burst into light in the blaze of His glory, when Jesus receives His own.”
How great is life, from tops of all the mountains Far down unto the bottom of the deep, Where deep-sea denizens their vigils keep, There feeding on unfathomable fountains Of life from such a universal sweep! Behold great mountain lakes in reservoir Of life where nature comes unto her own, To feature life and liberty high flown, Where sea and cloud their weighty waters pour To foster life and beauty so full blown! For water storage how great mountain ranges Comb the clouds, and low the moisture springs From out the depths to nurture living things :— For desert wastes shall blossom with the changes While all the world with life and music rings! From mountain tops we take unto the air Encircling Earth, the spacious atmosphere, Infusing life far more than may appear ,— The “ breath of life” on which the people fare, From God, upheaving in our chests so near! When far away in boundless realms of space, Where suns and satellites are freely strewn, Beyond the Milky Way and stars unknown, With light in motion at a rapid pace, The Lord our God is caring for His own! For unto Him belongs pre-eminence In doings both of angels and of men, Beyond all records of the press or pen,— To save our souls from pride and false pretense And all our vain intrusions now and then! To Him indeed belongs pre-eminence, For ’tis in Him we come unto our own With all our faults and failupes to atone, In him to find exceeding excellence Above all that is ever thought or known! Pre-eminence for all the meek and lowly, To implant within bur lives His Person solely, In Whom we find the wealth of life and weal! Most surely does He hold pre-eminence Secure is His position on the throne So high above iniquity full-grown — Astonishing and startling evidence Of pardon deeper than we’ve ever known! By Rev. J. Franklin Kelly The highest to the lowest to appeal. Our failures and infirmities to heal,
JANUARY, 1962
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