LEVIATHAN : AN ANCIENT DRAGON OF THE SEA?
Copyright 1994 - 2008 Endtime Prophecy Org
Last Updated : July 23, 2006
Was The Biblical Leviathan A Real Fire-Breathing Sea
Monster?
It is an established fact that in our modern times, science
has done much to try to discredit God and disprove the
Bible. The great schism which exists between Evolutionists &
Creationists is a primary example of this. On one side of
this vast gulf, we have archeologists, paleontologists,
geologists and other scientists who hold to the view that
the Earth, in fact, the Universe, is billions of years old.
If we accept their view of things, the universe was created
billions of years ago by some cosmic Big Bang, which they
say has resulted in our current galactic and planetary
systems which continue to expand outward to this very day,
fueled by the awesome energy released during that first
primordial event. As to what kind of catalyst may have been
responsible for such a powerful event, they are apparently
at a total loss for words. It remains a mystery...at least
to them.
Having accepted the above as the unrefutable word of truth,
we are then asked to further accept that life on this planet
slowly evolved over millions of years from simple one-celled
animals, protozoans, living in the primordial soup/oceans,
into our current vast array of exotic lifeforms. To make it
easier for our simple minds to grasp such a vast concept,
this process of slow evolution has been neatly divided into
various eras with in-depth descriptions of what types of
life existed during each period, what they looked like, what
they ate, etc. We can only marvel at the apparent 'wisdom'
of man who has been able to decipher and unravel the
mysteries of ages gone by in order to present us with such a
clear picture as we have in our modern day. All of this was
accomplished using Carbon-14 dating techniques and other
'infallible' methodologies too detailed to explain in this
short treatise. Perhaps their most crowning 'achievement' is
how they have proudly explained to us how we, the dominate
lifeform upon this planet, gradually evolved from our lower
primate 'cousins' swinging in the trees, to ancient
troglodytes building fires in caves, to our present glorious
form. What a 'proud' heritage we have!
On the opposite side of this vast gulf are those of a more
simple-minded persuasion who adhere to the account of
Creation as explained in the Pentateuch, the first five
books of Moses, as well as additional information gathered
from other books of the Scriptures in conjunction with the
actual historical record garnered from other ancient texts.
According to these people, of which I include myself, the
Earth, Sun, Moon and stars are not millions or billions of
years old, but a mere 6,000 some years old. We attest to the
fact that the original Universe was created in a matter of
six Earthly days as we know them today. Furthermore, we hold
to the view that man is not the result of some slow
evolutionary process, but that he was created in his current
form with a developed mind to both speak and reason
intelligently. This does not imply that he had the same
knowledge that we possess today. The Scriptures provide a
clear record of the development of man over the past 6,000
some years, and even states that this sudden burst of
knowledge was prophesied to occur in the Last Days. (Daniel
12:4)
To discuss the above opposing views in great detail would
surely take much time and many pages. Furthermore, enough
has already been said in other essays, papers and books, to
give everyone ample data to make an intelligent decision as
to what they choose to believe. However, there is one area,
and one topic in particular which I would like to address in
this current paper. In one of my previous articles called
'The Dinosaur Dilemma,' I put forth some of my personal
views concerning the possible existence of these mighty
creatures in the distant past. According to modern-day
science, these creatures existed millions of years before
the arrival of man, but mysteriously disappeared due to some
unexplained cataclysmic event. Theories abound as to what
may have caused their demise, assuming that is, if they ever
really existed. There are two prominent theories. One states
that a giant comet, asteroid or meteor slammed into, or
brushed the Earth causing a possible polar shift & great
climatic changes, changes which the dinosaurs were not able
to adapt to. The second theory, which is more according to
Scripture, is that like everything else, all land-dwelling
air-breathing life was destroyed during the Flood (Great
Deluge). This, of course, is again assuming that these
creatures did in fact exist. Allow me to again refer you to
my other article 'The Dinosaur Dilemma' for a more in-depth
view regarding my position on this issue.
As stated in 'The Dinosaur Dilemma,' one gray area for some
believers of the Scriptures, is whether or not these beasts
really existed. One chapter which is often quoted as proof
that dinosaurs did at one time roam the Earth, is Job
chapter 41, a book which is believed by some to be the
oldest in the Christian Old Testament. Within this chapter
we find the following verses:
1 Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue
with a cord which thou lettest down?
2 Canst thou put an hook into his nose? or bore his jaw
through with a thorn?
3 Will he make many supplications unto thee? will he speak
soft words unto thee?
4 Will he make a covenant with thee? wilt thou take him for
a servant for ever?
5 Wilt thou play with him as with a bird? or wilt thou bind
him for thy maidens?
6 Shall the companions make a banquet of him? shall they
part him among the merchants?
7 Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons? or his head
with fish spears?
8 Lay thine hand upon him, remember the battle, do no more.
9 Behold, the hope of him is in vain: shall not one be cast
down even at the sight of him?
10 None is so fierce that dare stir him up: who then is able
to stand before me?
11 Who hath prevented me, that I should repay him? whatso-
ever is under the whole heaven is mine.
12 I will not conceal his parts, nor his power, nor his
comely proportion.
13 Who can discover the face of his garment? or who can come
to him with his double bridle?
14 Who can open the doors of his face? his teeth are
terrible round about.
15 His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a
close seal.
16 One is so near to another, that no air can come between
them.
17 They are joined one to another, they stick together, that
they cannot be sundered.
18 By his neesings a light doth shine, and his eyes are like
the eyelids of the morning.
19 Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire
leap out.
20 Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot
or caldron.
21 His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his
mouth.
22 In his neck remaineth strength, and sorrow is turned into
joy before him.
23 The flakes of his flesh are joined together: they are
firm in themselves; they cannot be moved.
24 His heart is as firm as a stone; yea, as hard as a piece
of the nether millstone.
25 When he raiseth up himself, the mighty are afraid: by
reason of breakings they purify themselves.
26 The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold: the
spear, the dart, nor the habergeon.
27 He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood.
28 The arrow cannot make him flee: slingstones are turned
with him into stubble.
29 Darts are counted as stubble: he laugheth at the shaking
of a spear.
30 Sharp stones are under him: he spreadeth sharp pointed
things upon the mire.
31 He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: he maketh the sea
like a pot of ointment.
32 He maketh a path to shine after him; one would think the
deep to be hoary.
33 Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without
fear.
34 He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the
children of pride.
To the casual reader not experienced in reading the Word of
God, the above verses could very easily describe a
fire-breathing sea monster. Is it possible that in ancient
times such creatures actually roamed the oceans of the
world? Before one erroneously jumps to false conclusions, it
would be good to remember that the Scriptures are replete
with hidden and symbolic meanings. Could such be the case
here with Leviathan?
As any wise scholar will attest, the Scriptures are for the
most part self-interpretting. That is, if a verse cannot be
immediately understood, the best thing to do is to keep
reading. Quite often, verses further on in the chapter will
explain what was meant by the previous verse. If the answer
cannot be found in the same chapter, it might be found in
the same book...and if not in the same book, then perhaps in
some other place within the Scriptures. The last thing one
should do is immediately resort to personal speculation in
his haste to find a solution to the problem. Once we begin
to speculate, our imaginations and pride can carry us very
far from the truth of a matter.
Following the above methodology seems to shed some light on
the mystery of Leviathan. To begin, let us take a look at
the book of Isaiah. In chapter 27 verse one we find another
mention of this mysterious beast Leviathan:
"In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong
sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even
leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon
that is in the sea." (Isaiah 27:1)
In the above verse, Leviathan is described as being a
serpent, and also as a sea dragon. This is in direct
agreement with what we read in Job chapter forty-one. But
again, before accepting these verses at face value, perhaps
we should look at some other verses. The first verse which
comes to mind is Genesis 3:1 which tells us:
"Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field
which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman,
Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the
garden?" (Genesis 3:1)
This is the very first mention of a serpent in the
Scriptures, and as can be seen, this may not necessarily be
referring to a normal serpent or snake, unless we accept the
common Christian interpretation that this was a snake
possessed by Satan. This is within the realm of
possibilities, but I have some reservations about this.
Considering that this beast is said to have been subtle,
that it spoke to Eve in a tempting voice, and that it was
LATER cursed to crawl upon its belly, it seems quite
possible that this was not an actual snake, but rather a
spiritual entity which apparently materialized in some type
of physical form. In short, this serpent was either Satan
himself, or one of his minions.
Thus far we have equated Leviathan with both a serpent, as
just described above, and also as a dragon of the sea.
Another verse which equates the dragon with a snake or
serpent, can be found in Psalm 91:13 where we read:
"Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion
and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet." (Psalm 91:13)
Obviously, if this means a real dragon, there is no way you
could possibly trample it under foot. As such, perhaps it is
implying something altogether different. After Adam and Eve
had disobeyed by eating of the forbidden fruit, the Lord
cursed the serpent by saying:
"...Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all
cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly
shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy
life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and
between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and
thou shalt bruise his heel. " (Genesis 3:14-15)
Notice that crawling on his belly was a curse AFTER the
disobedience of Adam and Eve. This is an implication that
this beast may have normally had some other form prior to
the curse. This idea is further confirmed in some of the
Apocryphal works which were not included in our modern-day
Bible. These ancient scrolls, which include various
apocalypses, (or revelations), and the Book of Enoch, hint
that before being cursed by God, this serpent of Eden pos-
sessed arms, legs, ears, etc.
So, we have now established a clear relationship between
Leviathan, the dragon, the serpent, and Satan himself. Is it
possible that we can find other verses which equate the
dragon with Satan? The answer is a resounding YES! To begin
with, let us look at a verse which reveals another
characteristic of Leviathan:
"Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest
him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness."
(Psalms 74:14)
It should be immediately noticed that Leviathan is a
multi-headed serpent or dragon. In fact, in the book of
Revelation he is described as follows:
"And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a
great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and
seven crowns upon his heads." (Revelation 12:3)
Additional verses in the same chapter tell us:
"And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven,
and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before
the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her
child as soon as it was born." (Revelation 12:4)
"And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought
against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,"
(Revelation 12:7)
"And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called
the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he
was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out
with him." (Revelation 12:9)
"And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is
the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,"
(Revelation 20:2)
And there we have it, a direct correlation between
Leviathan, the serpent of Genesis, the dragon of Revelation,
and Satan himself. Based on these verese alone, we could
conclude this paper. We have shown how from the beginning of
time, Satan, also known as the Serpent, Leviathan, or the
Dragon, has been using his powers to decieve and lie to
humanity; and one of his lies has been to try to convince
the unwary that Leviathan in the Scriptures is referring to
an actual dinosaur of ancient times. Why would he do this?
Because he doesn't want you to know the truth about his
seductive and deceptive nature.
Having now established that Leviathan is in fact referring
to Satan, we can go back to the very first chapter we
discussed, Job chapter forty-one, and see things in an
entirely new light. To begin, consider again verse three
which says:
"Will he make many supplications unto thee? Will he speak
soft words unto thee?"
Isn't this exactly what Lucifer did with Eve in the garden?
And notice the interesting numerology here: Genesis 3:1 and
Job 41:35. Three plus one is of course four. Satan/Leviathan
did in fact make supplications to Eve and spoke to her in a
soft deceptive voice which resulted in the downfall of
humankind.
In Job 41:4 we also find the following:
"Will he make a covenant with thee?"
Interestingly enough, in the book of Revelation, the coming
Satanic world leader is referred to as the Beast. In the
book of Daniel, we are told that this Beast will sign a
covenant or false peace pact to consolidate his power over
the world:
"And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:
and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice
and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of
abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the
consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the
desolate." (Daniel 9:27)
In Job 41:15, we find another interesting description of
Leviathan:
"His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close
seal."
The final verse of Job chapter 41 also says:
"He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the
children of pride."
Clearly, the symbolic scales of this symbolic fire-breathing
sea dragon represent PRIDE; the same pride which caused the
fall of Adam and Eve:
"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and
that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired
to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did
eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did
eat." (Genesis 3:6)
But Adam and Eve were only two of many to yield to the pride
of Leviathan. In the Book of Acts, we find the story of the
Christian persecutor Saul of Tarsus who later became known
as the Apostle Paul. After having been blinded by the Lord
due to his pharisaical pride and persecution of God's
children, the Lord sent Ananias to heal him. Notice the
exact words used to describe this event:
"And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been
scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was
baptized." (Acts 9:18)
Clearly, after his experience on the road to Damascus, Paul
was a much humbler man, a vessel more fit for the Master's
use. At the same time, he received a new spiritual insight
which he had not previously had.
Looking back again at Job 41:21 describing Leviathan, we
read:
"His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his
mouth."
Again we have another symbolic quality of Satan the Devil.
Compare the above verse with a passage in Ephesians chapter
six which describes our warfare against Satan:
"Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall
be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked."
(Ephesians 6:16)
Another interesting attribute regarding Leviathan, is that
he is referred to NOT as a land-based dragon, but as a sea
dwelling creature. Again, there is a very clear explanation
for this. Let's take a look at several verses in Revelation
chapter thirteen:
"And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise
up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and
upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of
blasphemy." (Revelation 13:1)
This beast rising up out of the sea is the physical
manifestation of Satan's power on Earth, that is, worldly
powers and kings which Satan has controlled. You will notice
that the appearance of this beast parallels the Dragon we
described earlier in Rev 12:3. The primary difference is
that the Dragon had seven heads with seven crowns, whereas
this beast coming out of the sea possesses seven heads with
ten crowns. For an explanation of this apparent dis-
crepancy, we can look to Daniel chapter seven which also
describes the rise of the Beast to world dominance:
"And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that
shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall
be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings."
(Daniel 7:24)
This verse tells us that the Beast will conquer or destroy
in some way, three nations of the Endtime who may oppose his
rule as leader of the coming One World Government.
In Revelation chapter seventeen which describes Babylon the
great whore which many view as representing the Endtime
false political/religious system, we find the following
verse:
"And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where
the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations,
and tongues." (Revelation 17:15)
The above verses clearly show that the sea/waters described
are symbolic in nature and represent the peoples and nations
of the Earth from which the kingdoms of Satan arise. Thus,
in speaking of Leviathan, it is clear to see why he is
referred to as a sea-based dragon, for Satan truly manifests
his power through those who choose to do his bidding from
the world's peoples and governments. To further strength
this interpretation, consider the following verse:
"Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am
against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that
lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river
is mine own, and I have made it for myself." (Ezekiel 29:3)
This verse has a double purpose in that it not only
describes Pharoah as a dragon, (one of Satan's worldly
rulers), but it also describes the people he rules as being
rivers.
Consider this verse also which describes Pharoah king of
Egypt:
"Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of
Egypt, and say unto him, Thou art like a young lion of the
nations, and thou art as a whale in the seas: and thou
camest forth with thy rivers, and troubledst the waters with
thy feet, and foulest their rivers." (Ezekiel 32:2)
Again, the symbolic nature of seas and waters is made clear.
A few other verses which describe Satan and his earthly
rulers as dragons are:
"Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as
in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not
it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon?" (Isaiah
51:9)
Consider also this description of King Nebuchadnezzar from
the prophet Jeremiah:
"Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon hath devoured me, he
hath crushed me, he hath made me an empty vessel, he hath
swallowed me up like a dragon, he hath filled his belly with
my delicates, he hath cast me out." (Jeremiah 51:34)
From the above study, comparing scripture with scripture,
instead of relying upon our own carnal minds or human
speculation, we have unraveled the mystery of Leviathan the
sea-dwelling dragon of Job chapter forty-one. He is none
other than Satan himself. He is the king of the children of
pride. The sea in which he lives are the peoples of the
world which do his bidding. The fire he breaths are the
fiery darts of doubt, the lies and deceptions he casts out
to snare the unwary. His scales represent the very pride
which causes our own downfall. So in an equation form, it
would look like this:
LEVIATHAN = SERPENT = DRAGON = SATAN/LUCIFER
The seven-headed dragon symbolizes the spiritual nature of
Satan, while the seven-headed beast is symbolic of the
physical manifestation of his power through the major world
governments and empires which have ruled throughout history.
Please note that this subject is much much deeper than what
I have presented here. There are many other verses which
describe the events of the Endtime, many of which I have
shared in other articles that I have written. I encourage
you to read them at the Endtime Prophecy Net website under
the Endtime Prophecies Group. You may also be interested in
subscribing to our mailing list. In this current article I
have primarily focused on those verses which pertain to the
direct interpretation of Leviathan in Job chapter forty-one.
I hope that this study has been a blessing to you, and that
it has enlightened you in part to the wonderful truths which
can be found in God's Word. In closing, let me state that
the above is only my personal understanding based on what I
have read over the past twenty-five plus years. I don't
claim one hundred per cent accuracy in this interpretation.
Endtime prophecy is a very deep topic, and there are a
variety of interpretations as to what it may mean. I
encourage you to read other papers and articles and compare
them with what I have written to get a well-rounded view
concerning this issue.
One thing which is clear from reading the Scriptures, is
that at Christ's Second Coming, Satan the deceiver will
truly be trampled under foot and thrown into the lake
burning with fire and brimstone, thus giving us a complete
fulfillment of the curse uttered against him in Genesis by
the Lord. Until that time, don't you fall for his evil
devices or be his next meal:
"And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of
fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet
are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and
ever." (Revelation 20:10)
"Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not
ignorant of his devices." (2 Corinthians 2:11)
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as
a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:"
(1 Peter 5:8)