The Lion of Judah

December 13, 2021 Scripture: Genesis 49:8-10; Revelation 5:5-6

JESUS = The Beginning and The End. It makes little sense to talk about Jesus as The Lamb of God without mentioning that he is also The Lion of Judah. It's well known that Jesus is the Lion of Judah because his lineage tells us he came out of the tribe of Judah and the tribe of Judah was assigned by God the symbol of the lion (Genesis 49:9). Jesus, the Messiah, is from the bloodline of King David, just as the Old Testament predicts. Genesis 49:10 says:

"The scepter will not depart from Judah,

nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,

until he to whom it belongs shall come

and the obedience of the nations shall be his." While The Lamb of God came to offer himself as a living sacrifice for each one of us, The Lion of Judah is yet to come. He will come as the righteous judge--just as the Bible tells us. (Acts 17:30-31; John 5:22; Revelation 19:11). There was no reason for Jesus to have come as the sacrificial lamb if he did not have intentions of coming back as the righteous lion. Did you know there are exactly 6 things The Word of God explicitly tells us not to be ignorant of? One of those things is concerning the rapture of the church. It is our responsibility to study about these days which are prophesied about in the Bible even more than Jesus' first coming.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18: "But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words." For those with a curious mind: the other 5 not be ignorant of are found here: (1 Cor. 12:1; 2 Cor. 2:11; Rom.11:25; 2 Pet. 3:8; 1 Cor. 10:1) And if these prophetic scriptures make little sense, be encouraged! They are for many of us-- myself included. Look to those who have been preaching the topic for decades and know the entire Bible well. Many of the Pastors mentioned a few days ago have excellent online resources to help aid in understanding. Don't give up! Don't be ignorant! Within the last two decades, the book of Revelation has (widely) been thrown out the window. What a dangerous and prideful thing to do! In the first chapter and the third verse of this book, it says the reader and the hearer of Revelation will be blessed. I will be praying we crave biblical knowledge rather than ignorance in these strangely alarming days. Even without having Biblical knowledge, anyone can see and feel a massive shift lately. So what are the signs of the last days? Like birthing pains, the signs will converge and grow in intensity increasingly. Here are the signs of the last days (7 year Tribulation) according to the Bible:

- Disregard for God's authority - Decrease of love (Matthew 24:12) - Wars and rumors of wars (Matthew 24:6-7) - Earthquakes, famines & pestilence/pandemic (Luke 21:11) - Violence (Matthew 24:37 & Genesis 6:5-11) - Sexual immorality (Jude 1:7; 1:18 & Revelation 21:8) - Self centeredness (2 Timothy 3:1-5) - Easily offended; cancel culture (Matthew 24:10) - False Gospel (2 Timothy 4:3-5) - False miracles (Matthew 24:24) - Spiritism (1 Timothy 4:1-2) - Mocking the soon coming (2 Peter 3:3-4) - Persecution (Matthew 24:9) - Global movement of God preached everywhere (Matthew 24:14)

*Those with a personal relationship with Jesus will be snatched-up/raptured and spared from judgement. (1 Thess. 4:16-18) In times like these, where do you place your hope? What or who do you hope for? My prayer today is that we will tangibly feel the peace John spoke of in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” Also praying that we have courage to share this beacon of hope and peace with those around us.

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