Topic: Lion of Judah
I want to share with you throughout the month of June one of many great truths from Revelation. The main thought is centered on victory in the Lion of Judah. In Revelation 5, we are introduced to this great scene in heaven where a scroll is produced and has seven seals and lots of writing. You kind of get the impression that it is a very important scroll with lots of interesting stuff in it. However, there is a problem. No one can be found who is worthy to break the seals and open it. They searched the whole earth and when no one was found who was worthy, they searched all of heaven and no one was found who could open the scroll. But then just when John thinks all hope is lost and the scroll is to remain forever sealed, one of the elders announces that someone has been found who is worthy. The Lion of Judah, the root of David, the one who has triumphed (5:5).
The only one in heaven and earth who is worthy to open the scroll is described as a lion, the one who is a descendant of David, the great warrior King, who extended the borders of Israel further than anyone else. The one who is described as having triumphed. You build up this great picture in your mind, of a great warrior. Someone great and powerful who is mighty in battle.
What does John mean by this? Many of the symbols and pictures in Revelation are biblical pictures and symbols. The book is designed to be read by people familiar with the Old Testament and other Jewish writings so that they can understand what all the pictures and symbols mean.
Lion of Judah
In Genesis, Jacob blesses his son Judah, referring to him and his future tribe as a lion’s cub and a lion (Genesis 49:9). Based on Jacob’s blessing, the lion is a symbol of the tribe of Judah—the kingly tribe (King David was of the tribe of Judah).
In other Old Testament passages, God is described as being like a lion. In Isaiah 31:4, “As the lion or the young lion growls over his prey, against which a band of shepherds is called out, and he will not be terrified at their voice nor disturbed at their noise, so will the Lord of hosts come down to wage war on Mount Zion and on its hill.” The Lord is not afraid of His enemies. He protects His people and does not allow them to be conquered. In Hosea 13:7-8, God is angry at Israel because they became proud and forgot Him. God says, “So I will be like a lion to them; like a leopard I will lie in wait by the wayside. I will encounter them like a bear robbed of her cubs, and I will tear open their chests; There I will also devour them like a lioness, as a wild beast would tear them.” It is better to experience the help and protection of the Lion than to deny His kingship and face His fierceness.
The genealogies in Matthew and Luke record that Jesus is a descendant of the tribe of Judah. When Jesus is revealed as the promised Lion of the tribe of Judah, it reveals His deity. He is the true king and the One to whom belongs the long-awaited obedience of nations.
In the midst of life's battles and struggles, we can take courage and find strength in knowing that we serve a mighty and powerful God. Scripture paints a vivid picture of the Lion of Judah, and by exploring Revelation we will discover how we can overcome the enemy Satan and find hope in our daily lives.
See you Sunday!
Dr. Scott Kallem