Talking animals
 

I've just received an autographed version of Pastor Deacon Fred's excellent thesis, Donkeys Can Talk, People Can Fly, And A Man Named Jesus Lives Up In The Sky!l Glory!:D

I can't wait reading it to my youngest nephew, but you know how inquisitive young people are today. Once he learns about talking donkeys, he'll want to know all about talking animals. I don't want to look silly, so I pulled out my trusty KJV1611 to look for examples.

First of all there's the talking serpent in Eden, of course, "more subtil than any beast". But my nephew would probably point out that according to Revelation 12:9 the serpent was really Satan; "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world:". I suppose my counter-argument would be that if the serpent is Satan, and Satan is a dragon (with 7 heads and 10 horns), then the serpent is still an animal.

Well, reading on we're told to ask animals for advice.

Job 12:7 But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:
Job 12:8 Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.

Several psalms tell us how all creatures shall praise the Lord:

Psalm 145:10 All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee.

Psalm 145:21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.

Psalm 148:7 Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps:
[...]
Psalm 148:10 Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl:
[...]
Psalm 148:13 Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven.

Psalm 150:6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

In the New Testament the story about Balaam and the talking donkey is re-confirmed:

2 Peter 2:15 Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
2 Peter 2:16 But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet.

"Dumb ass speaking". That must be one of my favorite Bible quotes. :D

Finally, in the Bible's last chapter we're told once again that all animals in heaven, on the earth, and under the earth are praising Jesus for ever and ever: GLORY BE UNTO THE LORD:

Revelation 5:13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

Did I forget any?

Re: Talking animals
 

Hmm, this part that you mention about the dumb ass is quite humorous and true at the same time! Quite an interesting thesis though, you have caught my attention :).

PRAISE.

Re: Talking animals
 

I assume that you are referring to animals that can actually speak English, and not just pets who mimic their owner's voices like this:
Notice how egotistical the messages are- you only hear "I love my mommy", and not "I love Jesus".

Re: Talking animals
 

Nobar King I wonder how come that film of the talkin animals make the hair on the back of my neck stand strate out. I watched it 3 times and it did it to me all 3 times. Made me feel sorta icky. I dont know why but I just dont like animals really talkin like that it felt wrong almost like there somethin evil about them animals. Maybe somethin wrong with me huh? I fell like prayin about it though. Never mind I said any a this anyhoo.

Re: Talking animals
 

Please, Brother King. This a Bible study forum, and not a video exchange network.

But to answer your question, I think it's a difficult distinction to make. Right after the Flood God made a covenant with the fowl, the cattle, and every beast of the earth:

Genesis 9:9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;
Genesis 9:10 And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.
Genesis 9:11 And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.

Note: The Bible tells us that God made His covenant with "all that go out of the ark", which means the covenant doesn't cover those animals that Noah had just sacrificed to God.

The Bible doesn't tell us in what manner the animals consented to the covenant, but we all know "who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb" (Ex. 4:11) so God could easily speak through the animals like He spoke through Balaam's ass.

Re: Talking animals
 

My oh so precocious nephew thought he had found one more talking animal, namely the talking eagle in Revelation.

"What talking eagle"? you may ask. Well, it turns out that in the Danish Bibles -- or for that matter all Bibles that aren't soundly based on the inspired Textus Receptus -- the angel in Revelation 8:13 has been replaced by an eagle. For instance:

Revelation 8:13 And I saw, and I heard an eagle, flying in mid heaven, saying with a great voice, Woe, woe, woe, for them that dwell on the earth, by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, who are yet to sound. (ASV)

Revelation 8:13 And I beheld, and heard the voice of one eagle flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice: Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth: by reason of the rest of the voices of the three angels, who are yet to sound the trumpet. (Douay Rheims)

Just for comparison (and to clear the air), here's God's own word (KJV1611):

Revelation 8:13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!

A talking eagle! How ridiculous can you get? Eagles don't even have vocal chords, so how are they supposed to speak "with a loud voice"? Honestly, I don't know why it's even allowed to publish such tripe.

Do we need further proof that these "modern" Bibles are false? Let me remind you that God cannot lie. If the book has a lie in it then it is not God's book. Eagles cannot talk. If the book has a talking eagle in it then it is not God's book.

Re: Talking animals
 

Oops. I may have spoken too soon. There is in fact a talking eagle in the Bible. In fact it is featured quite prominently as one of the four beasts.:blush2:

Revelation 4:6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
Revelation 4:7 And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.
Revelation 4:8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
Revelation 4:9 And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,

Revelation 5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Revelation 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Revelation 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
Revelation 5:11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
Revelation 5:12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

Revelation 5:14 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

Revelation 6:1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
[...]
Revelation 6:3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.
[...]
Revelation 6:5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
Revelation 6:6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
Revelation 6:7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.

Revelation 7:11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
Revelation 7:12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

Revelation 19:4 And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.


So, yes, I have to admit that there is a talking eagle in the Bible, but I feel vindicated in saying that's it's not an ordinary eagle, but one which the Lord has created specifically for the purpose of saying, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty" and "Amen; Alleluia".

If God wants a talking eagle to praise Him, what's to stop Him from simply creating one? Another proof that there's not a thing that God cannot do. :thumbsup:

Re: Talking animals
 

I'm glad you cleared up the bit about eagles and angels. Seraphim have 6 wings, (Isaiah 6:2) Cherubim have 2 wings, (Genesis 3:24) Angels sometimes do not have wings (Gen 19) but obviously can speak and the Godly Special Eagle (and other beasts) have 6 wings.

I only mention this because not many people know that God has wings and feathers too but obviously does not look like an eagle:

Psalms:91:2: I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
Psalms:91:3: Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
Psalms:91:4: He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

Re: Talking animals
 

Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Brother.

Not only does this eagle have 6 wings, but the wings are full of eyes.

Revelation 4:8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

Thus we have proved conclusively that this particular rara avis is a special Godly creation, and it confirms what I said previously that eagles don't talk, and a Bible with a talking eagle in it is not God's book.

Re: Talking animals
 

God always looks to useful improvements when designing new animals. Some spiders have 6 eyes; perhaps that is from where God got the idea?

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Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Way to freak the women out EB. Eeeek. If this was your goal, I dare say, GREAT success!!

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Tut, Tut! They are all God's creatures.

Re: Talking animals
 

Spiders are creatures, and as I pointed out, according to Revelation 5:13 "every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.". GLORY!

Spiders talk, and they are saved, just like all other animals: "And all flesh shall see the salvation of God." (Luke 3:6) That is, if spiders are "fleshy" enough to be considered flesh. We'll see.

Back to the topic of talking animals, my nephew pointed out that there is in fact another talking beast in the Revelation of St. John. In fact it's called the Beast of Revelation. I must confess I've always confused this beast with Satan himself, since it has 7 heads and 10 horns, which is exactly how God's Word describes Satan:

Revelation 12:3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

However, a close examination of scripture reveals that Satan has seven crowns upon his seven heads, whereas the talking beast has ten crowns upon his ten horns. Were I inclined to be a little facetious, I'd say the Devil is in the detail.

Revelation 13:1 and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
[...]
Revelation 13:5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
Revelation 13:6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

Some might say that this beast doesn't qualify as a talking animal since it only talks for 42 months. To them I say that 42 months is a good deal longer than the subtil serpent and Balaam's ass combined

Re: Talking animals
 

Now I'm confused.

Is it the beasts that are praising God continually, or the eyes on the wings of the beasts? :wacko:

Do they say it in unison, or is it like midnight in a clock shop where all the clocks are set about 15-20 seconds apart? Or like the "mmm mmm mmm, Barack Hussein Obama" kids? (Who were singularly awful . . .)

Re: Talking animals
 

There is yet another talking animal. The Bible aptly calls it "another beast".

Revelation 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
[. . .]
Revelation 13:14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
Revelation 13:15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

Not only does this animal speak -- it can even make pictures of animals talk. Proving once again, that with God all things are possible (Matt. 19:26).:thumbsup:

Re: Talking animals
 

You know who hates talking animals? Furries. A furry may claim they'd love talking animals, but that's not true because non-talking animals can't cry out, "No! Please, no!"

Re: Talking animals
 

Talking animals...
They don't exist.
I'm sure you got taught that in school.

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No. Because we were taught the Truth®.

2 Peter 2:16 But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet.

Numbers 22:28 And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?

Re: Talking animals
 

That is why home schooling is the preferred option for a True Christian child.

YIC

Jack

Re: Talking animals
 

I would never embrace home-schooling as the preferred option; parents are usually too untrained to teach their children anything of particular use.
Especially talking animals.

YII (Yours In Ignorance)

RoryReloaded