Misconception #43 (Cont’d)
Only Humans Get Into Heaven; Sorry, No Pets Allowed
In Genesis, Eve encountered a talking serpent, but oddly enough, she never even acted startled. Without batting an eye, she just carried on a conversation with the creature as if nothing unusual at all was happening.
Now the serpent was the cleverest animal that God had created, and he said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You shouldn’t eat from any of the trees in the garden’?”
And the woman replied, “We can eat from any tree in the garden. God only told us to not eat from the tree at its center. That’s the one He told us to avoid, because if we so much as touch it, we’ll die.”
“Ah, you won’t die,” cooed the serpent. “It’s just that God knows if you eat from that tree your eyes will opened, and you’ll be just like God, knowing good and evil.1
Likewise, in The Book of Numbers, we read:
And when Balaam struck his donkey, the creature looked back at Balaam and asked, “What did I do to deserve that?”
And Balaam replied, “You mocked me! And if I had a sword in my hand, I’d kill you, here and now!”
Dumbfounded, the donkey blurted, “Who me? But aren’t I your donkey? The one you’ve ridden ever since you got me? Have I ever done anything like that to you before?”
And Balaam said, “Never!”2
Story Continues Below
To hear Kent and Zen Garcia talk about correcting biblical misconceptions, from September 9th, 2021, CLICK BELOW.
Story Continues From Above
How bizarre is that? And when I say bizarre, I’m sure most of you think I’m asking: How bizarre is that for someone to have a conversation with a donkey or a serpent? But no; that’s not what I’m saying at all. What I’m asking is: How bizarre is that for someone to so casually respond to a talking animal? No doubt talking to an animal is bizarre, I grant you. But considering that The Bible is a book full of miracles, the idea of a talking animal is certainly no harder to believe in than the parting of the Red Sea, or Jesus walking on water, or any other number of miraculous events. No, what I find so bizarre is the casual way that Eve and Balaam respond to these talking animals, as if they were carrying on a conversation with another human being.
Still, I can imagine many people reading this who are saying, “Ridiculous. No wonder we don’t look to The Old Testament anymore for truly inspired wisdom. You can’t really expect us to take stock in old wives tales like that anymore, can you?”
To which I’d reply, “Well, okay. Ever heard of The Book of Revelation? You believe in it—it’s in The New Testament, right?”
“Of course,” you’d say. “I believe it. Why do you ask?”
Well, let’s see. Turn please to the opening chapters of Revelation, where the Apostle John is taken up to Heaven, to the very throne of God. Notice how there are what are described as Four Beasts, sometimes called Four Living Creatures in the presence of the Lord Almighty; and these so-called “creatures” are said to resemble a lion, a bull, a man, and an eagle, respectively.3
And I saw that near the throne of God, there were Four Beasts, and in the midst of the twenty-four Elders there stood a Lamb, as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God that have been sent forth throughout the entire world.4
Almost every Bible-believing Christian is familiar with these Four Living Creatures, but how many have ever stopped to consider how much talking they did in God’s presence?
And when I saw that the Lamb had opened one of the seals, I heard, like the sound of thunder, one of the Four Creatures saying, “Come and see.” And look, a white horse…
And when He’d opened the second seal, I heard the second Beast say, “Come and see.” And there went out another horse that was red…
And when the Lamb had opened the third seal, I heard the third Creature say, “Come and see.” And look, a black horse…
And when He’d opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth Beast say, “Come and see.” And then I saw a pale horse.”5
So not only does The Bible depict these Four Creatures as talking, but it also reveals that they’re the driving force behind one of the most pivotal events in biblical history. And mind you, this event is so famous many unbelievers are familiar with it—the announcement of The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse onto the world stage!
