The Lamb and the Lion: The Testimony and Revelation of Jesus Christ in the Writings of John
Eric D. Huntsman, Religion

John 1:29, early in the gospel of John, establishes the imagery of Jesus and “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world,” both explicitly associating Jesus with the Passover sacrifice, whose blood caused the angel of death to pass over the firstborn of Israel, and marking Him as the Savior who would save man from sin. This imagery resumes and comes to fruition in the Passion narrative of John 18:1-19:42. In Revelation 5:5-6, however, the Lamb that was slain is also described as the Lion of Judah, the only one able to open the seals which unlock history. In the subsequent narrative of Revelation, Jesus is portrayed not as much as Savior as He is righteous Judge.

John’s unique insight into the divine nature of Jesus leads him to present readers with different details regarding the pivotal events of the Lord’s mortal ministry as well as powerful prophecies regarding His role in the winding-up scenes of the earth’s history. His testimony thus strengthens believers’ testimony that Jesus was the divine Son of God and helps us better appreciate both Christ’s atoning sacrifice and the fact that He will, in fact, return to destroy the wicked and save His saints.