Originally posted by yo its me
Yes, thank you I am interested.
I'll look up the verses...
Chapter 4,V 3. "And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald."
Are rainbows symbolic?
The rainbow is a sign of God's covenant with man and all living creatures that He will not destroy them again with a flood
(Gen.9:8-17).
Revelation is a book containing prophecy of God's judging of the earth and its inhabitants. The rainbow around His throne in chapter 4 signifies that God is the covenanting God. the faithful God. He will therefore keep His covenant while executing His judgments on the earth. He will not judge mankind with a flood nor destroy all of mankind. He will keep a part of mankind to be the nations on the new earth for His glory
(See Rev. 21:24,26).
Aside from those who are born again to be sons of God, God will also preserve some humans to be the nations over which these sons of God will reign forever and ever. This mercy of His transfers some humans from this age into the coming ages to the peoples over whom the born again sons of God will carry out God's govenrment.
In chapter 4 the rainbow around God's throne is like an emerald in appearance. An emerald is a precious stone whose grass green color signifies the lives on earth. This indicates that as God is executing His judgment upon the earth, He will remember His covenant and will spare some of the lives on earth, as indicated in Genesis 9:11.
I reserve another post to discuss the rainbow in chapter 10.
The footnotes in the Recovery Version Bible are helpful on getting into these matters:
www.recoveryversion.org