A BOW SET IN THE SKY
A promise has been made by God never to flood the Earth again (Genesis 19:13-15).
The sight of a beautiful rainbow, often seen following a burst of sudden rain, is glorious evidence that God keeps His promise (verse 14). Having been encouraged by this, we can afford to concentrate our thoughts on other promises that are found in the Bible.
Some of these promises have been fulfilled, others have yet to be so. The promise made by God to His people, Israel has been fulfilled (Exodus 12:25). The Israelites were delivered out of Egyptian slavery. God used Moses to do so.
Another promise given by God by way of the prophet Daniel has come to pass concerning a gentile empire, that of Alexander the Great, whose sudden death at the age of 33, was followed by his empire being divided up four ways.
The point to appreciate here is that when God uses a servant, in this case Daniel, to prophesy, then the prophecy in due course is fulfilled.
Of course we can also read the New Testament to study God’s promises. The most significant and important figure in the New Testament is Jesus Christ, The Messiah. Jesus Christ made the Promise to His Disciples that He would be killed and then raised to life on the third day (Matthew 16:21 and 12:40). Indeed He has been brought back to life as He said He would be (Matthew 28:6).
This is all very encouraging to the believer. There is also a good deal of encouragement when looking at the future, still keeping in mind Jesus. Let us however, go back to the book of Daniel, chapter two. Here we see Daniel has relied on God Himself to reveal the meaning of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, (verse 28). This prophecy goes far into the future, in fact to the Latter Days, of ‘End of the Age’ and beyond.
The image the king saw in his dream was a huge, bright figure of a man. The interpretation of this is that the figure represents man’s rulership and administration over the centuries. Then in verses 34 and 35 comes the end of man’s government, of system of things, described as the smiting of the figure by a huge stone, not cut by human hands, which symbolically smashes man’s government.
This can only be describing Jesus Christ, (‘The Rock’ see I Corinthians 10:4), and His return to the Earth and replacing man’s government with God’s Kingdom (Theocracy).
To be in possession of this knowledge from the Bible is very uplifting for the Christian reader. It is a joy to know that Jesus Christ’s return is certain (Acts 1:10, 11). When He does, man’s corrupt and inept governments will be done for. This surely is the best hope for the future anyone can have.
People can doubt, disbelieve, and scoff if they want to, but God’s Word and His promises are sure, whether people believe them or not makes no difference. God’s plan will come to fruition in due time, patience being rewarded with the delivery of God’s promise (Hebrews 10:36).
Mankind cannot always and does not always keep promises, but the Great Living God of Israel does. When you next enjoy the spectacular sight of a Rainbow in the sky, think on it.
