Word Sept 2012 Study
KING OF KINGS: THE LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH
The lion has furnished inspiration for many stories over the centuries. Perhaps the
most popular is the contemporary “THE LION KING”. The animated film was influenced
by the biblical tales of Joseph and Moses as well as plays by Shakespeare.
Long before The Lion King was thought of, C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) created the
fantasy world of Narnia with the first of the chronicles. “The Lion, the Witch, and the
Wardrobe” is one of the top 100 English language novels of the twentieth century.
Lewis’ testimony was that in conversation on a trip with his younger brother, (Warnie)
“When we set out [trip to the Whipsnade Zoo] I did not believe that Jesus Christ was the
Son of God, and when we reached the zoo I did.”
Lewis used literature to produce some of the greatest apologies of the Christian faith
while he maintained the tremendous respect and recognition among literary scholars
around the world. “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” was perhaps his
masterpiece that balanced entertainment and theology at once.
Some may object to the use of imagery as a vehicle of spiritual truth but they fail to
see that the supreme example is the Bible itself in the Old Testament use of figures of
speech in the true stories of everyday life. The use of the parabolic method by our Lord
Jesus Christ is filled with figures of speech in the Gospels.
The Bible, specifically the King James Bible, is the fountainhead of all English
literary works, the masterpiece of English literature. Every form of literature is found in
the KJB from soliloquy to poetry, drama to narrative. This does not mean that the
English Bible is just a classroom of illustration and inspiration for story writers–it is that,
but much more than that: the King James Bible is the living word of God. The special
revelation of God that gives eternal life to all who take its promises to heart, the KJB is
the source of all spiritual blessings to English readers and in its translation to the world.
Indeed, it is as Solomon said “A lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not
away for any;” (Proverbs 30:30 KJV)
“The Lion of the tribe of Judah” is a title in Revelation 5:5 for the Lord Jesus Christ.
My study attempts to draw a comparison between certain characteristics of lions and
the Biblical description of the Lord Jesus Christ, particularly in His Second Coming and
establishment of His earthly Kingdom as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Because of the male lion’s regal appearance with his flowing mane (no other
animal has such a marked difference between male and female) and powerful strength
he is called “King of Beasts” or “KIng of the Jungle”. Rather than a preference for thick
jungle and forests, the lion prefers grasslands or the savannah.
The title is not an exaggeration because the lion is an “apex predator”–he has no
predators above him and is the most agile mammal of brute strength. He is the top of
the food chain in the wilderness places on all continents.
The Bible uses the lion as a figure for God. There is no God like our God. He is
omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient; all powerful with every thing present to Him
and all wise, He has no equal, “To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith
the Holy One.” (Isaiah 40:25).
Found primarily in Asia and Africa, these large cats rule the animal kingdom
wherever they live. (largest on record is 826 lbs.) A typical weight for a mature male lion
is anywhere from 400 to 550 lbs of muscular terror. A lion is so powerful that they can
take down water buffaloes, crocodiles and even elephants.
It is of no surprise that a metaphorical title for Jesus in the Bible is “The Lion of the
Tribe of Judah.” This title is used when His Kingdom rule on earth is in focus. Before He
returns to earth at His Second Coming, it is “the Lion” who “prevails” to open the seven
sealed book that unleashes the wrath of God upon the world.

“And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda,
the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals
thereof.” (Revelation 5:5 KJV).

The title is in contrast to His first advent into the world as “the Lamb of God.” Both
are the same Person: He was the Lamb of God at His first coming and died on the cross
for the sins of the world, He is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah at His second coming to
destroy His enemies and those who ignore His Deity.
Accept Him now as your sacrificial Lamb who died to pay the penalty of your sin or
one day you will meet Him as the Lion who tears you into pieces.

“1 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on
the backside, sealed with seven seals.
2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the
book, and to loose the seals thereof?
3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the
book, neither to look thereon.
4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book,
neither to look thereon.
5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda,
the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals
thereof.
6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the
midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven
eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down
before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which
are the prayers of saints.
9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the
seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of
every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the
beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand,
and thousands of thousands;
12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and
riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and
such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour,
and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for
ever and ever.
14 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and
worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever. (Revelation 5:1-14)

The male lion rarely attacks for food, (only old or injured males or females that have
no “pride” or family are man-eaters) he leaves that task to the females in the pride. His
concern is for the territory, welfare and propagation of his family. It is his role to protect
the pride from outsiders who would usurp his authority–outsiders who might eat the little
defenseless ones and ravish the females. His pride is a close knit group and has a
social consciousness not found in others of the cat species.
The animal kingdom will one day live together in peaceful harmony without fear and
without aggressiveness toward others. And man will not only live in peace with each
other when wars will cease but he will also enjoy the companionship of the animal
kingdom.

“And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall
beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not
lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” (Isaiah 2:4 )
“And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the
fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow
and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely. And
I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness,
and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies.” (Hosea 2:18, 19)
“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and
the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead
them.” (Isaiah 11:6).

The Lord’s people are like His “pride” and as the lion protects His pride in order to
enjoy peace and safety from their enemies, the Lion of the tribe of Judah” protects His
own.
The lion is the “apex predator” in the jungle: no predator is above him. He can keep
his pride because he is the strongest and none prevent him from his desires. So the
LORD is all-powerful and there are none above Him.

“Yet they are thy people and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest out by thy mighty
power and by thy stretched out arm,”. (Deuteronomy 9:29 )

THE ROAR OF THE LION
The question is asked: “Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice
like him?” (Job 40:9)
Look at the figurative comparison made between the lion and the voice of God:

“1 At this also my heart trembleth, and is moved out of his place.
2 Hear attentively the noise of his voice, and the sound that goeth out of his mouth.
3 He directeth it under the whole heaven, and his lightning unto the ends of the earth.
4 After it a voice roareth: he thundereth with the voice of his excellency; and he will not
stay them when his voice is heard.
5 God thundereth marvellously with his voice; great things doeth he, which we cannot
comprehend.”(Job 37:1-5)
“For thus hath the Lord spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on
his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid
of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the Lord of hosts come
down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof.” (Isaiah 31:4)

Lions have the loudest roar of any big cat and strikes fear into the heart of all who
hear it. A lion comes through the village at night and roars to make all the prey scatter
from their hiding places. Once exposed, they are easy targets.

“The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord GOD hath spoken, who can but
prophesy?” (Amos 3:8)

The lion’s roar is at 114 to 144 decibels. This is about 25 times the sound of a close
gas powered lawn mower or a jet engine and can be heard up to 5 miles! Jaguars,
tigers, panthers, and lions are the only cats that roar. The lion exceeds them all. In
addition to volume, the lion also uses “infrasound”.
Ultrasound is a range too high for a human to hear and infrasound can go to a
range too low to hear. Humans can register sound down to about 20 hertz, the deepest
bass note, but infrasonic sound travels all the way down to .001 Hz.
Infrasound is frightening and the male lion has the vocal chords to produce it.
Infrasound at low levels is not heard–IT IS FELT and it produces adverse physiological
effects. From nausea, dizziness to paralysis, infrasound incapacitates the prey. (It is
now used in military operations). The male lion stuns its prey with infrasound! We can
now understand the basis of so many claims in the past centuries that insisted lions
mesmerized or hypnotized their prey.
It is no wonder than that the Bible likens the voice of the LORD to the roar of a lion.
Apply this to the first verses of Genesis 1 where we read:
“And God said, Let there be light: and there was light”(Genesis 1:3) as well as the other
passages where God speaks blessings and judgments. By simply speaking God
creates and destroys! Sound can produce effect. The Bible is not a science book but
when it speaks on any subject, medicine, technology, communication, etc., the Bible is
accurate.
Anesthesia, genetic engineering, and stitchless laser surgery are found in the the
first two chapters of Genesis. Wireless communication is recorded in Job: “Canst thou
send lightnings, that they may go, and say unto thee, Here we are?” (Job 38:35) And in
the same chapter (along with over 20 other scientific, geological, meteorological facts)
we read: “Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion? or fill the appetite of the young lions,” (Job
38:39). Of course God does not use the technical words of centuries past or the ones
we use today to give these truths. If He had done so, no one would have ever
understood them. Science continually changes it’s terms from one decade to the next.
Instead, we find the principles in simple words, easily understood whenever a man in
any generation has faith in God’s words to believe them. Is it not amazing to find in the
Bible reference to a lion’s roar with these now known scientific facts?

“The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord GOD hath spoken, who can but
prophesy?” (Amos 3:8)
“The king’s wrath is as the roaring of a lion; but his favour is as dew upon the
grass.” (Proverbs 19:12)
“The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion: whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth
against his own soul.” (Proverbs 20:2)
“For thus hath the Lord spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on
his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid
of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the Lord of hosts come
down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof.” (Isaiah 31:4)
“Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan unto the habitation of
the strong: but I will make them suddenly run away from her: and who is a chosen man,
that I may appoint over her? for who is like me? and who will appoint me the time? and
who is that shepherd that will stand before me?” (Jeremiah 50:44)
“They shall walk after the Lord: he shall roar like a lion: when he shall roar, then the
children shall tremble from the west.” (Hosea 11:10)

Oh that men would hear the voice of grace lest the roar of judgment fall upon them!
The word of God is “tenderly calling thee home, calling today…calling today” and men
think that God’s voice will always be tender and gracious. They mistake the pleas of
grace for weakness and presume no terror can befall them. The words “Jesus is but a
weak lamb of imagination and not to be feared at all” is in their thoughts and they fear
no future wrath to come. How mistaken they are!
Because judgment does not immediately come men think it will never come. God’s
wheels grind slow but they grind sure. The Lord gives man time because He takes no
pleasure in damnation.

“Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God: and not that
he should return from his ways, and live?” (Ezekiel 18:23)
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is
longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to
repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)
What men do not know is that the Lord Jesus Christ did not come into this world the
first time to show His might and strength to judge men. He came “to seek and to save
that which was lost.” “For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save
them. And they went to another village.” (Luke 9:56)

“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost”(Luke 19:10)

He came as a “lamb” to be received or rejected and men took Him and, with wicked
hands, crucified Him. They knew not that even in their wickedness they could not
frustrate God’s plan. God’s holiness demands that no sin can come into His favor. His
righteousness demands that sin be judged. The wages of sin is death–not just physical
death but spiritual death for all eternity because a sinner’s payment can not satisfy
perfect holiness. Therefore, God came down from Heaven’s glory and was manifest in
the flesh, made of a woman.

“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman,
made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the
adoption of sons.” (Galatians 4:4, 5)
The Son of God with power and the Son of Man without sin offered Himself as the
spotless lamb, took our sins upon Himself on the tree, and paid the debt we could not
pay. Therefore man goes free when the Lamb of God is accepted as his sin payment.
God’s justice is satisfied, our sin debt is paid, and we can come into His Presence.
“The king’s wrath is as the roaring of a lion; but his favour is as dew upon the
grass.” (Proverbs 19:12)

The wonderful thing of God’s grace is that it is free, a gift offered to all without any
strings or payment attached. All you need do is receive it.

“For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is
rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall
be saved.” (Romans 10:12, 13)

The LORD speaks today with a voice more powerful than any other. His words are
in a Book, the KING James Bible. No other book is like it and no other book has done or
does what this Book does.
THE LION AS A HUNTER
The lion is an “apex predator”: in other words, they have no predator to fear, “Who is
like the LORD?” They are also “keystone predators: A lion acts as a keystone predator
by its widely varied diet, helping to balance the mammalian jungle ecosystem with its
consumption of over 87 different species of prey, Lions are “crepuscular”. The word
crepuscular is derived from the Latin crepusculum, meaning “twilight”. Before dawn and
in early dark of evening is when the lion is active. Crepuscular animals may also be
active on a bright moonlit night or on a dull day

“The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their
dens.” (Psalm 104:22)
“1 BUT of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the
night.
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon
them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.” (1Thessalonians
5:1-3)

Those who have spent time in studying lions know that they are night hunters. Even
on stormy days when the sky is overcast lions have been known to hunt for a meal.
During daylight the lion is in his den–usually in a deep sleep digesting the previous
evening banquette. Genesis 49:9 says: “Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son,
thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall
rouse him up?” The last part of the verse refers to “couched” as in laying down for a
rest. Lions that have a full stomach go into such a deep sleep that it is almost
impossible to wake him up. The bravest hunters have been known to find them asleep
with a full belly, and getting close enough to shoot them in the ear without the lion ever
knowing the hunter is close!

“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall
pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth
also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” (2 Peter 3:10)

FEARFUL IN APPEARANCE
The mane of the adult male lion, unique among cats, is one of the most distinctive
characteristics of the species. It makes the lion appear larger, providing an excellent
intimidation display; this aids the lion during confrontations with other lions and with the
species’ chief competitors, the hyenas. Lions are the only members of the cat family
where males and females look distinctly different. They also have specialized roles that
each gender plays in the pride. For instance, the lioness, the hunter, lacks the male’s
thick mane. The male protects, defends, directs. Some individual lions consistently lead
the defense against intruders, while others lag behind to protect from a rear attack.
Lions tend to assume specific roles in the pride. Those lagging behind may provide
other valuable services to the group. The male or males associated with the pride must
defend their relationship to the pride from outside males who attempt to take over (devil
is as a roaring lion that seeks to destroy) their relationship with the pride. Pride
membership only changes with the births and deaths of lionesses and males.

“And of the Gadites there separated themselves unto David into the hold to the
wilderness men of might, and men of war fit for the battle, that could handle shield and
buckler, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as the roes upon the
mountains;” (1 Chronicles 12:8)
“And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of a cherub, and the
second face was the face of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the
face of an eagle.” (Ezekiel 10:14)
“The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion: whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth
against his own soul.” (Proverbs 20:2)
“For thus hath the Lord spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on
his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid
of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the Lord of hosts come
down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof.” (Isaiah 31:4)
“Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan unto the habitation of
the strong: but I will make them suddenly run away from her: and who is a chosen man,
that I may appoint over her? for who is like me? and who will appoint me the time? and
who is that shepherd that will stand before me?” (Jeremiah 50:44)
“They shall walk after the Lord: he shall roar like a lion: when he shall roar, then the
children shall tremble from the west.” (Hosea 11:11)