In Revelation 5:5-10 we see that we may experience and enjoy Christ as the Lion-Lamb. From Revelation 5:1 through 6:1, we see the vision of Him as the Lion-Lamb in the midst of God’s throne and of the four living creatures and in the midst of the twenty-four elders of the universe, opening the seven seals of God’s universal administration. In Revelation 5 one of the elders introduced Christ as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, but when John turned to see Him, he saw a Lamb (vv. 5-6). To the enemy, He is the Lion; to us, the redeemed ones, He is the dear, precious Lamb. Christ is the Lamb accomplishing God’s redemption and the Lion fighting for God’s kingdom. For God’s redemption, He is a Lamb; for God’s kingdom, He is a fighting Lion, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He fought to redeem us, and He won the battle over the enemy and accomplished redemption for us.
In the Gospel of John, John the Baptist said, “Behold, the Lamb of God” (1:29), but in Revelation one of the elders said, “Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah” (5:5). In the Gospel of John we see that Christ came in the flesh as the Lamb of God mainly to take away the sin of the world, but in Revelation we see that Christ is the Lion-Lamb not only to take away sin but also to overcome and defeat His enemies.
Christ is both the Lion and the Lamb because we have two main problems—sin and Satan. Most Christians pay attention only to the problem of sin but neglect that of Satan. Just as the Lamb is versus sin and solves the problem of sin, the Lion is versus Satan and deals with Satan. As the Lamb, Christ has accomplished redemption, having cleansed us from our sins. As the Lion, He has dealt with Satan. He is adequate to meet our needs and to solve our problems. Now sin is over, Satan has been terminated, and we have been redeemed and rescued from the usurping hand of the enemy.
The Lion is not the same as the Lamb. Is our Christ today the Lamb or the Lion? If we love the Lord, He is the Lamb to us, but to those who do not love Him, He is the Lion. He is the Lamb to us and the Lion to the enemy, the world, and the sinful things. Since we do love Him and He is the Lamb to us, why must He also be a Lion? This is because there are still many negative things in us. He died on the cross as the Lamb of God to redeem us, but even after being redeemed, we are still mixed with many negative things. Therefore, He must also be the Lion to deal with these things.
Eventually, our experience and enjoyment of Christ as the Lion-Lamb is related to the New Jerusalem, the goal of God’s eternal economy. In the New Jerusalem there are not only the flowing Triune God, the Spirit, as the river of water of life but also the tree of life in the river (22:1-2). The tree of life with its fresh and rich supply is the Lion-Lamb. This Lion-Lamb as our tree of life has fresh fruits to be our supply. In this way the New Jerusalem is sustained. This indicates that we receive His fresh and rich supply and consummate the New Jerusalem by drinking the Spirit and eating Christ. We need to daily drink the flowing God, the Spirit, as our river of water of life, and we need to eat the overcoming Lion-Lamb as the tree of life to be our fresh and rich supply.
Revelation 5:5 speaks of Christ as “the Lion of the tribe of Judah.” The lion is a symbol of Christ, portraying Him as a strong fighter against the enemy, as prophesied in Genesis 49:8-9. Christ’s overcoming qualifies Him to open the scroll and its seven seals.
The book of Revelation is a picture of Jesus Christ. The twenty-two chapters of this book are a single portrait, a “painting” portraying and depicting Jesus. However, if a painting portrays only the main subject without a background or environment, we may think that the artist is not very skillful. A good painter creates a picture full of meaning. The twenty-two chapters of Revelation are a good painting of the Lion of the tribe of Judah, but they also show an environment. Besides the Lion, there are beasts with horns and even a dragon (13:1-2, 11; 12:3). When John saw the situation in heaven, he wept, but when the Lion of the tribe of Judah came, there was great rejoicing (5:3-4, 8-14). Eventually, the Lion as the Lamb marries a bride, the bride becomes a square city, and the Lamb sits on the throne with God (19:7; 21:16; 22:1). The Lion is enthroned in the center of the New Jerusalem as the King of kings and Lord of lords. Then out of this throne flows a river of water of life, bright as crystal, and in the river the tree of life is growing. This is the “painting” of the divine Lion in the book of Revelation, the revelation of Jesus Christ.
In the book of Revelation we should see only one figure, Jesus Christ, because this book is the revelation and unveiling of Jesus Christ. The main figure in the book of Revelation is Christ as the Lion of the tribe of Judah (5:5). If in Revelation we see all the other items but not this Lion, we will certainly miss the mark. In a very real sense, we must turn our eyes away from the frogs, the beasts, the locusts, the dragon, and the serpent; instead, we must turn our eyes upon this Lion. Revelation is the revelation, the unveiling, of this Lion. All the smaller items mentioned in Revelation are the background and environment of the main picture, which is Christ as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Nothing and no one—including the serpent, the frogs, and the locusts—can defeat this Lion. To us, the Lion is the redeeming Lamb, but to the enemy, the Lamb is the overcoming Lion. Moreover, He is fully expressed in the lampstands (ch. 1), the great multitude of the redeemed (ch. 7), the bright woman with her man-child (ch. 12), the harvest with its firstfruits (ch. 14), the overcomers on the sea of glass (ch. 15), the bride ready for marriage (ch. 19), the armies (ch. 19), and the New Jerusalem (chs. 21—22).
Christ is the Lion-Lamb in His ascension. In the scene in the heavens after Christ’s ascension, Christ is revealed mainly as the Lion, not as the Lamb. While John was weeping because “no one was found worthy to open the scroll or look into it” (5:4), one of the elders said to him, “Do not weep; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so that He may open the scroll and its seven seals” (v. 5). Before the crucifixion, there might have been reason for John to weep. But it was foolish for him to weep after the ascension. Are you weeping today? If you are still weeping, it means that you have not seen the vision of the ascended Christ in Revelation 5. We need to behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah.
Genesis 49:8-9 prophesies concerning Christ as the Lion of Judah, but only in Revelation are we told that Christ is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. The title the Lion of the tribe of Judah signifies Christ as the triumphant King. All living creatures are under Him. None can subdue Him; rather, He subdues everything.