Pesticides? PCBs? Drug and dye by-products? Toxic metals? Nuclear waste? Cyanides? Acids? Used motor oils? Household cleansers?
WHAT IS POLLUTION?
All of the above, of course, plus many more that have not yet been identified and labeled “hazardous material.” Our world today sometimes seems simply drowning in a sea of pollution-pollution of our own making.
But let us go back in time, a long way back, and read about a country many years ago where God urged the people to “arise...depart; for this is not your rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you” (Mic. 2:1010Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction. (Micah 2:10)).
Pollution in 1000 B.C. in that early green world, largely untouched by man? Pollution even then?
Even then! Before humanity had heard of PCBs or dioxin or nuclear fallout, the Bible says that the land was polluted-polluted with blood! Even in the very first family, the very first son murdered his brother, and God said to him, “The voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto Me from the ground”! Polluted!
Worse than all known pollutants, more damaging than any amount of “hazmat,” was the terrible pollution of evil and wickedness and crime. The beautiful world which God created for people to use and enjoy had become a deadly environment.
Is it better now?
Wars and crimes and terrors-and just plain evil-have spread around the globe in a thick cloud of wickedness. Can we not admit that our world is polluted-polluted with blood?
What is the remedy? Strange to say, the answer is again blood-not animal blood, though in many countries animal sacrifice is still going on unchecked, nor human blood, though it has been and is being shed so freely, but “the blood of Jesus Christ...cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:77But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)).
Two thousand years ago the most terrible crime in the history of the world was committed, when both Gentile and Jew together determined to crucify the Son of God, the altogether sinless one, who went about doing good. He had fed them, healed their sick, and raised their dead, and their violent reaction was to crucify Him.
But even from this God brought about the way of salvation for all who would accept “so great salvation.” In fact, “God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us....Being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him” (Rom. 5:8-98But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. (Romans 5:8‑9)).
Isn’t it wonderful?