Dictionary of Bible Themes  »  4000 Creation  »  4600 Living beings  »  4627 creatures

Generally, living beings within God's creation, especially the exotic animals seen in visions, which often have a deep symbolic significance.

Creatures representing angelic beings who worship God

Ezekiel 1:5-6; Revelation 4:6-8 The strange creatures of Ezekiel and Revelation seem to stand for the fulness and variety of God's creation. See also Ezekiel 1:7-25; Ezekiel 3:12-13; Ezekiel 10:15-22 The creatures are here identified as cherubim; Revelation 4:9-11; Revelation 5:6-14; Revelation 6:1-3,5-6; Revelation 7:11; Revelation 14:3; Revelation 15:7; Revelation 19:4

Creatures representing kings or kingdoms

Daniel 7:17; Daniel 8:20-21 The “beasts” here are unnatural, and represent the hostility of human empires to the rule of God. The horns represent individual kings within an imperial dynasty.

Creatures representing Satan

The beast here represents Satan, with the horns representing royal authority at a time of Roman persecution of the church:

Revelation 12:3-4,7-9; Revelation 13:1 Daniel 7:2-8,19-26; Daniel 8:3-12; Revelation 11:7; Revelation 13:2-8,11-18; Revelation 17:3,7-13

See also

1469  visions
1670  symbols
4110  angels
4150  cherubim
4603  animals
4609  beast, the
9105  last things