Yahweh said to Noah.......For in seven days' time I mean to make it rain on the earth for forty days and nights, and I will rid the earth of every living thing that I made. Noah did all that Yahweh ordered. - Gen. 7:4, 10-12 -
Moses left Pharaoh and went out of the city. He stretched out his hands to Yahweh and the thunder and the hail stopped and the rain no longer poured down on the earth. When Pharaoh saw that rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he sinned yet again. - Exodus 9:33-34 -
Stand here, then, and watch the great wonder Yahweh will do before your eyes. It is now wheat harvest, is it not? I will call on Yahweh and he shall send thunder and rain. - 1Sam. 12:16-18 -
Elijah said to Ahab, Go back, eat and drink; for I hear the sound of rain. While.......'Go back seven times.' Elijah said, The seventh time, the servant said, 'Now there is a cloud, small as a man's hand, rising from the sea.' Elijah said, 'Go and say to Ahab, "Harness the chariot and go down before the rain stops you." And with that the sky grew dark with cloud and storm, and rain fell in torrents. - 1Kin. 18:41-45 -
In addition to these special occasions, God promised to send rain at the proper time, a promise which applied to all nations. The rain was a sign of God's blessing, although He could also hold back the rain, either as a warning or as an expression of His judgment. - Lev. 26:4; Deut. 11:14, 28:12; 1Kin. 17:1; Jer. 3:3; Amos 4:6-7; Matt. 5:45 -
We are only human beings like you. We have come with good news to make you turn from these empty idols to the living God who make heaven and earth and the sea and all that these hold. In the past God allowed each nation to go its own way; but even then he did not leave you without evidence of himself in the good things he does for you: he sends you rain from heaven, he makes your crops grow when they should, he gives you food and makes you happy. - Acts 14:15-17 -
Belief in God's power to send the rain was not easy in a area like Palestine, where the timing, quantity, and distribution of rainfall were uncertain. The rainy season was synonymous with winter, but it could begin any time from mid-October to January. It generally ended in April or early May. The early and latter rains were especially significant in the Old Testament period. The people longed for the rain and waterless clouds were the source of frustration and irritation. - Song 2:11; Prov. 25:14, 26:1; Deut. 11:14; Joel 2:23; Jer. 14:4; Jude 12 - This truth is reflected in Jesus' parables - Matt. 7:25, 27 -and in the experiences of Elijah - 1Kin. 7:25 -and Ezra - Ezra 10:9-13 -
The Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible sometimes speaks of the rain as a sign of God's judgment, when He might rain down hail, fire, or brimstone. Rain is often considered of abundance. This abundance is compared with the effectiveness of 'God's Word' with the righteousness and peace of God's kingdom, and with God's provision of food in the wilderness. But rain could also be destructive.
The flood lasted forty days on the earth.......Everything with the breath of life in its nostrils died, everything on dry land. Yahweh destroyed every living thing on the face of the earth, man and animals, reptiles, and the birds of heaven. He rid the earth of them, so that only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark. - Gen. 7:17-24 -
After the great flood, God blessed Noah and his children, saying to them, 'Be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth.......' 'As for you, be fruitful, multiply, teem over the earth and be lord of it.' God spoke to Noah and his sons, 'See, I establish my Covenant with you, and with your descendants after you; also with every living.....
There shall be no flood to destroy the earth again.' God said, 'Here is the sign of the Covenant I make between myself and you and every living creature with you for all generations: I set my bow [Rainbow] in the clouds and it shall be a sign of the Covenant between me and the earth. When I gather the clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the clouds, I will recall the Covenant between myself and you and every living creature of every kind. And so the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all things of flesh. When the bow [Rainbow] is in the clouds I shall see it and call to mind the lasting Covenant between God and every living creature of every kind that is found on earth.'
God said to Noah, 'This is the sign of the Covenant I have established between myself and every living thing that is found on earth.' - Gen. 9:1-17 -
Rainbow is an arch of colours in the clouds/sky, where it serves as a sign of "God's Covenant." This Covenant was a promise by God to the world that it would never again be destroyed by a flood. The rain clouds and the rainbow were never again to be regarded by man as a threat of ultimate judgment, but as an unchanging indicator of God's mercy. The other references to the rainbow in the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible occur in passages where judgment is to be announced, notably in Book of Revelation 4:3-4 and 10:1 in connection with God's judgment of the world. - Ezek. 1:28 -
In all these cases, however, the rainbow is a sign of the glorious presence of God. It is a reminder that His mercy and grace will finally triumph.
Page 1
If you wish to donate. Thank You. God bless.
By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!
I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.
HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -
No comments:
Post a Comment