Chapter 11 Animals

One of the great wonders of creation is that we are not alone. We are surrounded by a staggering spectrum of living beings. Life is all around us in its myriad forms.

A question for many people is whether animals will feature in the afterlife. We are absolutely sure that they will and have taken delight in including them in Hope for Everyone. For example, we believe that animals are sometimes the key to unlocking love inside the human heart, as they may have provided more affection and faithful companionship than any human relationship in a person’s life. This is certainly true for Yuri, the former gangster and drug dealer in our story, and it is the reason why Jesus presents him with his beloved German Shepherd dog, Gulag, at their first meeting on the new earth. 

The logic of love here is quite simple. If the meaning of life is love, then why wouldn’t we be reunited eventually with every creature we have loved? Surely the creator of all things, if he so wishes, is able to breathe an animal’s spirit back into a new body? For many people, animal companionship in the form of cherished pets or working animals has been integral to their experience of life. And many others have a deep appreciation of the amazing wildlife with which we share planet Earth.

The Old Testament prophets in the Bible use animal imagery to describe the ages to come, when ‘the wolf will lie down with the lamb’ and all living beings will live in peace together (Isaiah 11:6-9). Thus, we envisage a time when the circle of life based on predator and prey that characterises this age will be replaced with a more harmonious ecosystem in which the diet for all sentient creatures is food from non-sentient ingredients, for example plants and fungi. And since we believe that on the new earth humans will no longer have the desire to procreate and that our desires to protect and prosper will become aligned with God’s will, why would that not also be true for all sentient creatures? Yes, this could be taking things too literally, but within the logic of love we believe it is possible to imagine such a future for God’s creatures.

In Hope for Everyone, while some animals roam the vast expanses of the new earth, we have included scenes in which some live in close proximity with humans and enjoy being cared for by them. We can also imagine working relationships with animals that are non-exploitative and enjoyed by both humans and our animal partners.

We have also included creatures that are unlike anything we have seen on this Earth. The Bible alludes to such beings and includes surprisingly detailed descriptions (Isaiah 6:1-7). In our story, Cedric the seraphim is loosely based on this description in Isaiah; he provides winged transport for Jesus and several other characters and also keeps watch over Yuri’s community, ready to intervene if its residents overstep the bounds set by God on the new earth. 

We believe it would be arrogant to make creation only about humanity. God has created a world in which myriad species can flourish in abundance and our vision of a possible future includes them in the unfolding story of unfailing love.