The Bottom Line, Ministries Christian News, Articles, & Poetry 
When I was 21 years of age I sat before the television and watched the first moon landing on July 16, 1969. When the descent vehicle, named “Eagle,” touched the moon’s surface, Commander Neil Armstrong spoke the words, “The Eagle has landed.” Upon looking at a video of this historic event, a reader had commented that these were the most significant words ever uttered.
Humans walking on the moon was the most dramatic event ever in terms of human achievement. There was, however, another event that happened over 2,000 years ago that has far surpassed any accomplishment of humanity. As aptly stated by astronaut James Irwin, “There’s something more important than man walking on the moon, and that is God walking on the earth.” The astronauts put on spacesuits to walk on the moon, but Jesus put off his glorified state to walk on the earth and became one of us. A dozen astronauts have gone to the moon, but only one God-man walked on the earth.
Thirty-three years later Jesus died for our sins, but several days later the three most important words in all of history were spoken by an angel to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary when they went to visit the tomb, “He is risen.” These were not words of human achievements. They were powerful words able to save one’s soul! As the moon landing was a documented historical event, so was the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is the whole basis of Christianity. 1 Corinthians 15:14 says, “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” A few verses later we read, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins”(17).
Jesus spoke the words recorded in John 11:25-26. “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live…Do you believe this?” Not only this, “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”
The Spirit of God far exceeds the spirit of human achievement, which is a thing of the past, but God’s Spirit is eternal. Have you met the Jesus who walked on the earth and rose from the dead? If so, you too can say, “He is risen.” Plus, in a culture of hopelessness, you will “be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you…”(1 Peter 1:3-4).
Hello John,
I remember that day as well. I was barely a teenager sitting with my family. It was one of those moments in history, that if alive, you will be able to recall it with precise details.
The segue leading up to the most important of all, “Jesus” and “He is risen” was a perfect way to imprint both an important reality and message.
Excellent article!
Thank you.
God Bless~
AMEN…our incredible Lord and Savior who spoke the words to Adam and Eve that He would carry out this mission when His time was right for the journey. It took NASA about 5 years to carry out this achievement and 3 days to land on the moon which consisted of rocks and soil collection and 3 days to return but it took Christ 9 months to arrive at His destination which consist of life that needs to be rescued and preserved for Himself for ever and 3 days to return to a greater world that we cannot even comprehend.
Both looked down from their advantage points to view the Earth but their purposes were vastly different. Only one was a mission of love and redemption that would have an eternal purpose for all mankind while the other was a temporary journey to prove bragging rights by planting a flag on the moon and recording it for recognition. Later in 1971 Alan Shepherd hit golf balls on the moon. (That was an experience trip).
Yes we marveled at the mathematical equations and scientific methods that went into the planning. The first Moon landing is a story littered with big numbers. It took eight years, 10 practice-run missions, more than 400,000 engineers, scientists and technicians, and in today’s money roughly £150bn to make the first tentative steps on another planetary body.
when President John F. Kennedy announced on May 25, 1961, America’s intention to go to the moon, it was more about showing up terrestrial enemies than exploring an extraterrestrial world.
“It was designed to solve a political problem, that’s really what it was about,” Launius said. “It was a Cold War competitive measure in response to a couple of major foreign policy setbacks in the spring in 1961.”
I am not trying to take away the ‘wow’ factor in this moment of time but it really didn’t do anything more for mankind than to have one up on another as a power play.
In all it didn’t have any major impact in the affairs of mankind in the eternal picture of things. It shows the major difference in the heart of God versus the heart of mankind.
I loved your article and it made me catch up on the purposes of these historical events and compared them side by side.
*I copied and pasted some of the facts that I came across in my research regarding the trip to the moon.