You have asked FOUR questions related to Carnivores (meat-eating) animals. I would like to answer all of these by considering the diet of animals: 1) Before the Fall of Man; 2) After the Fall of Man; and 3) After Christ establishes His kingdom on the earth.

1) Before the Fall of Man, all animals (including lions and tigers) lived in the Garden of Eden and they had a VEGETARIAN DIET. In Genesis 1:11-12 we read, “God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth GRASS, the HERB that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields FRUIT according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth…and the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is according to its kind.” This occurred on the THIRD DAY. On the SIXTH DAY He created “the living creature according to its kind: CATTLE and creeping thing and BEAST of the earth” (Genesis 1:24). And then in verse 30 God said, “Also, to EVERY BEAST of the earth…I have given EVERY GREEN HERB FOR FOOD.”

2) After the Fall of Man, a drastic change occurred in the “animal kingdom” for they were now under a curse from God. God said to the serpent (who played a role in the Fall), “Because you have done this, you are CURSED MORE THAN ALL CATTLE, and MORE THAN EVERY BEAST of the field” (Genesis 3:14). This means that “cattle and beasts” were also cursed, though their curse was not as great. I believe this curse included some animals becoming violent and preying on one another, for we read in Genesis 6:7 & 13 that the Lord told Noah, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, BOTH MAN AND BEAST…for I am sorry I have made them…The end of ALL FLESH has come before Me, for the earth is FILLED WITH VIOLENCE THROUGH THEM.” See also Romans 8:18-20 which teaches us that this curse on animals continued after the flood in Noah’s day.

Regarding the animals that were taken aboard the Ark, we read that God told Noah, “And of every living thing of ALL FLESH you shall bring to of every sort into the ark, to KEEP THEM ALIVE WITH YOU…ANIMALS after their kind….and you shall take for yourself of ALL FOOD THAT IS EATEN, and you shall gather it to yourself; and it shall be FOOD FOR YOU AND FOR THEM” (verses 19-21). We aren’t told exactly what food the meat-eating animals would eat during the flood. It is possible Noah slaughtered animals before boarding the ark to provide food for them to eat, but it is more likely he made them eat a vegetarian diet as they did before the Fall of Man. I would encourage you to read the book “Noah’s Ark: A Feasibility Study” by John Woodmorappe who teaches that it is quite feasible for Carnivores animals to live on grains and legumes and he believes this was the diet of all animals during the flood.

After the flood, God told Noah, “And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth….they are given into your hand. Every MOVING THING that lives shall be FOOD FOR YOU” (Genesis 9:2-3). So, for the first time since their creation, man was allowed to EAT THE MEAT from “every beast.” This was confirmed thousands of years later when the Apostle Paul wrote, “Every CREATURE of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving” (1st Timothy 4:4). So, at this point both man and some animals were meat-eaters.

3) After Christ establishes His kingdom on earth, the animals will return to a vegetarian diet. How do we know this? Because Isaiah the prophet was given a prophecy of the conditions during the Millennial Reign of Christ and here is what he said regarding animals who were once meat-eaters: “The WOLF also shall dwell with the LAMB, the LEOPARD shall lie down with the YOUNG GOAT, the CALF and the YOUNG LION and the FATLING together; and a little child shall lead them. The COW and the BEAR SHALL GRAZE; their young ones shall lie down together; and the LION SHALL EAT STRAW LIKE THE OX” (Isaiah 11:6-7). What a wonderful transformation this will be for the “animal kingdom.” Animals that once preyed on other animals, viciously attacking them, and devouring them, will now live at peace with one another and all will be vegetarians, for they will return to the diet they had before the Fall in the Garden of Eden. This future of hope for them was foretold by the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:19, 21-22, “For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God…Because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.”  (464.5)  (DO)