all will be in vain".
The Lion
The lion has been an icon for
humanity for thousands of years,
appearing in cultures across Europe,
Asia, and Africa. Despite incidents of
attacks on humans, lions have
enjoyed a positive depiction in
culture as strong but noble. A
common depiction is their
representation as "king of the
jungle" or "king of the beasts";
hence, the lion has been a popular
symbol of royalty and stateliness,
as well as a symbol of bravery; it is
featured in several fables of the sixth
century BC Greek storyteller Aesop.
"Lion" was the nickname of medieval
warrior rulers with a reputation for
bravery, such as Richard I of England,
known as Richard the Lionheart.
Lions are frequently depicted on
coats of arms, either as a device on
shields themselves, or as supporters.
The Metropolitan Borough of
Chelsea has a lion in its coat of
arms, from which it was taken as the
crest of Chelsea Footbal Club. The
borough of Chelsea was granted a
coat of arms by the College of Arms
in 1903. The motto was Nisi dominus
frustra or "Unless God be with us
1
The use in C. S. Lewis's Chronicles
of Narnia of a lion named Aslan
as a messianic figure may be a
potential reference to this section of
Revelation, or simply more generally
as an allegorical representation of
Jesus. "Aslan" or "Arslan (Ottoman
Arslān and aṣlān) is the Turkish and
Mongolian word for "lion".
The Lion of Judah
The Lion of Judah
has its origins in the
Book of Genesis,
where the Israelite
tribe of Judah had
the lion as its
symbol.
Within Judaism, the
Biblical Judah (in
Hebrew: Yehuda) is
the original name of the Tribe of
Judah - traditionally symbolized by a
lion. In Genesis, the patriarch Jacob
refers to his son Judah as a Gur Aryeh
‫ גור ארְיֵה יְהודָה‬, a "Young Lion"
(Genesis 49:9) when blessing him.
“Then Jacob called his sons and
said, "Gather yourselves together,
that I may tell you what shall
happen to you in days to come.
"Assemble and listen, O sons of
Jacob, listen to Israel your father.
"Reuben, you are my firstborn, my
might, and the firstfruits of my
strength, preeminent in dignity and
preeminent in power. Unstable as
water, you shall not have
preeminence, because you went up
to your father's bed; then you
defiled it--he went up to my couch!
"Simeon and Levi are brothers;
weapons of violence are their
swords. Let my soul come not into
their council; O my glory, be not
joined to their company. For in their
anger they killed men, and in their
willfulness they hamstrung oxen.
Cursed be their anger, for it is
fierce, and their wrath, for it is
cruel! I will divide them in Jacob and
scatter them in Israel. "Judah, your
brothers shall praise you; your hand
shall be on the neck of your
enemies; your father's sons shall
bow down before you. 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?
(Genesis 49;1-9).
From ancient times to the present,
the "Lion of Judah" has been one of
the most popular symbols of the
Jewish people. The Bible mentions
the lions that roamed the deserts and
mountains of the regions more than
150 times by six different names.
Both the tribes of Dan and Judah are
compared to lions, although it is
Judah whose name ultimately
became inextricably linked with this
symbol (David, a descendant of
Judah, is identified with the lion,
as is the Davidic monarchy and
the Messiah who will spring from
this royal house). The writings of
the Jewish Sages often draw
moralistic analogies between the lion
and the righteous individuals.
The lion motif was common in the
ancient Middle Eastern civilizations
as: a battling, fighting and
attacking force. In the Bible, the
lion is portrayed as both capable of
2
destroying and punishing, and of
saving and protecting. In ancient
Jewish art we find the lions in this
protective role, guarding the Holy Ark
or at the entrances to the chapel, as
in the sculpture of the ancient
synagogues at Sardis (in Asia Minor),
Horazin and Bar'am (in Palestine),
and in many mosaics dating from the
early Byzantine period
Scholars speak of the influence of the
medieval European heraldic lions
decorating either side of the crests of
the nobility, symbolizing balance,
justice, order or guardianship.
In medieval Jewish art, we find the
lion pair commonly leaning up on
either side of the Tree of Life, next to
the crown; thus is the heraldic shield
replaced by a symbol of God, and the
lions are seen as serving the King of
all Kings. During the last two
centuries, lions on Jewish ceremonial
art are generally portrayed carrying
the Tablets, a continuation of the
same idea.
Lion of Judah in
Christianity
In Christian tradition, the lion is
often assumed to represent
Jesus. Many Christian organizations
and ministries use the lion of Judah as
their emblem or even their name.
The phrase appears in the New
Testament Book of Revelation.

"Then I saw in the right hand of him
who was seated on the throne a
scroll written within and on the
back, sealed with seven seals. And I
saw a strong angel proclaiming with
a loud voice, "Who is worthy to
open the scroll and break its seals?"
And no one in heaven or on earth or
under the earth was able to open
the scroll or to look into it, and I
began to weep loudly because no
one was found worthy to open the
scroll or to look into it. 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 5:1-5).
The Apostle John has been given the
vision of a scroll (we would say today
a book) which contains God’s
revelation concerning His end-time
judgments. We could widen this as
including the meaning of all things,
past, present and future, the mystery
of God and the mystery of our own
nature; including the way to salvation
from all the problems that we suffer
in this world or we are threatened to
suffer in the next. Humanity has tried
many times to open this book, but in
vain. Prophets of all kinds, fortune-
tellers, scientific investigations etc.
have proved deceitful and useless, in
spite of their claims.
This is really a desperate and
frustrating attempt!
The apostle John, nevertheless, was
comforted and encouraged that what
is impossible to people is possible in
Christ. The only one whom God
entrusted with revelation is the Lord
Jesus Christ-
Jesus is here referred to as “The Lion
of the Tribe of Judah”, a meaningful
title for those who know the Bible,
3
who know God as He speaks to us
through the Bible.
This appellation is not given
elsewhere to the Messiah, but it is
not difficult to see its propriety as
used in this place. The lion is the king
of beasts, the monarch of the forest,
and thus becomes an emblem of one
of kingly authority and of power.
Christ. Christ Himself said: “All
authority in heaven and on earth has
been given to me” (Matthew 28:18).
Everything is under His control. He is
the only one who has authority to
open the secrets of the universe.
Jesus here is not a vague universal
principle, but he is clearly identifiable
with historical events in a definite
geographical location. He springs
from the spiritual roots of Abraham.
Isaac, Jacob, and David.
1. He is the Revelator. Jesus’
identity is linked with Jacob’s
prophecy (Genesis 49:10), actually
with all Bible prophecies. According to
human nature Jesus belongs to the
Jewish people and everything it
represents.
“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus,
called to be an apostle, set apart for
the gospel of God, which he
promised beforehand through his
prophets in the holy Scriptures,
concerning his Son, who was
descended from David according to
the flesh and was declared to be
the Son of God in power according
to the Spirit of holiness by his
resurrection from the dead, Jesus
Christ our Lord” (Romans 1:1-4).
Jesus is the link between God and
man. He who bears the office of
Mediator between God and man, is
fit and worthy to open and
execute all the counsels of God
towards men.

2. He is the Creator and upholds all
things in His hands. He has designed
everything for a purpose. “The LORD
has made everything for its purpose,
even the wicked for the day of
trouble” (Proverbs 16:4).
“But who are you, O man, to answer
back to God? Will what is molded
say to its molder, "Why have you
made me like this?" Has the potter
no right over the clay, to make out
of the same lump one vessel for
honorable use and another for
dishonorable use? What if God,
desiring to show his wrath and to
make known his power, has
endured with much patience
vessels of wrath prepared for
destruction, in order to make
known the riches of his glory for
vessels of mercy, which he has
prepared beforehand for glory--
even us whom he has called, not
from the Jews only but also from the
Gentiles? (Romans 9:20-24).
shedding your blood” (Hebrews 12:1-
4).
4. Lamb & Lion. Jesus will return,
not as the Lamb that was slain, but
as a Lion that will roar from Jerusalem
for His judgment. Jesus has the
right to open the book, to loose its
seven seals deliver out all the
prophecies in it, and fulfil them. He
has merited them by shedding his
blood, and in consequence of his
sufferings and death. For this reason,
in the next verse, he is represented
also as a lamb as it had been slain.
“And he commanded us to preach to
the people and to testify that he is
the one appointed by God to be
judge of the living and the dead”
(Revelation 10:29). “they will give
account to him who is ready to judge
the living and the dead” (1 Peter 4:5).

The King has legal rights to

determine people’s ultimate destiny:
salvation or damnation. His right is
not tyrannical, but good and just. This
thought comforts His people and
make them rejoice.

3. Jesus is a valiant warrior

against sin. “…looking to Jesus, the
founder and perfecter of our faith,
who for the joy that was set before
him endured the cross, despising the
shame, and is seated at the right
hand of the throne of God. Consider
him who endured from sinners such
hostility against himself, so that you
may not grow weary or fainthearted.
In your struggle against sin you have
not yet resisted to the point of

RESPONSE

1. The end-time judgments against evil are sealed in God's hands and can
be set into motion only because of Christ's victory over darkness through
4
 His death and resurrection. In what ways might the reality that God's
judgments are sure, offer comfort to you in your daily life?

2. Jesus is a Lion, a warrior who faces for us every skirmish against sin, for
He has already won the war and desires to daily empower us with greater
freedom in His kingdom. As we look at each new day we consider all its
parts in light of this truth. We thank Him for each situation in which He
will demonstrate His power for victories already won.

3. Jesus, in dying on the cross engaged in a bloody battle for the territory of
our heart. Through His resurrection, He has secured the victory, placing
the banner for His name in the depths of your soul. Do we live with the
wonder and joy of this reality? Why or why not?

A Prayer

O glorious King – even now I see you pacing back and forth, ready to roar at
every move the evil one makes upon the territory of my heart. You have won it
and I am yours, I belong to You. There is safety in the truth that You carry a
victory banner, always before me in triumph. The reality that You are the Lion
from the tribe of Judah comforts me and gives me courage. In You I hide, in You
I rest, in You I find refuge for You have won it. Amen.