The Rainbow of God

Today is different from other days in this summer in New York. It was so hot and the humidity was so high. Everybody was complaining the heat wave. The tarred road was like oven. Instead of cool breeze that always reminds people of the beauty of summer, it was blowing hot. Electric vans could not arrest the situation, even the central air conditioner was working at its full capacity and yet it could not satisfy the need of the privileged few. The bakers can call it a quit with their electric generated ovens because they can successfully bake at no cost in the alternative that mother-nature provided in the train stations. 

The media house did not keep silent about it. The various anchormen of the media houses were reporting the individual experiences they could cover. Some people took refuge at the beach, the parks around New York City was jam-packed. Some converted the Fire Hydrant to shower unit instead of their bathtubs. It took many police men to turn off so many fire hydrants that were left running unchecked for many hours when there was a report of drastic low water pressure. The Con Edison also recorded a very high consumption of wattage.

The weathermen reported that the temperature was in 100^o plus degree Fahrenheit with a history of occurrence of more than 100 years ago. Everybody was sweating. It was a piteous situation for the pregnant women not to talk of the infants that cannot express their feeling. Tones of ice-cubes got lost in the throat of the thirsty New Yorkers.

Nature has its own unique miracle. As the heat wave was hitting hard in New York at the same time the rain was presenting another color of the Mother Nature in Mississippi. The weatherman described the two different phenomenons as heat wave and unprecedented flood but the children of God who are sensitive to the ways of God described the two as rainbow of God. "I have set my rainbow in the clouds and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth." (Genesis 9:13) The scientists told us that rainbow formed as a result of refractive rays from the sun-light, when the rain fountains, at a certain angle to the source of light formed a prism. The different colors of rainbow reflect the multiple ways that God can manifest Himself as loving God and as a righteous judge and at the same time reveal Himself to mankind as the Mighty One we should recon with.

Brethren if the heat wave can be so devastatingly hot, imagine how the hell-fire will be. We understand from the Bible that the sinful world of the generation of Noah was judged by unprecedented rain of forty days that resulted into a great flood. The Bible made it known to us that the present world is like a huge rubbish that will soon be burn in fire. The word of God has given us a clear picture of hell fire. “One finger burns for a thousand years and the worms there died not.” (Isaiah 66:24) The story of the rich-man and Lazarus in the bosom of Abraham is another picture. The rich-man requested that Lazarus may deep the tip of his finger in water to cool his tongue. Abraham replied “the unfathomable fixed gulf between us could not let me perform this task.”

Brethren consider what it takes God Almighty to change the course of mankind from the hell-fire bound to that beautiful mansion in heaven where the street was made of pure gold. (John 14:1-3; Revelation 21:21) It took the King of kings to set aside His precious throne in Heaven and make His dwelling among the sinners on earth. It took the Saviors of the world to make the manger his place of birth. At the age of twelve, a faithful commitment to the mission of mercy took Him to be at his Father's work among the Scribes of Pharisees and Sadducees in teaching man the ways of Heaven.

At Gethsemane it took Him sleepless night, with blood-like sweat from his brow, when in prayer, he was pleading with God that the cup of agony may fall from Him, “not my will,” He said, “but thy will be done.” It took God Almighty a painful insistence that his standard of salvation should not be lowered when He allowed His only begotten son to go through the ordeal of the Cross so that salvation may be obtainable at no cost for man. It took Jesus a crown of thorn upon his glorious head and the pointed edge of sword on his sides. At Pontius Pilate Palace, in the presence of mammoth crowd that were shouting, “Crucify Him,” “Crucify Him,” the “Son of Man” received a death judgment from unrighteous son of man. At the place of Golgotha it took the Savior of the world to be nailed to the Cross along with our sins amidst the harden criminals. Imagine the weight of the sin of the whole world on the sinless Savior. It took the Lord to stand in the gap for man pleading in pain, yet with unfeigned love saying, “Father forgive them because they know not what they are doing.”

Upon his death, the Bible told us that there was darkness over the earth for three days. At the dawn of the third day, God Almighty changed the darkness to a marvelous bright light when Jesus Christ resurrected from the death. This is the foundation upon which our salvation is based. Carl Boberg, 1886, summarized it in his song "How Great thou Art" as follow:

"When I think that God, His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in.
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin"

Consider what it took him to bring you so far in your Christian life journey. Consider his loving kindness, his promise of eternity in his Kingdom that was guaranteed by His precious blood. Think of that soft and tenderly voice saying, “Come unto me all ye that labor and heavy-laden I will give you rest.” Consider the glory that we lost in Adam that was restored to us again by grace through faith in Christ Jesus.

The Mighty God that hit New York with devastating heat wave and at the same time hit Mississippi with an unprecedented flood in demonstration of his power to all living creatures of the earth that He is in charge and He is still has deep interest in your life. God is reminding us His covenant with His rainbow - the Mother Nature. God is reminding us of the covenant that the blood of His beloved Son represents and He is calling us to repentance. He is also reminding us of our first love for Him at the Cross. It is forward ever and backward never because, “no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” He that destroyed the first world of Noah with flood will appear in the cloud one day when the trumpet shall sound. Will you be found wanted that day, brethren? Paul in his epistle to the brethren in Corinth, admonished thus: “Therefore my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” (I Corinthians 15:58) Jesus said, “We must do the work of Him who sent Me, as long as it is day, night is coming, when no man can work.” That "night" will definitely come one day. Think of this, beloved! May God be with you in Jesus name.