THE TALE OF 2 LIONS
BY: ELISABETH C. TUNSTALL
PROLOGUE
This is a series called “Opposing Forces: the War Between Good & Evil.” Together, me, Brother Andre, Brother Tony and Brother Mark will examine various symbols that represent both God and Satan including the lion, serpent, wolf and the bear. Since the beginning, Satan has opposed everything that God does. God promotes the laws. Satan promotes sin. God is the Father of truth. Satan is the father of lies. God brings forth life. The devil brings forth death. As soldiers of Christ, it is important that we keep ourselves fully abreast on who God is and who our enemy, the devil is. By doing so, we are ready to gain victory over sin and death, just as Christ did. Today we will start with “The Tale of Two Lions.” Let us begin.
THE LION
The lion… he is regal, fierce, powerful and strong. He is the proverbial king of beasts. This fascinating creature was created on the 6th day. A lion is a large cat of the genus Panthera, native to Africa and India. It is a well-muscled cat with a long body, large head, and short legs that is second in size only to the tiger. Size varies considerably amongst the sexes.
KEY FACTS
For example, a full grown male can grow up to 10 feet long and have a 2 to 3 foot tail. They stand at about 4 feet tall at the shoulder and can weigh up to 500 lbs. The male has the distinctive characteristic of it’s beautiful mane lending to its majestic appearance. The female is of course smaller and does not have a mane. She grows to lengths of up to 9 feet and weighs between 265 to 395 lbs. The lion has a short coat of hair that can be buff yellow, orange-brown or silvery gray to dark brown. They live in various habitats but are particular to the grasslands, savanna, dense scrub and open woodland.
KEY FACTS
Lions are the world's most social of felines, living in groups of related females, called prides. These prides comprise several to as many as 40 individuals, including adults, subadults (between the ages of 2 and 4) and cubs, in addition to one or more resident males.
KEY FACTS
Lion’s voices are very powerful and strong. When they roar they can be heard up to 5 miles away and are nearly as loud as thunder.
APEX PREDATOR
It is an apex predator, which means it has no natural predator. Lions are carnivores, meaning they only eat meat. Some of their prey may include birds, hares, turtles, mice, lizards, wild hogs, wild dogs, antelopes, cheetahs, buffaloes, leopards, crocodiles, baby elephants, rhinoceros, hippopotamuses, and surprisingly, tall giraffes! They do much of their hunting at night because their eyes are adapted to the dark and this gives them an advantage over their prey. They are also known to hunt during storms because the rain or wind makes it harder for prey to see and/or hear.
APEX PREDATOR
Given the lion is one of the most powerful beasts that exist, it is no surprise it is an apex predator. They can climb up trees and and run at 50 miles per hour, making it extremely difficult to escape them. A lion’s teeth and claws serve as sharp and lethal weapons that can tear and crush their prey.
LION: SYMBOL OF GOD & SATAN
As with a much of God’s creation, the lion serves as a symbol of God, in particular, Jesus Christ. He is the Lion of Judah. Revelations 5: 5, “And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.” But his opposing force, Satan, also has the symbol of the lion. I Peter 5: 8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” So let us delve further into the symbol of the lion, on the side of good and evil.
LION GOES ROGUE
Satan was once Lucifer, an angel, the son of the morning. In Isaiah 14: 12, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!” How did Lucifer become Satan? The bible does not give in depth details on this but what it does say was that there was a war in heaven. Lucifer was envious and started an insurrection against Christ.
LION GOES ROGUE
Lets’s read in Revelations 12: 7-10, “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.”
LION GOES ROGUE
Now in this scripture you can see Satan was depicted as a dragon and serpent. The devil has many symbols. But for this lesson, he can also be described as a lion that went rogue. What does that mean? A rogue animal is wild, dangerous and uncontrollable, refusing to conform to the rest of the group or its natural order. For example, a rogue lion will separate from the pride, hunt outside its territory, become overly aggressive and even hunt humans, which is not the typical norm. These type of animals are a danger to society and often need to be euthanized.
LION GOES ROGUE
Lucifer was an angel that went against the natural order of heaven, refusing to submit to the authority of God as well as his laws. So he led a group of angels and caused a revolt in heaven. Ultimately, Lucifer became Satan, lost his glory and was kicked out of heaven with the rest of the angels that joined forces with him.
LION GOES ROGUE
What is the result of this war?
Satan and these other evil forces are now down on this earth preying upon the human race. Satan is an excellent hunter, just like a lion. Recall the lion often hunts at night when their prey are less likely to see them. This is indicative of Satan catching us when we least expect it and when our guard is down. That is why we must always be alert and use the word of God as our armor to shield us from Satan’s attack.
EPHESIANS 6: 12-17
"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:”
LION GOES ROGUE
The lion also hunts during turbulent weather when their prey are not able to see or hear as well. This turbulent weather represents the trials and tribulations that we go through that may weaken or distract us. If we are not careful, Satan will attack us and cause us to fall during this weakened state. Instead, we must use these afflictions as a means to grow our faith and to gain experience in the Lord, thereby becoming more seasoned and strengthened in the truth. James 1: 2-4, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”
LION OF JUDAH
Though Satan preys upon us, we have an advocate in Jesus Christ. Why is he called the Lion of Judah? When Christ was born on this earth, he came through the lineage of Judah (Matthew 1: 1-16). The scriptures also teaches us that when Jacob blessed his 12 sons, Judah was likened to a lion’s whelp. Genesis 49: 9-10, “Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.” You see Judah was the tribe of kings. So it was important that Christ came through this tribe because he is King of Kings and Lord of Lords and his kingdom shall always reign.
LION OF JUDAH
And as our great King, he has and will continue to fight for all of his children and not one of us will be lost. John 6: 38-40, "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
LION OF JUDAH
During the first coming of Christ, he came to us as a lowly and meek lamb, prepared to be sacrificed.
But for the second coming, he will come as a Lion, defending his pride and rendering judgement to Satan and this entire wicked world. He too will hunt in the night, catching this world off guard. 2 Peter 3: 10, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.”
LION OF JUDAH
Recall the power and agile speed of the lion. Now consider his sharp claws and teeth. This is a testament to how quick and sharp God’s word is. And it will destroy all those who are in it’s path that do not obey. Hebrews 4: 12, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
LION OF JUDAH
The voice of God is very powerful and loud, commanding attention just like a lion. When he speaks he is said to be as loud as thunder, which will put fear in all the people of this world.
Revelations 14: 2, “And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:”
LION OF JUDAH
No one will be able to escape the judgement of Christ. Measure by measure he will destroy this world, the wicked and all that they hold dear, including their governments and systems, their wealth, their buildings and monuments. He will destroy Satan and finally the last enemy, that of death. All that is evil, will be placed under the feet of Christ and he will claim victory, sitting on the right side of God the Father. Psalms 110: 1-2, “The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.”
IN CLOSING
What we must remember is this, we are a part of the pride of the Lion of Judah so long as we submit to his authority and obey his word. And though Satan, the rogue lion, lays in wait to strike at any moment, Christ’s power and protection far surpasses any tactics the devil might have. The Lion of Judah will defeat the rogue lion once and for all with good overcoming the forces of evil forevermore. May God be with you all. Amen.
