The Lion Symbols of Rudolf Koch

       "With might of ours can nought be done, soon were our loss effected;
 but for us fights the Valiant One, whom God Himself elected. Ask ye,
 Who is this? Jesus Christ it is, of Sabbath Lord, and there's no other God;
 he holds the field forever." Christ as The Lion of Judah by Rudolf Koch.

      "The most powerful daring and impressive of all carnivorous animals, the most magnificent in aspect and awful in voice." At present lions do not exist in Palestine; but they must in ancient of times have been numerous. The lion of Palestine was in all probability the Asiatic variety, described by Aristotle and Pliny as distinguished by its short curly mane, and by being shorter and rounder in shape, like the sculptured lion found in Arban. It was less daring than the longer named species, but when driven by hunger it not only ventured to attack the flocks in the desert in presence of the shepherd, but laid waste towns and villages and devoured men.

• "And David said to Saul, Your servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:" 1 Samuel 17:34
• "For thus has the LORD spoken to me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the LORD of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof." Isaiah 31: 4
• "And so it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the LORD: therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which slew some of them. Why they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which you have removed, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the God of the land: therefore he has sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they know not the manner of the God of the land." 2 Kings 17:25,26
• "The slothful man said, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets." Proverbs 22: 13 
• "And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcass was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcass." 1 Kings 13: 24

Among the Hebrews, and throughout the Old Testament, the lion was the achievement of the princely tribe of Judah, while in the closing book of the canon it received a deeper significance as the emblem of him who "prevailed to open the book and loose the seven seals thereof."

• "And one of the elders said to me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof." Revelations 5:5

One the other hand its fierceness and cruelty rendered it an appropriate metaphor for a fierce and malignant enemy and hence for the archfiend himself.

• "Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver." Psalms 7:2
• "Save me from the lion's mouth: for you have heard me from the horns of the unicorns." Psalms 22:21
• "My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword." Psalms 57:4
• "Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion." 2 Timothy 4:17
• "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour:" 1 Peter 5:8

Jesus Is The Victor, with the dragon beneath him. by Rudolf Koch

Lion and Palm Leaves Chrismon

        Lions during the Middle Ages were sometimes used to symbolically represent Jesus' Resurrection (because lions were believed to sleep with open eyes, a comparison with Christ in the tomb), and Christ as king. Although science has proven this idea, lion's sleeping with eyes open, to be a myth, the tradition of associating lions with Christ prevails for a wide variety of reasons that continue to prevail. 

        I've combined this stained glass lion from Heraldry and palms leaves to represent Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem one week prior his crucifixion.

Scriptural References for This Lion and Palm Leaf Chrismon Combination:

• "Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity.  Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD: we have blessed you out of the house of the LORD." Psalm 118:25,26 (KJB)
• "And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” Matthew 21:9 (ESV)
  

The Lion Symbol

       There are many lion images in scripture and Christian literature that refer to Christ. Below are just a few of the most popular:

• The biblical Judah (in Hebrew: Yehuda) is the original name of the Tribe of Judah, which is traditionally symbolized by a lion. 
• In Genesis, the patriarch Jacob ("Israel") gave that symbol to his tribe when he refers to his son Judah as a Gur Aryeh גּוּר אַרְיֵה יְהוּדָה, "Young Lion" (Genesis 49:9) when blessing him. 
• In Jewish naming tradition the Hebrew name and the substitute name are often combined as a pair, as in this case. The Lion of Judah was used as a Jewish symbol for many years, and as Jerusalem was the capital of the Kingdom of Judah, in 1950 it was included in the Emblem of Jerusalem.
• In Christian tradition, Mark the Evangelist, the author of the second gospel is symbolized by a lion - a figure of courage and monarchy. 
• It also represents Jesus' Resurrection (because lions were believed to sleep with open eyes, a comparison with Christ in the tomb), and Christ as king. 
• The prophet Amos said (Amos, 3, 8): "The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord GOD hath spoken, who can but prophesy?", i.e., when the gift of prophecy comes upon a person, he has no choice but to speak out.
• Several Biblical accounts document the presence of lions, and cultural perception of them in ancient Palestine. The best known Biblical account featuring lions comes from the Book of Daniel (chapter 6), where Daniel is thrown into a den of lions and miraculously survives.
• A lesser known Biblical account features Samson who kills a lion with his bare hands, later sees bees nesting in its carcass, and poses a riddle based on this unusual incident to test the faithfulness of his fiancee (Judges 14).
• Aslan is the main character in C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia series. He is "the Great Lion" of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and his role in Narnia is developed throughout the remaining books. He is also the only character to appear in all seven books of the series. Aslan is Turkish for "lion". Lewis often capitalizes the word lion in reference to Aslan, since he represents Jesus Christ.
• The lion is a common charge in heraldry. It traditionally symbolizes bravery, nobility, royalty, strength, stateliness, and valour, because historically it has been regarded as the king of beasts.

Lion of Judah in medallion.

Scripture References for Lion Chrismons:

• "Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen. " Psalm 22:21 (HCSB)
• "My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty." Daniel 6:22 (NIV)
• "But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength so that I might preach the Good News in its entirety for all the Gentiles to hear. And he rescued me from certain death." 2 Timothy 4:17 (NLT)
• "And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight." Hebrews 11:32-34 (ESV)

More About Lions:

• In the Den of Lions by Liam Goligher
• Daniel Facing the Lion's Den by Spurgeon
• Daniel in The Lions's Den by Pastor H. B. Charles Jr.
• The Lion's Roar - Alistair Begg
• Bible versus about Satan as Roaring Lion 
• How to Tame Lions