The Color of Worship - Red

 Colossians 1:13, 14

He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of His beloved Son, in Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

    The first stone set in the ephod of the high priest is a sardius (carnelian, ruby, garnet); a bright red hue engraved with the tribe of Rueben. This is the first stone foreshadowing redemption and atonement. 

Ephesians 1:7

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses,

according to the riches of His grace. 

Hebrews 9:12

He did not enter by the blood of goats and calves, but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption.

Revelation 5:9

And they sang a new song: “Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation."

Acts 5:31

God exalted Him to His right hand as Prince and Savior, in order to grant repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.

Acts 13:38

Therefore let it be known to you, brothers, that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.

Acts 26:18

'To open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those sanctified by faith in Me.’ [from Paul's testimony to King Agrippa] 

    The color red is woven into the garments of the high priest and the curtains of the tabernacle of God. Exodus 25:4; 26:1; 28:5; 36:8. It represents the atoning sacrifice to not only cover sin, but remove it entirely and completely. These scarlet threads foreshadowed the ultimate atonement for sin: the blood of  The Lamb of God Which Takes Away The Sins of The World. This blood of His only begotten Son is applied to our hearts when we repent of our sins, confessing them to God, whereupon He, through the power of His Holy Spirit, applies the blood to our hearts, showing us we are forgiven. This is the redemptive process that happens by putting our faith into action:

    Romans 10:8-10, 13

But what does it say? “The Word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, The Word of faith we are proclaiming: that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved.

For whosoever shall call upon The Name of The Lord shall be saved. 

    Who is a whosoever?

    Romans 10:11, 12

It is just as The Scripture says: “Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Greek: The same Lord is Lord of all, and gives richly to all who call on Him.

    Romans 3:22, 23

And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

    Joel 2:32

And everyone who calls on The Name of The LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as The LORD has promised, among the remnant called by The LORD.

    Acts 11:17, 18

So if God gave them the same gift He gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to hinder the work of God?”  When they heard this, they had no further objections, and they glorified God, saying, “So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life." 

    Who is a Gentile? Anyone who is not a Jew. Every person who ever lived had the possibility of obtaining the salvation of God, even in OT times. Because when Jesus rose from the grave, thousands and tens of thousands rose with Him. First, Jesus lets us know that that event will occur, and that even at that time of His ministry, the dead who died in faith believing will hear His voice and rise and live eternally.

    John 5:25 (prophetic)

Truly, truly, I tell you, the hour is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of The Son of God, and those who hear will live. 

    Matthew 27:52, 53 (first fulfillment of the prophecy)

At that moment the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split. The tombs broke open, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. After Jesus’ resurrection, when they had come out of the tombs, they entered the holy city and appeared to many people. 

      Revelation 20:5, 6 (second fulfillment of the prophecy)

But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

    

 

 

    

The Color of Worship - Brown

 

A Time of Creation and Growth

Genesis 1:9-12 And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered into

one place, so that the dry land may appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land “earth,” and the gathering of waters He called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth vegetation: seed-bearing plants and fruit trees, each bearing fruit with seed according to its kind.” And it was so. The earth produced vegetation: seed-bearing plants according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 2:7, 22

Then The LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being. ... And from the rib that The LORD God had taken from the man, He made a woman and brought her to him. (Genesis 1:26-28)

A Time of Repentance

Joel 1:13

Gird yourselves and lament, you priests; Wail, you who minister before the altar; Come, lie all night in sackcloth, You who minister to my God; For the grain offering and the drink offering are withheld from the house of your God. 

Daniel 9:3-5

Then I set my face toward The Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. And I prayed to The LORD my God and confessed, “O, Lord, The great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of loving devotion to those who love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned and done wrong. We have acted wickedly and rebelled. We have turned away from Your commandments and ordinances." 

Jonah 3:5-6

And the Ninevites believed God. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least. When word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

The Gem

SARDONYX is the fifth foundation of the city walls:

Revelation 21:20

...the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.

    As you can see, it is reddish-brown in color and so qualifies to be placed in this study. Though there are a number of distinct shades of sardonyx, or onyx, I like this one. 

    Onyx was also on the breastplate of the priest bearing the names of the twelve tribes.

Exodus 28:9, 10

Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel: six of their names on one stone and the remaining six on the other, in the order of their birth. Engrave the names of the sons of Israel on the two stones the way a gem cutter engraves a seal. Then mount the stones in gold filigree settings.

   From The Topical Lexicon:

 1. Permanence and Strength: Like a mason choosing the hardest stones for foundational tiers, the heavenly Architect selects gems that will never decay (Revelation 21:14). Sardonyx’s toughness illustrates the inviolable security of the saints’ eternal dwelling.

2. Purity and Sacrifice: The deep sard layer evokes the blood of the Lamb, while the white onyx layer evokes righteousness (Revelation 7:14). Together they preach redemption: washed robes made white by atoning blood.

3. Witness and Authentication: Because sardonyx signet rings authenticated decrees, the stone signifies that God’s promises are sealed and irrevocable (2 Corinthians 1:20).