Raabe, Daddy, Will Animals Be in Heaven?
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In this Concordia Pages Dr. Raabe has us focus on the earth as a new creation. He says “‘Daddy, will animals be in heaven?’ That is a common question and a good question. It gets at the big picture. What does the post-resurrection look like? What kind of eschatological future do you lay out before your people? What do you teach your people?”
Concordia Pages is a series of shorter articles and essays available as PDFs for individual study or small group discussions in congregations, Bible studies, or among church workers (such as Winkel conferences in LCMS circles).
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Scott A Lemmermann January 4, 2022
Dr. Peter Kurowski handles this in His book, Animals in Heaven; Pets in Paradise.
Rick Strickert January 4, 2022
Dr. Paul Raabe: “Part of my purpose here is to reopen this debate. Will terra firma and space come to an end?… Or is the narrative’s goal a new creation, heaven on earth where God’s immediate, visible presence will dwell among his people? Will there be the new physical earth, terra firma with trees and animals?”
In addition to the question of whether trees and animals will be in the new “heaven on earth”, one can ask whether potassium-40, carbon-14, uranium-235, and similar radioactive isotopes will exist in the “heaven on earth.” Also, one might ask more cosmological questions, such as will planets, stars, comets, black holes, and galaxies exist in the “new heaven”?
And then, unless one holds the view that intelligent biological life does not exist elsewhere in the universe, a person might ask whether intelligent biological life will exist in the “new heaven”?
John Tape January 5, 2022
This is a great article. Thank you Dr. Raabe for writing it. I agree there will be animals at the end when all is made new. But the question remains, what about Fido, this one particular beagle who knows me and loves me? He lived with me for 15 years as an important family member. Will he be resurrected? Will he remember me and know me? Will I see Fido again, or will I meet some new dog I did not live with?