“First they were in the closet, then they demanded rights, then they took away our rights. And you know what? Now we’re in the closet.” Messianic Rabbi K.A. Schneider said Christians need to “come out of the closet” and speak up against the LGBT agenda’s use of the rainbow. Schneider is the host of the television program Discovering the Jewish Jesus. He also started a campaign called Taking the Rainbow Back.

‘It’s God’s Rainbow’

Christians need to understand, “Satan wants to shut us up, he wants to shut you up. I would first of all say if [LGBT activists] can claim the rainbow, why can’t we claim the rainbow? I mean, it’s God’s rainbow. It was a covenant that God gave to His people, a covenant that was symbolized and still [is] with the rainbow. So why should we not use the rainbow? When God gave it first — and He gave it to his people — it’s a manifestation of His glory. So don’t shut up. That’s the thing. Don’t shut up. Speak out and stand up.”

The Rabbi’s Experiences With the Rainbow

Why is this so important to him? Schneider has had his own experiences with God using the rainbow to grow his faith. As a 20-year-old Jewish man, Schneider had never heard the Gospel and new nothing about Jesus. But one hot August night in 1978, Jesus — Yeshua — appeared to Schneider. He knew that God was showing him that Jesus was the way to God. “In that moment, my life changed. God knew who I was, that he loved me, that he just revealed himself to me and showed me that Jesus was the way. And in an instant, hope came into my heart.”

That wasn’t the only supernatural event God used to get his attention. On another day, Schneider was sitting in a chair, gripping a cup of tea. “All the sudden the Spirit of God literally appeared above my head. Just like in Acts chapter two, when the Spirit of the Lord appeared above the disciples’ heads in a tongue of fire. Well, as I was sitting in this chair, the Spirit of the Lord manifested himself above my head. It wasn’t a thought, it wasn’t a mental image, it was absolute pure reality.

“Spiritual life manifested above my head. It was a swirling above my head and all the colors of a rainbow. I couldn’t have helped the experience along, and neither could I have stopped it from happening, and I saw what was going on as if I was seeing with my physical eyes, it was that clear. But yet, somehow I wasn’t seeing with my physical eyes, I was seeing with spiritual eyes. But it was more than real. I mean, it was absolute life. And anybody that experienced what I experienced would be saying the same exact thing I’m saying. … Then the Spirit of life that was just twirling above my head, all the covers of a rainbow, he then came through my head, literally felt him come through my head, and he took possession of my inner man.”

It happened quickly, then it was over — but not really:

“[T]hat experience forever marked me. So ever since that time, I’ve closely associated with the rainbow. … I’ve always had a very close connection personally to the rainbow as a manifestation of God’s glory and beauty. And he’s personally communicated to me through it.”

God’s Call on Schneider’s Life

Schneider believes God is calling him to help unify God’s people, to stand together on the earth in righteousness. “When we do it together as a people, we have so much influence, but unless we do it together as a people, we’re not gonna have the massive impact that we can have if we’ll do it together as a united front.”

Taking the Rainbow Back

One way people can make their voice heard is to participate in the Taking the Rainbow Back campaign. Visitors to the website can purchase t-shirts with the campaign name and rainbow. They’ll also have an opportunity to purchase tracts that share the biblical significance of the rainbow, as well as the Gospel message.

Then, on Collective Action weekend, July 28 through July 30, all who wish to participate will wear their t-shirts and pass out tracts in a collective effort to take the rainbow back from LGBT groups. He explained:

So on the weekend of July 28th through the 30th, what’s called Collective Action Weekend … we’re asking God’s people to go together in groups to public places, whether it’s your Bible study group, your fellowship group, just your friends, your youth group, your church group to get the shirts, get the tracts, go in public places just to make a statement to gather curiosity.

Schneider calls on Christians to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. “[I]f there’s enough of us that will do this and reclaim the rainbow, we can shift the atmosphere so that when someone sees somebody wearing a rainbow shirt, they won’t automatically assume they’re part of the LGBTQ community.

They’ll say, ‘Oh, is that a Christian or is that someone in the LGBTQ movement?’ … It’s a massive effort, but it’s gonna take a massive effort to be able to make a difference.”

Just a Tactic

So far, Schneider has not received pushback or harassment for wearing his rainbow shirt. But should someone confront a Christian wearing the rainbow shirt, we need to be prepared. Satan’s agenda is to silence us. “We have to understand the tactic. The tactic is to shut us up. … And the way that he does that is by putting labels on us: ‘You’re homophobic,’ ‘You’re transphobic,’ ‘You’re a hater,’ ‘You’re a bigot.’ … And that is intimidating God’s people so that they’re being silent. We have to understand that we’re in a war against principalities and this is just a tactic.”

For more information on the campaign “Taking the Rainbow Back,” go to takingtherainbowback.com. 

Nancy Flory, Ph.D., is a senior editor at The Stream. You can follow her @NancyFlory3, and follow The Stream @Streamdotorg.