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Writer's pictureChapman Chen

Four Animals Worshipping the Lord in Heaven. By Dr. Chapman Chen




 

“In the center, grouped around the throne itself, were four animals…The first animal was like a lion, the second like a bull, the third animal had a human face, and the fourth animal was like a flying eagle… Every time the animals glorified and honoured and gave thanks to the One sitting on the throne…” (Revelation 4:7-8 Jerusalem Bible).

 

In Revelation 4:7-8, a lion, an ox, an eagle, and a man, as the four heads of animate creation, pay homage to the Lord. The lion represents wild animals, the ox tame animals, the eagle birds; the man all humanity. This signifies that all sentient beings have their place in the Kingdom of God.

 

Unfortunately, as pointed out by Pastor J.R. Hyland (200:60-61), many Bible translations tend to obscure the Bible’s message of animal restoration. Notably, King James Bible, the standard Bible for most Protestant readers, uses the derogative term “beast” in place of the neutral term “animal”. While the King James translation fails to distinguish between beast and animal, the Greek language does. Zoon is the Greek term for 'animal' and is used to describe nonhuman creatures as a general rule. Contrariwise, therion translates to 'beast' and carries the same connotation in English, implying a savage and rough creature.


 

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