How Is Jesus The ‘Lamb of God’ and the ‘Lion of Judah’?

The Lion and the Lamb are two images and names of God used in Scripture that describe aspects of Jesus. The attributes of Jesus are as powerful and majestic as a Lion and innocent as a sacrificial lamb.

Joel Ryan

When we study the biblical narrative in its entirety, we discover just how complimentary both of these images are to the power of Jesus Christ, whose purpose is prophesied in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New Testament.

Many may look to Isaiah 11:6 as a passage that points to Jesus as the Lion and the Lamb, however, this is a common misconception. The author writes, “ and the wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the young Lion and the falling together; and a little boy will lead them.” Here Isaiah was prophesying that the coming Messiah and the messages His angel would temper even the wildest hearts and bring people to those who were formally enemies, wolfs and lambs, calves and young lions.

Christ’s connection to the Lion and the Lamb actually goes back much further and is revealed much more thoroughly in Revelation 5.

Jesus Is The Lion Of Judah

The earliest reference to Jesus as a Lion, however, can be found in. Genesis, where Jacob (Israel) delivers parting words to each of his sons. When he arrives at Judah, his fourth born, Jacob says:

“Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your Father’s son shall bow down to you. ‘Judah is a lions whelp; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He couches, he lies down as a Lion, and as a Lion, who dares rouse him up, who dares rouse him up? ‘The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes.” – Genesis 49:8-10.

Significance Of The Lion And Judah

Here the imagery of the lion reflects the powerful, majestic, and kingly nature of the lion, often regarded as king of beasts. Applied to Judah, this is significant because it heralds the lineage of Judah as that of kings. For out of Judah’s line, King David and his descendants would rule over Israel until the time of the Babylonian captivity (1 Chronicles 2; 2 Kings 24); and generation’s later, Jesus Christ would come as a descendant of David and Judah to forge a new covenant and usher in a new kingdom of heavenly glory ( Matthew 1:1-17).

When Jacob says that “the scepter shall not depart from Judah, not the ruler’s staff from between his feet,” he was also proclaiming the eventual Kingdom of Jesus Christ, who will be forever as king, the scepter being a symbol of his kingly authority and lordship.

This is the main reason why Jesus is often referred to as the Lion of the Trimble of Judah.

Jesus Is The King Of Kings

In the New Testament. The imagery of the lion is further fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who was prophesied to be the “root of David’ (Isaiah 11:1-2 and his “branch” (Zechariah 3:8).

In the book of Revelation, the apostle John is also given a vision of the heavenly throne room in which the one seated on the throne is handed a scroll sealing with seven seals (Revelation 5:2-3). When no one is found worthy to open the scroll, John begins to weep (Revelation 5:4). This is when one of the elders says to him, ‘stop weeping; behold, the lion that is from the Trimble of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.” (Revelation 5:5)

This is clearly referring to Jesus Christ, the Root of David and the Lion of the tribe of Judah, who is worthy to open the scroll for being the one to conquer sin and death through His work on the cross. (2 Timothy 1:10, Isaiah 25:8, 1 Corinthians 15:25-26, Hosea 13:24).

Here the true power of the King of kings (Revelation 19:16) and Lord of lords (Revelation 17:14) is revealed as a lion who is majestic, fierce in love, and worthy to be called king.

Jesus Is The Lamb Of God

In the later verses of Revelation 5, John then writes, “and I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain….And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne” Revelation 5:6-7).

With this revelation. John confirmed Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God, for as the Lamb took the book, those witnessing sang, “worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9).

Significance Of The Lamb:

The lamb has enormous significance going back to the days of Abraham and. Odes. In the Old Testament, prior to the exodus from Egypt, the children of Israel were instructed to take the blood of an unblemished lamb and smear it in the doorposts and lintel of their houses ( Exodus 12:1-13). That night, as the angel of the Lord passed through Egypt to strike down the firstborn of each household, those with the blood of the lamb on their doorposts would be passed over and sparred. From that days on, the Lord commanded the Israelites to celebrate and remember their deliverance for Egypt and commemorate God’s provision in their lives. Such called Passover. (Exodus 12:14).

The Sign Of Emmanuel

Trying to escape the holiday noise can be very challenging. Taking A deep breath to open your Bible and read the Christmas story is an opportunity to reawaken our senses to what really happened that first Christmas

In Isaiah 7:14, The prophet Isaiah rights that the version will be Which child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Emmanuel – God with us. We can picture your Mary wrapping big baby Jesus. Her hands carefully folded each corner of cloth. I like the beautiful bow on the perfect Christmas gift, her mother we instincts kick in as she cradled her newborn boy.

As we picture the scene, some of us will receive a fresh revelation of what we have been missing this Christmas season. In the hustle and bustle of creating the perfect Christmas, we forget to unwrap the perfect gift, the most important gift of all the gift of Emmanuel – God with us.

Hundreds of years before the prophetic words we’re actually fulfilled. But indeed, the pieces were in place for them to become a reality some 2000 years ago.

In Luke verse 2, Each word and Isaiah’s prophecy reminds us of the first Christmas night and God‘s promise that came through in Bethlehem. “She gave birth to her first born, a son, he wrapped him in clothes and place him in a Manger…” – Luke 2:7

Let us come before God and unwrap God presents in our lives today. Invite Jesus to bring home to your anxious heart. To bring his perspective to your expectations and to help you enjoy the gifts and blessings that God has given you. Remembering that Emmanuel, God is with you.

Simply pausing to acknowledge and thank Jesus for being with us will bring peace to our hearts unlike any white light or matching table settings could ever do.

Isaiah 7: 15-17

Why Is Christmas Eve December 24th?

The traditional date of December 25 goes back as far as AD 273. Two pecan festivals honoring the sub were celebrated on the day and it is possible that December 25 was chosen to counteract the inflow paganism.

To this day some people feel uncomfortable with Christmas because they think it is somehow tainted by the pagan festivals held on this day. But Christians have long believe that the gospel not only transcends culture, it also transforms it. In A.D. 320 one theological answered this criticism by noting “We hold this day Holy, not like the pagans because of the birth of the sun, but because of Him who made it,”

Having said that, you may ask, “Does it really matter?” In one sense of course, the answer is no. No doctrine of the Christian faith rests upon knowing the exact day and year of Christ’s birth. And no stress is put upon the date on His birth in the New Testament. No one is ever told to celebrate Christmas. The emphasis always rests on the fact of His birth, not the date. But that doesn’t tell the whole story. Christianity is a faith based on certain historical facts. Let us on this Christmas Eve rejoice in this great truth.

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11

The Word Became Flesh

Though we find ourselves in a season of bright lights Christmas trees, and presents, as followers of Jesus, we live with the reality that we still live in a world where darkness seems ever-present. This is no surprise to many of us. We experience suffering in relationships, through disease and through death.

Remembering John 1:5 the resurrection of Jesus allows us to have faith that, even in chaos we see all around us, there are better days ahead. With a confident foreshadowing of the story’s end, the writer John assured us who will ultimately come out on top. That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it.

Right here John sums up the season of Advent even amidst the great deal of darkness in this world, the light of Jesus shines bright. He who experienced all of the darkness, even death itself, and was not overcome, now dwells in us as God’s Spirit.

In John’s mind, this is why Jesus came. Jesus came into the world to be the light driving out darkness. John has barely begun his gospel narrative before introducing this cosmic conflict as the reason God the Father sent the Son. The conflict is real, and so is our pain. But we can take heart as the light shines within us and through us, in even the darkness of times.

Consider this week how the light of Christ may shine into the darkness around you. In those times when we have accepted the darkness instead of carrying the light of Christ, invite God’s presence to draw near, and light us your life, so that you can bring His light into our dark word this Christmas and always.

John 1:1-5

What Is Sheol?

Exploring The Afterlife

Several Fashion times throughout scripture, the word “Sheol” Appears with the reference to the afterlife. The old testament portrays Sheol as the bunker of humanity enemy, The devil, and the exilic wilderness away from The Promised land. Yet Sheol under God and authority, an old testament saints testified to his power Who raise people up from the depth of Sheol. And Jesus, God did you get that: He entered the realm of death himself, Defeating death in the grave,And filling in the darkness of Sheol With the light and His resurrection.

Sheol It’s one of those old testament words that usually confuses modern Bible readers. Oh testament witness of Sheol Is a difficult topic, made more difficult by the relative lack of explicit mention or discussion in Israel scriptures of an intermediate state after death. Further, the current censuses among biblical scholar ship is that ancient Israel did not care much about the afterlife, leading many to conclude that they did not affirm an intermediate state. The critical consensus How do even supposed Bible warrant to some Contemporary Christian philosophers and theologians who do not believe and intermediate state is a tenable position. Given all difficulty, what can we learn about Sheol from the Old Testament? And how should we think about it as believers?

“Sheol is a place of darkness, but it is also a place where God still remembers His people and where He is still King.”

The biblical picture of Sheol imagine the Old Testament is rather shady, both in terms of the lack of specificity and in terms of actual descriptions of the place. The biblical writers don’t usually go into exorbitant detail about Sheol or it inhabitants he and when they describe it is often pictured as dark, dusty, and gloomy. (Psalm 88:6, 12; 143:3)

In What follows, is categorized The old testament’s language about Sheol in three ways, The first two of which indeed primarily negative. Sheol Typically viewed as under the rule of God’s enemy. Satan the enemy bunker, it’s place outside the land.

But contraryToo much modern miracle scholarship, The Old Testament also has positive things to say about the intermediate state, and modern critical scholarships conclusions regarding the lack of affirmation of an afterlife, are overstated. In what follows, we will see yes, Sheol Is a place of darkness, but it is also a place where God still remembers His peopleI am where He is still King.

Sheol Is The Enemy’s Bunker

In the Old Testament, the most common way of describing Sheol is at the house of death. It is the realm of the dead, where are all the dead go. Yes even personified in Proverbs 1:9, Well lady Folly’s house, And the meal she still serves there, it is characterized by death. Humanities or Heuser, Satan, it’s French over to his house of the dead. Death is his name in and his jailer. That dragon, the great serpent, has been attacked down to eat dirt for the rest of his days, and the dirt he eats is that of his realm, the grave. (Genesis 3:14) The Place of the dead is enemy territory, ruled by the first and greatest enemy of humankind, the accuser,

Speaking of meals, the Old Testament speaks of Sheol as the one who is never satisfied,Always attempting to fill his belly but never achieving his goal Always attempting to fill his belly but never achieving its goal. Nothing less than all humanity will satiate it. (Proverbs 30;15; Habakkuk 2:5) Its Mouth is an open pit, swallowing all eventually. This I sat gluttony Is one of the reasons why is it often characterized as the abode and Maddie final enemy, death itself, And why did he even called humanity’s Shepard. (Psalm 49:14)

Sheol it is a place where there is no escape. The gates are locked, the windows are barred, and the prison guard, death is undefeatable through human effort. (Job 19:21; 17:13-16; Isaiah 38:10) The Gates of hell are akin to Morannon, back gate of Mordar, unassuming Guarding Sauron’s territory in the Lord of the Rings.Human beings on their own cannot escape. Only something unexpected, entering into the realm of the dead and breaking down the gates from the inside, could ever hope to defeat both Hells gates and the master storming the gates, for mere human, it is futile.

Sheol Is The Exilic Wilderness

Sheol it’s also Sybolically Characterized in the Old Testament is the opposite of the Promised Land. Can you put it geographically It is an ultimate place of exilic wilderness, a place from which one cannot return to the land flowing with milk and honey. Instead the only meal you can eat in Sheol is dust and ash. Further, instead of God being praised in the sanctuary – And ask wicked necessity is Boldly – there no praise of God in Sheol,And the dad do you not remember Him. Most striking is Psalm 6:5, “ in death there is no remembrance of you, in Sheol Who will give you praise?” Likewise Isaiah 38:28 reads, “Sheol does not thank you; death does not praise you; those who go down to the pit do not hope for your faithfulness.”

What are we to make of these kinds of descriptions? Are the dead, and especially the dead who die with faith in the true God, Now experiencing torment, Or utterly separated from God? We should begin by noting that these are covenantal and liturgical statements, first in for most Psalm 6:5, States the obvious, Found in the book of Psalms, a book comprised mature originally written for liturgical Contexts. The acts of praise, lament, thanksgiving, Celebration, and remembrance were, for Israel, primarily acts that took place in the tabernacle and later the temple.

Similar characterization about Sheol, like the fact that is the place of darkness and dust, could also be contracted to statements about the promised land and specifically the Tabernacle/Temple, Both of which are characterized by the light of God’s presence to the assembly of Israel and the flowing water and the spirit, who is especially and particularly present in the most Holy Place and, by extension, the land.

“ in order to be raised from the dead, someone would have to break down the gates of hell.“

Alternatively, rather than dusty graves sometimes, Sheol is equated with the abyss, a place at the bottom of the sea. Jonah 2:2-9, Job 26:5 In The Old Testament , and she is often described as a place of chaos and disorder, a place to stand in opposition to the firm ground of the Promised Land. To go to the sea, and especially to its depths, Is to go away from God’s presence As Israel knew it through the tabernacle/ temple In the Promised Land.

Whether Sheol is described as the wilderness where the wild beasts live or the abyss where the chaos monster swim, Israel conceive of it symbolically as opposite of Canaan. This is because, for Israel, to live meant to live embodied within the assembly of God and especially through worshiping Him at the tabernacle/temple at liturgical intervals.

These two pictures, of Sheol as the enemies bunker and Sheol as the exilic wilderness are indeed beekeeper. Death takes everyone, righteous and unrighteous alike, and no one comes back from the realm of the dead. After responding to Bildad’s call to repent, Job expresses this common fate of humanity and his prayer to God:

  • Why did you bring me out of the womb?
  • Would that I had died before my eyes had seen me As were as though I had not been carried from the room to the grave.
  • Then cease, and leave me alone, that I may find a little cheer before I go – and I found that return – To the land of darkness and deep shadow, the land of gloom like darkness, deep shadow without any order, we’re like it’s a thick as darkness. – Job 10:18-22.

Does the enemy, therefore, always win, even if during this life God made give Israelites Victory over their human enemies? Does death always have and Incurable sting and that’s always gain the final victory? The short answer is no.. Because the Lord is king over all things.

Sheol In Under The Kings Authority

In the old testament, God has no rival. There is no place in heaven, on earth, or underneath the earth over which the Lord Almighty does not reign. Of course, His chosen people, Israel dwell in a specific place, the place that he prepared and won for them, The promised land. But God’s rule does not shop at Israel’s border And is not limited to His throne room in heaven. It extends even over the territory of Israel’s enemies on earth and to the depths of Sheol in the underworld.

This means that, despite Shell’s gluttony, despite its characterization as the enemy‘s bunker and all of humanity’s exilic wilderness, God still has authority in the darkest of places, and natural habitat for those who have received in the sin’s wages (Isaiah 25:8). As Richard Bauckham puts it.