Resources by Topic: Animals

Here are a couple of photos of Maggie as an eight-year-old (equivalent to about 60 human years, so she’s catching up with us). We love her more than ever, even as she’s slowing down a bit (but she can still dig and chase rabbits with the best of them). 

Over the years, I’ve been asked by readers about whether God’s future restoration of creation means that “undesirable” and “unpleasant” animals like rodents (such as rats) and insects (such as mosquitoes or spiders) will be present in Heaven. As one reader candidly wrote, “That sure wouldn’t be Heaven for me!”

In 2019, Randy Alcorn was interviewed on the topic of Heaven by the Senior Pastor at Crossroads Christian Church in Grand Prairie, Texas. In this clip, he discusses what the Bible says about animals in heaven. 

In 2019, Randy Alcorn was interviewed by Pastor Jim Putman at Real Life Ministries in Post Falls, Idaho. In this clip, he gives his thought about our pets, who have passed and if they will be in Heaven.   

The key is this: when the animal is suffering and you can sense they no longer are hanging on to life, you don’t want to let it go any longer. 

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.

The food chain may seem natural to us, but I believe it violates God’s original design. No more curse and death means no more food chain involving living creatures. As radical a shift as that may seem, it will likely be a return to God’s original design.

Perhaps because many environmental and animal-rights activists scorn the Bible and Christian beliefs, I believe Christians have often overreacted and ignored our stewardship job description when it comes to animals.

Most people who’ve enjoyed the children’s stories of Beatrix Potter, C. S. Lewis, or others who wrote of talking animals have probably never seriously considered the possibility that some animals might actually have talked in Eden or that they might talk on the New Earth.

In this interview with John Ankerberg, Randy Alcorn talks about animals in Heaven. For more information on the subject of Heaven, please visit: http://store.epm.org/product/heaven.

You are very right about the extent of devastation brought on the entire earth due to the curse. The amount of pain in the world is terrifying, but that pain is bearable when we remember God's ultimate plan for redemption and restoration.

Someone wrote to me, “My children are hoping extinct animals will be in Heaven, maybe even dinosaurs.” 

Randy Alcorn shares quotes from John Wesley that show his belief in the restoration of animals in Heaven. Wesley argues that they will be even more magnificent then they are now, perhaps even with greater understanding. This video clip was excerpted from Randy's Eternity 101 DVD class.

Question from a reader: What is Randy's take on a Christian being vegan? I've seen some pretty horrible things considering animals at the slaughter. I'm curious to know what he thinks from an eternal perspective.