Christ has Conquered and is Lord Forever
Weep not; lo, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered. (Revelation 5:5)
Rev. 5:1-5, 17:14; Isa. 63:1, Matt. 28:18; John 1:29, 17:2; Rom. 1:4, 8:37-39; I Cor. 15:24; Phil. 2:8-11
What Is God Saying?
The Book of Revelation is hard to understand, and so this book, rich with hope and promise, has given rise to a swarm of conflicting interpretations. One thing is clear: Jesus Christ, as both a powerful Li0n and sacrificial Lamb, will win the final victory. In John’s time, writing was done on scrolls, strips of papyrus or vellum, up to thirty feet long, sealed with wax. The scroll John sees in his vision has seven seals, emphasizing the importance of the contents of this scroll. No one is worthy to open or break the seals of this scroll. No one is worthy of telling the future or governing the future; no one, except One, the very Christ Who conquered in Gethsemane; Who gave that word of triumph on the cross, ‘It is finished’; Who rose from the dead to conquer death and sin and hell. He is the powerful Lion of Judah, and He is the suffering Lamb of God. He is the One God highly exalted and to whom He has given a name above every name. He is the One before whom ‘every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that he is Lord to the glory of God the Father’ (Phil. 2:9-11).
How Does This Apply To Us?
Christians claim Him as Lord now who will be Lord forever. For that reason, we do not sorrow as the lost or weep as if defeated, for the mighty Lion of Judah who ‘has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel’ (II Tim. 1:10) is our conquering Lord. Far from weeping in discouragement and holding back in fear and defeat, we are strengthened in hand and heart by the knowledge that the ultimate conquest belongs to the Lamb of God. Since He is ours, victory is ours. This is joyful news. This is strength when we are weary. This holds us together when everything around us is falling apart. This is light when the world grows dark. This is peace when all about us are bewildering unrest and moral confusion. ‘In all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us’ (Rom. 8:37). Let us live as if this were true. For, indeed, it is.
Pray With Me
O conquering Christ, tears born of hopelessness, and sighs that rise from despair have no place in the lives of those who believe and follow You. To admit defeat to myself and to show my lack of confidence to others is to do injustice to my loving and powerful Lord. Let the vision of Your ultimate conquest strengthen my hands in every present undertaking. However poor may seem to be my progress now, I am joined to One who has conquered, and mine is a share of that victory. Let the knowledge that You have conquered keep me faithfully at the post of duty, even when it seems to be a hard and lonely assignment. Let the joyful news of Your final and sweeping victory keep me steadfast in every trial, calm in every crisis, rejoicing in every tribulation. ‘Weep not; lo, [he] has conquered.’
Even now, O Christ, in Your power to subdue all things unto Yourself, conquer my heart. Bring all my thoughts into captivity to Your sovereign will. Then all tears of sorrow and disappointment, all weeping because of defeat, all that makes the heart miserable and the spirit depressed will be removed in the light of Your glory and grace. “Weep not; lo, [he] has conquered!”
So be it, Lord Jesus, and to Your name be the praise of this grateful heart. Amen.
Moving On In The Life of Prayer
Nothing gives us more confidence than prayer, and nothing gives us more confidence in prayer than knowing we approach One who is almighty and all-loving. He wants us always to share in His victory. He welcomes us to the winning side. Whenever we pray, whether it be about a decision we need to make, a problem we need to solve, a temptation we need to overcome, or a sorrow we need to bear, remember, ‘Weep not ... he has conquered.’
