Five professional baseball players refused to wear a rainbow pride logo on their uniforms this month because of their Christian beliefs. The logo was to celebrate lifestyles that were contrary to those beliefs. Almost immediately, they were labeled by many as hateful bigots.

Peter tells us that a righteous man named Lot, who lived in Sodom, was tormented day after day when he observed what was going on (2 Pet 2:7-8; cf. Genesis 19). Lot knew that such conduct was contrary to God’s decrees.

It is a righteous response for the people of God to be troubled by conduct that is contrary to God’s desires for mankind. Believers today are suffering for the Lord when they are tormented by the unrighteousness in our world (Rom 8:22, 23). Unfortunately, when such activities are all around us, we can become immune to them. When that happens, we just accept them as normal. Believers can even get to the point when we approve of the things that God does not approve.

I find it interesting that the rainbow is found at the center of such societal pressure. God created the rainbow as a reminder of His promise that He would never again destroy the world by water. How strange that such a symbol would be used today to promote lifestyles that are contrary to God’s creation mandate.

The word “rainbow” occurs six times in the Bible. In the account of the flood and the promise associated with it, the word occurs three times (Gen 9:13, 14, 16). Ezekiel mentions it once (Ezek 1:28). We find it twice in Revelation (Rev 4:3; 10:1). In Revelation 4, we are given a glimpse into the very throne room of God (also see Ezek 1:28). In Revelation 10, a mighty angel has a rainbow on his head. The rainbow is a symbol of the Lord’s “perfect faithfulness to His promises” (Vacendak, “Revelation” in The Grace NT Commentary).

I think when we see rainbows, we ought to think of them in a way God intends. About a month ago, I bought a couple of prisms on Amazon. The sun sets outside a bay window in my living room, and I loved the thought of them hanging from the center of the room. Last night, I finally got around to putting them up in the window. As the sun went down, thousands of mini rainbows waltzed around my house. It was dreamlike as the sun faded, and the rainbows shifted and then glided around the walls and furniture. It was a true masterpiece of light.

I was reminded of something as I watched the rainbows dance. Rainbows, by their very design, need light in order to be seen. It is only through light that the prism of beautiful colors can be revealed.

Satan has corrupted and distorted the meaning of the rainbow today. Like Lot, we should be troubled when our society moves away from God. However, let the rainbow also be a reminder. The Light of the world is coming again. Just as He did in the days of Noah, He is going to destroy this world, finally by fire (2 Pet 3:10-13). Via His Second Coming, He will put an end to wickedness. His promises, as seen from Genesis to Revelation, can never fail. His throne is one of grace, and it is encircled by the rainbow. One day, He will be revealed, like the sun piercing through a prism.

May we long for His soon return. “Come quickly, Lord Jesus.”