And he repaired the altar of the Lord which had been torn down. Critical mass is the amount of radioactive material necessary to sustain a chain reaction. If critical mass is attained without control, the result is an explosive and destructive nuclear reaction. God has designed the laws of nuclear physics this way. Like many things in the natural world, radioactivity and critical mass can be used as an illustration of spiritual realities.
Radioactivity is a departure from the normal state.
Radioactive atoms or isotopes are unstable. With this in mind, let's liken radioactivity to the state of affairs in a local church which is less than biblically ideal. The Reformation was a time of critical mass for the universal church. Tolerance was out of the question. God permitted a state of critical mass to be reached, and drastic and explosive change took place.