THE FATE OF ANIMALS
Dr. Paul Manuel—2000
What happens to animals when they die? Do they cease to exist, or do they, like some people, go to a better place? You may consider whether or not animals go to heaven a silly question. "What difference does it make? Why give it the serious attention of a Bible study? Surely there are more important subjects we could investigate!" Nevertheless, for some, this is a serious question. Their pet is part of the family, and they want to know what will happen to it at death. As God has made eternal provision for humans, has He also made provision for animals? Even for those of us who do not have pets, such a study can be valuable for at least two reasons.
Since creation, the fate of animals has been linked to man's fate. God said to Adam,1
At first, man domesticated certain animals, even slaughtering them for sacrifice, but did not use them for food.
After the flood, their relationship changed. Then, God sanctioned man's eating of meat and instilled a fear of man in the animal realm.
Man's sinful condition is not self-contained. It affects his environment, contaminating the world around him, including the animal realm.
In Noah's day, when most of earth's population had passed the moral point of no return, God declared, "I will wipe.. .from the earth—men and animals" (Gen 6:7).3
This same guilt by association has continued to affect animals in local settings.4 He slaughtered all the first born of Egypt, "both men and animals" (Exod 12:12).
He ordered the invading Israelite army to kill all in Jericho, "men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys" (Josh 6:21).
He would have destroyed every living thing in Nineveh, had the inhabitants, both "man and beast" (Jonah 4:11), not repented.
Not only does man's sin defile his environment, it can destroy that environment, including the animal realm.
Before God directs His wrath against people, He may strike their animals. The fifth Egyptian plague targeted "livestock in the field."
God recognizes the vulnerability of animals, repeatedly stating His concern and
care for their welfare.5
He admonishes man to treat them well and condemns their mistreatment,6
God does not subscribe to the modern environmentalist concept of creation as the victim of human abuse.
To strengthen Israel's military advantage against Canaanite chariot forces, God commanded Joshua "to hamstring their horses and burn their chariots" (Josh 11:6).7
Moreover, to free two demon-possessed men, Jesus did not shrink from sending the demons he exorcised into a herd of pigs, which then killed themselves by jumping off a cliff.
Man's sin has corrupted his surroundings, making everything subject to divine condemnation. Nevertheless, God will remedy His people's pollution in the Messianic Age.
At that time, animals will benefit from the righteousness of the period, perhaps
including a return to vegetarianism.12
After that time, it is unclear whether or not animals will be present. When Paul speaks about creation's renewal, for example, he focuses on the blessing for man and does not specifically mention the animal realm.
Nevertheless, there are some who would not dismiss the possibility of animals in heaven.15 C.S. Lewis suggests that to higher, domesticated animals—those who have developed near consciousness (i.e., a sense of self-identity) through contact with man—God may grant immortality in the context of their continued association with man.16
The main theological objection to this notion, that resurrection is for the regenerated or that heaven is only for the saved, may not be as compelling as it might appear for at least two reasons. First, both the righteous and the unrighteous will be raised, although proceeding thereafter to quite different destinations.17
[8] The substitutionary atonement of animal sacrifices is related, in that the animal suffers in man's place, but it is not relevant because there the purpose is not redemptive.
[9] The most striking illustration of this contamination principle for Israel is the cleansing God requires on the Day of Atonement, which includes purification for the people as well as for what they have defiled.
[11] Thiessen's description is apropos (1979:84).
Although Lewis treats only "good" animals, those who have benefited from their association with man, C.E.M. Joad raises the alternative in his response: "If one animal may attain good immortal selfhood in and through a good man, he may attain bad immortal selfhood in and through a bad man" (Lewis 1970:164). In other words, allowing animals in heaven raises the possibility that they will also appear in hell.
In support of Lewis's point, Linda suggested that because Balaam's donkey clearly demonstrated both self-awareness and intentional service, God would certainly not exclude so righteous a beast from eternal reward.
- First, it illustrates how we can attempt to answer a question the Bible does not address directly, and there are many of those (e.g., self-defense, suicide). It shows how, by gathering evidence from various sources, we can arrive at a tentative (if not completely satisfying) answer, instead of just throwing up our hands and saying, "We don't know."
- Second, it helps us to understand the mind of God. Investigating His attitude toward animals offers another perspective on the character of the one we humans serve.
I. God has placed animals under man's dominion (Gen 1:28b).
Gen 1:28b Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.At first, the relationship was apparently neutral, with neither party adversely disposed toward the other. Eve, for example, did not hesitate to converse with the serpent. In fact, they seem to be on good terms until after the Fall.
Gen 3:1b He said to the woman.... 2a The woman said to the serpent.... 15a And I will put enmity between you and the woman....
A. There were only herbivores before the flood (Gen 1:29-30).
At first, man domesticated certain animals, even slaughtering them for sacrifice, but did not use them for food.
Gen 4:2b Now Abel kept flocks.... 4a But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.... 20 ...Jabal...was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock.Both man and animals were herbivores before the flood.
Gen 1:29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground... I give every green plant for food." And it was so.
B. There were also omnivores after the flood (Gen 9:2-3).
Gen 9:2 The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands. 3 Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.
II. God sometimes judges man with his animals.2
A. The Antediluvians faced judgment with their animals (Gen 6:7).
B. The Egyptians faced judgment with their animals (Exod 12:12).
C. The Canaanites faced judgment with their animals (Josh 6:21).
D. The Ninevites faced judgment with their animals (Jonah 4:11).
III. God sometimes judges man through his animals.
A. Egypt's sin caused the destruction of its animals (Exod 9:2-3).
B. Israel's sin caused the destruction of its animals (Deut 28:3 1).
Similarly, God warns the Israelites that if they fail to keep His commandments He will pour out His wrath on their domesticated animals.
Deut 28:31 Your ox will be slaughtered before your eyes.... Your donkey will be forcibly taken from you.... Your sheep will be given to your enemies....At this point, we might wonder what reason God would have to make animals suffer so. (Keep in mind that we could extend the discussion to include other so-called "innocents," such as infants, who also suffer and die when God punishes the guilty.) As C.S. Lewis notes in discussing the issue of animal pain, "So far as we know beasts are incapable either of sin or virtue: therefore they can neither deserve pain nor be [morally] improved by it" (1962:129). Why, then, would God punish animals when man is clearly at fault? Does God hate animals? No, they are a part of His creation and, as such, have His attention.
IV. God is not indifferent to the plight of animals.
A. He provides for the needs of animals (Deut 11: 15a; Matt 6:26a).
care for their welfare.5
Deut 11: 15a I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle...
Matt 6:26a Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
B. He instructs about the treatment of animals (Deut 22:6-7; 25:4).
Deut 22:6 If you come across a bird's nest beside the road, either in a tree or on the ground, and the mother is sitting on the young or on the eggs, do not take the mother with the young. 7 You may take the young, but be sure to let the mother go, so that it may go well with you and you may have a long life.
Deut 25:4 Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.Despite this concern, however...
V. God is not preoccupied with the plight of animals.
God does not subscribe to the modern environmentalist concept of creation as the victim of human abuse.
A. National security overrides animal rights (Josh 11:6).
To strengthen Israel's military advantage against Canaanite chariot forces, God commanded Joshua "to hamstring their horses and burn their chariots" (Josh 11:6).7
B. Spiritual security overrides animal rights (Matt 8:31-32).
Moreover, to free two demon-possessed men, Jesus did not shrink from sending the demons he exorcised into a herd of pigs, which then killed themselves by jumping off a cliff.
Matt 8:31 The demons begged Jesus, "If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs." 32 He said to them, "Go!" So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water.If animals are not capable of sin, as Lewis notes, why then does God punish them with the guilty or in place of the guilty?8 (The answer should be inclusive enough to cover the suffering of other "innocents" as well.) As I mentioned before, sin contaminates,9 not just those responsible but all associated with the guilty in some way, including animals. In this sense, "there are no innocents" (Wenham 1974:76).10 What we see here and elsewhere is that the overriding concern in scripture is not animal rights or human rights or even life itself. The preeminent value in God's economy is holiness.11
VI. God will include animals with man in the blessings of the Messianic Age.
A. There will be only herbivores before the end (Isa 11:6-9).
At that time, animals will benefit from the righteousness of the period, perhaps
including a return to vegetarianism.12
Isa 11:6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. 7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest. 9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain....Even in the Messianic Age, though, some animals will still be used for sacrifice.13
B. There is nothing known about animals after the end.
Rom 8:19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.There is little indication that animals will be in heaven or in eternity.14
Nevertheless, there are some who would not dismiss the possibility of animals in heaven.15 C.S. Lewis suggests that to higher, domesticated animals—those who have developed near consciousness (i.e., a sense of self-identity) through contact with man—God may grant immortality in the context of their continued association with man.16
The main theological objection to this notion, that resurrection is for the regenerated or that heaven is only for the saved, may not be as compelling as it might appear for at least two reasons. First, both the righteous and the unrighteous will be raised, although proceeding thereafter to quite different destinations.17
Dan 12:2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.Second, there are many beings that did not rebel against God and currently reside in heaven (e.g., cherubs, seraphs, angels).18 Therefore, it is not outside the realm of possibility that God might raise others of His creatures—corrupted by association but not by intention—and include them in heaven. He simply has not informed us about that, so we will have to wait, trusting in His justice and mercy to do what is best for all His creation. Therefore, the question, "What happens to animals when they die?" will have to remain open for the moment.
Bibliography
- Lewis, C.S., 1962, The Problem of Pain. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc.
- Lewis, 1970, God in the Dock. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing
- Company.
- Peters, George N.H., 1972, The Theocratic Kingdom. 3 vols. Grand Rapids: Krege! Publications, reprint of 1884 ed.
- Thiessen, Henry C., 1979, Lectures in Systematic Theology. Rev. ed. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
- Wenham, John W., 1974, The Goodness of God. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press.
Endnotes
[1] Related passages include:Ps 8:6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: 7 all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.[2] God may also judge man and spare his animals.
Num 22:33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared her."[3] One might also say that water cleanses; therefore, animals, by their inclusion in ark, became clean.
1 Pet 1:21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,Just as God recognizes the corporate solidarity of man and animals before the flood, and destroys them both, so He recognizes their corporate solidarity after the flood, and makes a covenant with them both.
Gen 9:9 I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you 10 and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth.[4] Relevant passages include:
Exod 9:6 All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died. Dept 13:12 If you hear it said about one of the towns the LORD your God is giving you to live in 13 that wicked men have arisen among you and have led the people of their town astray, saying, "Let us go and worship other gods" (gods you have not known)... 15 you must certainly put to the sword all who live in that town. Destroy it completely, both its people and its livestock.
Josh 6:21 They devoted the city to the LORD and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.
Jonah 3:7 Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: "By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8 But let be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence.
Jonah 4:11 But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?"Related passages include:
Deut 20:16 However, in the cities of the nations the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes.
Josh 7:24 Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold wedge, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. 25 Joshua said, "Why have you brought this trouble on us? The LORD will bring trouble on you today." I Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them.
Judg 20:48a The men of Israel went back to Benjamin and put all the towns to the sword, including the animals....
1 Sam 15:3 Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys." Jer 12:4b Because those who live in it are wicked, the animals and birds have perished.
Jer 21:6! will strike down those who live in this city—both men and animals....
Ezek 14:13 "Son of man, if a country sins against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it... and kill its men and their animals.... 17 "Or if I bring a sword against that country and say, 'Let the sword pass throughout the land,' and I kill its men and their animals.... 19 "Or if I send a plague into that land and pour out my wrath upon it through bloodshed, killing its men and their animals.... 21 "For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: How much worse will it be when I send against Jerusalem my four dreadful judgments—sword and famine and wild beasts and plague—to kill its men and their animals! Ezek 25:13a . . .1 will stretch out my hand against Edom and kill its men and their animals.
Ezek 29:8b I will bring a sword against you and kill your men and their animals.
Zeph 1:3 "I will sweep away both men and animals; I will sweep away the birds of the air and the fish of the sea. The wicked will have only heaps of rubble when I cut off man from the face of the earth," declares the LORD.
Zech 14:15 A similar plague will strike the horses and mules, the camels and donkeys, and all the animals in those camps.[5] Related passages include:
Num 22:33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared her.
Ps 36:6b O LORD, you preserve both man and beast.
Ps 104:10 He makes springs pour water into the ravines; it flows between the mountains. 1 1 They give water to all the beasts of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst.... 14a He makes grass grow for the cattle.... 21 The lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God.... 27 These all look to you to give them their food at the proper time. 28 When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things.
Jonah 4:11 But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?"
Matt 10:29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.[6] Related passages include:
Deut 5:14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you... nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals....
Prov 12:10 A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel. Prov 27:23 Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds
Hab 2:17b . . . your destruction of animals will terrify you.[7] This incident may be another illustration of God's judging man with his animals.
[8] The substitutionary atonement of animal sacrifices is related, in that the animal suffers in man's place, but it is not relevant because there the purpose is not redemptive.
[9] The most striking illustration of this contamination principle for Israel is the cleansing God requires on the Day of Atonement, which includes purification for the people as well as for what they have defiled.
Lev 16:15 "He shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and take its blood behind the curtain and do with it as he did with the bull's blood: He shall sprinkle it on the atonement cover and in front of it. 16 In this way he will make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been. He is to do the same for the Tent of Meeting, which is among them in the midst of their uncleanness.... 18a "Then he shall come out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement for it.... 19b ...to cleanse it and to consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites.Sin can defile even a people's land.
Lev 18:24 Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled. 25 Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants.
Num 35:34a Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell....[10] Wenham makes this statement in the context of corporate solidarity and, while he applies it specifically to man, his observation would certainly include animals. Part of the difficulty people have accepting this concept that all, in some sense, deserve punishment, is their perspective of death as the end rather than as an end. In other words, those who are guilty only by association will not necessarily suffer in eternity. God determines that aspect of their fate on other grounds.
[11] Thiessen's description is apropos (1979:84).
Holiness occupies the foremost rank among the attributes of God. It is the attribute by which God wanted to be especially known.... It is emphasized by the bounds set about Mt. Sinai when God came down upon it... the division of the tabernacle and temple into the holy and most holy places... the prescribed offerings that must be brought if an Israelite would approach God... the special priesthood to mediate between God and the people.. .the many laws about impurity.., the feasts of Israel... and the special position of Israel in [Canaan].... The Lord is called "the Holy One" some thirty times in Isaiah alone.[12] Related passages include:
Isa 65:25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent's food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain," says the LORD.[13] Relevant passages include:
Ezek 43:18b These will be the regulations for sacrificing burnt offerings and sprinkling blood upon the altar when it is built:
Ezek 44:15 "But the priests, who are Levites and descendants of Zadok... they are to stand before me to offer sacrifices of fat and blood, declares the Sovereign LORD.
Ezek 46:24b These are the kitchens where those who minister at the temple will cook the sacrifices....
Isa 32:20 how blessed you will be... letting your cattle and donkeys range free.
Isa 56:7b Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar....
Jer 33:18 nor will the priests, who are Levites, ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices."[14] Only horses have an explicit role in heaven.
2 Kgs 2:11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.
2 Kgs 6:17b Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
Rev 19:1 la I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True.... 14a The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses....The same points that concern animal life apply also to plant life, although the parallels are not absolutely complete. Unlike animals, plants have always had the status of food.
- God has placed nature under man's dominion.
Gen 1:28a God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.
- God sometimes judges people with their vegetation.
Exod 9:25 Throughout Egypt hail struck everything in the fields—both men and animals; it beat down everything growing in the fields and stripped every tree.
Lev 18:25 Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants.... 27 for all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled. Isa 24:5 The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant. 6a Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt.
- God sometimes judges people through their vegetation.
Exod 10:4 If you refuse to let them go, I will bring locusts into your country tomorrow.... Sb They will devour what little you have left after the hail, including every tree that is growing in your fields.
Deut 28:38 You will sow much seed in the field but you will harvest little, because locusts will devour it. 39 You will plant vineyards and cultivate them but you will not drink the wine or gather the grapes, because worms will eat them. 40 You will have olive trees throughout your country but you will not use the oil, because the olives will drop off.... 42 Swarms of locusts will take over all your trees and the crops of your land.
- God is not indifferent to the plight of nature.
Dept 20:19 When you lay siege to a city for a long time... do not destroy its trees by putting an ax to them.... Do not cut them down. Are the trees of the field people, that you should besiege them?
Job 38:25 Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain, and a path for the thunderstorm, 26 to water a land where no man lives, a desert with no one in it, 27 to satisfy a desolate wasteland and make it sprout with grass?
- God is not preoccupied with the plight of nature.
Jonah 4:7 But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered.
Matt 21:19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!" Immediately the tree withered.
- God will include nature with man in the blessings of the Messianic Age.
Rom 8:19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.... 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. Ezek 47:12 Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing."[15] See the discussion in Peters (1972 2:483-488) who, along with others, holds open this possibility. John Wesley, for example, suggests that beasts of burden, afflicted through no fault of their own, will experience resurrection. They "shall one day be delivered from this bondage of corruption, and shall then receive an ample amends for all their present sufferings" (Sermon LX: The General Deliverance, 111.9). Isaiah may indicate as much when, after prophesying God's new creation, he repeats his earlier description of edenic restoration.
Isa 65:17a "Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth.... 25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent's food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain," says the LORD.[16] "In other words, the man will know his dog: the dog will know his master and, in knowing him, will be itself" (1962:140). Whether lesser creatures will be present in eternity is another issue. For example, "Where will you put all the mosquitoes?" Lewis wryly notes that "a heaven for mosquitoes and a hell for men could very conveniently be combined" (1962:137).
Although Lewis treats only "good" animals, those who have benefited from their association with man, C.E.M. Joad raises the alternative in his response: "If one animal may attain good immortal selfhood in and through a good man, he may attain bad immortal selfhood in and through a bad man" (Lewis 1970:164). In other words, allowing animals in heaven raises the possibility that they will also appear in hell.
In support of Lewis's point, Linda suggested that because Balaam's donkey clearly demonstrated both self-awareness and intentional service, God would certainly not exclude so righteous a beast from eternal reward.
Num 22:28 Then the LORD opened the donkey's mouth, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?" . ..30 ..."Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?" ...32 The angel of the LORD asked him, "Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me. 33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared her."
2 Pet 2:16 [Balaam] was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey— a beast without speech— who spoke with a man's voice and restrained the prophet's madness.In the same way, the serpent may illustrate Joad's alternative.
Gen 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" ...4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. 5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." ... 14a So the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, "Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals!It might be stretching the point, however, to say that, because God intends for animals to enjoy a temporal Sabbath rest, He also intends for them to experience an eternal Sabbath rest.
Exod 20:10b On it you shall not do any work, neither you... nor your animals....
Heb 4:9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God;[17] Related passages include:
John 5:28 . . . a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.[18] Relevant passages include:
Ps 18:10a He mounted the cherubim and flew;
Isa 6:2a Above him were seraphs, each with six wings:
Luke 1: 19a . . .1 am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God....
No comments:
Post a Comment
Relevant and civil comments are welcome. Whether there will be any response depends on whether Dr. Manuel notices them and has the time and inclination to respond or, if not, whether I feel competent to do so.
Jim Skaggs