Who is Jesus? Advent Day 12: Lion of Judah

The Lion of Judah is the triumphant King Jesus who has conquered Every. Single. Enemy. In the end, every enemy is conquered. Every enemy attack is canceled. Every enemy against the people of God is completely and totally conquered. Everything that has ever come against your mind, your health, your family, your destiny, your identity, it’s all conquered in the end by the Lion of Judah and the Lord’s reign will be in full effect for all of eternity.

And you who are God’s people are mentioned as well! What the Bible says about the Lion of Judah and the people who are His is mind blowing! Just like the other names of Jesus, this one first appears in Old Testament prophecy, and is then fulfilled in Christ, and will be brought to completion at Christ’s return.

Jesus as the Lion who Rules from Judah is first mentioned in the blessing that Jacob speaks to his son Judah. Jacob is the son of Isaac, who was the son of Abraham, the one from whom the Israel nation would come.

Jacob had 12 sons who would become the 12 tribes of Israel. When Jacob was near the end of his life, he brought all 12 sons together to bless them. There is power and life and death in the tongue. Jacob speaks to his first three sons and the blessing is actually quite the opposite. He has harsh words for them and gives them what sounds more like discipline.But then he gets to Judah, and the blessing flows forth.

Judah is the first son to be blessed, and the blessing states that the Sceptor will never depart from him. The ruler’s staff will continue through his descendants until it ends with the coming of the One to whom it belongs, the One whom all nations will honor and obey. (summary from Genesis)
That’s the promise of Jesus right there in Genesis 49!

Later, the lineage of Jesus is detailed in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, Matthew’s and Luke’s accounts trace Jesus’s lineage back to the tribe of Judah, which is the line of Kings! This is the same tribe from which King David and King Solomon would reign. Judah’s family line was blessed and prophesied to be the line that would continually rule and reign. Yet, multiple times in history, the rule was taken from Israel, and they had no king.

Jesus was born during one of those times. Israel had been taken into Babylonian captivity centuries earlier, and they were waiting for the Messiah and Royal King to save them and rule again. They were waiting for an earthly government and king, but when Jesus showed up, He established an eternal Kingdom. The Lord’s Word always gets the FINAL SAY! Through Jacob’s blessing, the Lord said that Judah would always rule, and even though there was a time when it looked like that rule had ended, God had a restorative plan in motion. God would put Jesus on the throne and redeem what appeared lost.

If you’ve had a promise spoken into your life that appears as if it can’t come to pass because of circumstance, this name of Christ, the Lion of Judah, shows that even when all hope is lost, God still has a plan of redemption. Jesus recovered the throne, and He will rule forever and ever! The following line in the blessing says that the ruler will have wine or the blood of grapes on His robe.

Fast forward to revelation, and we see this ruler emerge on a white horse. He judges fairly and righteously. He has allowed people to turn to the Lord, repent, and accept His promises. He has given sign after sign. He has been merciful, kind, and patient. He has come in human form, He healed His people, He taught patiently, and died for humanity to be washed clean. He has sent His own Spirit to guide those who are waiting patiently for His return.

He will come again to conquer and completely restore what was lost at the fall of man. Ultimately, every foe of the Lord is either drawn in by His love, repents, and becomes His beloved child OR is conquered and judged.

We get to pick the side we want to be on. In the end, The final ruler and King conquers all and has blood on His robe; this fulfills the blessing given to Judah! The Lion of Judah returns in fullness to rule without end. Look at His title in Revelation 19, The Word of God. The Word of God spoke the whole world into existence, and the Word of God will redeem it completely!

At the beginning of creation, the Lord called His creation of man “Very Good.” No Word of God will ever return void. The Lord made a way for His fallen creation to be made “Very Good” again.

In Revelation, the scripture says that the armies of the Lord will be dressed in full white, riding on white horses, and following behind Him. Those in the army are those who trusted in the Lord. He has redeemed humanity and given them authority again, just as they had in the garden.

Dear Lord,
Thank You that You always keep Your promises. You spoke a word in Genesis that comes into fullness in Revelation. You are a promise-keeper and a way-maker. I trust you afresh today to fight my battles and to be Lord over every area of my life. You are the Lion of Judah who was, and is, and is to come. I desire to follow even more closely than ever before.
In Jesus’s name, Amen.