This message is from: "Annette" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Though not a theological scholar, I'll add my 2 cents to the current theological debate:
1st...there are the 4 horses of the Apocalypse; they come down from Heaven; white horse (Revelation 6:2; Rev. 19:11&14), red horse (Revelation 6:4), black horse (Rev. 6:5), and a pale horse (Rev. 6:8). Whether they died first and went to Heaven or are created in Heaven isn't implied or stated...but, clearly, they're there. 2nd... Isaiah 11:6:9 and Isaiah 65:25 both talk about the way things will be when the Messiah establishes a new 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." 3rd...Concerning the murder of man Genesis 9:5 says: "And for your lifeblood I (God) will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man." The assumption seems to be that animals answer in the next life, therefor, they must have a next life. 4th...Animals were created by God in the Garden of Eden and were declared "Good" by God BEFORE the fall of man. (Genesis 1:31) 5th...God uses animals in describing His own Son, Jesus...Lamb of God (Rev. 5:6, John 1:29) and the Lion of Judah (Revelation 5:5). While these are used figuratively, they imply that God holds animals in a place of favor. While not willing to be martyred for this facet of my beliefs, I do believe the above Scriptures provide a compelling argument for animals in Heaven. Annette Johnson (I haven't written any books) (My "farm" doesn't have a name) Colorado Springs, Colorado
