It was our final day in Maui. That morning I asked the Lord, knowing full well there are countless things far more important, if He would graciously allow me to see something in the water I’d never seen before.

God is so gracious to give us animals. In Genesis 1 and 2, one of the first responsibilities given to the first man and woman was to care for the animals.

Christ proclaims from his throne on the New Earth: “Behold, I am making all things new” (Revelation 21:5, ESV). It’s not just people who will be renewed but also the earth and “all things” in it. Do “all things” include animals? Yes. Horses, cats, dogs, deer, dolphins, and squirrels—as well as the inanimate creation—will be beneficiaries of Christ’s death and resurrection.

Question from a reader:

I have been having a VERY hard time with sorrow this week. I’m a Christian and am having such great difficulty with the suffering and death of animals everywhere. I can’t find peace. I have prayed for understanding and peace. I have begun to realize it is the curse of sin. How do I stop the pain and find peace?

Randy discusses what Scripture says about animals in Heaven, from an interview with pastor Greg Laurie at Harvest Church in Riverside, CA, November 2011.

In this 5-minute video, Randy Alcorn talks about Romans 8:18-22, which says that the whole creation was subject to suffering and futility because of human sin. Creation is under man’s dominion and will share the rewards of his redemption just as it shared the punishment for his sin.

There is no indication that animals have eternal souls. However, God is perfectly capable of recreating (not the same as resurrecting) an animal who has died. 

If the New Earth is all the best of the old earth and more, then we should expect it to contain animals.

Throughout Scripture we read that animals praise God. I don't know exactly how animals praise God, but our inability to understand it shouldn't keep us from believing it.