The scariest creatures in the Bible:
The Bible is full of crazy creatures, some of them quite horrific! Sure, we're familiar with some of them, but others are not quite as we imagine them. For instance, if you think cherubim are cute and chubby baby angels, think again. And if you think the first beast of the Book of Revelation was scary, wait until you learn more about the second beast!
The First Beast:
The First Beast is one the scariest monsters in the Book of Revelation—and there are plenty! Apparently, it had seven heads and 10 horns, not to mention other animal body parts. This beast is described in Revelation 13:1-2.
"And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority."
The Second Beast:
"Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, and it spoke like a dragon," (Revelation 13:11). Yes, there is a Second Beast. And this one was a showstopper, "causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people." This one was also responsible for marking everyone with the number of the beast. "Also, it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name," (Revelation 13:16-17). Debit cards?
Locusts:
The Book of Exodus details the plague of locusts in Egypt. "They covered all the ground until it was black. They devoured all that was left after the hail—everything growing in the fields and the fruit on the trees. Nothing green remained on tree or plant in all the land of Egypt." But then we have the locusts in Revelation, which were way scarier. "Their faces resembled human faces. Their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth.” Plus, they also had stings like scorpions but were not allowed to kill anyone. Instead, they would torture people for five months.
Giants:
When we talk of giants in the Bible, the story of Goliath, who was defeated by David, usually comes to mind. But Goliath is not the only giant in the scriptures. The Amorites are also mentioned numerous times. Amos 2:9 describes one of them: "Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was as strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit above and his roots beneath."
Leviathan:
This beast of chaos was a monster sea serpent created by God. It's one of the beasts of the Old Testament. Although there is a mention of a sea monster in Revelation, it's not clear whether it has any link to Leviathan. But then God being God, got rid of it, as described in Isaiah 27:1. "In that day the Lord will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, With His fierce and great and mighty sword, Even Leviathan the twisted serpent; And He will kill the dragon who lives in the sea."
Behemoth:
Like Leviathan, Behemoth was also created by God in the early days. Though this one roamed the land, whereas the monster serpent ruled the sea. Job 40:15-24 gives a pretty good description of this beast. “Behold, Behemoth, which I made as I made you; he eats grass like an ox. Behold, his strength in his loins, and his power in the muscles of his belly. He makes his tail stiff like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are knit together. His bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like bars of iron."
Daniel's Four Beasts:
Daniel, the prophet who authored the (appropriately titled) Book of Daniel in the Bible, had a bizarre vision of four beasts emerging from the sea. And it was quite something, as described in Daniel 7:1-28. It reads: "And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. The first was like a lion and had eagles' wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.'"
Cherubim:
Cherubim, aka cherubs, are usually depicted as these cute and chubby baby angels. But this couldn't be further from their Biblical description. According to the holy book, they are indeed scary beings. The one guarding the Garden of Eden even had a flaming sword! But Ezekiel 1:5-11 goes even further, describing them as having four faces! ". They had a human likeness, but each had four faces, and each of them had four wings. The four had the face of a lion on the right side, the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four had the face of an eagle."
Dragons:
Dragons are the quintessential evil beasts. They have been part of mythology for millennia, and Christian legends, such as that of Saint George slaying a dragon, are still very present in many cultures. Of course, the Bible also mentions dragons. More specifically in Revelation 20:2, which reads: "And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years."
Vampires:
There are some verses that have been associated with vampirism. Take Proverbs 30:14, for instance: "There are those whose teeth are swords, whose fangs are knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, the needy from among mankind." Blood is indeed a hot word in the Bible, and there are a few occasions where it's mentioned that we shouldn't consume it, such as Deuteronomy 12:23, which reads: "Only be sure that you do not eat the blood, for the blood is the life, and you shall not eat the life with the flesh."
Werewolves:
The concept of werewolves has been around for centuries, and while the Bible doesn't mention one specifically by name, there is a pretty similar description in Daniel 4:33. It reads: "Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagle feathers, and his nails were like birds claws."
Nephilim:
These demigods are really mysterious creatures. The Nephilim were essentially the offspring of the "sons of God" and "daughters of humans.” They are also described as giants who roamed the earth. There are theories that point to the Nephilim as descendants of fallen angels, but also Cain. They remain one of the mysterious creatures of the Bible.
Cockatrice:
This mythological creature is mentioned three times in the Book of Isaiah. It's essentially half cockerel, half snake. Think of it as a sort of mini dragon.
Unicorns:
The King James Bible translation mentions unicorns a whopping nine times! They are described as pretty strong creatures in Numbers 23:22 and 24:8. But are they scary? Isiah 34:6-7 offers some insight. It reads: "The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the LORD hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea. And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness."
Talking donkey:
A talking donkey is indeed a bizarre creature. The animal is described in Numbers 22:21. Balaam was riding his donkey when the animal stopped because he saw an angel, Balaam hit the donkey three times, and God gave the power of speech to the animal!
Ophanim:
The Ophanim are among the holiest angels in Judaism, but they are scary, too. According to Ezekiel 1:15, they have four faces and a bunch of eyes!
05/28/23