Aren’t there animals in heaven?
Question:
According to your previous answer to the question raised in regards to animals having souls: you said, they have souls but will go down to the earth when they die. Human spirits will ascend to Paradise. Here is my question: What about the animals found in heaven according to the book of Isaiah 11:6-9; Psalms 145:21; 84:3-4; and Revelation 19:11-14? Where do they come from?
Answer:
"The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. 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 11:6-9).
This passage is a part of a prophecy that is written in symbolic or figurative language. Many people make the mistake of assigning a literal meaning to the vision being presented and thus miss the point being made. Looking at the context of the verse we find, "There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD" (Isaiah 11:1-2). The prophecy is a reference to Jesus Christ. He was a descendant of David and thus also a descendant of David's father, Jesse (Matthew 1:5-6, 16). The reference to the Spirit coming upon him was fulfilled in Matthew 3:16. Later in Isaiah's vision we learn, "And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, who shall stand as a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place shall be glorious" (Isaiah 11:10). This is a reference to the salvation brought to the Gentiles by Christ. Thus, the vision is not of heaven, but something that happened in our past when Christ first came to this world.
"My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever" (Psalms 145:21).
"All flesh" is referring to people. It doesn't include animals since they cannot speak words of praise.
"The bird also has found a house, And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, Even Your altars, O LORD of hosts, My King and my God. How blessed are those who dwell in Your house! They are ever praising You" (Psalms 84:3-4).
God's house in the Old Testament is referred to as the Temple. It is in the Temple where there are altars. This is confirmed by the mention of the courts (Psalms 84:2,10), of which the temple had several. It also mentions its location on Mt. Zion (Psalms 84:5,7).
"And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses" (Revelation 19:11-14).
Revelation is in symbols. Just as Jesus does not literally have flames of fire for eyes, nor are his clothes dripping with literal blood, the white horses also represent an idea. In this case, a white horse is what the victor of a battle rides when he has conquered a city. The imagery is of Jesus coming in victory, along with his followers. The passage does not tell us that there are animals in heaven.
What you are doing is searching out verses that mention animals, but you ignore the context of what is being talked about. Further, you have not established that animals living in this world go to heaven at their death.
