February 2024 – The Lion of the Tribe of Judah is About to Roar

PTNews

P r o p h e tic Truth in the N e w s

October 2024

   Published monthly by Mike Wingfield Ministries

All Bible references are from the KJV   

The Lion of the Tribe of Judah is About to Roar

“The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.”Joel 3:16

By Mike Wingfield

I am an avid deer hunter. I love the challenge of hunting the elusive and smart Virginia whitetail deer that is plentiful in my area. Several years ago, I was hunting in the woods near my house. I was in a tree stand about 14 feet in the air. I had been in the stand before daylight. After sunrise I saw, for the first time in my area, a black bear. He was moving in a parallel direction that was going away from me. However, as he crossed the logging road about 60 feet in front me, he stuck his nose up in the air and winded me. He suddenly turned toward me and started to run directly at me! Immediately, I became very concerned. Bears run fast and can climb a tree quickly. Obviously, I was scared. However, as he got closer, he stopped and stuck his nose up in the air again. He had lost scent of me. He kept slowly walking toward the base of the tree I was in. Surprising to me, he walked within two feet of the ladder of my stand and just kept walking until he was out of sight. I breathed a big sigh of relief!

This has made me much more cautious as I hunt in my area. Since then, I have captured pictures of several other bears on some of my trail cameras. Obviously, my concern is attached to the fear we should all have of a wild animal that is too close for comfort.

The world does not know it, but they have a lion that is watching them. This lion is Jesus. He is not just any lion. He is “the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David” (Revelation 5:5). He is always watching, guarding, and protecting His people, Israel.

Everyone who has studied the Bible knows that it speaks of two separate comings of Jesus the Messiah. When Jesus came the first time, He came as the humble and submissive Lamb of God to die for the sinners of the world. He was born as a little baby in Bethlehem, the city of David. His first coming was obscure and quiet. Later, He rode a donkey into Jerusalem as a symbol of peace. At Calvary, His own blood was sprinkled upon His garments as He became the Redeemer for all the sinners of the world.

In sharp contrast to His first coming as the Lamb of God, Jesus will come the second time as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. This coming will be visible for all to see (Revelation 1:7). His roar will be loud and His actions merciless, as He comes to kill the enemies who have gathered against His people, Israel. He will come as a warrior and judge to smite the nations. The blood of the sinners who have gathered against Israel will be splattered upon His garments (Isaiah 63:1-6).

Since Jesus ascended back to heaven almost 2,000 years ago, He has been sitting at the right hand of the Father. There, He continues to work through His church on earth to deliver a message of peace and mercy to all the unsaved on earth. However, the age of God’s grace is about to end. According to the Bible, the Lord has been patient with the wicked inhabitants of earth, waiting for their repentance. However, it is very apparent that we are about to see an end to this age of grace. At any moment, the Lamb will call His church home and one of the first things they will witness in heaven is the introduction of Jesus as “the Lion of the tribe of Judah” (Revelation 5:5). The gentle Lamb of God will instantly turn into a roaring and warring Lion.

Why will Jesus come in fury at His Second Coming as a warring and roaring Lion? This is a very important question that many people fail to ask. Jesus will return to earth at the end of the Tribulation to defend His chosen people from the threat of death and annihilation at the hands of the Gentile nations of the world. He will come to abolish wicked human governments so He can establish His righteous kingdom over all nations.

Most hunters and lovers of the outdoors know that the most dangerous time to encounter a bear in the woods is when they have little cubs with them. If the bear thinks you are a threat to the cubs, you are in danger. The bear will protect and defend them with its life. In a similar comparison, the consideration of our Lord as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, has the same application. The role of Jesus as a Lion is to protect and defend His people, Israel. The world is meddling with the chosen people of God. They do not understand that they are no match for the Almighty, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah!

The Jewish people are the chosen, unique people of God. The Bible is a Jewish book. Almost all the chosen writers of God’s written revelation were Jews.

The faith of believers in Jesus Christ is anchored in the faith of Abraham, the father of our faith (Romans 4:16). God chose Abraham out of a pagan culture that worshipped many idols and gods. Abraham and his descendants through the chosen line of Isaac and Jacob, were given a special standing as the chosen messengers, servants, and representatives of the One and only true God on earth. That is why from Genesis 12 through the remainder of the Bible, the central focus of God has been upon His people – Israel. God called the Jewish people into an irrevocable covenant and relationship with Himself.

Speaking to King David, God promised that He would establish the descendants of David as the vessel through whom He would rule over the world through His Messiah (2 Samuel 7:16). Nothing can change or alter this covenant that God has made with the Jewish people (Psalm 89:27-37). God’s covenant and promise to Israel are based upon His infinite and eternal unchanging character. He thundered forth this truth when He said, “For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed” (Malachi 3:6).

God has chosen the Jewish people, despite their sin and rebellion, to ultimately bring Him glory. The Lord has declared, “This people have I formed for myself; they shall [show] forth my praise” (Isaiah 43:21). He has called them to be His servants through whom He can display His power, faithfulness, grace, and glory to the world.

God has attached His Name and honor to the Jewish people. He is repeatedly called the God of Jacob, the Holy One of Israel, and the Redeemer and Creator of Israel. Therefore, God’s defense of Israel is the defense of His glory and honor. Psalm 89:18 declares, “For the LORD is our defense; and the Holy One of Israel is our King.”

When the world tramples upon the Jewish people, they are attacking the honor and glory of God. Attacking Israel is like sticking your finger in the eye of God. “For he that toucheth you [Israel] toucheth the apple of his eye” (Zechariah 2:8). According to the Bible, the world’s hatred toward the Jewish people will escalate at the end of this age to a very dangerous level that will include all nations. The Tribulation Period will be a horrific time for the Jewish people and the nation of Israel (Jeremiah 30:1-7; Daniel 12:1; Matthew 24:21-22). At Armageddon, all nations will invade Israel and surround Jerusalem to annihilate the nation of Israel. Their goal will be to remove the Jewish presence from the Holy Land and the Holy City of Jerusalem. This will anger the Lion of Judah and He will attack the invading forces and annihilate them.

The pouncing of the Lion of Judah upon the nations at the end of this age was a prominent prophetic declaration given to the believing remnant of Israel at a very difficult time in their history. Five Old Testament prophets highlighted the coming Messiah as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.

Moses (Genesis 49:1, 9-12). While on his deathbed in Egypt, Jacob gathered his sons around him and spoke amazing words of prophecy concerning their future. He said, “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days” (Genesis 49:1). As he addressed Judah, Jacob spoke of a ruler that would come from Judah that would be strong, fierce, and deadly. He compared Judah to a lion. In the last days, this lion will have fire in His eyes, and His white teeth will accompany His roar as He devours His enemies that have come against His people.

Isaiah mentions the coming Messiah as a roaring lion three times in his book. One of the names for Jerusalem is Ariel, which means “Lion of God” (Isaiah 29:1-2). The lion is the symbol of Jerusalem and Judah. (See the flag of Jerusalem above that features the Lion of Judah.) In Isaiah 29:1-8, the Lord promised His people that all the nations who will fight against Ariel (Jerusalem) in the last days will be destroyed by Him. A few chapters later, Isaiah refers to the Lord as “the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 31:1) and “the Lord of Hosts” (Isaiah 31:4). The Lord declares, “Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, …[I will]come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof. As birds flying, so will the LORD of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it” (Isaiah 31:4-5). In chapter 42, Isaiah once again sounds the warning of the roar of the Lion of Judah upon His return, “The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies.  I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself: now will I cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once” (Isaiah 42:13-14).

The prophet Jeremiah sounds out the most solemn warning concerning the wrathful roar of the Lord Jesus as the Lion of Judah when He returns to earth at the end of the Tribulation. Jeremiah wrote, “The LORD shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. A noise shall come, even to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD” (Jeremiah 25:30-31). The most awesome display of God’s sovereign power and glory will be made visible and audible to all the inhabitants of earth at the revelation of Christ.

While referring to the closing moments of the Battle of Armageddon in Israel, where the nations will gather to annihilate the Jewish people, (Zechariah 12:1-9; 14:1-3), Joel wrote, “The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel” (Joel 3:16).

Finally, the prophet Amos, envisions the Lion of Judah at last standing in Jerusalem as He gives His final roar to defeat all the armies of the Antichrist gathered in Israel. Amos wrote, “The LORD will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem…” (Amos 1:2). This shocking and stunning sound of the mighty roar of Jesus in His righteous anger will send a chill down the spine of all those who will hear Him. Amos responds, “The lion hath roared, who will not fear” (Amos 3:8)?

Currently, most of the world is standing with the enemies of Israel. They are opposing the divine order and will of God that He has declared in His unconditional and irrevocable covenant with the Jewish people. The nations, including the United States, are attempting to divide the Promised Land to force Israel to surrender the Holy Land, Jerusalem, and the Temple Mount to the Muslims. They are inviting the attack of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.

The uproar around the world because of Israel’s attack against Hamas to defend itself, has brought about a sudden revolt around the world against God, His Son, His Word, and His people. This is a direct fulfillment of Psalm 2:1-3. As a result, the Lord has warned that He will vex, literally “terrify,” the nations with His awesome judgments (Psalm 2:5). He has declared, “Yet have I set my King upon my holy hill of Zion” (Psalm 2:6).

Soon, the earth will be visited with a devastating and violent shaking that will change the face of the world (Isaiah 24). The Lord has said He will do this because the world has defiantly rebelled against His everlasting covenant He made with His people, Israel. Speaking of the future devastating earthquakes, the Lord said, “The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant” (Isaiah 24:5).

Since the beginning of the state of Israel in 1948, the world’s only Jewish nation has been at constant war with Islamic nations over the Holy Land. The liberal media and world leaders have deceptively painted the struggle for the land of Israel as centering on the establishment of a Palestinian State. However, the world, including the Arab Muslims of the Middle East, have demonstrated that they do not care about the fate of the Palestinian people. All the talk about Palestine is nothing more than a thinned veil of hate that is aimed at the ultimate removal of all Jews from the land formerly called Palestine. The area called Palestine was never governed by a local people. The ancient mindset was that of the Bedouins. The Bedouins do not want any roots or land of their own. They are the equivalent of homeless people in our culture. They want to be free from responsibilities, properties, and cares. They want the freedom to just move from one place to another with no strings attached. This was an attractive option in the ancient culture where people lived off the land and were always migrating to areas where their livestock could graze.

The land of Palestine was externally controlled by the great empires of history. Finally, this land was under the control of the Ottoman Turkish Empire for 400 years, ending in 1917 at the end of World War I. In the Islamic mindset, Palestine is a part of a global Islamic Empire. As Islam aspires to control the world once again, it believes it must reconquer former Islamic lands to restore their power and pride for the honor of their god, Allah. Therefore, the presence of an independent Jewish nation on former Islamic land is a total embarrassment to many Muslims. Millions of Muslims around the world are passionate about destroying Israel and are willing to die for this cause.

The modern conflict over this land has now been raging for 100 years. In this struggle, the nations of the world have attempted to appease the Muslims by forcing Israel to surrender a part of its Promised Land to appease the Muslims. After World War I, Great Britain promised all the land that was called Palestine to the Jewish people. However, since 1922, 80 percent of that land has been given back to the Arabs, creating the Arab country of Jordan. This appeasement to the Muslims also applies to the Communists and Socialist, who control the United Nations.

From its inception more than 75 years ago, Israel has attempted to find some way to appease the world and the Arab Muslims by attempting to establish what is today called “a two-state solution.” The goal is to have two countries, a Jewish nation, and a Palestinian nation, on the land from “the river to the sea.” The proposal for peace between the Israelis and Palestinians has been based upon trading land for peace.

Since October 7, 2023, most Israelis have come to realize that the Arab Muslims and the Palestinians have not been negotiating in good faith. These enemies of Israel do not want to live with Jews in any part of the land. They want a one-state solution. They want the annihilation of the Jewish state. They envision the Palestinian state to be “from the river to the sea.” They want all the land, not just part of it.

Israel has now arrived at the conclusion that a two-state solution is impossible. They believe “whoever supports a two-state solution supports the destruction of Israel” (Israel Today, January 12, 2024). The entire world disagrees with this conclusion. Therefore, Israel and the world are at a major point of disagreement. In my opinion, this will continue to promote more hatred for Jews and the nation of Israel. The stage has been set for the false peace covenant of the Antichrist that will begin the Tribulation. Then the entire world will face the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.

The Lord has already demonstrated that He will fulfill all these warnings of His coming as the Lion of God. During the Six Day War in June 1967, a very significant development took place. The Gentile nations had been in control of the city of Jerusalem for thousands of years. During the time of Jesus’ visit to earth, Jerusalem was suffering under Roman domination. However, when Israel captured the Old City of Jerusalem [the ancient biblical city] it was the first time that the Jews had regained control of the biblical city of Jerusalem since before the time of Christ.

When Israel captured Jerusalem in 1967, a unique development took place that pointed to the presence of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah at work. An article in the publication from Israel, For Zion’s Sake, gave the following report, “In the Six Day War (1967) Israel had to secure the mountains around Jerusalem as the Jordanians were shelling them. Col. Ben Air secured it. His name in Hebrew is “the son of a lion.” He was ordered to fight as a lion for the hill (or mountain of God). The head of the Har El Brigade [means Mountain of God Brigade] securing the mountain was Arik Regev. ‘Arik’ is short for ‘Ariye,’ meaning “lion.” He gave the command: “It’s time guys to take Jerusalem!” So, a lion gave the command – man could not have planned this! Col. Arik Regev then, hearing a sound of a shofar, and the Commander Motta Gour, (Gour in Hebrew is ‘young lion) were the first people through the gates of Jerusalem. Arik (lion again) Achmon was with Motta Gour. Major Achmon also passed the command to another soldier who also was another young lion. They entered the gates and took Jerusalem. Through which gate? Yes, the Lion’s Gate! God had been with them. And as He has been with them before, He will be with them again to save them. But instead of a lamb, He returns as a Lion” (Sharon Saunders, For Zions’s Sake, “The Lion of Judah in Revelation,” Second Quarter 2023, p. 6).

Friends, we are about to witness the war between two lions – the Lion of Hell and the Lion of Heaven. Satan is pictured in the Bible “as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Satan is blinding the nations as he leads them into a battle with the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. He is blinding them with a stupor of hatred for the Jewish people. We are currently witnessing a major eruption of Jewish hatred around the world.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is reporting about the shocking rise in Jewish hatred. Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of ADL recently stated, “The American Jewish community is facing a threat level that’s now unprecedented in modern history” (World Israel News, January 10, 2024). Since October 7, 2023, the U.S. has witnessed a 360 percent increase in antisemitic acts. This is the highest spike in antisemitism in recorded history in the United States!

Jews around the world are saying it is starting to look like 1939 all over again. That was the beginning of the Holocaust, where one-half of the world’s Jewish population was brutally murdered by the Nazis. According to the Bible, a more horrific day is ahead for Jews and the nation of Israel. My heart aches for the Jewish people and what lies before them.

The enemies of the Jews are the enemies of God (Psalm 83:1-4). God has promised to curse those who curse Israel (Genesis 12:3). God loves His people and so do I. Friends, if you are standing with God, you must also stand with Israel and the Jewish people. Many lies are being circulated in our institutions of higher learning and social media that are attempting to delegitimize the nation of Israel and demean the Jewish people.

While speaking to the Jewish people living in the last days, the Lord declared, “For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land” (Ezekiel 36:24). This is the divine will of God. I stand with God!

Those who oppose God and hate His people, and His divine will, are asking for the Lion of God to devour them!

Soon we will be in heaven. In that great moment in the throne room, we will witness the unleashing of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Revelation 4-5).

Be ready for the shout that will take us out!