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About Jesus - Steve Sweetman
Revelation 5:13 says that
every creature in heaven, on the earth, under the earth, and in the sea
worship the Lord. The Greek
word translated as "creature" into English is "ktisma'.
This simply means "created thing".
Therefore, every thing that God created is worshipping in heaven
according to this verse. This
would include animals. If we
are to take this verse literally, it would also include other parts of
God's creation apart from human and animal life.
We should note that the
word creature is often used in Revelation in connection with the four
living creatures in heaven. Every
created thing would obviously include these four living creatures, but
it's clear that they are not the only created thing being spoken of here
in Revelation 5:13. I think this verse pretty
plainly speaks of animals worshipping the Lord along with all other
created things. Does this
mean there are animals, or, the souls of animals in heaven?
For further information about the souls of animals you can read
my article entitled "Do Animals Have Souls"? The setting for
Revelation 5 is clearly in heaven. I
could be wrong, but it thus appears to me that there are at least the
souls of animals in heaven who are worshipping the Lord here.
At the end of the book of
Revelation we see the new earth. I
strongly believe there will be animals on the new earth, and, if they
worship in heaven, I'm sure in their own way they will worship the Lord
on the new earth. I can't say how animals
worship. Jesus alluded to
the fact that stones could possibly cry out in worship to God in Luke
19:40. If stones could to
this, I'm sure animals can as well.
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