No 18

(The Lamb and The Lion)

In John 12:32, the Bible says “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” Jesus was describing as the Bible continues “…signifying what death he should die” that He was to be crucified (lifted up). But when we look around us today and throughout all of history for that matter, all men have never been drawn to Jesus. So what was Jesus referring to exactly? To understand this, let me share with you what I heard once in a sermon on this verse.

There was a brand of knitting wool that had a picture of a lamb and a lion on its packaging. The illustration was that this brand of wool although it is as soft as a lamb it is also strong as a lion. The character of Jesus Christ is very similar to that wool and all men will be drawn to Him one day.

Here’s how…

True Christians who have repented of their sins and have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour will go to heaven when they die – “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13). When John the Baptist saw Jesus for the first time he said “…Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29). Jesus Christ took upon himself all the sins of mankind and was slaughtered on a Roman cross. “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter” (Isaiah 53: 7). This is how, as a lamb, Jesus has drawn many souls to Him and those souls will become His bride “for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready” (Rev 19:7); they, we will enjoy an eternal state of happiness in His presence.

However, for the rest of mankind who refused the Gospel and turned their backs on Jesus Christ, a very different and painful existence awaits them. When Jesus was on earth, He is the one who spoke the most about hell and its unquenchable fire. He gave numerous warnings “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?” (Matthew 23:33). “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:” (Matthew 25:41). “Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.” (Mark 9:48). In the end, when the 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ on earth will have passed and “the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone”, there will be a Great White Throne where all the souls who refused the Gospel will appear before the One whose name is the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Rev 5:5) sitting on the White Throne and“were judged every man according to their works And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20: 13, 15).

So Jesus will draw every man unto Himself – either at the Marriage of the Lamb or at the Great White Throne of the Lion.