World News and Trends
Beyond Today Magazine
Good News Magazine: September - October 2011
Course Content
The U.S. space program leapt forward in May 1961 when President John F. Kennedy declared that the country would put a man on the moon by the end of the decade.
That happened in 1969. And now the final flight of the shuttle Atlantis in July 2011 marks the end of the space shuttle program. Has the glorious era of space exploration ended?
Astronomy professor Mike Brown wrote in Parade magazine: "Like many kids in the 1970s, I was space crazy. I watched in awe as astronauts on TV stepped on the moon's dry surface. I dreamed of living there someday" ("A Look at NASA's Defining Moments and Where We're Headed Now," July 17, 2011).
Ancient astronomers thought that every star might hold a solar system like our own. "But the latest generation of telescopes is showing us that we couldn't be more wrong. Seemingly the only thing we haven't seen is a solar system like our own. It is exceptional—now we just need to figure out why it is so different" (ibid.).
Let God answer: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1, emphasis added). Our planet is unique, created by God to expand His family through human beings (compare Hebrews 1:14 and Genesis 1:26 with 1 Corinthians 15:49).
The age of space exploration hasn't even begun to begin, at least not as God envisions it. He promises us that as His children we "shall inherit all things," being given immortality and spirit glory just as Jesus Christ has now (Revelation 21:7; 1 John 3:2). "All things" includes this vast universe, which, like God, we apparently will be able to traverse at the speed of thought. That is when the glorious age of space travel truly will begin! To learn more, request or download our free booklet What Is Your Destiny? (Source: Parade magazine.)
Jerold Aust has served in the ministry for 52 years, as a public speaker for 58 years, a published writer for 38 years, and is employed by UCG’s Media and Communications Services. He is a Senior Writer, interviewer, and editor for Beyond Today Magazine and has taught Speech Communication for UCG’s ministerial online program and the Book of Revelation for ABC.
Jerold holds a BA in theology from Ambassador College, Pasadena (1968), an MA in Communication from California State University, Fullerton (1995), a distance-learning Ph.D (2006), and a Famous Writers School diploma in non-fiction writing (1973). Additionally, he studied post-grad communication at University of Southern California (1995), radio, TV, voice-overs, and Public Relations at Fullerton College (1995-1996), and graduate communication at Wichita State University (1978). Jerold has taught communication at the University of South Alabama (7 years) and ABC (17 years). His published works include, Ronald Reagan’s Rhetoric: Metaphor as Persuasion and EZSpeakers: Public Speaking Made Easy in 7 Steps. Jerold's overarching goal is to share with humankind its incredible destiny!
John died on March 8, 2014, in Oxford, England, four days after suffering cardiac arrest while returning home from a press event in London. John was 77 and still going strong.
Some of John's work for The Good News appeared under his byline, but much didn't. He wrote more than a thousand articles over the years, but also wrote the Questions and Answers section of the magazine, compiled our Letters From Our Readers, and wrote many of the items in the Current Events and Trends section. He also contributed greatly to a number of our study guides and Bible Study Course lessons. His writing has touched the lives of literally millions of people over the years.
John traveled widely over the years as an accredited journalist, especially in Europe. His knowledge of European and Middle East history added a great deal to his articles on history and Bible prophecy.
In his later years he also pastored congregations in Northern Ireland and East Sussex, and that experience added another dimension to his writing. He and his wife Jan were an effective team in our British Isles office near their home.
John was a humble servant who dedicated his life to sharing the gospel—the good news—of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world, and his work was known to readers in nearly every country of the world.
