In Mark 16:15 it says, ‘preach the gospel to every creature’ (KJV); and in Colossians 1:23 it talks about ‘…the gospel…which was preached to every creature which is under heaven’ (KJV). Do these verses imply that the gospel is to be preached to all creatures, not just to humans?

Some translations of Mark 16:15 and Colossians 1:23 say that the gospel is to be proclaimed “throughout all the world” (cf. Col. 1:23 in ESV; NASB; CEB; HCSB; NLT; etc.), or “to everyone” (cf. Col. 1:23 in GNT; NCV), which seems like a better translation. It seems like a better translation because of the example of the early church: according to the Book of Acts, they didn’t preach to animals, only to humans; but they did preach wherever they could, throughout the world. Their example probably tells us what it means to follow Mark 16:15 and Colossians 1:23.

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