a
tripto the
MOON
Dr. M. R. DeHaan
A ll th e world is in a dither and a daze over the dire imports of the amazing and rapid developments in space. But to the Christian believer who knows his Bi ble, this is nothing new. Interplanetary travel is not new. The most reliable record of history gives several previous accounts of interplanetary travel. These past excursions into space are a thousand times more thrilling than ever sending a man into space. These trips did not stop at some hundred or even thousands of miles. Let us look at several previous “ rockets” which make man’s puny satellites look like child’s toys and playing with blocks. Notice the first case in history. You have all read, I am sure, of a certain man described in the 5th chapter of Genesis who made the first successful interplanetary trip. He is still up there after four thousand years. His name was Enoch. One day he was walking with God, and all of a sudden God said, “ Enoch, let’s go home,” and without any three-stage projectile, without any jet propulsion, without any rocket of any type, whoosh! In the twinkling of an eye, he had left this world and gone beyond the realms of comprehensive space with God into heaven. No noise and no risk! You don’t think that was exciting? Beloved, that to me is ten thousand times more thrilling than any trip to the moon. There is another equally exciting account of another man who made the trip in the second book of Kings, and in chapter 2. There was a prophet of fire by the name of Elijah. One day he was giving final instructions to his successor, Elisha, in preparation for his departure, and after casting his mantle upon him, he was ready to go. And God separated them with a fiery chariot and horses, and then all of a sudden — the Lord didn’t send an atomic weapon, or load him in a cramped sphere with liquid oxygen and kerosene, but just created a whirlwind, just as easily as I take a breath. And Elijah went straight up and up and up in the whirlwind and all the way to heaven. Elijah didn’t take any chances; there was no question about it. He arrived safely at his destination. But there is one other interplanetary trip. It is the most amazing of all. Think with me about that story in the first chapter of the book of Acts. After the Lord Jesus Christ was born, lived, died, rose from the tomb, and spent forty days with His disciples, He went up
into a mountain. And there while His disciples looked, all of a sudden, not with a noisy roar of a projectile, but quietly, as He lifted His hands and He blessed His disci ples, He just went up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. The record is brief but intensely dramatic. “ And when he (Jesus) had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.” Acts 1:9 Almost immediately after He had reached Heaven, as the disciples stood in silent awe, wondering where He had gone, for they couldn’t see Him any more, and their hearts were filled with fear, He sent word back an nouncing His safe arrival, and so we read: “ And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; “Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” Acts 1:10, 11 SATAN’S SIN In the light of the age of interplanetary travel and satellites, it is indeed interesting to note what the sin of Satan was, which caused God to thrust him out and bring His curse upon the earth. The record is both in teresting and exceedingly dramatic. In the 12th verse of the 14th chapter of Isaiah, I read: “How are thou fallen from heaven.” Isaiah 14:12 Notice, Lucifer had somehow gotten up to heaven, and for some reason God removed the Devil from hea ven. He had no business there. His place was on the earth. That was where God had put him, but when he aspired to explore the heavens, with the evident intention and purpose of dethroning God and becoming the lord of the universe, God had him thrown out. “ How art thou fallen from heaven, O Luci fer, son of the morning: how art thou cut down to the ground, which didn’t weaken the nations! “ For thou hast said in thine' heart, I will ascend into heaven, I WILL EXALT MY
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