Leviathan

Leviathan PDF

The video link for this lesson is at the bottom of this page.

1. Introduction

Leviathan is a spirit assigned to stop God’s call to the apostolic people of God.

2. Old Testament Leviathan

Most references to Leviathan have come from the book of Job, with some verses in Isaiah and Psalms.

A. Multi-headed

Psalms describe Leviathan as being multi-headed:

You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces,
And gave him as food to the people inhabiting the wilderness.
Psalms 74:14

Therefore, it is a spirit, not a natural animal, because it has multiple heads.

B. Scales

Job makes it obvious that this beast has scales:

His rows of scales are his pride,
Shut up tightly as with a seal;
He leaves a shining wake behind him;
One would think the deep had white hair.
Job 41:15-16

C. Fiery Breathing

Job 41 also teaches us that this spirit is fire-breathing:

Out of his mouth go burning lights;
Sparks of fire shoot out.
Job 41:19

D. Serpent

We also learn that Leviathan is a twisting serpent:

In that day the LORD with His severe sword, great and strong,
Will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent,
Leviathan that twisted serpent;
And He will slay the reptile that is in the sea.
Isaiah 27:1

E. Dragon

We get the complete interpretation when we look at the Hebraic meaning of Leviathan:
לִוְיָתָן liwyâṯân; a wreathed animal, i.e. a serpent, figuratively, the constellation of the dragon; also as a symbol of Bab

Now let’s look at the New Testament to interpret who Leviathan is.

3. New Testament Dragon

When we look at these four characteristics of Leviathan, we see that they are mirrored in the New Testament.

A. Identifying Leviathan

And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads.
Reveation 12:3

From this verse, we see three of Leviathan’s four major attributes: it is multi-headed, fiery, and a dragon, i.e., having scales.

B. Leviathan of the New Covenant is a Dragon

Further on in this chapter, we find that it is also a serpent:

So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old,
Revelation 12:9

C. Leviathan Identified as the Devil

We now get an interpretation of who this spirit is – the devil himself.

So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Revelation 12:9

In the New Testament, it is identified as a dragon attacking the son of God:

His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born.
Revelation 12:4

And then the sons and daughters of the kingdom:

And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Revelation 12:17

We look further into this chapter in our lesson on God’s Kingdom Here Now.

4. God Assigns Leviathan to Strengthen the Men and Women of God.

A. Satan’s Perspective

In the eyes of the devil, his purpose is to destroy anything that glorifies the Trinity. God made humankind in His image and said it was good. Because Satan is the arch-enemy of everything good and cannot attack God, he attacks the image of God – humanity.
Therefore by attacking humanity through sickness and torment, he is taking away from the father-heart of God. Unfortunately, some teaching today says there is a war between God and the devil.

We know that God created Lucifer. Therefore, God can destroy Satan at any time He chooses. Now, however, God uses the devil to perfect and strengthen the sons and daughters of God.

B. God’s Perspective of Satan

God’s perspective is different from the devil’s perspective. When we understand the perspective of God, we need to see ourselves from God’s perspective, not the devil’s. God is not anxious, and God has given us the command. When we look at the Hebraic meaning of the word devil, we start to see God’s perspective.

שָׂטָן śâṭân; an opponent; the arch-enemy of good: — adversary, Satan, withstand.

This revelation helps us understand that he is an adversary. We can either succumb or grow stronger by struggling with him.

C. Mystery of the Father’s Will

We must remember that Leviathan is a spirit God made but has fallen. The lesson on the mystery of His will teaches us that God wants us to display to Leviathan and every spirit what the will and wisdom of God are through overcoming him.

5. The Devil Himself Will Attack Apostles.

As the spirit of Jezebel attacks the prophet, Leviathan himself will attack the apostle.

When Leviathan raises himself up, the mighty are afraid;
Because of his crashings they are beside themselves.
Job 41:25

A. Ambassadors

In this verse, when we look at the Hebraic word mighty, we find that it is the word el
אֵל’ êl; god, god-like one, mighty one mighty men, men of rank, mighty heroes

The apostles are like the mighty ones.

ἀπόστολος Apostolos; a delegate; especially, an ambassador of the Gospel; officially a commissioner of Christ with miraculous powers; he that is sent

They are ambassadors taking the kingdom’s message, power, and dominion into areas where the domain is not yet established.

B. Maturing the Apostle

The devil will send an assignment against any who wishes to rise to be a mighty man or woman of God, But for the apostle, Leviathan himself will attack them. God’s maturing as an apostle takes a long time. It took 13-17 years to prepare the Apostle Paul, and it is the same now. When Leviathan attacks the apostle in training, the Spirit of God will allow revelation about Leviathan to be made available to them from the Word of God and the Spirit of God.

Personal testimony: When God saw my faithfulness to being a prophet to the nations, He called me an apostle in the 1990s. Satan recognised the apostolic gift in my life and attempted to shut me down. God then gave me revelation from the Bible about how to overcome the demonic assignment against me. Just as I had to confront and get the victory over Jezebel during my preparation for the office of the prophet, now I needed to learn to fight and overcome the devil himself if I was to become successful as an apostle.

6. False Abiding

One of the revelations that the church is coming into at this time is understanding how important abiding is.

A. True Abiding

Unless we learn to abide, we will not be fruitful:

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
John 15:5

And nor can we see prayer answered the way we desire:

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
John 15:7

So it is logical that if the devil wants to succeed, he will do anything to stop us from abiding. For example, he will try to stop us from abiding through prayer and reading the Word of God.

B. Leviathan the False Abider

Amazingly, the word for Leviathan in Hebrew comes from the root word:
לָוָה lâwâ; to twine, to unite, — abide with; also to borrow (as a form of obligation), cleave,

We are meant to abide and entwine ourselves with God. So Leviathan will attempt to:

Hide the importance of abiding with the Trinity.
Bring false teaching on abiding and minimising our authority as sons and daughters.

He will also attempt to bring about demonic oppression for a Christian or possession for a non-Christian. This will result in the following:

An attempt to have us abide in Satan
Bring us into financial bondage to Satan.
Cause us to come into contractual agreements with him.

7. Leviathan is King Over Prideful Children.

He beholds every high thing;
He is king over all the children of pride.”
Job 41:34

The description of Leviathan being “king over all who are proud” gives us a key to preventing the spirit from overcoming us. Not enabling Leviathan to overwhelm us requires walking in humility. This humility allows us to conquer it, as Jesus says:

Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
Matthew 5:5

8. It Will Attack Good People.

Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?”
Job 1:8

Although walking in humility will mean Leviathan does not rule over us, being good does not stop it from attacking us. Job was a blameless and upright man in God’s sight, yet Leviathan still attacked Job.

Like Job, we can undergo persecution, lose our jobs, and be abused for standing up for Jesus Christ.

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:37-39

The New Covenant does not protect us from persecution or difficulty, so there are times when Leviathan will appear like it is successful in completing an assignment against us. However, Abba Father always turns things out for good because that is His nature towards his children:

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28

So when the devil attacks us, God immediately starts restoring us. Sometimes, we need to change how we think about ourselves, others, or God. This is precisely what repentance means: “Change the way you think, for the kingdom is here.”

Regarding my walk with God, I frequently remind myself that “the devil is a tool in the hand of God for the perfecting of the saints”. So, the process may involve discipline from my Father.

And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:
“My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD,
Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
For whom the LORD loves He chastens,
And scourges every son whom He receives.”
If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?
Hebrews 12:5-7

The outcome of this process is always good:

Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Hebrews 12:11

9. The Weaponry Used Against it Must be Powerful.

Can you fill his skin with harpoons,
Or his head with fishing spears?
Job 41:7

A. Job Lived when Death Reigned

The Book of Job is chronologically the earliest book in the Bible; from then, Abraham was still in the land of Ur, around 2000 BCE. So, the harpoon and fishing spears were advanced weapons of the day. We also need to remember that it was before Moses’s deliverance of the Israelites and the Abrahamic Covenant. At this time, death still reigned.

Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.
Romans 5:14

B. Reigning Sons and Daughters

Some have said that Leviathan cannot be defeated because of this verse:

Lay your hand on him;
Remember the battle—
Never do it again!
Job 41:8

We must remember that this scripture was written during a different epoch before the Old Covenant came into effect.

We are under a different covenant, under which death no longer reigns and under which we are the sons and daughters of God.

so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 5:21

Because we are in Christ Jesus, and He abides in us, the principalities and powers are not just under Jesus’ feet but also under our feet.

And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,
Ephesians 1:22

C. Our Powerful Weapons

We are not just sons and daughters but also kings and priests:

and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Revelation 1:6

Because we are kings and queens, we also have mighty spiritual weapons to fight principalities and powers at our disposal.

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
2 Corinthians 10:4

D. Leviathan has been Cast Down

At the time of Job, Satan was still in heaven.

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.
Job 1:6

However, when Jesus ascended into heaven, Satan was cast down to earth and could no longer enter heaven.

And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Revelation 12:7-9

For these reasons, Leviathan can now be defeated. In my opinion, in the same way, the prophet will overcome Jezebel, the apostolic people of God, those whom God is training to the apostleship, and the apostles whom God has chosen will overcome Leviathan. It is because our weapons are now mighty enough to pierce his armour.

“Thus says the LORD to His anointed,
To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held—
To subdue nations before him
And loose the armour of kings,
To open before him the double doors,
So that the gates will not be shut:
Isaiah 45:1

This kingdom anointing gives us this authority and power, as we learned in the lesson from Cyrus’ life.

10. It tries to Rule the Nations.

There the ships sail about;
There is that Leviathan
Which You have made to play there.
Psalms 104:26

A. The Sea Refers to the Nations of the World.

Then he said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.
Revelation 17:15

We interpret the Old Testament using the New Testament, so we learn from the Book of Revelation that the sea refers to the peoples of the nations.

B. The Apostles Take the Nations

The word apostle is the Greek word:
ἀπόστολος Apostolos, which means an ambassador of the Gospel, officially a commissioner of Christ with miraculous powers.

The Spirit of God sends apostles to the nations; therefore, if they are going to be successful in taking the nations, they will have to overcome the spirit of Leviathan.

Let us now look at some of the symptoms of Leviathan’s attack on the sons and daughters of God.

11. Leviathan is a Mocking Spirit.

There the ships sail about;
There is that Leviathan
Which You have made to play there.
Psalms 104:26

The Greek word for play is more correct, to mock:
שָׂחַק śâḥaq; deride, have in derision, laugh, make merry, mock(-er)

In other words, Leviathan is a mocking spirit who laughs mockingly at churches that do not understand spiritual warfare and how to take dominion.

and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places,
Ephesians 3:9-10

So, it is our purpose to dismay principalities and powers. We should not pay attention anytime Leviathan mocks us; instead, we should be like Nehemiah and continue to advance the kingdom of God.

Now Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Whatever they build, if even a fox goes up on it, he will break down their stone wall.”
So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.
Nehemiah 4:3,6

12. Leviathan Causes Coldness

One symptom of a spiritual attack by this spirit is the coldness of the heart toward God’s things or the movement of the Spirit.

His rows of scales are his pride,
Shut up tightly as with a seal;
Job 41:15

When I see people cold towards God in meetings, I consider whether Leviathan is operating and needs to be defeated.

13. Quenching the Holy Spirit.

The scales mentioned in the previous verse are so close together that no air can get through:

One is so near another
That no air can come between them;
Job 41:16

The Holy Spirit is the breath of God, as we learn from the first few verses of the Bible. The Hebrew word for Spirit of God is:
רוּחַ rûaḥ; wind; by resemblance breath, i.e. a sensible exhalation

So, Leviathan will attempt to quench the Spirit of God.

Do not quench the Spirit.
1 Thessalonians 5:19

14. Spiritual sorrow

Leviathan carries a spirit of sorrow.

Strength dwells in his neck,
And sorrow dances before him.
Job 41:22

A. Ungodly sorrow

Although Leviathan will cause sorrow, it may also manifest as religious people trying to force people to show” godly sorrow”.

In our lesson on Repentance, we learnt why godly sorrow is not evidence of Repentance. When the Holy Spirit produces godly sorrow, it is a decisive move that is followed by times of refreshing:

B. Joy in the Holy Spirit

Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,
Acts 3:19

Therefore, one way of telling if it is godly sorrow or religious sorrow is to look for the joy that comes shortly after:

for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Romans 14:17

Joy in the Holy Spirit is the true manifestation of the kingdom of God operating in a person’s life.

15. Leviathan Produces Terror.

When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid;
Because of his crashings they are beside themselves.
Job 41:25

God saves anyone who calls on the name of the Lord. Salvation is not only about being “saved from your sins”. Salvation means to rescue; therefore, Jesus will save you from any terror Leviathan throws at you. Jesus saves us from sin, sickness and terror.

16. Disunity

Job teaches us that Leviathan leaving will not mean everything will be OK.

He leaves a shining wake behind him;
One would think the deep had white hair.
Job 41:32

Personal testimony: I was invited to speak to a church and felt led to bring this teaching on Leviathan. At the end of the teaching, the church leaders and I commanded Leviathan to leave. About a month later, an elder rose up against the senior pastor and left the church, taking a number of families with him. Their leaving coincided with many evil manifestations, and the elder went to jail for a brief time.

The Holy Spirit was now able to move more freely within the church, and a couple of months later, the church grew by 400 members, with revival breaking out and over 200 people accepting Jesus as Lord of their lives.

You know that Leviathan is involved when people leave a congregation and leave a trail of destruction behind them. However, the long-term result will be much better for the church, ministry, or business.

17. Leviathan is a Twisting Serpent

A manifestation of Leviathan is to twist communication. So, the person speaking will say one thing, and the person listening will hear different words. If Leviathan is involved, the outcome is that someone gets offended, causing division.

The persons under Leviathan’s influence will twist things around, confusing what was said to them as if they heard something different.

In that day the LORD with His severe sword, great and strong,
Will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent,
Leviathan that twisted serpent;
And He will slay the reptile that is in the sea.
Isaiah 27:1

It is essential to ensure that the person hearing understands what the person speaking is saying when necessary confrontations occur. So, for example, when we do marriage counselling, we ask the hearer to repeat back what they have heard the spouse say.

18. Leviathan Attacks Through Friends

Reading through the Book of Job, we find that Job’s friends accused Job of many things that were not true, usually multiple times through different people, just like Job’s Friends.

19. The Attacks May Be on Your Children.

While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house,
and suddenly a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead; and I alone have escaped to tell you!”
Job 1:18-19

20. The Attacks May Be on Your Finances.

As we saw above, the root word for Leviathan includes trying to have control over your finances.

Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house;
and a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them,
when the Sabeans raided them and took them away—indeed they have killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you!”
While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; and I alone have escaped to tell you!”
While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three bands, raided the camels and took them away, yes, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you!”
Job 1:13-17

21. The Attacks May Involve Your Health.

So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.
Job 2:7

The atonement includes healing to stand against all sickness that the devil brings. Disease never comes from God.

22. Leviathan May Attack your Spouse.

Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!”
Job 2:9

23. The Attacks Will Be on Your Character.