Ad Astra!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_astra_(phrase)

I don't know who's going to check this on Christmas, but I thought I'd post anyway. I'm behind on posts as it is. I've been thinking about making two a week until I get caught up. I can't afford to skip a week.

SpaceX landed a rocket this week. I love space, so I was super excited about this. If I could go into space, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Here is the full video of the webcast. The landing's not long after 32:00. A helicopter filmed it, too. That's here. It landed right on the X. Like a boss. ;)

Since the landing was 8:30pm local time, I got to watch it live. It was awesome. It was epic. This was the first time in history anyone has ever launched a rocket to space and landed it back on the ground. Normally, the rockets are thrown away. This will drop the cost of going into space by a huge amount. Here is a post with actual details on the lowering of the costs. They're almost at the bottom of the article.

If SpaceX can reuse rockets for 15 or 20 launches, going into space will become a casual thing. Something to keep an eye out for is an announcement by or some kind of news involving Bigelow Aerospace. No, there's been no word that they're going to announce anything at all. I've just been watching them for years. With lower launch costs coming, I would naturally expect something involving them to happen.

On a more Biblical note, there are interesting verses about space.
Nehemiah 1:9 But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.
Matthew 24:31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

The word heavens can mean the atmosphere or the universe in general. An interesting thought comes up. Are pagans allowed into space?
2 Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

If Satan is the god of this world, it implies his authority goes no further this planet. Are his people limited to this planet?

Psalm 115:16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD'S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.

When Adam turned over authority to Satan, it doesn't seem to have included anything beyond earth. Would God allow people who don't belong to him to leave earth? Are only God's people allowed to leave earth? Is the moon considered part of earth? It'll be interesting to see how this new SpaceX development plays out. Will the Tribulation be timed to prevent pagans from leaving earth? Or will God arrange events in such a way that his people are the only ones with authority in space? For example, pagans might be allowed to go, but the leaders would only be God's people.

In the book of Daniel, an angel tells Daniel that his answer to prayer was hindered by the forces of Satan. We can assume that happens all the time to greater and lesser degrees. If we go into space, will that hindrance vanish? Since we don't know if the moon is considered to be under the authority of earth, let's talk about Mars. If we went to Mars, would we be able to talk to God face to face or otherwise hear his voice without any hindrance? Would angelic visitations be normal there?

If the devil is bound to earth, Satanic temptation wouldn't exist on Mars. Going there could literally open up a spiritual paradise where man could commune with God free of the hindrances and temptations that are normal on earth.

Even if you're not excited about space, if you're a child of God, the spiritual possibilities of going there should be beyond exciting.