Sunday, January 8, 2012

King of the beasts


I finished reading through Job in the New Living Testament. It was good to read and easier in this version until I got to the section describing Leviathan. The LORD was speaking to Job from a whirlwind.

Job 41:1 Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down?

In the NLT they used crocodile as a substitute for Leviathan. Does this sound like a crocodile?

Job 41:18 "When it sneezes, it flashes light! Its eyes are like the red of dawn.
19 Fire and sparks leap from its mouth.

20 Smoke streams from its nostrils like steam from a boiling pot on a fire of dry rushes.
21 Yes, its breath would kindle coals, for flames shoot from its mouth.
22 "The tremendous strength in its neck strikes terror wherever it goes.
23 Its flesh is hard and firm, not soft and fat.
24 Its heart is as hard as rock, as hard as a millstone.
25 When it rises, the mighty are afraid, gripped by terror.
26 No sword can stop it, nor spear nor dart nor pointed shaft.

This is no crocodile. It describes a dragon, like the Chinese draw in their drawings. He is described as the king of beasts.

Job41:34 Of all the creatures, it is the proudest. It is the king of beasts."

Some have thought that this was a spiritual beast. Who is proud in the spirit? Who is the king of the beasts? The antichrist is described as the king, inhabited by satan. He is the beast from the sea of humanity. He has a heart of stone and is indestructible by the efforts of man.

One man, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the King of kings and the Lord of Lords has defeated the dragon, taking away his power from the children of God. Leviathan is king of the mass of humanity, those not yet made the children of God by faith in Jesus Christ.
Leviathan is mentioned in Isaiah.

Isa 26:20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.
Isa 26:21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.

Isa 27:1 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.

Rev 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
Rev 12:8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
Rev 12:9 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.
Rev 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Satan will be bound during the Millennium and loosed at the end to deceive many.

Rev 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

Finally he will be thrown into the Lake of Fire by the LORD.

Rev 20:10 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.

 We can overcome the dragon in our lives because we are in Christ Jesus. Do not fight him in the flesh, but by the word of God.  We overcome him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimonies. There will be no more Dragon and no more satan, but those who trust in the Lord shall live forever.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

In the NLT they used crocodile as a substitute for Leviathan. Does this sound like a crocodile?

Nope, another reason why I stay with the KJV.

Great lesson, thanks!