What Are the Manifestations of the Leviathan Spirit?

Various books in the Bible make reference to demons or other malevolent supernatural beings that can mount spiritual attacks on people. Some modern-day Christians believe that these beings exist today, and can still cause pain and suffering in the lives of believers. Attacks from different spirits can bring about different manifestations in those being attacked, such as the entity known as Leviathan.

Leviathan is often given the physical attributes of a giant, serpentlike sea creature. According to "Strong's Concordance," Leviathan is depicted as "a wreathed animal or serpent." The most detailed description of Leviathan can be found in the 41st chapter of the book of Job, in which God asks Job if he can handle a battle with this apparently unbeatable monster. Leviathan is described as exhaling smoke and having scales, breath like hot coals and sharp teeth that are "terrible round about." Some modern-day Christians believe the spirit of Leviathan attacks believers by causing them to turn away from God.

The same chapter in Job also associates Leviathan with pride, and some believe that pride and stubbornness are manifestations of a spiritual attack by Leviathan. Emotions such as grief and bitterness are also associated with the Leviathan spirit. Other manifestations of the Leviathan spirit include the inability to concentrate on studying the Bible or other spiritual goals, and learning disabilities affecting children. The latter stems from the belief that the Leviathan spirit will afflict generations of the same family as a sort of family curse.

The physical depiction of Leviathan as a powerful serpent can also be seen as symbolizing a spiritual monster that wants to squeeze the spirit of Christ out of Christian believers in much the same way a python squeezes the life out of its prey. As a result, actual physical pain and infirmities are associated with Leviathan. For example, Leviathan may be responsible for a dream in which you feel your breathing is constricted and you are being choked. Other physical manifestations of the Leviathan spirit include pain and stiffness in the neck and shoulder area.

A more secular view of Leviathan was the 1651 treatise by philosopher Thomas Hobbes, called "The Leviathan." Hobbes used the fearsome creature as a political metaphor in which the Leviathan symbolizes the British commonwealth. According to Hobbes, the "body politic" of a government contains immense power but that power can only be exercised when the body is unified under a strong leader, symbolized by the serpent's head.