While animal death and suffering raises other theological questions, it does not contradict Biblical teaching about death as a consequence of sin. 65:25), but these verses refer to the future kingdom of God, not the original creation. 104:21, Ps 104:21). Other passages speak of the “wolf laying down with the lamb” instead of killing the lamb (Is. Some Bible passages portray predatory animals as part of God’s original plan for creation (Job 38:39-41, Job 39:29-30, Ps. He believed that God’s original creation included animals that killed each other, writing that “the nature of animals was not changed by man’s sin.” 1 Pastor Daniel Harrell makes a logical argument for animal death, writing that “there had to be death in the Garden, otherwise Adam would have been overrun by bugs and bacteria long before he took that forbidden bite of fruit.” 2 Animal death is also necessary to maintain population levels in a balanced ecosystem (see below for more). Do these passages also refer to animals? Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) didn’t think so. The Bible passages that teach about sin and death are clearly referring to the death of humans. Here we consider what Scripture says about death and how the two revelations might be reconciled. The scientific evidence is discussed in other Questions, and we have many articles on the fall and sin. How should we think about these passages in light of the scientific evidence? Could animals have died before human sin? Does “death” in these passages refer to physical death, or spiritual death, or sometimes one and sometimes the other? To ponder these questions, we need to consider God’s revelation in Scripture and God’s revelation in nature. Several key Scripture passages teach that death is a consequence of sin, including Genesis 2:16-17, Genesis 3:19 and Genesis 3:22, Romans 5:12-21, and 1 Corinthians 15. Yet God’s revelation in Scripture paints a different picture. In fact, many entire species went extinct millions of years ago (the dinosaurs are the most famous example), long before humans lived or sinned. The fossil record shows that many creatures died long before humans appeared. When scientists investigate God’s creation, they find that humans appear very late in the history of life.