Talking Animals in Eden(and New Heaven/earth)

[Srob]

Ok.. So u may think I am wierd and trying to put fiction into the Bible, but I am not. I am a charismatic(pentecostal--and not ashamed) Christian who believes that the Bible is the unfallible, indisputable Word of God and nothing needs added or subtracted. I do like to dig deeper and get a greater meaning of scripture. I believe that through different times in our lives, God will reveal(give us a revelation) scripture to us differently. I know alot of people really get caught into trying to rationalize everything about the Bible...But there are some things that we may never figure out until we meet Jesus in heaven, and I am perfectly ok with that.

BUT I was wondering, How many people have thought about the fact that there were talking animals(beasts) in the Garden of Eden and could possibly be in the New Heaven/Earth (because that is gonna be like Eden)? When Eve was approached by the Snake---it SPOKE to her. I know the Bible doesn't say that it scared her, so maybe she was used to animals talking, ya know? I mean If I was in Eve(well since I am male--Adam) and a snake(serpent) spoke to me and I wasn't used to anything speaking except my mate I would be really scared. I wouldn't want to talk to it.

Has anyone thought about this? Just wondering. :) :D

[Puzzle dear]

Oooh I hope there will be talking animals in Heaven! I've always wanted to have a decent conversation with my dog Maxie, before she died :( , I was 14 then.

[Gibby]

Don't forget about Balaam's donkey talking in the OT. (Numbers 22:27)

[Puzzle dear]

I think the donkey's talking was only temporary so the Balaam would know how bad he was treating it.

[onlymystory]

the Bible gives no real clue on this, but personally I like the idea. But I also like the idea of heaven being Narnia or a similar land.

[Srob]

Yeah. God allowed the donkey to tell balaam that he would have been killed by an Angel of the Lord if he wouldn't have went the wrong direction. It was a temporary thing(or so I thought--but it doesn't say he stopped talkin afterward--so who knows--well God, but ya know) but God didn't find it wierd for an animal to talk, so that could also be a "clue"(or whatever u wanna call it) telling us that Animals did talk in Eden.

I cannot wait to find out!

[DeplorableWord]

Okay Srob, first of all, hi and welcome to the site.

Now the thing is, that maybe you didn't catch, the serpent/snake was satan/the devil. So, yes, I hope there are talking beasts in heaven, but I'm not sure that the Bible says there were talking beasts in Eden except for the snake which was really satan in the form of a snake. Maybe the Bible didn't say that Eve was afraid because the Bible can't fit in every single human reaction- maybe she was scared, or maybe she wasn't scared; a reason maybe why she wasn't scared was because during that time there was no sin (obviously besides satan) so to be afraid was to not be totally reliant and trusting on God.

Hope this helps!!! :p

[Srob]

Thanks---for the welcome.

And yes, I knew that the snake/serpent did represent Satan....but he was in a form of an animal---correct? Right. Because of his animal form, I was just wondering if the other animals talked...because of the fact that Satan was in animal form. We probably may never know, but alot of things change after the great fall in Eden. Animals started eating meat, as well as humans. So alot of things changed......why couldn't speech?

Well I dunno know if being afraid is a sin....but I do understand your point about since there wasn't any sin she couldn't be afraid.

That is why I started this topic. To see what other people thought.

[inkspot]

Welcome, Srob.

The funny thing about Balaam (like Eve): he didn't seem that surprised when his donkey talked, either. Maybe people expected surprises like that in Bible days.

I think the Bible talks about "creatures" who praise the Lord in heaven. So I would not be surprised to see talking animals there. Plus our pets who have gone on before us ... :)

[EveningStar]

There are talking beasts in Heaven. There are even talking beasts at Motor Vehicles where I go to renew my drivers license, but I doubt I'll ever find any of those in Heaven... :D

[Jay7]

"Hey pooch whatsup" :D

[Gryphon]

i think its entirly possible that we will get to know animals and how they communicate. I mean, we have all of eternity to figure it out. I think there are animals in heaven and the new earth, i mean Jesus comes down on a white horse right? The lion will lie down with the lamb right?

[inkspot]

Right
Right

[Green Knight]

Serpent is also another name for a dragon. Sometimes, the Moringstar takes the form of a dragon. So, maybe there where dragons in Eden.

For a bunch of Christians, you are very New Agey. Doesn't the Bible say that animals don't have souls, and therefore, can't get into Heaven?

[Gryphon]

Serpent is also another name for a dragon. Sometimes, the Moringstar takes the form of a dragon. So, maybe there where dragons in Eden.

For a bunch of Christians, you are very New Agey. Doesn't the Bible say that animals don't have souls, and therefore, can't get into Heaven?
in the bible is say that the lion will lay down with the lamb and that Jesus will come down on a white horse from Heaven during the rapture. therefore, there will be animals and such in Heaven or at least the new Earth and since we live forever on the new Earth we have all the time we want to learn how to understand animals. God will recreate Earth the way it should have been and the way he wanted it to be is with animals living side by side with man peacefully. After all, thats the way it was meant to be. Anyway, you believe in Eden? i thought you weren't Christian?? Er at least, you made that comment about Hindu avatars and such.

[Saruman]

Yeah. God allowed the donkey to tell balaam that he would have been killed by an Angel of the Lord if he wouldn't have went the wrong direction. It was a temporary thing(or so I thought--but it doesn't say he stopped talkin afterward--so who knows--well God, but ya know) but God didn't find it wierd for an animal to talk, so that could also be a "clue"(or whatever u wanna call it) telling us that Animals did talk in Eden.

I cannot wait to find out!

It was a divine intervention by God to allow the donkey to utter speech. The creature remained the same, however: a creature. :D

As for "talking animals," that would be cool. There will be horses in heaven, that much we know with certainty. I don't see why we couldn't get to see our favorite and most beloved cockatiels again. ;)

[EveningStar]

Folks, not only is there not a passage in the Bible claiming animals have no souls, but there is also among the Psalms the statement (paraphrased),

"And who shall say that a man's soul goes into heaven but an animals' goes into the ground?"

It comes down to this. My dog does everything I think a soul does...love, remember, act. If those things do not come from the soul or they are not indicitave of a soul, why would I even care to go on after death?

Of course they have souls.

[Green Knight]

in the bible is say that the lion will lay down with the lamb and that Jesus will come down on a white horse from Heaven during the rapture. therefore, there will be animals and such in Heaven or at least the new Earth and since we live forever on the new Earth we have all the time we want to learn how to understand animals. God will recreate Earth the way it should have been and the way he wanted it to be is with animals living side by side with man peacefully. After all, thats the way it was meant to be. Anyway, you believe in Eden? i thought you weren't Christian?? Er at least, you made that comment about Hindu avatars and such.

I said that the idea of Hindu avatars helped me to understand that idea of Providence being born into human form.

[Gryphon]

are you like a "religious mutt" or something?

[Green Knight]

are you like a "religious mutt" or something?

Are you insulting me because I don't adhere to your narrow minded view of Christianity?

[DeplorableWord]

Hey, break it up boys! :)

Did you guys know that C.S. Lewis thinks that animals will go to heaven?

And Green Knight, I think you mean, "animals don't have spirits" right? Or am I completely wrong? I agree with Chakal in that animals definately have souls.

[Gryphon]

Are you insulting me because I don't adhere to your narrow minded view of Christianity?
lol, no, i didnt mean it like that at ALL. i was just wondering if you believed in diffrent aspects of diffrent religions. Although i am narrow minded because i have to stay on a narrow road, but thats a LONG explanation, please i didnt mean to insult you at all, im sorry. :D

[Green Knight]

No problems. Bad habit I picked up in college. I try to open minded in respect to all healthy religions.

[inkspot]

How do you know which religions are healthy, I wonder?

[EveningStar]

Religions that proudly advertise "127 Days Without a Mass Suicide" are not healthy. Religions that can't even say that are downright awful.

There is one cult here in Nashville, Tennessee where if you ask them how long it's been since a mass tragedy, they look at their watch, and it's not a calendar watch...

[inkspot]

So the definition of a healthy religion is one in which there are no mass suicides? Seems a rather low standard.

[EveningStar]

I was making reference to a humor site about a fictional religion whose main cathedral was not the "Mother Church" but the "Mother of all Churches" and the sign outside had a "XXX days without a mass suicide" counter....

Come on, folks! Really... :D

[Gryphon]

:eek: thats HORRIBLE!!! healthy religions, wow thats one i HAVENT heard before... i agree with with Inky that is a low standard as well as with what Chakal said, it seems to me that some religions are very bad for your health :D

[inkspot]

Gryph, I think we didn't get the joke. Chakal was making a joke. There's not really a church that counts down until it's next mass suicide ...

[onlymystory]

i have to say, it was almost funnier reading your responses to chakal's post than reading the original story. 127 days without a suicide! that's too funny.

[onlymystory]

on the animals talking bit, i think they did talk in Eden and will talk in heaven. After all, if God can make them talk once, why not all the time? Now those would be some interesting conversations.

[Gryphon]

Gryph, I think we didn't get the joke. Chakal was making a joke. There's not really a church that counts down until it's next mass suicide ...
she said fictional, i saw it, its just, its so mean to think of something like that...lol

[EveningStar]

The problem with animals that can talk (or any living thing) is where does it end?

I inherently distrust any teachings of man that place limits on God. Like all things, it ends where God and God alone expects it to end. And if microbes had souls and could think and glorify God, good for them! And if they don't, well, I feel a little less guilty about using Listerine....

But as for higher animals, as I said before, they love and think and remember, and if that is not a soul thing, what's the use of having one? To me the ability to love, think and remember are spiritual gifts and all living things that can do all three are inherently spiritual. As a creation, not a creator, I will always be far more below God than a dog or cat is below me. To think otherwise is the beginning of dangerous arrogance. It is wrong for us to meditate on what we are rather than what we should become.

[inkspot]

CS Lewis seemed to believe that a pet in constant interaction with people developed a soul, that we ennobled the beasts as we cared for them and loved them ... sweet idea.

[Gryphon]

We are the highest of all animals. It is dangerous to dwell too much on giving animals of Creation any true "equality" with man (that is blasphemy) since we are created in His image and animals were created for us to assist us and also for us to be stewards over.
Is a slave not subject to his master? We are, however, given dominion over animals. just because they *might* be able to talk doent mean they are equal to us. I doubt even that they would talk but i DO believe that we weill be able to learn how to understand them better than before.

[EveningStar]

Equality? No. We're not talking equality. But man knows a lot less than he thinks he does.

People think of God as an old man with a long white beard and a pink nightgown that runs around the clouds barking commands and everything...or nothing...correctly interprets those commands because of some power, which, I suppose, is that glowing yellow halo around him. In other words, God was LUCKY. In other words, any noob walking down the sidewalk could learn to be God if someone gave him a zillion volt battery and the authority to talk to nothing and have it nod its non-existant head. It's just that I was born me and he was Him. Luck of the draw, eh?

Not a chance. No way, Jose. God is entitled to be who he is because his wisdom, love, compassion and power are all four perfect tent poles that don't let the canvas of his authority sag in any spots whatever. We can't even begin to imagine what that must feel like.

I say this to praise God, not to denigrate man.

[Srob]

WOW!!! This thread got a bolt of energy in it....lol

Anyway, I would say that speech would stop with higher animals. A bacteria cell doesn't have a brain, so therefore it cannot process speech. Vertebrates and invertebrates(such as sharks) do have brains.

As for animals with souls. I am not for sure. I do believe that some things in the Bible are imagery(such as the 4 tribulatory horses). The Lion and the Lamb could be symbolic, but it could also be real. God devours the sin in our life(like a lion) and can sometimes be fierce in his dealings with us, but he can also be gentle and touch us softly(like a lamb.)

We will know when we get there. But I believe that since the "serpent" spoke, that gives us alot of evidence that Adam and Eve spoke with animals because it would have scared Eve(IMO). There isn't evidence(IMO again) that animals have souls, but there ISN"T evidence against it.