Animals On The New Earth?

Animals on the New Earth?

I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you— every living creature on earth.

— Genesis 9:9-10

The whole brute creation will then, undoubtedly, be restored, not only to the vigour, strength, and swiftness which they had at their creation, but to a far higher degree of each than they ever enjoyed.^a

— JOHN WESLEY

Isaiah 11:6-9 speaks of a coming glorious era on Earth:

The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand 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 waters cover the sea.

Some interpreters restrict this passage to the Millennium, but Isaiah anticipates an eternal Kingdom of God on Earth. Isaiah 65:17 and 66:22 specifically refer to the New Earth. Sandwiched in between, in Isaiah 65:25, is a reference very similar to that in Isaiah 11: “ ‘The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. . . . They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,’ says the LORD.”

When will there be no more harm on the earth? Not on the old Earth. Not even during the Millennium, which will end in rebellion, warfare, judgment, and death. Only on the New Earth will there be no more harm. Indeed, God tells us, there will be no more death, mourning, or pain there (Revelation 21:4). These descriptions of animals peacefully inhabiting the earth may have application to a millennial kingdom on the old Earth, but their primary reference point seems to be God’s eternal Kingdom, where men and animals will together enjoy a redeemed Earth.

What was God’s original design for the earth? We need not wonder: “God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:25).

“Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air” (Genesis 2:19). Only humans and animals were formed from the ground. God handmade them, linking them to the earth and to each other.

When God breathed a spirit into Adam’s body, which was made from the earth, Adam became nephesh, a “living being” (Genesis 2:7). Remarkably, the same word, nephesh, is used for animals, just as it is for people—both are given God’s breath of life (Genesis 1:30; 2:7; 6:17; 7:15, 22). The word nephesh is often translated “living being” or “soul.” Nephesh includes the animating principle that God puts into animal and human bodies.

Don’t misunderstand. Humans and animals are very different, and in no sense are they equal. The point is simply that we do share certain significant similarities as living beings created by God. The immaterial being of humans continues to survive after death, whereas animals may not. (Of course, this wouldn’t prevent God from re-creating the animals if he wants to.) However, to do justice to Scripture, we need to recognize that people and animals are both said to be unique, living beings. The fact that God has a future plan for both mankind and the earth strongly suggests that he also has a future plan for animals. God’s words to Noah regarding the first “new earth” (post-Flood) support this idea:

“You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive” (Genesis 6:19-20).

Animals were given as companions and helpers to mankind, and humans were to rule the animals benevolently. God not only preserved animals from the Flood, he also, remarkably, included them in his new covenant. Notice the repeated emphasis on animals:

“I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. . . . Never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth. . . .”

And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come. . . . I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. . . . Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth. . . .”

God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.” (Genesis 9:9-17, emphasis added)

God’s plan for a renewed Earth after the Flood emphatically involved animals. Wouldn’t we likewise expect his plan for a renewed Earth after the future judgment to include animals?

Second Peter 3:5-7 draws a direct parallel between God’s past judgment of the earth with water and his future judgment with fire. Mankind was judged in the Flood, but God didn’t limit his rescue to people; he also rescued representatives of every animal species to populate the earth. This is a powerful picture of what Romans 8 states: mankind and animals and all creation are linked together not only in curse and judgment but also in blessing and deliverance. Shouldn’t we expect the same in the coming judgment by fire?

Since we know God will fashion the New Earth with renewed people and renewed features of ground and water and trees and fruit, shouldn’t we expect him also to include renewed animals?

The burden of proof falls not on the assumption that animals will be part of God’s New Earth, but on the assumption that they won’t. Would God withhold from us on the New Earth what he gave to Adam and Eve in Eden for delight, companionship, and help? Would he revoke his decision to put animals on Earth with people, placing them under our care and rule? Or will he follow through on his original design?

Look around today at the animals you come across. Ask yourself, why does the Creator consider these creatures important enough to include them in his original creation and his covenant promise?

Lord, the extent of your redemptive plan boggles our minds. Preserve us from our narrow thinking, which is so quick to limit and restrict the scope of your redemption. You repeatedly emphasized that your covenant was not just with humans but with animals as well. Open our eyes to see the nature of your creative work in animals, and their essential connection to the earth and to us. Help us to anticipate living on the New Earth and beholding in your creatures your attributes and delights, in greater ways than ever before.