Dan Story Blog
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Change of blog address
I recently went to a different blog site. My new blog series, "Should Christians Be Environmentalists?", which began September 20th, is now posted at www.danstory.net/blog. You can access all my blogs at this site. My website itself is wwwdanstory.net. (note: no period between www and danstory.net), then click on my name. This is confusing for now, but I'll get it straightened out shortly.
I hope you check out the new sites, and will continue to follow my new blog series.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
In case your are wondering why I have not posted any articles recently it's because I have finished my series on "Will Our Pets (and Other Animals) Greet Us in Heaven? and I am putting together a new series. Hopefully, within a few months, I'll connect with a publisher and soon after you will be able to purchase the articles in book form. In the mean time, you can read the previous 29 articles as a preview; they includes a large portion of the book. But there will be a lot more information in the book itself.
On September 20th I will begin a new series of blog articles titled "Why Christians Should be Environmentalists!" (Obviously, I enjoy controversial topics that challenge our traditional views on issues, although I work had to never go beyond what I can sustain in Scripture.) This new series is based on my book, Should Christians Be Environmentalists? published in 2012 by Kregel Publications. It's presently available in both print and Kindle formats. I can't cover the entire book in blog articles, so if you want the "rest of the story" I hope you'll purchase the book itself. I look forward to your thoughtful comments.
On September 20th I will begin a new series of blog articles titled "Why Christians Should be Environmentalists!" (Obviously, I enjoy controversial topics that challenge our traditional views on issues, although I work had to never go beyond what I can sustain in Scripture.) This new series is based on my book, Should Christians Be Environmentalists? published in 2012 by Kregel Publications. It's presently available in both print and Kindle formats. I can't cover the entire book in blog articles, so if you want the "rest of the story" I hope you'll purchase the book itself. I look forward to your thoughtful comments.
Friday, August 29, 2014
Will Our Pets (and Other Animals) Greet Us in Heaven? *
Part Twenty-Nine:
Animals in Heaven Brings Glory to God
When
all is said and done, when all the evidence for animals inhabiting Heaven is mustered
and analyzed, if earthly creatures share the new heaven and earth with redeemed
humanity, it hinges totally on the selfless, astonishing, miraculous work of
Jesus Christ. The reality of Christ’s resurrection guarantees the believer’s
resurrection to eternal life (1 Cor. 15:20-23, 49). If animals are blessed with
eternal bodies, whether resurrected or recreated, it too will depend entirely on the redeeming work
of Jesus Christ for the glory of God.
At Jesus first advent on Earth, God “rescued” believers “from the dominion of darkness and brought [us] into the kingdom of the Son he loves,” (Col 1:13). Jesus reconciled “all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood shed on the cross” (Col. 1:20). Jesus removed the fear of death (Heb. 2:14-15) and promised eternal life in heaven for His followers (John 14:1-3).
When Jesus returns to Earth the second time, His victory over death will encompass the whole of creation. Heaven and earth will become one, and nature’s curse will be removed forever (Rev. 22:3). This heavenly New Earth will be the old earth redeemed, renewed, and restored to its original unspoiled, uncorrupted, pristine state—as God originally created it to be. The late theologian Anthony Hoekema said it well: “The work of Christ . . . is not just to save certain individuals, not even to save an innumerable throng of blood-bought people. The total work of Christ is nothing less than to redeem this entire creation from the effects of sin. That purpose will not be accomplished until God has ushered in the new earth, until Paradise Lost has become Paradise Regained.” (Quoted in Randy Alcorn, Heaven, 104)
At Jesus first advent on Earth, God “rescued” believers “from the dominion of darkness and brought [us] into the kingdom of the Son he loves,” (Col 1:13). Jesus reconciled “all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood shed on the cross” (Col. 1:20). Jesus removed the fear of death (Heb. 2:14-15) and promised eternal life in heaven for His followers (John 14:1-3).
When Jesus returns to Earth the second time, His victory over death will encompass the whole of creation. Heaven and earth will become one, and nature’s curse will be removed forever (Rev. 22:3). This heavenly New Earth will be the old earth redeemed, renewed, and restored to its original unspoiled, uncorrupted, pristine state—as God originally created it to be. The late theologian Anthony Hoekema said it well: “The work of Christ . . . is not just to save certain individuals, not even to save an innumerable throng of blood-bought people. The total work of Christ is nothing less than to redeem this entire creation from the effects of sin. That purpose will not be accomplished until God has ushered in the new earth, until Paradise Lost has become Paradise Regained.” (Quoted in Randy Alcorn, Heaven, 104)
The
Challenges
I want to end this series of
twenty-nine articles with four challenges for skeptics who reject animals inhabiting Heaven, especially being resurrected, to ponder.
First, if God and humans enjoy wonderful, heartfelt relationships with
animals in this life, why would God remove such blessings in Heaven?
Second, if this “old” earth will be redeemed and renewed to become the
New Earth (Heaven), why would animals not be part of this continuity?
Third, if Jesus removes the fear and “sting” of death (1 Cor. 15:54-57),
and reconciles “all things” in heaven and on earth (Col 1:20) through His
atoning work on the cross, why would animals not be part of these “all things?”
Fourth, Paul teaches in Romans chapter eight that all “creation waits in
eager expectation” for its redemption (19). Why would animals be waiting
eagerly for their redemption if they are going to be annihilated when Christ
returns?
I
have yet to hear a persuasive biblical, philosophical, or scientific argument
for why animals will not join God’s people in Heaven. I’m certain that the pets we loved and
enjoyed in this life, and which served us faithfully, will spend
eternity with us in the redeemed New Earth. I’m certain domesticated animals,
whose suffering the human race is responsible for, will be recompensed
in Heaven. And I’m certain the untamed animals that make the wilderness wild will
roam the forests and fields of the new heaven and earth.
One more thought, and this is for skeptics. Throughout
this series of blog articles, I occasionally received comments from readers who
are very hostile to the idea of animals joining God’s people in
the new heaven and earth—despite all the biblical and other evidences I’ve
provided to the contrary. (Fortunately, I’ve received many more affirmations
than criticisms!) These critical comments always cause me to scratch my head.
Why, I wonder, are some Christians so opposed to the idea of animals dwelling in the Eternal Kingdom? Why does it bother these
people, even if animals are resurrected from earthly bodies? That animals will dwell in Heaven has nothing to do with the special
status humans have in God’s eyes, that only people are created in His image,
and that we are vastly more valuable to God than nonhuman life. I would think everyone would look forward to a future
Eden-like Paradise where all God’s beloved creation will spend eternity
together—both human and animal.
For
people like me, who relish walks in the wilderness with dog companions, who are
thrilled to observe nature’s wild inhabitants, who dream of the day when we can
scratch between the ears of lions and wolves, nap in the shadow of grizzly
bears, race across meadows with deer and antelope, and perhaps even soar into
the heights with eagles and hawks—such a future Heaven is indescribably
exciting to anticipate. I for one look forward to it with eager anticipation!
Thanks to all my faithful readers, and I look forward to
starting a new series in a few weeks, after a brief hiatus.
* 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.
Friday, August 22, 2014
Will Our Pets (and Other Animals) Greet Us in Heaven? *
Part Twenty-Eight:
Will Mosquitos, Frogs, and Snakes Be in Heaven?
This second to the last article
in my series, “Will Our Pets (and Other Animals) Greet Us in Heaven,” will be
the most outlandish of all for some readers. But after twenty-seven articles on
the subject, and to carry my thesis to its logical conclusion, I need to answer
this question. Otherwise my task will be incomplete.
After sharing my belief in a home Bible study
that pets will be in Heaven, someone asked me if mosquitos would also be there?
This wasn’t the first time I’ve been asked this kind of question: will lower
orders of animals be in Heaven? Although asked in jest, it was actually a good
question. Where do we draw the line? Will just pets be in Heaven? Will only
mammals be resurrected? What about birds and reptiles? And the most unlikely
candidates of all, what about the trillions of insects and spiders that have
already lived and died on earth? Will they be in Heaven?” Even Christians who
firmly believe their pets will be resurrected have a hard time getting their
minds around the image of insects and snakes lurking in Heaven.
Simple creatures overwhelmingly
comprise the vast majority of animals that have lived on earth, so the question
of whether or not they will be in Heaven--either actually resurrected from Earth or recreated for Heaven--deserves an honest answer.
C. S. Lewis would respond to
this question by pointing out that lower forms of animals (insects, spiders,
amphibians, and so on) would not be resurrected because “immortality has
almost no meaning for a creature which is not ‘conscious,’’’ and only higher
animals possess “selfhood.” In other words, only animals
which are sentient (can perceive and feel things) possess selfhood. Thus,
simple forms of animals will not be resurrected. I have three responses to
this.
First, as we saw in blog
articles 13 and 14, during the past few decades a tremendous amount of new data
on animal mental states has been discovered. These studies have revealed that
animal emotions and cognitive abilities are far more sophisticated than
previously assumed. If he were alive today, C. S. Lewis (who died in 1963) may
have broadened his category of what kinds of animals are “conscious” and
therefore will be in resurrected. Today, it’s well-known that even some simple
creatures possess surprising “mental” abilities.
My second response is to
challenge the assumption that only
complex animals will inhabit Heaven because it’s based entirely on human
conjecture. It assumes that the eternal destiny of non-human life is in accord
with our personal feelings and
subjective opinions—not on what may or may not be God’s decision. Who knows if
God allows simple organism to inhabit Heaven except God?
Although the evidence we’ve examined throughout this series of blog articles justly concludes that at least sentient animals will enjoy Heaven in resurrected bodies, only God knows if lower classifications of animals will dwell there. Skeptics need to understand that the fate of insects, spiders, amphibians, and other barely sentient creatures is not determined by people’s opinions but by God. He can certainly grant even the simplest animals’ eternal life in the age to come, if He chooses to do so. No one can justify denying this. But regardless of whether or not less complex animals are in Heaven, it has nothing to do with the fact that sentient animals will be resurrected.
Although the evidence we’ve examined throughout this series of blog articles justly concludes that at least sentient animals will enjoy Heaven in resurrected bodies, only God knows if lower classifications of animals will dwell there. Skeptics need to understand that the fate of insects, spiders, amphibians, and other barely sentient creatures is not determined by people’s opinions but by God. He can certainly grant even the simplest animals’ eternal life in the age to come, if He chooses to do so. No one can justify denying this. But regardless of whether or not less complex animals are in Heaven, it has nothing to do with the fact that sentient animals will be resurrected.
Having said this, I believe there is good reason to believe
that even simply creatures will dwell in Heaven. The only “qualification” for
animal resurrection seems to be (since animals are not “fallen”) that God gives
creatures immaterial, eternal souls so that they can survive physical death.
The Bible doesn’t restrict what kinds of animals possess souls; it
simply teaches that animals have souls (see blog articles 7-10). “All living
animals have souls if they have organic life,” explains J. P. Moreland, “regardless
of the degree to which they are conscious.” (The Soul; How We Know It’s Real and Why It Matters, 142) This
doesn’t mean all animals have “a conscious life,” as Moreland points out, but
they still have souls. Since possessing a soul is essential for resurrection,
and all animals possess souls, I see no biblical reason why all animals,
including non-sentient creatures, wouldn’t be resurrected. The prophet Hosea
speaks of a future covenant God will make with restored Israel, in the
eschatological “new heavens and a new earth” (Isa. 65:17), which will include
“beasts of the field” and “birds of the sky” and “the creeping things of the
ground“ (Hos. 2:18; NASV). Animals creeping on the ground are mostly snakes,
lizards, insects, and bugs!
This brings me to my third response for why I believe
non-sentient animals may dwell in Heaven. God may grant lower life forms
eternal life for His own good pleasure—and for the pleasure they will bring to
His people. It’s hard to image a
redeemed and renewed earth without butterflies gracing flowers, frogs bellowing
from ponds, lizards basking placidly on sun-soaked rocks, and the countless
other simple animals that add beauty to nature and delight humans of all ages.
If the New Earth is more glorious and beautiful than the present earth, surely
the creatures that contribute so much to the beauty, wonder, ecological
harmony, and magnificence of wild nature will inhabit the renewed New Earth. Even if not actually resurrected from Earth but recreated for Heaven.
Perhaps the ultimate answer to the question of whether or
not simple varieties of animals will inhabit Heaven is—why wouldn’t they? I
know of no biblical reason or persuasive argument why they won’t.
Well, we’re almost at the end of this (longer than I thought
when I first started out) series on “Will Our Pets (and Other Animals) Greet Us
in Heaven.” I hope by now you are as
assured as I am that they probably will. But there is one more reason why I
believe this, and I’ll end this series with these last thoughts 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.
Friday, August 15, 2014
Will Our Pets (and Other Animals) Greet Us in Heaven? *
Part
Twenty-Seven: How Does Human Redemption Initiate Animal Resurrection
We saw in a previous blog article that the eschatological
New Earth will include similarities to the Garden of Eden—only more wonderful.
What ushers in this renewed creation? The Bible tells us it will come about
with the future redemption of God’s people. Our redemption initiates nature’s
redemption; it provides the framework by which the curse is removed and nature
is restored to its pre-Fall state. The Apostle Paul speaks to this in Romans
chapter eight:
Yet
what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he [God] will give us
later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will
reveal who his children really are. Against its will, everything on earth was
subjected to God’s curse. All creation anticipates 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 even we Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit within
us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan to be released from pain and
suffering. We, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full
rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us (8:18–23 nlt).
Biblical
theology and church tradition—taken as a whole—agree that saved humanity’s
redemption will include the whole of creation. This is the great hope expressed
by Paul in the passage above, as well as a major theme in Old Testament
prophecies. Such a belief is also expressed in the writings of early church Fathers
(e.g. Justin, Irenaeus, and Lactantius) as well as recent theologians and
scholars, as we saw in blog articles 24 and 25. The question is how exactly
will creation’s redemption—the removal of the curse and restoration to
Eden-like conditions—be linked to human redemption,
as the apostle Paul expresses above? In particular, for the purpose of this series
of articles, how will human redemption in the eschaton play out in the resurrection
of animals?
The answer is
simple but incredibly wonderful. As with humans, animal redemption depends on the
work of Christ. When Jesus died for the sins of the world (John 1:29; Rom.
5:8), it paved the way for the redemption of all who receive Him as Lord and
Savior (John 1:12). The Bible also teaches, as Paul explained in Romans eight,
that the damage wrought on creation by fallen humanity (the curse) will be
removed as part of the same redemptive process (21). All creation, Paul declares, “is waiting
eagerly ” for its redemption alongside of saved humanity, when it will finally
“join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay” (Rom. 8: 19, 21—NLT).
Other passages
confirm this. Colossians chapter one tells us that God reconciled “to himself all
things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace
through his [Jesus’] blood, shed on the cross” (1:20, emphasis added). In
Revelation God said, “I am making everything new” (21:5) and “no longer will
there be any curse” (22:3). All things mean all things. Not just
Christ’s followers, but the entire earth and cosmos cursed by human sin will be
made new. Every animal and plant and every natural feature despoiled and
polluted by the human race will be restored. Ecological theologian H.
Paul Santmire said it this way: “Christ is the royal minister God sends to
redeem creation, . . . [and] the royal minister God sends to inaugurate the new
creation.”
It makes perfect theological sense that God
will redeem creation through human redemption. Remember, animals did not sin
and nature did not fall when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and were banished from
the Garden of Eden. Nature was cursed because of the first couple’s
sinful rebellion—and to this day it continues to suffer because of human sin.
In the case of people, those who accept salvation offered by Jesus
Christ are granted forgiveness of sins and promised eternal life in a renewed
new heaven and earth. Because the curse is tied directly to human sin and is
removed by human redemption, it follows naturally that animals will share in
that redemption. Why would God give humans such glorious grace and not the
animals whose curse people are responsible for? There is no biblical reason why
animals will not be redeemed alongside humanity; and if redeemed, resurrected as
well.
Does this mean animals will be “saved” in the same sense
as humans, that is, did Jesus’ atoning death for human sin cover animals too?
“Certainly not in the way he died for mankind,” explains theologian Randy
Alcorn, author of Heaven. “People are made in God’s image, animals
aren’t. People sinned, animals didn’t. Because animals didn’t sin, they don’t
need a redeemer in the same way.” But, Alcorn continues,
in another sense, Christ died for animals indirectly because
his death for humanity purchased redemption for what was brought down by
humanity’s sin, including animals. . . .
As goes mankind, so go the animals. If we take to its logical
conclusions the parallel Paul makes between humans’ and animals’ groaning [in
Romans 8], then at least some of those animals who suffered on the old Earth
must be made whole on the New Earth. . . .
The creatures that groan and cry out for their resurrection
are specific suffering people and specific animals. . . .I believe this
suggests that God may remake certain animals that live on the old Earth. (383-384)
Notice Alcorn included animals
along with humans who “cry out for their resurrection.” If humans receive
resurrected bodies as part of their redemption, as Paul taught in Romans 8, 1
Corinthians 15, and elsewhere, it’s reasonable to assume that animals, which
share in creation’s redemption, will likewise receive resurrected bodies. In
other words, since creation anticipates
freedom from bondage to the curse through the redemption of God’s people, there
is good theological reason to believe that animals participating in that
redemption will receive imperishable, resurrected bodies along with redeemed
humanity. Thus, animals that have lived and died on this earth will be
resurrected to dwell in the New Earth (Heaven).
But does this mean all animals
will be resurrected? What about non-sentient animals? Will mosquitoes, toads,
and snakes also receive resurrected bodies? This will be the topic of next
week’s blog 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.
Friday, August 8, 2014
Will Our Pets (and Other Animals) Greet Us in Heaven? *
Part Twenty-Six: Why We Can Believe Pets and Other Animals
Will Be Resurrected—the First Evidence
We saw in the previous blog articles that the Bible reveals both wild
and domesticated animals will inhabit the prophesied New Earth (Heaven). In
this and the concluding three articles in this series, we’ll investigate the
evidence that these animals will be the same animals that lived and died
on this present earth. This means that animals, like humans, will someday be
resurrected! This is made possible, as
these remaining articles will demonstrate, because the redemption of all
creation is tied directly to the redemption “of the children of God” (Rom. 8:21-23). That is, to people who have
received the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.
To fully
understand this, we must begin at the beginning of the Bible, where Scripture
reveals that in the Garden of Eden animals—like humans—were created to live
forever.
Before
the Fall
God’s created home for Adam and later Eve, as well as their animal
companions, was the Garden of Eden. It was a perfect environment, a literal
paradise—unspoiled, undefiled, and uncontaminated. Humans and animals lived
peacefully together and both were vegetarians. Food was bountiful and readily
available. Most wonderful of all, there
was no death in the Garden of Eden and no curse on creation. Humans and animals
had the potential to live forever (see Gen. 1 & 2).
The Fall and Curse of Nature
Sadly, the idyllic garden paradise was lost. This tragic
event was set in motion when Adam and Eve rebelled against God and were
subsequently banished from the Garden. This is referred to as the “Fall,” and
it impacted all creation: nature was “cursed” and evil, suffering, pain, and
sin entered the world (see Gen. 3).
From that dreadful day onward, a great gulf emerged and steadily widen
between God’s original creation and what it has become today. Hardship and toil became a way of life. Human
dominion over animals was no longer peaceful coexistence (see my book Should Christians Be Environmentalists?).
After the Fall the entire human race
and all animal life were condemned to live out their lives in a marred, hostile
environment plagued by weeds and poisonous plants, diseases and parasites,
droughts and famines, dangerous animals and natural disasters.
What’s important
to see here is that nature itself was not sinful, it did not fall. Nature was cursed
due to Adam and Eve’s rebellion against God (3:17; cf. Rom. 8:19-21), and to
this day it’s the victim of bad human choices. As theologian Hanlee Barnette put it, “Man’s sin against God
pulled nature down along with man.” (The
Church and the Ecological Crisis, 40). The great Reformation
theologian John Calvin agrees. In his Commentary
on the Epistle of Paul to the Romans he wrote, “All created things, both on earth and in the invisible heavens,
which are in themselves blameless, undergo punishment for our sins; for it has
come about that they are liable to corruption not through their own fault. Thus
the condemnation of mankind is imprinted on the heaven, and on the earth, and
on all creatures.”
Down
through the ages, numerous other Christian theologians have commented on how
the Fall affected animal life. Fifteenth century reformer Martin Luther pointed
out that along with “thorns, thistles, vermin, flies, [and] toads . . . the
savagery of wild animals were part of the punishment for human sin.” Eighteenth century English theologian John
Wesley taught that animals were innocent victims of the Fall. Their
vulnerability to predation, disease, parasites, plagues, starvation, crippling
accidents, and other calamities were directly linked to the rebellion and
iniquity of Adam and Eve. Creatures “could
not sin,” wrote Wesley, “for they were not moral agents. Yet how severe do they
suffer!—yea, many of them, beasts of burden in particular, almost the whole
time of their abode on earth.”
Divine Justice
Since animals experience pain and suffering due to human sin,
some theologians argue that it “seems to require that some animals who lived,
suffered, and died on the old Earth must be made whole on the New Earth.” (Heaven, 386) John Wesley, for example, expressed hope in a
“general deliverance” of animals where they will be compensated after death for
the suffering they endured on this earth. “Many Christian thinkers,” writes
philosopher Michael Murray, “have argued that animal immortality plays an important
role in explaining the reality of animal pain and suffering in the earthy life.
Perhaps there is a connection between the earthly life of animals, filled as it
is with pain and suffering, and a blissful, eternal existence [‘as resurrected
beings’] for those animals in the divine presence.” (Nature Red in Tooth & Claw 122) In other words, God will grant animals’
eternal existence in resurrected bodies to compensate for the suffering they
endured in this life, for no fault of their own, due to creation’s curse
brought on by sinful humanity.
The argument that divine justice will include animal
resurrection is a legitimate biblical position. Christian theologian and author
of many books and articles on animals and Christianity, Professor Andrew
Linzey, sums it like this: “The issue of
suffering and evil endured by animals makes the question central to theodicy
[justifying divine goodness in light of evil]. However we may construe the
origins of evil in the world, a just and loving God must in the last analysis
be able to offer recompense and redemption commensurate with the evil that has
been endured.” (Animals on the Agenda,
118)
Because nature’s curse and the consequent plight of its
non-human inhabitants is tied directly to human sin, its release from the curse,
and the ultimate resurrection of at least sentient animals, is wholly dependent
upon mankind’s redemption. The link between human redemption and the animal
kingdom is crucial to understand, if we are to substantiate animal
resurrection. This will be the subject of next week’s blog 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.
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