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The (Double) Rainbow

Did you know the rainbow in the sky (after a rain) is really a double rainbow? A Google search for double rainbow will bring up some phenomenal pictures. The inner rainbow is the brightest in color--it is ten times brighter than the outer rainbow. Often, it is the only rainbow that is seen. The colors are blue through red starting from the inside. The fainter, outer rainbow has the colors reversed, that is, red through blue. The area between the two rainbows reflects no light and appears dark in color. This dark area is called Alexander's band, after Alexander of Aphrodisias who first described it in 200 AD. The area inside the inner rainbow reflects all colors and appears white in color. A good explanation of the physics behind the double rainbow is presented in this excellent 74-minute lecture by the MIT professor, Walter Lewin. Isaac Newton was the first to describe the physics behind the rainbow in his book, Opticks, published in 1704.

 

The Bible mentions the rainbow in a number of contexts:

  • Genesis 9 - After Noah's Flood
  • Ezekiel 1 - Ezekiel's vision of God's throne
  • Revelation 4 and 10 - John's vision of God's throne (Revelation 4) and the mighty angel (chapter 10)

In addition to the above, Ellen G. White also mentions the rainbow in these contexts:

  • DA 493.2: The rainbow of promise encircling the throne on high is an everlasting testimony that 'God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son…'
  • EW 15.2: [Second Coming] Soon our eyes were drawn to the east, for a small black cloud had appeared, about half as large as a man's hand, which we all knew was the sign of the Son of man. We all in solemn silence gazed on the cloud as it drew nearer and became lighter, glorious, and still more glorious, till it was a great white cloud. The bottom appeared like fire; a rainbow was over the cloud, while around it were ten thousand angels, singing a most lovely song; and upon it sat the Son of man.
  • GC 635.3: [Prior to the Second Coming] Then a rainbow, shining with the glory from the throne of God, spans the heavens and seems to encircle each praying company.
  • PP 107.1: In heaven the semblance of a rainbow encircles the throne and overarches the head of Christ. The prophet says, “As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about [the throne]. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of Jehovah.” Ezekiel 1:28. The revelator declares, “Behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.... There was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.” Revelation 4:2, 3. When man by his great wickedness invites the divine judgments, the Saviour, interceding with the Father in his behalf, points to the bow in the clouds, to the rainbow around the throne and above His own head, as a token of the mercy of God toward the repentant sinner.

A couple of additional quotes on the last one are worth reading:

  • 1SP 78.1: A rainbow is represented in Heaven round about the throne, also above the head of Christ, as a symbol of God's mercy encompassing the earth. When man, by his great wickedness, provokes the wrath of God, Christ, man's intercessor, pleads for him, and points to the rainbow in the cloud, as evidence of God's great mercy and compassion for erring man; also the rainbow above the throne and upon his head, emblematical of the glory and mercy from God resting there for the benefit of repentant man.
  • ST October 10, 1892, par.1: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." No power save that of Omnipotence could make such a covenant. The rainbow above the throne is a token that God through Christ binds himself to save all who believe in him. The covenant is as sure as the throne, and his throne is established in righteousness.

Spiritual interpretation

Given the above references, it can be said that the rainbow is an apt symbol of the Father (the dim, outer rainbow) giving His Son (the bright, inner rainbow) to the world. The matching red colors (inside the outer rainbow and outside the inner rainbow) would then represent the plan of redemption accomplished through blood. The dark area (Alexander's band) between the two rainbows would represent the judgment or payment for sin that Christ had to bear for us. The blue inside the inner rainbow would represent Christ's fulfillment of the Law (note: it is believed the Ten Commandments were written on blue sapphire). And the white area inside the inner rainbow would represent Christ's righteousness offered to mankind.

The rainbow is the sign of the "everlasting covenant" between God and the earth:

  • Genesis 9:13: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.
  • Genesis 9:16: When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.

It is "everlasting" in that God will ultimately redeem the earth. The fulfillment of this redemptive act will be in the earth made new (Revelation 21:1). God made this everlasting covenant with Noah after he built an altar and offered burnt offerings to the Lord (Genesis 8:20). Noah, in the Hebrew, means "rest" and the ultimate rest will be after the Millennium in the earth made new. The earth will be cleansed with fire and re-made, and we will live forever with the Father and the Son.

Rainbow in Greek

Both iris and toxon mean "rainbow" in the Bible. In the New Testament, the Greek noun ἶρις (iris) means “rainbow.” Curiously enough, the Greek noun τόξον (toxon), which we find in Revelation 6.2, means “bow” but—as we shall see—it also means “rainbow.” Τόξον is a contraction for ουράνιον τόξον (rainbow), from Ancient Greek οὐρανός (heaven) + τόξον (bow).

Given that the Greek noun “iris” is the most widely used term for “rainbow” in the New Testament, some Bible commentators argue that since the word in Revelation 6.2 is toxon, not iris, it means that toxon cannot possibly refer to a rainbow. However, many notable Bible commentators, such as Chuck Missler, have said that the bow (toxon) in Revelation 6.2 appears to represent the “rainbow” of Genesis 9.13. In other words, the bow represents the peace-covenant of Genesis 9.13.

Bear in mind that Genesis 9.13 uses the Hebrew phrase qaš·tî, which means “my bow.” It comes from the Hebrew noun qesheth, which means “a bow”! Further evidence that toxon (bow) can mean “rainbow” comes from the Septuagint (LXX), an early Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. Lo and behold, the Septuagint (LXX) translates “rainbow” as τόξον (toxon) in Genesis 9.13 The LXX translation by L.C.L. Brenton reads as follows:

  • Genesis 9:13 (Greek): τὸ τόξον μου τίθημι ἐν τῇ νεφέλῃ, καὶ ἔσται εἰς σημεῖον διαθήκης ἀνὰ μέσον ἐμοῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς.
  • Translation: I set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of covenant between me and the earth.

Thus, both iris and toxon mean “rainbow” in the Bible! They are interchangeable terms. This means that the rider of the “white horse. . . . [who] had a bow” (τόξον), in Revelation 6.2, is symbolically holding the rainbow, which represents the covenant of peace between God and man in Genesis 9.13.

Source: Bible Researcher Eli Kittim

[Need to verify the following comment:]

All round the throne. Also, it is suggested that iris refers to a full circle instead of a semicircle around the throne. Also read Ezekiel 1:28 on the rainbow being all around the throne.

Appendix

References and selected videos

Further reading

  • Foundation Stones. An attempt to interpret the New Jerusalem foundation stones into the colors of the rainbow, with red-to-violet (i.e. ruby/jasper to amethyst) from top to bottom. The foundation stones would then be representative of the inner rainbow. Here's a different view, The Jewel Stones of Israel's Twelve Tribes, with radically different colors. Also see: Precious Stones of the Bible.
  • Emerald rainbow. I'm not entirely convinced that John meant to describe a "green" rainbow in Revelation 4:3 (i.e. "a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald"), especially when Ezekiel 1:28 describes it as a multi-colored rainbow (i.e. "the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain"). It should be noted that our eyes (i.e. the color cones in our eyes) allows us to see "green" much more easily than any other color. Many emergency vehicles are now bright green for this reason; it's the last color visible as light dims. Red becomes black too quickly in dim light. Could this have some importance to what John saw?
  • Rainbow (Wikipedia). The color pattern of a rainbow is different from a spectrum, and the colors are less saturated. There is spectral smearing in a rainbow owing to the fact that for any particular wavelength, there is a distribution of exit angles, rather than a single unvarying angle...The number of color bands of a rainbow may therefore be different from the number of bands in a spectrum, especially if the droplets are either large or small. Therefore, the number of colors of a rainbow is variable.
  • The Physics Hyper Textbook - Color. A thorough study on the color spectrum.
  • Are Black and White Colors? Black is not a color; a black object absorbs all the colors of the visible spectrum and reflects none of them to the eyes. White is a color. White reflects all the colors of the visible light spectrum to the eyes. The colors we see are simply a degree of how much of this color present in light is reflected.