What does rainbows stand for

For more on that topic, see this article. So, what is the true meaning of the rainbow? The rainbow first appears in Scripture toward the end of the story of the worldwide flood in Genesis Because of the continual evil and wickedness of mankind Genesis , God decided to cause rain to fall for 40 days and nights and flood the entire earth — killing everyone and everything except for a man named Noah and his family and a bunch of animals that were kept safe inside of a wooden ark. Whether this was the first appearance of a rainbow in human history because it had not rained yet as Genesis seems to say or it was just God repurposing the phenomenon that already existed as Ken Ham explains , the Bible is very clear about what the rainbow symbolizes.

After the floodwaters receded and Noah could get out of the boat onto dry land, he built an altar and offered a burnt offering to God. In response, God declared this promise to Noah and his family:. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth… This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. As fantastical as it may seem, this world-wide flood event really happened.

And while it is certainly not a myth or even an allegorical story, there are still lessons that we should learn for our lives today. In fact, although Noah built an altar to worship God immediately getting off the boat, it was not too long until his drunkenness resulted in new curses on some of his descendants Genesis 9.

Baker would later recount:. Interestingly enough, as the LGBTQ groups use the rainbow to identify their movement and to celebrate their freedom , God remains angry with sinners—including those engaged in the sin of homosexuality. It was a sign to remember that God is holding back his anger and will not issue a global flood again.

The rainbow does not communicate that God is pleased with homosexuals. It communicates that God remains angry with sin and sinners, but he has chosen to not destroy the earth with a global flood again.

That does not mean that God will not unleash his divine wrath. It should be noted that when Christ returns, he will come clothed in wrath to judge all rebels of God. On that day, people will run into the hills and hide in caves and no place will be safe—not even beneath a rainbow flag. When Christ returns, he will certainly reclaim the rainbow for what it was originally intended for in the first place.

Even around the throne of God, there is pictured a majestic rainbow—used to communicate the glory of God Rev. One day, the rainbow will no longer be misused by sinners to boast in their sin. The rainbow will be reserved for the glory of God alone when Christ returns and makes all things new.

Until Christ returns, we must communicate the truth and the glory of the rainbow to our daughters and sons as we ride down the highway. We likewise have a duty to communicate this same truth to others who have misused, abused, and hijacked a glorious symbol used by God to communicate a promise. This is because the rainbow takes all of the visible colors of light and combines them into one unified symbol to demonstrate community and equality.

This symbolism has been used in recent years to represent many different movements for change. It has been a symbol of peace protests, social movements, and also pride in many political and global movements. They use this symbolism to demonstrate equality and community which is represented by the unification of colors on the rainbow. Other groups use the rainbow as a symbol because it demonstrates that all the colors of the rainbow are different, yet unique in their own way and combine to create one magnificent whole.

It is therefore a powerful symbol to demonstrate diversity and equality. Rainbows in many cultures and religions are considered to be gateways, paths, or portals that connect two realms or earths. In Greek and Norse mythology, a rainbow connected two worlds and was a path that connected to the Gods.

These paths are often seen as ways to communicate or send messages and would often be associated with a specific messenger. In Greek mythology, Iris was the goddess of the rainbow and traveled it to act as the messenger of the gods. This has been depicted in the popular movie franchise Thor , where Thor uses the rainbow bridge to cross between Earth and Asgard.

In Native American culture, a rainbow is seen as a bridge between the human and spiritual worlds. The Navajo tribe sees the rainbow as an initiation that leads to the spirit world for guidance. It is seen as an initiation that is brought about by the divine Gods as opposed to the elder tribesmen and is therefore an initiation held in the highest regard. A rainbow symbolizes peace for a number of reasons. Firstly, it represents the feeling a calmness and tranquility when looking at a rainbow.

Rainbows commonly appear after a storm and for a brief moment, give the feeling of peace after the turbulent atmosphere that usually came moments earlier. Rainbows also appear when the clouds break and the sun shines through and many interpret this to be a message and sign from the Gods that everything is ok and peaceful times can resume. Secondly, a rainbow can symbolize peace upon death.

Valleys can also be a symbol of peace — see our valley symbolism article.