A couple of days ago, the Supreme Court decided that men can now marry men, and women can also marry women. We don't have to be stereotyped anymore. Of course, with a law like that, there will have to be a lot of different ways we can end up going.
Even though the Supreme Court has redefined marriage, God hasn't. God never intended for men to marry other men, or women to marry other women. There is no place in the Bible that makes concession for this. Whenever the Bible speaks of marriage relationships, it is always in the context of husbands (males) and wives (females). There is also several passages that explain the judgment of God on those who practice sexual sins, including homosexuality. There is no other way around this.
But what I want to point out, is what the meaning of the symbol of the rainbow indicates. Let's look at the passage that comes right after the world-wide flood took place.
And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. *Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.* Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” Genesis 9:12-16 NIV
What exactly are we seeing here? God was patient and waited for the people to repent of their wickedness. In Genesis 6, the Bible tells us that the people were so very wicked, that they were inventing new ways of wickedness. God provided an Ark, through Noah, but no one responded to God. They are just like we are today. They love their wickedness and no one is going to stop them, at least they don't think that will happen.
So, the time for the Flood came. When Noah and his family were safely in the Ark, along with all the assigned animals, God closed the door. It was sealed shut. It was too late if anyone were to have changed their minds. They had plenty of time before though, and they would have rather continued in their sins.
When the waters receded, and it was time to get out of the Ark, God showed Noah the rainbow, and explained that it would be a symbol to mankind that God would never destroy the earth again, by means of a world-wide flood. It was to remind us of the everlasting covenant that God made to Noah.
 |
| The meaning of the symbol of the rainbow has been redefined. We need to come back to the true meaning of the rainbow that God intended to make. |
Some are taking this to mean that God will not judge anymore. But it doesn't take too much more reading before we find that God is a just God, and will punish sin. Sometimes, we suffer for our sins in this life. But even if we don't, and we don't think we are hurting anyone with our sins, our sins will catch up to us on That Day.
In Genesis 19, we read about God destroying two cities, Sodom and Gomorrah. There is debate in some people's minds about why destroyed these cities, but it is clear that the men who lived in this city were practicing homosexuals.
Lot lived in this city, and he tried to reason with these men. They would have nothing to do with Lot. In fact, they even accused Lot of judging them! They were not listening to a word Lot was saying to them. They knocked the door down in order to get to the angels who were visiting Lot and preparing him and his family to leave the place, for God was going to destroy them.
God struck the homosexual men with blindness. Then the angels directed Lot and his family to go to another city. The sons in law, unfortunately, thought Lot was joking and decided to stay. Lot's wife changed her mind and wanted to go back, so she turned into a pillar of salt. Only Lot and his daughters escaped this impending danger.
God poured fire, sulphur, and brimstone onto the city and everyone who was left was destroyed. Did they have a chance to get out before the disaster? They had warnings, but disregarded them. They chose to not repent, but to continue to live the way they did.
So, if God decides to destroy a city or group of people, does that seem fair to you? What if God gives warnings of destruction? Are we doing the same thing that the people back then did? Do we really think we will escape God's judgment on us?
God calls all men to repentance. He calls men and women to respond to Him in repentance and faith. The next time the earth will be destroyed, it won't be with a flood. God will destroy the earth with fire.
The rainbow is not a symbol that God changed His mind about judgment. It just means that now, there is a way that we can have peace with God. Because of our sins, not just homosexuality, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, around 2,000 years ago, to live a perfect life (without sin), and to die a horrible death, in order to pay the penalty for our sins. He was the only person who has ever risen from the dead, and He is the only One who can forgive us of our terrible debt because of our sins.
 |
| "Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. *Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.* |
The symbol of the rainbow was given before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. It does not mean that God will never judge again. He will. His word promises that He will.
Remember, God is all-knowing and He knows the future. He knows what groups of people will rebel against Him. We have taken ourselves out of the umbrella of His protection, because we want the Bible to say things that it doesn't say. We are in danger of being in darkness, and not finding our way back.
Let's not twist God's word around to make it mean something other than what it was intended to. Whenever you see a rainbow in the sky, think of God's mercy to you and how you are alive right now, and can respond to Him if you hear His voice.
The rainbow has been stolen, and we need to defend the true meaning of this symbol. It has nothing to do with Gay rights. It has everything to do with God's mercy to us in allowing us to repent and to trust in His Son, who became the Ultimate Sacrifice for our sins.
God's desire is not to destroy us, but to give us hope and a future. But the hope and future are in Him alone. If we go around Him in order to have hope and a future, it will be false, and it will be short lived. We need to repent and trust in Christ for our salvation. Our freedom doesn't come from Gay rights or whosever arms we twist in the government to get what we want. Freedom only comes from One. His name is Jesus Christ.
"So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" John 8:31,32 ESV
 |
| The rainbow is not a symbol of sexual freedom. God made many judgments after the rainbow was given. |
No comments:
Post a Comment