MEN AND THE MOON

by Donald G. Hayter

WHAT SHALL WE, as believers in God and His word, think about the invasion of the heavens that is now taking place? Is it an intrusion into a sphere which should be admired from a distance, or is it a lawful exploration of the works of God? Shall we brand those who venture into space intruders, or acclaim them for their curiosity about creation? The skill and mechanical genius displayed by those who plan and man the complicated machines is evident. The deluge of publicity leaves us in no doubt as to this. The scientists are performing engineering marvels, but what real value is there in it all, and is it lawful?

The most obvious fact in seeking to answer these questions is that man is not made, or adapted, for the realms into which he is trespassing. He needs to provide himself with an artificial environment, and use vast and terrifying amounts of manufactured energy to get him out of the earth’s influence. For man is undoubtedly an earthling, fitted for the soil from which he was first taken, and he needs the air that only the atmosphere of the earth can provide. His existence depends on the food produced by the soil and the gases firmly anchored to the earth’s surface.

Man’s genius is moving him in a direction directly contrary to the fundamental laws of his being. God has given him the earth to use and explore. In it, were his heart right, he would find evidence of the marvels of Him Who made it. On the other hand God has reserved the heavens for Himself, and for the sons of humanity chosen and later adapted for a place there. Man has been granted the mastery of the earth and its creatures, but not the regions above it. He deserts his proper sovereignty in venturing into space. Messengers, who did just this in the past, are even now kept imprisoned for the judgment day when their lawless acts will get their deserts. So, too, will men, who forsake their God-given sovereignty and intrude into the heavens, be judged in that future day. They succeed in getting to the moon, and may even ascend higher to other planets, but in no v:ay will they be.benefited. Rather will it cause them to move further from God, and become more securely entrapped in Satan’s schemes for them. It is one more step towards the nations’complete enslavement to the Adversary of God, which will be the fate of the nations in the tinal years of this eon.

The space programme is the most spectacular exhibition of Man’s pride, and defiance of God and the natural laws of his being. In it he repudiates God and faith. He knows that the moon is a desolate waste, but is not deterred by this knowledge. Faith would indicate that it is a symbol of the destructive forces opposed to God. It is a stark example of the Adversary’s work of disruption and desolation. It is a place of death, not life. It is more likely, if it is indwelt, to be the home of the enemies of God, than of any who are subject to Him. The moon deceives man by its loveliness in the night sky, its white disc illuminating the darkness. But it should be admired as a work of God and not worshipped. And is it not worship that leads man to devote energy, intelligence, wealth and life to the purpose of stepping on its surface? Man has been seduced by the moon. He has been crazed by contemplation of its beauties. One of Britain’s leading newspapers, in its review of the year 1968, summed it up in the words "This Lunatic Year". The Greeks called epileptics "those being moonized," as they linked the affliction with the moon’s influence. Our word "lunatic" stems from the Latin luna, moon. Even the intelligent of this world criticize their fellow men for their madness in spending billions to get to a wilderness.

Let us not be deluded by the vast deluge of publicity into thinking that there is good in man’s landing on the moon. It is doubtless one of the many events that must be, and it must have some place in the eonian purpose of God. Humanity must display the lengths to which pride and enmity to God will take them. The final days of this eon are approaching. The true God, and faith in His Word, are almost being driven out of the earth. But we must not be cast down. For when the night is darkest, the dawn is nearest. Our deliverance is near. We may lift our eyes to heaven and cry, as did the apostle John, "Come, Lord Jesus".