In the beginning, were animals herbivorous?

[tonychanyt]

It seems so, Genesis 1:

29 God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.

After the fall, it seems that God did the first killing of animals, Genesis 3:

21 The LORD God made garments of [animal] skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

Abel killed an animal, Genesis 4:

4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering,

Cain killed Abel in Genesis 4:

8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

By now, deaths were common. I assume that people ate animals and animals ate animals.

It may be that before the fall, there were no deaths, Romans 5:

12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned--

After the flood, God instructed Noah and his family, Genesis 9:

3 Everything that lives and moves will be food for you; just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you all things. 4But you must not eat meat with its lifeblood still in it.

This is the first time in the Bible that God gave people permission to eat animals.

In the meantime, Romans 8:

20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

Creation itself did not want corruption, death, and decay.

What about in the future?

Isaiah prophecied in 9:

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.

It seems that in the beginning, people and animals ate only plants. After the fall, people and animals became carnivores. In the new heavens and earth, people and animals may go back to being herbivores again.

 

[Unqualified]

There might be meat and bread in heaven, where we will eat and not gain weight. (?). At the Lords table. We might eat some strange animals there. Rom 14:20.

 

[Diamond7]

There might be meat and bread in heaven, where we will eat and not gain weight. (?). At the Lords table. We might eat some strange animals there. Rom 14:20.

I do not know what sort of body people will have in Heaven, but I am pretty sure we leave our body here on Earth when we go to Heaven. Although Jesus was resurrected & His physical body did not remain in the tomb.

 

[Unqualified]

Remember, Jesus ate with the disciples after the resurrection in His glorified body. @above

 

[Diamond7]

It seems that in the beginning, people and animals ate only plants. After the fall, people and animals became carnivores. In the new heavens and earth, people and animals may go back to being herbivores again.

Meat is difficult to digest. WE have enzymes to digest plants but we have to have bacteria to break down the meat so the body can use it. There are buddist monks that were said to purify their body all bacteria. So there body did not decompose after they died. "Sokushinbutsu (即身仏) are a kind of Buddhist mummy. In Japan the term refers to the practice of Buddhist monks observing asceticism to the point of death and entering mummification while alive." (wiki)

Galations 5:15 "If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other." The dinosaurs were the first to devour one another. They were destroyed at the time of Pangea. There were primates at the time but they were very small.

Oldest-ever tiny primate discovered in China’s Hubei province

The discovery will help chart the evolution of primates, a family that includes humans, and should strengthen a once-contested theory that primates originated in Asia.

www.scmp.com

 

[Diamond7]

There might be meat and bread in heaven

Is there death in Heaven? Do they eat dead animals there?

 

[Unqualified]

Is there death in Heaven? Do they eat dead animals there?

I don’t know but we will be eating.

 

[lanceleo]

Is there death in Heaven? Do they eat dead animals there?

There won't be death anymore. God can create steak without having to raise a cow, slaughter it and cook it.