REVELATION 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.

One of the priests told John not to weep, for ‘the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David’, had conquered to open the book, and to remove the seven seals. The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, is Jesus Christ. Jesus is the ‘Lion of Juda’ in that He is the most prominent one to be born from the tribe of Juda. Paul wrote, “For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda….” (Hebrews 7:14) But not only was Jesus born from the tribe of Juda, of the line of David, Jesus was the ‘Root of David’ in that He was the beginning of David. David came from Him. These two titles when used at the same time reveal the unique attribute of Jesus Christ being both man and God. As man, Jesus was born of the tribe of Judah. As God, Jesus was the beginning of David. John revealed Jesus to be both God and man when he described Him as the Word that ‘was made flesh’: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) While the Pharisees had no difficulty in comprehending Christ to be the Son of David, they just could not comprehend Him to be the Lord of David: “While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? Whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David. 43. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, 44 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? 45. If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? 46 And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.” (Matthew 22:41-46)