Leviathan and Behemoth

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Leviathan and Behemoth

• Ancient beasts of the Bible

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• Depicted here is the Leviathan as described in
  Job and the Behemoth, also described in Job.

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Leviathan

• "Let those curse it who curse the Sea, those who
  are skilled to rouse up Leviathan" (Job 38)
• "On that day the Lord with his cruel and great
  and strong sword will punish Leviathan the
  fleeing serpent, and he will kill the dragon that
  is in the sea." (Is. 271)
• "You crushed the heads of Leviathan you gave him
  as food for the creatures of the wilderness."
  (Ps. 7414).
• "There go the ship, and Leviathan that you formed
  sport in it." (Ps. 10426).

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Leviathan

• "Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhookWhen
  it raises itself up the gods are afraid at the
  crashing they are beside themselves. Though the
  sword reaches it, it does not avail, nor does the
  spear, the dart, or the javelin. It counts iron
  as straw, and bronze as rotten wood. The arrow
  cannot make it flee, slingstones, for it are
  turned to chaff. Clubs are counted as chaff it
  laughs at the rattle of javelins. Its underparts
  are like sharp potsherds it spreads itself like
  a threshing sledge on the mire. It makes the deep
  boil like a pot it makes the sea like a pot of
  ointment. It leaves a shining wake behind it one
  would think the deep to be white-haired. On earth
  it has not equal, creature without fear. It
  surveys everything that is lofty it is king over
  all that are proud." (Job 411,25-35).

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Leviathan

• Leviathan is also known as the seven headed
  monster of the sea, also called Rahab (a name
  also shared by the whore that helped Joshuas
  spies at Jericho), which in Canaanite religion
  God conquered to establish his rule of the Earth

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Leviathan

• In Revelations 13 there is also mentioned a seven
  headed beast of the sea that comes forth in the
  end of the days. This could be the re-emergence
  of the Leviathan or it could have deeper symbolic
  meaning to it. It does appear to refer to the
  original creature created by God though that
  rules the sea.

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Leviathan
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Babylonian Mythology

• Leviathan may also represent Kingu (meaning
  serpent) of ancient Babylonian mythology
• Behemoth in Babylonian mythology would be
  comparable to Tiamat (or the abyss) because of
  its massive size and because it dwells on land.

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Other Ancient Writings

• "On that day, two monsters will be parted 'one
  monster, a female named Leviathan, in order to
  dwell in the abyss of the ocean over the
  fountains of water and (the other), a male
  called Behemoth, which holds his chest in an
  invisible desert whose name is Dundayin, east of
  Eden" (I Ethiopic Enoch 607-8).

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Last Days

• The Behemoth is thought to be the ruler of all
  the land animals. Behemoth, like Leviathan, was
  supposedly unable to be conquered by man and
  therefore the only opponent that can kill this
  beast is God or the Leviathan. Some text
  mentions God forcing these two beasts to battle
  after the second coming of the Messiah.

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Cook Out

• It is also mentioned in ancient texts that
  Gabriel, the angel, will lead a hunting party
  with the righteous for these beasts. After
  which, the righteous will create tents out of the
  hides of the beast and there will be a humongous
  cook out with the meat.

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• What the Leviathan may have looked like . . . In
  a very loose sense.

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My impression of the Leviathan
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Bibliography

• http//www.bibleandscience.com/bible/books/genesis
  /genesis1_leviathan.htm
• http//www.columbia.edu/alj10/approaches/Moby-Dic
  k/leviathan.html
• http//www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid2
  75letterL
• http//www.cinema-stars.com/reese/