All dogs go to heaven

The day after Spider died, my friend Jayne reminded me that we are not going to heaven when Jesus returns; we are going to "a new heaven and a new earth" (Revelation 21:1). Childhood indoctrination into a ghostly afterlife dies hard, but I forcibly realigned my mental imagery with biblical reality: We will walk on solid ground---of sorts. We will have physical bodies---albeit bodies that not only eat fish but walk through walls (Luke 24:36-43, John 20:19).

Physical bodies will, presumably, live on a physical earth (an earth that, presumably, will not throw up weeds where we plant wheat). And it is not surprising that a new earth will teem with creatures at least as delightful as what the old earth teemed with. In Isaiah 65:17-25 and Isaiah 11:6-9 we meet a wolf, a lamb, a lion, an ox, a leopard, a goat, a calf, a cow, and a bear, all hanging out together---and a little child playing with a cobra.

In other words, God is planning to do something similar to what we have known. It will be "new," but not "new."

Here is where English must bow to Greek. Whereas our word "new" is a blunt instrument that we wield indiscriminately for everything that is either brand new or improved, either recent in time or undefiled by use, the Greek mind shows more subtlety. They give us the two words "kainos" and "neos." Jayne explained that the word "kainos," not "neos," is the one used of this future world. It will be new in the sense of replacing the worn out one. There will be a seed of continuity (1 Corinthians 15), not utter discontinuity.

Now what I am trying to figure out is, will Spider be a "neo" Spider or a "kainos" Spider?

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