Ch. 502 - The Lion and The Lamb

This morning I was reading in the gym before class; I was reading in the book of Hosea - which is technically irrelevant, but that's where it started for me today. Hosea 11:10 says:

'They will follow the Lord;
he will roar like a lion.
When he roars,
his children will come trembling from the west.'

When I read that the Lord would roar like a lion, I thought, 'Hm. Isn't Christ called the Lion of Judah or something?' I couldn't quite remember, but man, it sure sounded great! So I went with it. I finished reading Hosea and flipped to the book of Revelation. I'm [re]reading it, since I'm in New Testament Prophecy this semester. Last night I had finished reading the letters to the seven churches, so I turned to chapter four, which speaks of the throne of God. Chapter five tells of the scroll and the Lamb, Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll. Revelation 5:5 says:

' "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." '

Wait, what? The Lion of the tribe of Judah?
Well, well, well.

I'm not going to lie, I felt pretty good after reading that verse. So Christ is, indeed, called the Lion of Judah. Alright, but I have a confession. I've read Revelation quite a few times... also, I figure it's a term I've heard more than once over the years. But if someone had asked, "Hey Natalie - where is Christ referred to as the Lion of Judah?" I honestly couldn't have answered with, "Oh yeah - Lion of Judah... Revelation 5:5, man." Or even if they had asked, "Uhhh, isn't Christ called a Lion of Judah or something?" I don't know if I would have been able to answer with confidence, you know?

Revelation 5:6 goes on to say:

'Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.' "

Strong.
Gentle.
Aggressive.
Meek.
Loud.
Quiet.
Hunter.
Hunted.
Spirited.
Delicate.

I suppose that I simply like the contrast in saying that Christ is a Lion and a Lamb. It really makes Him all the more incredible. The fact that He can be and is each of these things is fascinating to me; He encompasses, if you will, qualities of both and I'm sure that makes Him all the more appealing to certain people in this world. I say this because they may be looking for one thing or another in, for example, a Higher Power that they believe exists, and they will be able to find it in Him.


'Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:
"To him who sits on the throne and to
the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and
power,
for ever and ever!" '
[Revelation 5:13]