God's Rainbow

 

A Christian thought to ponder...

Does the rainbow represent a symbol, a mythology, or one of God's promises? In truth, it represents one of God's promises.

God created the rainbow to show his everlasting promise that He would never flood the earth again. As stated in Genesis 6:5-8, God destroyed the earth with a flood and destroyed all because people had become so evil and wicked it grieved God. There was widespread corruptness, violence, sexual immorality, and wickedness; people were prideful, hateful, focused on self-pleasure, and full of self-indulgence. All accept Noah. Noah found grace in the eyes of Lord. 

5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

It is written in Genesis  9:11-17 (ESV) that the rainbow is an everlasting covenant between God and all living beings. It is a divine symbol within the sky to remind us of His everlasting promise and to remind us that God is mighty, just and merciful.

11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

If you were to actually examine and break down the actual color spectrum of the rainbow, it has numerous colors. The human eye can only see seven colors. God's intention for the rainbow was not to represent pride, nor to represent a group, nor to represent some symbol, nor to represent some mythology. But the rainbow represents a divine promise to all living creatures on the earth that God would never destroy the world again with a flood due to human wickedness, corruptness, and evilness. 

Some men and women would have you believe that the rainbow represents an organization that promotes diversity, equity and pride for the LGBTQ community. LGBTQ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (sexual or gender identity). The original pride flag was designed in the 1970s by drag performer Gilbert Baker and friend Lynn Segerblom. The original eight pride flag colors were hot pink, red, orange, yellow, green, turquoise, indigo and violet. Hot pink represented sex, red represented life, orange represented healing, yellow represented sunlight, green represented nature, turquoise represented magic and art, indigo represented serenity, and violet represented spirit. The colors and style arrangement have changed over time. There is specific pride flag for lesbian, gay, transgender, bi-sexual, non-binary, polysexual, abrosexual, drag queens, genderfluid,  asexual, demi sexual, pansexual, and on and on. They have over 30+ flags to represent each gender/sexual preference within their organization. But the pride rainbow flag is a false representation of the one and only true rainbow. The organization's agenda celebrates everything that God abhors and condemns. In Proverbs 16:5 it states how God abhors pride. "Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the LORD; be assured, he will not go unpunished. Satan is the ruler over all people who are filled with pride. “He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride.” Job 41:34 (KJV). Satan desires to lead people away from the One True God, who is good, righteous, merciful, faithful, loving, longsuffering, and just.

Baker and Segerblom - Original Pride Flag

Another flag, during another time, also represented pride. The Nazi flag represented German pride and symbolized their persecution and hatred of Jews. The red represented the social thought underlying the movement. The white represented their national thought, and the black swastika was an emblem of the Aryan race. 

By German Government - Die Hoheitszeichen des Deutschen Reiches, herausgegeben vom Reichsministerium des Inneren, 1933, Tafel I, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=551410

Sin is sin is sin. Pride is a sin in God's eyes. Sexual immorality is a sin in God's eyes. Hate is a sin in God's eyes. Murder is a sin in God's eyes. Lying is a sin in God's eyes. The list of sins can go on and on. But people don't want to be told or reminded of what sins they are committing. But to use God's divine symbol for something wicked and evil and warping and tainting what God's rainbow truly represents is a heinous sin, especially pushing and forcing this symbol's agenda onto young adults and children.

Just as Noah lived in grave times, so do we now. Our day and age are rapidly becoming much like the days of Noah. Evil is abounding. Wrong is right, and right is wrong. Hearts have become cold, darkened, and self-centered. As it states in 2 Timothy 3:1-5, people are focused on self-pleasure, materialism, immorality, violence, idleness and reject all things that pertain to God. 

1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.

But we have the rainbow as a reminder that God will not destroy the earth again with a flood. A flood isn't coming again, but God's wrath and judgment are around the corner. Just as stated in the book of Revelation and many other books of the Bible, God will not allow people to continue to commit evil and wicked sins. The wicked must be punished. We do not know the exact day or hour, but the Lord will be returning soon. 

If you have not received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to do so now. Seek him during these dark days of uncertainty. Look to him. He is our light and hope. Pray to him and accept the free gift of salvation. Ask him to come into your heart, repent of your sins, and you will be saved.

Dear Lord,

I admit that I am a sinner and I believe that you died on the cross to save me. I receive You as my Lord and Savior. Please forgive me of my sins. Take control of my life and help me to live a life that pleases you. I love you, Lord, and I thank you for the free gift of salvation and that I will spend eternity with you.

Amen.

Have a blessed week!

Carol

Heaven or Hell: Which Are You Headed For?

 

Castle door stock by Elandria. Sky stock my own.

A Christian thought to ponder...

Are you going to heaven or are you going to hell?

This is a pretty blunt question. Some people do not like it when you ask blunt questions. It is also a reasonably simple question. As the answer is either A or B. There is no in-between answer. It amazes me that when you ask non-believers this question, they have a hard time answering it. They either refuse to answer the question, are defensive, they will mock the question and God, or they will have a meltdown. Talking about heaven and hell can stir up all sorts of emotions, such as fear. People have a fear of the unknown or a fear of what others might think. And then of course, you have downright rebellious people who hate God and do not believe in a heaven or hell. 

However, it is an important question. Why? Because people's souls are at stake. I once shared this question bluntly with a family member, and this person had a meltdown. They went to their mental health counselor and complained, and their counselor told me I could no longer talk about religion with the family person. Never mind about my first amendment rights. This family member has a weird perception of who God is. This family member is not living a godly life, and they do not believe the Bible is the living word of God. I feared for this person's soul. Hence, I asked the question are you going to heaven, or are you going to hell? 

Charles Spurgeon preached a lot about heaven and hell. He was a very blunt preacher. As it has been said by other Christians, "he was a preacher out to save souls." Not with words that were pleasing to the ears but with words that would convict the souls of his listeners. He wanted people to see that heaven and hell were very real places. 

"Shall we keep men in a fool's paradise? Shall we lull them into soft slumbers from which they will awake in hell? Are we to become helpers of their damnation by our smooth speeches? In the name of God, we will not!"                                         

The fact is if you believe in Jesus Christ that he is the Son of God, and he died for your sins on the cross, and he rose on the third day and now sits at the right hand of God, and you have asked him to forgive you of your sins, you will be saved from an eternity in hell. You will spend eternity in heaven. You will be amongst the great gathering as it says in Revelation 7:9-10, “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'"

Heaven is the place where believers will gather before the throne of the Almighty. It is a place of beauty, and a place of ultimate rest. It is a place that is free of persecution. It is a place free from the cruelty of humanity. Let's see what the Bible says about heaven.

• In Revelation 21:4 it says the Lord will wipe away every tear from the eyes of those who have entered through the gates of heaven. There will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain. A place of rest. 
• In Luke 23:43 Jesus calls heaven paradise.
• John 14:2 it says there are many dwelling places.
• In Revelation 2:7 it says the the tree of life will be in the paradise of God.
• In Revelation 22:1 it says the water of life will be coming from the throne of God.
• In Revelation 21:11 it shines with the glory of God. 

Hell, on the other hand, is an altogether different place. It is a place of torment, destruction, unrest, and fire. Let's see what the Bible says about hell. 

• In 2 Thessalonians 1:9 it says it is a place of everlasting destruction.
• In Revelation 20:10 it says it is a lake of fire and brimstone and the place where the devil, the beast and the false prophet will be cast into. It is a place where one will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
• In Revelation 14:11 it says it will be a place of no rest day and night.
• In Matthew 13:42 it says it is furnace of fire where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

From these list of verses, I don't think hell sounds like a very appealing place. Just as heaven is everlasting, so is hell. Heaven and hell unquestionably exist. The believers who are holy and righteous will enter the gates of heaven. The non-believers who are depraved, immoral, rebellious, and wicked will enter the gates of hell. Psalm 118:19-20 affirms the righteous will enter the gates of heaven, "Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the LORD." Nowhere does it say in the Bible that the unrighteous will enter the gates of heaven. Unholy people cannot be in the presence of God. But those who believe in Jesus Christ, have sought forgiveness, and have been born again will enter heaven's gates and stand in the presence of the Lord. 

So, I am asking this question again are you going to heaven, or are you going to hell? Are you going through the gates of the righteousness, or are you going through the gates of the depraved? 

Heavenly Father,

You are holy and righteous. You are the Creator of all things. One day, You will create the new heaven and earth. What a joyous day it will be when we stand in Your presence. We thank you for your Word to teach us and guide us. We pray for the souls who mock you, don't believe in You, heaven or hell, and have been blinded by Satan. We pray that You would soften their hearts, help them all to see the Light and the Truth, and give them the spiritual sight they need to break the influence that Satan has hold over them. Amen.

Have a blessed week!

Carol