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Then one of
the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of
Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll
and its seven seals." (Rev. 5:5 NIV)
When my wife and I were
married, we gave a Bible to one another for a wedding present. We had
inscribed on the front cover the words, "God said it. We believe it.
That settles it." That sounded great, but later I learned it wasn't
completely accurate. It should have read, "God said it. That settles
it. And I believe it." You see the Bible is true whether we believe it
or not! It's the Word of God. When God says something, you can rest
assured that it's true. When a prophecy is given in the Scriptures, you
can know for certain that it will come to pass.
One of the early prophecies in the Bible was one given to Judah. In the book of Genesis, the Bible stated, "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to Him {shall be} the obedience of the peoples" (Gen. 49:10 NAS). This is a direct prophecy of the Messiah who would one day come and to whom peoples of all nations would give obedience. Hallelujah! Jesus is the fulfillment of that prophecy. God's word said it. Jesus fulfilled it, and now we're the benefactors of it.
In the book of Revelation, Jesus is referred to as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. That passage speaks of the fulfillment of the promise made to Judah thousands of years earlier. It's interesting that Jesus is given the name of "Lion." One interpretation is that Jesus is the "King" of the tribe of Judah. He's the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He's the One to whom all honor, glory and power are due. He's the One to whom all the nations will one day bow and confess that He is the Lord.
Yet, the Bible speaks of the devil as a "roaring lion." But Jesus isn't a "roaring lion." He's the Lion of the tribe of Judah. The devil only has the ability to "roar." Jesus has the ability to "rule." The devil can only produce fear. Jesus produces faith. The devil is the defeated "prince of the air." Jesus is the victorious "Prince of peace." The devil was defeated by the blood of the Lamb. Jesus is the Lamb who sits upon the throne. The Bible gives Him the name - the Lion of the tribe of Judah.
Our victory lies in the fulfillment of a prophecy made thousands of years ago to Judah. It's believed that the symbol on the flag of the tribe of Judah was the lion. They carried high the emblem of the coming Messiah who would be like a lion. He would rule and reign among the nations. They weren't ashamed of Him. They only understood in part. But they knew that the Messiah would one day come out of their tribe and reign over the peoples of the world. Jesus did come from the tribe of Judah. He does reign triumphantly. He will reign victoriously over the nations. Yes, He's the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Worship Him as the King today! Allow Him to rule in your heart, and you'll know the peace that can only be found in His kingdom.
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