BibleAsk Team

What does the rainbow mean in the Bible?

The Rainbow

The rainbow stands for God’s covenant in the Bible. After the flood, God promised that the waters will not destroy the world again and He gave the sign of His rainbow to assure humans of that. The Lord said, “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” (Genesis 9:15,16).

The rainbow surrounds the throne of God in heaven (Revelation 4:3). But on earth it is produced by the refraction and reflection of the sun’s light through the ball-shaped raindrops on which the rays fall. Inasmuch as the climatic conditions of the earth would be completely different after the Flood, and rains would in most parts of the world take the place of the former dew to moisten the soil, something was needed to quiet men’s fears each time rain began to fall. 

The rainbow was a fitting symbol of God’s promise never to destroy the earth again by a flood. Now a new beginning was to take place. Only the faithful and obedient people of the antediluvian human family had survived the Flood. Now there is hope that their descendants can have a better future with the grace of God and His power.

The spiritual mind can see in this natural phenomena, God’s revelations of Himself (Romans 1:20). Thus, the rainbow is evidence to the believer that the rain will bring blessings and not universal destruction. This covenant between God and Noah ended the events related with the greatest catastrophe this earth has ever experienced. The earth, once beautiful and perfect, after the flood laid in total destruction. Man had seen the results of living in sin. And the unfallen worlds had seen the sad end to which man comes when he follows the path of Satan.

In His service,
BibleAsk Team

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