Sodium in Water.
Yesterday we discussed how God’s justice and mercy (grace) co-exist, and are both expressions of His love. God must be seen by the watching universe to be dealing with sin. Even in the beginning, our original parents were told that disobedience would bring death – and they eventually died. The master of deception (Jesus called him the original liar) has since come up with the idea that God is vengeful and that his justice cannot be combined with love. The cross showed the universe that God can uphold the law and yet be merciful – “that He can be just and yet the justifier of them which believe in Jesus” Romans 3:26. Read the context from v22 if you have the time.
Because of my science degree background, apart from being a Middle School core teacher, I get to teach year 7 and 8 Science. It is a miracle of creation to explain to young people that two highly reactive and deadly substances like Sodium and chlorine can be combined into a benign substance that we sprinkle on our chips. I love showing students what sodium will do when combined with water. Water is so important that we need to drink copious amounts every day. In contrast, sodium is so unstable, it must be protected from the effects of water – stored in oil so as not to be touched even by vaporised water. Chlorine is poisonous, Sodium is highly reactive but together we get Sodium chloride – salt.
When sodium comes in contact with water, the result is explosive.
This experiment offers a valuable insight into the impact of the goodness and purity of God on a world radically destabilised by sin.
John had concluded Revelation 11 with the exposure of the ark of the covenant. This was accompanied by wild flashes of lightening, rumbling thunder, hail, and earthquakes. This exposure of the most sacred item in scripture, the embodiment of God’s glorious grace through salvation, is no casual act; it is a moment of staggering importance. In my illustration, this is the ultimate exposure of the sodium of sin to the purity of God’s righteousness. Explosive! As Revelation 12 continues its account of the war between truth and error, and indeed even the origin of that war, which began “before the foundation of our world” (Eph 1:4) It is the act of Calvary that revelation reveals as the consummate act of God’s pivotal act in history. Calvary sees the fulfilment of the psalmists words, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. Unfailing love and truth walk before you as attendants.” Psalm 89:14 NLT
What God is now revealing to us through John’s eyes and pen is the true reality, the eternal realm, while things that are happening in our own life times and our own physical realm are temporary and massively corrupted by sin. Our sinful realm is an enigma in an otherwise beautiful and perfect creation. Our musings about how everything we see fits together are, at best, sin restricted. Our understanding of science and mathematics are, as Paul says ‘seen’. The ‘seen’ is temporary he says, while the ‘unseen’ is eternal (2 Cor 4:18). We have no concept of what makes up the unseen part of the universe.u
Revelation 12 is only sequential because lucifer’s rebellion has a beginning and an end. Some aspects speak to the beginning of the rebellion, while others are more focused on its end – the destruction of sin and the saving of God’s people. We measure life by events, while God (who is outside time) measures it by outcomes. As you work with me through the next few chapters remember this ‘sequence’: sin happened, God has dealt with it, His people are saved and will be vindicated, sin is destroyed – forever!
Some of the ‘events’ happen over long periods, others not so. Revelation 12 begins with a scene showing a great sign in heaven. This terminology assures us that this is no insignificant event it is “a great sign” The story is stunning in its visuals – this is God’s answer to the sinful corruption of His creation.
Hi Ross, can you please expand on what you mean by the phrase “God’s casual act in history”? Thanks
Hi Linda, God’s casual act in history is when God has intervened in history and “caused” changes – I think I spelt it wrong in the text and it should have been causal. sorry about that. Ross
Linda – thanks – I have gone back to the original manuscript and changed the text, so anyone else opening it will see causal not casual
Hi again Linda, I have changed the word to pivotal in an attempt to make it more comprehensible. thanks for your input.
Oh right! Never thought of that. Thank you