God's Rainbow Covenant

 "I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth." Genesis 9:13 


"The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord." Isaiah 11:2

"And from the throne proceeded lightenings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God." Revelation 4:5

I have seen and heard Christians say something like, "we need to take back the rainbow," in relation to the abundant use of rainbow images by the pride community. Some have expressed feelings of a war on our faith by the misuse of the rainbow. However, it is important to note that not all rainbows are created equal. Specifically, the number of colors in God's rainbow differs from the number of colors in the original pride flag rainbow. 

God's rainbow, the one He placed in the sky as a sign of the covenant He made between Himself and the earth, has seven colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, 
indigo, violet. The original pride flag rainbow only has six: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple. Similar? Sure. The same? It might only be one number off, but I would argue that the difference between seven and six are important to consider. 

Let's look at the numbers - because I do not know enough about the colors to discuss any possible Biblical basis for the colors in God's rainbow or what it might mean to have used purple in place of indigo and violet. Let's dive into seven first, because God's rainbow was/is the first, original rainbow...

Many times and places in the Bible, the number seven signifies completion and/or perfection. God's first story - where He created the heavens, the earth, and everything therein - finishes by telling us that upon completion He rested on the seventh day. (Genesis 2:1-3) The Israelites marched around the city of Jericho seven times on the seventh day (of marching in a row) then blew seven trumpets, shouted (as God had instructed) and the walls came tumbling down. (Joshua 6:1-20) The Bible also tells us that the ONE Holy Spirit of God is also the seven Spirits of God. (Link below to more in depth study on this.) 

The more we seek God in His Word, the more we study His Word, the more time we spend with Him, then the more we will come to believe there is no such thing as coincidence - there's only God. So, I do not believe it is merely a coincidence that God's rainbow has seven colors and the Bible points to seven as a sign of completion and perfection. Perhaps the seven colors of the rainbow are representative of the seven Spirits of God? 

Conversely, the number six points towards evil. Steppes of Faith website says this: "According to Bible scholars, just as the number 7 typically signifies completion or perfection especially of God, the number 6 is one shy of that, which means it signifies imperfection. More specifically, it refers to the imperfection of man and the sin and weakness he has." (Link to full article on six in the Bible below.) We know that sin is the result of giving in to temptation. We also know that temptation comes from the evil one. We know that Revelations 13:18 tells us that the number of the beast (Satan) is 666. Since our perfect God is three in One, this sign of 3 sixes could be seen as perfect unholiness, or perfection of evil. 

Please do not misunderstand my intentions, I am NOT calling anyone perfectly evil. It is not my intention to say that anyone who celebrates with a rainbow pride flag is purely evil. However, the Bible is very clear on what are and what are not sins. Any time we choose a sin - no matter what that sin is - we are choosing to allow evil a check mark in the win column. And when we celebrate evil, or sin, or sinful choices, we ultimately are turning our backs on God. 

So, yes, God's rainbow, and the pride rainbow may seem similar in appearance. And yes, six and seven seem to be numbers that are not far apart. However, God's rainbow - His seven color rainbow - is a sign of one of His perfect promises - His covenant - between Himself and the earth. Rooted in perfection, completion...rooted in God. The pride rainbow - the six color rainbow - is a celebration of sin. Rooted in evil. 

What is the final thought on this - what's your point Niki? My point is that as a Christian we don't have to take back the rainbow - because God's rainbow was never taken away from us. God's rainbow remains His perfect promise to never again use a flood to wipeout the entire earth in one swoop. We can be proud to celebrate God's rainbow, because it is just one, of many, signs that God granted to us as a visual reminder that He keeps all His promises.

More about the seven Spirits of God: https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/what-are-the-seven-spirits-of-god.html 

More about the number six in the Bible: https://www.steppesoffaith.com/apologetics/number-6-bible-why-you-should-care 


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