THE LION AND THE LAMB

God will give us boldness and confidence to speak (Acts 18:9) Then spoke the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace.

In Revelation 5, John himself is confronted with two very different images of Jesus back to back. The vision God gives him, puts right next to each other, two views of Jesus: Jesus as the Lion of Judah; Jesus as the slain yet living Lamb.

The Setting

Recall that in Revelation 4, John sees a vision of throne room of God. In this room, God is right at the center. Around Him, praising Him, are four living creatures, representing everything that has breath. Around them are 24 more thrones, with 24 elders seated on them. These elders seem to represent all the redeemed of all time. They acknowledge that everything they have, all their rewards, all their accomplishments come from God. So they praise Him as the source of all, the creator, the One who freely chose to create. God is supreme, God is central.

And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?" 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. Rev. 5:2-4

The Lion

And one of the elders said to me, "Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals." Revelation 5:5

There is one who is worthy! There is one member of the human race who has not sinned: The Lion of the tribe of Judah!

Why is Jesus called a lion? Lions are powerful and dangerous. Lions are majestic - even in Jesus’ day, the lion was a symbol of royalty.

This is a specific reference to the prophecy that Jacob gave about the descendants of Judah in Genesis 49:

Judah is a lion's cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? ¹⁰ The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. Genesis 49:9-10

“The scepter shall not depart from Judah” – and thus his kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom. “To him shall be the obedience of the peoples” – and thus every tribe and tongue and people and language will serve Him. Since Jesus is a descendant of Judah, all this is fulfilled in the images of Revelation 5.

The angel also refers to Jesus as the “Root of David”. This term comes from Isaiah 11 (although there He is called the “Root of Jesse”, David’s father):

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. ² And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. ³ And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, ⁴ but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. ⁵ Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins. . . . the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. ¹⁰ In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples- of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious. Isaiah 11:1-5, 9b-10

This passage pictures a perfect king, a king who will bring justice to the poor and the weak, a king who will punish the wicked by killing them with the breath of his lips, and striking the earth with the rod of his mouth. So John expects to see a mighty, powerful, majestic Lion. He expects to see one who is able to overcome all opposition! This is the person he expects to take the scroll.  But that is not what he sees at all:

The Lamb

John hears a description of the Lion – then looks, and sees something completely different. This happens several times in Revelation. The contrast sheds light on the character of what is heard and has seen.

And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Revelation 5:6

The Lamb must be spotless. Otherwise, the Lamb would have to die for His own sins. But since Jesus was sinless, He was the perfect sacrifice. As the book of Hebrews says: in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15 He did not have to die for His sins. So He was able to take on the sins of all those who believe in Him. The Lamb of God, the Lion of Judah, is God Himself! He is worthy of worship! He is the second person in the Trinity!

Lion and Lamb

Jesus is the Lion and the Lamb. He is the King, coming to wreak vengeance on His enemies; He is the gentle lamb, dying for His people. As Isaiah writes:

Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. 11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. (Isaiah 40:10-11)

He comes to rule, He comes to pay back His enemies; He comes to gently carry His lambs. See Him in His entirety! See Him in ALL His glory! Don’t try to tame Him, to limit Him, to box Him in!

• Love Him as the Lamb, dying for your sin!
• Love Him as the Lion, with all authority, might, and power!
• Love Him as the bridegroom, coming for His church!
• Love Him as the conquering, vengeful King with the bloody robe!

Love the complete Christ – and rejoice that He is king. ~Bits and Pieces of a sermon by Coty Pinckney.

Judah (in Hebrew: Yehuda) is the original name of the Tribe of Judah - traditionally symbolized by a lion. In Genesis, the patriarch Jacob ("Israel") refers to his son Judah as a Gur Aryeh גּוּר אַרְיֵה יְהוּדָה , a "Young Lion" (Genesis 49:9) when blessing him.^[1] In Jewish naming tradition the Hebrew name and the substitute name are often combined as a pair, as in this case.

REVELATIONS OF JESUS CHRIST REVEALED

Under the inspiration of the Spirit and the Old Testament, John had no doubt been reflecting on the horrifying events occurring both in Rome and Jerusalem when he was given “the prophecy” of what was impending—the intensification of the spiritual warfare confronting the church (1:3) perpetrated by an anti-Christian state and numerous anti-Christian religions. 

The purpose of this message was to provide pastoral encouragement to persecuted Christians by comforting, challenging, and proclaiming the sure and certain Christian hope, together with the assurance that in Christ they were sharing in the sovereign God’s method of totally overcoming the forces of evil in all its manifestations.

The central message of the book of Revelation is that “the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!” (19:6). This theme has been validated in history by the victory of the Lamb who is “Lord of lords and King of kings” (17:14).

Nearly every title employed elsewhere in the New Testament to describe the divine-human nature and the redemptive work of Jesus is mentioned at least once in Revelation, which, together with numerous additional titles, provides us with our only multidimensional unveiling of the present position, continuing ministry, and ultimate victory of the exalted Christ.

Although Jesus’ earthly ministry is telescoped between His Incarnation and Ascension in 12:5, Revelation asserts that the Son of God, as the Lamb, has completely finished His redemptive work (1:5, 6). By His blood sinners have been forgiven, cleansed (5:6, 9; 7:14; 12:11), liberated (1:5), and made kings and priests (1:6; 5:10). All ensuing manifestations of His applied victory are based in His finished work on the Cross; hence, Satan has been defeated (12:7–12) and bound (20:1–3). Jesus, raised from the dead, is enthroned as absolute Sovereign over all creation (1:5; 2:27). He is “King of kings and Lord of lords” (17:14; 19:16), and is entitled to the same ascriptions of adoration as God the Creator (5:12–14).

The only One who is “worthy” to execute the eternal purpose of God is “the Lion of Judah,” who is not a political Messiah but a sacrificed Lamb (5:5, 6). “The Lamb” is His primary title, utilized twenty-eight times in Revelation. As the One who has conquered, He has the rightful authority and the power to control all the forces of evil and their consequences for His purposes of judgment and salvation (6:1—7:17). The Lamb is on the throne (4:1—5:14; 22:3).

The Lamb, as “One like the Son of Man,” is always in the midst of His people (1:9—3:22; 14:1), whose names are recorded in His Book of Life (3:5; 21:27). He knows them intimately, and with immeasurable holy love, He watches over, protects, disciplines, and challenges them. They share fully in His present and future victory (17:14; 19:11–16; 21:1—22:5), as well as in His present and future “marriage supper” (19:7–9; 21:2). He dwells in them (1:13), and they dwell in Him (21:22).

As “One like the Son of Man,” He also is the Lord of the final harvest (14:14–20). He pours out His wrath in judgment upon Satan (20:10), his allies (19:20; 20:14), and the spiritually “dead” (20:12, 15)—all those who have chosen to “dwell on the earth” (3:10).

The Lamb is the God who is coming (1:7, 8; 11:17; 22:7, 20) to consummate His eternal plan, to complete the creation of the new community of His people in “a new heaven and a new earth” (21:1) and to restore the blessings of the Paradise of God (22:2–5). The Lamb is the goal of all history (22:13). 

Each of the messages to the seven churches is from the exalted Lord, yet the individual members are urged to hear “what the Spirit says” (chs. 2; 3). The Spirit only says what the Lord Jesus says.

The Spirit is thus the Spirit of prophecy. Every genuine prophecy is inspired by the Holy Spirit and bears witness to Jesus (19:10). The prophetic visions are communicated to John only when he is “in the Spirit” (1:10; 4:2; 21:10). The content of these visions is nothing less than “The Revelation of Jesus Christ” (1:1).

All genuine prophecy demands a response. “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ ” (22:17). Everyone either hears or refuses to hear this appeal. The Spirit is working continuously in and through the church to invite those who remain outside the City of God to enter. Only by the empowering of the Spirit is the bride enabled to witness and “patiently endure.” The Spirit thus penetrates the present experience of those who hear with foretastes of the kingdom’s future fulfillment. ~NSLF 

Use Scripture to Navigate the World in Which We Live

Today’s children are bombarded with information, unlike any previous generation. The amount of media an average 12-year old consumes daily can be overwhelming for parents to realize or even understand fully. As events continue to unfold in 2020, this oversaturation of headlines and messages will only increase. 

As a parent, you may also struggle to process everything you see and hear each day. Thankfully, the Lord knew times of difficulty and uncertainty would come for every generation. He’s neither surprised by what happens nor unprepared to meet you where you are. This is why we have the Word of God and the Spirit of God to help us walk wisely.

As believers, the key is knowing how to use Scripture to navigate the world in which we live.  ~Ministry to Parents | 3 Ways to Pass Down Scripture to Your Children

Psalm 55:12-14 This isn’t the neighborhood bully mocking me—I could take that. This isn’t a foreign devil spitting invective—I could tune that out. It’s you! We grew up together! You! My best friend! Loose long hours of leisure as we walked arm in arm, God a third party to our conversation. 

1 Peter 5:6-7 So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you.

Proverbs 22:6 Point your kids in the right direction—when they’re old they won’t be lost.

Psalm 37:3-4 Get insurance with God and do a good deed, settle down and stick to your last. Keep company with God, get in on the best.

Isaiah 1:18-20 “Come. Sit down. Let’s argue this out.” This is God’s Message: “If your sins are blood-red, they’ll be snow-white. If they’re red like crimson, they’ll be like wool. If you’ll willingly obey, you’ll feast like kings. But if you’re willful and stubborn, you’ll die like dogs.” That’s right. God says so.

John 14:6-7 Jesus said, “I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him. You’ve even seen him!”

Isaiah 54:11-17 “Afflicted city, storm-battered, unpitied: I’m about to rebuild you with stones of turquoise, Lay your foundations with sapphires, construct your towers with rubies, Your gates with jewels, and all your walls with precious stones. All your children will have God for their teacher— what a mentor for your children! You’ll be built solid, grounded in righteousness, far from any trouble—nothing to fear! far from terror—it won’t even come close! If anyone attacks you, don’t for a moment suppose that I sent them, And if any should attack, nothing will come of it. I create the blacksmith who fires up his forge and makes a weapon designed to kill. I also create the destroyer—but no weapon that can hurt you has ever been forged. Any accuser who takes you to court will be dismissed as a liar. This is what God’s servants can expect. I’ll see to it that everything works out for the best.” God’s Decree. 

Ephesians 6 1-3 Children, do what your parents tell you. This is only right. “Honor your father and mother” is the first commandment that has a promise attached to it, namely, “so you will live well and have a long life.”

2 Corinthians 16-20 Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life emerges! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you.

1 John 8-10 If we claim that we’re free of sin, we’re only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—simply come clean about them—he won’t let us down; he’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. If we claim that we’ve never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God.

Colossians 3:21 Parents, don’t come down too hard on your children or you’ll crush their spirits.

Isaiah 61:1-7 The Spirit of God, the Master, is on me because God anointed me. He sent me to preach good news to the poor, heal the heartbroken, Announce freedom to all captives, pardon all prisoners. God sent me to announce the year of his grace—a celebration of God’s destruction of our enemies—and to comfort all who mourn, To care for the needs of all who mourn in Zion, give them bouquets of roses instead of ashes, Messages of joy instead of news of doom, a praising heart instead of a languid spirit. Rename them “Oaks of Righteousness” planted by God to display his glory. They’ll rebuild the old ruins, raise a new city out of the wreckage. They’ll start over on the ruined cities, take the rubble left behind and make it new. You’ll hire outsiders to herd your flocks and foreigners to work your fields, But you’ll have the title “Priests of God,” honored as ministers of our God.  You’ll feast on the bounty of nations, you’ll bask in their glory. Because you got a double dose of trouble and more than your share of contempt, Your inheritance in the land will be doubled and your joy go on forever.

John 20:22-23 Then he took a deep breath and breathed into them. “Receive the Holy Spirit,” he said. “If you forgive someone’s sins, they’re gone for good. If you don’t forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?”

John 16:12-15 “I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t handle them now. But when the Friend comes, the Spirit of the Truth, he will take you by the hand and guide you into all the truth there is. He won’t draw attention to himself, but will make sense out of what is about to happen and, indeed, out of all that I have done and said. He will honor me; he will take from me and deliver it to you. Everything the Father has is also mine. That is why I’ve said, ‘He takes from me and delivers to you.’

Ezekiel 22:30-31 “I looked for someone to stand up for me against all this, to repair the defenses of the city, to take a stand for me and stand in the gap to protect this land so I wouldn’t have to destroy it. I couldn’t find anyone. Not one. So I’ll empty out my wrath on them, burn them to a crisp with my hot anger, serve them with the consequences of all they’ve done. Decree of God, the Master.”

Proverbs 15:31 Listen to good advice if you want to live well, an honored guest among wise men and women. 

Jeremiah 1:11-12 God’s Message came to me: “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I said, “A walking stick—that’s all.” And God said, “Good eyes! I’m sticking with you.  I’ll make every word I give you come true.”

Proverbs 13:1 Intelligent children listen to their parents; foolish children do their own thing.

Malachi 5:5-6 “But also look ahead: I’m sending Elijah the prophet to clear the way for the Big Day of God—the decisive Judgment Day! He will convince parents to look after their children and children to look up to their parents. If they refuse, I’ll come and put the land under a curse.” ~The Message

~A Prayer For A Teenager