The Rainbow, Mercy and Judgment

Throughout the pages of the Old Testament, we see that God made agreements with human beings to further His Kingdom plan on the earth.  One such individual was Noah, whom He rescued from the worldwide flood, with whom He established a covenant to never destroy the earth, signified by a rainbow.  God made covenants with others, as well.  And, when Jesus came, He brought a new covenant, which involved the work of God within a human heart, God living inside a person, creating a new life within. Hebrews 7 says:
(22) Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant.
23 Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing.
24 But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood.
25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

The new covenant was sealed with the blood of Jesus Christ, who fulfills God's promise of mercy and redemption for all humanity.  We serve a God of hope, a God who keeps His promises, a God whom we can know because His Son gave Himself up for us, a perfect sacrifice, who offered up Himself and is now acting on our behalf before God, making intercession and being our Advocate, the Mediator of a new covenant.

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In Genesis 9, we read about a powerful agreement that God made with Noah - a covenant that contained the promise of God's protection:
11 Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth."
12 And God said: "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:
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."

Yesterday, I talked about the powerful symbolism of the cross.  Today, I want to concentrate on a meaningful symbol that signifies the incredible covenant relationship that we have with Almighty God, a symbol that has been hijacked by those who pursue a different agenda.

ChristianNews.net reports that a Christian evangelist and apologist, Sye Ten Bruggencate, has launched the concept of a gloabal "Mercy Day," to be observed September 13 of each year, as a time for Christians to celebrate the mercy of God and to share the gospel by telling others about the meaning of the rainbow.

He said the idea come after Russia hosted the winter Olympics last year, which resulted in some cities flying the rainbow flag in protest of Russia’s position on homosexuality, including Ten Bruggencate’s hometown of Ontario, Canada.  He said, "I thought, ‘That is enough. That is God’s symbol—His mercy toward mankind. It’s time to take this rainbow back.'"

He said, "I thought we could focus on a certain day where we celebrate the mercy of God, and I thought we could call that ‘Mercy Day’ and that the symbol of Mercy Day would be the rainbow," Ten Bruggencate said.

He chose the date of September 13 to correspond with Genesis 9:13, which reads, “I do set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between Me and the earth.”

The first official Mercy Day will be September 13, 2016, and more information can be found through the event website, MercyDay.com.  He is quoted as saying, "I hope that the majority of Christians use this event to talk about the mercy of God, how every human being on this earth needs that—not only the homosexual community," adding, "I don’t want this to be a finger-pointing thing."

He is quoted as saying that the observance is not meant to target homosexuals.  He said: "One thing that people have made the mistake of doing over the years is trying to get homosexuals to behave like Christians. … So, they try and protest the behavior rather than seeking that these people become converted."  He said, "This goal is to tell what the rainbow means so that people can share the gospel."

When I think about the concept of taking the Biblical symbol of the rainbow back, I was reminded of the despicable lighting of the White House in rainbow colors to celebrate the Supreme Court's ruling on gay marriage. Not only does the rainbow represent mercy, which was extended to Noah, but Franklin Graham pointed out that, "God is the one who gave the rainbow, and it was associated with His judgment. God sent a flood to wipe out the entire world because mankind had become so wicked and violent." This was posted on his Facebook page, according to World Net Daily.

Franklin Graham continued: “One man, Noah, was found righteous and escaped God’s judgment with his family. The rainbow was a sign to Noah that God would not use the flood again to judge the world. But one day God is going to judge sin – all sin. Only those who are found righteous will be able to escape His judgement. The righteousness comes through faith, believing on the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ who took our sins and shed His blood on the cross for each and every one."

"So, when we see the gay pride rainbow splashed on business advertisements and many people’s Facebook pages, may it remind all of us of God’s judgment to come. Are you ready? Are your sins forgiven?"

So, the rainbow represents God's mercy - and Noah was a man who was found righteous.  And, the principle is true for us - God's mercy is extended to all.  It is available to everyone.  If you choose mercy, if you accept Jesus Christ and His blood shed on the cross for your forgiveness, then you receive the abundant mercy that He offers.

But, there is another side - and that is that sin brings judgment.  So, while the rainbow can represent mercy, it can remind us that the rejection of God and His ways will place us in a position of being judged for our sins.  But, it is the choice of a human to reject God.  Jesus has come to offer us a way out of this eternal punishment.  The Bible says that mercy triumphs over judgment, and our receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior will cause us to experience His wonderful mercy.

The rainbow is a powerful religious symbol that has been hijacked by those that would equate "tolerance" with an acceptance of behavior that is clearly called sinful in the Bible.  And, homosexuality is just one of a myriad of sinful actions.  But, God offers us victory over sin and can give us power to resist temptation and to live in alignment with His ways by His Spirit.