Leviathan : An Ancient Dragon of the Sea? Part 1

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Authored By  :
Bill Kochman

Published On :
July 19, 1997

Last Updated :
September 20, 2012


NOTE: This article or series has not been updated recently. As such, it may possibly contain some outdated information, and/or ideas and beliefs which I no longer embrace, or which have changed to some degree.

Schism Between Men Of Science And Men Of Faith, Billions Of Years Old And Big Bang Theory, Cause Of The Effect Is Denied By Some Men Of Science, God Made All Things Through Christ, From One-Celled Protozoans To Humans Theory, Periods Epochs And Ages, Carbon-14 Dating And Other Methodologies, Apes To Men, Wisdom Of This World Is Foolishness With God, Blind And Ignorant, Creationist View: Earth And Heavens Were Created In Six Literal Days, The Universe Is Under 7,000 Years Old, Man Was Created In God's Image With Intelligence And With Ability To Speak, Current Burst Of Knowledge Was Prophesied, Dinosaurs: Terrible Lizards On The Earth Millions Of Years Ago, Theories Regarding Disappearance Of Dinosaurs, Polar Shift And Nuclear Winter, Flood In Days Of Patriarch Noah, Job 41 And Leviathan: Fire-Breathing Sea Monster, All Things Are Possible With God, Was Leviathan A Plesiosaurus?, Deeper Spiritual Interpretation, The Bible Is Self-Interpreting, Be Careful Of Excessive Personal Speculation, The Lord Passes A Sentence Of Death On Leviathan, Satan Tempts Eve In Garden Of Eden, Real Serpent Or Satan Materialized In Physical Form?, Apostle Paul Warns Of Satan's Subtle Deceptions, False Angel Of Light, Sin And Death Are Passed To All Men Through Adam, Satan's Deception Of Darkness For Light And Bitter For Sweet


As many of you will no doubt realize, in our modern times, certain men of science have done much to try to discredit God and disprove the Bible. The great schism which exists between Darwinian Evolutionists and Biblical Creationists is a primary example of this spiritual battle and war of words. On one side of this vast gulf are men of science such as the archeologists, paleontologists, geologists, etc., who firmly embrace the view that the Earth -- in fact, the Universe -- is billions of years old. According to their theories -- and they truly are theories, being as no one was actually there to witness the event -- the Universe was created billions of years ago by a cosmic Big Bang.

They inform us that it is this primordial Big Bang which has resulted in the current plethora of galaxies, nebulae, stars and planetary systems which continue to expand outward to our current time, fueled by the awesome energy that was released during that first primordial event. While I honestly do not know what physical mechanism God may have used to create the Universe, the problem for me personally is that when it comes to discussing what kind of catalyst may have been responsible for such a powerful primordial event, they are apparently at a total loss for words and remain mute. It remains a mystery to them. While they can observe, measure and study the effect of the original event, many of them reject the actual cause of that event; which the Bible tells us is God, who worked by way of Jesus Christ, as we learn from the following verses:

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."
Genesis 1:1, KJV


"All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."
John 1:3, KJV


"And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:"
Acts 14:15, KJV


"God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands . . . For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring."
Acts 17:24, 28, KJV


"For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen."
Romans 11:36, KJV


"But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him."
1 Corinthians 8:6, KJV


"And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:"
Ephesians 3:9, KJV


"For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist."
Colossians 1:16-17, KJV


"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;"
Hebrews 1:1-3, KJV


"For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings."
Hebrews 2:10, KJV


"For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God."
Hebrews 3:4, KJV


"Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear."
Hebrews 11:3, KJV


"For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:"
2 Peter 3:5, KJV


"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."
Revelation 4:11, KJV


Having convinced so many people that the previous Big Bang theory is the irrefutable truth, these atheistic men then ask us to accept that life on planet Earth slowly evolved over a period of millions of years from simple one-celled animals -- or protozoans -- which thrived in the primordial soup of the world's oceans, into our current vast array of exotic lifeforms, including man himself. This very lengthy process, we are told, involved chance mutations, adaptation, and other evolutionary mechanisms and processes. I discuss these topics more at length in articles such as "Adaptation, Evilution and the Six Days of Genesis".

To make it easier for our simple minds to grasp such a vast theoretical concept which stretches across so great a length of time, this process of gradual evolution has been neatly divided into various periods, epochs and ages, each of which has been assigned in-depth descriptions regarding what types of life existed during each period, what they looked like, what their diet consisted of, 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 of the distant past, even though he was not there to witness said events. Please note my obvious sarcasm.

All of these "wonderful" fruits of man's great wisdom have been accomplished by employing Carbon-14 dating techniques, and other "infallible" methodologies which are too detailed and complex to explain in this treatise. No doubt, the most crowning "achievement" of these men of science is how they have proudly explained to us how we, the dominate life form upon this planet, gradually evolved from our lower primate "cousins" who swung in the trees, to our ancient troglodyte relatives who grunted and built fires in dank caves, to our present glorious form. In thinking about these misguided men of science who have deceived so much of humanity with their ignorance, I am reminded of the Apostle Paul's words when he writes "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools." Consider the following verses:

"For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things."
Romans 1:20-23, KJV


"Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men . . . But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence."
1 Corinthians 1:25, 27-29, KJV


"And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know."
1 Corinthians 8:2, KJV


"And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:"
Acts 17:30, KJV


"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."
1 Corinthians 2:14, KJV


"For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness."
1 Corinthians 3:19, KJV


"Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:"
Ephesians 2:2, KJV


"This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:"
Ephesians 4:17-18, KJV


"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."
Colossians 2:8, KJV


On the opposite side of this vast intellectual gulf are the people of faith who adhere to the account of Creation, as it is explained in the Pentateuch -- that is, the first five Books of Moses -- as well as in other Books of the Bible. As I explain in the article entitled "The Earth is Under 7,000 Years Old", we believe that the Earth, Sun, Moon and stars are not millions or billions of years old, but approximately six thousand years old. We also attest to the fact that the original Universe was created by God during a period of six literal, twenty-four hour days, just as we know them today.

Furthermore, we Creationists hold the view that man is not the result of some imaginary, slow, evolutionary process. Rather, he was created in his current form -- and in God's image -- with a fully developed mind which enabled him to both speak and reason intelligently. Of course, this does mean that Adam and his descendants possessed the same level of knowledge that we possess today. After all, knowledge is acquired over time. The Scriptures provide us with a clear record of the development of man over the past six thousand years. Furthermore, God's Word seems to indicate that the current, unprecedented burst of knowledge that we are now experiencing, may have been prophesied thousands of years ago by the Prophet Daniel. Consider this verse:

"But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased."
Daniel 12:4, KJV


To discuss the previously-noted opposing views in detail would no doubt require a considerable amount of time, and would likewise fill many pages. Furthermore, in addition to what I already state in some of my own articles -- such as the aforementioned titles -- enough has already been said in other essays, papers and books, to give everyone ample data to make an intelligent decision regarding what they choose to believe.

However, there is one area -- and one topic in particular -- which I would like to address in this current article. In a companion article entitled "The Dinosaur Dilemma and Modern Science", I set forth some of my personal views concerning the existence of these mighty creatures in Earth's distant past. According to modern-day scientific thought, dinosaurs -- which is derived from the Greek "deinos sauros" meaning "terrible lizard" -- existed millions of years prior to the arrival of man on the Earth. However, as you will no doubt already know, science has taught that due to an unexplained cataclysmic event, they mysteriously disappeared.

Theories abound regarding what may have caused their demise. There are several prominent ones. One popular theory proposes that a giant comet, asteroid or meteorite slammed into, or at least brushed against, the Earth. This impact resulted in a polar shift, which in turn caused great climatic changes on Earth. These climatic changes were of such a degree, that the dinosaurs weren't able to adapt to them. Thus, they died out. A similar theory suggests that while a polar shift may not have necessarily occurred, the powerful impact of this great body from Outer Space may have thrown so much dust and debris into the Earth's atmosphere, that it resulted in a "nuclear winter". In other words, this great dust cloud blocked out the Sun's rays, which resulted in an extended period of both abnormal cold, and darkness, akin to an ice age.

The aforementioned theories aside, amongst Bible-believing Christians, a more acceptable view which in fact agrees with the Bible, is that all land-dwelling, air-breathing life was destroyed during the Flood that occurred in the days of the Patriarch Noah. Allow me to again refer you to the article entitled "The Dinosaur Dilemma and Modern Science" if you are interested in a more in-depth look at my position regarding this issue. As I point out in that article, one chapter which is often cited as proof that dinosaurs did at one time roam the Earth, is Job chapter forty-one. This ancient manuscript is commonly believed by some Christians to be the oldest Book in the Christian Old Testament. Within this chapter we find the following interesting verses:

"Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down? Canst thou put an hook into his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn? Will he make many supplications unto thee? will he speak soft words unto thee? Will he make a covenant with thee? wilt thou take him for a servant for ever? Wilt thou play with him as with a bird? or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens? Shall the companions make a banquet of him? shall they part him among the merchants? Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons? or his head with fish spears? Lay thine hand upon him, remember the battle, do no more. Behold, the hope of him is in vain: shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him? None is so fierce that dare stir him up: who then is able to stand before me? Who hath prevented me, that I should repay him? whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine. I will not conceal his parts, nor his power, nor his comely proportion. Who can discover the face of his garment? or who can come to him with his double bridle? Who can open the doors of his face? his teeth are terrible round about. His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal. One is so near to another, that no air can come between them. They are joined one to another, they stick together, that they cannot be sundered. By his neesings a light doth shine, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning. Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out. Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron. His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth. In his neck remaineth strength, and sorrow is turned into joy before him. The flakes of his flesh are joined together: they are firm in themselves; they cannot be moved. His heart is as firm as a stone; yea, as hard as a piece of the nether millstone. When he raiseth up himself, the mighty are afraid: by reason of breakings they purify themselves. The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold: the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon. He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood. The arrow cannot make him flee: slingstones are turned with him into stubble. Darts are counted as stubble: he laugheth at the shaking of a spear. Sharp stones are under him: he spreadeth sharp pointed things upon the mire. He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment. He maketh a path to shine after him; one would think the deep to be hoary. Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear. He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride."
Job 41:1-34, KJV


The previous verses certainly seem to describe a fearsome, fire-breathing sea monster, don't they? Is it possible that in ancient times such creatures actually roamed the oceans of the world, but that at some point in the Earth's history they became extinct? Obviously, being as God is who He is, we know that all things are possible within His power. The Scriptures remind us of this truth a number of times, as we can see by the following verses that are found in three of the Gospels:

"But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible."
Matthew 19:26, KJV


"And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible."
Mark 10:27, KJV


"And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt."
Mark 14:36, KJV


"For with God nothing shall be impossible."
Luke 1:37, KJV


"And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God."
Luke 18:27, KJV


Furthermore, the previous set of verses regarding Leviathan does in fact seem like a very literal description, and an eyewitness account of one of these great beasts. There are simply too many specific details regarding what Leviathan looked like, and how it acted, to simply assume the animal was an imaginary creature. In addition, I don't think that an imaginary creature of any kind would be described in the pages of the Bible, symbolic visions aside. We also find Leviathan mentioned in Psalm 104, as we see here:

"O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts. There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein."
Psalm 104:24-26, KJV


Certain people have theorized that Leviathan may have been similar to a plesiosaurus. For those of you who may not be familiar with the plesiosaurus, scientists describe this ancient dinosaur as a large marine reptile. It possessed a broad, flat body, large paddle-like limbs, and typically a long, flexible neck which terminated in a small head. While we may not all agree with the time frame regarding when the dinosaurs lived, perhaps this is what the writer of the Book of Job is describing in the forty-first chapter. Of course, the one big difference would be that, according to the Book of Job, Leviathan possessed the ability to breath fire from its mouth as well.

However, at the same time, let us not forget that the Bible is also replete with many hidden, symbolic meanings. Taking this thought into consideration, is it possible that while Leviathan may have been an actual creature which roamed the seas in ancient times, there may also be a deeper, spiritual interpretation to the beast that is described in Job chapter forty-one? As you will now see, there is another way to look at this fire-breathing monster of the ancient deep.

As I point out in other articles, it is my personal belief that the Scriptures are for the most part self-interpreting. In other words, if a verse cannot be immediately understood, the best thing to do is to simply 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 may be found in the same book. If it cannot be found in the same book, then perhaps it can be found in some other place within the Scriptures.

The last thing that we should do when we do not understand something is to immediately resort to personal speculation in our haste to find a solution to the problem. Once we begin to speculate, our imagination can very quickly carry us far from the truth, and even result in strong delusion and deception, if we are not careful.

By following the previous methodology of comparing Scripture with Scriptures, we can learn some interesting things about the mysterious Leviathan. Let us begin by taking a look at the Book of Isaiah. In Isaiah chapter twenty-seven we find another mention of this mysterious beast called Leviathan, as we see here:

"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, KJV


It is apparent that Leviathan has done something which has incurred the Wrath of the Lord. Whatever its crime has been, it has resulted in a sentence of death being passed upon the great beast. In the previous verse, Leviathan is described as being a serpent, and also as a dragon that is in the sea. The fact that it is described as a serpent reminds me of another verse that is found in the Book of Genesis. Consider this:

"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, KJV


This verse in the Book of Genesis is the very first mention of a serpent in the Scriptures. In both verses -- Isaiah and Job -- the word "serpent" is translated from the Hebrew word "nachash", which means serpent or snake. In the thirty-one times that it is used in the Old Testament, it is translated as "serpent". I have wondered about the actual nature of the serpent for many years now. On one hand, the fact that Moses describes this snake as being "more subtle than any beast of the field" -- emphasis on the words "of the field" -- seems to suggest that he is describing a real serpent. However, if we consider what this serpent does in the Garden, it suggests that at the very least, it must have become possessed by the Devil, or Satan.

The fact that the serpent is described as being subtle; then proceeds to speak to Eve in a tempting voice -- which as we all know results in both her and Adam becoming deceived and ultimately disobeying the Lord -- and then is later cursed to crawl upon its belly; clearly seems to suggest that if this was an actual snake, it was one which had become possessed by a spiritual entity, namely Satan. Another possibility is that it wasn't a real snake at all. In other words, perhaps Satan materialized and took the physical form of a serpent. Even then, I still find it unusual that Eve would consider talking to a disgusting snake. In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul mentions the deception that occurred in the Garden of Eden in the following verses, and he warns us to beware of Satan's subtle tricks, lest we become spiritually blinded by his evil deceptions:

"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ . . . And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light."
2 Corinthians 11:3, 14, KJV


"Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices."
2 Corinthians 2:11, KJV


"In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."
2 Corinthians 4:4, KJV


"Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:"
Ephesians 2:2, KJV


This is precisely what that deceiver Satan did in the Garden of Eden. He appeared to Eve as an angel of light, and as a supposed bearer of truth and spiritual enlightenment. Satan purposely deceived Eve when he falsely claimed the following:

"Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? . . . Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."
Genesis 3:1, 4-5, KJV


Contrary to Satan's claims, partaking of the forbidden fruit did not result in Adam and Eve becoming as gods. Furthermore, they died a spiritual death that day, which was physically manifested when the Lord ousted them from the Garden of Eden. Tragically, Adam and Eve could not have possibly realized the long-term effect of their rebellion against the Lord, which is clearly revealed in the following verses:

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous."
Romans 5:12-19, KJV


"For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."
1 Corinthians 15:21-22, KJV


While that vile serpent Satan pretended to give Eve spiritual light and truth, in reality, he was actually filling her mind with spiritual darkness and lies. As we have seen, the tragic result of partaking of his deceptive, bitter fruit was both spiritual and physical death; not only for Adam and Eve, but for us as well. I am reminded of the following powerful verse that is found in the Book of Isaiah:

"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"
Isaiah 5:20, KJV


Please go to part two for the continuation of this series.

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