Ralph Helfer is one of those famous people very few know
about. He is well known to those who use his services, but they are
so specialized that most of us never become aware of his
uniqueness. He has entertained all of us even though we have not
likely ever seen him. Ralph has supplied animal performers for
over 5,000 movies and TV programs. He has won 18 Patsy Awards
for the best animal performer on the screen. He owned and
operated the world's largest wild animal rental company, and is the
founder of Marineworld/Africa USA.
He has revolutionized the animal training industry by rejecting
the old methods of training by fear and violence which had led to
many injuries. Animals were kept under constant threat of
physical abuse if they did not perform. It worked, but as soon as an
animal saw a chance for revenge, he took it, and every trainer had
fingers missing, and a good number of scars, and some were even
killed. He was trained in the old school, and had been clawed by
lions, attacked by bears, bitten by snakes, and nearly suffocated by
a python. He said, "Enough of that," and he developed what he
calls affectionate training in which he uses love, patience,
understanding, and respect, to get animals to perform.
He had the only lion in the world that could play a whole movie
live without a stuffed replica. He posed no danger to anyone. He
knew he was loved and respected, and so he loved and respected in
return, and never gave a scratch to anyone. His lion was the only
one in the world that could be trusted to work with children. He
eliminated the danger of working with animals, and for him, the
day is already here when the lion can lie down with the lamb. Love
doesn't just work on people, it works on any creature that has the
capacity to relate and respond to another creature.
He was mocked and scorned, and called a loony, but when he
proved it could work, everybody wanted his animals, for they could
do what no others could, for they were risk free. By love he lifted
the man-animal relationship to a new level. This should not be
surprising for those who know their Bible, for the God who created
man, and provided for his salvation, is the same God who created
the animals first, and revealed His love for them also again and
again.
God gave man dominion over the animal kingdom, and He
expected man to treat the animals with love and respect. Adam
was given the authority to name all the animals and the birds. We
read in Gen. 2:20, "So the man gave names to all the livestock, the
birds of the air, and all the beasts of the field." Man and animals
were linked from the start to share this earth together, and to be
mutually beneficial. Every time God saved man He also saved the
animal kingdom, for man cannot survive without the animal
kingdom.
So in the flood God saved the animal kingdom. In the exodus out
of Egypt God saved the animals of the Jews. When God spared
Nineveh of its great judgment, He also spared their animals. In
fact, in the last verse of Jonah, God said the reason He had
compassion on that pagan city is because of the 120 thousand babies
and the many cattle. It is strange that God would link babies and
cattle, but they are both in the same category. They are innocent,
and God loves and has mercy on the innocent.
No animal has ever sinned. They are innocent of all wrongdoing.
And they do not need a Savior like man does. They are saved in the
sense of being spared judgment because God loves them, and they
have no reason to be judged. In fact, God says the animal kingdom
is superior to man in the sense that they always obey Him as Lord,
and do not rebel as man does. The prophet Isaiah begins his book
with this lament of God: "Here, O heavens! Listen, O earth! For
the Lord has spoken: I reared children and brought them up, but
they rebelled against me. The ox knows his master, the donkey his
owners manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not
understand."
Because of the greater love and loyalty of animals to their
master there were a number of animal rights laws in the Old
Testament. There were laws for proper killing of them, and for
caring for them when they were injured, and for their proper
feeding. Prov. 12:10 puts it all in a nutshell. "A righteous man
regardeth the life of his beast." That is the KJV. The NIV says, "A
righteous man cares for the needs of his animal." We do not have
time to look at the many texts that deal with animals in the Bible,
but what we want to focus on is the fact that all the evidence
indicates that man will end as he began, in a paradise filled with an
animal kingdom for his enjoyment and excitement.
The man-animal relationship is not just temporal, it is eternal.
Man is not complete without the animal kingdom. Some people do
not like animals very much, but they will in the new heaven and the
new earth, for all that is repulsive or frightening about them will be
gone. Some Christians may not like fruit now, but they will love the
fruit from the Tree of Life that has 12 different kinds of fruit each
year. I would not want any of my grandchildren playing with a
cobra, but in that day I will not be alarmed, for all the hostility and
fear between the animal kingdom and man will be eliminated along
with sin. The point is, do not let your present emotions toward
animals rob you of the joy of knowing you will enjoy the pleasure of
pets for all eternity, even if you don't enjoy them now.
You can dismiss it as mere symbolism that Rev. 19 pictures
Jesus riding out of heaven on a white horse, and the armies of
heaven following Him on white horses, but the fact is, the horse has
always been one of God's favorite animals, and there is every
reason to believe He will have literal horses in heaven, and they will
be enjoyed by God's people for all eternity. If you look up horse
and horsemen in your concordance, you will discover that you could
spend a long time studying all that the Bible says about horses. But
my goal is more general, and it is to convince you that the whole
animal kingdom will be a literal part of the eternal kingdom.
This is not an off the wall, crackpot theory, but the conviction of
the great theologians of the Christian faith. Martin Luther assured
his son Hans that in heaven he would have a nice pony. He was not
just trying to pacify his son, for it was a serious conviction with him,
as we see in the following quote. "Asked whether there will be
animals in paradise, Luther quickly answered: "You must not think
that heaven and earth will be made of nothing but air and sand, but
there will be whatever belongs to it-sheep, oxen, beasts, fish,
without which the earth and sky or air cannot be." He also referred
to insects: "Ants, bugs and all unpleasant stinking creatures will be
most delightful and have a wonderful fragrance." Since everything
will be as it was in Eden, every man will be like Adam who "was
stronger than the lions and the bears, who strength is very great.
He handled them the way we handle puppies."
Calvin agreed with Luther that the plant and animal kingdom
will be perfected, and will continue for eternity. It is inconceivable
that a new earth would be without the plant and animal kingdom.
Paul does not leave us to merely speculate. He tells us point blank
in Romans 8, the creation will be liberated from the bondage due to
man's fall. In other words, the whole creation will be saved. Roses
will no longer decay; rabbits will no longer die, but all creation will
be restored to perfection without any of the effects of sin. In Rom.
8:21 Paul says, "...the creation itself will be liberated from its
bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the
children of God. In the final salvation of man the animal kingdom
will again share in the victory.
In The Yearling by Marjorie Rawlings there is the moving
funeral scene of the pitiful crippled and retarded child called
Fodder-wing. The child had a special love for animals, and they
loved the child, and became his friends. There was no preacher in
that primitive area, and so Benny was asked to say a few words
because he had a Christian upbringing. He began his prayer by
remarks about the wonder of how birds and wild varmints move
freely about Fodder-wing, and then he closed with this paragraph.
"Now you've done seed fit to take him where being crooked in
mind or lame don't matter. But Lord, it pleasures us to think
now you've done straightened him out... It pleasures us to think
on him, moving around as easy as everyone. And Lord, give him
a few red birds, and maybe a squirrel and a coon and a possum to
keep him company, like he had here. We know he will not be
lonesome do he have them leetle wild things around him, if it
ain't asking too much to put a few varmints in heaven. Thy will
be done. Amen."
Some may think this is what you would expect from some
ignorant uneducated hillbilly, but the fact is, the greatest mines
have thought the same way. C. S. Lewis, one of the greatest
Christian minds of the 20th century wrote, "I have been warned
not even to raise the question of animal immortality, lest I find
myself in company with all the old maids. I have no objection to the
company." Lewis joined the ranks of the great who believed God
would save the animal kingdom, and make them a part of our
eternal experience. Lewis felt that our pets would be pets forever.
He was greatly influenced by George MacDonald who felt there
was no reason why God would not raise up those creatures He had
taught His children to love. Love is eternal, and why should any
form of love be eliminated from heaven? It is only sin and evil, and
all of its consequences, that will be eliminated. Nothing good will be
done away with, and so all objects of love will be a part of heaven.
Lewis wrote in his book The Problem of Pain, "pets may have an
immortality, not in themselves, but in the immortality of their
masters." "Very few animals indeed, in their wild state, attain to a
'self' or ego. But if any do, and if it is agreeable to the goodness of
God that they should live again, their immortality would also be
related to man -- not this time to individual masters, but to
humanity."
MacDonald wrote, "Can you imagine that if one asks for a kitten
or pony or dog in heaven the Father will say no? If God gave these
companions to man without his asking for them, will He not grant
them these objects of love when they do ask?" There is much
speculation about the issue of pets in heaven. Osborne Leonard
wrote in My Life In Two Worlds, "When an animal that you have
loved and who has loved you dies, it goes to the third sphere where
somebody takes care of it until you arrive." In Love After Death,
Shaw Desmond insisted that often a pet "is the first to greet us on
the other side of death..."
All we know for sure is that Isaiah in this text tells us the
Messianic Kingdom will be a kingdom where the animals are totally
tame, and a child can play with the most dangerous creatures
without fear, for there will be no harm from the animals in that
ideal kingdom. Since Scripture makes clear the whole creation will
be redeemed, and since it pictures an ideal kingdom as one with
animals, it seems wise to keep open the possibility that pets will be
in heaven. Those who reject the idea do not realize they may be
turning off pet lovers to the Gospel. Pierre Barton, a Canadian
broadcaster, was soured on going to church, and the whole
Christian faith, because he was told that there were no animals
allowed in heaven. He said, I was quite shaken by this revelation.
An afterworld that deprived me of my dog seem to me less than
heaven."
There are a number of books written about the immortality of
the animal kingdom, and about pets being a part of heaven. One of
the most popular is Will I See Fido In Heaven? Here is the
testimony of the author: "Many Christians do not believe that
animals go to Heaven. I have to admit that for more than 40 years,
I was one of them. But one day as I was reading the book of
Romans, I was amazed at what I read. I called some friends and
before long, through various contacts, there was a team of
Christians studying the word of God and delving into old Hebrew
and Greek word study guides to seek the truth. The results were
joyous and shocking. One person, Roger Fritz, delved into every
word, phrase, and sentence making sure we stayed focused on the
mortality and immortality of both man and animals. In comparing
the differences, we discovered God's wondrous design for the
earthly and eternal survival of the lives of every living creature and
the eternal choice man must make concerning his own destination.
It has been a most fascinating journey. We all hope you will have
much fun, joy, laughter, and grow in your knowledge, and Godly
wisdom."
Mary Buddemeyer-Porter
Author of "Will I See Fido in Heaven?"
FR. TED STYLIANOPOULOS writes, ". In Orthodox icons, St.
Gerasimos is shown with a lion. The saint has just pulled a thorn
from the lion's paw, which he holds tenderly. Both the man and the
lion gaze happily toward Christ, who is in heaven. St. Seraphim of
Sarov, who lived in a forest for many years, is shown peacefully
feeding a huge grizzly bear. I have no doubt that these saints would
rejoice in seeing their animal friends in heaven." He goes on to say,
"The book of Genesis says that "God made the wild animals...and
everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw
that it was good" (Genesis 1:25)! In the book of Psalms we read:
"Every wild animal of the forest is mine.... I know all the birds of
the air, and all that moves in the field is mine" (Psalm 50:10).
Would not a loving God want all things that he has made to live
with him forever? A hint of this is in the book of Revelation, which
teaches that evil and the power of death, which are a corruption of
all that is good, will be completely defeated and a new world more
glorious than ours will arise. God's promise is: "See, I make all
things new" (Revelation 21:5)."
Many conclude from this information that God would not
destroy forever what He claimed was very good. Then we also have
this text in Rev. 5:13, "Then I heard every creature in heaven and
on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them,
singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be raise
and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever." If all creatures
will be praising God and the Lamb forever then they have to be a
part of forever. It is a logical conclusion to come to that the animal
kingdom will be a part of the new heaven and new earth.
This subject is very relevant to the millions who love their pets
equal to, and ever better, than family members. Dan Schaeffer in
the best article I have read on the subject, and from which I quote
extensively, and which you can find in the May/June 2001 issue of
The Plain Truth online, reports, "For many people, their most
trusted and loved friends have four legs and a tail. In a "Pet Love
Poll" done by America Online in September 1999, more than
20,000 people were asked: What level of importance does your pet
hold relative to other family members? Do they hold more, equal or
less value? Almost 15 percent of those surveyed said their pets hold
more value than family members, and fully 51 percent said their
pets hold equal value. Only 28 percent said their pets have less
value than their family members.1 It seems that these statistics may
hold true for Christians as well as non-Christians." He goes on to
report of the response that comes when pets are eliminated from
heaven.
"Author and artist Joni Eareckson Tada found out just how
strongly many Christians feel about their animals when she
suggested in her book, Heaven Your Real Home, that pets would
not be resurrected from the dead. She received more critical letters
over one paragraph than all her other writings combined. One
person after another questioned how she could possibly say that
their pets would not be in heaven. After rethinking her position, she
decided, "If God brings our pets back to life, it wouldn't surprise
me. It would be just like him. It would be totally in keeping with his
generous character." She went on to say, "Heaven is going to be a
place that will refract and reflect in as many ways as possible the
goodness and joy of our great God, who delights in lavishing love on
his children. So will pets be in heaven? Who knows?!"
Dan quotes other authorities and animal lovers: "The Reverend
Brian T. McSweeney, vice chancellor of the Catholic Archdiocese
of New York, contends that by virtue of their relationship with
humans, dogs may find themselves in heaven. Though he believes
that heaven was designed for humans, the reason dogs or pets may
be there is for us, not for themselves. "I would think a loving God
wants us to be happy and allows us to have animals that shared love
with us."
"Having just lost their dog, Star, to cancer recently, Norm and
Karen Rech had strong feelings. While they do not believe that
animals have souls, they do believe there is a place in heaven for
them. "They are still his creations, and we can't see him leaving
them out [of heaven]. Throughout the Bible God uses animals to
communicate with people, such as the dove and the donkey. Isn't
that another indication that animals have a special place in God's
heart and, therefore, a place in heaven?" While Norm and Karen
admit that their belief may just be based on wishful thinking, they
nevertheless conclude, "We love animals and know God does, too,
or he wouldn't have created them for us to use for our needs, but
also to enjoy as companions."
"Popular Christian author and speaker, Sigmund Brouwer,
articulated the obvious. "I would really have a tough time
committing either way, but I would want to believe it [that animals
went to heaven]." Brouwer shares a personal story that reinforces
the difficulty this issue raises. His wife's nieces had two little kittens,
which were killed by dogs. The girls, ages seven and nine, were
understandably upset, so Brouwer's wife Cindy, and her sister, had
a funeral for the kittens and prayed over them. The mother assured
the girls that the little kitties were indeed going to heaven. At that
point the youngest said, "Good, and I hope those dogs are going to
hell!"
In this excellent article Dan goes on to describe people with dogs
that are a pain, and who are full of mischief, and so they hope they
are not in heaven. He raised many complex questions that are hard
to answer if pets are in heaven. But he concludes, "It seems,
ultimately, what a person believes is strongly influenced by the
nature of their relationship to pets or the animal world. The
stronger their "emotional resonance" with an animal, as Sigmund
Brouwer puts it, the more likely they are to want to see their pets in
heaven, and vice-versa. It appears that at times we are eager to find
in scripture the answer we are looking for, and whether you believe
pets will be in heaven or not, scripture provides hope, for it neither
affirms nor denies the possibility."
There is no need to deprive anyone of their hope for pets in
heaven since it has been the hope of many of the great and small in
the Christian faith. Many testify that heaven will not be heaven
without pets, and that God is not the God of man only, but of all
creatures. John Wesley preached on animal immortality, as have
many others, because it has been a desire of men for all ages. The
ancient Egyptians had replicas of their favorite animals placed in
their burial rooms, for they desired their pets to be with them in the
afterlife. Millions of Christians have felt the same desire. Maybe
we cannot be dogmatic, but since there is nothing to forbid it, and
much to imply it, there is no reason to deny it, but many reasons to
affirm it that pets are forever.
