What Should the Rainbow Mean to God’s People?
The story of Noah and the Flood is one of the go-to Bible stories for parents when it comes to raising their children anchored in the Word of God.
Children are taught that the rainbow represents God’s promise to never destroy the earth by way of flood again.
These days, Satan has co-opted this beautiful symbol for a much more deviant movement that has done everything in its power to overwrite the promise God made to Noah.
But what are the deeper concepts that believers should know about this ancient symbol that radiates the glory of the Lord?
On a recent episode of “Discovering the Jewish Jesus,” Messianic Rabbi Kirt Schneider reminds us that the rainbow cannot be taken away from God and that it is a visible manifestation of God’s glory.
“The rainbow reminds us that we can trust the promises of God,” Rabbi Schneider explains. “That He will do what He said He is going to do. That is why it’s so important for us to know God’s Word and to know what His promises are, because we incorporate into our life the fullness of Messiah, His substance, by having faith in His promises.
“We inherit the kingdom through faith in His promises,” he added.
What better way for Satan to get believers to forget the goodness of God’s promises than by replacing the meaning of the rainbow with a lifestyle the Lord finds abominable? People around the world who have never heard of the story of Noah, will instead say that it is a Pride symbol representing the homosexual lifestyle.
Except now even the original seven colors have been twisted and altered.
Next, Rabbi Schneider highlights that the rainbow represents a fresh start with God.
People the world over have regrets, but there is forgiveness, renewal and grace in a relationship with God that erases the sins of the past when one repents with a contrite heart.
“Secondly … the rainbow reminds us of new beginnings. Remember the earth had just gotten destroyed by the flood, but the flood subsided and a rainbow appeared in the sky,” Schneider says. “And what that communicated to Noah and his family is that it was a time of new beginnings. The storm had passed. So, I want you to be encouraged that the same God that put the rainbow in the sky for Noah, is still putting His rainbows in the sky for you and I, His people today, to remember that when we go through hard times, those hard times will not last forever.”
Schneider continues, “There’s going to be a new beginning, that you’re coming out into something brand new. God is always a God of new beginnings, and the rainbow that appeared after the storm should remind us all that Satan will never have the last laugh.”
The devil might win a few battles, but he knows that he has lost the war. This is especially important for Christians who are enduring a season in the wilderness to remember that after their appointed time of wandering, there is something great ahead for them from the Lord.
“The rainbow reminds us…that something good is going to follow something bad in your life,” says Rabbi Schneider.
“You see our lives are cycles, where the Lord brings us through challenges and trials so that we can learn to cling to Him by faith when we’re going through hard times. But those trials that challenge…that you might be going through right now, it’s going to end.
“Remember, something good is coming… have faith, that the trial that you might be going through right now or that you’re going to face sometime in the future, it will not last forever,” Schneider continued.
The Word of God tells of how even Jesus endured trials and tribulations in His life, and that anyone who claims to be a follower of His will endure them as well.
When you look up and see the beauty of God’s glory materialized in a rainbow, do not allow bitterness or anger at how Satan is trying to corrupt this gift, but thank the Lord for His goodness, mercy and strength to persevere through the trials in your life. {eoa}
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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.
