Genesis tells us that as the population of mankind grew problems emerged that angered the Lord. "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord ." (Gen 6.5-8).
The Bible reveals that all life was wiped out by the flood that God used to destroy the evil of the world with the exception of Noah, his family and the animals preserved aboard the ark. Over a year later the family is told to leave the ark as the world is now ready and the water dried. Noah sacrifices to the Lord and God makes a covenant with mankind and the world.
"And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth ." (Gen 9.9-17).
Rainbows are also used as a figure to represent God's majesty and authority. In the revelation that was given to John, he describes God's throne. "And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. 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 ." (Rev 4.2-3).
Later in the same vision, John describes a heavenly emissary sent out from God. "And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire " (Rev 10.1). This angel stands on the earth and sea, then signals the start of a judgment from God. The interesting thing about the rainbow is that it's a symbol of goodness on the other side of destruction. The only way that we'll see the throne of God, or be in his presence, is by obeying him through the commands in His word. The rainbow reminds us of his presence and therefore tells us that we're never far from Him, although we might feel isolated and scared. The rainbow represents God's ability to create, sustain and change any thing.
Another interesting fact related to rainbows as a figure is that rainbows appear at the beginning and end of the biblical narrative. It's a figure that's associated with God's faithfulness, power, authority and promises to reassure his people.
Overall rainbows represent