Do Animals Enter Condemnation or Paradise?

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John146

Senior Member
Jan 13, 2016
16,642
3,533
113
#62
I read in scripture God showed me where my cat Spotty went after being dead. He said his spirit rose up to the heavens and left his mortal body. If you can find that scripture I'll give you an award. So animals have spirits and they descend to heaven.
21 Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?
 

oyster67

Senior Member
May 24, 2014
11,887
8,696
113
#64
I read in scripture God showed me where my cat Spotty went after being dead. He said his spirit rose up to the heavens and left his mortal body. If you can find that scripture I'll give you an award. So animals have spirits and they descend to heaven.
I will use my Bible App to search for Spotty....
 

Poinsetta

Well-known member
Nov 24, 2018
10,524
6,170
113
34
#68
Most of my cats have gone to Heaven, but all dogs go to Hell.

Philippians 3:2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.

Revelation 22:15 For without [are] dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
He is calling evil humans 'dogs' not real dogs
 

Ruby123

Well-known member
Mar 1, 2019
11,912
8,233
113
#69
I would love to be reunited with my cat, she was adorable but I remember a pastor saying something about the sheer volume of animals would be too great to all be in heaven.
 

posthuman

Senior Member
Jul 31, 2013
36,670
13,130
113
#70
Quite clear from the above scripture spoken directly by Jesus in post 57 that no matter what type of Body there is a spiritual body.
Now to question will animals get thrown in the lake of fire. Wow i cant believe where being asked to make that decision and the op of this thread needs to give his head a wobble. No living person can make that final decision.

@posthuman why ask this question do animals have a spirit when it looks like you allready knew that they did in the first place. What on earth where you thinking ? If your trying to teach people a lesson your going about the wrong way.

And what makes you think people can decide who goes to hell or not,

I find your manner verry rude and personal, on one hand you know the answer befor you ask, then your proving people wrong, then on the other hand your asking people to be like God and make the decission who gets chucked in the lake of fire. How insulting
  • i never asked if animals have a spirit
  • i didn't ask anyone to decide who goes to hell or not
    • but to think about what they know from scripture and apply it to the question
  • admittedly yes i have an opinion on the subject, and think i can justify that opinion
    • when am convinced of something, yes, i do speak confidently about it
    • i'm interested in what others think, to add to my understanding
    • i'm interested in opposing views being justified through the Bible
      • in case i may be wrong, then i may also be taught
  • this was the topic of my pastor's sermon on sunday night
    • thought i'd 'poll the audience'
    • i knew it would be of particular interest to some to discuss
    • it's not one of those threads where we call each other heretics and blasphemers and break fellowship
    • i suspected that we might all actually agree in large part
      • which is a rare, and wonderful thing - 'like precious ointment on the head'

all that being said,
i'd like to personally offer a public apology to you for my having made this discussion topic
**sorry**
 
Oct 23, 2020
971
164
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#71
I suppose animals are a bit like angels - they have to watch on while we make a mess of everything
 
Mar 4, 2020
8,614
3,678
113
#72
I would love to be reunited with my cat, she was adorable but I remember a pastor saying something about the sheer volume of animals would be too great to all be in heaven.
Unless heaven is bigger than we can possibly imagine.
 

posthuman

Senior Member
Jul 31, 2013
36,670
13,130
113
#73
21 Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?
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.”
For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity. All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust. Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth?
(Ecclesiastes 3:18-21, nkjv)
Solomon says God intends to make us know that we are just like the animals,
that we all have the same breath, that we all are made of dust and return to dust.
he writes this as though yes, the creature has a spirit - no different than man, who is himself a creature
he also writes this as tho the spirit of the creature continues existing after the body returns to dust:
the body is from dust, and returns to dust. the spirit tho: what happens to it? it isn't made of dust; does it go to dust?



verse 21 is a question - footnotes from my nkjv say:
Ecclesiastes 3:21 LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg. Who knows whether the spirit . . . goes upward, and whether . . . goes downward to the earth?
which jives with the following verse:

So I perceived that nothing is better than that a man should rejoice in his own works, for that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?
(Ecclesiastes 3:22)
who knows what will happen after our bodies go back to dust?
does the spirit of the creature go up or go down? - men are 'living creatures' too



later towards the end of the writing, Solomon answers the question, where does the spirit go when it's separated from the body?


Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed,
Or the golden bowl is broken,
Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain,
Or the wheel broken at the well.
Then the dust will return to the earth as it was,
And the spirit will return to God who gave it.
(Ecclesiastes 12:6-7)
the question from 3:21 here has its conclusion:
the body is dust and goes to dust
the spirit is heavenly and returns to God who gave it


which is,
the spirit of life is a gift, and it doesn't die like the body of dust does.
remembering chapter 3 when we get to chapter 12, Solomon is saying this about man and other creatures alike

the spirit of life is from God; He gives it to us; it returns to Him.

is this evidence of the eternal existence of that life?
 

posthuman

Senior Member
Jul 31, 2013
36,670
13,130
113
#74
@de-emerald

please forgive me for having a little knowledge and understanding of scripture and sharing it with others
:cry:

it's become a habit!

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.”
For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity. All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust. Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth?
(Ecclesiastes 3:18-21, nkjv)​
Solomon says God intends to make us know that we are just like the animals,
that we all have the same breath, that we all are made of dust and return to dust.
he writes this as though yes, the creature has a spirit - no different than man, who is himself a creature
he also writes this as tho the spirit of the creature continues existing after the body returns to dust:
the body is from dust, and returns to dust. the spirit tho: what happens to it? it isn't made of dust; does it go to dust?


verse 21 is a question - footnotes from my nkjv say:
Ecclesiastes 3:21 LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg. Who knows whether the spirit . . . goes upward, and whether . . . goes downward to the earth?
which jives with the following verse:

So I perceived that nothing is better than that a man should rejoice in his own works, for that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?
(Ecclesiastes 3:22)​
who knows what will happen after our bodies go back to dust?
does the spirit of the creature go up or go down? - men are 'living creatures' too


later towards the end of the writing, Solomon answers the question, where does the spirit go when it's separated from the body?


Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed,
Or the golden bowl is broken,
Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain,
Or the wheel broken at the well.
Then the dust will return to the earth as it was,
And the spirit will return to God who gave it.
(Ecclesiastes 12:6-7)​
the question from 3:21 here has its conclusion:
the body is dust and goes to dust
the spirit is heavenly and returns to God who gave it

which is,
the spirit of life is a gift, and it doesn't die like the body of dust does.
remembering chapter 3 when we get to chapter 12, Solomon is saying this about man and other creatures alike
 

TheLearner

Well-known member
Jan 14, 2019
7,897
1,458
113
67
Brighton, MI
#75
I'm think there will be animals in heaven because of the scriptures that says and the lion will lay down with the chi

Is having a soul the same thing as having a spirit?
In the OT spirit is the breath of life force. Soul is used like there were 999 souls on the plane when it went down. It is not referring to the NT development of the word soul.
 

TheLearner

Well-known member
Jan 14, 2019
7,897
1,458
113
67
Brighton, MI
#76
Isaiah 11:6, "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them." (This sounds as if we will have pets in heaven, does it not?)
Isaiah 11:7-9, "The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea"
Isaiah 65:25, "The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD."
 

Magenta

Senior Member
Jul 3, 2015
55,897
26,058
113
#78
I would love to be reunited with my cat, she was adorable but I remember a pastor saying something about the sheer volume of animals would be too great to all be in heaven.
Oh my! As if Heaven is too small to hold us all. That settles it then, right? :giggle:
 

Magenta

Senior Member
Jul 3, 2015
55,897
26,058
113
#79
]@posthuman why ask this question do animals have a spirit when it looks like you allready knew that they did in the first place. What on earth where you thinking ? If your trying to teach people a lesson your going about the wrong way.

And what makes you think people can decide who goes to hell or not,

I find your manner verry rude and personal, on one hand you know the answer befor you ask, then your proving people wrong, then on the other hand your asking people to be like God and make the decission who gets chucked in the lake of fire. How insulting
Post is a lovely person and beloved brother in Christ. Perhaps some day your eyes will be opened to how wrong you are in your estimations in above post. It seems uncalled for and quite frankly, out of character for you.
 

Magenta

Senior Member
Jul 3, 2015
55,897
26,058
113
#80
I would love to be reunited with my cat, she was adorable but I remember a pastor saying something about the sheer volume of animals would be too great to all be in heaven.
I have heard it said that some people would prefer there to be no spiders, poisonous snakes, or mosquitos (and the like; let's also add beasts such as crocodiles, alligators, and other man-eaters) in paradise, but really, what need of them to live on the blood of others in such a place as that? Especially when Scripture plainly says: The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the goat; the calf and young lion and fatling will be together, and a little child will lead them. The cow will graze with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play by the cobra’s den, and the toddler will reach into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the sea is full of water. ... For you will have a covenant with the stones of the field, and the wild animals will be at peace with you.

Heaven? Um, hmmmm. Let us remember that life ever after is lived on Earth ;):D