Animals and souls!

I have a Maltese who is pushing 17 years old. Every day when I come home, the first thing I do is check his pulse (how sad is that???). All he has energy to do these days is eat and sleep.

 

I agree with the quote from Adrian Rogers but I am still having a little difficulty with it as far as being FIRMLY convinced. Here's why.

From Strong's: The English word is "soul" (from I Thess 5:23)

G5590
ψυχή
psuchē
psoo-khay'
From G5594; breath, that is, (by implication) spirit, abstractly or concretely (the animal sentient principle only; thus distinguished on the one hand from G4151, which is the rational and immortal soul; and on the other from G2222, which is mere vitality, even of plants: these terms thus exactly correspond respectively to the Hebrew [H5315], [H7307] and [H2416]: - heart (+ -ily), life, mind, soul, + us, + you.

From Strong's: The English word is "spirit" (from I Thess 5:23)

G4151
πνεῦμα
pneuma
pnyoo'-mah
From G4154; a current of air, that is, breath (blast) or a breeze; by analogy or figuratively a spirit, that is, (human) the rational soul, (by implication) vital principle, mental disposition, etc., or (superhuman) an angel, daemon, or (divine) God, Christ’s spirit, the Holy spirit: - ghost, life, spirit (-ual, -ually), mind. Compare G5590.

They both use "breath" and "spirit" in their definitions. The definition for "soul/psuche" says that "spirit/pneuma" is the immortal soul??? Preachers, authors, evangelists, teachers, and nearly every other Christian will transpose those words whenever they take a notion and therefore render the distinction virtually nonexistent.

How is a person to understand the different words (mind, soul, spirit, heart, understanding) if the very definitions themselves, and those responsible for teaching these things, cannot clearly distinguish them?

 

Ken,

I am sorry for the loss your family went through. I know it hurts.

 

Personally, I think the majority of the animals I know have purer souls than the majority of the people I know.

 

Thank you, TexasSky.

 

"Heaven is by favor; if it were by merit your dog would go in and you would stay
out." - Mark Twain

 

How true. So then, since God's grace alone saves us, who's to say God's grace will not extend to animals, expecially if there is no mention in the Bible one way or the other?

 

The more people I meet, the better I like my dog.

Doesn't the Bible say that God takes care of the sparrows?

In Genesis, the animals were made before man, AND He made animals of every kind and brought them to Adam before He made the woman (how humiliating is THAT?)

The animals were made for our pleasure...to clothe us, feed us and give us comfort. No, we will not need animals in heaven, but we won't need food, either...but there will be fruit tree up there.

I don't think it's going to matter one way or another, actually. God knows what we're going to want and need in Heaven, and those we don't need, we won't miss. I believe we're going to be so mesmerized by God's glory that we won't notice if there are animals or not.

Ken, knowing what it's like to lose a pet, I'm so sorry you're going through this. I lost two pets this year. I found my parakeet at the bottom of his cage only minutes before I was leaving out of town to visit my mother in the hospital recovering from a heart attack. He appeared sick the night before, so this wasn't quite as shocking (also since my mother was my main concern at the time). The shocker was finding my last living parakeet floating face down in the toilet. I had a very difficult time getting over that because he was such a loving bird.

I lost a dog ten years ago and THAT was hard. I didn't think I'd get over it. I thought I would never get another dog, but found myself going out the next week for one. Nothing could replace my first dog, but I depended on her emotionally. I had to get a second dog, and I love him to death.

You won't be able to replace your pet, but it may help ease the pain if you considered getting another one. But, it's your decision, of course. Everyone deals with grief their own way. I'll be praying for you and your family.

 

Ecclesiastes 3:21 Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

 

I think the last thing we're going to be concerned about in Heaven is our pets. We're going to be too busy enjoying the comfort of Jesus' bosom.

As far as animals in heaven mentioned in scripture, the simple fact is that much of what is written about heaven is allegorical. Will heaven literally be paved with streets of gold? THe symbolic nature of these verses becomes clear when we realize that we won't have feet to walk those streets.

 

Another thought. Sin separates all men from God. From birth we are born with a sin nature. The Bible mentions "all creation" groans due to man's sin, which includes their bodily deaths. The Bible does not mention animals sinning, therefore is it possible that they were created, and are born still today NOT separated from God?

 

I think the last thing we're going to be concerned about in Heaven is our pets. We're going to be too busy enjoying the comfort of Jesus' bosom.

As far as animals in heaven mentioned in scripture, the simple fact is that much of what is written about heaven is allegorical. Will heaven literally be paved with streets of gold? THe symbolic nature of these verses becomes clear when we realize that we won't have feet to walk those streets. </font>[/QUOTE]Why is it allegorical? Couldn't it also be literal? Who says we won't have feet to walk with? Didn't Jesus have feet during His assension? When the Bible mentions a "new earth", why do we have any reason to believe it won't be just that, earth but totally renewed and perfect? The same with a "new jerusalem". When you think of a city, doesn't it have roads and buildings? When God created earth He declared it "good". Sin is what makes it "not so good". For God to start fresh with another realm would be an admission that earth was never really "good" to begin with. I think part of the problem is man thinks we will be floating on the clouds strumming harps. To think this is denying the bodily resurrection, and the need for it.