I love to dress up for Halloween (and any other occasion which could possibly require a costume!) It’s fun to pretend to be someone or something else, and to imagine fantastical creatures. However, I was amazed to see just how many of the creatures from fantasy stories actually had their origins in the Bible!

This year, if any of these weird and wonderful creatures show up at your door looking for candy, you can smile knowing that these all had their origins in God’s word. And perhaps it’s worth pondering the awesome mystery and power of God to bring these things into creation, even if some of them are just metaphors and visions.

DANCING SKELETONS

So I spoke this message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons. (Ezekiel 37:7)

RESURRECTED MUMMY

Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!” (John 11:43-44)

GIANTS

A race of giants called the Emites had once lived in the area of Ar. They were as strong and numerous and tall as the Anakites, another race of giants. (Deuteronomy 2:10)

TALKING DONKEY

Then the Lord gave the donkey the ability to speak. “What have I done to you that deserves your beating me three times?” it asked Balaam. (Numbers 22:28)

UNICORN

But my horn shalt Thou exalt like the horn of a unicorn; I shall be anointed with fresh oil. (Psalm 92:10, 21st Century King James Version)

COCKATRICE (a two-legged dragon, wyvern, or serpent-like creature with a rooster's head)

Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpent's root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent. (Isaiah 14:29 KJV)

BEAST MAN

That same hour the judgment was fulfilled, and Nebuchadnezzar was driven from human society. He ate grass like a cow, and he was drenched with the dew of heaven. He lived this way until his hair was as long as eagles’ feathers and his nails were like birds’ claws. (Daniel 4:33)

SEA MONSTER

In that day the Lord will take his terrible, swift sword and punish Leviathan, the swiftly moving serpent, the coiling, writhing serpent. He will kill the dragon of the sea. (Isaiah 27:1)

DRAGON

Then I witnessed in heaven another significant event. I saw a large red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, with seven crowns on his heads… The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. (Revelation 12:3,9)

DINOSAUR

“Take a look at Behemoth, which I made, just as I made you. It eats grass like an ox. See its powerful loins and the muscles of its belly. Its tail is as strong as a cedar. The sinews of its thighs are knit tightly together. Its bones are tubes of bronze. Its limbs are bars of iron. It is a prime example of God’s handiwork, and only its Creator can threaten it.” (Job 40:15-19)

WITCHES & WIZARDS

The woman said to him, “Behold, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off those who have familiar spirits and the wizards out of the land. Why then do you lay a snare for my life, to cause me to die?”

Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up to you?”

He said, “Bring Samuel up for me.” (1 Samuel 28:9-11)

GHOST

The king said to her, “Don’t be afraid. What do you see?”

The woman said, “I see a ghostly figure coming up out of the earth.”

 “What does he look like?” he asked.

“An old man wearing a robe is coming up,” she said. (1 Samuel 28:13-14)

ANGEL

I looked up and saw someone who was wearing linen clothes and a belt of fine gold. His body shone like a jewel. His face was as bright as a flash of lightning, and his eyes blazed like fire. His arms and legs shone like polished bronze, and his voice sounded like the roar of a great crowd. (Daniel 10:5-6)

Wow! There’s a lot of weird and wonderful stuff in the Bible. Who needs Harry Potter? We’ve got enough beasts and supernatural creatures right in God’s Word!

Happy All Hallow’s Eve,

Jen 🎃