Life's Decision

 

 

LIFE’S DECISIONS

    Sorry for the delay in posting on the blog in a few weeks.  Life sometimes makes us busier than we really think are necessary and time just gets away from us.  Since I was a very young person, and I do mean a young person I have always asked and been asked  the question of when animals die to they go to Heaven?  Will they be there when we get there?  I have heard many answers to this question and many different opinions. 

    In “The Complete Bible Answer Book,” by Hank Hanegraaff,  he writes this:

 

    “Scripture does not conclusively tell us whether our pets will make it to heaven. However, the Bible does provide us with some significant clues regarding whether or not animals will inhabit the new heaven and the new earth.

    First, animals populated the Garden of Eden. Thus, there is a precedent for believing that animals will populate Eden Restored as well. Animals are among God’s most creative creations. Thus, it would seem incredible that he would banish such wonders in heaven.

    Furthermore, while we cannot say for certain that the pets we enjoy today will be “resurrected” in eternity, I am not willing to preclude the possibility. Some of the keenest thinkers from C. S. Lewis to Peter Kreeft are not only convinced that animals in general but that pets in particular will be restored in the resurrection. If God resurrected our pets, it would be in total keeping with his overwhelming grace and goodness.

    Finally, the Scriptures from first to last suggest that animals have souls. Both Moses in Genesis and John in Revelation communicate that the Creator endowed animals with souls. In the original languages of Genesis 1:20 and Revelation 8:9, nephesh and psyche respectively refer to the essence of life or soul. Not until Descartes and Hobbes and the Enlightenment did people think otherwise about animals. However, because the soul of an animal is qualitatively different from the soul of a human there is reasonable doubt that it can survive the death of its body. One thing is certain: Scripture provides us with sufficient precedence for believing that animals will inhabit the new heaven and new earth. In the words of Isaiah: “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” (Isaiah 11:6).”

    So I think I will hold onto the above writing and especially the writing in Isaiah.  I am sure that you are wondering why I have made this my blog and why I am writing this.  My promise in writing this blog was first to be transparent of the joys and heartaches that we have in our life, so that you would know us better and be able to walk this road with us.   And today we faced the reality that a big part of family we hadto say good bye to...way, way too early.  Loyal, loving, patient, and wonderful. 

    Throughout my life I have been blessed to have some really WONDERFUL pets.  During the near 30 years of marriage to Jeannine, we have been and still are blessed with great animal companions in our marriage and in the lives of our children.   Nothing is more true than with our dog, Rerun.   He was old  for a dog and became riddled with tumors.  Life’s decisions for us was a very tough decision and I pray that what is written above is true, because I really want him to be in Heaven with us because, though we are crying; he is no longer here and in pain today.  We love you Rerun.