4 I heard how many were sealed: 144,000. Those who were sealed were from every tribe of the people of Israel: 5 12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed, 12,000 from the tribe of Reuben, 12,000 from the tribe of Gad, 6 12,000 from the tribe of Asher, 12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh, 7 12,000 from the tribe of Simeon, 12,000 from the tribe of Levi, 12,000 from the tribe of Issachar, 8 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000 from the tribe of Joseph, 12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed.

God's People around His Throne in Heaven 9 After these things I saw a large crowd from every nation, tribe, people, and language. No one was able to count how many people there were. They were standing in front of the throne and the lamb. They were wearing white robes, holding palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out in a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the lamb!"

11 All the angels stood around the throne with the leaders and the four living creatures. They bowed in front of the throne with their faces touching the ground, worshiped God, 12 and said, "Amen! Praise, glory, wisdom, thanks, honor, power, and strength be to our God forever and ever! Amen!"

13 One of the leaders asked me, "Who are these people wearing white robes, and where did they come from?"

14 I answered him, "Sir, you know."

Then he told me, "These are the people who are coming out of the terrible suffering.

They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb.

15 That is why they are in front of the throne of God.

They serve him day and night in his temple.

The one who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them.

16 They will never be hungry or thirsty again.

Neither the sun nor any burning heat will ever overcome them.

17 The lamb in the center near the throne will be their shepherd.

He will lead them to springs filled with the water of life, and God will wipe every tear from their eyes."

LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH.

Today lions can be found in sub-Saharan Africa and in northwest India. But in biblical times, lions also roamed the region of the world now comprised of Israel, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Greece, and Turkey. From ancient times, their images have graced thrones, palaces, gates, and temples, including the temple in Jerusalem. First Kings indicates that King Solomon's throne was adorned with twelve lions, symbolizing his greatness and power.

Throughout the Bible, the lion appears as a symbol of might, and it is hardly surprising that Israel's enemies are sometimes depicted as lions. In the New Testament, Peter calls the devil a roaring lion and warns believers that he is constantly on the prowl, looking for someone to devour.

Though lions are sometimes a symbol of evil, they are also used as symbols of God's people. Near the end of his life, the patriarch Jacob prayed a blessing over his twelve sons. When it came time to bless Judah, he compared him to a lion-hence the phrase "the Lion of the Tribe of Judah" (Aryeh Lammatteh Yehudah in Hebrew, pronounced ar-YEH la-mat-TEH ye-hou-DAH). Jacob's prediction that the scepter would not depart from Judah has been traditionally applied to the Messiah.

In the Hebrew Scriptures, Yahweh is sometimes depicted as a lion who roars in judgment against the nations and against his own faithless people. But he is also depicted as a mighty lion who fights fiercely on behalf of his people.

The book of Revelation (named in part for what it reveals about Christ) portrays the risen Jesus as the only one worthy to open the scroll, meaning that he is in charge of history and of how the world's destiny unfolds. The apostle John perceived Jesus as both Lion and Lamb, who through his death and resurrection becomes the ultimate victor and conqueror.

Praying to the Lion of the Tribe of Judah I like to win-I admit it. When I was a child, I used to pray to win the game of Monopoly, and I remember crying more than once when I didn't. This drive to win is part of being human. To some degree, it's a drive to have power over our circumstances, to come out on top rather than on the bottom.

Little wonder that ancient kings often employed the image of a lion to signify their royal might. It was a powerful image, conveying their ability to win victories over their enemies.

Jesus is spoken of as a Lion, but only once in the Scriptures, in the book of Revelation where he is called the "Lion of the Tribe of Judah." But he is a lion like no other. Two sentences later, he is depicted as a Lamb who has been slain. But why put these disparate images together?

It is because Jesus' way of winning the victory is so unusual, so counter to our own strategies for winning anything. Stripped of his garments, nailed to a cross, he must have appeared as anything but lionlike. But three days later he roared back to life, triumphing over death itself.

This is the God we worship-a God who is both lamb and lion, who wins every victory, often in surprising ways. He is the one who watches over us with his fierce protecting love.

Lord, you truly are the Lion of Judah, the mightiest of all. I bow before you, worshiping at your throne, for you are King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Promises Associated with the Name LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH.

The rage of a king is like the roar of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass. (Proverbs 19:12) Yahweh will roar from Zion, and his voice will thunder from Jerusalem. The sky and the earth will shake. Yahweh will be a Machseh for his people. He will be a stong hold for the people of Israel. (Joel 3:16) I cried bitterly because no one was found who deserved to open the scroll or look inside it. Then one of the leaders said to me, "Stop crying! The Lion from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has won the victory. He can open the scroll and the seven seals on it." (Revelation 5:4-5)

The Lamb Opens the Seventh Seal 8 1 When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

Seven Angels with Seven Trumpets 2 Then I saw the seven angels who stand in God's presence, and they were given seven trumpets. 3 Another angel came with a gold incense burner and stood at the altar. He was given a lot of incense to offer on the gold altar in front of the throne. He offered it with the prayers of all of God's people. 4 The smoke from the incense went up from the angel's hand to God along with the prayers of God's people. 5 The angel took the incense burner, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it on the earth. Then there was thunder, noise, lightning, and an earthquake.

6 The seven angels who had the seven trumpets got ready to blow them.

The First Four Angels Blow Their Trumpets 7 When the first angel blew his trumpet, hail and fire were mixed with blood, and were thrown on the earth. One-third of the earth was burned up, one-third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

8 When the second angel blew his trumpet, something like a huge mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea. One-third of the sea turned into blood, 9 one-third of the creatures that were living in the sea died, and one-third of the ships were destroyed.

10 When the third angel blew his trumpet, a huge star flaming like a torch fell from the sky. It fell on one-third of the rivers and on the springs. 11 That star was named Wormwood. One-third of the water turned into wormwood, and many people died from this water because it had turned bitter.

12 When the fourth angel blew his trumpet, one-third of the sun, one-third of the moon, and one-third of the stars were struck so that one-third of them turned dark. There was no light for one-third of the day and one-third of the night.

13 I saw an eagle flying overhead, and I heard it say in a loud voice, "Catastrophe, catastrophe, catastrophe for those living on earth, because of the remaining trumpet blasts which the three angels are about to blow."

The Fifth and Sixth Angels Blow Their Trumpets 9 1 When the fifth angel blew his trumpet, I saw a star that had fallen to earth from the sky. The star was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. 2 It opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and smoke came out of the shaft like the smoke from a large furnace. The smoke darkened the sun and the air. 3 Locusts came out of the smoke onto the earth, and they were given power like the power of earthly scorpions. 4 They were told not to harm any grass, green plant, or tree on the earth. They could harm only the people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were not allowed to kill them. They were only allowed to torture them for five months. Their torture was like the pain of a scorpion's sting. 6 At that time people will look for death and never find it. They will long to die, but death will escape them.

7 The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. They seemed to have crowns that looked like gold on their heads. Their faces were like human faces. 8 They had hair like women's hair and teeth like lions' teeth. 9 They had breastplates like iron. The noise from their wings was like the roar of chariots with many horses rushing into battle. 10 They had tails and stingers like scorpions. They had the power to hurt people with their tails for five months. 11 The king who ruled them was the angel from the bottomless pit. In Hebrew he is called Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon.

12 The first catastrophe is over. After these things there are two more catastrophes yet to come.

13 When the sixth angel blew his trumpet, I heard a voice from the four horns of the gold altar in front of God. 14 The voice said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are held at the great Euphrates River." 15 The four angels who were ready for that hour, day, month, and year were released to kill one-third of humanity. 16 The soldiers on horses numbered 20,000 times 10,000. I heard how many there were.

17 In the vision that I had, the horses and their riders looked like this: The riders had breastplates that were fiery red, pale blue, and yellow. The horses had heads like lions. Fire, smoke, and sulfur came out of their mouths. 18 These three plagues-the fire, smoke, and sulfur which came out of their mouths-killed one-third of humanity. 19 The power of these horses is in their mouths and their tails. (Their tails have heads like snakes which they use to hurt people.) 20 The people who survived these plagues still did not turn to me and change the way they were thinking and acting. If they had, they would have stopped worshiping demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see, hear, or walk. 21 They did not turn away from committing murder, practicing witchcraft, sinning sexually, or stealing.

LAMB, LAMB OF GOD.

Though one of the tenderest images of Christ in the New Testament, the phrase "Lamb of God" would have conjured far more disturbing pictures to those who heard John the Baptist hail Jesus with these words. Hadn't many of them carried their own lambs to the altar and watched the bloody sacrifice?

The lamb was in fact the principal animal of sacrifice, and two were offered each day-one in the morning and one in the evening (Numbers 28:1-8). The offering was doubled on the Sabbath. Lambs (or other animals) were also sacrificed on the first day of the new month and on such feasts as Passover, Pentecost, Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles. Lambs were also offered in cleansing ceremonies after a woman gave birth and after the healing of a leper.

To the Jewish people, the lamb represented innocence and gentleness. Because the sacrifice was meant to represent the purity of intention of the person or people who offered it, lambs had to be without physical blemish.

The New Testament uses two Greek words for Christ as "Lamb" or "Lamb of God": Arnion and Amnos Tou Theou. The phrase "Lamb of God" is found only in John's Gospel, though Jesus is often referred to as "the Lamb" in the book of Revelation, where he is portrayed as the Lamb who, though slain, yet lives and reigns victorious. The New Testament also refers to Christ's followers as lambs.

By AD 70 animal sacrifices could no longer be offered, because the temple was destroyed by the Romans.

Praying to the Lamb of God Imagine that you own a small flock of sheep. You have to choose one of the lambs, the most beautiful among them, your favorite, in fact. As you lift him, holding him snugly against your chest, you sense his naivete as he rests calmly in your arms, unaware of your intent. But you know exactly what you are going to do. Step-by-step you carry him, closer to his death, entering the temple courts, where he will be slaughtered with thousands of lambs for the Passover meal. You do the deed yourself, while a priest holds a bowl beneath your slaughtered lamb to catch the blood flowing out. There are many priests with many bowls, each of silver or gold, standing in a great line, passing the bowls along until they reach the last priest, who empties each, pouring the blood on the altar. As a sacrifice. For you, your wife, and your children, and for all who will eat the Passover meal with you.

This is the first time you have had to do this, but it will not be the last. You will do it again next year and the year after that. An innocent lamb will take your place, over and over and over.

Now imagine that some time has passed. You have celebrated many Passovers. There is talk of a great prophet, a man who has lived for many years in the desert and who is not afraid to speak plainly. So you go down to the Jordan River where John is baptizing, and as his thunderous words roll on, piercing your heart, you notice a stranger approaching. He looks like a Galilean. As soon as John lays eyes on the man, he begins to shout: "Look! This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. . ."

What can this mean, to call a living man the Lamb of God? It sounds appalling. You remember the cries of the thousands upon thousands of innocent animals slaughtered in the temple courts at Passover, their blood poured out on the altar. It will be some time before you understand exactly what John is saying.

Jesus, how can I thank you for what you have done, laying down your life so that I may live? I worship you, Lord, the great and holy Lamb of God.

Promises Associated with the Name LAMB, LAMB OF GOD.

They will never be hungry or thirsty again. Neither the sun nor any burning heat will ever overcome them. The lamb in the center near the throne will be their shepherd. He will lead them to springs filled with the water of life, and God will wipe every tear from their eyes. (Revelation 7:16-17) Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation, power, kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah have come. The one accusing our brothers and sisters, the one accusing them day and night in the presence of our God, has been thrown out. They won the victory over him because of the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony." (Revelation 12:10-11)

John Eats a Small Scroll 10 1 I saw another powerful angel come down from heaven. He was dressed in a cloud, and there was a rainbow over his head. His face was like the sun, and his feet were like columns of fire. 2 He held a small, opened scroll in his hand. He set his right foot on the sea and his left on the land. 3 Then he shouted in a loud voice as a lion roars. When he shouted, the seven thunders spoke with voices of their own. 4 When the seven thunders spoke, I was going to write it down. I heard a voice from heaven say, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and don't write it down."

5 The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. 6 He swore an oath by the one who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and everything in it, the earth and everything in it, and the sea and everything in it. He said, "There will be no more delay. 7 In the days when the seventh angel is ready to blow his trumpet, the mystery of God will be completed, as he had made this Good News known to his servants, the prophets." 8 The voice which I had heard from heaven spoke to me again. It said, "Take the opened scroll from the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land." 9 I went to the angel and asked him to give me the small scroll. He said to me, "Take it and eat it. It will be bitter in your stomach, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth."

10 I took the small scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, it was bitter in my stomach. 11 The seven thunders told me, "Again you must speak what God has revealed in front of many people, nations, languages, and kings."

God's Two Witnesses 11 1 Then I was given a stick like a measuring stick. I was told, "Stand up and measure the temple of God and the altar. Count those who worship there. 2 But do not measure the temple courtyard. Leave that out, because it is given to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for 42 months. 3 I will allow my two witnesses who wear sackcloth to speak what God has revealed. They will speak for 1,260 days."

4 These witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lamp stands standing in the presence of the Lord of the earth. 5 If anyone wants to hurt them, fire comes out of the witnesses' mouths and burns up their enemies. If anyone wants to hurt them, he must be killed the same way. 6 These witnesses have authority to shut the sky in order to keep rain from falling during the time they speak what God has revealed. They have authority to turn water into blood and to strike the earth with any plague as often as they want.

7 When the witnesses finish their testimony, the beast which comes from the bottomless pit will fight them, conquer them, and kill them. 8 Their dead bodies will lie on the street of the important city where their Lord was crucified. The spiritual names of that city are Sodom and Egypt. 9 For 3 days some members of the people, tribes, languages, and nations will look at the witnesses' dead bodies and will not allow anyone to bury them. 10 Those living on earth will gloat over the witnesses' death. They will celebrate and send gifts to each other because these two prophets had tormented those living on earth.

11 After 3 days the breath of life from God entered the two witnesses, and they stood on their feet. Great fear fell on those who watched them. 12 The witnesses heard a loud voice from heaven calling to them, "Come up here." They went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. 13 At that moment a powerful earthquake struck. One-tenth of the city collapsed, 7,000 people were killed by the earthquake, and the rest were terrified. They gave glory to the God of heaven.

14 The second catastrophe is over. The third catastrophe will soon be here.

15 When the seventh angel blew his trumpet, there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will rule as king forever and ever."

16 Then the 24 leaders, who were sitting on their thrones in God's presence, immediately bowed, worshiped God, 17 and said, "We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun ruling as king.

18 "The nations were angry, but your anger has come.

The time has come for the dead to be judged: to reward your servants, the prophets, your holy people, and those who fear your name, no matter if they are important or unimportant, and to destroy those who destroy the earth."

19 God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his promise was seen inside his temple. There was lightning, noise, thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

Two Signs 12 1 A spectacular sign appeared in the sky: There was a woman who was dressed in the sun, who had the moon under her feet and a crown of 12 stars on her head. 2 She was pregnant. She cried out from labor pains and the agony of giving birth.

3 Another sign appeared in the sky: a huge fiery red serpent with seven heads, ten horns, and seven crowns on its heads. 4 Its tail swept away one-third of the stars in the sky and threw them down to earth. The serpent stood in front of the woman who was going to give birth so that it could devour her child when it was born. 5 She gave birth to a son, a boy, who is to rule all the nations with an iron scepter. Her child was snatched away and taken to God and to his throne. 6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness where God had prepared a place for her so that she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.

7 Then a war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels had to fight a war with the serpent. The serpent and its angels fought. 8 But it was not strong enough, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 The huge serpent was thrown down. That ancient snake, named Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world, was thrown down to earth. Its angels were thrown down with it.

10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation, power, kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah have come.

The one accusing our brothers and sisters, the one accusing them day and night in the presence of our God, has been thrown out.

11 They won the victory over him because of the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony.

They didn't love their life so much that they refused to give it up.

12 Be glad for this reason, heavens and those who live in them.

How horrible it is for the earth and the sea because the Devil has come down to them with fierce anger, knowing that he has little time left."

13 When the serpent saw that it had been thrown down to earth, it persecuted the woman who had given birth to the boy. 14 The woman was given the two wings of the large eagle in order to fly away from the snake to her place in the wilderness, where she could be taken care of for a time, times, and half a time. 15 The snake's mouth poured out a river of water behind the woman in order to sweep her away. 16 The earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river which had poured out of the serpent's mouth. 17 The serpent became angry with the woman. So it went away to fight with her other children, the ones who keep God's commands and hold on to the testimony of Yeshua .

18 The serpent stood on the sandy shore of the sea.a The Beast from the Sea 13 1 I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns, seven heads, and ten crowns on its horns. There were insulting names on its heads. 2 The beast that I saw was like a leopard. Its feet were like bear's feet. Its mouth was like a lion's mouth. The serpent gave its power, kingdom, and far-reaching authority to the beast. 3 One of the beast's heads looked like it had a fatal wound, but its fatal wound was healed.

All the people of the world were amazed and followed the beast. 4 They worshiped the serpent because it had given authority to the beast. They also worshiped the beast and said, "Who is like the beast? Who can fight a war with it?" 5 The beast was allowed to speak arrogant and insulting things. It was given authority to act for 42 months. 6 It opened its mouth to insult God, to insult his name and his tent-those who are living in heaven. 7 It was allowed to wage war against God's holy people and to conquer them. It was also given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation. 8 Everyone living on earth will worship it, everyone whose name is not written in the Book of Life. That book belongs to the lamb who was slaughtered before the creation of the world.

9 If anyone has ears, let him listen: 10 If anyone is taken prisoner, he must go to prison.