Let’s read Revelation 5:5, “But one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals’” (NKJV). Here is one of the many verses that prove that Jesus was a KING. He came through the Royal tribe of Judah and the Royal family of David. We often refer to the “lion” as the “King of Beasts,” for its STRENGTH and MAJESTIC APPEARANCE. So, because Jesus is the “KING of kings” (see Revelation 19:16) with infinite POWER/STRENGTH (see Hebrews 1:3) and a MAJESTIC APPEARANCE (see Revelation 19:11-13, He is symbolized by the Lion. What a day that will be when Jesus appears in power and glory to establish His kingdom and every eye will see Him in His glorious majesty (see Matthew 24:30 and 25:31).

Now let’s read 1st Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” Here the Devil, the enemy of God and man, is likened unto a lion because he, like the lion, is FEROCIOUS and DEVOURING. Perhaps you have seen documentaries about lions hunting their prey and when they attack them it is surely a sight to behold, for they are unbelievably FIERCE as they leap upon their victim and TEAR IT TO SHREDS with their teeth. In Revelation 9:1-10 we have a description of terrible creatures from the bottomless pit that will wreak havoc on the human race and in verse 8 it says “their teeth was like lion’s teeth.” The Devil is even now seeking to destroy men! The “roar of the lion” brings terror to its victims and it pictures the Devil’s ability to terrorize believers through persecution. The lion “devouring its prey” illustrates the Devil’s success, at times, of destroying the believer’s testimony when they succumb to his intimidations and are silenced (instead of witnessing of their Savior by a godly life and by preaching the gospel).

In conclusion, we have seen that the Lion is an appropriate symbol of the Lord Jesus Christ and of the Devil, but for different reasons. Jesus is similar to the lion for His MAJESTY and STRENGTH; the Devil is similar to the lion for his FIERCENESS and DESTRUCTION. So you were right in saying the Lion is a symbol for GOOD and for BAD, for God has chosen to use the Lion’s “good features” to illustrate the Lord Jesus and the Lion’s “bad features” to illustrate the Devil.  (444.5)  (DO)