Will Our Pets Be in Heaven With Us?

One question that many Christians have asked over the years is whether or not do our pets or any animals go to heaven?

For those of you who have researched this topic, I am sure you have seen many of the different opinions on this question.

Many Christians believe that God will allow our pets to cross over into heaven after they die so they can be with us for all of eternity. However, just as many other Christians do not believe that any of our pets will be crossing over to be with us.

So what does the Bible have to say on this issue?

After studying the possible verses on this question, it is my own personal opinion that God does not specifically say one way or the other whether or not any of our own personal pets will be crossing over with us.

And many of the Bible theologians and scholars also agree with this opinion, as they too could not find any verses per se that will definitely answer this question for us.

However, when you put all of these verses together on this topic, I believe there might be a little clue in all of this that might possibly give us the answer. Again, this will just be my own personal opinion on this after putting all of these Scripture verses together like you would pieces to a jigsaw puzzle.

The Bible says we will only “know in part” while we are living down here on this earth, and I am afraid this question is probably one of those questions that we will have to wait until we get into heaven to see who had the right answer.

The best we can do down here is to put all of the Scripture verses together on this topic and then make our own speculative guess as best we can, and then we will see who was right on this issue once we all enter into heaven.

For those of you who would like to take a real good look at this question from the different Bible verses that we have on this topic, follow me very closely.

I believe there may be a big clue in the verses I will list below, along with how God has the “big picture” all set up with us.

Get ready to play detective on this, as the Bible tells us in Proverbs 25:2 that it is the glory of God to conceal a matter and the glory of a king to search out a matter.

Just maybe this particular question is one of these matters, and the answer to this question may have been possibly staring at us right in the face all along.

1. There Were Definitely Animals in the Garden of Eden

The first thing to grab a hold of on this question is that there were definitely animals and various types of living creatures in the first environment that God had created for Adam and Eve. In fact, God had literally created the animals before He had created Adam and Eve.

I believe God did this so Adam and Eve would have everything they would need to be happy and fulfilled in the new life that He was going to give them.

If animals were not going to be fully enjoyed by Adam and Eve and everyone to follow after them, then God would have never created them in the first place. The fact that God had created animals and all of these living creatures in the first type of environment He had set up for us tells me that He felt they were very important in the big-picture, eternal scheme of things. Otherwise He would have never bothered to create any of them in the first place.

Here are the first set of verses showing how God had created all of the living creatures that have ever been on our earth:

So the evening and the morning were the fourth day. Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.”

So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”

So the evening and the morning were the fifth day. Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind,” and it was so.

And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Then God said, “Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all of the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” (Genesis 1:19-26)

So on the 4th and 5th days of creation, God created all of the living creatures, both in the waters, in the air, and on the ground. And not only did God personally create all of these living creatures, but He also gave man complete dominion over all of them.

Again, if God did not think animals, fish, and birds were not real important in the big-picture, eternal scheme of things, He would have never created them in the first place. This account of how all of these animals were created by Him tells us that this is a very big deal with Him, and that He wanted all of these types of living creatures to be living with us on this earth.

2. There May Be Animals in Heaven

And not only did God make sure to put all of these different kinds of animals and living creatures upon our earth, but there may also be animals living right now up in heaven. How do we know this?

Because there is one verse in particular that is telling us that when Jesus gets ready to come back to us in His 2nd coming, He will be coming back down to us riding on a white horse. And not only will He be riding on a white horse, but so will all of the saints who will be coming back down with Him.

And if Jesus and all of these saints are going to be coming down from heaven riding on these white horses, then this tells me that there literally has to be white horses up in heaven right now. And if there are at least white horses up in heaven right now, then there could easily be other types of animals and creatures living up there as well.

Here is the verse that will show you that Jesus will literally be coming back down to our earth riding on a white horse, along with the rest of His saints:

“Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns.

He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called the Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.” (Revelation 19:11-14)

Another very good verse showing that horses were coming down from heaven is when Elijah saw a chariot of fire with horses of fire coming directly at him. This is when Elijah literally gets raptured up into heaven. Here is the verse:

“Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.” (2 Kings 2:11)

And not only does God have at least white horses, if not possibly other animals living up in heaven right now – and not only did God start everything off by allowing all kinds of animals and living creatures to live with Adam and Eve – but now He is going to take it one more step further.

3. We Still Have Animals Living With Us Even After the Fall

As we all know, Adam and Eve ended up blowing the perfect paradise that God had set up for them to live in. After they had disobeyed God by eating off the one forbidden tree He told them to stay away from, they were then cast out of the Garden of Eden and our entire earth then fell under a curse.

However, even though Adam and Eve and everyone to follow after them lost this original perfect paradise that God had set up for them, God still keeps all of these living creatures on our earth. And today, we still have many of these same living creatures living among us, both in the waters, in the air, and on the land.

Again, if all these animals and living creatures were not important to God in the big-picture, eternal scheme of things, He could have easily taken all of them away from Adam and Eve after He had cast them out of the Garden of Eden. But He didn’t.

And not only did God not take these animals away from us, but He also did not take them away from us when He decided that He was going to wipe out all of mankind with a flood with the exception of Noah and his family.

As we all know, God had Noah put all of these animals by way of two of a kind on his ark so they would all be perfectly preserved when He unleashed this big flood upon our earth.

Again, if God did not think the animals and living creatures He had created at the beginning were important, He would have never had Noah put them on the boat to save and preserve them. For God to go to this extreme length in order to save all of these living creatures shows us how much God really does love and care for all of the animals that He has personally created.

4. There Will Be Animals in the Coming Millennium Kingdom

So not only does God put animals upon our earth at the time He created our earth – and not only does God keep all of these animals upon our earth after Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden – but now God is going to take it one more step further.

He is still going to allow animals to exist in the coming millennium kingdom where His Son Jesus will be ruling our entire earth from the city of Jerusalem. Here is the verse that will prove this to you:

“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; … and the lion shall eat straw like the ox, the nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” (Isaiah 11:6-9)

Chances are, if there are going to be wolves, leopards, lambs, goats, calfs, lions, and cobra snakes in this coming millennium kingdom, then there are probably going to be a lot of the other animals that God has created in the past as well. And also notice that the wild animals existing in this coming kingdom will not be wild or attacking anyone like many of them do today.

5. Will There Be Animals in the The New Heaven and New Earth?

And this now brings us to the real heart of this question.

As we all know, the final ending for us as Christians will be God the Father forming out a New Heaven and a New Earth after the 1000 year millennial reign of Jesus has ended. After that 1000 millennial reign has ended, God will then be forming out a New Heaven and New Earth, where He Himself will then be coming down upon our earth.

And when God the Father then comes down upon our earth, He will be bringing with Himself the city of the New Jerusalem which is up in heaven right now. And once He comes down upon our earth with both Himself and this new holy city, both He and Jesus will then rule our entire earth forever and ever from this New Jerusalem.

Conclusion

1.  The Bible does not say one way or the other whether or not we will be having any animals and creatures living with us in this final chapter – the New Heaven and the New Earth. This is where we will just have to make our own speculative type of guess.

Though we do not have any specific verses definitely answering this question one way or the other, the answer may possibly be in the verses already laid down on this subject.
Consider this very carefully:

• If God already has at least white horses living up in heaven right now
• And if God made sure to create a wide variety of animals and creatures when He first created our world
• And if God allowed us to keep those animals and creatures upon our earth after the fall of Adam and Eve
• And if God is still going to allow some of these animals and creatures to be living among us in the coming 1000 year Millennium Kingdom
• Then is it logical to assume that God will CONTINUE THIS PATTERN and allow all of these animals and creatures to continue to live with us in the coming New Heaven and New Earth?

I believe the answer to this question is a big fat yes – that God will continue this pattern and allow all kinds of these animals and creatures to still live among us.

I think the possible “tell” on all of this is the “pattern” that God has been operating on since He had created Adam and Eve and our entire world. If God started everything off with different types of animals and creatures living among us, then I believe He will end it the exact same way He started it – with all of these different kinds of animals and creatures still living among us.

2.  But will this also include all of the pets we were close to and attached to while living down here on this earth?

God obviously would have no problems in allowing all of these different kinds of animals and creatures to continue to reproduce in all of these different eras, but what about all of our pets that have already died while we were living down here on this earth?

Again, there are no specific verses answering this question directly. But if you take the above pattern that we are dealing with from God the Father in that He is allowing all kinds of different animals and creatures to continue to live among us as we go from one different era to another – will He now go one more extra step for many of us who were close to our pets, and resurrect that pet for us so we can live with that pet for all of eternity in heaven, and then eventually in the New Heaven and New Earth?

Again, this is just my own speculative guess, but I believe there may be a very good chance that He will do this. Why?

One, because He is our heavenly Father who has nothing but our best interests at heart and wants nothing more than to show us how much He really does love and care for all of us.

Two, the Bible says in Luke 1:37 that nothing is impossible with God. And if nothing is impossible with God, then He could easily resurrect any of our dead pets from the grave and bring them back to life in some type of spiritual, flesh-and-bone body like what we will all be given after we die and cross over.

The Bible says that flesh and “blood” cannot enter into heaven, but a new flesh-and-bone body can. When Jesus was given His brand new glorified body, it was not only a glorified, spiritual body, but it was also a physical, flesh-and-bone body, but with no blood in it. In the same way, we will all be given the same type of body Jesus has been given, a new glorified, spiritual, physical, flesh-and-bone body with no blood in it.

So who is to say that God could not do the exact same thing with any of our pets so they will be able to live with us in heaven and then eventually in the New Heaven and New Earth for all of eternity?

Though Jesus did not die on the cross for animals and all of these different types of creatures, God can still add them back into the mix in the new environment we will all be getting with Him. Two verses that may be telling us that even animals and all the creatures that God has made may end up living with us for all of eternity are the following two verses:

• “… as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying; “The voice of one crying in the wilderness:’Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill brought low; and the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'” (Luke 3:4-6)
• “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.” (Romans 8:20-22)

The two key words in the first verse is that “all flesh” shall see the salvation of God. Do these two words also include animals as well as the human race? If this verse is to be interpreted very literally, then these two key words could also be referring to the animal kingdom as well as to the human race.

The key phrase in the second verse is “because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” Does the word “creation” also include all of the living animals and creatures God has ever created? If so, this verse could line up with the first verse in that all of God’s creation will see His salvation upon this earth in the coming New Heaven and New Earth Kingdom.

Two other good verses that might be showing us that God will be saving our animals are the following:

• “Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O Lord, You preserve man and BEAST.” (Psalm 36:6)
• Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying: “And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you, and with EVERY LIVING CREATURE that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth.Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall ALL FLESH be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and EVERY LIVING CREATURE that is with you, for perpetual generations.”

  … And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and ALL FLESH that is on the earth.” (Genesis 9:8-17)

The second verse is very interesting. This is the verse where God is telling Noah that never again will He destroy the earth by way of a flood. And not only does this include the human race, but it also incudes “every living creature” that is on our earth.

If animals were not important to God, why would He be including them in this incredible covenant He is making with all of mankind?

Also notice in the last verse with Noah that God is using the words, “all flesh,” two different times. Do those two words line up with the same two words in the verse from Luke 3:4, where it says that “all flesh” shall see the salvation of God?

If there is one other verse that I would hang my hat on for the argument that our pets could possibly be resurrected for us, it would be this verse:

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” (Psalm 84:11)

The three key words in this verse are “no good thing” will God withhold from us. And with God knowing how much we really loved and cherished some of the pets we had while living down here on this earth, I cannot help but wonder if God will want to bring some of these pets back to life for us again so He can show us how much He really does love us.

As many of you already know, animals such as dogs and cats are very, very special. The way they were created, how different they all look, how they all have different personalities, and how they all add that extra element of love and surprise into our lives.

And again, God already knew all of this before He even created us. And that is why I believe He created all of these different kinds of animals and creatures before He even created us, because He knew how much we would really love, enjoy, and appreciate some of them.

3.  To conclude:

• When God establishes a covenant with both man and all of the living creatures He has made in that He will never destroy them again with a flood, and then He uses the words “all flesh” in that verse to describe that this covenant is with the both man and animals
• And then He says in Luke 3:4 that “all flesh” shall see the salvation of God, those same words “all flesh” could once again be referring to both man and the animals since that is what God is directly referring to on the covenant He makes with all of us after the flood
• And then He tops it off with the verse from Romans 8:20 in that “the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” Is He talking about all of the animals when He uses the words that “the creation itself” will be set free?

I think that He may well be and we thus may have three very good verses that will show us that all of the animals and living creatures God has made will also be saved and thus will have eternal life in the coming New Heaven and New Earth.

Again, all of the above is just my own personal opinion on this topic. With so many people having a real interest in this topic, I thought I would take a look at this to see if there were any clues with the verses that might possibly answer this question.

We will see what the real truth is once we all enter into heaven and the Lord aswers all of our questions and we see exactly what is on the other side.

So what are your thoughts about do animals go to heaven?