Will Our Pets (and Other Animals) Greet Us in Heaven? *

Dan Story Photograph

 

Part Sixteen:   Will the Prophesied “New Heaven and Earth” 
Be on This Earth?

The Bible refers to the future, eternal abode of redeemed and resurrected humans as “a new heaven and a new earth” (Rev. 21:1-4). The Evangelical Dictionary of Theology describes it this way:

       The biblical doctrine of the created universe includes the certainty of its final redemption from the dominion of sin. The finally redeemed universe is called “the new heavens and new earth. . . .

       The new heavens and the new earth will be the renewed creation that will fulfill the purpose for which God created the universe. It will be characterized by the compete rule of God and by the full realization of the final goal of redemption: “Behold the dwelling of God is with men” (Rev. 21:3—pg. 763)

This bare-bones description gives us the theological fact of the new heaven and earth—but not what it’s like. It does, however, reveal the two most important features of this future “redeemed universe” and “renewed creation:” Sin will be permanently vanquished, and God will dwell with His people forever. But this doctrinal statement omits any description of the physical environment of the “new” earth and its non-human inhabitants. There are passages in the Bible that reveals this information, however, and we’ll look at many of them as we move through the next few blog articles.

The Old Earth Will Pass Away

Before we start, it needs to established that the Bible plainly teaches that our present earth and “heavens” (the atmosphere and outer space) will be replaced by a redeemed and restored “new heavens and earth.” Passages in both the Old and New Testament testify to this.

Psalm 102:25-26:  In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded.

Isaiah 51:6:  Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment. . . . 

Matthew 24:35:  [Jesus said,] “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

Hebrews 1:10-12: “In the beginning, O’ Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. “ 

2 Peter 3:10:  But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.

There Will Be a New Earth

Just as there are passages that reveal the present earth will “pass away,” there are also Old and New Testament passages that predict a new earth.

Isaiah 65:17:  “Behold, I [God] will create new heavens and a new earth.” 

Isaiah 66:22:   ^”As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure. . . . 

Acts 3:21:   “He [Jesus] must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.”

Revelation 21:1:  Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. . . .

The Present Earth Will Be Redeemed and Purified—Not Obliterated

During a radio interview shortly after my book Should Christians Be Environmentalists?  was released, the host put forward a common argument many Christians use to justify abusive and unnecessary environmental  exploitation: “Why should  we care what happens to the environment if God is going to destroy the earth at the end of this age?” This argument is based on 2 Peter 3:10-13, which reads in part:

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. . . . But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness ((2 Pet. 3: 10, 13).

This passage appears to say that there will be a fiery cataclysmic end to the earth on “the day of the Lord” (v. 10), when Jesus returns to crush Satan and his minions and then recreate the “new” heaven and earth (see Rev. 20 – 22).

I don’t agree with this interpretation for several reasons.  For one, it’s the only passage in the Bible, which I’m aware of, that seems to imply that the earth will be totally “destroyed” by fire at the end of this age. None of the passages quoted above require an interpretation that earth will be annihilated. On the other hand, there are passages that clearly state the earth will remain forever (e.g. Ps. 78:69; 104:5; Eccl. 1:4). The angel proclaims in Revelation 11:15, “The kingdom of the world [the earth] has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.” He doesn’t say the kingdom of the world will be destroyed. Jesus didn’t come to destroy the world and its inhabitants but to save it (John 3:16) and to redeem the earth (Rom. 8:19-23). Revelation 5:9-10 teaches that people “purchased” by Jesus’ blood would include “every tribe and language and people and nation . . . . and they will reign on the earth.”

In the Bible fire is often associated with judgment. So rather than a fire literally destroying this earth and God creating a brand new earth from scratch, Peter is likely speaking about this earth being purified  and renewed. In this view, “destroyed” in verse 10 means the same as Peter used it in verse 6, when he said the earth was “destroyed” by the worldwide flood. We know the earth wasn’t literally destroyed, but was cleansed and purified of sin. Revelation 21:1 and Isaiah 65:17 both speak of this new heaven and earth, but not in context of the old earth being destroyed by fire. Additionally, both Isaiah and Ezekiel further point out that  this present earth will return to Garden of Eden like conditions (Isa. 51:3; Ezek. 36:35). So it appears Peter is speaking figuratively about purifying and renewing fallen creation. He is saying in 2 Peter 3:10-13 that the earth will be cleansed of evil and purified from sin—not annihilated. 

God’s eschatological purpose is to redeem and decontaminate the earth of sin and to restore it to Garden of Eden-like conditions. The Apostle Paul says as much in Romans:

 For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are.  Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.  For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.  And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us (Romans 8:19-23, NLT).

Paul says nothing in this passage about the destruction of the present earth. He is writing about the removal of the curse and the redemption of all creation (including animals) when Jesus returns to establish His everlasting Kingdom. The first creation will not be destroyed and then replaced by an entirely new creation. It will be restored and renewed; sin will be obliterated and the curse will be removed. This is all part of God’s redemptive plan for redeemed humanity and restored creation.  The next few blog articles will show why this concept is important to understand in terms of animals inhabiting the new heaven and earth.  

Note: I could not get this blog formatted correctly. Hopefully by next week I will have figured out what was wrong. Dan

*  The blog articles in this series are adapted from copyrighted material and may not  be reproduced in book or article form, either electronically or in print, without my written permission. But feel free to send links to these articles, with a brief introduction, to your personal email list, Facebook friends and groups, or other people who may enjoy them. Or post a link on your own website. If you would like to be added to my personal blog email list (people who receive an email notice whenever I post a new blog article), contact me through my website: www.danstory.net.

Will Our Pets (and Other Animals) Greet Us in Heaven? *

Part Fifteen:  If Animals Inhabit Heaven, What Will Heaven Be Like?

This blog article is a milestone in my series, “Will Our Pets (and Other Animals) Greet Us in Heaven?” Up to this point, my goal has been to demonstrate that at least sentient animals (animals that can perceive and feel things) possess an immaterial dimension to their being—a mind/soul—and therefore God has gifted them with immortality. What remains to be answered in this series are three things: (1) Assuming that earth-bound animals do possess immortal souls and will dwell in the new heaven and earth, which is prophesied in both the Old and New Testaments, what will such a heavenly environment be like? (2) If earth-bound animals inhabit Heaven, what will they be like and what will our relationship with them be like? (3) And (most controversial) will our pets and other animals—both deceased and alive—resurrect alongside God’s people when Jesus returns to vanquish Satan and his minions and set up His prophesied eternal Kingdom.

Before we begin exploring this exciting and intriguing dimension of animal immortality, I want to be sure you do not misunderstand what I am saying in this series. I am not saying that animals are equal to humans in God’s eyes. God does love and provide for non-human life independent of His love and provision for people; He wishes for all created life to fulfill the purposes for which He created them. Humans, however, are far more important to God than nature. According to Psalm 115:16, God had the human race in mind when He created the Earth, not to destroy it but to care for nature and it’s wild inhabitants. (I go into great detail on this in my book, Should Christians Be Environmentalists?—Kregel Publications, 2012). The Bible also says that only people were created in God’s image (Gen. 1:27); we are the crown of creation (Ps. 8); and we are more valuable to God than animals (Matt. 12: 11-12; Luke 12:6-7). But this in no way distracts from the reality of God’s love, provision for, and enjoyment of animal life—and that He has gifted them with an eternal immortal soul.

Will Earth-bound Animals Live in the New Heaven and Earth? 

I want to start part two of this series with a quote from Randy Alcorn’s novel Safety Home:

The pure air of heaven filled his lungs. He saw horses and deer and dogs and cats and rabbits and squirrels and badgers and hedgehogs. Until now he’d never thought of animals celebrating or lost in joy, but that’s exactly the impression he got when seeing them run and frolic and play with each other and with people. He saw trees that cast light instead of shadows. Some of them hung heavy with citrus fruits, picked and eaten freely by passersby. . . .

The best parts of that other world, he realized, had been but sneak previews of this one. . . .

       Compared to what he now beheld, the world he’s come from was a land of shadows, colorless and two-dimensional. This place was fresh and captivating, resonating with color and beauty. He could not only see and hear it, but feel and smell and taste it. Every hillside, every mountain, every waterfall, every frolicking animal in the fields seems to beckon him to come join them, to come from the outside and plunge  into the inside. This whole world had the feel of cool water on a blistering August afternoon. The light beckoned him to dive in with abandon, to come join the great adventure (pg. 376).  

                              

Who would not wish for Heaven to be as Alcorn describes it? But is it a realistic portrayal? Will humans run, frolic, and play with horses, deer, dogs, cats, badgers and other wild and domesticated animals? Just how accurate is Alcorn’s description of heaven, when measured against biblical revelation?  I believe the remaining articles in this series will reveal that it’s very accurate. And I for one look forward to joining the “great adventure” in the age to come.

Before we get started, a few preliminary things need to be said upfront.

First, the Bible doesn’t give us all the information we wish we had with regard to what heaven will be like. Rather, it’s more like the trailer of a movie—a stirring glimpse of what the full feature will reveal; a partial unfolding of the rose, but not the full blossom. Still, there is enough information about Heaven in Holy Scripture to allow me to draw some legitimate conclusions with regard to animal life, which I believe to be sensible and

accurate.

Second, some of what I’m about to share may be interpreted differently by some readers. Fair enough. On the other hand, I believe that what I share can be reasonably assumed from Scripture and from what we know of God’s great love for all created life. And nothing I suggest is outside biblical possibilities or contrary to established, orthodox biblical truths. Heaven may very well be as Alcorn (and I) describe.

Finally, this and the following four articles may seem to drift away from the focus of this book—which is to demonstrate that pets and other earthly animals in will inhabit Heaven. But there is a reason for this apparent rabbit trail. The best way to envision why soul-bearing, earth-bound animals will inhabit Heaven is to see that there is a continuity between our present earth, its animal inhabitants, and the “new heaven and earth” prophesied in the Old and New Testaments. So, let’s explore this together beginning next week. 

*  The blog articles in this series are adapted from copyrighted material and may not  be reproduced in book or article form, either electronically or in print, without my written permission. But feel free to send links to these articles, with a brief introduction, to your personal email list, Facebook friends and groups, or other people who may enjoy them. Or post a link on your own website. If you would like to be added to my personal blog email list (people who receive an email notice whenever I post a new blog article), contact me through my website: www.danstory.net.

Will Our Pets (and Other Animals) Greet Us in Heaven? *

Dan Story Photograph

 

Part Fourteen:  Do Animals Have Emotions and Thoughts Analogous to Humans? (Continued)

Last week’s blog article looked at some of the emotions that many animals share with humans. In this article we’ll see that many animals also share cognitive (thought-driven) attributes analogous to humans. Altogether, they further confirm the existence of a mind in sentient animals.  As I said last week, however, space in these short articles does not allow me to include examples. But I did suggest three books written by some of the world’s leading ethologists (people who study animal behavior), which give specific examples of human-like emotions and cognitive behaviors displayed in many sentient animals. In terms of cognitive attributes, they are readily observed in three broad areas.

Learning

Cognition is the mental ability to acquire and understand knowledge through thought, experience, and the senses. It was long assumed that animals were incapable of much thought and functioned mostly on instinct. It’s now widely known that many species have astonishing cognitive skills. They are quite proficient at learning and benefiting from what they learn, as well as teaching such information to offspring and others of their kind. Mammals and birds in particular, but even some less complex animals, are capable of gaining knowledge and understanding and can learn to respond with flexibility to environmental and other challenges,  often in ways that trump instinct.

Memory

Learning would be of little value unless an animal could apply it by remembering the past and planning for future activities. Studies in animal behavior have shown that many species of birds and mammals think about the future and learn from past mistakes. For example, subordinate chimpanzees and wolves will pretend they do not see a particular food item if a dominate animal is around—but will return later to eat it. Actually, it doesn’t take a trained ethologist to know that animals have remarkable memories. Most dog and cat owners are well aware of the abilities of their animal companions to remember past errors that resulted in punishment and behaviors that elicit rewards. And as many of us know, dogs have an incredible ability to learn and remember human words. Some can respond to more than a hundred commands!

Communication

If animals can learn and remember, it follows they should be able to communicate this knowledge to other animals. They can. We may not understand them, but many animals speak a “language” using various audible sounds that communicate specific information. Dolphins, whales, elephants, dogs, crows, ravens, parrots, gorillas, and many other animals communicate verbally. Other animals “speak” to one another through body language. Specific postures and the position of ears, eyes, tails, and facial expressions are all ways in which animals communicate their emotions and feelings to each other—as well as to humans, if we are attuned to them.

Self-awareness

In this and the previous blog article, I have just touched briefly on the mounting scientific evidence that numerous animal species have emotions, express deep feelings, and engage in thought-driven behaviors. They can learn and pass on important knowledge, retain memories that determine how they will respond to future events and circumstances, and, in one way or another, are able to clearly communicate with one another. All these human-like mental activities seem to imply the likelihood that at least some sentient animals are self-aware (have a degree of self-consciousness). Recent research with primates, dolphins, dogs, and a few other animals have demonstrated this. Within the limitations their individual mental capabilities, it seems likely that at least some animals are self-aware. Why is this significant? More than any in other mental activity, self-awareness cannot be reduced to mere instinct. It requires independent, flexible, and abstract thought. 

Conclusion

Decades of field studies by skilled ethologists and laboratory research by trained scientists has demonstrated that many animals do in fact possess emotional and cognitive abilities that reflect intelligence, feelings, and thought-driven behaviors remarkably similar to humans. This in turn sufficiently demonstrates that animals, like humans, possess an immaterial dimension to their being: a mind—the seat of all mental activities. In humans, as we saw in parts eleven and twelve, the mind is the essential faculty of our souls and cannot be reduced to chemical and neurological processes operating within our physical brains. Since animals likewise possess emotional and cognitive attributes that originate in an immaterial mind distinct from their brains, it’s legitimate to conclude that animals also possess souls.

What does this have to do with Animals immortality?

Let me review what we’ve seen so far in this series of blog articles. In parts 1-6, I demonstrated that animals have value to God independent of their instrumental value to humans; God also created animals for His own enjoyment and to fulfill the purpose of their individual creation. In parts 7-12, I demonstrated, theologically and biblically, that animal, like humans, possess immaterial minds and souls. And in my recent articles, parts 13 and 14, I have provided scientific evidence to support this conclusion. Altogether, I believe I have made a compelling case that God has bestowed on (at least) sentient animals immortal souls.

Now it’s time to move in a new direction and explore a different but intriguing aspect of animal immortality. Assuming that earth-bound animals do possess immortal souls and will dwell in the new heaven and earth prophesied in both the Old and New Testaments, what will such a heavenly environment be like? This will be the topic of the next few blog articles. Then, I’ll end the series with the most controversial issue of all: will earth-bound animals be resurrected alongside of God’s people when Jesus returns to set up His eternal Kingdom (cf. Rom. 8:19-23)? 

*  The blog articles in this series are adapted from copyrighted material and may not  be reproduced in book or article form, either electronically or in print, without my written permission. But feel free to send links to these articles, with a brief introduction, to your personal email list, Facebook friends and groups, or other people who may enjoy them. Or post a link on your own website. If you would like to be added to my personal blog email list (people who receive an email notice whenever I post a new blog article), contact me through my website: www.danstory.net.

Will Our Pets (and Other Animals) Greet Us in Heaven? *

Al Hochrein photograph

 Part Thirteen: Do Animals Have Emotions and Thoughts Analogous to Humans?

We learned in the previous two blog articles that mental states in humans originate in our minds—the immaterial dimension of our being—not from the physical matter of our brains. While in our physical bodies, our minds are “housed” within our brains, and our brains are the vehicles through which our thoughts are expressed. But the brain and mind are not the same thing. The brain decays at death, but the mind lives on in our souls.

In this and the next blog article, I’ll demonstrate that many animals have certain cognitive abilities and emotions that closely parallel similar characteristics in humans. If such mental states in people originate in their minds, it’s perfectly legitimate to conclude that such traits in animals would likewise originate in their minds. Moreover, since in humans the mind is the essential faculty of our souls, it can further be concluded that animals must also have souls (as I demonstrated in parts 7-9).

Now, we must keep this in perspective. Regardless of the degree of their complexity, mental activities in animals are far less sophisticated and intensely experienced than they are in humans. Nor does the fact that some animals have mental faculties analogous to humans elevate their value in the created order to that of people—not my mind, not in most peoples mind, and certainly not in God’s mind.

Space in these short articles does not allow me to give examples of the following human-like emotions and thoughts displayed in animals. But let me assure readers that I’ve researched this topic thoroughly and examined numerous sources that document what I’m going to share. For readers who are interested seeing examples of animal displaying these characteristics, there are three books in particular that I can recommend. Two of them are by one of the world’s leading authorities on animal behavior, Marc Bekoff: Animal Passions and Beastly Virtues and The Emotional Lives of Animals. For current studies on dogs—probably the most  frequently studied domesticated animal in behavioral research (other than experiments on rodents)—read Inside of a Dog; What Dogs See, Smell, and Know by psychologist and animal behaviorist, Alexandra Horowitz.

Then and Now

Prior to the 19^th century, most scientists assumed that nature was a vast organic machine operating according to immutable natural laws. Animals were regarded as little more than biological machines. Rene Descartes and other 17^th century philosophers and scientists even believed that animals do not feel pain. This resulted in the cruel practice of vivisection, where experiments and surgery were performed on live animals without anesthesia.

Today, it’s hard to imagine anyone ever believing that animals don’t feel pain or experience other emotions. During the last century, an enormous amount of data has been accumulated on animal behavior. It’s widely recognized today that animals not only feel pain and retain memories of it, but they also engage in thought-driven behaviors and experience real emotions. As Professor Bekoff put it:

 New studies are producing information that shows just how fascinating and complex animal behavior can be. Animals who seem incapable of much thought have been shown to have remarkable cognitive skills. . . . Many individual . . .  animals show distinct personalities and idiosyncratic quirks, just as humans do. There are extroverts, introverts, agreeable individuals, and neurotic animals. . .  There is now mounting evidence that joy, love, grief, jealousy, and embarrassment, for example, are all experienced by individuals of many species. (The Emotional Lives of Animals, p.xx, 10).

So it turns out that what many pet owners intuitively knew all along is true—animals can have real emotions, and their behaviors are often deliberate, flexible, and not motivated by just instinct. Below I’ll point out some of the most obvious and well-attested emotions displayed in many animals, and next week we’ll look at some of the cognitive  (thought-driven) behaviors observed in many species of animals. In both cases, you will see that many of these mental attributes parallel similar thoughts and emotions in humans.

Emotions and Feelings

What kinds of human-like emotions and feelings do animals experience? Most of the same kinds that humans experience: altruism, devotion, loyalty, grief, loneliness, sadness, compassion, empathy, joy, pleasure, play, affection, and, yes, even love. Now, when it comes to fully understanding what these human-like emotions mean to animals, we must be careful not to be guilty of exaggerated anthropomorphism. Animal emotions cannot be thought of as being directly equivalent to similar human emotions. If a dog or elephant expresses love or joy, it will be dog-love and dog-joy and elephant-love and elephant-joy, not human-like love and joy.  Animal emotions can only be expressed within the mental capabilities and physical makeup of the animal. But that they are not human-like in intensity or complexity does not mean they do not exist. The same is also true of animal cognition—learning, memory, communication, and (for some animals) self-awareness. We’ll examine these mental attributes in next week’s article.

^*  The blog articles in this series are adapted from copyrighted material and may not  be reproduced in book or article form, either electronically or in print, without my written permission. But feel free to send links to these articles, with a brief introduction, to your personal email list, Facebook friends and groups, or other people who may enjoy them. Or post a link on your own website. If you would like to be added to my personal blog email list (people who receive an email notice whenever I post a new blog article), contact me through my website: www.danstory.net.