YURI GAGARIN GOES TO HEAVEN

By Dr. M. R. Dowler

Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin will be remembered for two things; what he did and what he supposedly said. On the morning of April 12, 1961 Yuri Gagarin became the first human in outer space. His 108-minute flight made him a hero in the Soviet Union, but it was a quote from Gagarin that was widely-circulated worldwide. Gagarin’s supposed quote was that while in space he “did not see God.” Problem is, from credible information acquired decades later, Yuri did not say it---Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev did. The Soviet leader concocted the quote to further his (and the government’s) atheist views.

Yuri Gagarin was a humble man who was uncomfortable with his fame. He died tragically in March 1968 while test piloting a Soviet fighter jet. But there was a side to Gagarin that has only come to light in the past several years. A 2007 magazine article reported that Yuri was a baptized believer in Jesus Christ. Although Gagarin’s kept his spiritual life to himself, friends say he always confessed his faith in Christ whenever asked. Gagarin’s Christianity did not sit well with the atheist Soviet leadership, who found it difficult to suppress a national hero.

The Bible tells us that God created three heavens. The first heaven is the breathable atmosphere where the clouds rest and the birds fly (Genesis 1:6-7). The second heaven is what is commonly referred to as outer space, the place where the sun, moon, stars and planets reside (Genesis 1:14-19); while the third heaven is the eternal home of the saints and the place where God resides (Psalm 115:3). The Apostle Paul once wrote of a man who had an after-death experience. Many Bible scholars believe that Paul was speaking of himself as the one who died, went to heaven and then returned (2 Corinthians 12:2-4).

Theologically, the third heaven is the only one that is eternal in nature (John 3:15-16; Psalm 23:6). But what will we do there? The Bible speaks of at least three activities; we will sing (Hebrews 2:12; Revelation 14:3); we will serve (Revelation 7:15; 22:3); and we will learn (1 Corinthians 13:9-10). Heaven is a place of joy (Psalm 16:11), beauty (Psalm 50:2) and eternal unity (Ephesians 1:10). If the story is true, Yuri Gagarin lived under the first heaven, rocketed into the second heaven and is now living in the third heaven. What a neat legacy! Think about it.