Who is Jesus, According to the Book of Revelation, Part 2?

Revelation, as I mentioned in the previous post, presents the Lord Jesus in four ways.  The first is the vision at the beginning of the book (detailed in the last post).
The second and third are highly symbolic; He is known as the "Lion of the Tribe of Judah," and the "Lamb of God."
Both of these occurrences are designed to bring to our minds a particular way in which Jesus Christ interacts with the universe.
First, He's called the "Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5)," the only one worthy to open the seven sealed book and to display its contents.  The point of this statement is to remind us that Jesus, as Lion, does not ask for dominion over the earth. He takes it. Just as a lion takes what he wants for food by whatever means are necessary, so Jesus as King of Kings, the "root and offspring of David" will take control of the earth.  The scroll in Rev. 5 is probably some sort of "granting document," or deed, granting King Jesus the rights over all the earth.  He is the only one worthy to unseal, to open, and to read and execute what is written in this book. In other words, all the kings of the earth, who believe the territory over which they now exercise dominion is theirs, are dead wrong.  It belongs to the Son of God, who will take it for Himself.  If there is resistance, it will be handled much as a lion deals with resistance against his will.
The second statement, interestingly enough, comes right on the heels of the first, and this is what John actually sees when he looks at the Person who is to open the seven-sealed scroll (Rev. 5:6ff)--John sees a freshly killed sacrificial lamb, who's redeemed His people with His life's blood:

And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
7 Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. 
Worthy Is the Lamb 
8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
9 And they sang a new song, saying: " You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
10 And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth."
So now we have the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, who's also the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
The most important thing is that the Lion and the Lamb are one, and that the Lamb is the reason the Lion can take His kingdom. In short, the Lamb gains the Lion's power because of His sacrifice. He bought the rights to everything with that sacrifice, and according to the text, He communicates them freely to us.
Note the statements in the "new song:" worthy...open...redeemed...kings & priests...we shall reign. What the Lord has done for His people is to make them heirs of everything that is His, simply because they follow Him. Every time He opens one of the seals, our victory is closer, because His is.

Who is Jesus, according to the book of Revelation?

One of the most interesting realities in Revelation is the portrayals of Jesus.  He appears in four ways, sometimes on earth, sometimes in heaven, and sometimes in between.
These appearances are all filled with symbolism; they are real, of course, but Jesus presents Himself as He wants to be seen in a given context:
1. The first Appearance: Revelation 1:9-18:
9 I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet,
11 saying, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last," and, "What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea."
12 Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands,
13 and in the midst of the seven lampstands, One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band.
14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire;
15 His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters;
16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.
17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.
18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

Scary, huh?  He appears, not as the man who walked among us, but as a mighty King, as the First and the Last, as the One with all power and authority, who lives forever, who had no beginning and has no end, the one who has the keys, the One whom death could not conquer.
This appearance scared John so much that he fainted, although John was used to seeing amazing things.
This appearance is full of meaning, as well.  Jesus is the Master of the Churches.  He is the one who sees into the darkest of hearts and motives. He is the One whose words are a sharp sword, and He is the One who calls death defeated.
No wonder John collapsed.
Nobody sees a vision like this without it affecting him for life, and John was no exception. This vision was given to prime him for what was to come next--more visions, more information about the end time than anyone else had ever had, more emotional reactions, more...
In some ways, it's the controlling vision for the rest of the book, and we see parts of the vision reappear later (when He comes as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, for example, in Revelation 19).
Why did Jesus do this?  Why not come just as He was when He was on the earth?
To put it simply, because He's no longer "just as He was;" He's who He is NOW, the conquering King who is about to take back the earth for His Kingdom.
For just a moment, use your imagination, and think of Jesus like this.  Fix His appearance in your mind, and then pause and look deep into your own heart.  Are you ready for Him to be the King?  He will be.  Are you glad that He will return and change the world? He will. He seeks our worship now. He seeks people who want to belong the "Now and Future King," and be part of His Kingdom.
Is that you?