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The Glory of God vs. The Glory of Man

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It seems that the "glory" of man is having difficulty getting off the ground.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A rocket carrying an Earth-observation satellite plummeted into the Pacific Ocean after a failed launch attempt Friday, the second-straight blow to NASA's weakened environmental monitoring program.

The Taurus XL rocket carrying NASA's Glory satellite lifted off early Friday morning from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, but fell to the sea several minutes later. The same thing happened to another climate-monitoring satellite two years ago with the same type of rocket.

During a press conference Friday, officials explained that a protective shell atop the rocket did not separate from the satellite as it should have about three minutes after launch. That left the Glory spacecraft without the velocity to reach orbit.

"We failed to make orbit," NASA launch director Omar Baez said at a press conference Friday. "Indications are that the satellite and rocket ... is in the southern Pacific Ocean somewhere."

Many people have sought to see the glory of God throughout past history. Moses is the first that is on record for asking to see His glory (Ex. 33:18). His request was honored when He went up the Mount and saw the "goodness" of God (vs. 19).

The glory of God came to the Israelites as a whole in Lev. 8:23 when the fire of God consumed the offering. On that occasion, the fire of God was given to the newly dedicated priests, who were then responsible to keep the fire burning. The problem was that they let the fire die out, so the next morning they had to run for the matches. The fire that they created looked like the fire of God, but it was man-made and had an earthly origin, rather than heavenly.

God did not accept this "strange fire" (Lev. 10:1). When God sends the glory-fire, it is on account of His acceptance of the offering. When the priests light a fire to simulate God's "acceptance" of the offering, it is just not the same. For every work of God, there is a man-made counterfeit.

For example, it is hard to tell the difference between a genetically-modified (man-made, patented) soybean and one that God made. The effects are seen in the health of the people later. The economic effects are also seen when corporations take over the food supply and put men into their bondage-for-profit program, whereas God gave food freely to all men who wish to produce it.

Another "glory" moment occurred in the days of Elijah in 1 Kings 18. Baal had 450 prophets who failed to produce the glory of God. The only thing they were capable of doing was to use man-made fire to light the sacrifice. When they were forbidden to grab the matches, they lost the showdown. The glory-fire of God consumed the sacrifice only after Elijah prayed.

This is what we await. Even as Elijah had to be patient while the prophets of Baal jumped and screamed and cut themselves as a self-sacrifice, so also have we had to wait until the modern prophets of Baal have had their full opportunity.

So it is hardly a coincidence that NASA's "glory" satellite failed in its launch and ended up at the bottom of the South Pacific. They had tried earlier as well. This was their second failure to confirm it by the mouth of two witnesses.

By the way, NASA is an acronym that has a double meaning. It is the Hebrew word for "lift off." (See Strong's Concordance #5375.) David uses the word in Psalm 4:6, when he prays, "Lift up the light of your countenance upon us, O Lord!" That was a prayer that the glory of God (that is, His "face") would be seen in our face, as it was seen in the face of Moses.

Hang on, Hannah! Step aside, Mr. Baal. You've had your chance. Start praying, Elijah, we're going in. We will soon have "lift off."