The spookiest day of the year is just around the corner, and wicked creatures have been around since the beginning of time. You will find many of these creatures in the Bible and others in Jewish mythology.
Beelzebub – In Matthew 12:24, Beelzebub is called the prince of devils, but in Luke 11:15, he is called the chief of the devils. Either way, he obviously holds a lot of sway among these demonic creatures.
Behemoth – A behemoth is something that is enormous is size or power. Behemoth belongs to the “chaos monsters,” creatures that are beyond our control and listen only to God. Behemoth, guardian of the land, is the mightiest of all land creatures.
Demons – With Beelzebub being the prince of demons and Lilith the mother of demons, they are decidedly wicked beings, ones that we shouldn’t want present in our lives.
Ghosts – Things that go bump or boo in the night have always been associated with halloween. But are there any ghosts in the Bible?
Get your Bible and read I Samuel 28. Saul is at war with the Philistines, and he panics when he sees how many of them there are. He isn’t successful at getting the Lord to answer his prayers to tell him what to do so he finds someone to consult a medium for him. He was really desperate because he had forbidden there to be any mediums to consult the dead in Israel, but nevertheless, one of his men found one.
Saul disguised himself and went to see her. He talked her into bringing up the ghost of Samuel for him to talk to. Samuel, by the way, wasn’t very happy that Saul had done this, and what he said to Saul certainly didn’t make matters any better.
Giants – Giants are described by two separate names in the Bible.
Nephilim – The Nephilim were born from the union of “the sons of God” and “the daughters of men.” They are portrayed as massive, mighty, and fearsome warriors.
Raphaim – These are descendants of Rapha often associated with the Nephilim. They were giant and fearsome warriors, one of whom was Goliath.
Scriptures: Genesis 6:1-4, Numbers 13:33, 2 Samuel 21:15-22, Ezekiel 32:27
Leviathan – The book of Job describes Leviathan, a “chaos monster” and guardian of the seas, as a creature with scales like shields of bronze and teeth all around. (Job 41, NLT) If you read the entire chapter, you will get a much more extensive description of this massive creature, one that will definitely make you not want to accidentally run into one.
Where is Leviathan now? According to Jewish eschatology, it is currently in the Mediterranean Sea, waiting for the end of days.
Lilith: the Mother of Demons – Lilith. Is she a myth, or did she really exist? Lilith doesn’t actually appear in the Bible, but she is a part of Jewish folklore.
According to the folklore about Lilith, she was Adam’s first wife, one who was not cooperative at all and refused to submit to Adam. She was supposed to have been created from the earth as Adam was, not taken from his side. She either fled from or was banished from the Garden of Eden and schemed with demons. According to legend, God sent three angels to bring her back, but she refused and promised not to harm infants if they wore an amulet with the three angels names. She is known as the “Mother of Demons” or a night demon. As if that isn’t enough to smear her name, she is also associated with witches and succabae.
She sounds to me like an early form of Jezebel, a very wicked woman.
Pit Locusts: Abaddon’s Chimeras – Led by Abaddon, the angel of the Abyss, these are some truly terrifying creatures. (Revelation 9:1-11, NLT) They come from the smoke that pours out of the bottomless pit. They look like horses prepared for battle, have human faces and crowns on their heads, and can sting like scorpions.
Rahab (not the woman who received Joshua’s spies) – is another “chaos monster.” She lives underwater and is often associated with arrogance, pride, and insolence. You’ll find references to her in Psalms 89:10, Isaiah 30:7, and Isaiah 51:9.
Ziz – Another “chaos monster” and guardian of the skies, Ziz is a massive bird so large that its wings could block the sunlight. When it spreads its wings, massive storms and disturbances in the weather patterns are caused.
I’m sure there are some mosters in the Bible and Jewish mythology that I neglected to include. If you know of any, please comment and let me know about them.
Writing Prompt: Take any of the above evil creatures or monsters and write a scary story around it.
