Rainbows Are A Sign Of A Covenant Between God And The World
And God said, This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth .
While many people find it difficult to keep their promises, God is above man and He always keeps His promises. The rainbow covenant is just one of the many promises He makes. God promises to never leave nor forsake us. He will meet all of our needs according to His riches and glory. The Lord answers all of our prayers according to His will. Believers can take great confidence in knowing that Gods promises are steadfast and secure.
What Does It Say In The Bible About Rainbows
I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth..
Rainbow And The Story Of Noahs Ark
In the Bible, there is a story of the great flood. It rained for 40 days and nights, continuously flooding the entire earth. Noah built an Ark in which along with his family he took pairs of every kind of animal. When the flood was over and the land dried up they all emerged from the Ark. And then Noah saw the mesmerizing rainbow with a promise from God.
It was a promise to mankind that He would never flood our world again. So, it is a Christian belief that rainbows exist as an assurance to us from the Almighty.
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What Does The Bible Say About Rainbows A Christian Study
Have you ever stepped outside after a rain storm to see a rainbow? Theres something majestic about the arch of brilliant colors streaming across the sky. Its worth taking in the beauty for a few moments before it fades away.
The story of rainbows began after the judgment of God when the entire world was covered in a flood. Every living person and animal died except Noah, his family, and the animals on the ark. Afterwards God made a promise to never destroy the entire human race or animals with a flood disaster.
What The Bible Says About Rainbows
Throughout Scripture, the rainbow symbolizes Gods glory the radiance of his beauty, holiness, and perfection.
Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face.
And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald.
Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire.
None of us have beheld Gods glory with our eyes. The rainbow gives us a picture of the beauty believers will will see when God comes again to live on the earth and to fill it with his glory . In that day the lofty pride of all men, including gay pride, will be brought low, and the Lord alone will be gloriously exalted.
In Scripture, the rainbow also displays Gods grace towards all humanity. When God enters into covenant with Noah, after destroying the sinful world with the flood, he vows that he will never again destroy the world in that way.
To this day, the rainbow symbolizes that promise. According to Genesis 9, as long as the rainbow hangs in the sky, God will mercifully and graciously restrain his anger towards humanity.
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New King James Version
13 I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. 14 It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud 15 and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth. 17 And God said to Noah, This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.
The Rainbow Is A Sign Of Gods Faithfulness
God never breaks a promise.
6. 2 Thessalonians 3:3-4 But the Lord is faithful he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. And we are confident in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we commanded you.
7. 1 Corinthians 1:8-9 He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
8. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
In hard times trust in Him and hold on to His promises.
9. Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
10. Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
11. Romans 8:28-29 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
12. Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.
Reminder
Gods glory
Bonus
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The Lord Angels And Rainbows
Its pretty neat that rainbows are used to describe the Lord and what an angel look like.
Ezekiel 1:28 NKJV 28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so the appearance of the brightness all around it. This the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. So when I saw , I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking.
Revelation 10:1 NKJV 1 I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow on his head, his face like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire.
How Rare Is A Double Rainbow
Is a double rainbow rare? A double rainbow isnt as rare as it may sound. Rainbows form when rays from the sun are reflected from raindrops and the light bends to make a rainbow. A second arc, which is on the same plane as the primary rainbow, occurs when rays of sunlight are reflected twice within the raindrop.
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The World’s View Of The Rainbow
As beautiful and unique as a rainbow is, there is a simple, non-miraculous explanation for this phenomenon. Scientists have known for a long time that rainbows appear when raindrops act as tiny prisms.
White light from the sun shines on one side of a water droplet, gets reflected off the other side of the droplet, and then exits out to the other side of the sky as a circular bow or arc of color that is refracted or broken up into the color spectrum.
Rainbows contain a continuum of around 1 million colors that are indistinguishable with the human eye. Instead, we can only really see seven color hues: Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.
In fact, a rainbow is not much more than an optical illusion that only appears when a viewer is looking from just the right angle relative to the light source.
Nevertheless, the beauty and mystical appearance of the rainbow has caused it to be part of different myths among many cultures around the world. For example, the Norse saw it as a Bifrost bridge for gods to cross from earth to their home called Asgard.
Similarly, ancient Japanese believed that rainbows allowed their deceased ancestors to come back to earth, and the Navajo believed that it was the path for holy spirits. Even today, there is an old Irish legend commonly told that there is a pot of gold at the end of every rainbow guarded by a tricky leprechaun.
Rainbows In The Bible: The Second Mention: Ezekiels Vision
The second mention of rainbows in the Bible takes place in Ezekiel. In this chapter Ezekiel has a vision of heavenly and angelic beings, and cherubim, that were appointed as guardians of the holiness of God.
Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him.
This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking. Ezekiel 1:28
Ezekiel was privileged to see a vision of God in heaven and the brightness of God was seen as a rainbow. The rainbow is seen as a part of the manifestation of God in Revelation 4:3 and Revelation 10:1. Enduring Word has a good short study on cherubim that you may wish to check out.
Its interesting to note that the Hebrew word for Rainbow is Qeshet. Keshet is also used to describe a war bow.
When you think of a bow used in war, it needs, essentially two things: the bow and an arrow. Without the arrow, it cannot serve as a weapon.
The symbol of the rainbow, a bow without an arrow, is therefore a symbol of the mercy of God. A symbol that shows that while God can destroy the earth with a flood, He has promised not to do that ever again.
You may enjoy this short video by a rabbi about the meaning of the word rainbow in the Bible and what it signifies.
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Where Do We See The Rainbow In The Bible
The first instance of a rainbow that we find in the Bible is found in the story of Noah and the flood. God set a rainbow in the sky to serve as a sign of the covenant that he would never again destroy all life with flood waters. It serves as a reminder of Gods forgiveness, truthfulness, and that however great the trials are that we endure, God will remain faithful and good.
I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life .
We also find a few more uses of the word rainbow being used in the Bible. The common element of all three uses of the term rainbow found elsewhere in Scripture is that it used to describe the coloring and imagery of heavenly visions. Truly, rainbows are quite spectacular and reflect the majesty of the Creator.
Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking .
And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne .
Genesis 91316 The Seven Colors Of The Rainbow
Jim of www.biblebuslimericks.com wrote,
In elementary school we learned that ROYGBIV, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet, were the seven colors of the rainbow. Together they make white light the color of the sun. See Christ, the Light of the world in all of this.
Thanks, Jim.
This is an example of what we state at the top of this blog, Join us as we search for sequences of seven in the Bible, whether enumerated or not, because the Holy Spirit did not always mention the number seven for us, but we have to look for non-enumerated sequences of seven, as Jim did here.
The first occurrence of the rainbow in the Bible was after the Flood,
I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth .
The Bible mentions the rainbow again in Ezekiel 1.28 Revelation 4.3 and Revelation 10.1.
Each of those times Ezekiel and John see a rainbow with God.
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Can Two Rainbows Appear At Once
On rare occasions, two rainbows form at the same time. The first and brighter rainbow is called the primary rainbow. The second less vivid one is called the secondary rainbow. It occurs when refracted light bounces of the raindrop not once but twice, producing a secondary rainbow with its colours inverted.
What Is A Double Rainbow Called
A double rainbow happens when light is reflected twice in a drop. This is why we see two different reflections, deriving from different angles. Its so cool to see and the higher secondary rainbow is usually more faint in color than the main rainbow. A more rarer phenomenon is called a twinned rainbow.
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Rainbows Remind God Of His Covenant To Never Destroy The Entire Earth With A Flood
Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life .
God never forgets His promises even when we forget. He remembered Abraham and brought Lot out from being killed. He remembered Rachel and Hannah by blessing them to conceive children. The Lord remembered Israels sufferings and brought them out of slavery. In the end times, the Lord will remember the great sins of Babylon and punish the nation. We may sometimes feel that the Lord has forgotten our prayers. However, every time we see a rainbowwe are reminded that He never forgets.
every time we see a rainbowwe are reminded that He never forgets.
A Rainbow Around The Throne And In Heaven
We see in the book of Revelation that there is a green rainbow around the throne of God! Learn more about colors on myThe Biblical Meaning of Colors post.
Revelation 4:1-4 NKJV 1 After these things I looked, and behold, a door open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this. 2 Immediately I was in the Spirit and behold, a throne set in heaven, and sat on the throne.
3 And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance and a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. 4 Around the throne twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes and they had crowns of gold on their heads.
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A Biblical Covenant Of Grace
However, the true meaning of the rainbow is revealed in Genesis 9:1215:
This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh .
First, the covenant of the rainbow is between God and man and the animal kinds that were with Noah on the Ark: a promise that there would never be such an event again that would destroy all flesh on the land. As there have been many local floods since that time, this is obviously a promise there would never be another global flood to destroy all flesh.
The Bible states clearly that there will be a future, global judgment, but next time by fire, not water . Some commentators even suggest that the watery colors of the rainbow remind us of the destruction by water, and the fiery colors of the coming destruction by fire.
Secondly, the rainbow is a covenant of grace. It is actually a symbol of Christ Himself.
The Bible reveals to us that the rainbow is a symbol of Christ in Ezekiel 1:2628