Will Animals Be In Heaven?

"My parents told me animals will not be in heaven but I think they will" ( said to me by a young girl yesterday)

Will animals be in heaven?  What about my pet dog?  My dog died last week and a group of children started talking about the loss of their pets and would they see their pet in heaven?  To young children, this is an important question and to serious adult pet people, it may be a serious one to them as well.

One precious young girl said this to me yesterday in regard to death and people and pets.  "If you carry them in your heart then you take them to heaven with you.  If they are in your heart, they are with you forever."  I'd rather hear the theology of children at times than the more "mature" adult ways of thinking on topics such as these.  I love children and how they think at times amazes me in their profound simplicity and child-like wonder and awe of God's universe.

When we think of animals being in heaven, one response is the Bible is silent.  We do not really know definitely one way or another.  But if one digs a little deeper into Scripture, it is interesting how important animals are from creation to Christ's birth to new creation.  We have a great cloud of witness of saints who have already died as the writer of the book of Hebrews says but we also have a great cloud of witnesses of animals that have surrounded us from the beginning.

If God saved the animals on the ark, who knows about heaven?  And if one thinks about heaven, is not the new heaven and new earth joined together?  If might be hard to think of animals in heaven for some folks but nobody has difficulty thinking of animals on earth or a new earth. 

All I know is all of creation is united together by God's love so like the little girl who spoke of her love for animals, I suspect we will experience animals in a greater way just like we will experience relationships in a greater way in heaven or should I say a new heaven on a new earth.