Leviathan
- Liberty Group
- Apr 23
- 11 min read
Updated: May 2
The Leviathan, an ancient monstrous sea creature lurking in the depths of the ocean, remains one of the Bible's most mysterious and fearsome beings. For centuries, the Leviathan has been the subject of intense debates and almost obsessive interest from various religions and even science. For centuries, scholars and theologians have debated its nature. Described as an unstoppable and monstrous force, ancient texts paint the Leviathan as a colossal being, one that, if unleashed, only God himself could vanquish. What else does the Bible reveal about this enigmatic monster?
The Leviathan is primarily mentioned in the Old Testament, where it is portrayed as a terrifying sea monster, a symbol of chaos and destruction. Genesis 1:21 suggests that YHVH created massive sea creatures on the fifth day of creation: and YHVH created the great sea creatures and every living being that moves, which the waters brought forth according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind.
If we look at Genesis 1:1, it says, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form," verse two, "and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters."
So, we meet waters before water appears in the order of creation and in Genesis 1:2, we see there's a deep darkness, there is an abyss and a raging, out-of-control sea. What was in the depths of this raging sea? It was also pointed out during a recent Bible study that Adam never was assigned to give the sea creatures their names.
They feared Leviathan in ancient Greek mythology as the "God of Chaos" and also worshiped him as the great serpent in the rivers responsible for prosperity and good business. During spring rituals, they would throw their firstborn children into the rivers to appease the gods ensuring a fertile earth and a plentiful crop.
Beyond mythology and biblical texts, Leviathan plays a role in Jewish traditions and apocryphal writings. Some sources, like the Book of Enoch, suggest that YHVH created two massive creatures at the dawn of time: the female Leviathan, which roamed the ocean's depths, and a male land monster known as Behemoth that inhabited a desert beyond Eden. According to these accounts, one was destroyed, while the other is destined to be defeated in the final days.
Context and Interpretation:
Leviathan is depicted as a primordial sea monster, drawing from ancient Near Eastern mythology (e.g., the Canaanite Lotan or Mesopotamian Tiamat). In the Book of Enoch, it embodies chaos but is under God’s control, destined to serve a purpose in the divine order.
The text aligns with Jewish apocalyptic traditions where Leviathan is a fearsome creature, yet ultimately subdued by God and repurposed for the righteous, as seen in later Jewish sources like the Talmud and Midrash.
Unlike the Book of Job, which describes Leviathan’s physical attributes in detail (e.g., scales, fire-breathing, Job 41:1–34), Enoch focuses on its cosmic role and separation from Behemoth, emphasizing its place in the divine eschatological plan.
The Talmud, though a false work of man and not inspired by the Most-High, also references Leviathan, portraying it as part of God's divine order: It describes there being 12 hours in a day, and it tells the story that during the first three hours, Yah studies the Torah, the next three, he judges the world, during the next third, he feeds all creatures, and in the last three, he plays with Leviathan. This suggests that Leviathan holds a unique place even in the Talmud, serving as a reminder of God's ultimate power over creation.
The Book of Enoch, specifically in Chapter 60:7–10 provides a description of Leviathan and its counterpart, Behemoth. Here’s what it says about Leviathan, based on translations such as those by R.H. Charles and others:
“And on that day were two monsters parted, a female monster named Leviathan, to dwell in the abysses of the ocean over the fountains of the waters. But the male is named Behemoth, who occupied with his breast a waste wilderness named Dûidâin, on the east of the garden where the elect and righteous dwell… And I besought the other angel that he should show me the might of those monsters, how they were parted on one day and cast, the one into the abysses of the sea, and the other unto the dry land of the wilderness. And he said to me: ‘Thou son of man, herein thou dost seek to know what is hidden.’”
The Egyptians both feared and worshiped this creature. It is interesting that not only did Egypt worship Leviathan but also in the center of Pharaoh's crown was the emblem of a large sea serpent with a ruby in the center of its head. In the book of Ezekiel this principality is connected to Egypt—both the land and the dictator, Pharaoh. This gives us a clear indication that this principality in times past has been embraced by man. The Egyptians believed they had created the rivers revealing that pride is therefore one of Egypt's greatest sins and is attributed to the influence of the spirit of Leviathan.
Greg Boyd, in his book God at War, talks about the Hebrew supernatural worldview, a warfare worldview that presented God as sovereign over the hostile waters. Now, we think of just waters, but there was a deeper spiritual meaning in the Hebrew worldview: hostile waters, cosmic beasts like Leviathan, Rahab, Behemoth, and rebel gods, and Satan. So, these enemies—the hostile water spirits, cosmic beasts, rebel gods, and Satan—were strong demonic powers originating in the unseen depths.
Within these ancient cultures, there was a strong attraction to paganism. Idols are not 'appealing' unless there is power behind them to make them real and enticing. The water spirit kingdom of satan with its representative the Leviathan, shows up as a prideful, lustful spirit, promising great power and is a seductive draw into the kingdom of the demonic. However, despite these dark interpretations, scripture assures us that Leviathan's end is certain through the triumph of YHVH reinforcing His victory of righteousness over all evil.
The Leviathan's presence in ancient texts has sparked curiosity about whether such a creature still exists. Psalm 104:26 hints at its dwelling place: "there the ships go to and fro, and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there." Could this mean the Leviathan lurks in the unexplored depths of our vast oceans? With over 95% of the ocean still uncharted, who's to say what mysteries remain hidden beneath the waves.
Curiously, unexplained sounds have been recorded deep in the ocean, leading some to speculate about the presence of unknown creatures. These mysterious sounds have been recorded from the depths of the Antarctic, to the deepest chasms of the Pacific Ocean using Sound Navigation and Ranging (SONAR).
Sonar involves emitting sound waves and listening for their echoes to determine the distance, shape, or location of underwater objects One such sound, called 'Julia,' was detected by NOAA in 1999, originating from Antarctica. While theories suggest it was caused by an iceberg, its eerie nature has fueled speculation. Another peculiar recording, known as the 'Train' was captured in 1997, resembling the deep, resonant noise of something immense moving through the sea. The size of whatever is making these underwater sounds has been determined to be the length of a football field.
Psalms 74:13 and 14 describes YHVH's victory over this mighty creature, "you divided the sea by your strength, you broke the heads of the sea monsters in the waters, you crushed the heads of Leviathan, you gave him as food to the creatures of the wilderness."
This passage suggests that Leviathan may have been multi-headed entity, adding another layer of mystery to its existence. In Revelation 13 we see a dragon-like beast with seven heads rising up out of the ocean. Could this beast be the same Leviathan? Leviathan is prophesied to be defeated by God at the end of time. This raises profound questions: is this a reference to a physical beast, or does it symbolize something greater?
Job 41 offers one of the most detailed descriptions of Leviathan, emphasizing its immense power and fearsome nature: "Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook, or press down his tongue with a cord? Can you put a rope in his nose, or pierce his jaw with a hook? Will he beg you for mercy, or speak softly to you? Will he make a covenant with you to take him as a servant forever?" The passage continues, describing the creature as indestructible, fire-breathing, and unmatched in strength.
Isaiah 27:1 provides more insight into Leviathan's ultimate fate,
"and in that day, the Lord with His strong and His great and his strong sword will punish Leviathan, the piercing serpent, even Leviathan that crooked serpent, and he will slay the dragon of the sea."
Does YHVH wield a literal sword, or is his word the weapon that will bring Leviathan's demise? Hebrews 4:12 states that God's word is sharper than any two-edged sword and it may be this same sword that will punish Leviathan maybe even out of the mouths of the Lord Jesus Christ followers who are ruling and reigning with him on the Earth.
The transliterated Hebrew word for Leviathan (livyathan) means, "twisted," and "coiled." It is a ruling principality within the context of Christian theology and spiritual warfare and is a high-ranking demonic entity or spiritual force that exerts influence or control over specific geographic regions, institutions, or aspects of human activity. This concept stems from biblical passages, such as Ephesians 6:12, which describes "principalities and powers" and spiritual forces of evil working from the second-heaven realms. Daniel 10:13 describes one such principality as the "prince of Persia" a spiritual adversary depicted as requiring angelic reinforcements to defeat it after Daniel spent twenty-one days of prayer and fasting.
These entities are understood to be part of a hierarchical structure of demonic forces, much like a well organized, military force under Satan's authority, with principalities holding significant power, orchestrating evil influences like corruption, division, or societal vices in their assigned domains. This spirit is often discussed in Christian circles, where believers engage in prayer or spiritual warfare to counteract these forces.
Leviathan represents not just a physical creature but a definite spiritual adversary. Leviathan is described as a sea serpent spirit with a particular manifestation of witchcraft. When you come in contact with Leviathan's witchcraft, you'll know it. It's different. It has a different purpose, and a different manifestation. For example, with Leviathan’s witchcraft, you will many times grow weary, and although that's common to other forms of witchcraft, with the Leviathan spirit you lose a passion to worship, to pray, and it becomes very difficult to read the Bible. Another distinction of being attacked by the spirit of Leviathan is many times a person may feel deeply betrayed like the piercing of the heart, constricted, boxed into a corner, feel helpless and hopeless, feel pressured or overwhelmed with physical manifestations because Leviathan is a constricting spirit.
Leviathan will attempt to constrict your vision for the future, to constrict your joy. It wants to break your heart, it will lie about you and ruin your reputation, you will be hated by friends and family members for no reason, it will attempt to strangle your peace, constrict and ruin your relationships, drown your dreams, It's a constrictor, a twister. It brings pressure. It sucks under and will attempt to drown it's victim.
In demonology, Leviathan is depicted as a powerful water dragon, much like its description in the Bible as a huge snake-like or dragon like creature covered with inpenetrable mail. It is one of the chief entities within Satan’s hierarchy. Some traditions associate it with the forces of chaos and destruction, it symbolizes an immense, malevolent power. It's activities can be seen in the horrible storms that swirl up from the African coast and the destruction that has been attributed to the working of vodoo rituals.
When it comes to spiritual principalities like Leviathan, unless we're led by the Lord, we do not take them on casually 'toe-to-toe' as it were. We don't do that, that's not wise. I'm not saying that believers don't have authority over principalities where Jesus is the head and we are the body. According to scripture, we do have authority over all demonic forces, but just to clarify, we are not to ‘pick a fight with’ or go against Leviathan in our own strength. Be careful to be led by the Holy Spirit. I have also found that it is very good to have a group of intercessors standing by when confronting or praying against this spirit.
“And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” (Mark 16:17-18).
Through the name and the blood of Jesus, we combat Leviathan's witchcraft and tactics. Principalities work on our minds, so when we go after Leviathan, it's as if we are quenching a fiery dart. It is very beneficial to pray against specific attacks of Leviathan.
As I mentioned, Leviathan is not a demon, but a Principality. Let’s look at a few more verses:
Job 3:8 it denotes “the dragon," which, according to Eastern tradition, is an enemy of light.
Psalms 104:26 it suggests Leviathan is "a large animal that moves by writhing or wriggling the body," such as a whale or a monster of the deep.
Job 41:1 "Can you draw Leviathan out with a hook?"
Job 41:10 “No one is so fierce that they would dare stir him up." (no presumption)
Job 41:26-32 “Even if one strikes at him with the sword, it cannot get any hold, nor does the spear, the dart, or the javelin. He counts iron as straw and bronze as rotten wood. The arrow cannot make Leviathan flee; slingstones are treated by him as stubble. Clubs(also) are counted as stubble; he laughs at the rushing and the rattling of the javelin. His underparts are like sharp pieces of broken pottery; he spreads (grooves like) a threshing sledge upon the mire. He makes the deep boil like a pot; he makes the sea like a (foaming) pot of ointment. (His swift darting) makes a shining track behind him; one would think the deep to be hoary (with foam).”
It is clear that natural/physical weapons cannot destroy him. It will take the sword of the Lord to overcome this Leviathan as it is more than just a natural large sea mammal. Some scholars have speculated that this creature is somehow a chymera or part of the Nephilim genre.
When the scripture speaks about the Leviathan, it is always in the sea or in the rivers. If we read Psalm 104, we can that the sea is a picture of the "Sea of humanity" —-or said differently, the world. Psalm 104:25-26 "This great and wide sea, in which are innumerable teeming things, living things both small and great. There the ships sail about; there is the Leviathan which you have made to play there."
Ships are prophetic of merchants and business. I believe ships can also be attributed to ministries and those who are at labor in the "sea of humanity." This spirit wants to destroy ministries, especially those at labor in the harvest. This spirit wants to destroy and bring down ministries, families, churches.
Leviathan's connection to chaos is also found in the New Testament, where Yeshua demonstrates his authority over the sea and the forces of disorder. In Mark 4:39, Yeshua rebukes the storm, saying, ‘peace, be still,’ and immediately the waters are calmed. This act may be a foreshadowing of our victory over this evil water spirit, and reflect YHVH's ultimate victory over Leviathan, the very embodiment of chaos, at the end of the age.
The Book of Revelation speaks of a great beast rising from the sea, mirroring descriptions of Leviathan. This reference may be the same Leviathan described in Psalms and Job. If so, it implies that the Leviathan of scripture may have a broader prophetic meaning tied to end-time events. The Leviathan's connection to end times and the revealing of a beast with seven heads is described in Revelation 13 but then, in Revelation 21:1 we see there is no more sea, and obviously no more Leviathan. God's word promises that there will be a new heaven, and a new earth!
Looking forward to this soon coming day, we can rejoice. The first heaven and the first earth have passed away and there will be no more chaotic, destructive waters or their wicked inhabitants in the new earth created by our Great King. Glory to His Holy Name Forever!🐟🐟🐟🐟
Copy of Renunciation Prayers
Renunciations
Video Link to Zoom Meeting Concerning Leviathan
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