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HEAVEN – 5



Is it true? Do all dogs go to heaven? Here’s what we can know...


Jesus promised the criminal that hung beside Him that they would soon meet in Paradise. As I wrote earlier, Jesus used a word that had been borrowed from the Persians. It was originally used to describe the beautiful botanical gardens surrounding the emperor’s palace. Could it be that Jesus was hinting about a heaven that will be Eden-like?


We know that the Garden of Eden was filled with “every tree pleasing in appearance and good for food” (Genesis 2:9, CSB) and that “livestock” and “wild animals” (Genesis 2:20, CSB) were present.


Isaiah foresaw a day when “The wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the goat. The calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf will be together, and a child will lead them. The cow and the bear will graze, their young ones will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like cattle” (Isaiah 11:6–7, CSB). It seems apparent that Heaven will be a physical place with living creatures, and that might include your favorite old pooch. Maybe.


Here’s another thing to ponder...


In the great Revelation, John “saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:1, CSB). John saw the re-creation, a beautifully renewed and redeemed Heaven and Earth.


Isaiah had also seen it. He prophesied that God “will create new heavens and a new earth; the past events will not be remembered or come to mind” (Isaiah 65:17 (CSB). Peter wrote of something similar. “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed. Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, it is clear what sort of people you should be in holy conduct and godliness as you wait for the day of God and hasten its coming., Because of that day, the heavens will be dissolved with fire and the elements will melt with heat. But based on his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:10-13, CSB).


I know that Heaven will not be boring. We’re not going to stand around singing Kumbaya for a jillion millennia. Heaven will be a place of excitement and adventure, a place of joy, fellowship, worship and service... forever.


God promised, “Look, I am making everything new” (Revelation 21:5, CSB). I’m ready. “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20, CSB).




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