Scripture Reading: Ezek. 1:28; Rev. 4:3; 10:1; 21:19-20
Ⅰ
God's New Testament economy is for the processed and consummated Triune God to be wrought into us to become our life and our very being—Eph. 3:16-17a; Rom. 8:6, 9-11:
A
God's eternal purpose is to work Himself into us as our life and our everything so that we may take Him as our person, live Him, and express Him; this is the desire of God's heart and the focal point of the Bible—Eph. 1:9; 3:11; Phil. 1:20-21a.
B
The governing vision of the Bible is the Triune God working Himself into His chosen and redeemed people to be their life and their life supply in order to saturate their entire being with the Divine Trinity—2 Cor. 13:14; Eph. 4:4-6.
C
The central work of God is to work Himself in Christ into us, making Himself one with us for His corporate expression—Gal. 4:19; Eph. 3:17a.
D
Eventually, the Triune God and redeemed humanity will be mingled, blended, and built up as one entity—the New Jerusalem—Rev. 21:2, 10; 3:12.
Ⅱ
The experience of the Christian life and of the church life consummates in a rainbow—Ezek. 1:28; Rev. 4:3; 10:1; 21:19-20:
A
According to God's plan, the spiritual things revealed in Ezekiel 1 begin with the wind and consummate with the rainbow—vv. 4, 28:
１
As a result of having a clear sky with the throne and of experiencing the man who has the appearance of electrum and a consuming fire, we will have the appearance of a rainbow—vv. 26-27.
２
The rainbow is the brightness around the man who is sitting on the throne; this brightness signifies the splendor and glory around the Lord on the throne—v. 28.
B
In order to understand the significance of the rainbow, we need to consider the first mention of a rainbow in the Bible—the rainbow at the time of Noah—Gen. 9:8-17:
１
This rainbow is a sign that the God of life and redemption is the One who establishes and keeps His covenant; the rainbow declares that God will keep His covenant.
２
The rainbow, a token of God's covenant, signifies God's faithfulness; God's faithfulness is the rainbow—1 Cor. 1:9; 1 John 1:9:
ａ
God Himself is faithfulness, and He is faithful to His word—1 Cor. 10:13; 1 Thes. 5:23-24.
ｂ
We have been spared by God's faithfulness, and now we have a rainbow as a sign of God's faithfulness.
C
The rainbow around God's throne signifies that God is the covenanting God, the faithful God, who will keep His covenant while executing His judgment upon the earth—Rev. 4:2-3.
D
The rainbow upon Christ's head indicates that when He comes back to take possession of the earth by His judgment, He will keep the covenant that God made with Noah and will execute judgment according to the faithful and covenant-keeping God—10:1.
E
The New Jerusalem has the appearance of a rainbow; the holy city looks like a rainbow—21:19-20:
１
The colors of the twelve layers of the foundation have the appearance of a rainbow; this signifies that the entire city is built upon the eternal faithfulness of the faithful God.
２
The New Jerusalem is built upon and secured by God's faithfulness in keeping His covenant; thus, the foundation of the holy city is trustworthy and reliable.
３
The foundation of the city has the appearance of a rainbow surrounding the eternal God as His testimony—1:2, 9; 19:10c.
４
In God's economy, we need to be constituted with the faithful God to be faithful even as He is faithful—1 Cor. 7:25; 4:2; 1 Tim. 1:12; 2 Tim. 2:13.
F
The three primary colors of the rainbow are blue—signifying God's righteousness, red—signifying God's holiness, and yellow—signifying God's glory—Rom. 1:17; 3:21; 10:3; 6:19, 22; 3:23; 8:18, 21; 1 Cor. 1:30:
１
God's righteousness, holiness, and glory are the three divine attributes that keep sinners away from God—Gen. 3:24.
２
The Lord Jesus died on the cross to satisfy the requirements of God's righteousness, holiness, and glory, and now, in resurrection, He is our righteousness, holiness, and glory—1 Cor. 1:30.
３
Because we are in Christ, we bear Christ as righteousness, holiness, and glory; in the sight of God, we look like righteousness, holiness, and glory.
４
We need to experience Christ to such an extent that when others contact us, they will sense righteousness, holiness, and glory; then we will have the appearance of a rainbow.
G
As the New Jerusalem in eternity, we, the aggregate of God's saved ones, will be a rainbow testifying forever that our God is faithful—Rev. 21:2, 10, 19-20:
１
By His righteousness, holiness, and glory, we will have the appearance of a rainbow, declaring to the whole universe God's saving faithfulness.
２
When this rainbow appears, God will have the fulfillment of the desire of His heart.
３
Although this bright rainbow will be manifested in eternity, the spiritual reality of this rainbow should be wrought into us now and be manifested in our Christian life and in our church life today—1 Tim. 3:15-16.