‘As of April 6, 2026, the Artemis II crew has traveled further from Earth than any human in history.’
This is the sort of statement that has been often repeated during this recent flight, which has now ended and the astronauts are safely back on earth.
But is it really true?
Man has never been ‘behind’ in boasting of his achievements! Witness old Nebuchadnezzar’s bragging of ‘his’ kingdom!
“The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?” Daniel 4:30.
How wrong he was for “the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will,” Daniel 4:25.
It is recorded in this same chapter that the Lord taught the king the truth in a fashion he would never forget. He was reduced to the level of the beast for seven years (verse 16).
“The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws,” Daniel 4:33.
Of course, men today still view their nation and its ‘achievements’ in the same way.
I will not quote the words of the USA Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, who ‘out-Trumped Trump’ in his bumptious declaration of total victory over Iran!
Almost immediately this was greeted by hoots of laughter and scorn for, as of yet, there is little or no evidence of this being true. Indeed, the whole ‘ceasefire’ agreement hangs by a very thin thread!
I fear it will not be long until it will be seen that Hegseth’s bluster is, in truth, as Shakespeare wrote, ‘Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing’!
Wrong!
The statement regarding the four astronauts travelling further from the earth than any other human being is very wrong and that millions of times over!
I. HOW FAR AWAY IS HEAVEN?
There are three heavens!
* First of all, there are the heavens the birds fly in, just above our heads. That man has been able to explore ever since the days of hot-air balloons!
* Secondly, there is the second heaven in which we see the sun, the moon and the stars and the unseeable and innumerable planets and suns which lie beyond!
That is the ‘heavens’ in which the astronauts of recent years have travelled in.
* Then there is the third heaven, to which Paul was carried up, 2 Corinthians 12:2. It is also called “paradise”, verse 4.
That is the dwelling place of the Almighty. It is also called the “heaven of heavens”. “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?” 1 Kings 8:27.
“Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORD’S thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is,” Deuteronomy 10:14.
There the Saviour is at present
It is where the Lord Jesus intercedes for His people even now.
“For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us,” Hebrews 9:24.
It is the place to which John was transported and given visions of events that would precede the return of Christ to this earth in power and great glory.
“After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter,” Revelation 4:1.
Where the redeemed go upon death
It is also the place to which the souls of the redeemed immediately go upon their dying.
“Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) we are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord,” 2 Corinthians 5:6-8.
“For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better,” Philippians 1:23.
A place far further away than the moon!
It is the place to which my dear wife, Ann, departed, some 14 months ago and to which she travelled in the twinkling of an eye!
There all the redeemed await the great day of the Lord’s return, when all the saved up until that time, shall be gathered together and glorified, that is, made like unto Christ.
“For 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,” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.
“Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself,” Philippians 3:21.
Yes, that is where the people of God, in all ages, have believed and known that those who died in faith go immediately upon death!
“For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones,” Isaiah 57:15.
II. THE BOASTING OF THE AMERICAN SPACE AGENCY INDICATES JUST HOW IGNORANT ARE EVEN THOSE WITH AN EDUCATION ‘PAR EXCELLENCE’!
As I have said, those who believe the Bible have ever been aware of the distant place to which the converted go upon death. Those ignorant or disbelieving of the Bible live and die, without any consideration of the blessed contents of the Word of God. They embrace the foolhardiness which springs from their own hearts as truth and accept it as the explanation for their existence and being!
That is the source of the notion embodied in the oft repeated boast of the US Space Agency. However, God’s people have been making ‘space flights’ of an immeasurable distance since the earliest ages of the earth!
1. Enoch, one of two exceptions, knew nothing of that common experience of mankind — death and the grave.
“By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God,” Hebrews 11:5.
He was a prophet (Jude 1:14) and therefore his absence would have been noticed by many and I am sure that explained to us in Hebrews 11:5 would also have been made known to the people of God of his acquaintance, should none have actually witnessed his departure.
2. Elijah also had a most spectacular departure to glory.
“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. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces,” 2 Kings 2:11-12.
Please note that the oft-depicted departure in a chariot, is wrong. Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven!
Though seen by Elisha, it is likely that there were other witnesses to that miraculous ascension.
“And he (Elisha) took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over. And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him,” 2 Kings 2:14-15.
3. On the other hand, Jacob’s departure is that most common to mankind.
“And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people,” Genesis 49:33.
Jacob died and his soul was taken to join those believers who had gone before. The Hebrew word translated “and was gathered” means “assembled”. He was instantly in the ‘assembly’, the company of those who had died and had gone before. He joined his father Isaac, amongst many others in heaven.
“And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him,” Genesis 35:29.
This assembly to which Isaac and Jacob were gathered is referred to by Paul the Apostle.
“To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,” Hebrews 12:23.
4. The ‘dying thief’ was told by the Saviour that when he died, he would be with Him in paradise.
“And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise,” Luke 23:43.
This is the journey ALL the redeemed take and it is a journey of a much greater distance than round the moon and back!
It is a journey out of the atmosphere and environment of this ungodly earth, into the presence of Christ in glory.
Infinite
The universe is without limit, extending far beyond the 93 billion light-year expanse of the observable universe, we are told. The prevailing scientific view leans toward an infinite universe. We do not merely ‘lean’ toward that view, we embrace it wholly!
Such an ‘effect’ as an infinite creation must have an adequate ‘cause’ and Darwinism and the notion of evolution cannot provide a cause equal to the producing of an infinite effect.
Only an eternal and infinite God could have created the universe!
Shorter Catechism
The Shorter Catechism says of God that, ‘God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.’
As Zophar the Naamathite said, “Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?” Job 11:7.
John the Baptist said: “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him,” John 1:18.
What is recorded of the words and deeds of Christ in the Bible is a revelation of God the Father for, as the Saviour said to Philip, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father,” John 14:9.
Those who reject the Bible are blind to a knowledge of God and their speech and actions declare that to be so! Hence, the foolish claims of the American space agency and the repeating of it as astonishing news by the many news outlets!
5. The dimensions of the universe are suggested to us in Psalm 103:12.
“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.”
It is possible to measure the distance between the North and South poles, approximately 12,430 miles. It is not possible to measure between East and West! Were you to travel South you would reach a point where you begin to travel North!
But if you begin to travel West and keep on going, you will ever be heading West and your journey will have no end!
III. THIS JOURNEY TO HEAVEN IS THE HOPE AND COMFORT OF ALL BELIEVERS.
In news reports, the four astronauts on their journey to and back from the moon have spoken of their elation, their excitement and wonderment at what it is they have seen and experienced!
A week spent ‘floating’ about in a tiny capsule is hardly ‘heaven’!
Furthermore, it was but for a very short time. That is not the expectation of the true child of God.
The hope of the Psalmist is our hope today.
“Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory,” Psalm 73:24.
Our conversion and the life we are then guided upon and supported in, is a foretaste of and preparation for, our reception in glory!
Doubtless, when the astronauts safely return there will be a most rapturous welcome home by family, friends and colleagues.
But what will that be in comparison to the reception that the Lord has prepared for His redeemed.
John Bunyan in his book, ‘Pilgrim’ Progress’ states of the journey’s end for ‘Christian and Hopeful’, chief characters in Bunyan’s book:
“Now, as they were drawing near toward the gate, I saw a company of the heavenly host come out to meet them, to whom it was said by the other two shining ones, ‘These are the men that have loved our Lord when they were in the world and that have left all for his holy name; and he has sent us to go and get them, and we have brought them this far on their desired journey that they may go in and look their Redeemer in the face with joy.’
Then the heavenly host gave a great shout, saying, ‘Blessed are those who are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.’
There came out also at this time to meet them several of the King’s trumpeters clothed in white and shining apparel who, with loud and melodious noises, made even the heavens to echo with their sound. These trumpeters greeted Christian and his fellow with ten thousand welcomes from the world to come; and this they did with shouting and the sound of the trumpet.
This done, they placed themselves around the pilgrims on every side; some went ahead, some behind, some on the right hand, and some on the left – as it were, to guard them through the upper regions – continually sounding as they went with melodious noise in notes on high; so that the very sight was, to those that could see it, as if heaven itself had come down to meet them.
So they walked on like this together; and as they walked, every now and then these trumpeters, with joyful sounds, would, by mixing their music with looks and gestures, continue to demonstrate to Christian and his brother how welcome they were into their company and with what gladness they came to meet them. And now, these two men were, or so it seemed, in heaven even before they came to it, being absorbed with the sight of angels and with hearing their melodious notes.
Now they had the city itself in view, and they thought they heard all the bells within ring to welcome them there. But above all, the warm and joyful thoughts that they had about living there with such company, and that for ever and ever; oh, by what tongue or pen can their glorious joy be expressed! So they came up to the gate.
Now when they came up to the gate, they saw written over it in letters of gold: ‘Blessed are those who do his commandments, that their power and authority might be in the tree of life, and they may enter in through the gates into the city.’
Then I saw in my dream that the shining men told them to call at the gate, and when they did so, some from above looked over the gate, and among them were: Enoch, Moses, and Elijah, to whom it was said, “These pilgrims have come from the city of Destruction for the love that they bear to the King of this place.”
And then, each of the pilgrims gave them his certificate, which they had received at the beginning; those, therefore, were carried in unto the King who, when he had read them, said, ‘Where are the men?’ It was answered to him, ‘They are standing outside the gate.’
The King then commanded the gate to be opened, ‘That the righteous nation,” said he, “which keeps the truth may enter in.’
Now I saw in my dream that these two men went in through the gate; and lo, as they entered, they were transfigured, and they had apparel put on that shone like gold. There were also those that met them with harps and crowns and gave them to them – the harps to praise with, and the crowns in token of honor. Then I heard in my dream that all the bells in the city rang again for joy, and that it was said unto them, ‘Enter ye into the joy of your Lord.’
I also heard the men themselves, that they sang with a loud voice saying, ‘Blessing and honor and glory and power, be unto him that is seated upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever.’
Now, just as the gates were opened to let the men in, I looked in after them and saw that the city shone like the sun; the streets were paved with gold, and in them walked many men with crowns on their heads, palms in their hands, and golden harps; there were singing and praises.
There were also some of them that had wings, and they continually answered one another saying: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD.’
And after that, they closed the gates; which, when I had seen this, I wished myself among them.”
I have highlighted the final phrase of this quotation for they are words that I have often pondered and repeated with soulful longing!
Comfort
The Saviour comforted His disciples, grieving over the thought of Him leaving them, with these words:
“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also,” John 14:1-3.
That preparation is taking place even now for us who have yet to take that journey but await it in joyful hope! Musing on the Saviour’s words is what brightens the heart and mind of the child of God in this godless world!
As Peter wrote:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time,” 1 Peter 1:3-5.
The reception awaiting the astronauts is not to be compared with that awaiting the Christian in heaven.
Dear reader, do you have such an expectation as that expressed by Paul the Apostle: “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” 2 Corinthians 5:1.
Such is the joyful expectation of all those who have trusted Christ as their Saviour. I must add that such an expectation only rightly belongs to believers.
The Lord Jesus said:
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life,” John 5:24.
A Christian is someone who hears the Gospel message that “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly,” Romans 5:6.
Hearing that, and believing that, “The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin,” 1 John 1:7, there is a resting upon that truth and a rejoicing that God will be faithful to His promise, as recorded by Isaiah the prophet.
“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool,” Isaiah 1:18.
So I ask again, is this your response to the Gospel of Christ. For if it is, then that word we read in Revelation 14:12-13 applies to you..
“Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.”
Are you in Christ today? If not heed the wonderful invitation of Christ in Revelation 3:30.
“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”
May you respond to that invitation today, even right now.
Rev Ivan Foster (Rtd)
13th April 2026.