Our ability to travel quickly and relatively cheaply to almost anywhere on the planet, and our exploration of Space, are relatively recent phenomena, that only one hundred years ago seemed like science fiction.
Considering it took over 5,000 years, from c 3,500 BC, when the wheel was invented, until the 1820s AD to progress beyond the horse to the first steam locomotive, progress has been dramatic only recently.
2017 – 1,731,000,000 National Rail passengers – up 152% from 1986.
In 1885the car is invented; in 2018250+mph.
1940– About 1 family in 10 in Britain owns a car; 1959– About 32% of families in Britain own a car;
2017 – Over 75% of UK families own a car – 37,000,000 cars. (1.2billion worldwide).
1903– The Wright brother’s first flight to 2018– modern jet travel.
1991 – 100 million UK airport passengers to 2016 – 268 million UK airport passengers.
Just as dramatic has been the ‘Space Race’ which has moved from the first jet engine to ever deeper space probes in under 60 years.
1945 – Germany launched the 200-mile-range V-2 missiles to 1981– launch of the space shuttle Columbia to 2018– NASA has an ongoing programme of space exploration with probes sent to Mars, Mercury, Saturn, the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and having sent images of Pluto, New Horizons is heading for the Kuiper Belt.
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a research laboratory in low Earth orbit which has been continuously occupied since the arrival of Expedition 1 in November of 2000. It has been visited by astronauts, cosmonauts, and space tourists from 17 different nations.
What does this mean?
Over 3,000 years ago, two prophets foretold of a time when travel would be extensive and we live in that time, which has only so recently arrived:
Obadiah 4– “Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down,” declares the Lord.
Daniel 12: 4 – But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.
What does the Bible tell us about?– The Future
What does this mean for you?– Good News