Ⅰ
The book of Revelation is a picture of Jesus Christ; the twenty-two chapters of this book are a single portrait portraying and depicting Jesus—1:1-2, 5.
Ⅱ
"Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome"—5:5a:
A
The lion is a symbol of Christ, portraying Him as a strong fighter against the enemy, as revealed in Genesis 49:8-9.
B
Christ's overcoming qualifies Him to open the scroll and its seven seals— Rev. 5:5-10.
C
The title Root of David signifies that Christ is the source of David; therefore, David, His forefather, called Him "Lord"—Matt. 22:42-45.
D
As the Lion of the tribe of Judah, Christ overcame and defeated the rebellious Satan, the enemy of God, and as the redeeming Lamb, He took away the sin of fallen man:
１
By so doing, He removed the hindrances to the fulfillment of God's purpose.
２
The result is that He is worthy to open the scroll concerning God's economy.
Morning Nourishment
Rev. 1:1 The revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave to Him to show to His slaves the things that must quickly take place; and He made it known by signs, sending it by His angel to His slave John.5:5 And one of the elders said to me, 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.
As the Lion of the tribe of Judah [Rev. 5:5], Christ overcame and defeated the rebellious Satan, the enemy of God, and as the redeeming Lamb, He took away the sin of fallen man. By doing so, He removed the hindrances to the fulfillment of God's purpose. Therefore, He is worthy to open the scroll concerning God's economy. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 4235)
Today’s Reading
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.[Revelation is] a single portrait, a “painting” portraying and depicting Jesus…[All the] 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)…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… 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…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…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. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 4226- 4228)
Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msgs. 415, 77