Scripture Reading: Gen. 6:8; 9:8-17; Isa. 42:6; Rev. 4:3; Ezek. 1:26-28; 1 Cor. 1:30
Ⅰ
God's covenant with Noah and the rainbow as a token of His covenant signify that we are the church of the covenant, living in the reality of the new covenant of grace—Gen. 9:8-17:
A
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. 4:3; Ezek. 1:26-28.
B
The three primary colors of the rainbow are blue (the color of the sapphire throne, which signifies God's righteousness—v. 26; Psa. 89:14), red (the color of the sanctifying fire, which signifies God's holiness—Ezek. 1:4, 13, 27; Heb. 12:29), and yellow (the color of the glowing electrum, which signifies God's glory—Ezek. 1:4, 27; Heb. 1:3):
１
Christ died on the cross to satisfy the requirements of God's righteousness, holiness, and glory and was resurrected to be our righteousness, holiness, and glory—Gen. 3:24; 1 Cor. 1:30.
２
Christ Himself, signified by the rainbow of righteousness, holiness, and glory, is the covenant of God given to His people—Isa. 42:6; Heb. 8:10-12.
３
Christ is wisdom to us from God, transmitting Himself into us as righteousness (that we might be reborn in our spirit), sanctification (that we might be transformed in our soul), and redemption (that we might be transfigured in our body)—1 Cor. 1:30; Rom. 8:10; 12:2; 8:23; Eph. 5:25-27.
４
In eternity as the New Jerusalem (a city whose foundations have the appearance of a rainbow—Rev. 21:19-20), we will be a rainbow to testify of God's faithfulness to carry out His new covenant in making us exactly the same as He is as righteousness, holiness, and glory—vv. 10-11.
５
The spiritual reality of this rainbow should be manifest in the church today—we need to allow God to fill us with His presence of righteousness by giving Him the full opportunity to work in us as the fire of holiness for His splendor of glory through us—1 Cor. 1:30.
C
The rainbow is a sign of God's faithfulness in keeping His covenant that there will be no more judgment of death; we must live under the new covenant and not believe in any failure, weakness, darkness, or negative thing; we are the covenanted people, and we have a verse of promise to meet every situation— Lam. 3:22-23; Rom. 8:1; 2 Cor. 12:9; 2 Tim. 1:10; 2:1; Jude 24; 1 John 1:9; 1 Cor. 1:9.
Ⅱ
All of the New Testament realities of Christ typified in the life and work of Noah have been covenanted to us—cf. Gen. 6:13-16; John 10:28-29; 1 Pet. 3:20-21; Rom. 6:3-4:
A
The pitch that covered the ark within and without is the type of the redeeming blood of Christ, the blood of the covenant, which ushers God's people into God's presence, into God Himself, so that they may enjoy God, behold His beauty, and receive His infusion to become His testimony—Gen. 6:14; Exo. 24:8; Matt. 26:28; Luke 22:20; Lev. 16:11-16; Psa. 27:4.
B
Just as Noah "found grace in the sight of Jehovah," we have Christ as grace to live and labor in the reality of God's new covenant of grace to change the age— Gen. 6:8; Matt. 24:37-51:
１
Under the new covenant, through the redeeming blood of Christ, we become partakers of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of grace and of suppli-cations—Heb. 6:4; 10:19-20; Zech. 12:8-10; 2 Cor. 12:9; John 1:16-17.
２
Like Noah we need to enjoy grace by faith (which operates through love) to live out Christ as our subjective righteousness—Gen. 6:9b; 7:1; Heb. 11:7; Rom. 5:2; Gal. 5:6; Phil. 3:8-9.
３
Day by day we need to receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness, allowing the Lord to "load us with good," that we might reign in life and bear in our body "the brands of Jesus"—Rom. 5:17; Psa. 68:19; Gal. 6:17-18.
C
Just as Noah had the vision of the age with the ministry of the age to build the ark, we have the vision of the age with the ministry of the age to build the church as the corporate Christ—Gen. 6:14-16; Eph. 4:11-12; Phil. 2:12-13.
D
Just as Noah and his family lived in a new realm after the flood, with Noah as the deputy authority under God, we must live in resurrection in the church life under God's authority in the exercise of the kingdom—Gen. 8:4, 18:
１
The reality of the kingdom of the heavens is the resurrected Christ as the life-giving Spirit ruling within us; the life of Christ in us is a life of submission—1 Cor. 15:45b; Matt. 8:9; Rom. 5:17, 21; Phil. 2:5-11.
２
Aaron's budding rod signifies that the authority among God's people is the resurrected Christ, the budding Christ, who blossoms and bears fruit to feed God's people—Num. 17:1-8:
ａ
Resurrection means that everything is of God and not of us, that God alone is able and we are not able—cf. Hosea 6:1-3; Zech. 4:6.
ｂ
What is impossible for us to do belongs in the realm of resurrection— Matt. 19:26; John 15:5; Phil. 4:11-13.
３
Ambition to be an authority or to be a great one is something that belongs to the Gentiles; we should drive this kind of spirit from the church and be filled with Christ as the Slave-Savior, the One who came to serve, not to be served—Mark 10:42-45; 3 John 9; 1 Pet. 2:2-5.