Because Noah's life story reveals so much about what God ___ of mankind and how He regards animals, studying it will give us some insights that apply to our pets today.
In Part One we covered how the Earth, although mankind had fallen and largely abandoned God on his own, had also had that wickedness turbo-charged by a class of angelic beings who took human wives and taught them knowledge of occult subjects. The Earth was ripe for judgment, but Noah was born for such a time as this.
Genesis 6:8 — But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.
It can also be translated as "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD." This is the first occurrence of "grace" in Scripture.
Genesis 6:12 — God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.
"All flesh" is an accurate translation of the Hebrew. Some of the more modern language versions say "everyone" but "all flesh" is probably better because it would include the fallen angelic beings and their giant offspring. The "all flesh had corrupted" could also include, in a quite literal sense, animals suffering diseases or viruses spread by bestiality or occult rituals.
In verses 13- 18, Noah is told that the earth will be destroyed and is given instructions on how to build an ark for him, his wife, sons, and daughters-in-law. Noteworthy in verse 17 is that God would "destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven." Since the word for "all flesh" in verse 17 is the same as in verse 12, we need to be thinking in terms broader than "all people on earth." And if you still aren't convinced, well, there is verse 19.
Genesis 6:19-20 —
And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.
Of the birds after their kind, and of the animals after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive.
It is worth noting that even though Noah had to bring the animals into the ark, he did not have to find them. God would cause the ones with suitable genetic pools to come to him.
You can look up other instructions if you wish while we skip ahead from Genesis 6:21 through 7:1.
Genesis 7:2-3
"You shall take with you of every clean animal by sevens, a male and his female; and of the animals that are not clean two, a male and his female;
also of the birds of the sky, by sevens, male and female, to keep offspring alive on the face of all the earth."
This is a bit off-topic as regards the pets-in-heaven question, but it is also important to settle the reliability of scripture. Some have said that Genesis 6:19-20 conflicts with Genesis 7:2-3 because the number changes to "sevens." Remember that Genesis 6 is the information Noah was first given before the ark was built, so it emphasizes that the stalls or crates or cages or whatever living arrangements were made for keeping the animals would accommodate pairs. Chapter 7 tells of the actual boarding plans 120 years later, so it deals with the actual logistic count. Both can be true without conflict.
Another complaint about the Genesis 7 passage asks how Noah knew which animals were clean or unclean since Levitical laws given by Moses were still several centuries into the future. At its core, this is basically the same kind of question as how did Able know to bring a sacrifice? The simplest answer, of course, is that these men had a relationship with the Lord such that they would have known His voice. Another perfectly legitimate explanation is that Adam would have known this when he first named the animals in Eden, and so it was passed down through the generations of his family; the reason then that clean and unclean had to be redefined in the law was that this knowledge had been forgotten during the years in Egypt, in other words, the concept of clean and unclean were not first introduced in the law of Moses' time, but were reintroduced.
For our study, the most important takeaway from these two passages is that God's heart was to deliver the animals into the new post-flood world. This is a pattern that would support the idea that God's heart would also be inclined to deliver our pets into the next world.
Genesis 7:8-9
Of clean animals and animals that are not clean and birds and everything that creeps on the ground,
there went into the ark to Noah by twos, male and female, as God had commanded Noah.
This is another pattern. Here, the animals had not only had provision made for them, but they actually entered into the ark, which is in typology a heaven floating above the world.
Genesis 7:13-15
On the very same day Noah and Shem and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark,
they and every beast after its kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, all sorts of birds.
So they went into the ark to Noah, by twos of all flesh in which was the breath of life.
they and every beast after its kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, all sorts of birds.
Although this chiefly reiterates the previous passage in verses 8 and 9, we do have the additional detail that the animals entered on the "very same day" that Noah's family did. On one level, this probably indicates that the family was living and sleeping on the ark during the week leading up to when God would shut the door. As a pattern and type, happening on the same day would support the idea that our pets would be with us in the present heaven, and that we do not have to wait for the restoration of all things.
The second part that I highlighted, "they went into the ark to Noah" has different interpretations among the different commentators. I do not know Hebrew and cannot sort it out, but basically there are two views: (a) Noah went in first and the animals came to him, or (b) they went in with each other, as if both Noah and his family members assisted in the boarding. Following patterns and types, the difference this makes for the pets-in-heaven question is that if a is the case, then we would call our pets to us on the day we enter Heaven. Either way, they get there "on the same day."
Again, the phrase "the breath of life" makes an appearance, which alludes to animals having spirit.
Genesis 7:21-23 tells of all who had breath and were left behind on the dry land dying. I am not of the mind to quote that; this is a blog, not a book, but you can look it up. The takeaway for our pets-in-heaven exploration is that only the animals who were attached to Noah, a 'righteous man,' found deliverance with their spirit breath-of-life intact.
In following the pattern, I do not really know what to make of this. To our human sensibilities it does not seem fair that a loyal pet which was dutifully serving its owner would miss heaven because it had the misfortune to belong to an unbeliever; for now, the best I can do is speculate that there may be pet adoptions in heaven... That would solve the problem of believers who always wanted a pet while on Earth but circumstances prevented it, and it is an idea that is consonant with the character of the God I know, but I am not aware of any scripture that would help make the case other than a loosely applied "with God all things are possible."
Genesis 8:1
But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided.
"Remembered" seems like an odd word to use here. God has just wiped out all land life on Earth and He "remembered" Noah and the animals tossing about like a cork? I am probably missing something significant, and if you know what that is, there is a comment section below. Meanwhile, I found three translations that appeal to my human mind: God kept Noah in mind, God thought of Noah, and God was mindful of Noah. So whatever I may be missing in parsing the "remembered," what is significant to the pets-in-heaven is that God remembered Noah and the animals in a parallel construction; that is, as far as the English grammar goes, both have equal weight for being remembered. At this point, both man and the animals he'd been given dominion over were "remembered" as a unit.
The remainder of Chapter 8 details the receding of the flood. Two animals, both birds, aid in Noah's assessment of when the land becomes livable again, a raven and a dove. If animals had been vegetarians before, apparently the raven had turned to other appetites by the close of his cruise because it was able to survive on carrion and did not return to Noah. The dove, however, did return twice, the last time with an olive branch in its beak. There is a great deal of multi-level symbolism going on here, but for our use the chief thing is that animals served a role in helping Noah. When our pets serve a useful purpose, be it a physical task, an emotional buffer, or something else, they are also serving God's purpose and He is aware of that.
Genesis 8:17
"Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you, birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that they may breed abundantly on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth."
This is a verse that I have read an unknown dozens of times in my life, but when going over it for this study, it struck me— except for that one raven, of course, all flesh would be with Noah; the flood has finally receded and they are all still aboard the ark. So the thing I'd like to point out here is that as animals had helped Noah do his job earlier in the chapter, now Noah was going to help them on their way to do their job of restocking the Earth with animal life. Man's association with animals goes both ways, even though he is the one with higher authority. The link that the LORD created between mankind and animals is so intimately intertwined that it is hard to imagine a world where there is man without animals. If the pattern holds, and it would be hard to argue that it wouldn't, then man and animals will still have interaction in heaven.
After the animals came out of the ark grouped according to their families/species, Noah built an altar and the LORD accepted his sacrifice. If your main recollection of Noah's story dates back to campfire songs of your childhood, then you are in for some surprises in Chapter Nine! (By the way, although the Arky-Arky song credits the sun with drying out the land, to be biblically accurate it should be the windy-windy!)
The Covenant of the Rainbow
The Covenant in its entirety is copied below using the King James Version. For clarity, I have chosen more recent translations to use in the body of this blog.
Genesis 9:2 HCSB
The fear and terror of you will be in every living creature on the earth, every bird of the sky, every creature that crawls on the ground, and all the fish of the sea. They are placed under your authority.
If there was ever any question that the dominion mandate was ever rescinded, it is reinstated in this verse. This is covered extensively in earlier posts, so I will not belabor the point here. We have God-ordained authority over our pets, and we can exercise it.
Genesis 9:5 ESV
And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man.
This is the verse that explains why animal sacrifices "worked" up until the death of Jesus Christ. It is because "beasts" have a lifeblood. Ellicott's Commentary translates the verse this way: And surely your blood, which is for your souls, will I require (i.e., avenge); from every beast will I require it.
So, yes, this establishes a death penalty, both for men who kill men and for animals that kill men, but more than that, it explains the reason why: the lifeblood, the blood of your lives, connects the physical with the soul. Since certain animal sacrifices are accepted by God, it means that "beasts" have at least a rudimentary soul. This means that the "beasts" have the potential to exist in the spiritual realm.
Back in post #3 we covered two Hebrew words transliterated as chay and nephesh. Both of them show up in this verse. The life in lifeblood is nephesh and beast that has breath is chay.
As a child, it was very hard for me to understand animal sacrifice. I still don't fully understand why God chose this method to cover sin, but the fact that it does means that the chay-beasts have enough nephesh-life to exist as a soul in the supernatural realm. If our pets are capable of making the dimensional leap to the heavenly realm, this would have to be the case; and it is.
Genesis 9:9-10 NASB
"Now behold, I Myself do establish My covenant with you, and with your descendants after you;
and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, even every beast of the earth."
"I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth."
God's covenant wasn't just with Noah and his descendants. It was established with EVERY LIVING CREATURE that was WITH HIM! Did you realize that animals have a covenant with God? That is what it says. And yes, this covenant is specific to a flood to destroy the earth, but the pattern is that God was willing to include animals in a covenant to protect them from destruction.
These were animals that were with Noah; they were under Noah's dominion authority. But if you were worried that this covered only the animals that were with Noah, look at the next verse:
Genesis 9:11-12 ESV
I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.
And God said, This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations:
Every living creature for all future generations—that would include your pet—is covered by a covenant of protection. It has been prophesied that at the end of time the Earth will be destroyed by fire, however, we are not there yet and the covenant that is still in place shows that the heart of God is not one of destruction. The sign in verse 12 is the rainbow—
Genesis 9:13-14, 16 NASB
I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth.
It shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud.
When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.
Three times in three verses "cloud" is set in contrast to "earth." The triple repetition is significant in that it strengthens the relationship between the cloud and the earth. Several lexicons that I checked said that the cloud is a covering or a veiling of heaven. Symbolically then, the rainbow connects Earth to Heaven. And it seals a covenant between God and the descendants of the animals that came off the ark, as well as between God and men.
None of this explicitly says that your pets can go to heaven, no statement in the Bible does. But it does say a lot about the character of God. He is a God who is willing to provide deliverance for animals that brings them into a new world and then make a covenant of protection with them. If we are looking for types and patterns in history that reveal God's thought toward animals, then Noah's story is one that demonstrates a God who designed a world where men and animals have a symbiotic relationship with man in authority. We see a God who values the lifeblood of each, although at different levels. And we see a God who will pledge His word in a covenant to have life continue.
Genesis 9:1-17 KJV
1And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. 2And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. 3Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. 4But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. 5And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man.
6Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
7And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.
8And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, 9And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; 10And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. 11And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. 12And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. 14And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: 15And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. 17And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.
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