Question Card Session 3/30/25
Notes
Transcript
Turn to Genesis 1:31.
This morning we are going to consider two question cards that I received:
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Question: Are animals in Heaven? Will our pets be in Heaven?
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This question has greater meaning to me now that God has brought Ginger into our lives. Ginger is our golden retriever and she is about six months old now.
She is an energetic ball of fun. Her favorite things to do are to wrestle the basketball, chase the frisbee, eat, and sleep.
When God made animals, He made some very beautiful creatures, didn’t He? Matter of fact, He thought so too.
Next slide here and read Genesis 1:31.
Animals, like man, have been a beautiful and vital part of God’s creation since the beginning. Can you think of a way in which man and animals are similar to each other, but different from the plant world?
Hint: compare Genesis 1:30 and Genesis 2:7.
Both animals and man have life in a way that is different from the plant world, but there the similarities end. Look at Genesis 2:7 again. How is man different from animals? Man became a living soul. That is never said of the animal world. Man is made is the image of God whereas animals are not.
This leads us to our first question, which I will slightly reword:
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Will animals be a beautiful and vital part of God’s creation in the future?
Yes.
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Animals will be a part of the Millennial Kingdom
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The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, And the leopard shall lie down with the kid; And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; Their young ones shall lie down together: And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
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Animals will likely be a part of the new heaven and new earth
Turn to and read Revelation 21:1, 5.
For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: And the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.
God is going to make a brand new creation. He is going to make all things new. Nothing was wrong with the original creation before the fall of man. It was perfect. It could not be improved in any way. Therefore, we can assume that the new heaven and the new earth will be much like the original creation. God speaks of it in terms that we understand.
It will have…
A city - New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2)
A river - the river of the water of life (Revelation 22:1)
A tree - The tree of life (Revelation 22:2)
It will almost certainly have animals also because they were part of the original creation, but this is not revealed in Scripture.
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Will our pets be in Heaven?
Probably the most honest answer is “I don’t know” because the Bible doesn’t speak expressly to this. However, there are some broad points to consider.
First, I do not believe that animals have a soul and a spirit because they are not made in the image of God. They were not created to fellowship with God like we were. If animals have a soul and a spirit, then they are sinners in need of a Savior.
Whenever the Bible talks about the future resurrections, of which there are several, it is always in reference to human resurrections. It doesn’t speak of any animal resurrections. Will there be animals in the new heaven and the new earth? I think that’s very likely. Will it be the same animals that we knew on earth. I really don’t think so. However, God, knowing how much we would build affection for His creatures, could do that if He so chooses.
Now you might think to yourself, “so was I lying when I told my kids that their pet would be in Heaven someday?”
If that’s you, I answer your question with a question: “were you intentionally telling them a falsehood and attempting to deceive them?”
Were you convicted about it at the time?
It really depends on your knowledge of the Scriptures and whether you knew better. Here’s a good maxim for life: don’t assure your children of something that you don’t know for certain yourself.
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Question: Is it possible that humans were angels sent to earth to experience free will?
Turn to and read Jeremiah 1:5.
To be charitable, I can see how the person asking the question may develop that theory from this verse. God knew Jeremiah before he was born, so was Jeremiah an angel before birth? My short answer is simply “no.” I don’t think it’s possible to accept that theory in light of the rest of Scripture.
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Man is made in the image of God. Angels are not. - Genesis 1:27.
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Man is a special creation of God with body, soul and spirit. Angels are spirit beings only - Hebrews 1:7.
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When the future resurrections take place, will man be resurrected as a man or as an angel? - Mark 12:25.
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The Bible always speaks of angels and man as being separate, distinct parts of God’s creation with differing roles and purposes. Those lines of distinction are not blurred in the Scriptures. It is a humanistic idea that human beings become angels and “earn their wings” after death. Elijah and Moses died. After death, they appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration, not as angels, but as Elijah and Moses. Human beings are an entirely unique creation of God.
We were created with a special purpose: it was so that we would voluntarily choose to fellowship with God in a way that animals and angels cannot.
