To Boldly Go Where Christ Has Gone

Jude 1:6 ‘And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation. . .’

We’ve all heard those famous lines from the TV serial Star Trek, “Space, the final frontier. . . To boldly go where no man has gone before.” A frontier is of course a boundary, a limit, the edge of something considered to be unexplored and vacant, free range, open to intrusion, inspection and possible incorporation. When the expansion-minded Europeans discovered the New Word and proceeded to trek into the heartland, they brought with them a vast array of newish things varying from laws and treaties, to trinkets, religion, technology, diseases and guns. Looking back at the final results it is safe to say that nearly every pact and concord made between the advancing surveyors of the New World and the native inhabitants of the New World was broken by the surveyors. Diseases once unknown to Native Americans decimated the population. Anxious missionaries tore apart families and cultures. Words written and signed on paper meant less than the paper they were written on. Trust became an apparition and an impossible dream.

A recent AP report by Seth Borenstein says that Congress is holding hearings with NASA (the current surveyors of the space frontier), on how to fund their current and future projects.  For the time being, it appears that NASA is trapped on earth due to a lack of groundbreaking technology.  While Congress desires a destination of sorts before investing new money into the program, NASA is pushing for funding that will simply fuel their imaginations, inspirations and aspirations.  NASA’s deputy administrator Lori Garver wants to see new funding go towards future technology because the current innovations are not progressive enough to do much more than what has already been done.

 

Hebrews 2:9 ‘But we see Yahshua, Who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour, that He by the grace of the Creator should taste death for every man.’

 

Mankind has proven at every turn to be a discontent, rebellious and curious creature.  It pokes at things it does not understand and calls this prodding and the results, good and tragic, ‘science.’  It walks on two legs and enters places it has no right being.  It pollutes everything it touches and leaves its flotsam floating through sea and space.  If it happens upon an indigenous people, it enslaves it and subjects it to its will and whim.  Mankind takes, devours, lies, and kills.  It corrupts and infects.  It christens itself civilized and advanced; while taking full unrighteous advantage of its coerced liberty with supposed godlike powers.

 

1 Corinthians 5:6 ‘Your glorying is not good. . .’

 

Mankind is anything but what it believes itself to be.  Mankind is not peaceful, merciful or good.  It cannot even take care for its own backyard and the billions of people occupying it.  There is starvation and war from one end of the planet to the other.

 

Revelation 12:3-4 ‘And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold, a great red dragon. . . And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven. . .’

 

Scripturally, at one time, there was war in heaven – a rebellion.  A third of the angels left their first estate and followed the fallen morning star - Lucifer.  Where did they go?

 

Genesis 6:1-2 ‘And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the Sons of the Creator (the angels) saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.’

 

When we hear and read the old legends of Greek Mythology, not to mention just about every other ancient culture, they all speak of visitors coming down to the earth, beings they called ‘gods’ who impregnated their women and gave birth to super-humans.  The hosts of the heavens, the angels, are all male and have no means by which to reproduce their number.  They are a set lot.

 

Genesis 6:4 ‘There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of the Creator came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.’

 

These giants and mighty men or Nephilim were the byproduct of angels and women.  Their presence caused such wickedness to ensue on the earth, Yahweh decided to destroy the earth with a massive flood.

 

2 Peter 2:4-5 ‘For if Yahweh speared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; and spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly.’

 

Mankind has been made a little lower than the angels and yet we are influenced by their fall, by the spirit of the evil one who led them to their fall. 

 

I think many people today simply don’t believe in a fall, or the possibility of falling.  An elitist certainty in our own goodness as human beings outside the blood of Christ causes many to live selfishly and purposefully for their own claims to glory.  Many Christians are lured into yoking themselves to this belief also.

 

2 Peter 2:10 ‘But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government.  Presumptuous are they, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.’

 

Those that do not answer to Yahweh, answer to no one but their own minds, their own imaginations – presumptuous and self-willed.  The spirit of rebellion teaches our species that there are no fences, no boundaries, no places we cannot go and impose, intrude and if need be, dominate. 

 

Genesis 3:24 ‘So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the Garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.’

 

Mankind’s idea of evolving is merely a reach and an effort to will himself back into the garden from which he was evicted.  We believe so much in our own personal goodness, despite our fall, we don’t care at all about our negative influences.  No matter how much we damage things, we always smile and say “Job well done.”  We bomb the daylights out of South Vietnam, Bosnia and Iraq, killing countless millions of innocent souls and call it good. 

 

Right now, we have junk, literally thousands of tons of space junk floating around in the heavens above us.  Instead of seeing this as a bad thing, or something we should attempt to fix before moving forward; science prefers to take the “it’s okay and it will take care of itself” outlook. 

 

That attitude reminds me of the nuclear debate.  We have factories producing thousands of tons of radioactive waste every year, and no way to properly store it and rid ourselves of it.  We are stockpiling dangerous waste with the “it’s okay and it will take care of itself” outlook.  Scientists believe that maybe, if we invest enough money and time into the problem, someone will discover a grand solution; a technology so advanced it will make the problem go away.  There is only one problem with that hypothesis.  Mankind has shown time and time again that everything he creates with his wisdom has a side effect, another negative attachment or virus to cancel out the positive resolution.  Of course, in the old “It’s okay and will take care of itself” scenario, we need only rid ourselves of the immediate problem first and worry about the side effects later; after all, getting re-elected and/or rich takes precedence in a capitalistic society. 

 

2 Peter 14-16 ‘Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls; an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children; which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet.’

 

Go back and re-read those verses again.  Look at what mankind truly is.  Should we take all this sin and madness into the heavens, into space?  What good could possibly come of us being out there?  Those who are bent on this glorious crusade, those that want to continue this frontier exploring, will only take death and disease to other planets.  We would do to other worlds what the fallen angels did to us.

 

Ephesians 4:8-10 ‘Wherefore He saith, When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.  Now that He ascended, what is it but that He also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?  He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that He might fill all things.’

 

There is an important concept we must come to grasp concerning the resurrection, if we truly want to understand what has happened.  Some believe that Christ rose in Spirit only.  I believe that is pure ignorance.

 

John 20:27 ‘Then saith He to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into My side: and be not faithless but believing.’

 

I have no doubt that Yahshua’s resurrection was a bodily resurrection.  I have no doubt that when He ascended into the heavens; His physical body rose up off the earth without any vehicle or propulsion but that of the Holy Spirit.

 

Mark 16:19 ‘So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, He was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of the Creator.’

 

Space is not the final frontier.  Yahshua has already ascended up into it and above it unlike any man before Him.  The next question has to be, what is He doing up there?

 

John 14:2 ‘In My Father’s house are many mansions. . . I go to prepare a place for you.’

 

Revelation 21:1 ‘And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.’

 

Yahshua is kingdom building.  He is creating a perfect world for us to live in and stay in – abide in.

What happens when man tries to leave his homeland, and ascend beyond his limitations, the boundaries imposed and willed by Yahweh?

 

Genesis 11:1-6 ‘And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. . . And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. . . And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name. . . And Yahweh said, Behold, the people is one. . . and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.’

 

Here is the thing people do not like about Christians.  We believe in limits, in boundaries, in things a person should and should not do.  These are moral laws.  Yisrael learned that no matter how you implement such moral beliefs on people and try to build a nation, rebellion will always win out and the nation will fall.  It happened to Yisrael over and over and over again.

 

1 Peter 2:9-10 ‘But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people. . . which in times past were not a people, but are now the people of the Creator. . .’

 

As the next verse in 1Peter bears out, we are strangers and pilgrims now, and do not want to be part of this tragic enterprise mankind intends to do.  Mankind wants to cross the boundary of space and actually build stations and colonies in other worlds. 

Remember what Yahweh said when He saw the Tower of Babel. He said that man is capable of doing all he imagines to do. Morally, as Christians, we believe the ability to do a thing does not justify doing it. People who do not believe in abstinence before marriage do so because the ability to have sex at will is justification enough. The question is never, should they do it? The question always becomes, why shouldn’t they do it?  And without a moral code binding their eyes and hearts to their Creator, even their earthly parents, they will always do what their impetuous flesh wants to do – and justify the lewd behavior to themselves, proudly and defiantly.

NASA calls their current creation ‘The International Space Station.’ In their assault on the heavens, all the countries of the earth have come together and united, and become one. (Sound anything like Revelation 17:13-14?)

With one mind and one goal, the kingdoms of the earth give themselves one name of their own choosing.

Revelation 18:4-5 ‘And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and the Creator hath remembered her iniquity.’

We are different. Once we become Christians, we have come out and are part of the body of Christ. We will no longer partake in the sins of nations, and of science, of foolish exploration. They have taken sin into heaven.

Chris Chyba of an independent spaceflight panel finished by saying, “And the goal is the human expansion into the solar system.”

Sounds a lot like world domination and beyond to me.

Amen