Since the 2004 publication of my book titled Heaven, I’ve heard easily a thousand questions about Heaven and the New Earth. The questions I hear most often are these: Will there be animals in Heaven? and, more specifically, Will our pets be there?
We’ve received many notes from readers over the years who recently lost or are anticipating the loss of their animals, and are grateful for the perspectives I’ve shared in Heaven and on my blog—especially after the deaths of our Dalmatian Moses and our Golden Retriever Maggie.
One person wrote, “We are mourning the loss of our cat. He was hit by a car and died in my arms. Can you give us encouragement as to whether we might be reunited someday?”
Another asked, “Our beloved dog died. Should I correct my kids when they say they can’t wait to play with him again in Heaven?”
Why do we wonder about a future for our pets in the far better world God promises? Well, given their importance in our lives, why wouldn’t we? Yes, God will make the New Earth primarily for humans. Nothing will diminish that. But people aren’t the only beings God loves, nor the only ones He made to live on the earth.
Many people, both children and adults, count their pets among their closest friends. Though their lives are shorter, pets are by our side more often than most people. These relationships involve loyalty, affection, comfort, and closeness without judgment. Writing about why the loss of a pet affects us to deeply, Tommy Tomlinson says, “When a loved one dies, it matters more. But when a dog dies, sometimes we feel it more.”
Pets are with us when no one else is. Sometimes they rescue us from the pit of loneliness. Who empowers them to do that for us? It’s not the devil; it’s God who created them to be our companions and bring us happiness! If they do that now in a world with suffering and death, why not in the redeemed world where there will be no more suffering and death?
Just recently a reader wrote us on Facebook:
Randy, it is through your words expressed about animals that introduced me to your writings. A follower of Jesus Christ as are you, my brother, I've long held the very same thoughts. We had experienced the parting of one of our four-legged family members and during my grieving and prayers to God for peace in my heart he led me to you. Thank you.
And another said:
I lost my heart and soul dog in March, shortly before you announced this book [All God’s Creatures]. The timing of your announcement actually gave me hope that I would be with her again as I felt the Lord sent the book announcement into my Facebook messenger at the moment of my deepest pain and doubt. She was with me 13.5 years. Her journey was cut short by bladder cancer. I cared for her for 19 months in the cancer journey before she said goodbye. It taught me so much about sacrificial love. And she loved me unconditionally. I think both of us would have given anything to stay together. While I wait for your book in November, I am reading Heaven and my hope is growing.
As Nanci and I have, many people sense a spiritual dimension in their bond with animals—involving an ongoing, two-way flow of happiness and friendship. So naturally we ask: Will our relationships with animals end permanently, or might they resume in God’s new creation and go on forever? It seemed like the right time to devote several years of research and an entire book to answering this question. I believe the far-reaching significance of the answer is far greater—and more God-exalting—than most Christians have imagined.
Louie Giglio, pastor of Passion City Church and founder of Passion Conferences, wrote this endorsement of the book:
In All God’s Creatures, Randy Alcorn sets his sights on a pivotal question: Will there be animals in Heaven or on the New Earth? Drawing on decades of thorough study and writing about Heaven, Randy brings a uniquely seasoned and trustworthy voice to this deeply personal topic through biblical wisdom, personal experience, and heartfelt animal stories. Randy invites us to believe Scripture and cling to the hope that God has a good plan for all his creatures.
I know that the two chapters in the Heaven book on animals, including one on pets, have impacted many people, and my hope is that All God’s Creatures will have a significant, and perhaps even widespread, impact on evangelical thinking that I believe is long overdue. I also envision the book helping people who are grieving and feeling hopeless after losing their beloved animals. The book’s reach and impact are totally up to God, but I am praying to that end! (Preview the introduction and first chapter here.)
