Does Genesis 9:5 suggest animals will be in heaven?

[atassina]

I am truly asking a question. I don’t know the answer to this question. I understand that we have rational (spiritual) souls and animals have souls that animate them but do not give them a spiritual nature.

-What is the sacred author telling us within the context of this verse and passage?

Some help. Have a joyful Lord’s Supper on this Holy Thursday 2014. Back to sleep for me. It is 2:44am here on the west coast.

Enjoy a nice slice of cake with Italian Roast coffee after Good Friday.

 

[Nelka]

I do not believe at all that animals will go to Heaven.

I can understand them going to the new Earth though.

 

[Church_Militant]

Naw…It certainly infers a reckoning but you gotta take it in context.

Look here at the verse and the one following.
**
[5] For your lifeblood I will surely require a reckoning; of every beast I will require it and of man; of every man’s brother I will require the life of man.
[6] Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for God made man in his own image.**

 

[cheezey]

Naw…It certainly infers a reckoning but you gotta take it in context.

Look here at the verse and the one following.
**
[5] For your lifeblood I will surely require a reckoning; of every beast I will require it and of man; of every man’s brother I will require the life of man.
[6] Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for God made man in his own image.**

 

[mikekle]

Well, to require a reckoning, is pretty much requiring an accounting of things one has done, like when someone says ‘their day of reckoning’…Im pretty sure of that at least, but not 100%

So, if a reckoning is required of every beast and every man, it seems animals will also be held accountable for things they have done, doesnt really sound logical, as I never knew animals even could sin, its not in their nature (that I know of anyway).

Im curious what some others will say, this is an interesting topic though.

On a personal note…I sure hope animals go with us in the afterlife, I would absolutely love to see my last dog and cat again, I miss these 2 guys!

 

[atassina]

Just imagine, cat litter and dog poop for eternity. With all the millions of other dogs, cats, birds, fish and large mammals Who is gonna cleaned up all that mess?

 

[Faith1960]

Well, to require a reckoning, is pretty much requiring an accounting of things one has done, like when someone says ‘their day of reckoning’…Im pretty sure of that at least, but not 100%

So, if a reckoning is required of every beast and every man, it seems animals will also be held accountable for things they have done, doesnt really sound logical, as I never knew animals even could sin, its not in their nature (that I know of anyway).

Im curious what some others will say, this is an interesting topic though.

On a personal note…I sure hope animals go with us in the afterlife, I would absolutely love to see my last dog and cat again, I miss these 2 guys!

I miss my babies so much and hope to see them in Heaven!

 

[rcwitness]

I miss my babies so much and hope to see them in Heaven!

If even a wife and husband are no longer bound to the sacrament of marriage when entering heaven, why would a specific creature be more special to you?

This topic of animals going to heaven is strange to me. The animal kingdom is lower than that of man by nature. They cannot sin because they have not been given the law. The law was given to man to live as the creator does. He is eternal. The law brought death to us because we fell short of it. Would the beasts and wild things uphold the law? The Lord became the flesh of man in order to bring man the resurrection.

I believe a new earth would have new creatures which either do not die, or continue their existence through procreation. But a resurrection of dog, cats, etc is a foolish concept to me. We who were created in God’s image knew in fulness, our worth when He became man and bore the burden of God for all of us.

Peace
Michael

 

[atassina]

The Garden of Eden had animals, flowers, fruitful trees and (I suppose) water.

 

[LongingSoul]

I am truly asking a question. I don’t know the answer to this question. I understand that we have rational (spiritual) souls and animals have souls that animate them but do not give them a spiritual nature.

-What is the sacred author telling us within the context of this verse and passage?

When God says “And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each human being, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being.”- Gen 9:5 … He is talking about redressing the order within which we exist. In this section of Chapter 9, God affirms to us the heirarchy in existence of which human beings are at the top. Our relationship with God is one of love. Animals and plants are created in service to human beings and their relationship with God and us is one of utility. God will demand an accounting from humans as physically culpable in the world we exist in and morally culpable in our relationship with Him. He will demand an accounting of animals only as physically culpable.

Think of the difference between how you would discipline your child and how you would discipline your dog. It is about redressing the disorder caused by an action to the wellbeing of the household. The culpability attached to the perpetrator of disorder is separate from redressing the disorder caused within the world.

An animal taking the life of a person, although it is not morally culpable, that action is still a tragedy needing to be addressed in order to restore the order. Whatever the accounting demanded, its aim is to redress the disorder, not to square off with God. That we will face on judgement day as human beings.

 

[thistle]

I am truly asking a question. I don’t know the answer to this question. I understand that we have rational (spiritual) souls and animals have souls that animate them but do not give them a spiritual nature.

-What is the sacred author telling us within the context of this verse and passage?

Some help. Have a joyful Lord’s Supper on this Holy Thursday 2014. Back to sleep for me. It is 2:44am here on the west coast.

Enjoy a nice slice of cake with Italian Roast coffee after Good Friday.

It depends what you mean.

If you are asking if animals go to Heaven when they die the answer is no because only humans have immortal souls. The souls of animals cease to exist when they die.

If you are asking if, at the end of time, there will be animals in the new Heaven and Earth I don’t know but I do not believe so.

Nobody should be hoping they will meet up with their pets because that implies that being in the sight of God forever is insufficient.

 

[atassina]

Thanks LongingSoul and Thistle. These are the answers I was looking for. He is risen!

 

[simpleas]

I’m not sure how anyone can say if animals will be in heaven, none of us has died and come back to tell us…or has there?

What about the animals we read about who glorify the Lord?

 

[Nelka]

I’m not sure how anyone can say if animals will be in heaven, none of us has died and come back to tell us…or has there?

Don’t say that.

There will a youtube video tomorrow with some puppy telling us what he saw and the sun newspaper will treat it as fact.

 

[Verbum]

This passage says that animals who mortally wound a human being are to be destroyed,

See Exodus 21,28.

As for animals going to heaven, they do not survive after death. Their animal “soul” (principle of life) dies with them. But if you meet someone who believes that, don’t lose too much time arguing with them. They are totally emotional about it. If a child asks about their pet going to heaven, you might say, " I don’t know, dear, but whatever you want in heaven, you will get." This is what my mother told me when I asked whether there is ice cream in heaven.

Verbum

 

[simpleas]

Don’t say that.

There will a youtube video tomorrow with some puppy telling us what he saw and the sun newspaper will treat it as fact.

What? You mean the sun newspaper prints nonsense?

I love my pets and animals, so who knows what will be with us in the next life.

 

[mikekle]

Nobody should be hoping they will meet up with their pets because that implies that being in the sight of God forever is insufficient.

Well, then the same could be said about all the people who are looking forward to seeing relatives or friends that have died as well…right?

 

[rcwitness]

Well, then the same could be said about all the people who are looking forward to seeing relatives or friends that have died as well…right?

I think it can, in a sense! When we are brought into the perfection of heaven, we no longer have the partiality we know now. In other words, just because we knew someone here in this life and loved them, it doesn’t mean we won’t know and love everyone in the kingdom of God less. Everything will be revealed in heaven. The lowly estate of the animal kingdom will be seen too. Jesus did not long to see beasts, critters, reptiles, dogs, etc in the kingdom. He did not suffer to see their communion with Him.

Jesus said, “Whoever does the will of my Father is my brother, sister, mother…”

I hope this is relavent to your point,
Michael

 

[thistle]

Well, then the same could be said about all the people who are looking forward to seeing relatives or friends that have died as well…right?

No that is not the same. Animals not possible. People possible.
Animals do not go to Heaven when they die so will not be reunited with their owners.
People, however, will be reunited with loved ones if they and their loved ones die in a state of grace.

 

[TimothyH]

Genesis 9 and the story of Noah has nothing to do with animals going to heaven. The story of Noah is the third creation account. Genesis 9 uses the same language as Genesis 1-3. The whole topic of consumption of blood - life in the blood, is an allusion to Christ.

Man was not to consume the blood of animals because “the life is in the blood.” Consuming animal blood meant living the life of animal. The consumption of blood was reserved until Christ came and shed his blood for us.

So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:53:54)

We are to consume the blood of Christ so that we live the life of Christ. God was preparing mankind for its savior.

The story of Noah is also the third creation account in the Bible. God describes the order of creation by telling us what order things were created - man last as the pinnacle of creation. He then allows man to name the beasts and he himself names man, again showing the order of creation. In Genesis 9 God re-orders creation right again by telling Noah what he can eat - he can eat animals because he is (supposed to be) above the animals.

Only the consumption of blood is reserved. Man is not to consume animal blood but is to wait until God becomes man. We consume the blood of God so that we can live the life of God.

What life do you want to live, that of an animal or that of Christ? That’s the question put before the Israelites. They were to wait for the messiah and only then would they be able to consume blood. Some recognized Christ’s words. Some walked away.

-Tim-