The death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus restored man to ‘his’ earlier position spiritually. But what about man’s relationship with nature, especially animals? Will this only be possible in the new earth?

What did Jesus’s death and resurrection do for mankind? 

Jesus’s death and resurrection secured the earthly resurrection of Adam and all humankind. “As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” 1 Corinthians 15:22. However, God rewarded the sacrificial manner of Jesus’s life (the denial of His will to obey only God’s will)  with a resurrection to the divine nature. It also opened the opportunity for Christ’s followers to sacrifice their individual wills to obtain divine immortality. See 2 Timothy 1:10, Romans 2:7, 2 Peter 1:4.

Will man’s relationship with nature and animals be restored?

The stewardship of earth and the animals has continued since Creation.  In Genesis 1:26-28, God said, “‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.’…And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’” 

God wrote this law directly on man’s heart: “The law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them…” Romans 2:15.  After Adam sinned, God cursed the earth (Genesis 3:17), but that did not change the original command. Mankind was still to populate the earth and to care for the plants, animals, and the environment. 

Human history is full of examples of man’s poor stewardship over Earth. However, glimmers of God’s laws are still seen in some conservation practices of indigenous people. Companion planting methods of native Americans; the careful hunting practices of aboriginal peoples; the ingenious rice planting and harvesting of South Pacific Islanders are examples of proper stewardship. Today, the developed world is recognizing the need to conserve the ecological systems by protecting public lands and watersheds.

Some individuals seem to have a special connection with animals. Perhaps, these animal lovers and advocates better understand the original relationship between men and animals. 

God’s law, in Hebrew scripture, outlines humane treatment of animals and healthy husbandry practices. See Exodus 23:11, Leviticus 19:9,19, Leviticus 25:4,12, Deuteronomy 20:19; 24:19. Regarding care of animals, please see Leviticus chapter 11, Leviticus 25:7, Deuteronomy 25:4, quoted in 1 Corinthians 9:9 and 1 Timothy 5:18.

Surely, the wonderful Earthly Kingdom of God will fully restore the stewardship of humankind. Isaiah 11:6 (NKJV), “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the young goat…And a little child shall lead them.”  Isaiah 11:9, “They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain…”  Ezekiel 34:27, “…the earth shall yield her increase.”