The lamb was strongly associated with religious sacrifices in the ancient Near East, and was adopted as a symbol of Christ and his sacrifice on behalf of humanity.
The ox and the donkey have been an indispensable part of pictorial representations of the birth of Jesus since the time of early Christianity.
The two talking animals in the Old Testament commanded the attention of several authors of New Testament books, who provide 'information' about the Serpent and Balaam's ass not present in the original Pentateuch: for instance, that the Serpent is an embodiment of Satan or the Devil (Revelation 12:9) and that Balaam's ...
The scriptures refer to Jesus Christ as both the Lamb and the Lion (Isa. 31:4; Hosea 5:14; Rev. 5:5). That is to say, Jesus Christ has qualities that remind us of these two animals.
The Bible describes the Angels around God's throne as having features and characteristics like those of a lion, a bull and an eagle (Ezekiel 1). God Himself is likened in Scripture to a lion, a leopard, a bear (Hosea 13:7, 8), and to an eagle (Deuteronomy 32:11).
Although Hindus follow no single set of rules, reverence for cows can be found throughout the religion's major texts. Some trace the cow's sacred status back to Lord Krishna, one of the faith's most important figures.
Jesus is called the Lamb of God (John 1:36) to illustrate His gentleness and willingness to be the sacrifice for our sins. But He is also called the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:5) to display His absolute authority and power over all creation.
The most common interpretation, first laid out by Victorinus and adopted by Jerome, St Gregory, and the Book of Kells, is that the man is Matthew, the lion Mark, the ox Luke, and the eagle John. The creatures of the tetramorph, just like the four gospels of the Evangelists, represent four facets of Christ.
By identifying Jesus as both “the Lion of the Tribe of Judah” and “the Lamb who was slain,” Revelation directs our attention back to earlier scripture and establishes his identity firmly in the Old Testament prophecies.
Revelation's four living beings
In Revelation 4:6–8, four living beings (Greek: ζῷον, zōion) are seen in John's vision. These appear as a lion, an ox, a man, and an eagle, much as in Ezekiel but in a different order.
The dog breed specifically mentioned in the bible is the “greyhound” in Proverbs 30:29-31: There be three things which go well, yea, four are comely in going. A lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any. A greyhound; an he goat also; and a king, against whom there is no rising up.”
Here's a selection of the many references to dogs in the King James Bible: Revelation 22:15: “For without [are] dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.” Philippians 3:2: “Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.”
The four Gospels that tell the story of Jesus make no mention of animals being present at his birth.
It's here that we finally get our loyal donkey: the text says that Joseph saddles up a donkey and puts Mary on it to ride the long journey to register in the census (James 17.2). James sets the birth in a cave the couple pass on their way rather than a domestic space.
Mary rides on a donkey as she travels with Joseph to Bethlehem. The angel Gabriel appears to Joseph and Mary and instructs them to travel to Egypt. Mary rides on a donkey as she travels with Joseph to Bethlehem. Mary and Joseph travel toward Bethlehem.
In Luke (12:6), Jesus stresses that God loves even the lowliest of crea- tures: “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God.” Matthew 10:29 also reports Jesus' belief that God cares for all God's creatures, even those of little mon- etary value to us.
The fish is one of the earliest and most important of Christian symbols. The five letters of the word for fish in Greek form an acrostic, signifying Jesus, Christ, Son of God, Savior (see ichthus). The fish is used also as a symbol of Baptism and of Christ in the Eucharist.
Cherubim and the Four Faces
Cherubim are described in the Bible as having four faces: a face of an ox, a lion, an eagle and a man.
Most religious scholars and historians agree with Pope Francis that the historical Jesus principally spoke a Galilean dialect of Aramaic. Through trade, invasions and conquest, the Aramaic language had spread far afield by the 7th century B.C., and would become the lingua franca in much of the Middle East.
Because in being slain, he slew death. Why a lamb in his resurrection? Because his innocence is everlasting.
In Revelation 5:5, we read this about Jesus: “Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah has conquered.” Jesus is the Lion of Judah. And today, as we come in Genesis, the first book of the Bible, to the climax of the Joseph story (and the climax of the whole book of Genesis), we get to see why.
No one created God. God got created as the universe grew and changes. God is the cumulative energy of the universe. So, infact universe created God.
So if all animals praise the Lord—and thus believe in Him—and if “whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life,” it stands to reason that one beloved verse, John 3:16, tells us that animals will also be with their Creator in heaven.
While religious views around the world vary, Christianity has traditionally held that animals have no hope of an afterlife. But Pope John Paul II said in 1990 that animals do have souls and are “as near to God as men are”.