Does Isaiah 11:6-9 speak of the harmony we hope to see in Heaven? If yes, then will animals be found there?

Question

Isaiah 11:6-9 reads:

6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. 9 They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

Is the scripture above alluding to Heaven as "God's holy mountain"? Does it speak of the harmony we hope to see in Heaven? If yes, then will animals be found in Heaven?

In my views I believe animals will be in heaven. If they were present in the first world; why are they going to be exonerated in the world after?

Answer 1

Isaiah chapters 7-12 are part of a series of prophecies about the deliverance of Israel from Syria, and Assyria and that such deliverance would come through Messiah (Isa 9:1-7) and that Israel will need continuing corrective punishment (9:8-10:4) and Assyria would fall due to the rod of God's anger (10:5-34).

Isa 11 describes the Messianic kingdom in three sections:

1. Deliverance and restoration through Messiah (11:1-9)
2. The gathering of the gentiles and the Jewish exiles (11:10-16)
3. A song of deliverance (Isa 12)

Note that much of Isa 11 about the coming Messiah is:

• Quite symbolic/metaphorical language ("branch", "root", "his breath will slay the wicked", "belt of righteousness", etc.)
• The Messiah discussed concerns Jesus' 1st advent as it discusses the returned exiles from the (still future in Isaiah's time) Babylonian captivity (11:12ff)
• The prophecy is clearly the ideal outcome that might have been if the Jews had accepted Messiah and been faithful. This was not the case.

It is an interpretation in some circles to read Isa 11:6-9 as literal and make it about either the New Earth or heaven. Such an interpretation would have the effect of taking an isolated passage and reading it literally despite its figurative surroundings, and, placing it in a time that it is not intended to discuss (after Jesus' second advent). Quite a stretch!

This is not to suggest that such an interpretation is wrong - only that a secondary application is valid here on the basis of no data in the text itself to allow such.

This is confirmed by the phrase "My Holy Mountain", an Old Testament phrase that means Mt Zion on which literal Jerusalem is built. Ps 2:6, 3:4, Jer 17:3, Eze 20:40, Joel 2:1, 3:17, Obad 1:16, Isa 65:25, 66:20, Dan 9:20, etc. Again some of these, as some have suggested, speak of heaven or the New Earth - again by asserting a secondary application. The justification advanced for this is to say that most of these idealised prophecies were never fulfilled (this is correct) and therefore they will be fulfilled in heaven or the New Earth But this remains an assumption.

Lastly, will animals be in heaven? On the basis that the earth will be remade to restore the original creation (eg, Rev 21, 22, etc), and that animals were in Eden, I believe that animals will be in heaven or the New Earth.

Answer 2

Isaiah 11:6-9 seems to imply to some that the "curse" has been removed, and that there is a return to Paradise. When comparing these scriptures to other scriptures in The Bible, it might be interesting to quote those, as well. Isaiah 11:6-9 seems to be referring to the Millennium, and not Eternity.

Isaiah 65:25 says:

The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.

My view is that the New Heavens and Earth will come during the Millennium, because of the order of which Jesus Christ said that this would happen wouldn't make sense (from what I understand) if there was a "new heavens and new earth" after the Millennium, for a multitude of reasons. Here's one of those reasons:

Isaiah 65:17 says:

For, behold, I create new heavens and new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.

If you read down to verse 20, it says:

There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.

If the 'new heavens and a new earth' comes after the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ, then how does one reconcile death here in this passage? This is referring to Millennial conditions and not Eternity. (ref. Revelation 20:1-3). Yes, the extension of the length of a person's life is great, but there's death, and so this could not be referring to Eternity.

Isaiah 66:22 says:

For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.

There is also biblical references on the 'vegetation', as well, during this time (Hosea 2:20-22; Isaiah 30:23-26, and Ezekiel 24:25).

As for animals being in the new heavens and the new earth, from the passages in Isaiah above, the answer is a resounding 'Yes!' (as others have pointed out).

Answer 3

Does Isaiah 11:6-9 speak of the harmony we hope to see in Heaven? If yes, then will animals be found there?

There will not be any animals in heaven, the Bible is clear on this, flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. The apostles and other anointed ones would not be resurrected to heaven with corruptible bodies of flesh and blood, they will be raised imperishable.

1 Corinthians 15:50-52 NET

50 Now this is what I am saying, brothers and sisters: Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen,[b] I will tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep,[c] but we will all be changed— 52 in a moment, in the blinking[d] of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

Answer 4

There has been no animals in heaven nor will ever be. The heaven in the Bible are the dwelling place for spiritual beings only, like God, the Creator, and His angelic creatures. See Psalm 115:16. Matthew 18:10.

Like humans, animals are intended to live only on earth, but for only a period of time depending on their kind. Scientifically speaking, there are many purpose why God created animals here on earth, and not in heaven in the first place. After He created the first couple, he assigned man to govern over all animals. During this time, humans and animals are in a perfect condition and living harmoniously with each other. See Genesis 1:20-23, 28. Although this harmonious condition has been cut short, God will bring it back as prophecised in Isaiah 11:6-9.

Unlike humans, animals are not rewarded with everlasting life like what he did with Adam and Eve. But since the first couple disobeyed God, this reward of everlasting life was postponed, and will be given permanently to future individuals who gained God's favor. Romans 5:12, 6:13, John 3:16.

But temporarily since that first sin, the state of humans and animals after they die remains the same. Like before they were created, they were ashes with no presence of life, and when they die, they will go back to ashes. There is no such thing as immortal spirit soul that automatically ejects when a human or an animal dies. The Bible and science does not teaches that. See Ecclesiastes 9: 4-6, 10; Ezekiel 18:4; Genesis 3:19; Romans 6:23 and Ecclesiastes 3:19-22.

Isaiah 11:6-9, is a prophecy in the very near future when God's government has already reigned here on earth and brought back the perfect condition where mankind regained everlasting life and live harmoniously between animals and animals between each kind living harmoniously with each other. Also see Psalm 37:29, Revelation 21:4.

For more accurate knowledge from the Bible like this, please visit jw.org.

Answer 5

I agree that animals do not have souls which would carry into Heaven, however, that does not mean there will be no animals in the New Heaven and Earth that God will create. God loves animals. He even commanded us to give them rest on the Sabbath in the Ten Commandments. I see no reason why God would not create new animals on New Earth. The angels are described as animal-like themselves in many descriptions of the current Heaven.

No one can say for sure if animals will be in Heaven or not, but I see no reason why they wouldn't be.

For other Biblical insights into Heaven, you can look at some answers to common questions here https://vancekessler.com/files/QuestionsAboutHeaven.pdf.

Answer 6

See Romans 8:19-23. It is clearly stated that all of creation will be repeated in perfect form. The King James version actually says "creatures". Nature (trees, flowers, animals as well as true Christian believers) will all be in heaven in the end. God made animals to have a relationship with man. How arrogant religion is to believe that God makes no provision for his animals. The animals are definitely mentioned in the Millenium. Why would God have the animals in the Millenium (after we are resurrected) and not the rest of eternity. Animals are also mentioned as being in heaven at the time Revelation was given to John. Read your Bible and don't put your own interpretation on it. God was very clear about this subject. Romans tells us animals and creation are saved because they are "innocents". They got the same sin curse man did and provision will be made, just like man, though they have different souls. Enough said.