In Revelation 5 the Lion of the tribe of Judah came forth roaring to destroy the enemy, but the way by which He did it, was by being the lamb that was slain, enabling Him to open the scroll. In Hebrews 5 it is written about God taking away the first (the dispensation of the Law and everything pertaining to it) and to establish the second (a new city, priesthood and temple). Jesus said that after the cross He would be seen, sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven – clouds of judgment. In the book of Daniel, Daniel‘s interpretation of king Nebuchadnezzar’s dream was as follows: he saw that the statue had a head of gold (Babylon), a torso of silver (Mede and Persian empire), a waist of bronze (Grecian Empire), legs of iron and feet of a mixture of iron and clay (Roman Empire). A stone came and destroyed all these kingdoms. In a dream Daniel had, he saw beasts coming out of the sea (the sea being symbolic of nations) – a lion (Babylon), a bear (Mede and Persians), a leopard (Greece), and a terrible beast with iron teeth (Rome). God was saying that He would be ruling Israel with a rod of iron through Rome. Daniel then saw a vision of the Ancient of Days sitting, judgment being set and the books being opened. This judgment is on the nations being portrayed by the different parts of the statue and the beasts. They would be broken and their power taken away at the time of the cross (the stone), when the first is taken away and the second established. The spirit of the anti-Christ was the ruling and driving force throughout all those successive kingdoms, and still is today in the nations of the earth. Daniel then saw a glorious, everlasting and indestructible Kingdom being given unto the Son of Man. When Jesus came, it was the end of sin, iniquity and transgression and the start of everlasting righteousness, the anointing of the new holy temple. The seals being opened by the Lamb in the book of Revelation was portraying the same of that which Daniel saw, that is, judgement upon Israel. The seals were the judgment upon the people (Daniel’s people – Israel), the trumpet was the judgment upon the city and the vials of plagues upon the temple. The vision of Daniel and the vision of John is connected because John saw the same beasts (kingdoms) arising – energised by satan. The false prophet being Israel, because their priesthood spoke lies in comparison with Jesus who spoke truth, at the same time Israel also being the whore sitting on the beast with iron teeth (a dragon energised by satan – Rome). God has got a record of every evil deed done by every nation and organization and unless there is repentance and acceptance of Jesus, judgment will be invoked for these deeds, but the Saints of the Most High are blameless, judgment having been made in our favour on the cross of Jesus. We have received an everlasting Kingdom, dominion and authority. God has got the whole world in His hands!
