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

Part Twenty-Five:  More Scholars Who Believe in Animal Resurrection

In part twenty-four, we looked at several well-known theologians and scholars who believed in the likelihood of animal resurrection. In this article, we’ll look at two more.   

Richard Bauckham      

In his book The Bible and Ecology, this British scholar and theologian made tantalizing statements that implied animal resurrection. For example he wrote, “If the new creation is the transformation of the whole of this material creation so that all creatures may share in the life of the divine eternity, then Jesus’ resurrection must lead the way to new creation for the whole community of creation, not just humans.” (171) In order to get clarification, I emailed professor Bauckham and asked this question: “What’s your belief (and why) on whether or not pets and other animals alive today will be in the new heaven and earth?” Bauckham replied, “I take seriously that the new creation is the new creation of all things. So plants too and rivers and mountains! God will take everything of value into the new creation. Redeemed from all evil and suffering.”  

C.S. Lewis    

This brilliant and gifted scholar is unarguably the most widely read and admired Christian apologists in the twentieth century. Apparently, Lewis shared the same concern for the eternal destiny of pets as do many other people. But in his case, he provided a somewhat different—but no less thought-provoking—answer to the issue. In his typical lucid style, Lewis suggested that pets, and perhaps “higher” animals, will  experience resurrection and eternal life.  

Lewis begins by correctly pointing out that any conclusion about the eternal fate of animals is necessarily speculative because God didn’t (or wouldn’t) give us that information: “If animals were, in fact, immortal, it is unlikely, from what we discern of God’s methods in the revelation, that he would have revealed this truth.” Lewis limits his discussion on animal resurrection to the higher animals, in particular what he refers to as “tame” animals (e.g. pets). He recognized that they possess “real, though doubtless rudimentary, self-hood . . . and specifically in those we tame . . . [thus] their destiny demands a somewhat deeper consideration” [than less sentient animals]. (All Lewis quotes from The Problem of Pain, chapter 9.) 

Lewis’ explanation for possible animal resurrection lies in their interconnectedness with people: “The beasts are to be understood only in their relation to man and, through man, to God.” Mankind, Lewis continues, “was appointed by God to have dominion over the beasts, and everything a man does to an animal is either a lawful exercise, or a sacrilegious abuse, of an authority by divine right.” Thus, “in so far as the tame animal has a real self or personality, it owes this almost entirety to its master. If a good sheepdog seems ‘almost human’ that is because a good shepherd has made it so.”

Here’s how this plays out in terms of animal resurrection. Lewis argued that just as people are “in” Christ, so tame animals “attain a real self…in their masters. . . . And in this way it seems to me possible that certain animals may have an immortality, not in themselves, but in the immortality of their masters.” Moreover, “If any [wild animals]. . . should live again, their immortality would also be related to man—not . . . to individual masters, but to humanity.”

In short, Lewis believed human resurrection would encompass at least “tame” animals’ resurrection because their eternal destiny coexists with the people who loved and cared for them. Although Lewis kept his focus primarily on the resurrection of tame animals, he allowed that wild animals might also resurrect to inhabit the redeemed new earth.  

A Crucial Clarification 

Now, let’s pause a moment. I want to be careful no one misunderstands what I’m saying before I begin to systematically lay out my arguments for animal resurrection. When I (or any of the theologians and scholars I’ve quoted) suggest that animals will be resurrected  and dwell with saved humans in Heaven, I’m not suggesting there is no fundamental difference between humans and animals. Only humans are created in God’s image (Gen. 1:26-27), and we are of far greater value to God than animals (Matt. 12:12; Luke 12: 7, 24). The Bible teaches that people are the pinnacle of God’s creation (Ps. 8:4-6), and we enjoy an exalted position in creation (Matt. 6:26; 10:31; 12:11-12). That animals will be resurrected does not elevate them to the value of humans in God’s eyes, not on this earth nor in the age to come.  But it doesn’t follow from this that animals can’t be resurrected. They can. Animals will be resurrected because they are included in creation’s redemption from the curse. There’s nothing to fear about this. We don’t have to worry that animal resurrection somehow compromises mankind’s value to God or elevates animals to human status. That would be unbiblical!

 

Now that you see I’m in good company with others who believe in animal resurrection—and people much smarter than I am—I can begin to systematically lay out the arguments for animal resurrection. I’ll begin this 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? *

Part Twenty-Four:  Scholars Who Believe in Animal Resurrection

Before we begin looking at the evidence that at least sentient earthly animal will be resurrected, I want to point out that many well-known theologians agree with this conclusion. Christian thinkers over the centuries, especially Reformation and post-Reformation theologians, have acknowledged the likelihood of animal resurrection. When great thinkers, who spend much of their lives studying and teaching about theological issues, agree that animals will probably be resurrected, it’s compelling evidence they will. The fact is belief in the probability of animal resurrection in the eschaton is not without endorsement from well-respected theologians and scholars.

Blog articles limit the amount and length of the quotes I can include, but I want to share a few excerpts from some of the more well-known scholars who accept the likelihood of animal resurrection. (Anyone interest in my sources for the following quotes, you can contact me through my website: www.danstory.net.)  

Martin Luther 

When the great Reformation theologian Martin Luther was asked if he believed dogs, in particular his dog Tólpel, would be in heaven, he answered: “Certainly, for there the earth will not be without form and void. Peter said that the last day would be the restitution of all things. God will create a new heaven and a new earth and new Tólpes with hide of gold and silver. God will be all in all; and snakes, now poisonous because of original sin, will then be so harmless that we shall be able to play with them.” Elsewhere, commenting on Psalm 36:6 (“O Lord, you preserve both man and beast.”), Luther remarked that the passage affirms, “that God is rightly called the ‘Saviour of all beasts.’”   

John Calvin

Another Reformation scholar who seemed to have acknowledged the probability of animal resurrection is John Calvin. He observed “that nonhuman animals long to participate in . . . redemption,” and made a provocative statement in “Speculation About Animals” that implies he  believed in animal resurrection: “Because the creatures . . . have a hope of being freed hereafter from corruption, it follows that they groan like a woman in labour until they have been delivered . . . . In short, the creatures are not content with their present condition, and yet they do not pine away irremediably.  They are, however, in labour, because they are waiting to be renewed to a better state” (emphasis added).  Commenting on Romans 1:20, Calvin wrote: “No part of the universe is untouched by the longing with which everything on this world aspires to the hope of resurrection.”

Calvin, like Luther, did not develop (that I know of) an explicit doctrinal statement on whether or not animals will resurrect. But, as the above comments illustrate, both their writings imply they likely believed in animal resurrection. 

John Wesley  

Probably no well-known theologian has expressed a greater and more passionate belief that animals will resurrect than the eighteenth century Anglican clergyman, evangelist, and cofounder of Methodism, John Wesley. He argued that Romans 8:19-22 implies that the future New Earth would include the exact same animals that presently dwell on this earth. He believed this was the only way earthly animals could be delivered from the curse. Wesley “hoped for a ‘general deliverance’ in which, after death, animals will be compensated for the suffering they underwent and liberated from the rages of which they partook” on this earth due to human fallenness.  

Peter Kreeft

Answering the question, “are there animals in heaven?,” well known theologian Peter Kreeft makes no bones about his belief in the resurrection of animals:

The simplest answer is: Why not? How irrational is the prejudice that would allow plants (green fields and flowers) but not animals into Heaven . . .

Would the same animals be in Heaven as on earth?  “Is my dead cat in heaven?” Again, why not? God can rise up the very grass; why not cats? . . .  We were meant from the beginning to have stewardship over the animals; we have not fulfilled that divine plan yet on earth; therefore it seems likely that the right relationship with animals will be part of Heaven: proper “petship.” And what better place to begin than with already petted pets?  (Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Heaven . . . But Never Dreamed of Asking, 45-46).

Hank Hanegraaff 

The “Bible Answer Man” likewise supports the probability of animal resurrection:

Scripture does not conclusively tell us whether our pets will make it to heaven. However, the Bible does provide us with some significant clues regarding whether animals will inhabit the new heaven and the new earth. . . .

Furthermore, the Scriptures from first to last suggests that animals have souls. . . .It wasn’t until the advent of the seventeenth-century Enlightenment and the thought of Descartes and Hobbes that the existence of animal souls was even questioned in Western civilization. . . .

       Finally, while we cannot say for certain that the pets we enjoy today will be “resurrected” in eternity, I, like Joni [Eareckson Tada] are not willing to preclude the possibility. Some of the keenest thinkers from C. S. Lewis to Peter Kreeft are not only convinced that animals in general but that pets in particular will be restored in the resurrection.. . .

       In the final analysis, one thing is certain: Scripture provides us with a sufficient precedent for suggesting that animals will continue to exist after the return of our Lord. (Resurrection, 120-122).

Randy Alcorn  

This popular writer, conference speaker, and the author of the highly acclaimed book, Heaven, clearly expects animals to be resurrected:

       We know animals will be on the New Earth, which is a redeemed and renewed old Earth, in which animals had a prominent role. People will be resurrected to inhabit this world. As we saw, Romans 8:21-23 assumes animals as part of a suffering creation eagerly awaiting deliverance through humanity’s resurrection. This seems to require that some animals who lived, suffered, and died on the old Earth must be made whole on the New Earth. Wouldn’t some of those likely be our pets? (Heaven, 386). 

I have two more contemporary scholars to quote, but ran out of space in this article. Next week we’ll see what two other world-class scholars have to say on the subject: C. S. Lewis and British theologian Richard Bauckham.

*  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 Twenty-Three:  Will Our Pets and Other Animals Be Resurrected?  

My family and I have raised—and buried—four dog friends over a span of thirty-eight years. My kids literally grew up with the first one, my wife’s large and lovable golden retriever, Bear. He shared our lives for over eleven years, hiking, camping, playing, jogging, and just hanging out. Bear died on the day of our twentieth wedding anniversary. At the time my wife and I were in Moab, Utah, visiting Arches National Park, and only my son and daughter were home to comfort Bear as he died. At the time my son was fifteen years old, and he had the heartbreaking task of burying his canine “brother.” Something he’ll never forget, and something that still brings tears to my eyes when I think about it after all these years.

People who have raised and buried dogs, cats, and other pets know exactly how we felt loosing Bear. Pets become family. And like anyone who dies that is close to us, we find consolation in the hope that someday we’ll be reunited “on the other side.” But let’s admit it. For most Christians, the hope that we’ll see our pets in Heaven is based more on wishful desire than confident assurance. I hope this series of articles have begun to remove the uncertainty about the eternal destiny of pets and other animals. I believe the Bible gives us enough information, even if indirectly, that we can replace our worry about ever seeing our deceased pets again with a reasonable confidence we’ll be reunited in Heaven. 

This brings us to the very heart of this study: Will pets be resurrected and reunited with their human companions in the future new heaven and earth? Likewise, will the wild animals roaming the earth today eventually resurrect and live without fear of humans in the Peaceable Kingdom? I believe the answer to both questions is, yes. But before we examine the evidences for this, let’s look at two other possible origins for the animal that will dwell in the New Earth (Heaven).   

The Best Option Is Resurrection  

In his book Heaven, Randy Alcorn purposely avoided using the word “resurrection” when speaking of animals “for fear that it could lead to theological error that fails to recognize the fundamental differences between people and animals—something that certain ‘animal rights’ advocates are guilty of.” (386) This is a valid concern, but I’ve make it clear several times in this series of articles that animals are not on a spiritual or moral equivalency with humans.  With this warning in mind, I still see no other way to consider the role of non-human life in the Eternal Kingdom without referring to them as being resurrected.    

We saw in previous two blog articles that animals will definitely dwell in Heaven. So skeptics who reject animal resurrection must still account for the source of these animals. Could these creatures have an origin other than resurrection? Or is the resurrection of earthly animals the best choice? The theological evidence in Romans 8:18-23 clearly supports animal resurrection (as I’ll show in a few weeks). Nevertheless, there are two other options for the origin of the animals that will dwell in the New Earth. Eliminating them as possible sources confirms that the animals presently living on this earth will eventually be resurrected to inhabit Heaven.   

God Recreated Animals for Heaven   

The first option is that the animals that will inhabit the New Earth could be the same kinds of animals presently dwelling on this earth, but recreated anew for Heaven. It could be argued, however, that this view compromises God’s righteous judgment. Rather than recreating the same kinds of animals now living on earth and placing them in Heaven, it seems more just (and reasonable) that God will resurrect existing animals, which for no fault of their own are innocent victims of mankind’s sin (i.e. the curse—Gen. 3). Furthermore, nowhere does the Bible suggest that God will re-create the same kinds of animals now living on this earth to populate the restored New Earth. He didn’t do this after the sin-cleansing Flood during Noah’s time—He preserved existing animals to repopulate the earth. Why would God do any differently in the restored New Earth?   

God Created New Kinds of Animals for Heaven   

 A second possibility is that the animals that will inhabit the New Earth (Heaven) are different kinds of animals than today’s earthly varieties. God could create entirely new species of animals specifically designed for Heaven. The problem with this theory is that there no biblical precedent for making such a claim; nowhere in Scripture is there a hint that God will create new varieties of animals in the eschaton. The animals the Bible mentions in the Old Testament, which will dwell in the new heaven and earth, are the same kinds of animals presently inhabiting this earth (e.g. Isa. 11:6-8). When Jesus makes His grand appearance prior to the final events in Revelation, He will be riding on a white horse (19:11), and the apostle John “heard” an eagle in Heaven (Rev. 8:13). 

Animals Inhabiting Heaven Are Resurrected Earthly Animals 

The third option is the most likely: The animals that will reside in Heaven are those that have died under the curse, redeemed alongside saved humanity, and resurrected at the end of this age. This is even more probable in light of the biblical revelation that God has given sentient animals’ immortal souls, as demonstrated in several earlier blog articles. 

Look at it like this. Why would God give animals’ immortal souls if they were not going to be resurrected in imperishable, physical bodies? I believe He gave animals immortal souls precisely because they will be resurrected! If the redemption of God’s people includes resurrected bodies in the age to come, it reasonably follows those soul-bearing animals—which will share in the same redemption (Rom. 8:19-23)—will also be given resurrected bodies. This is not only consistent with God’s great love for and enjoyment of the animals He created to inhabit this earth, but it’s also consistent with divine justice (more on this later).

Now, before we go any further, and before you conclude that all this is my personal fantasy or wishful thinking, I want you to see that many theologians and other scholars agree with me. Next week I’ll share some of their comments on animal resurrection.

*  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 Twenty-Two:   Will “Otherworldly” Animals Inhabit Heaven?

In my last blog article, we looked at two evidences that revealed the same varieties of animals presenting inhabiting this earth will also dwell in the eschatological New Earth (Heaven). There is a third evidence that further confirms this, and one often overlooked. It’s the presence of otherworldly “creatures” praising God in Heaven. Although these beings are not same kinds of creatures presently inhabiting this earth, they nevertheless illustrate that animals will reside in Heaven. This article will explain why.

Otherworldly Creatures

In Revelation chapter four, the apostle John observed some of the most amazing “otherworldly” beings found anywhere in Scripture:

Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as

crystal.

In the center, around the throne were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying:

         “Holy, holy, holy

              is the Lord God Almighty,

        who was, and is, and is to come.”  (Rev. 4:6-8)

Several interpretations have been given to explain these four creatures. Some consider them to symbolize attributes of God. Other commentators see them as angels representing all creation. Bible scholar Richard Bauckham believes they specifically symbolize animate creation. In his book, Living with Other Creatures, he analyzes the four living creatures and concludes they are worshipping God as representatives “on behalf of the whole animate creation, human and non-human.”  Bauckham explains: If the four “living creatures resemble one of the four earthly creatures, such an interpretation would suggest that each living creature represents one major category of the animate creation: the living creature like a lion represents the wild land animals, the one like an ox represents domestic land animals, the one like an eagle represents birds, and the one with a face like a human face represents humans” (165, 178). Even if these creatures are only representative or symbolic, they still imply the existence in Heaven of the animals they represent.

Randy Alcorn, in his acclaimed book Heaven, also comments on the four living creatures, but makes no bones that they are real animals when he writes:

       Somehow we have failed to grasp that the “living creatures” who

cry out “Holy, holy, holy” are animals—living, breathing, intelligent and articulate animals who dwell in God’s presence, worshiping and praising him. . . . Perhaps they’re the prototype creatures of Heaven after whom God designed Earth’s animals. But even though they’re highly intelligent and expressive, they’re still animals; that’s what Scripture calls them. . . . 

Once we recognize that the living creatures are animals, we need not see other references to animals in the present Heaven as figurative (379, 380).    

Regardless of the actual identity of these creatures, that the Bible shows them praising God in Heaven alongside angels and accompanied by “every creature . . . on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them “(Rev. 5:11-14) is strong evidence that animals will dwell in the eschatological New Earth. It seems unlikely the Bible would describe animals praising God in Heaven and on earth in such detail if they were not going to be included in the everlasting Kingdom.

Will There Be Resurrected Animals in Heaven?

In light of all the biblical evidence we’ve examined in this and the previous twenty-one articles, I believe I’ve presented a compelling case that the eschatological New Earth (Heaven) will not only be inhabited by angelic beings and redeem humans, but also animals. The question now is where exactly do the animals that will dwell in Heaven come from? There seems to be only three possibilities.

God could recreate the same kinds of animals that presently inhabit this earth to dwell in the heavenly New Earth. Or He could create entirely different kinds of animal, varieties unlike any presently living on earth, to populate the New Earth. The third option is that God will resurrect animals that have lived and died on this earth to populate the New Earth. I believe this is exactly what will happen, and this brings us to the next several blog articles. 

*  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.