The Wild Animals Have Disappeared Because of the Evil People, Per Jeremiah! Dr Chapman Chen
- Chapman Chen
- 6 minutes ago
- 2 min read
How long must this land mourn? Even the grass in the fields has withered.The wild animals and birds have disappeared because of the evil in the land. For the people have said, “The Lord doesn’t see what’s ahead for us!” (Jeremiah 12:4, NLT)
1. Jeremiah’s Prophetic Voice
Jeremiah was a pro-vegan, anti-animal-sacrifice prophet. He recognised that wild animals are not the true danger—humans are. His lament links the withering of the land, the disappearance of animals, and human wickedness. People imagine God does not see, yet Scripture assures us that God does see, and will demand an account.
2. Fulfilment in Today’s Extinction Crisis
Jeremiah’s words are tragically fulfilled in our own time. Scientists warn that humanity is driving the sixth mass extinction:
2.1. The WWF estimates between 200 and 2,000 species disappear annually; some models place the figure as high as 50,000 per year.
2.2. Since 1500 AD, humans have caused the extinction of at least 680 vertebrate species (UN IPBES 2019). The IUCN Red List confirms 881 animal extinctions, though many vanish unrecorded.
2.3. Today, about one million species are at risk due to deforestation, industrial farming, overfishing, and climate change.
These figures give scientific weight to Jeremiah’s warning: “The wild animals and birds have disappeared because of the evil in the land.”
3. The Nature of Evil
From a vegan theological perspective, the “evil” Jeremiah names is humanity’s exploitation of animals and Earth.
3.1. Animal agriculture is the leading cause of biodiversity loss, responsible for deforestation, greenhouse gases, and the slaughter of trillions of animals each year.
3.2. Wildlife trade and habitat destruction erase entire species and spread zoonotic diseases, reminding us of our shared vulnerability.
3.3. The idolatry of appetite and profit mirrors the false sacrifices Jeremiah condemned.
Thus extinction is not only an ecological fact but a theological indictment: humanity has broken covenant with creation.
4. God’s Covenant with All Creatures
Biblical covenant extends beyond humans. After the Flood, God declared a covenant “with every living creature” (Genesis 9:9–10). Isaiah envisioned a peaceable kingdom where predators and prey live in harmony (Isaiah 11:6–9).
Vegan theology sees Christ as the fulfilment of this covenant—embodying mercy not only for people but also for animals. Jeremiah’s lament, then, becomes a summons to repentance: to turn from destruction and to live in covenant with all creatures.
5. A Call to Repentance
Jeremiah’s prophecy presses urgency upon us:
5.1. Reject modern forms of sacrifice—factory farming, fishing, vivisection, and commodification of life.
5.2. Embrace a vegan lifestyle that honours God’s creatures and protects biodiversity.
5.3. Recognise that every extinction silences a unique voice in creation’s choir.
God sees. God remembers. And God will ask us to account for the vanishing of the animals.
6. Conclusion
The disappearance of animals is not caused by their nature but by human greed and violence. Yet prophecy also points to hope. If human evil causes devastation, then human repentance can open the way to restoration. By embracing veganism and defending biodiversity, we anticipate God’s peaceable Kingdom, when covenant will be renewed “with the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky, and the creatures that move along the ground” (Hosea 2:18).
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