Jesus, King of Glory
by Richard Griffiths
A green rainbow. Wow! I’ve seen ordinary rainbows, double rainbows, supernumerary rainbows and even a fog bow and a moon bow. But an emerald rainbow, sparkling green, reflecting light with wonderful intensity – that would be amazing.
Most of the images that John saw and recorded in Revelation are symbolic – they are pictures full of truth. So, what does this one mean?
A rainbow is the result of reflected and refracted light. The rainbow in Revelation 4:3 surrounds the throne of God and reflects and radiates all the light and glory coming from Him. Hebrews 1:3 tells us that the Son is the radiance of God’s glory.
Emerald was one of the twelve precious stones that adorned the High Priest’s breastpiece. There was a Jewish tradition that associated it with the priestly tribe of Levi. But others connected it with the royal tribe of Judah. Maybe both are true. Jesus is our Great High Priest. Hebrews 7:16 says of Him: Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. And He is our triumphant King. Revelation 5:5 says: the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed.
The rainbow tells us of God’s unbreakable covenants. When God made a covenant with mankind, never to destroy the earth again with a flood, He confirmed it with the rainbow. It was to be a constant reminder that God is a covenant-keeping God (Genesis 9:13-17). So, it tells us that Jesus, the mediator of the New Covenant keeps His covenant promises: Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance (Hebrews 9:15). No matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ (1 Corinthians 1:2).
But, whatever John might have understood as he gazed at this incredible rainbow, it would have been something beyond imagination. To me, this rainbow speaks of all that I’ve just written but, more than that, it reminds me that all that Jesus is, all that He does, and all that He promises, are immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).
You could try to picture what John saw. Then remember that his vision and his description of it go nowhere near the reality. Why not spend a little time just worshiping the King?
Richard Griffiths When Richard retired from full-time Anglican ministry in Chichester in 2009, he and his wife, Sue, moved to Northumberland. He joined the ministry team at Ellel Grange in 2011, where he and Sue regularly ministered at healing retreats. They are now helping on the "Explore" team. They greatly enjoy walking in the beautiful Northumberland countryside and along the coast. Richard loves seeing God bringing people into a strong personal relationship with Him as their Father and the healing that comes with it.
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