There are few phenomena in nature as spectacular as the rainbow.  This multicolored arc is a display of light divided into its full spectrum of colors.  Rainbows appear naturally in the sky opposite from the sun when water droplets in the air reflect, refract (bend), and disperse the sun's light into this optical marvel.  The result is one of the world's most beautiful and fascinating sights.

As beautiful as it is, the rainbow is far more than a spectacular natural phenomenon.  It is a reminder of a covenant made by God many centuries ago during the days of Noah.  This covenant was given following the global flood that destroyed the world because of man's great wickedness.  Only Noah, his family, and the creatures on the ark survived by God's grace.  To these survivors, God established His covenant with its sign of the rainbow as recorded in Genesis 9:8-17:

⁸Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, ⁹"Now behold, I Myself do establish My covenant with you, and with your descendants after you; ¹⁰and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, even every beast of the earth.  ¹¹I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth."  ¹²God said, "This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations; ¹³I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth.  ¹⁴It shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud, ¹⁵and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh.  ¹⁶When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth."  ¹⁷And God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth."

Sadly, man has taken the hopeful sign of God's covenant and twisted it into a symbol of perversity and wickedness.  Homosexuals have adopted the rainbow in the form of a flag to express pride in their form of deviance.  This use of the rainbow by homosexuals began in the 1970s and has become prominent today. Now, wherever a rainbow flag is displayed, it is quickly recognized as an endorsement and promotion of homosexual behavior.  In fact, the United States government has raised rainbow flags over its embassies in countries such as Great Britain, Israel, Spain, and Slovakia in order to advance the homosexual agenda throughout the world.  Recently, there was even a display of the United States flag altered with the colors of the rainbow in place of the usual red and white stripes at Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona.  The intended message of this flag is clear: the United States government is promoting homosexuality.

While homosexuals and their supporters symbolize their agenda with rainbow flags, the word of God remains unchanged concerning the sin of homosexuality.  It is a degrading passion, an unnatural function, an indecent act, an error worthy of penalties, and depravity (Rom. 1:26-28). Homosexuals will not inherit the kingdom of God (1Cor. 6:9-10), for they act in ways that are contrary to sound teaching and the gospel (1Tim. 1:10-11).  Such behavior should not be a focus of pride and celebration, but rather it should be the object of shame, rebuke, and correction.  This is not a matter of opinion, but rather it is the mind of God revealed to man concerning homosexuality.

Regardless of man's attempts to assign a new meaning to the rainbow, believers in God must remember the rainbow's true meaning.  The sight of a rainbow should not provoke thoughts of man's present ungodly behavior, but rather it should remind us of God's enduring covenant.  God has promised that the terror of a global flood will never be known again.  This is the true meaning of the rainbow, and Christians must not allow the world to redefine this sacred sign.  Some things may be hijacked for the homosexual cause, such as perfectly good words like "gay" and "queer," but the rainbow must be retained for God.  It is a reminder of both God's covenant and His faithfulness to all the promises He has made to us.

Stacey E. Durham