Chapter 9 & 10 From the Book ‘Christ & Tafari’

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Chapter 9 & 10 From the Book ‘Christ & Tafari’
9. SLAIN LAMB / CONQUERING LION
Many claim that Haile Selassie is "The Lion of the tribe of Judah" spoken of in the Revelation 5:4-6. If this is true then he must be the Lion/Lamb.
I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals." Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. (Revelation 5:4-6 Emphasis added)
According to the text it is obvious that the Lion of the Tribe of Judah who is the lamb that has been slain, is Jesus Christ with his crucifixion wounds. It becomes even more obvious that this Lion/Lamb is Christ three verses later in Revelation 5:9.
And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation." (Emphasis added)
It was Christ who was slain on the cross who's blood purchased and redeemed all people of the world through which salvation is found. "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain" (Rev 5:12). Rastafarians adamantly deny that Haile Selassie is the "Lamb", for in the "Ethiopian World Federation's" statement of faith they strongly state; "Christ had to be born in a family to appear in Earth, the family must be directly descended from Adam through the line of King David. For the revelation to be fulfilled H.I.M. (His Imperial Majesty) Haile Selassie I cannot be killed or overcome by the force of man. For he is not as a Lamb to the slaughter. No, he is the Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah." (Ethiopian 28) This cannot be possible, for the Conquering Lion and the Lamb are one in the same. In the text of Revelation 5, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah is called the Lamb and worshipped for being the Lamb. It is interesting to find that the term "Lion of the Tribe of Judah" is only written once in the book of Revelation. Overwhelmingly, the "Lamb" given as a title for Christ is found 29 times in the book of Revelation. Not to mention the numerous other times that it used as a title for Christ in the Old and New Testament. For upon first seeing Jesus, His predecessor John the Baptist said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29, 36)
Many Rastas still claim that he shall come in a new name, for he once was peaceful but now is a conqueror and a judge. There is overwhelming evidence that this name shall be "the Lamb", for it is the most often used term for Christ in Revelation. The problem that I find is that people try to separate the Lamb from the Lion, and the forgiver from the judge. This is not Biblically correct, for the Bible clearly states that the Lamb is a conqueror, warrior, and judge:

Revelation 6:16 "They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!"

Revelation 17:14 "They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings--and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers."

Furthermore, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David, must be the lamb, for Rev 5 states that this Lion is the only one on the universe that is able to open the scroll and its seven seals. Yet every one of the seven seals is opened by the Lamb:
Revelation 6:1 "I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, "Come!"
In all consideration, the only conclusion that we may come to is that the "Lion of the Tribe of Judah" is one of the many titles given to the Lamb.
Lastly, the "Lamb" is the title that is given to Christ when He is seated upon the throne all throughout the book of Revelation. It is at the Lamb's feet that all in heaven worship;
Revelation 7:17 "For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
Revelation 14:1 "Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion,"
Revelation 22:1 "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb."
10. WOUNDS
According to the text of Revelation 5:4-6 it is obvious that the Lion of the Tribe of Judah who is the lamb that has been slain, is Jesus Christ with his crucifixion wounds. Christ is identified by the scars that show the glory of his redemptive work on the cross. It is clear that Christ still has these wounds, for in Acts 1:11 we find two angels saying, "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." It is clear that this "same Jesus" will have the same wounds that He used to prove his resurrection to Thomas and all of the rest of His disciples.
In a movie about Bob Marley, Rita Marley Bob's wife said that she clearly saw Haile Selassie's crucifixion wounds when he visited Jamaica. She saw a glimpse of his glory while he was standing up and waving in the back of a moving car passing crowds of people. The film of him waving to these crowds in Jamaica can be found in many reggae videos, after carefully studying, I have found that at no point in time can you ever see anything that even slightly resembles a scar. (Lowney) It is interesting that in an interview about this occasion, when Rita Marley personally tells the story about seeing the wound, she says that it was on his hand, and in giving an example she consciously points to the center of her palm. This is a fallacy, for not only were the wounds not visible, if they did exist, they could not be on his palms for the nails from the cross would have ripped out in-between the fingers due to His weight and the weakness of the flesh. For when Christ was crucified the nails were pounded into His wrists so that they would hold up His weight.


Even though Selassie was photographed often and seen by many, there is no documentation showing that he had any sort of scars on his hands/wrists or feet. I have many pictures of him at his throne, shaking people's hands, and waving to crowds, and not one of them indicates even a scratch on his hands or feet. In fact I have two personal friends who have both shaken the Emperor's hand. In searching for evidence, neither reported seeing or feeling any sort wounds, scars or marks. If Haile Selassie claims to be the Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, but yet does not appear as a Lamb that had been slain with the crucifixion wounds, then he is obviously not the prophesied Christ worthy to open the seals spoken of in Revelation. Clearly this man is not the God he is set up to be.


Haile Selassie was a very devout follower of Christ and prayed to Him often. "When asked if he was God, Haile Selassie said ' No'. Rastafarians claim that this is just evidence of the emperor's divine humility" (Livingston 21).
In 1966 The Emperor made a momentous trip to the Island of Jamaica where for the first time he saw people - Rastafarians - worshipping him as God. He was greeted by a large crowd of admirers and onlookers at the airport and was overwhelmed. This response was not expected and his Majesty was scared to leave the plane. Upon learning that these individuals were worshipping Him as God, the Emperor was reportedly deeply dismayed (Amoruso 42).
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From the controversial book ‘Christ and Tafari’ by Mark Mohr.
Notice that Mark Mohr says, “Rastafarians.” He doesn’t say, “All Rastafarians.”
All those of Rastafari do not believe the same way.



Mark Mohr
VARIOUS BELIEFS ON THE DIETY OF SELASSIE

I once heard of a place called the "Temple of a thousand Buddhas." You can actually go there and choose the type of God whom you worship. Similar to this are the various beliefs of the Rastas towards Selassie. In this faith there are different degrees of divinity attributed to Rastafari by his followers. Given this lack of structure, you can literally choose which type of godhead you serve. And there is a surprisingly great amount of tolerance amongst Rastas that hold contrasting opinions regarding this matter. Here
are a few of the views on Selassie that I have come across in meeting with Rastafarians over the past 10 years:

1. He is God Almighty; the Father seated on His Throne.

2.He is Christ in His second advent.

3.He is Christ in the 1 & 1/2 coming, but has not returned for His second coming yet.

4.He is the reincarnation of Jesus Christ.

5.He is literally Christ in His kingly character. A Kingly representation of the Jesus found in the scriptures.

6.He is a representation of Christ in His kingly character. He is not God, but is Christ-like in his role of king, similar to king David and Solomon. "The Spirit of Jesus Christ is manifest in the person of Haile Selassie I."

7.He is a godly man who has God inside of him the same way that all believers do; through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. He is not God.

8.He is a great prophet and should be revered as much.

9.He is venerated saint that can be prayed to, but is not the Almighty God. He is a representative of Christ and a mediator between God and man.

FRAGMENTATION

The former nine different belief systems do not even begin to represent the fragmented faith of Rastafari.
There is no united front, no agreed upon doctrinal statement.
I have always said that, "I have never met two Rastafarians who share the exact same beliefs in every aspect of their faith." With this extreme diversity, one can have the freedom to roam wherever they desire. It is this freedom from being bound to one church body, and from being in submission to someone else's that can attract many trying to escape from traditional church legalism. One is offered acceptance and invited to ones own realization.

From: Mark Mohr
Date: Sun, 28 Jan 2001
Subject: Various Beliefs on the Deity of Selassie