Lion of the Tribe of Judah

But one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals."
Revelation 5:5

Surprisingly, this well-known title of Christ occurs only once in scripture. The popularity of this phrase is due to the images of power and agility that it brings to mind. The Lion is the king of beasts and a king with a lion title (such as Richard the lion-hearted) is known for courage and strength.

The Apostle John had a vision of happenings in heaven that are yet to come. He saw a great multitude of celestial creatures waiting for judgment to fall on the sinful planet. The Son of God had just been crucified and earth and the human race had never been brought to justice. The judgments had been written and sealed and were awaiting someone to execute the Holy Writ. Sadness fell on the crowd when it was clear that no one there was worthy to bring about such severe judgment.

Suddenly, everything changed. The Lion of the Tribe of Judah appeared; He was worthy.

In Christ’s first advent, He came as the Son of Joseph, the Suffering Servant. In His next appearing, He will be seen as the great, conquering King. In Jacob’s blessings to his sons he said, “the scepter will not depart from Judah,” prophesying that Judah would be a kingly tribe.

However, it almost appears that the scepter has departed from Judah, because Jerusalem was destroyed and a descendant of David hasn’t been on the throne for over 2,000 years. It seems that this prophesy isn’t true but, of course, it really is.

Jesus came as the King of Glory, but His own people rejected Him and the scepter has been in heaven ever since. When the time is right, Christ will come back with a roar. He will show Himself as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah to execute judgment.