CHAPTER 6
Seven on Heaven
Top Questions about Eternal Life with God
In a day when speculation about heaven runs rampant, I've found it both exciting and refreshing to carefully examine what Scripture says.
RANDY ALCORN," CURIOUS QUESTIONS ABOUT HEAVEN"
When the topic is heaven, questions proliferate. The image of a new heaven and a new earth stimulates our imagination, piques our curiosity, spurs us to search the Scriptures, and makes us hunger all the more for that day when the Lord "will wipe every tear" from our eyes and "there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain."
And since I had unfettered access to a world-class biblical scholar like Scot McKnight, the journalist in me couldn't resist exploring seven nettlesome questions about what lies beyond this world. With McKnight's consent, I flipped my legal pad to a fresh page and, pen in hand, resumed our conversation in the comfortable lounge of a small suburban Chicago church.
But I didn't start with the most theologically significant issue—or the most profound or even the most consequential. Instead, I began with the question that almost always comes up when talking to any audience.
Question #1: Will There Be Pets in Heaven?
For McKnight, it was a black Labrador named Sam. For me, it was a giant poodle named Nikki. Childhood pets are warm and wonderful companions—but will we see them again in heaven?
"Sam used to go on my paper route with me," recalled McKnight. "But he had the instinct of a retriever, so at first when I'd throw a paper, he'd run after it and bring it back to me."
Whether it's a kitten or a hamster, a chinchilla or a parakeet, most families have a furry, feathery, or scaly friend that endears itself to kids and parents alike. Our hearts say we'd love to see them again in eternity, but what do the biblical facts say? Is the title of the animated film All Dogs Go to Heaven a theologically correct assertion?
"As far as animals in general, yes, I believe the new heaven and new earth will be populated by all sorts of wildlife," McKnight told me. "Predators and prey will be at peace. Isaiah says that '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.' What God makes, God perfects. And what God has made for our world today, he will perfect in the world to come."
"But what about my dog and yours?" I asked. "Will specific pets greet us in the final heaven?"
Popular opinion seems to say yes. A survey of the oldest pet cemetery in America, where seventy thousand animals are buried, showed that before the 1980s almost no inscriptions mentioned any hope of heaven for Fido. But since the 1990s, gravestones often "express the owner's belief in an afterlife for the pets, as well as the expectation, or at least the hope, that owners and pets will be reunited in the afterlife."
McKnight's response was a smile. "When the theologian Rich Mouw was a kid, he asked his mom whether pets will be in heaven—and when Mouw was a father, his son asked him the same question. In both cases, the answer was, 'Well, dogs don't have souls, you see. But anything is possible with God. He will do what is best for us.'
"And he will do what's best for us," McKnight said. "I'm convinced that heaven will not be a duller place than this world, and I think the world would be duller without pets. While our focus in heaven won't be on pets, I believe it would be just like God to have our dogs there for us."
"But no cats," I stressed.
"Absolutely. No cats. That goes without saying."
Scrappy and Scupper
Though kidding about kittens, McKnight's cautious optimism on the topic is the same assessment of many Christian thinkers. Asked about pets in heaven, philosopher Peter Kreeft playfully replied, "Why not?" He pointed to Psalm 36:6, which some scholars translate, "You save humans and animals alike, O LORD."
Said Kreeft, "We were meant from the beginning to have stewardship over the animals; we have not fulfilled that divine plan yet on earth; therefore it seems likely that the right relationship with animals will be part of Heaven ... And what better place to begin than with already petted pets?"
What about Joni Eareckson Tada's pet schnauzer, Scrappy? "If God brings our pets back to life, it wouldn't surprise me," she said. "It would be just like him. It would be totally in keeping with his genuine character ... Exorbitant. Excessive. Extravagant in grace after grace. Of all the dazzling discoveries and ecstatic pleasures heaven will hold for us, the potential of seeing Scrappy would be pure whimsy—utterly, joyfully, surprisingly superfluous."
Hank Hanegraaff, the longtime Bible Answer Man, points out that animals populated the Garden of Eden, "thus there is a precedent for believing that animals will populate Eden restored, as well." While he said we can't know for certain if specific pets will be resurrected for eternity, "I for one am not willing to preclude the possibility."
Absent specific biblical teaching on the topic, theologian Alan Gomes is more circumspect. "Some verses and biblical themes imply that there may well be animals in the ES [eternal state]," he said. However, he added, "If there are animals on the new earth, it is unlikely that they would be the same animals that existed on this earth. That is, God would create new animals, not resurrect previously existing ones."
However, Gomes admitted that he lacked personal interest in the issue, since he's only "modestly fond" of his pet parakeet, Scupper. "Emotionally speaking," he said, "I really do not have a dog in this fight."
Philosopher J. P. Moreland offers both good and bad news. The good news is that although our pets don't have complex souls like humans, who are uniquely made in God's image, there is biblical evidence that they do possess some sort of rudimentary soul.
The bad news: "I don't think the animal soul outlives its body. I could be wrong, but I think the animal soul ceases to exist at death."
I hope he's wrong—for Sam and Nikki's sake. Oh, and Scrappy. And even a marginally appreciated parakeet named Scupper.
Question #2: Will There Be Marriage in Heaven?
When Leslie and I got married in 1972, we pledged to love and care for each other "as long as we both shall live." That's standard verbiage in wedding vows, but does it suggest our marital relationship will end abruptly at the grave?
Well, yes, say many Christian thinkers. They teach that there will be no marriage or families in the final heaven. For example, Colleen McDannell and Bernhard Lang summarize Augustine's teaching this way: "All special attachments [marriage, family, friendships] will be absorbed into one comprehensive and undifferentiated community of love."
Randy Alcorn, whose book Heaven is a mega bestseller, put it this way: "In heaven, there will be one marriage, not many. That marriage will be what earthly marriage symbolized and pointed to, the marriage of Christ to his bride [the church]. So we will all be married—but to Christ."
From scholars to popular authors, the issue of whether there is marriage in heaven often gets an unambiguous reply. "Fortunately, the Son of God himself answered this question as clearly and simply as anybody could. And his answer is a resounding, 'no,'" said Alan Gomes, a professor at Talbot School of Theology.
Mark Hitchcock, pastor of an Oklahoma church and author of several books, couldn't agree more: "Jesus clearly stated that marriage as we know it here on earth will not carry over to the hereafter."
I mentioned this conclusion to McKnight, and I watched as a skeptical look slowly spread over his face. He cleared his throat. "Well," he said, "I respectfully disagree."
I settled deeper into my chair, wishing I had some popcorn. This is gonna get interesting, I mused.
"For They Are like the Angels"
Everything hinges on a passage recorded in all three Synoptic Gospels. The Sadducees, a religious sect that didn't believe in the resurrection, was trying to put before Jesus a conundrum that would cast doubt on the resurrected life.
As usual, Jesus beat them at their own game. He quoted from their Torah to affirm the resurrection. In response to a question about marriage that the Sadducees were attempting to trick him with, Jesus responded, "When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven."
"That seems pretty clear-cut to a lot of people," I said to McKnight.
McKnight held up his hand. "Hold on a minute," he replied. "If Jesus had wanted to teach that there would be no marital life in heaven, he could have said it more clearly. He could have said, 'Read my lips: No marriages or families in heaven.' But he didn't. He said people 'will neither marry nor be given in marriage.' The first part—'will neither marry'—refers to the groom, and the second part—'be given in marriage'—refers to the bride being given away.
"What is he really saying? He's saying there won't be weddings or new marriages in heaven. He doesn't say anything about whether people who are married now will remain in a married state in the final heaven. He's just saying there won't be any new marriages there. Why? He says because 'they will be like the angels in heaven.'"
I interrupted. "Some commentators say angels don't have a gender, so this fits with the idea of no marriages in heaven."
McKnight picked up his Bible and opened it to the gospel of Luke. "Luke's account adds an important clue. Jesus is quoted there as saying that people in heaven 'can no longer die; for they are like the angels.' Jesus is emphasizing that angels live forever. A major reason for marriage is procreation to continue one's lineage, but in heaven people are eternal, so no one will need to procreate in order to continue the family line. Thus, there won't be a need for new marriages in heaven."
He closed the Bible and continued. "This is the key text people cite against marital relationships in heaven, but as you can see, it doesn't say that marriages and families from this world won't stay intact in the final heaven. Consequently, I believe marriages and families will exist in heaven—and like everything else, they will be so much better than they are now."
McKnight offered much to ponder. As someone whose marriage for almost fifty years has been wonderful and fulfilling, I would certainly look forward to continuing in a marital relationship with Leslie forever in the world to come.
But even if Alcorn, Gomes, and Hitchcock are correct that marriage itself won't continue, that wouldn't diminish the joy of heaven. "Couples who shared the closest intimacy on earth will continue to know, treasure, and appreciate each other in the life of the Lord forever," Hitchcock said. "I plan to spend all of eternity with my wife, Cheryl, in a relationship that goes far beyond anything we have experienced here on earth."
Concluded Gomes, "God takes nothing away from us in the eternal state except to replace it or enhance it with something better. In this instance, it is not that we will love our earthly spouse any less in the eternal state than we do now, but that we will love everyone in the eternal state to a degree unfathomable and unattainable at present."
Question #3: Will There Be Rewards in Heaven?
Will everyone be equal in heaven, or will some Christians be more rewarded than others?