My aunt once asked me if there will be animals in Heaven. Perhaps it is a good question to ask during this season when pets have played such an important role in helping us survive Covid. When many of us have had to distance from family, friends, co-workers and classmates our pets have stepped up. The CDC says that pets, especially dogs, help our social, emotional and mental development. Of course most of us don’t need the CDC to tell us this. Our pets become part of the family. If they are that important on earth, will there be animals in heaven?
After sin entered the
world, mankind sank deeper into selfishness, deceit, violence, murder and
rebellion. When God’s judgment could be postponed no longer, He sent a
catastrophic flood. But God showed his love for man and beast by providing a
means of escape through Noah’s ark. God instructed Noah, “You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures,
male and female, to keep them alive with you. Two
of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature
that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and
store it away as food for you and for them.” (Genesis 6:19-21). God’s love for
all living things was further reflected in Jesus’ statement that not one
sparrow falls to the ground outside the Father’s care.
Looking
forward to the day when the Messiah’s Kingdom would replace our world, Isaiah
wrote: “The
wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the
goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a
little child will lead them. The cow will feed
with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw
like the ox. … They
will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be
filled with the knowledge of the Lord as
the waters cover the sea.” (Isaiah 11:6-9).
If
God so loved us that he blessed us with the companionship and service of
animals on earth and chose them to surround the birth of His Son, would He
withhold His love from us in heaven by depriving us of these creatures who
shared our mortal joys and sorrows? Is it possible that having demonstrated his
glory in the beauty and balance of nature in this world that the new heaven and
the new earth would be limited to men and angels?
EXCELLENT THOUGHTS AND BIBLICAL SUPPORT!
ReplyDeleteI'm asked this question so frequently -- and I really appreciate your response. Super helpful and refreshing way to help people process this question. - Caleb
ReplyDeleteI'll be sharing this, so thank you www.PeacebunnyIsland.com
DeleteGreat perspective and insight.
ReplyDeleteMy 10 year old granddaughter Leah is asking this question tonight after having to put down her Buddy today after 11 years (she’s never known ‘family’ without him). Super timely, Bill. God bless
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