The 640 MEG Shareware Studio 2/The 640 Meg Shareware Studio CD-ROM Volume II (Data Express)(1993).ISO/spirit/goldbow.zip/GOLDBOW.TXT

Text File | 1992-10-28 | 21KB | 396 lines

The following is  provided by The Bible Study Center of Irvine,
Kentucky as a thought starter from one of over 2200 in-depth
Bible Studies we have available.  If you would like more Info,
write to us at  P.O. Box 1, Irvine, Kentucky 40336 or call our
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get into much deeper areas of the scriptures including many
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+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
   We live in a day of TERRIBLE DECEPTION in the realms of
RELIGION!  Vast multitudes of unsuspecting souls are following
preachers and churches which TALK about Jesus, but do not truly
portray Him in their ministry!  Paul warned us of those who would
"TRANSFORM" (Greek word means "disguise") themselves as true MEN OF
GOD, and yet would in reality be MESSENGERS FROM SATAN!  II Cor.
11:13-15 states,

   (13) "For such [are] false apostles, deceitful workers,
transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ."
   (14) "And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an
angel of light."
   (15) "Therefore [it is] no great thing if his ministers also be
transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be
according to their works."

   The word of God in truth is vastly more glorious and deep in its
meanings than what the PROFESSING CHRISTIANITY of today will EVER
realize!  Religious people are too wrapped up in building LARGE
CROWDS and BEAUTIFUL BUILDINGS to bother to search out the depths
of God's truth!  It is our sincere desire that this short study
(though simple) might awaken a spark of honesty and genuine hunger
in some sincere soul!

   This study is based on excerpts of a message preached in 1981 by
our pastor, Doyle Armstrong.  If you would like other booklets
(FREE OF CHARGE), please contact us at: THE BIBLE TRUTH
LIBRARY, 851 South Elm Street, West Carrollton, OH 45449.
Phone (voice) [phone],   Phone ( 2400 baud modem - 24 hour -
online computer Bible Studies) [phone].

   I've never met anyone who doesn't like RAINBOWS!  Rainbows are
used as a trademark by many business institutions today simply
because they are not only beautiful; RAINBOWS ARE FASCINATING!
Likewise, the old legend about there being a pot of gold at the end
of the rainbow is also a very interesting story!

   I hope the reader will not call us a liar until you have
considered what we have to say..... WE HAVE SEEN THE POT OF GOLD
AT THE END OF THE RAINBOW!  I realize you are probably about to
throw this away because of the SEEMING ABSURDITY of such a
statement.  However, since it may take awhile for you to "see" the
pot of gold for yourself, I would like to PROVE its existence to
you by using references from the BIBLE!

   The Bible is written in a most wonderful manner of symbolism
(see our booklet, "How To Understand Bible Symbols")!  The reason
for this is that God does not want anyone to have access to His
word UNLESS He gives it to them!  For example:

1 Cor. 2:7-14
   (7) "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, [even] the
hidden [wisdom], which God ordained before the world unto our
glory:"
   (8) "Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they
known [it], they would not have crucified the Lord of glory."
   (9) "But, as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,
neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God
hath prepared for them that love him."
   (10) "But God hath revealed [them] unto us by his Spirit: for
the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God."
   (14) "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit
of God; for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know
[them], because they are spiritually discerned."

MATTHEW 13:10-16
   (10) "And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speaketh
thou unto them in parables?"
   (11) "He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto
you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it
is not given."
   (12) "For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall
have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be
taken away even that he hath."
   (13) "Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they
seeing, see not; and hearing, they hear not, neither do they
understand."
   (14) "And in them is fullfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which
saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and
seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:"
   (15) "For this people's heart is waxed gross, and [their] ears
are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any
time they should see with [their] eyes, and hear with [their] ears,
and should understand with [their] heart, and should be converted,
and I should heal them."

   The term "natural" man is used here to describe all people who
are not "spiritual" (ie: the unsaved)!  The same Greek word that is
translated "natural" in this passage is translated "sensual" in
Jude 19, and refers to those who "have not the Spirit"!  God does
not want lost people to really understand the deeper meanings of
the scriptures.  In fact, if the reader is not spiritually alive
this study will not mean as much to you, although you can learn
some of God's principles herein.

   First of all, since RAINBOWS are the result of SUNLIGHT shining
through millions of water droplets for a "prism" effect, let's
study what the Bible says about the symbolism of the SUN and RAIN.

  Malachi 4:2 "But unto you that fear my name shall the SUN of
righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go
forth, and grow up as calves of the stall."

   All Bible students know that this passage is a reference to
Jesus as the "SUN" of righteousness!  When Jesus walked upon this
earth, HE WAS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD (spiritually - John 8:12), and
thus was the spiritual source of SUNLIGHT!  When Jesus went back to
GLORY, the world went into a condition of darkness and the TRUE
CHURCH was the only spiritual light in the world!  Since God's
people have no light of their own but only "reflect" the light of
Christ (the "SUN"), God's people are symbolized by the MOON in the
Bible!

   The Bible shows us that in the last days, God is calling his
people out of denominations and binding up the breach (division)
among his people by uniting them under the truth!  Isaiah's
prophecy shows us that in that day "MOONLIGHT" will equal
"SUNLIGHT", and both will be SEVEN TIMES AS BRIGHT!

   Isaiah 30:26 "Moreover, the light of the moon shall be as the
light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as
the light of seven days, in the day that the Lord bindeth up the
breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound."

   It is obvious that this is a spiritual picture, and DEFINITELY
not literal!  No one could survive if this happened with the
LITERAL SUN AND MOON!

   Someone might ask, "Why even mention these things in a booklet
on RAINBOWS and GOLD?"  Friend, we need to realize that if
MOONLIGHT is as bright as sunlight, THEN MOONLIGHT CAN ALSO FORM
RAINBOWS!  Also, this condition (spiritually) shows us that in
these last days, we have a PERMANENT MANIFESTATION OF LIGHT with NO
SPIRITUAL NIGHT!  (Think about it; sunlight and moonlight equal and
both FAR BRIGHTER than ever before!)  This leaves NO TIME for
darkness, so RAINBOWS can be seen all the time (as long as there is
"RAIN" for the sunlight to shine through)!  Can you imagine that?
How WONDERFUL!  If we are able to watch the rainbow all the time
it is much easier to follow it to its "end", and there to
"discover" the "pot of GOLD"!

   Since the "SUN" and "MOON" represent the spiritual "LIGHT"
radiated from Christ and through his people, we need to understand
the "RAIN" symbol before we can really grasp the full spiritual
significance as to WHY God used a RAINBOW to show his covenant to
Noah.

   Isaiah 55:10-11 "For as the rain cometh down, and the snow, from
heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and
maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower,
and bread to the eater:"
   (11) "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it
shall not return unto me void; but it shall accomplish that which I
please, and it shall prosper [in the thing] whereto I sent it."

   Let's consider this passage very carefully!  Three things we
would like to mention to help us begin to see the symbolism here.
   (1) Snow does not create a true rainbow. (ie: ever heard of a
SNOWBOW?)
   (2) Snow DOES NOT water the earth until the SUN can shine upon
it long enough and closely enough to MELT the snow.
   (3) The only difference between rain and snow is the temperature
of the earth and its atmosphere.

   We have already proven in several of our other booklets that the
earth represents our fleshly life.  Paul made reference to the
symbolism of light shining down into an earthen vessel in II Cor.
4:6-7:

   (6) "For God, who commanded the LIGHT to SHINE out of the
darkness, hath SHINED in our hearts, to give the LIGHT of the
knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."
   (7) "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the
excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us."

   To understand Paul's meaning as well as the passage in Isaiah
55, we need to realize that even though God's word (like rain) can
be found in the Bible, we still need LIGHT to shine down into our
hearts before we can really understand the true spiritual
meanings of the scriptures.  However, if we are not truly SPIRITUAL,
our "earth's" (flesh-life) atmosphere is very cold toward the word
of God (rain) and it becomes SNOW as it falls upon our life!
Snow cannot water our "earth" and let it bring forth fruit unto
God!  In fact, the "snow" acts like insulation and holds the cold
in that is manifest from our "earth" (fleshly life)!  A lost
person's only hope is for the light of Christ (as manifest through
His people) to shine down, and get close enough to MELT the "snow",
and to thaw our "earth"!  Then the water can soak in and produce
fruit!  That's what is necessary to win a lost soul to Christ!  No
wonder many Christians are not able to win souls!  Their light is
not bright enough, or else they don't get (spiritually) CLOSE
enough to the lost person!

   These few thoughts should give the reader enough understanding
so you can study and realize that RAIN is a picture of the word of
God!

   Deuteronomy 32:2 says: "My doctrine shall drop as the rain,
my speech shall distill as the dew, as the small rain upon the
tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:".

   Some may find it confusing that the symbols of LIGHT and RAIN
are both portraying certain aspects of the word of God.  However,
we need to remember that the Lord often has used several symbols to
portray different aspects of the same thing!  Especially when the
subject is as important as the "WORD OF GOD"!

   In Matthew 13, the parable of the sower pictures Jesus sowing
the seed, which is the "WORD" (vss. 18-20 & Luke 8:11).  Paul speaks
of preaching the word of God as both seed to sow and water to
irrigate (I Cor. 3:5-8).  The word of God is also called both milk
and meat in I Cor. 3:2 and Heb. 5:12-14.  The word of God is
symbolized by a sword (Heb. 4:12 and Eph. 6:17) as well as by the
flesh and blood of Jesus Christ (John 6:63 and context) and by pure
water to wash in (Eph. 5:26 & Ezekiel 36:25)!

   It should be obvious to the reader that each symbol portrays a
slightly  different aspect of the word of God.  We are shown that
it is LIGHT to guide us, and WATER to wash us and irrigate the
SEED.  The word of God is a SWORD for our protection, and is our
BREAD, MILK, and MEAT, to satisfy our spiritual hunger!  In short,
God's word is the means of manifesting Jesus Christ to us, and it
is sufficient for ALL OUR NEEDS!

   The RAINBOW is the result of the LIGHT shining through the RAIN
and being dispersed or broken up into very fine, detailed,
beautiful segments of COLOR!  This is the exact process that Paul
described in I Cor. 2:13: "Which things also we speak, not in the
words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost
teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual."  To compare
spiritual things with spiritual is to search out and compare
SCRIPTURE WITH SCRIPTURE.  It is the process of taking LIGHT (ie:
understanding from God), and letting it SHINE THROUGH THE "RAIN" OF
GOD'S WORD!  This forms a SPIRITUAL RAINBOW as the many fine
details of scripture are united into beams of GLORIOUS COLOR; each
fitting together with other similar scriptures to form (spiritual)
"BANDS OF COLOR" (seven colors total)!  Just as surely as we are
thrilled by the beauty of the rainbow, just so God's people
experience an indescribable spiritual thrill as they observe God's
light FITTED TOGETHER into the seven color bands! Most people
realize that Biblically, SEVEN is the number which represents
things that are SPIRITUAL.

   Someone might say, "that sounds silly"!  Alright, let's stop and
consider what COLOR actually is.  Wouldn't you say that this world
would be rather DRAB if it was all BLACK and WHITE or all one
COLOR?  Variety of COLORS is one of the main sources of NATURAL
BEAUTY!  Don't you believe that when the word of God is "rightly
divided" into its various segments, that it is a source of BEAUTY
for our SPIRITUAL VISION to behold?

   When a person observes a rainbow in the physical sense, their
eyes are drawn upward towards its middle or highest portion, no
matter where their first glance falls upon it!  The SPIRITUAL
RAINBOW affects us in the same way!  It causes our vision to be
directed upward to JESUS!

   By this time many readers are probably asking, WHAT IS THE GOLD
AT THE END OF THE RAINBOW?  Let's look at Revelation 3:15-18:
   (15) "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot; I
would thou wert cold or hot."
   (16) "So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor
hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth."
   (17) "Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods,
and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched,
and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:"
   (18) "I counsel thee to buy of me GOLD tried in the fire, that
thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be
clothed, and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and
annoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see."

   A careful study of this passage will show that the Bible uses
GOLD to symbolize real salvation!  Jesus is admonishing these
LUKEWARM CHRISTIANS to "sell out" spiritually to Him, and to
receive a tried and tested experience!  The gold represents the
same when Paul uses it symbolically in I Cor. 3:10-15.

   Thus far we have learned that when the light (understanding)
from God's word shines through the word itself (ie: "comparing
spiritual with spiritual" and letting the scriptures interpret
themselves), it becomes "rightly divided" (II Tim. 2:15), and forms
into seven beautiful segments of SPIRTUAL COLOR!  We know by the
word of God that if we walk in this light, it will lead us to
eternal life (I John 1:7)!

Our salvation is something that we presently "see" by faith (it is
imputed to us now), but we RECEIVE by following the light (RAINBOW)
of God's word.  Romans 13:11 says, "And that, knowing the time,
that now [it is] high time to awake out of sleep: for NOW IS OUR
SALVATION NEARER THAN WHEN WE BELIEVED."  Since gold represents our
salvation, we can now see that when we follow the "RAINBOW", we
find the golden treasure of our full and complete salvation at the
"RAINBOW'S" end (James 1:18-23, 1 Timothy 4:11-16, etc.)!

   Before we close this study, we feel the Lord would have us to
mention that just beacuse a preacher brings forth a message using
the Bible, and just because much of what he says is true does not
mean that GOD HAS SPOKEN OR SENT FORTH HIS "RAINBOW"!  When God
showed Noah the RAINBOW, it was a sign of His covenant to reward
Noah's faithfulness.  In like manner, today, the only ones who are
allowed to "SEE" the RAINBOW are those who are faithful and
obedient to God's will!  This is why some people truly are able to
REJOICE in a DEEP MESSAGE OF TRUTH while others present are bored
or upset!  THEY DO NOT GET EVEN A GLIMPSE OF THE RAINBOW!!

   Genesis 9:13 shows us that God gave the rainbow as a sign of His
covenant (agreement) that He made with Noah.  Today, God gives us
deep, beautiful "colors" of spiritual insight to verify His
covenant with us!

   A common question asked by the multitudes is "HOW CAN I KNOW
WHICH PREACHERS ARE TRULY SENT FROM GOD?"  Our understanding of the
RAINBOW symbolism can help us here!  Genesis 9:13-14 says:
   (13) "I do set my BOW in the CLOUD, and it shall be for a token
of a covenant between me and the earth."
   (14) "And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the
earth, that the BOW  shall be seen in the CLOUD:"

   This passage uses one more symbol that we need to understand.
Hebrews 12:1 speaks of God's saints as a "CLOUD of witnesses".
Notice also Jude 12 as it speaks of these false professors who
claim to be saved and are not:

   (12) "These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast
with you, feeding themselves without fear: CLOUDS [they are] without
water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without
fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots:"

   No wonder Proverbs 25:14 says, "Whoso boasteth himself of a
false gift [is like] CLOUDS and wind WITHOUT RAIN."

   Since we have already discussed what the water in the clouds
(rain) symbolizes, it is easy to see that "clouds WITHOUT WATER"
refers to those who falsely PROFESS to be Christians, and yet do
not "contain" the true water of the word.  God's true people are
always carrying water in order to be able to "dump" a load on any
spiritually "dry earth" that they "pass over".  God said in Genesis
9:14 that IF HE SENT A CLOUD OVER THE EARTH, THE RAINBOW WOULD BE
SEEN IN THE CLOUD!  GOD DEFINATELY DOES NOT SPEAK THROUGH ALL
PREACHERS, BUT WHEN HE DOES SEND HIS WORD THROUGH A TRUE MAN OF
GOD, THE RAINBOW WILL BE SEEN IN THE CLOUD!  This means that God's
true ministers will be able to portray the "seven segments" of
RIGHTLY DIVIDED "COLOR" from the word of God.  In other words, God
enables His ministry to bring forth finely detailed studies of His
word that let it shine forth in the glorious splendor of the
"RAINBOW"!  These studies will be wonderfully BEAUTIFUL as God's
true people "see" them through SPIRITUAL EYES!  PRAISE GOD FOR HIS
BEAUTY THAT WE ARE ALLOWED TO BEHOLD!!!  Let us REJOICE in the
RAINBOW and someday we shall REJOICE in the GOLD AT THE END OF THE
RAINBOW.
                                                \   |   /
                                                 \ ... /   <JESUS
                      ........          --------- (sun) ---------
               ......|        |......            / --- \
              |     cloud with water |          /   |   \
               |  ie. TRUE CHRISTIAN  |        /    |    \
                |...........        .|        /     |     \
                            |......|         /      |      \
               .   .  .   777  .   .  .     /       |       \
   RAIN>      .     .7   .  .   7   .
God's word      . 7   .    .   .  7   .
               .7  .    .    .    . 7  .
              7 .    .    .      .    7.
             7.  .     .    .  .    .  7 .
  RAINBOW>  7  .     .     .      .   . 7
seven colors           ^^^^^^^          ()<pot of "gold"
WHITE LIGHT           { earth }              Pure Gold equals PURE
BROKEN DOWN            ~~~~~~~               WORD OF GOD which is
INTO SEGMENTS      (our flesh life)          our salvation.
OF FINE DETAIL
BY PRISMATIC ACTION
OF GOD'S WORD. THE RESULT IS SALVATION (James 1:18-, 1 Tim.4:11-16)