As we ask the question, “In Heaven, will we be aware of events happening on earth?” we need to answer the question of the significance or insignificance of time in Heaven. We addressed that question as well as the question, “Will there be animals and pets in Heaven?” in Sunday morning’s session.
So, concerning the presence of animals in Heaven, the scripture gives many passages which point out the importance of animals in God’s creation and the value He places on them. From the Creation account to the deliverance of animals on the ark to Jesus himself declaring the care God provides for the birds we see God’s heart when it comes to the animal kingdom.
Pets, however, are not mentioned specifically in scripture largely because people did not keep pets in Israel in the first century, unlike the Roman culture of the day in which the keeping of all kinds of pets was somewhat common. There is the story of Nathan exhorting David and using the tender relationship between a man and his lamb, but that’s about it. So . . . . will there be pets in Heaven? I believe so, but it’s my opinion – not biblical fact.
God has blessed us with animals to enjoy at the beginning of time. Those who are pet owners know that they are blessed by the animals they affectionately consider to be a part of the family. In the 84th Psalm – a Psalm in which David declares the blessings of dwelling in the House of the Lord – David says, “For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.” (Psalm 84:11) That promise of God not withholding any good thing is one that I personally believe could apply to the good thing that God has given us here on earth in the relationship with our pets.
Concerning time – God is timeless. He exists outside of time. And yet we are told very specifically in Revelation that we – being very much tied to time – will dwell with God. We cannot in our space-time continuum conceive of existence outside of time, but it will happen. At that point, events which take place within the space-time continuum here on earth will be viewed from a radically different viewpoint. The insignificance of time in Heaven will be very significant indeed.
This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, May 25, 2025. It is part of a series in a Bible study curriculum called Connect 360, published by the GC2 Press of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The overall title of the current set of lessons is Heaven & Angels: Our Eternal Home and Its Heavenly Hosts. You can find print and digital versions of this series online at https://gc2press.org/heaven-angels-study-guide/ . Handouts with class presentation content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com . Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .
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