3728 — To Seek and to Save That Which Was Lost
By Editor
Since Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost, will not the animals and birds that will be on the new earth be redeemed from this earth? E. A. C. We do not know. We have no scriptures that would indicate that the birds or beasts who have died will be brought to life again. We are taught, it seems to us, quite clearly, however, that everything that goes to make life beautiful in the new earth will be there. In the 104th Psalm we read of all the various animal creation, that "these wait all for Thee, that Thou mayest give them their food in due season. Thou givest unto them, they gather; Thou openest Thy hand, they are satisfied with good." But there is another side to the picture. The psalmist continues: "Thou hidest Thy face, they are troubled; Thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust. Thou sendest forth Thy Spirit, they are created; and Thou renewest the face of the ground." If these beasts and birds had memory of the past, if they had longing for the future, if their hope were set on future existence, there would be reason why they should be brought back again; but we have no evidence that this is the case. They live for the present; and when the end comes, they die. All that would be demanded in the new earth would be a new creation. All that these other texts would indicate is that there may be animals on the new earth, harmless, peaceful. The Bible does not deal with these things. It deals with responsible creatures. We can leave all these other things outside of moral responsibility with God.