Ready for lift off

On the 8^th April 2026 the Seattle Times reported that NASA’s Artemis II spacecraft has taken four astronauts farther from the earth than any humans have ever gone. Artemis II lifted off at 6:35 EDT on the 1^st April and returned to earth after 10 days in space on 10 April at 8:07 EDT. The goal of the Artemis II test flight was meant to confirm the systems necessary to support astronauts in deep space exploration and prepare to establish a sustained presence on the moon. 

The physiological effect of space travel on the astronauts is immense. It causes muscle atrophy, bone density loss, osteopenia, and cardiovascular deconditioning and can also lead to a reduction in red blood cells and immune system alterations. In addition, intercranial pressure leads to impaired vision.

The experience however, exposes the space crew to insights that cannot be obtained in another manner. In an interview, while on the way back, the crew said they had "many more pictures" and "many more stories" to share. One of them commented that he will be able to talk about this for the rest of his life. Artemis ll entered earth’s orbit on 10 April after a 10-day voyage.

This achievement is indeed one for the history books. But space travel is not new. Apollo 11 was launched from Kennedy Space Center with astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins aboard. After entering orbit, they travelled over three days to reach the moon. The space craft landed on the moon on the 20^th of July 1969. Apollo 11 was followed by six further trips to the moon, five of which landed successfully. 

The astonishing achievement of scientists to be able to send a spacecraft to the moon however, fades in comparison to the narratives in the Bible. The Old Testament describes two people who had similar experiences. The first person was Enoch, who was presumed not to have died. Enoch, according to the book of Jude, prophesied about all the unrighteousness and said “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of His holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against Him”.

According to Genesis 5:24 “Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him”. It poses the question of whether or not Enoch did in fact not die? The verse reads “and he was not”. Here, it does not explicitly state that Enoch did not die.

The Hebrew word for the phrase “he was not” is וְאֵינֶ֕נּוּ wə-’ê-nen-nū. This word is derived from the Hebrew root word אַיִן ahiyn. This can be translated as “be gone”, which does not confirm the fact that Enoch did not die.

The New Testament also refers to Enoch. The Greek text of Hebrews 11:5 reads τοῦ μὴ tou ἰδεῖν θάνατον — tou me idein thanaton. These words are translated as “so that he would not see death” in the ESV translation. The text further reads that he could not be found. This implied that Enoch could no longer be perceived physically. Enoch met the requirement of not seeing death, because he had faith, which fits contextually with Hebrews 11. Whether Enoch was taken by God alive, which is implied in the New Testament text, is not the issue. What is certain is the fact that Enoch did not ascend into heaven, he was taken by God.

The other Old Testament figure Elijah, who was a prophet in the time when Ahab who ruled Israel around 874 BC, departed in a chariot of fire. Elijah was the prophet who challenged the 450 prophets of Baal. One outstanding narrative in the book of Kings describes that Elijah poured water over the altar and when he prayed to God, fire came from heaven and devoured the sacrifice, the wood, the stone and the water in the trench. Elijah was succeeded by Elisha. 2 Kings 2 records the story of the Elijah when he “ascended” in a chariot. The text reads “And as they (Elijah and Elisha) still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven”. The Hebrew words which read וַיַּ֙עַל֙ בַּֽסְעָרָ֖ה way-ya-‘al bas-sə-‘ā-rāh, is translated as “and he went up by a whirlwind”. It can clearly be seen that, just as Enoch, Elijah did not “ascend” into heaven, he was taken up by God in a whirlwind.

The only person Who ascended into heaven was Jesus. Acts 1:10-11 reads “And while they were gazing into heaven as He went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, Who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven”. The verb, ἀναλημφθεὶς analēmphtheis taken up, only used here in the entire Greek New Testament in this declension, does not support someone being taken up by an external force, but rather being accepted into heaven.

The Greek word πορευομένου poreuomenou, which is translated as “as He went” is derived from the root word peira, which means depart. Figuratively, it means to go or depart, emphasizing the personal meaning which is attached to reaching a particular destination. Jesus is the only person Who ever, without God “taking” Him, or by chariots of fire, ascended into heaven. This interpretation is clear from the words “as He went”. This event, which was witnessed by the disciples, will be celebrated this year on the 14 May 2026.

There is however another time in the future that describes “space travel”. This is found in, amongst other scripture, in the letter of Paul to the church in Thessalonica. Paul answered the question of the church on the return of Jesus. Concerning the day of the Lord, Paul said, he did not want them to be ignorant.   

This amazing event will happen in the near future. Paul said that the command from heaven will be like the sound of an archangel and the blast of the last trump. At that moment those, who have their eyes fixed on Jesus, those who have their space suits on, a robe of righteousness, and those who eagerly await the return of the Lord, will meet Him in the air. The destination far outstrips that of the spacecraft Artemis ll. It is described as a place which eye has not seen, nor ear has heard. — Prepare for lift off.

“Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord”,

1 Thessalonians 4:17.