Will “Mittens” Be in Heaven – Part 1

Our 10-year-old granddaughter, Della Rose, became a forceful advocate for a stray cat that she eventually named “Mittens.”  But, for some unknown reason, soon after Mittens snuggled and purred her way into the family, they found her dead.  As you can imagine, Della Rose was devastated and began to question her mom and dad, and even her grandpa, about where Mittens went after her death.  But her lead-in question to me was more general:

Della Rose and doggy pets, Riley and Ruby.

“Grandpa, do you think there will be animals in Heaven?  

When I heard her question, I thought to myself: “How can I comfort a sweet granddaughter while her little brown eyes search my face with childlike faith and wait for an answer to her big question?  Sure, Della Rose believes her Bible which promises that her faith in Jesus as her Savior from sin makes her a child of God (John 1: 12; 3: 16; 1 Corinthians 15: 1-10).  For every Christ-follower, Eternal Life begins at their moment of decision (Luke 23: 43) where they also receive the assurance of a home in Heaven.   Babies and young children, developmentally disabled children who remain childlike, and the unborn who die of “natural causes” or tragically by abortion will also enjoy Eternal Life in God’s presence (Deuteronomy 1: 39; 2 Samuel 12: 18-23; Isaiah 7: 14-16)

Della Roses's kitty named Lily still lives in Wooster.

Whether I can answer her questions or not, I am thankful that Della Rose is falling in love with Jesus and is prepared to go to Heaven one day.  However, on that day of her distress, I soon realized the real purpose of Della Rose’s big question.  She really wanted an assurance that she would see her Mittens again.  Trying to be too logical, my mind remained fixed on her more general question, "Will there be animals in Heaven?”   

My answer was “Yes, I am sure animals will be in Heaven.”
But then, I quickly dashed Della Rose’s hopes by adding,   
“Della, I don’t know if you will see Mittens in Heaven.”
Sadly, she replied, “But Grandpa, I want to see Mittens again.”

Learning More about Heaven
Realizing my inability to comfort her and give hope on that day, I decided to do more study on the subject.  Fortunately, the Bible has much to say about animals.  Randy Alcorn, in his excellent book, Heaven (Tyndale, 2004), states that the Bible portrays animals as Earth’s second most important inhabitants.  God entrusted animals to us, and our relationships with animals are a significant part of our lives (p. 373).  Why wouldn’t animal life also be a part of Heaven?

Before we discuss the future God may have in store for animals, we ought to lay some groundwork to establish God’s plan for humans who will receive the reward of life forever in Heaven.  Two questions are important to consider:  Where will Heaven be?  And, what will the nature of the lives and bodies of God’s redeemed people in Heaven?

The subject of Heaven is vast and is well supported throughout the Bible.  Alcorn’s treatise on Heaven is regarded as one of the best single sources on the subject and I highly recommend the book.  Yet many preachers and teachers seem to shy away from addressing the details of this eternal hope of Christ-followers.  Consequently, many believers lack the knowledge and enthusiasm exuded by men like the Apostle Paul (2 Corinthians 12: 1-4) and the Apostle John (Revelation 21, 22).  Paul said, I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18).

Alcorn attributes our lack of anticipation of Heaven’s glory to both the lack of clear teaching on Heaven, and to the blindness promoted by “the father of lies” (John 8: 44), Satan himself.   Alcorn quotes Revelation 13: 6 which states that the satanic beast opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven.  Here, Alcorn rightly points out that Satan slandered “God’s person, God’s people, and God’s place—namely, Heaven.”

Heaven on the Resurrected Earth
I appreciate that Randy Alcorn’s teaching about Heaven is based on his careful interpretation of Scripture.  After all, “now we know in part” and will not know fully until “the perfect comes and the partial is done away (1 Corinthians 13: 9-10).”  Therefore, I am comfortable with Alcorn’s interpretation of Scripture that locates Heaven on what he calls the “resurrected Earth.”  This view is very consistent with what Jesus taught about Heaven when He prayed, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven (Matthew 6: 10).  Early Christians anticipated the imminence of a New Heaven and a New Earth where righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3: 13).  This claim is reinforced in Old Testament passages like Isaiah 65: 17-19:

For behold, I will create
new heavens and a new earth.
The former things will not be remembered,
nor will they come to mind.
But be glad and rejoice forever
in what I create;
for I will create Jerusalem to be a joy
and its people to be a delight.
I will rejoice in Jerusalem
and take delight in My people.
The sounds of weeping and crying
will no longer be heard in her.

Notice that Isaiah’s prophecy affirms that God will one day come and “rejoice in Jerusalem.” According to Revelation 21:22, God’s beloved “city of peace,” will have no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.  

In his book, Heaven is Place on Earth (Zondervan, 2004), Michael Wittmer states, “The story of Scripture is the story of ‘Emmanuel’, for it describes how God progressively comes to live with us on our planet, at each appearance staying longer and in more permanent form (p. 205).”   Scripture suggests that God is looking forward to the time when His coming to Earth will not be a visit for a few hours like He spent with Abraham (Genesis 18), or for only thirty-three years as He did through the incarnate life of Jesus Christ (Luke 3: 23), or even for 1,000 years of the Millennium (Revelation 20: 4).  He will come to abide forever—then, Emmanuel will literally be “God with us.”

I hope my brief summary of what at least some theologians believe about Heaven will motivate you to read more on the subject and search the Scriptures for confirmation of your belief.  Before considering what God may have in store for the very prominent and valuable part of His creation, namely animal life, we ought to consider what the Bible promises for human life in heaven.

Resurrected Bodies on the New Earth
As I have written in an article entitled, “Recognizing Loved Ones in Heaven,” God’s special revelation in Scripture affirms and complements His natural revelation in creation to teach that resurrected Christ-followers will have new bodies and personality (1 Corinthians 15).  Consider that the resurrected Christ is a “first fruit” or promise of things to follow.  We understand that we will have at least some of His capabilities in our resurrected bodies.  This means we will engage in meaningful worship, work, fellowship, and enjoyment of meals together, even as the resurrected Christ enjoyed with His disciples (John 21). 

It seems logical from Scripture that humans who are created as relational beings in the image of God would enjoy an eternity in intimate relationship with our Creator, with one another, and with God’s creation—including animal life.  Heaven will represent a complete restoration of what was so tragically lost in the Fall of humankind in the Garden of Eden.

With reference to these and many other Scriptures, Alcorn’s vision of Heaven is reflected in a Gospel Coalition interview in which he states (emphasis mine):  What God made us to desire is exactly what he promises to those who follow Jesus Christ: a resurrected life in a resurrected body, with the resurrected Christ on a resurrected earth. Our desires correspond precisely to God’s plans.

Grief Gives Way to the Joy of Heaven
I can understand why both children and adults grieve at the loss of loved ones including their beloved pets.  When a death occurs, an intimate relationship is broken and we feel as if we have lost a part of ourselves.  But for Christ-followers who anticipate a blessed reunion with family members in Heaven, God’s Word offers comfort and assurance that what we hope for will become reality.  As Alcorn believes (emphasis mine), It’s not that we want something, so we engage in wishful thinking.  It’s the opposite—we want real human lives as real embodied people because God has wired us that way, and has always planned for it.

The Bible offers much assurance to Christ-followers of our hope of Eternal Life in Heaven.  But, for a little girl who has lost her kitty, the assurances about human life in Heaven may bring little comfort.  Della Rose’s plea sums up this point: “But Grandpa, I want to see Mittens again.”  

Will there be animals in Heaven?  More specifically, will Della Rose see her beloved Mittens there?  Please stay tuned for Part 2 of “Will We See “Mittens” in Heaven.”

How About You?
The Bible makes it clear that Jesus came into our fallen world to rescue sinners, people whom God’s Spirit has convicted of their sin, or rebellion against God’s authority in their lives.  When a sinner is convicted of his or her sin, repents, and asks Christ to become Lord of their lives, they are assured of Eternal Life in Heaven.   For more specific information on Heaven and the Resurrection of those who have surrendered to Christ, refer to the article entitled, “Recognizing Loved Ones in Heaven.”