WILL I SEE MY DOG, CAT, OR OTHER PET IN HEAVEN?
My Grandma Midge loved the Lord, and she loved her dog, Mitzi. Mitzi was very fat, very spoiled, and probably ate better than her grandchildren did. Grandma would say, “If Mitzi cannot be in heaven, then I do not want to go there.”
When I was twelve, thirteen, or fourteen years old, I thought, Grandma, you do not know the Bible. You do not know theology. Mitzi is a dog, and Mitzi will never be in heaven. That is what I thought then. What do I believe today?
GOD VALUES THE ANIMALS HE CREATED
Genesis 1:31 tells us that when God looked at everything He had created, He declared it “very good.” God also gave human beings instructions about the way we are to treat animals. Proverbs 12:10 says, “Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast.” A righteous person does not abuse animals.
Even in the Sabbath command, God told Israel not to work its animals without rest. Jesus spoke about the birds of the air and reminded us that our heavenly Father feeds and cares for them. Yes, human beings are more valuable than the birds, but that does not mean the birds have no value. God cares for His creation.
ANIMALS ARE LIVING CREATURES, BUT HUMANS BEAR GOD’S IMAGE
Some people say that animals do not have a soul or spirit. That is how I was taught, but where do we get that idea? Genesis 2:7 says that God formed the man from the dust of the ground, breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. The Hebrew word is nephesh.
Then Genesis 2:19 uses the same expression for the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens: they are living creatures. Animals possess God-given life. What, then, makes a dog or cat different from a human being? Genesis 1:26 gives us the answer: humanity was made in the image and likeness of God.
Men and women were made to represent God in the earth, exercising stewardship over His creation. That is what gives every human being a distinct dignity and value. We are not merely another kind of animal; we are God’s image-bearers.
ALL CREATION LONGS TO BE RESTORED
Romans 8:18-23 is one of my favorite passages. Paul says that creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. Creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because human beings sinned. Animals did not rebel against God. Adam, the image-bearer and vice-regent, rebelled, and death and corruption entered the world.
Yet creation was subjected in hope. Paul says that creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and share in the freedom of the glory of the children of God. The whole creation is groaning as it waits for the resurrection of God’s people and the renewal of all things.
When a beloved pet breathes its last, that sorrow belongs to a world still groaning under death. But creation is waiting for the day when Jesus Christ returns, raises His people, defeats corruption, and makes all things new..
THE HOPE OF THE NEW CREATION
So, do I believe my dogs and cats will be with me in the renewed heavens and renewed earth? I do. I believe Buster, Wally, Fluffy, Tigger, and Summer Girl will be there.
That conviction is not merely sentimentality about our furry friends. It comes from a theology that says God is so great, so powerful, and so victorious that He does not lose. One day our King will defeat sin, death, corruption, darkness, and every form of evil. God’s plan of salvation is not merely an evacuation plan to get us away from the earth. His plan is to reclaim and restore the creation He called good.
Isaiah 65:25 gives us a picture of that renewed world: “The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox.” God’s holy mountain will no longer be marked by harm or destruction. The Judge and King of all creation will make all things right
Bible References: Genesis 1:26, 31 (ESV); Genesis 2:7, 19 (ESV); Exodus 20:8-11 (ESV); Proverbs 12:10 (ESV); Matthew 6:26 (ESV); Romans 8:18-23 (ESV); Isaiah 65:25 (ESV)
Watch & Listen to the Full Message
#Heaven #NewCreation #ChristianHope #BiblicalTruth #Resurrection #GodRestores #EternalLife #ChristianFaith #ExaltChurch #PastorRogerPettay
Read the latest from our blog
