The Spiritual Significance of Animals in Scripture Wolves by Mike Vinson Introduction Like every word of Scripture, the creatures of God's Word have nothing at all to do with their spiritual counterparts, except as they are used to show us the mind of God concerning the "things of the spirit." Wolves, in scripture, like so many of the creatures of scripture have a generally negative application which helps us to see the different aspects of the beast which we all are. We are not one beast versus another, rather the book of Revelation has given us to understand that all of the beasts of Daniel are all really just types of one single beast with the heads of all the beasts mentioned in Daniel. In other words we are brought by the sum of God's word to see that we "live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." Rev 13:1 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. Rev 13:2 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. Dan 7:2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. Dan 7:3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. 1
Dan 7:4 The first was]like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it. Dan 7:5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and [it had] three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. Dan 7:6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it. Dan 7:7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. When we come to see the principle Christ reveals of "living by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God," it becomes clear why the beast of Revelation just happens to have all the same qualities of the four beasts of Daniel seven. When we see that we "live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God," it becomes clear that all of those consecutive kingdoms of Daniel are alive and well within each of us. But this is not true only of these four kingdoms, it is also true of all of the people of the Old Testament. When we see that we "live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God" we find that we have within each of us, Adam and Eve, Cain and Able, Enoch and those seeking his life, Noah and those who laughed at and belittled his message, Abraham and Pharaoh, Isaac and Abimelech, Jacob and Esau, Joseph and His brothers, etc. etc. We are brought to see that within us are Moses and Pharaoh, Moses and Korah, those who died in the wilderness, and those who entered into the land, all of the judges and their adversaries, all of the kings of both 2
Judah and Israel, all of the prophets and all those to whom they are sent as witnesses. In the New Testament we see that within, we are both the Christ and those who seek His life and the life of His Christ. All of God's word is about the good news of the kingdom of God, and when our eyes are opened and we are given ears that can hear, we finally come to see that "the kingdom of God is within you." Luk 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Luk 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. And what just so happens to be the subject of every one of Christ's parables? Mat 13:10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? Mat 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given." Christ's parables hide from the multitudes, "the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven." 'It is not given to them to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven... which is within you.' The part of that mystery with which we are concerned today is the spiritual function of a wolf, which wolf we all are in our appointed time. The positive application of a wolf in scripture Like "the lion of the tribe of Judah," a wolf is of great spiritual value if it is ravening over our flesh, devouring our flesh and bringing us to the destruction of that beast within. As we have seen before Joseph gave his 3
brother Benjamin, most favored brother status, when he revealed himself to his brothers: Gen 45:22 To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred [pieces] of silver, and five changes of raiment. Thus Benjamin represents God's most favored elect, as demonstrated in Genesis 49 where Jacob, in blessing each of his sons, has this to say about Benjamin: Gen 49:27 Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil. God's elect are His channel for the destruction of all flesh in the symbolic "lake of fire." It is God's elect who "shall raving as a wolf," over the flesh and all that appeals to this world. The negative application of a wolf or of wolves It is also wolves which 'ravin' over God's elect. Just for the sake of clarity, here is Webster's definition of 'ravening.' RAV'ENING, ppr. Preying with rapacity; voraciously devouring; as a ravening wolf. RAV'ENING, n. Eagerness for plunder. Luke 11. As the scriptures affirm: Eze 22:26 Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. 4
Eze 22:27 Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves [zeeb, H2061] ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain. Eze 22:28 And her prophets have daubed them with untempered morter, seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord GOD, when the LORD hath not spoken. Eze 22:29 The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully. Eze 22:30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. Eze 22:31 Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD. Spiritual wolves "place not difference between the clean and the unclean... say thus saith the Lord God, When the Lord hath not spoken. Spiritual wolves use oppression, exercise robbery, vex the poor and needy, and oppress the stranger wrongfully." If we think that one word of these prophecies are for that Pharisee over there, or that Babylonian minister out there deceiving so many people, with absolutely no personal application either now or ever, then we don't even know to whom these prophecies are addressed. Zep 1:4 I will also stretch out mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims with the priests; All of God's people "come out of Babylon," and Babylon is "that great city wherein our Lord was crucified. That is "the oppressing city." Zep 3:1 Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city! 5
Zep 3:2 She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the LORD; she drew not near to her God. Zep 3:3 Her princes within her [are] roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow. Zep 3:4 Her prophets [are] light [and] treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law. Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. I cannot tell you what a revelation it was when I came to see that the "great city wherein our Lord was crucified" was the same city as "that great city which rules over the kings of the earth... the great harlot who rules over the kings of the earth." Rev 17:1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: Rev 17:2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. Rev 17:18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth. Rev 11:8 And their dead bodies [shall lie] in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. Rev 11:9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. 6
Rev 11:10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. Can any of us deny that the great city "where also our Lord was crucified," is within each of us? Did not we crucify our Lord? Did He not die for our sins? Zep 3:1 Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city! Zep 3:3 Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow. Zep 3:4 Her prophets are light and treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law. Wolves and the color yellow The Hebrew word translated 'wolf and wolves' is H2061 זאב ze'êb zeh-abe' From an unused root meaning to be yellow; a wolf: - wolf. Jer 5:6 Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf [H2061, zeeb] of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings are increased. What is the Hebrew word for yellow? H6669 7
צהב tsâhôb tsaw-obe' From H6668; golden in color: - yellow. Lev 13:30 Then the priest shall see the plague: and, behold, if it be in sight deeper than the skin; and there be in it a yellow [H666, tsahob] thin hair; then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a dry scall, even a leprosy upon the head or beard. The holy spirit connects "a wolf of the evenings" with the "yellow hair" associated with leprosy. Wolves in the New Testament G3074 λύκος lukos loo'-kos The word is a Greek word but the spiritual meaning and function are the same: Mat 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. Mat 10:17 But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; Mat 10:18 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. The 'wolves of verse 16 are the 'men' of verse 17, who "will deliver you up to councils (Greek, sanhedrins, church councils)," where God's elect are "scourged in their synagogues.' 8
Joh 10:12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. Spiritual wolves "catch and devour and scatter the sheep." Mat 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Mat 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Mat 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Mat 7:16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? "Ravening wolves" are all false prophets and all false prophets are ravening wolves. A minister does not need to strip you of your physical possessions to destroy and devour you spiritually. Act 20:29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Act 20:30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. We have all been grievous wolves, not sparing the flock, ravening over the prey, as we lived by and taught false doctrines, in our own appointed time" Eph 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Eph 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 9
Eph 2:3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. Conclusion I hope none of us have heard or read this study and have come away thinking how fortunate you are never to have been a ravening wolf, a grievous wold, or a wolf in sheep s clothing, scattering and devouring your fathers flock. I hope that we all see that we have lived these words and are in the process of living by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Mat 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Rev 1:3 Blessed [is] he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. Rev 22:7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. And what is the result of living by and keeping every word of the prophecies of this book? Here is what has been done in those who see what the function for the wolf and for every other word that proceeds out of the mouth of God: Isa 65:25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD. 10
Dust will always be the serpents meat, because we are all, in our appointed time, "turned over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord." But as we "keep the sayings of the prophecy of this book we come to know the peace that passes all understanding: Php 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: [and] again I say, Rejoice. Php 4:5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord [is] at hand. Php 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. Php 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Php 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Php 4:9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. Isa 11:6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. 11