The Lion of the Tribe of Judah has Prevailed Revelation 5:5

John the apostle saw “four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that lives for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne saying, You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for you have created all things, and for your pleasure they are and were created.” John also, “saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book

written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals”, and he continued, “And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book,

neither to look thereon.” In chapter five and verse five of Revelation John shared how, “the Lion of the tribe of Judah...has prevailed to open the book” where we read:

And one of the elders said unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah,

the Root of David, has prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

The verse reads, “And one of the elders said unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, ...” John began with the words, “and one of the elders” which means “a certain one of presbyters, judges or rulers” “said” which means “uttered, proclaimed and declared” “unto me” or “to John”, “weep not” or “do not mourn, lament and bewail”: “behold” which means “look and see”, “the Lion” or “the brave and mighty hero” “of the tribe” which refers to “who belongs to the nation and people” “of Judah” or “the tribe that were the offspring of the son of Jacob whose name means he shall be praised”. John heard one of the “twenty-four elders” tell him not to “lament and bewail” because the One known as “the Lion” from the people of “Judah” was among them.

The verse goes on to say, “... the Root of David, has prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.” John continued with the words, “the Root” which means “the offspring and progeny” “of David” which refers to “the second king of Israel whose name means beloved and is the ancestor of Jesus Christ”, “has prevailed” or “has conquered, carried off the victory and overcome” “to open” which means “unfasten and loose” “the book” which refers to “the written document or scroll”, “and to loose” which means “to untie, dissolve, melt and break” “the seven seals” or “the seven signet seals” “thereof” which means “of the same”. John shared how Jesus, who is “the Root” or “offspring” of “King David”, was victorious and “worthy” to “open the scroll” and “unfasten” the “seven signet seals” upon it.

When we meditate upon John's words in this verse, we discover the encouragement the “elder” gave to him as he recognized Jesus as “the Lion of the tribe of Judah” and “the Root of David” as “worthy” to “open, read and look upon” the “scroll in God's right hand”. Jesus was the only One who was entitled to “unseal” this document, and therefore, John's “weeping” could be done away. God has declared His Son Jesus as the rightful owner of the “deed” to the earth, and everyone who receives Him as their personal “Savior and Lord” shall not only be “saved” but also inherit “everlasting life” with Him. May all who read these words rejoice with John the apostle because Jesus was and is “worthy” to be the “Savior” of the world.

Next time John shares how he saw, “a Lamb as it had been slain”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.