Messianic Perspectives

Liz Aiello: Shalom and welcome to Messianic Perspectives, a daily program where we look into the scriptures from a distinctive first-century Jewish point of view. This is Liz Aiello. One of the longest-running television series of all time was Star Trek. Created by producer Gene Roddenberry in the 1960s, it made William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy famous. Then there was Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager, and Deep Space Nine.

But did you know the Bible talks about a spectacular series of star treks that began many thousands of years ago? And now, to tell us more about it, here is our Bible teacher, Dr. Gary Hedrick.

Dr. Gary Hedrick: Thank you and welcome back to our studios here in San Antonio, Texas. It’s good to have you with us today as we continue these studies on biblical journeys through outer space. And what we’ve seen so far is that long before NASA, long before the space shuttle, centuries before Star Wars and Star Trek, the Bible records that certain men had already experienced space travel.

And we said that one of the first space travelers was a man named Enoch, who was a preacher of judgment in the days before the flood. And we made note of the fact that Jesus said that the days immediately prior to his second coming will be very much like it was in the days before the flood. As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it also be in the days of the son of man, Luke 17:26.

So just as they scoffed at the message of Enoch in the last days before the flood, the world will scoff at the message of judgment in the last days before the second coming of Jesus Christ. And in the Bible, Peter gives us some detailed information about these end-time scoffers. In 2nd Peter chapter three beginning in verse three he says, knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. In other words, they will scoff at the idea of divine intervention in history.

They’ll say everything goes on just like it always has. But Peter says there’s something they’re forgetting. Let’s read on in verse five. He says for this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old and the earth standing out of the water and in the water, verse six, whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished.

Now notice, he says they’re willfully ignorant. In other words, they don’t want to believe. They are ignorant of these facts, not because they don’t know them, but because they want to be ignorant of these facts. And what are they willfully ignorant of? The Noahic flood. Why? Because of what it represents. The judgment of God, accountability, a day of reckoning. What the flood means is that man can’t just thumb his nose at God and then go on his merry way. We’re answerable to God, and there’s always a day of reckoning.

Now I know this is not popular preaching in this day and age. Even in the church, we frown on old-fashioned hellfire and brimstone preaching, the kind of preaching that reminds us of judgment and accountability, because we’re too sophisticated and enlightened for that kind of preaching. But let me tell you something. If there was more hell in the pulpits of our land, there wouldn’t be so much of it in our homes, and in our schools, and in our streets.

Why do you think it is that people in our cities are afraid to walk the streets at night, or even in the daytime, for fear of getting shot, or mugged, or robbed? And it’s not just the big cities anymore; it’s spreading all over. Why? It’s a spirit of rebellion and lawlessness and anarchy that has engulfed our nation. And where are the men of God who are supposed to be standing in the pulpits of our nation turning back the tide of lawlessness by thundering forth the message of God’s judgment? Where are they?

What does Peter say? He says remember the flood. Don’t be so willingly ignorant as to overlook another time long ago when God promised judgment and it seemed like it would never come. Remember the flood, Peter says. Then too, men scoffed at Enoch and Noah’s preaching of coming judgment, but it came just the same. And Peter says just as surely as the flood came in Noah’s day, even so, God’s judgment will come at the end of this age. No wonder people are willingly ignorant of the flood.

No wonder they’ve devised a whole system of geology basically designed to overlook any evidence of the flood. But the evidence is all around us: fossilization, sedimentation. Even in the area of linguistics, the three major language families point to the fact that all of humanity is descended from the three sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Now look at the next verse, 2nd Peter 3:7. He says, but the heavens and the earth which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. Judgment will come. Then reading on, Peter tells us not to be ignorant but to know and understand God’s revealed plan. Listen to what he says in 2nd Peter 3:8. But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

God is not in a hurry. He cannot be heckled into changing his timing. He cannot be coaxed into changing his plan. Peter says the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, 2nd Peter 3:10. Now listen, there is only one thing holding back the judgment of God from falling on this world, and that’s the rapture of the church. As long as Enoch was still on the earth, the flood did not come.

Let me show you something that Paul said in 2nd Thessalonians chapter two beginning in verse seven. He said for the mystery of iniquity doth already work; only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. In other words, the mystery of lawlessness, that’s the meaning of the Greek, for the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.

Now who is the restrainer who restrains? He’s the Holy Spirit, the Ruach HaKodesh. So when is the Holy Spirit removed from the scene? At the rapture. Now how do we know that? Well, let me ask you: where does the Holy Spirit live? He lives in us. He lives in his people. So when we leave, he leaves. And from that point on during the tribulation, the Holy Spirit works like he did under the old covenant.

He was around man in the old covenant, over man, with man, by man, upon man, and through man, but not in man like he is under the new covenant. So during the tribulation period, the Holy Spirit will not be present in the same way he is now. His restraining influence will be greatly reduced. Peter says he who restrains will restrain until he is taken out of the way. Now look at verse eight. This is 2nd Thessalonians chapter two.

He says and then shall that wicked one be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming. Now watch this. The wicked one is the Antichrist. He won’t be revealed until after the rapture, that is after the restrainer has been taken away. Then at the end of the tribulation, he will be destroyed. How? By the Shekinah presence of almighty God. Peter says that when the Messiah returns, the wicked one, the Antichrist, will be destroyed by the brightness of his coming. That’s the Shekinah, the glory of God.

So that will be the ultimate launch into outer space, the rapture of the church when millions of people worldwide will be translated or transported from earth to heaven. And the first Old Testament type of the rapture was Enoch, the preacher of judgment, who was supernaturally taken up by God into heaven. You know, I’m always amused when I hear the skeptics scoff at the idea of a rapture, the very idea that people on earth could be supernaturally beamed up into heaven.

But then those same people will watch Star Trek, where the Starship Enterprise is equipped with transporter technology that does precisely the same thing. And there they think it’s great. So what they’re saying is it’s perfectly reasonable for Rick Berman and the Star Trek writers to envision a time when science will develop technology that will enable people to dematerialize in one location and rematerialize somewhere else hundreds of miles away.

But if something like that is mentioned in the Bible, then they say it’s ridiculous. What a double standard. It’s okay for the Trekkies to impute the attributes of omnipotence to humanistic science and technology, but it’s unacceptable for Christians to impute the attribute of omnipotence to God. I hope this is getting through to someone, because I think it’s time we quit apologizing for what we believe.

Now as we finish up today, I’m going to give you the key to understanding the Old Testament typology of Enoch and how it relates to the rapture. Remember we said Enoch was the first human being to travel into outer space. He was supernaturally caught up into heaven by God. Now watch this. Enoch had a very famous son by the name of Methuselah. In Hebrew, the name is Matushelach. In English, we say Methuselah.

Enoch was tremendously influenced by his son Methuselah, and the birth of this baby boy who was to live almost a thousand years had a profound influence on the life of Enoch. Something happened to Enoch when his son Methuselah was born, something that affected his whole life from that day forward. He was never the same again. You say, how do you know that Gary? Well, look what it says in Genesis 5:22. We read this a few days ago. Do you remember what it says?

It says Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah 300 years, which was the rest of his life. Enoch lived for 65 years and then he had Methuselah, and that’s when the Bible says he began to walk with God. So there was something about the birth of his son Methuselah that changed Enoch’s life forever. So on the next program, we’re going to look at two specific questions. First, what was it about the birth of Methuselah that had such a profound impact on his father and caused him to walk with God for the rest of his earthly life?

And second, what was the secret of Methuselah’s long life of 969 years? And is there any connection between his mysterious birth and his long life? But that’s all of our time for now. So until next time, this is your friend Gary Hedrick saying God bless you. Take care. Bye-bye.

Liz Aiello: Thank you Gary, and thank you listening friend for tuning in today. Today we’ve been listening to our Bible teacher, Dr. Gary Hedrick, talking about Star Trek: The Original Series. By the way, if you enjoyed today’s study, you’ll be glad to know that we’ve placed all seven of these programs on one convenient CD. It’s available for your gift of just six dollars or more to help us keep this program here on your station.

Just ask for the program GT25 entitled Star Trek: The Original Series. Visit our secure online store at messianicspecialties.com to place your order. If you would prefer to order by mail, just address your request to Messianic Perspectives, P.O. Box 345, San Antonio, Texas 78292. To order by phone, use our toll-free order line. The number is 1-800-926-5397.

And as always, when you’re in touch with us, please mention the call letters of this station. If you’re listening to our webcast or podcast, we need to know that too. I’m Liz Aiello. Join us next time, won’t you, as Dr. Gary Hedrick continues our series of studies on Star Trek: The Original Series right here on Messianic Perspectives. Messianic Perspectives is sponsored by CJF Ministries of San Antonio, Texas and is made possible on this station by the free-will contributions of our listeners in this area.