What About Animals and Pets in Heaven?

Last updated on: October 2, 2017 at 8:30 am by Randy Alcorn

What About Animals and Pets in Heaven? 2017-09-29T05:14:03-08:00 Randy Alcorn

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One question I’m frequently asked related to my Heaven book is whether there will be animals on the New Earth, and specifically whether it’s possible that our pets might be there too. (I devoted two chapters of the book to animals.) Nanci and I love animals, and especially the pets we’ve had over the years, so I completely sympathize with the heart behind the question.

Here’s Maggie Grace, our Golden Retriever, who was swimming with us and two grandsons this summer in COLD water at Dodge Park in Sandy, Oregon:

maggie-swimming-animals-heaven-patheos

And here’s a dog video Nanci and I watched recently and loved:

Animals aren’t humans, but they have personalities and display love and affection, and God creates a great bond between us and them. I believe this love of animals is God-given, part of the way He wired us as stewards of His creation. Scripture tells us that “The godly care for their animals” (Proverbs 12:10, NLT).

Check out the short video below of a Golden Retriever being rescued from a building in Mexico. To clarify, I am including this not because dogs are as important as people, as clearly they are not. (Our prayers and hearts go out to the people of Mexico.) However, my point is that the cheering crowds are feeling a connection to this dog and were brought joy in the midst of tragedy. This is the power of our connection with pets, that hope is given to people when a pet is rescued like this:

Back to animals in Heaven: I’ll share links to some resources for those who’d like to read and study this question more. On animals in general, I’ve laid out my position, based on my study of Scripture, in the article Will There Be Animals in Heaven?

Specifically related to pets in Heaven, after our Dalmatian named Moses died, I shared some thoughts in a blog post called Saying Goodbye to Moses. Since it was posted over five years ago, many readers have said it helped them as they grieved the deaths of their own pets.

Also see this video, about pets in Heaven:

And in this 2-minute video, I answer the question, “Is It Wrong to Grieve the Loss of Our Pets?”

On a related note, some have also wondered whether it’s possible that extinct animals, including dinosaurs, will be part of God’s resurrected creation. It’s a great question. See the article Will Extinct Animals Live on the New Earth?

“For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies” (Romans 8:22-23).

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