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I am a firm
believer that the Word states quite clearly that there will be animals in
heaven, and here on Earth life with them will change.
Similar to the Garden of Eden - Living in harmony. Many today I believe,
certain mammals particularly, who are much smarter than we, already KNOW
this - Such as Dolphins and Whales...
It is also a powerful witnessing tool and I have seen many times when a
simple reminder of what the Lord says about our beloved Fluffy can have a
profound impact on new believers - A witness can easily cause someone to
stumble who was new to the Lord -
Given This An Actual Example - Which one do you think was appropriate, and
which one was used?
Remember - God works in ways WE CANNOT understand -
1st Scenario -
Woman comes to Pastor, new in the Lord, and says Pastor Jim, I just lost
my beloved Fluffy last night - She died after being with me for 17 years.
She was a beautiful Calico kitty and I loved her so much, will you pray
with me about her?
Pastor Jim Says - Uhhh, No - I don't think so. Animals have no soul and
therefore are not in heaven - I am afraid her life ended when she died and
you will never see her again.
Woman runs out, crushed, hurt, and never to step foot in front of another
Pastor again - God says, YOU CAUSED HER TO STUMBLE - I was doing
something in her life, and ONLY I can show myself strong for her. Had you
said the right thing, she would be comforted and reading the Word Right
now - You could have taken her to the scriptures I have given you that
clearly state that FLuffy IS IN HEAVEN! Shame on you!!
2nd Scenario -
Woman tells story of 17 yr old Fluffy dying, and Pastor Jim says - Well, I
can assure you that the Lord has always watched over her, and even in her
death he was watching over her, caring for her even as he does the
sparrows.
Lets look in the Word and see what God has promised us about all our loved
ones, including the animals...
She is comforted, and on her way to becoming a powerful woman of God...
Now - God uses different people in different ways to accomplish things,
and to reveal different things to different people, etc.
The Bible teaches that "all flesh shall see the salvation of God -
Lk.3:6 and that "all the living things in creation - everything that
lives in the air, and on the ground, and under the ground, and in the
sea" will praise Yahweh and the Lamb" - Rev.5:13
God's care and love extends to even the humble sparrow - Lk.12:6 and He
has promised that He will restore all living things -Acts.3:21; Eph.1:10
Death as a whole will be annulled or abolished -1 Cor.15:25-26; 2 Tim.1:10
and the whole creation will be renewed -Rev.21:4-5
The resurrection will affect all celestial -heavenly- creatures and all
terrestrial -earthly- ones -1 Cor.15:35-42
There will be a global restoration of all life -
The curse pronounced by God after the Fall will be reversed - parasites
will no longer live a parasitical lifestyle, carnivorous animals will
become vegetarians, and all will be at peace.
LUKE 3:6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'" -NKJ-
ACTS 3:21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of
all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets
since the world began. -KJV-
REV. 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there
shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be
any more pain: for the former things are passed away. -KJV-
REV. 21:5 And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things
new. And He said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. -KJV
ECCLESIASTES 3:18 I said in my heart, "Concerning the condition of
the sons of men, God tests them, that they may see that they themselves
are like animals”. -NKJ-
ECCLESIASTES 3:19-20 Man's fate is like that of the animals; the same fate
awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same
breath, man has no advantage over the animal. Everything is meaningless.
All go to the same place; all come from dust and to dust all return. -NIV-
ROMANS 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the
revealing of the sons of God. -ASV-
ROMANS 8:19-21 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the
manifestation of the sons of God, because the creature itself also shall
be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of
the children of God.
-KJV-.
REV. 5:13 And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under
the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard
saying: "Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on
the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!" -NKJ-
PSALM 36:6 Your righteousness is like the great mountains; your judgments
are a great deep; O LORD, You preserve man and beast. -NKJ-
PSALM 36:6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your judgments
are like the great deep; you save humans and animals alike, O LORD. -NRS-
PSALM 104:29 Thou hidest Thy face -- they are troubled, Thou gatherest
their spirit -- they expire, and unto their dust they turn back. -YLT-
GENESIS 1:30 and to every animal of the earth, and to every fowl of the
heavens, and to everything that creepeth on the earth, in which is a
living soul, every green herb for food. And it was so. -DBY-
GENESIS
1
21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that
moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and
every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
The words living creature is in Hebrew nephesh hayya, mening
living being or living creature.
A lot of Christians don't know this and don't like to hear this,
but the Hebrews also said that humans are living creatures
or nephesh hayya, just like the animals:
GENESIS
2
7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into
his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
These words living soul are the exact same words in Hebrew as for living
creature, namely nephesh hayya. Notice that we just saw the animals
called nephesh hayya a moment ago?
GENESIS
1
21 And God created great whales, and every living creature {Hebrew,
nephesh hayya} that moveth, which the waters brought forth
abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and
God saw that it was good.
For those who teach that animals have no souls, and when they die they are
gone, or that there will be NO animals, have them PROVE it -
It is pretty easy to prove God feels they are of value and worth saving
and promised existence, where in the Bible does it say they do not?
Which Scenario do you believe in?
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