Doesn't it make sense that there will be animals in the new Earth?

  • Thread starter Thread starter fisherman_carl
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
F

fisherman_carl

Guest
When you consider how God wants to restore all of Creation from the effects of sin, including our bodies. Weren’t animals part of the original creation and thus would be restored? How could he restore them if they no longer exist? Wouldn’t God want to restore everything back to how he originally created it to be? Including animals? Why create a new Earth at all? It seems if you are going to go that far you might as well go all the way and restore all of creation. When he created the animals he saw that it was good. Wouldn’t it still be good on the new Earth?

“The Church … will receive her perfection only in the glory of heaven, when will come the time of the renewal of all things. At that time together with the human race, the universe itself, which is so closely related to man and which attains its destiny through him, will be perfectly re-established in Christ.” (CCC 1042)

“We know that the whole creation has been groaning with labor pains together until now;” (Rom 8:22)
 
A related question is if there hadn’t been any sin then would animals be around forever?
 
In the new earth, most likely.

To the second question, I don’t think so. Critters have eaten each other, think T-Rex, long before human life was even around let alone sinning.

ICXC NIKA
 
I really hope so. Paradise won’t be paradise without my cat.
 
Yes it makes perfect sense. God made everything so beautifully in this earth- the plants and the animals- nature is lovely. Too bad man is so busy destroying it.
 
In the new earth, most likely.

To the second question, I don’t think so. Critters have eaten each other, think T-Rex, long before human life was even around let alone sinning.

ICXC NIKA
Yes, the new creation will be even greater than this creation before the Fall.
 
Given that Fr. John Hardon, S.J. had written over 40 books, produced various tapes, videos, and, when asked by Pope St John-Paul II, served as a consultant for the drafting of the Catechism of the Catholic Church , I found his answer about animals and Heaven (HERE) to be considerable food for the imagination , and perhaps, one plausible solution to the OP’s query . . . :hmmm:
 
… And my puppy.
Although I will miss my FOXY LADY for many years, (she was my baby), I doubt that she would be foremost in my mind once I could hide in our LORD’s arms!

ICXC NIKA
 
Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat; The calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them. The cow and the bear shall graze, together their young shall lie down; the lion shall eat hay like the ox.
Isaiah 11:6‭-‬7

If we take this literally as describing the eternal kingship of Jesus on the New Earth, then definitely. I think that our beloved pets will be there. There are cats, dogs, and birds who all took a piece of my heart with them. We’ll be happiest that we’re with our Lord, but I think that, being a perfect place, they’ll be there. God can do anything.
 
I was reading a book about heaven…in it, the writer is telling of near death experiences. People who have “died” on the operating table and then were brought back often explain what it was like.

Some claim to have seen beautiful trees, flowers, and birds. I haven’t gotten into the book far enough to know if there are other animals, but who knows? If trees, which are plants, and flowers, and birds, which are animals can be there why not dogs, cats, and horses. Why not fish in the beautiful crystal-clear lakes?
 
God is going to create a new earth. That means it will be the same as our world, except better - much better!
 
The Bible shows uncertainty on our part (Ecclesiastes 3)
I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but beasts.
For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other.
They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity.
All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return.
Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth?

But many say animals have no understanding, no reason, therefore no eternal soul. However, there is an animal in scripture that does display reasoning and knowing. Balaam’s donkey, upon simply his mouth being opened (given the power of speech) begins to reason with Balaam. It does not say that God gave the donkey rational powers, but only the ability to express what he knew (Numbers 22)
When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam. And Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff.
Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?”
And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a fool of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you.”
And the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Is it my habit to treat you this way?” And he said, “No.”Some say this is a story, that it really did not happen; but what else then in the narrative is “just a story”? Did Balaam not really talk to the Angel? Did Balaam make up the word of the LORD that the LORD put in him? In spite of my 21st century understandings, I believe this donkey did reason with Balaam, and God did talk to him.

Finally, Paul expresses that all creation is longing for the resurrection, the revelation of the Sons of God. (Romans 8)
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

God is pretty “big”; there will be plenty of room, and more…, plenty of time in eternity to meet every person and every animal and see every tree and unlimited time in the presence of God at his banquet. The universe is HUGE, yet cannot be compared to our God.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top