Rainbows and Promises, Three

Sometimes the Rainbows appear before the Storm.

To bring you up to speed, we have been discussing Rainbows. What is a Rainbow? It is a sign. A tangible, physical, visible, sign, of the Promise God made to Noah following the Flood. It is a sign to all Mankind, that no matter how bad the Storms of life might be, God is in charge, and God can,,,,

Assure you that He is with you.
Protect you and keep you safe. Even if that means He will take over.
Restore anything lost.

There were three men that saw Rainbows in The Word of God. First, of course, was Noah. When God created the first Rainbow. Ezekiel, who saw the Rainbow in the midst of the Storm. And John, who we will be discussing today, who saw the Rainbow BEFORE the Storm even came.

Let's go to,,,,

Revelation 4:

1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.

2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.

3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.

Now here was John. Minding his own business. Going about his day. Nothing really important going on. All of a sudden, he sees this Vision. He hears the voice of an Angel and the Angel takes him up to Heaven. There He sees God Himself, sitting on the Throne. "And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald."

So what is the importance of the Rainbow? The same as it was when God first formed it. The same as it is every time we see it. It is a symbol of God's Promise to us that all will be OK. That He will never again destroy the whole Earth. That He will never again, wipe out His entire Creation.

So the first thing that John sees, is a Rainbow. It is encompassing God Himself. he also saw the same "creatures" that Ezekiel saw.

6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.

7 And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.

Then he even saw Jesus. In,,

Revelation 5:

1 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.

2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?

3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.

4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.

5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.

8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

14 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

John the Apostle who wrote the Gospel and the Epistles of John, was said by some to be exiled on Patmos in the Aegean Archipelago during the reign of Domitian. John, refers to Jesus as "The Word of God," throughout Revelations, As he did in {John 1} "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." Later John writes "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."

So think about this. If indeed "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." It makes sense, that in the end, all things would be destroyed by Him. Yet, remember, not all things will be wiped out as with the Flood. Hence the Rainbow.

God shows John the things that are to come. Talk about an oncoming Storm. God shows John that all this will happen....

The first Seal introduces the Antichrist. The second Seal causes great Warfare. The third Seal causes Famine. The fourth Seal causes the Sun and Moon to be darkened and brings about Plague, further Famine, and further Warfare. The fifth Seal sends a plague of demonic locusts that attack and torture humanity and tells us of those who will be martyred for their Faith in Christ during the end times. When the sixth Seal is broken, a devastating Earthquake occurs, causing massive upheaval and terrible devastation. It also releases a Demonic Army that kills a third of humanity.

Then there is the seventh and last Seal. This is called the Seven Bowls of Judgement. The first bowl causes painful sores to break out on humanity. The second bowl results in the death of every living thing in the sea. The third bowl causes the rivers to turn into blood. The fourth results in the Sun’s heat being intensified and causing great pain. The fifth causes great darkness and an intensification of the sores from the first bowl. The sixth results in the Euphrates River being dried up and the Armies of the Antichrist being gathered together to wage the battle of Armageddon. The seventh bowl results in a devastating Earthquake followed by giant Hailstones.

This is not a happy sunny day. This will be the end of Life as we know it. Think about that, nearly all of Mankind will be wiped out in a devastating manor. Yet at the end of Armageddon, the devil and his armies will be defeated and Jesus will return to reign for a Thousand years.

So what happens following the Thousand years? First Jesus Himself told us "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." {Matthew 5:5} What Earth? The New Earth. The one that comes following Armageddon.

We read this in {2 Peter 3:10-13} "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."

Then in {Revelation 21:1}, "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea." The new Earth will actually be the home of God. We will be there with Him. Heaven itself will be on Earth.

We are Children of God. "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." {Romans 8: 17} We will be those that live with God, in the New Earth, when the time comes.

To recap. After the worst Storm Mankind ever Saw, God showed Noah a Rainbow. All will be OK. Then during a Storm, in the midst of a horrible Storm in the lives of God's Chosen People, God showed Ezekiel a Rainbow. All will be OK. God is in charge. He will take care of it. Then in a Storm even greater than that of Noah, the end of time as we know it, God showed John a Rainbow, before the Storm came. All will be OK. God is in charge. He will take care of all things.

All you have to do as a Child of God, no matter what the Storm may be in your life, look for the Rainbow. Why? Because all will be OK. God is in charge. He will take care of it. We merely need to do one thing, trust in Him. Eat the Word. Make it part of us. Be obedient. Trust in Him. Let the World look for the "Silver Lining." You? You look for the Rainbow.

Do you know Jesus as your Savior? Have you been adopted into the Family of God? If not, say this Prayer. Right now. Wherever you may be. Say it in your own words, and do not doubt in your heart. God will hear you. He will send the Spirit of Life to you. Let us Pray..

"Oh heavenly Father, Lord God. I am a sinner. I know this. I know there is nothing I can do to change that. But I know you can. I accept Jesus's sacrifice for me. I repent my sins. Please send the Spirit of Adoption into my life. Help me to get to know the real you. Save me. Please. In the name of Jesus, Amen!"

That's it. It really is that simple. Now go tell someone what you have just done. "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." {Romans 10:9} You need to find a Church that God leads you to, and be Baptized the way Jesus said to be. You are now a Child of God. A new Creature. You "have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." {Colossians 3:10}

If you want to tell me, or comment, question, give testimonials, or just say "Hi," the Email is opntalk@gmail.com

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. {2 Corinthians 13}