APR 28

Ecclesiastes 3:19-21
Memorise Genesis 2:7
“So God created man in his own image”

Continuing the line of thought concerning man as beasts, Solomon links the thought back to his current theme, and that is, the certainty of death and the subsequent judgment. The one common trait between man and beast is that they will both have to die, return to the ground and become as dust once again. And so in this aspect, man is really no different from beasts, for they are both living creatures who will one day have their life taken away from the physical body, which will then rot, decompose and return to the earth. After man’s death, only God knows and has control over the fate of man’s soul - whether it goes up to join the Lord in heaven or descends into the pits of hell.

In saying that man is no different from beasts, Solomon is not saying that man and animal are the same, nor suggesting that animals have a soul and may possibly be found in heaven. He is simply speaking about physical death, and the fact that death comes to us all. In fact, what he does allude to is the fact that the spirit of man is immortal and does experience life after death. Whether it goes upward to eternity in heaven or to eternal condemnation in hell only God knows. The spirit of a beast, on the other hand, (‘spirit’ here not referring to its immortal soul but its vitality and life force) will simply go down to the ground, and ends there. Of all these mysteries concerning life and death and the afterlife, ‘who knoweth’? Only God!

However, what we do know is that God has breathed an immortal soul into man as he was made after the image of God (Genesis 2:7). Animals only have a ‘soul’, in the sense of having physical life. They may have some emotions that seem to be almost human in nature, but that can never be equated to the soul that man has. It is the lie of evolution that tells us that man has evolved from animals, and therefore is no different from them!

There are some sincere, animal-loving Christians out there who may ask this question from time to time: “Will my pet be in heaven?” This is especially so for some who have had pet dogs and cats that lived with them for years. They are very attached to these pets and may sometimes love them even more than their own family and friends. We must gently show them the difference from Scripture; that man, being made in the image of God, is vastly different from animals, which God made for man to have dominion over.

Thought: Man, not animals, were created in the image of God!
Prayer: Thank you Lord, for making me, me!