Will we see our deceased pets in heaven or the new earth?
The Bible doesn’t explicitly say if our beloved pets, who have died, go to heaven. Neither does it say they do not. But, there are some encouraging things the Bible says about animals in general which gives us some hints at what to expect in heaven and the new earth.
We are told, in Genesis 1:30 & 2:7 that both animals and humans have “the breath of life”. The Hebrew word used is ‘nephesh’, sometimes translated as ‘living being’ or ‘soul’. Does this mean animals have souls? Well, they do not have human souls. Keep in mind that only man is made in God’s image and likeness (Genesis 1:27). The Bible gives clear teaching that every human soul continues to exist after death (in heaven or hell). Whereas there is nothing specifically mentioned in the Bible about animals continuing to exist after death.
Having said this, remember that God made the world with various kinds of animals for man to enjoy and rule over (Genesis 1:30). He even let man name them (Genesis 2:19-20). Thus, in God’s perfect world, in Eden, animals were very much present, for man to enjoy and rule over.
After man sinned, this brought death into the world, across both the human and animal realm (Romans 5:12, Romans 6:23). Later on, when God decided to judge the world in the days of Noah, through the world-wide flood, God’s plan for a renewed earth involved animals! He saw to it that a remnant of every kind of animal was saved in the flood, along with Noah and his family, saved in the ark. Man and animals were linked together in God’s redemptive plan to inhabit the post-flood world. So, why wouldn’t God put animals on the new earth (Revelation 21:1), after the millennium?
We know that animals will be on earth during the millennium reign of Christ, as it says in Isaiah 11:6-7 about that time: “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. 7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.”
There will clearly be some kind of partial transformation of the animal realm during the millennial reign of Christ over the earth. After this 1000 years is complete, God will make a total transformation and make a new heaven and earth, described in Revelation 21 and 22.
It says in Romans 8:22-23 – “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.”
Therefore, the whole creation (which includes the animal realm) is linked together not only in the curse of sin, but also in the redemptive blessing still to come. The new earth is paradise regained, and if the first paradise, Eden, had animals, why would God remove animals from the new earth? For man, his redemption involves the creation of a glorified/resurrected body for every person who is saved. That is what ‘the redemption of our bodies’ means. In his book about heaven and the new earth, Randy Alcorn writes about the implications of this verse on the animal realm saying, “The people who are redeemed and resurrected into the new world must be the same people who suffered in the old world. … As goes mankind, so go the animals. If we take to its logical conclusions the parallel Paul makes between humans’ and animals’ groaning, then at least some of those animals who suffered on the old earth must be made whole on the new earth.” (Randy Alcorn, Heaven, (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2004), p.398. If this is so, might some of those animals be our beloved pets? Perhaps yes! We may see our pets again, if not in heaven, then possibly in the new earth.
Yet, after all is said about the matter, we can’t be too dogmatic on things that the Bible doesn’t make entirely clear. However, we can be sure, that since “every good and perfect gift” (James 1:17) is from God, we can trust that He is able to give us what is good and perfect both in heaven and in the new earth.
While pets can bring great joy and comfort and companionship to us, even in this fallen world, we must always remember that what makes heaven and the new earth so wonderful is that we get to be in the presence of the Lord. Psalm 16:11 tells us, “In your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.” Heaven and the new earth will be so wonderful because we will get to live with the Lord in his presence forever.
