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.
Now here is the 50 million dollar question – is God still going to have animals existing and living among us in this New Heaven and New Earth as He has since He had created our world – or will He do away with all of them, including all of the pets we have ever had while living down here on this earth?
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?
I think these two verses are perfectly lining up, thus giving us a very good possibility that all of God’s creation will be saved, thus giving all of the animals and living creatures eternal life in the New Heaven and New Earth we will all be given by the Lord.
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.
Bottom line – if God started everything off at the beginning with this kind of original design in mind, then I personally believe He is going to end it in the exact same way.
In other words, if God started everything off with us having different kinds of animals on our earth, then He will end it with us having these same kinds of animals in the New Heaven and New Earth.
And not only will we be having many of these different kinds of animals still living among us in the New Heaven and New Earth – but for all those who have had pets they were really close to in this life, I believe God will be bringing these special pets back to life for us so we can enjoy them for all of eternity – just like we will be able to enjoy the Lord, His angels, and all of our saved loved ones for all of eternity.
I believe when everything is all finally said and done, we will be made perfectly happy and whole by the Lord.
And having some of the pets we really loved while living down here on this earth will just add that much more into this picture-perfect, fairy tale ending for all of us. As such, I believe the pets we were really close to in this life will be with us for all of eternity once we all end up in the New Heaven and the New Earth.
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?
Michael, great website. There might be a verse that describes animals in heaven in addition to horses. Revelation 5:13. “every creature which is in heaven.” What do you think? Blessings, Mike
I personally believe as well that our pets will be in heaven; however, the verse quoted above “•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,” has me a bit confused as some bible verses do.
Here this verse in Luke says ALL FLESH…what about those with flesh that DO NOT BELIEVE? Where does that leave them? All Flesh means All flesh so does that mean those who do not believe ARE also going to see salvation? These types of verses confuse me to death! If you could please elaborate, I’d surely appreciate it! Thanks!
Mary,
When the Bible says “all flesh” as far as humans are concerned, it is those that are saved and born again through Jesus. As we know, unbelievers will not be saved so they are not included in this verse.
Mike
Hear hear Mary. Had the same thought when I read that. I think something to consider is that while man and animal are subjected to the curse of death pronounced in creation, animals are innocent, having never sinned, like Jesus never sinned. It doesn’t answer your and my question but I think it’s worth keeping in mind. Babies don’t go to hell because they never had the chance to reject Christ. They couldn’t choose. Same with animals. Totally innocent and when you consider the unconditional love our beloved pets show us, how is that not a reflection of the nature of God… Unconditional love.
@Mary, I think this means “all flesh” as in “man and animals”. Unfortunately, we know that some of us (humans) will not be going to heaven, or be included in the “new Heavens and a new earth”, but I believe that is a different subject and veers off into a different direction.
@Reggie, I totally agree. But as we know all flesh dies mean all flesh that have received his salvation as well as pets who are actually more close to Gods image because they are as baby’s they had no chance to reject him. Their love being unconditional is a love only God can truly give us. That’s pretty reward worthy I think. For my fur babies next to their favorite treat is my love I gave them. Hopefully God will give them the reward they need and want. Our love and the love of their maker, our Heavenly Father.
@Reggie, that’s the way I feel and think, too. Furthermore, the Almighty Lord God is the very Author of Love, Mercy, and Grace….as so perfectly stated in John 3:16. Where did John’s inspiration come from?…none other than God, the Holy Spirit. Of note, notice the parallelism within the first epistle of John- 1 John 1:9….’If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.’
Relativity.
God Bless, Reggie!
I think this page has convinced me that my beloved pets, and the birds that lived in our yard (Who were like pets; we fed them every day and visited with them) will be there in heaven with me when Jesus takes me home.
I thought of this one verse while reading this page, and it’s Matthew 10:29-31. I use the NIVUK. It says this: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”. Although it says that we are worth more than the animals, it DOES say that the Father cares about them, too. And why would He care about them if they were just to return to dust, and have no consciousness, no farther life, no memory of what He had done for them? IMHO, this convinced me also that our beloved pets will be in heaven.
There is another scripture verse worth looking at in the book of Zechariah. It refers to the New Jerusalem. Depending on your version it says Zechariah 2:3-5 ” Then the angel who was speaking to me left, another angel came to meet him and said to him: “Run, tell that young man, “Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of men and animals (livestock) in it. And I myself will be a wall of fire around it”, declares the Lord, “and I will be its glory within”.
Here are some places in the Bible (look them up for yourself)
that seem to make a pretty strong case that they do:
————————————————————–
OLD TESTAMENT
Ecclesiastes:
3:18 I said in my heart, “Concerning the condition of the sons of men,
God tests them, that they may see that they themselves are like animals.”
3:19 For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals;
one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely,
they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity.
(The Hebrew word, translated into “breath”, is “ruach”… it means SPIRIT in Hebrew…
in fact, “ruach” is translated “Sprit” in English 2 verses later in Ecclesiastes 3:21)
(Where it says: “man has no advantage over animals”…
Surely, an immortal sprit that allows us to go to Heaven,
would be an “advantage” wouldn’t it?
Yet, it says man has NO advantage over animals!
3:20 All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust.
———————————————
Exodus:
11:5 and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die,
from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne,
even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind
the handmill, and all the firstborn of the animals.
12:5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year.
You may take it from the sheep or from the goats.
(The “lamb” is the symbol for JESUS)
12:7 And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two
doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it.
12:12 ‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night,
and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast;
and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.
12:13 Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are.
And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague
shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
(The blood of JESUS not only saved the firstborn
People but ALSO their firstborn ANIMALS too)
—————————————–
Numbers:
20:8 “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together.
Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water;
thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock,
and give drink to the congregation and their animals.”
20:11 Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod;
and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.
(The ROCK is a symbol for JESUS and the ANIMALS also drink His saving water)
————————————–
Psalms:
36:6 Your righteousness is like the great mountains;
Your judgments are a great deep;
O LORD, You preserve man and beast.
(The word translated into “Preserve” in the English is “yâsha‛” in the Hebrew…
It means: deliver (-er), rescue, bring (having) salvation, save)
—————————————
NEW TESTAMENT
Acts:
10:11 and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound
at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth.
10:12 In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth,
wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air.
(Heaven opened up and their were ANIMALS there)
————————————
Romans:
8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits
for the revealing of the sons of God.
8:20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly,
but because of Him who subjected it in hope;
8:21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage
of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
8:22 For we know that the whole creation groans
and labors with birth pangs together until now.
(Not only will we be delivered, but also the creation itself…
And that includes ANIMALS)
—————————————-
Above are just a few of my favorite passages about Animals in the Bible and
why I personally believe that as Christians, saved by the Blood of Jesus, our Animals/Pets that we have here on Earth will one day be with us in Heaven.
@Paul Stanton, Lovely list of your favorite passages in Holy Scripture concerning pets / animals Mr. Paul Stanton. Thank you for sharing them.
@Paul Stanton, God commands us to ask for what we desire for a his glory— Ask for your pets when in heaven and He will give them to you.
@Paul Stanton, thank you. I just lost my precious little Gideon on Monday. I believe he waits for me in heaven and these scriptures are boosting my faith. They bring me comfort and encouragement and I am going to write them all down and continue to share them
I just lost my bassett hound of 11 years to cancer. It was sudden and with no warning. I have greived so much over the past 2 days I felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest….. somedays I just felt like I was going to die too. Animals are a part of our family, they give us so much joy and unconditional love, I have to believe they will be there with us in Heaven, otherwise, I don’t think I could stand it. It was hard enough putting him in the cold hard ground, but I cant fathom leaving him behind here on this decaying earth, it’s just too hard to contemplate. Surely God would allow us to have our blessed pets with us in heaven, they may not have soul and cant understand salvation but I KNOW they have a spirit and feelings just like we do.Tthey are innocent beings that know no sin. God loves us and wants us to be happy and so I have to believe he will allow our animals into heaven to meet us when its our time to go.
Carla, I just lost my pom on Friday and it was sudden as well. He was almost 12 years old. I feel the same way you describe. I cant stop crying and I want to believe he will be in heaven and I will be reunited with him. He brought me so much comfort in tough times and he was the sweetest baby ever. Like a child to me. I am so very sad and broken without him. I pray I see him again. I agree with you they are blameless, innocent creatures that depend on us to care for them but in return they offer us unconditional love. I cant imagine God would not allow them an eternal life in Heaven. I will hang on to this hope for my baby that I love so dearly and am grieving for now.
Thanks for this great article. I’ve always felt like my pets and other animals will go to heaven, but I found this page to be wonderfully uplifting and encouraging.
OF COURSE our beloved pets go to Heaven! Why would a Loving God NOT allow them to? They are blameless and without sin. Why would there be only other certain animals allowed into Heaven and not the beloved ones we knew as faithful and loving companions on Earth? I believe Jesus CHERISHES the unconditional love our pets have for us and that we return to them. Who is a mere mortal, theologian or not, to declare that someone’s pet did not go to Heaven? In my opinion to claim something like that is detestable and cruel. Do you think Jesus embraces cruelty? NO, He hates it!
The naysayers will get their answer when those of them who DO make it to Heaven see people blissfully reunited with their loving pets. Again, WHY would a Loving God NOT allow our pets and the unconditional love we shared with them on Earth to continue into The Eternity? How can the answer be anything other than, “He certainly will!” I have no doubt that our pets, when they pass on, pass over into Warmth, Love, Happieness, Bliss and ETERNAL LIFE with Jesus and with those who have passed before them into Heaven.
And AGAIN – for emphasis – and for what by any measure of mercy or reason seems to be simply obvious and true – WHY would a Loving God NOT allow our precious and cherished pets to be with us into Heavenly Eternity!!?
I read this article and found many holes in this theory and misuse of the scripture. We should never isolate scripture or misapply it to fit our wants and needs. Instead we should conform our minds ,hearts and lives to the scripture. With that being said I do not believe that our beloved pets will be with us in heaven. Nice thought, but no scripture teaches that directly or by inference.
Would you please give more details as to where you find the holes and how you think the scriptures were misused? Thanks.
God is bigger than the the scriptures. There are things that Jesus did, miracles that are not all written. One of the disciples said this. I can’t believe that all there is to God is contained in the Bible. God is bigger than that and God is love. He is the creator and author of life and cannot be contained in one book. He is infinite and nothing is impossible for Him. Have hope that there is much more. It is said eye has not seen and ear has not heard what God has waiting for those who love Him.
@Steve Seaman, then it wold not be heaven— God says for us to ask and that we will receive— maybe not now, but for sure when we get to Heaven — there is room and a place in the mansion He prepare for me for my pets—all of them. That my dear Pharisee is a fact,
@Steve Seaman, Psalm 34:7 states that if you delight yourself in the Lord, He will give you the desires of your heart. I believe this to be true both in Heaven and on earth. I try not to put God in a box. ALL things are possible with Him. I believe this goes under the Scripture where it states that “no eye has seen nor no ear has heard…”. I believe that those who delighted in the Lord while on earth will have their socks blessed off when they get to Heaven. Don’t limit what God can do. He is limitless and He loves us with a love that cannot be explained. I believe one of our surprises that are waiting for us will be waiting for us will be our beloved pets. ♥️
The Holy Orthodox Church has never to my knowledge dogmatized the ultimate fate of corporeal non-human creatures since they are guiltless before their Creator. She has rightly so been preoccupied with the salvation of human beings who will give account before God for every idle word they have spoken.
And since animals have no guilt, even though they commit acts that were never intended by God, they either pass out of existence OR they are restored and refashioned with a *new* body as befits their nature for existence in the New Creation.
Some argue that our souls were made immortal when God breathed into man’s nostrils while those of the animals are not.
But ONLY GOD is immortal (I Timothy 6:16); every created being, man included, exists only by the energies and grace of the Most Holy Trinity (Acts: 17:28).
“Instead of remaining in the state in which God had created them, they were in process of becoming corrupted entirely, and death had them completely under its dominion. For the transgression of the commandment was making them turn back again according to their nature; and as they had at the beginning come into being out of non-existence, so were they now on the way to returning, through corruption, to non-existence again.
The presence and love of the Word had called them into being; inevitably, therefore when they lost the knowledge of God, they lost existence with it; for it is God alone Who exists, evil is non-being, the negation and antithesis of good. By nature, of course, man is mortal, since he was made from nothing; but he bears also the Likeness of Him Who is, and if he preserves that Likeness through constant contemplation, then his nature is deprived of its power and he remains incorrupt.”
(St. Athanasius the Great: On the Incarnation: Chapter I, S.4, vv. 6 – 10.)
“The teaching that the human soul is naturally immortal is from the devil.”
(St. Irenaeus of Lyon: Proof of the Apostolic Preaching, III, 20.1)
None of us possess an intrinsically “immortal” soul that is able to exist apart from the energies of God.
And while the Church has rightly discerned the will of God that human souls will continue to exist after physical death, she has never, to my knowledge, stated dogmatically concerning the continuing existence of the souls of corporeal non-human creatures after their physical death. (Angels are incorporeal non-human creatures.)
St. Irenaeus of Lyon hinted at the resurrection of animals in his work Against Heresies, a text of the very earliest times (late 2nd Century):
“… nevertheless in the resurrection of the just [the words shall also apply] to those animals mentioned. For God is rich in all things. And it is right that when the creation is restored, all the animals should obey and be in subjection to man, and revert to the food originally given by God (for they had been originally subjected in obedience to Adam), that is, the productions of the earth.”
(St. Irenaeus of Lyon: Against Heresies: Book V, chapter 33, v. 4)
If a sinner such as I can weep at the death of a faithful and loving dog, then surely from what we know of the character of Christ – He must love them even more. And since He never intended death for ANY part of His creation (Wisdom 1:13), and His Father notices the death of each and every tiny bird, and both Sacred Scripture and Holy Tradition clearly imply that there will be animals in the New Creation, why then would He not restore those guiltless creatures who never turned against Him, but suffer corruption and death due to the self-willed rebellion of man?
Robert (Athanasius)
I just lost the sweetest dog I’ve ever known (her name was Rosie) a few days ago so, admittedly, I’m pretty raw emotionally. However, as I’ve thought about her and how much I miss and desperately want to be reunited with her (and for also with other pets I’ve lost in the past), I have to admit that I don’t know if I will see her again or not. I do know that I have a loving Savior who will, without doubt, satisfy me beyond imagination and certainly has the power to ordain such a reunion if he so chooses. I also wonder about the profundity contained in Colossians 1:15 – 23
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. 19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. 21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Paul seems to put the salvation and sanctification of believers within the context of all of creation being reconciled to God by the blood of Christ. Is it possible (and this is TOTALLY conjecture on my part) that animals are affected by sin’s curse on this world but are not alienated from God like unrepentant people are? Animals are amoral creatures without the ability to make right/wrong decisions. They did not sin against God; human beings did. Also, throughout Scripture God is clearly shown to be a God of life. He preference is always for life, not death. Honestly, as I’ve typed this it raises even more questions for me but the bottom line is this: Do I believe God is good? The answer to that is YES! So then, reunited with pets or not, I can rest in His goodness even though I am sad and grieving over the loss of Rosie.
You forgot to state that God in the beginning created ALL life to live forever, death passed on creation because of the fall of man but the last enemy to be destroyed is death.
What is death? Literally, the separation of the body (flesh) from the spirit, and separation of man from God.
Everything God has made will be restored According to scripture, ALL of creation.
Very accurate article, animals do have souls and spirits thats why they are with us on this planet. Its common sense, god has already a contract with animals prior to humans. Animals cant read the bible but they know a god.
Heaven would be boring without animals. Even earth would be boring without animals. Animals are Gods pets on earth.
George
Also it is written in the Bible….that whatever we lose on Earth…..we shall have it back in Heaven. I feel that means our pets…our loved ones and possible our lost limbs (arms..legs,etc.)So enjoyed your writings on the question of our pets being in Heaven. I believe God will bring them back to us. He loves us that much.
I just lost my beloved dog of almost 14 years. I hate to admit it, but the scriptures say that nothing will enter into heaven that defiles. Our pets are not regenerated. They would bite others and be aggressive with other animals. God can’t break His own principles. If our pets can’t be in heaven, don’t worry, we will not MISS them. Neither will we MISS friends and family that did not make it, either. God promises to wipe every tear from our eye. So, we will not grieve any earthly losses there. But I hope I’m wrong, and somehow they will be there…:(
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) God will make these things new…and they will not defile…and if He does it with the wild animals, He can do it with our beloved pets also! 🙂
I lost my little Lady a few days ago and I do believe she will be in heaven. Animals did not bite or kill until man sinned. Animals do not have to seek salvation because they did not fall, mankind fell. Mankind is the reason the animals suffered. God created animals before man, we need animals, they really don’t need us, as they would be better off without us for the most part. God put the animals under our care, man caused animals to suffer death, not the other way around. God will give those of us who are saved incorruptible bodies at the resurrection, and I think he will do the same for animals. God has always spared the animals through history, and I think possibly that they mean more to God than what people think. My dog loved me unconditionally, through thick and thin, nothing could change that, there is not one person on the face of the earth, that loves like a pet does.
I think coming to God who removes all fear for your pet , just like animals react to the Veteranarian feeling safeness. Also in the Heavenly kingdom brought down to Earth, the lion and the lamb shall dwell together and play, and non shall hurt in all my Holy mountain, sayeth the Lord .Animals only act vicious if they fear danger, but this will not be a place like that . A new Heaven and New Earth.
I think our pets will go to heaven. Their souls and body are more in tuned with the other side because they can see what we cannot. Their attachments to this world is only to their owner/master. Their wants are few. They are always loyal and will stand by their master regardless of circumstances. I have seen homeless people with dogs and I bet these dogs will stand by their master regardless of the dire circumstances they are in. They easily forgive and will love us unconditionally. They are always ready to leave this world and face God who had breathe life into them. Are we?
I have no doubt whatsoever that each animal that was/is in my life was put there by the hand of my Lord. Times when I wasn’t even looking or even thought I wanted to be pet free, He had other designs. I believe He puts our pets in our lives not because we may want them but because He knows we NEED them. They teach us how to love unconditionally. They teach us compassion. They teach us how to care about and respect other living beings. And in so doing, they help to teach us how to be a better person. Even the creatures of the wild were put here for our enjoyment. Every time I see a butterfly, a hummingbird, or hear the cooings of a morning dove I can hear my Father say to me, “Do you like that? I did that for you.” And since He loves me enough to do that for me here on earth, why would He withhold it in heaven?
right now I am in extreme agony. I just lost my dearest beloved friend. My chihuahua named tiger dog. He was born right in front of me in my home December 15th 2003. From the moment he was born I knew you was mine. created specially for me by my Lord Jesus Christ. A great love gift. A masterpiece of his love and creation. Right from the start by your love me so dearly and I looked him so dearly. For 14 and 1/2 years we were inseparable. Side by side through thick and thin. In countless wonderful times and in very difficult trying times. We help each other through. We enjoyed a very deep and intimate relationship as Papa and Critter in Christ. people newest very well everywhere we went and all the stores and shops. Me and my precious tiger dog were inseparable and very synonymous. he would sing songs with me and we love sharing Jesus together with people. I have been disabled for the past 8 years and he has been such a love and blessing. Are constant Fellowship it’s just the way it should be. I can’t tell you what put into words how much I love this dog and how much you love me. it was obvious to everyone. But a few days ago he developed and coughing and symptoms of breathing issues. he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. I cannot describe the pain and fear that entered my heart. But he was on medication so we were hopeful. Then the night before last I stayed up all night with him. he was having breathing problems. Early yesterday morning I rushed him to the pet emergency hospital. he crawled up on my stomach as I was driving him. Just as we arrived, he looked up at me with his beautiful precious brown eyes. Then fell limp. the emergency Personnel ran out and grabbed him and took him inside. And vigorously administered life-saving procedures. But it was too late. he had died in my arms. Overwhelming grief, fear, horrible sadness ripped my soul, heart, and spirit. It can’t be fully expressed with words how horrible this is for me. 14 1/2 wonderful years with my precious beloved tiger dog to so quickly and unexpectedly come to an end. I am helpless and grieve and agony. Everyone in town and in stores and shops who saw me yesterday cried and we talked with me. My dear friends gather around me and feel the pain and Cry as well. Tiger and I were so so very close. My head is spinning. Please please pray for me. that the Lord Jesus and our heavenly Father grant me Grace and comfort my soul and heart and spirit. Thank you. I love you my tiger dog. And I do hold on to the hope that Jesus will reunite us in the Kingdom for eternity. Praise and glory to our precious Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ. Thanks for your prayers everyone. From Pastor Duane and Tiger Dog Leach. In Jesus name amen
I am so sorry for your loss. I am experiencing the same agony of loss having to decide not to wake my precious Leopold from Exploratory Surgery to see what mass was discovered on his belly. One of the worst days of my life. I cannot stop crying, there is a huge hole in my heart and spirit right now. I am praying for God to give me the comfort and strength to trust in Him and His timing. I believe our babies are in His hands now and will be waiting for us when we arrive!
I’m so sorry for your loss. I just lost my little Chawinnie,Seetpea. She was only 3 and a half years old. She was hit by a car when she went looking for me. My heart is broken. She was my constant friend and companion.i loved her and her me. I pray that our gracious and loving Father does give us our loving pets in heaven. He created her, so why wouldn’t He.
Dear Duane, Having a Dog will Bless you with the Happiest days of your Life, and one of the worst Days. I have always said having them in my life is worth the agony that starts the day they leave. God Created Dogs to be Mans Best Friend and Companions in Life, Why would he separate them from us in Death. I am making sure i go to Heaven where i can be with My Best Friend Missy My sweet Forever Friend Dachshund.
Wow! Heartbreaking. I am so sorry for your loss.
I am a grown man and have caught myself tearing up at all hours asI too am going through the CHF thing with my little guy. Hoping and praying that the meds will kick in and keep him around (and happy) for just a bit longer. I am not ready to let go, and the doctor doesn’t think I should give up. But I tell you, it’s so hard to deal with watching him like this. Again, I am hopeful that the meds will bring him around and that we caught this in the early stages. Unfortunately, I can’t afford to do all the extensive testing to see how bad it really is. It just started one day 3 weeks ago out of the blue.
The last two days were hard. He looked like he took a turn for the worst, but when we took him in they prescribed an additional heart pill (for his blood pressure), and today he seems better. He’s still not eating though, so they prescribed Entyce to stimulate his appetite. So far, nothing. I am still feeding him through a syringe onto his tongue.
I will keep you in my prayers for sure, Duane. I will also hold on to the hope that we will one day be reunited with our beloved pets. It drives me crazy when people say that dogs don’t have souls. All you have to do is look in their eyes to see that there is a soul there.
All my best to you, my friend.
@Duane Leach,
Jesus cares so much for you, Duane, and weeps with you over the loss of Tiger.
Since the Lord is all-powerful, He can also reunite you both in Heaven!
We are severely limiting God with our ideas that only converted humans will go to heaven, yet we have Scriptural evidence that Christ’s sacrifice on the cross was also to redeem all of creation – Col. 1:19,20; Eph.1:10 and Rom.8:20.
Also Jesus was born in a manger and substituted himself as a sacrifice and died for us calling himself the lamb if God so he died for us and the animals. Also the Essenes sect back in his time were believed to be vegetarian. So this should tell us also that he died for all not just humans.
I got Missy My Dachshund Puppy when Her Eyes were barely open, I held Her in my arms and thanked God for Her and told Her i would treat Her like a Queen and i did. I loved Her and she loved me. We were each others Best Friend. When she Turned 12 years old i knew one Day before to long we would have to part ways. I knew the only way i could be with Her again was that when i died i had to go to Heaven. So guess what i turned my life around and i am living for Jesus this very Day. This little Dogs love for me led me to Jesus, and now i know in my Heart we will be together in Heaven for ever and ever AMEN. Missy Died on New Years Day 2019. She was 13 Years old and she died in my arms. What a Day of Rejoicing it will be, when i see all my love ones again. How much Grief you have for your Pet are Family depends on How much you loved them. No love no Grief, Much Love much Grief. Right now my Grief is Much, I loved her so Much.
@Uncle Bob, what a beautiful story. See you both in heaven someday then. With my furry pets. Gideon is there. Esther is still with me here. Roma’s 8:28
I just lost my Mia tonight I am heartbroken. She had inflammatory metastatic breast cancer . She had surgery 2 weeks ago for the tumor was so large it spread to her liver finding out in an ultrasound this evening. Today she would not eat or drink and was shaking I knew something was very wrong and could not allow her to suffer anymore. Just came across this article looking it up on the internet and gave me much hope to know that I would see her again. I asked God my wish is to be with her again someday.
Our little 12 year old malti-poo is awaiting surgery on her only eye. She also has a heart murmur, we’ve been told that the murmur has worsened over the last two years so we have her on meds for her heart to become a little stronger before the surgery. My husband has told me many times that we’ll see her again, of course I believed him but having read this wonderful article just supports all of his assurance. I’m so glad I read your article, and way you broke it down by scripture is remarkable. Thank you so much! May God our Father continue blessing your ministry.
I just lost my best friend Ruger of 14 1/2 years, had to make the toughest decision ever to have him put down because he was suffering. God gave me several signs the night before to let me know I was making the right decision, still was the hardest thing ever to do, after Ruger passed & I was still touching him I asked God for another sign. Ruger was an abused dog and we rescued him so I was afraid he would b afraid going to meet Jesus so I asked God if Jesus would meet him at the gate or wherever and welcome him and if Jesus would tell my nephew who passed 3 years ago in a car accident that Ruger was there and for a sign to know, I asked to see s cardinal either a living one or not and about 10 miles down the road as I was watching my eyes drifted across the road and saw a pic of a cardinal on a mailbox!! That brought sooo much comfort to me so I know without a doubt Rugers alive even now with my nephew and they are having the time of their lives together and I’m just excited for when God calls me home for that reunion!
I just lost my Boston terrier yesterday. He was only 3 and was so playful and loving. He kept sneaking out if the yard and running off and we’d have to go find him. We fixed an area by our home to fence him in with our bulldog, when we needed to go to town or work outside. Yesterday we put them in the pen and got back a couple hours later. We found him in the ditch dead. The bulldog was up by the house and didn’t go to the road. She never did run off like he would. He must have gotten hit by a car. We were devistated and found out the back gate to the fence was open and we didn’t know it. I feel so guilty that I didn’t double check it. My husband had opened it earlier and I didn’t know it, the quilt is just too much to bear. He was my heart! How can I cope with this grief?
My beloved dog Misha a 5 lb yorkie was hit by a car last week and left for dead on the road. Her body lay unconscious in the lane but when I picked her up and wrapped her in a towel she began to breathe and look into my eyes. I rushed her to emergency hospital where she stayed a week. I prayed fervently for her to pull through. At times it seemed she would but when all efforts failed to save her I had to put her down. She died in my arms and my husband and I are devastated. I don’t understand why God would allow her to come back to us just to take her away. And to have no hope of ever seeing her again is much too painful to bear. If God allows us to have any memory of our lives on earth in eternity surely it seems it would include the loving bonds we had with our pets. As Christians we know we will go to heaven when we die but what would be the reason God would not reunite us with the pets we were so close to during our lives?
So sorry for your loss. They are one of our children, I do not believe that God would separate us from them in Heaven. We will be reunited again. Yesterday was truly the hardest thing I ever had to endure as I sit here typing this response, sobbing. My heart is aching right now, I cannot begin to comprehend that God would not reunite us with our loved ones.
My dog Sage, was accidentally hit by me at home at night I didn’t see her, she was drag a little under the truck they I heard her cry I stop and scream calling my dog she was still alive ,i took her to the emergency Vet and they sew her legs that was tore ,the Vet said she would be find and give pain meds to take home.I couldn’t sleep tears in my eyes and guilt that haunts me inside.she was in pain the next day she wasn’t right i then headed to the Vet again before I got to our main road she die in front of me ,I gave CPR to no evail but she was gone ,her stomach area was fell of blood and some came out of her. I love her very much and 6 yrs of caring for her she was loyal smart and brave,and I hope she forgives me for what I did ,I can’t sleep and I have a lump in my stomach .I wish to know if she is in heaven with no pain and being happy and waiting for me when it’s time. She will always be in my heart and no other could take her place , I hope she sends me a sign so I can feel peace inside of me ,it is so hard for me without her. I love her always and forever I miss her so.will my heart ever mend?
So sorry Elaine, I really feel for you. We have just lost our dog to Cancer and the love she had to the end and where did that Love come from? It was from God, He is the only one that gives out Love. So if our pets Love they are apart of God and i don’t think He would forget any of His vunerable loving innocent creation that gives out Love to his children.
I believe God gave you this chance to say goodbye one last time and not letting your dog just die on the cold road alone. Your dog at least was able to look into your eyes and knew you did everything to save her. The lord really works in mysterious ways. Like today I received a call from my boyfriend telling me to get home from work quickly. Our kitty wasn’t moving much and felt cold and stiff so we drove as quickly as we could to the hospital. One minute before we got there he died in my boyfriend’s arms right next to me. He could have died all on his own if it wasn’t for my boyfriend working at our apt complex and coming home for lunch, as much as it is killing us both right now we must be happy we were able to be there for him and we tried everything we could to save him. I pray we all will be with our babies human or animal once again after we die. prayers for you and your furbaby Misha!!
Perhaps GOD reunited Misha and you for that brief time was so that she would be with the most important people in her life when she was “called home”. Rather than die alone on the highway, she left feeling the warmth of your love as you held her. I cannot feel the pain you feel, even though I am going through the same experience right now, because each person’s is unique to them But the unconditional love Misha gave you, I hope, will somewhat ease the pain, and the void felt by the loss can be bridged by the memories of all the truly wonderful time you had together.
Thank you for explaining your theory based on your good Biblical knowledge. I appreciate the Biblical references you provided to help substantiate your thoughts. You help confirm what I knew all along. I feel that animals have souls and emotions, just like humans. In fact, I believe that people should take lessons on how we should treat each other from observing animals. Elephants for example. How our dogs give unconditional, non-judgemental love and acceptance. I think this how God created us & intended for us to behave…..before original sin cursed us.
Amen. I am consoled reading this, for I just lost my best friend of 17 years that I was blessed with.
Very true. Our rescue dog of 2 years just has passed away, what Love she brought to us and learning. They treat you like Christ, Unconditional Love forgiving, gentle, not looking at you with Judgement. The Love stays with you. I in my heart, know God is Love, Love does not condemn the children of God and our pets are part of our lives to cherish and God loves us so much he wouldn’t be mean he is not mean I believe they have not sinned because they don’t have souls so they are clean and innocent to enter heaven
I certainly hope our pets are going to be with us in Heaven,as on May 8,2019 I had to make the decision to have my mini Dachshund Bandit put to sleep. He was 17 yrs 10 months old and came to me when he was 10 months old. He was my daughters dog,but for circumstances she left him with me and he became my little friend and constant companion and he and I were only separated for about 4 days in the 17 yrs we were together. He had a form of canine dementia and went in small circles all the time and kept falling down.He finally wouldn’t sleep or eat but wanted to do his circling. I kept picking him up and he kept going in circles. I finally knew it was time to let him go.It was the hardest thing I had to do. I have his ashes with me and they will be with me when I die,in the casket with his last collar and a picture of us together.I prayed to God to take my little friend into his arms and take care of him.I want to see my friends and relatives in Heaven,but seeing all my pets again would be so great..
I sincerely believe that God keeps all creatures, man and animal alike in Heaven and that we will be rejoined by our pets whom we have cared for, loved, played with throughout our lives and that in response, have given us their trust, comfort and healing powers granted by God. One must have faith that all of God’s creatures will exist in the everlasting Kingdom of Heaven and that we ourselves will be rejoined with them provided we have confessed to all sins and led a Christian life.
Perhaps one additional thought- God Isobel and love lasts forever. Our pets ate such an incredible source of love that, yes, in agreement with the other points you mention , they may well be there with us. Jesus died for him an beings but in making us right with himself, creation, too, holding animals was fixed.
I just lost one of my horses, had her for 30 years. My heart is broken. I truly believe I will see her again as will her pasture mate. God loves all. Thank you for this article, it has helped me. I’ve always known horses are in heaven. She was not white in color but a great horse nevertheless. God bless.
Note: I started not to post this because it became more of an article than a comment and I won’t be the least offended if it doesn’t get approved. But typing this out opened me up to being ministered to by the Lord and it was more than worth my time for that reason alone. Anyway, here’s my “comment”:
Thank you for this article. I’m a 60 year old man and I’m sitting here crying like a 6 year old as I type this because I just lost my beloved dog to cancer…and the ONLY consolation I have is the hope of seeing her again.
Before I go any further, let me state that I know the Lord will make “all things” right and perfect in eternity for all His children. He truly will wipe away every tear. I know this, trust this, have lived my life based on this for years and I haven’t forgotten it just because I had to put my beloved dog to sleep two days ago. The ONLY true hope in this world is to be found in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and what that truly means for all of us.
But right now, I honestly can’t see how “all things” will ever be right for me without my dog. In fact, over the years, I’ve lost more than one and each loss seems to hurt more than the last. The hurt is so bad this time I don’t think I will ever get another dog (whoever said that dog ownership was a commitment to heartbreak certainly knew what they were talking about).
So, while I wanted to say that I do believe we will get our pets back in heaven, I wanted to do so by commenting on an opposing notion promoted in some other articles I’ve read on this subject (and probably other readers here have run across too). These articles push the notion that while we can probably make new pets of animals in heaven, we won’t be getting our pets here back. Some even suggest it would be somehow “wrong” for our actual pets to get resurrected because Jesus only died for humans…
I couldn’t disagree more with the idea of “replacement pets” and/or “replacement animals”. Here’s two scriptures that help me explain why I feel this way (the first I quote in both the NIV and KJV versions to help make my point):
Acts 3:21 (NIV) says:
Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.
Acts 3:21 (KJV) says:
Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
This verse seems to assure us of “restoration” with “restoration” clearly having the sense of “restitution” of all good things. But today, I could never be restored or given restitution, not in any sense that would matter one bit to me, by being given a different dog. There are just some holes in the heart than can only be filled by one specific thing. When it comes to my dogs, each hole in my heart is a very specific shape and size that only one very specific dog will ever fit. These holes in my heart are sort of like the Jesus shaped hole that was in my heart before Jesus filled it — that hole was also a very specific shape and size that only one very specific Savior could have ever fit.
In other words, if God is going to make any kind of “restoration” or “restitution” regarding my dogs, I think he will have to give them back to me. I even think He might say “welcome home and here’s your dogs” before I can even ask for them back!
Now let me point out that I am NOT saying God can’t make “all things” perfect in some way I can’t possibly imagine…in some way that would include me never seeing my beloved dogs again.
All I AM saying here is that the idea that a different dog could be considered “restoration” or “restitution” just makes no sense to me. This last verse will hopefully better explain why I feel this way.
Revelation 21:5 says:
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”
To make any “thing” new again, you can’t replace it with something just like it. You can’t even replace it with something “better”. For instance, you can’t restore someone’s 1977 Cadillac, or make it “new”, by giving them a different car. — not even a better, brand new 2019 Cadillac.
My dogs were all VERY special to me. I simply can’t be restored with different dogs — not even brand new or “better” dogs. I think He will give me MY dogs back and they will only be “new” in the same sense I will be “new” — in a glorified body that will never get sick or die.
In the final analysis, I believe the promises I see in these verses (and other verses I didn’t mention) concerning restoration and/or restitution. No, I can’t point to any specific verse and say it proves that I will, beyond any shadow of a doubt, get my dogs back. But getting my dogs back 100% fits the picture I have of my loving Father in heaven. My earthly Father, who I am still blessed to have, would give me my dogs back in a heartbeat if it was in his power to do so. I can help but think of how much more my Heavenly Father loves me — and I KNOW it is in His power to give me my dogs back
In my grief today, this hope of being reunited with my beloved dogs is no small part of the hope I have for the future restoration God has promised His children.
Robert ~ You have stated the EXACT thing of what I feel. I felt like you were reading my mind. I never read anything close to what you wrote that explained word for word how I think. I too have to believe that God will give us back our beloved pets, for me that includes many different ones…..dogs, cats, birds, guinea pig…….they were the very ones that brought me such joy besides my family and loved ones in this very difficult world. I cannot imagine heaven without the very ones I had….not duplicates. I’m still mourning the passing of my pets and it’s been years already. I pray so hard every day to see them again in eternity……God Bless you!
Jeanne, I knew there had to be others that felt the same as me.
Thanks for sharing this and may God richly bless you too 🙂
I, too, believe that God will give me back my Bella again. I loved her so much. I can’t believe He would withhold from me the desire of my heart which is to see her, hold her, play with her, and snuggle and cuddle with her again. She “is” a Yorkie and I’m hoping that right now she is playing in Heaven with her friend, Goldie, and that my mom is taking care of her until I get there. If I did not believe this, I don’t know how I could go on living this life. I had to have her put down Wednesday, September 18, at 4:59pm, due to Canine Kidney Disease which is a horrible disease that made my furbaby have two really bad seizures in the last hours of her life. I dream of the day that I will get to see her again. It is the ONLY way that I can move on from this point…My heart has been shattered. My whole world has collapsed on me but I will have to keep living for Jesus until I see my furbaby again….
Dawn, I’m so sorry for your loss. This world will just never be right until Jesus returns, will it? Just remember that God, who can’t lie, has promised it will all be A-OK one day.
What has helped me a lot is looking forward to “that day” and singing the chorus of an old hymn to myself (over and over at times):
“When we all get to heaven
What a day of rejoicing that will be
When we all see Jesus
We’ll sing and shout the victory”
I believe some of us on that day, or very soon after, may also “bark the victory”. I say “may” because John Wesley might have been right when he conjectured that glorified animals may actually be able to talk in Heaven…who knows? With God all things are possible!
Hi Robert – I hope (a confident expectation) you DO get another dog, I know the need is great and you have so much love to give – there is no question that love is not the answer to, and they would be lucky to have you in their lives.
Dean, maybe I will. I miss the companionship and unconditional love more than I know how to say.
I guess I’m still grieving too much to know for sure…but maybe one day… 🙂
I feel the same way. I lost my Yorkie Harley 10-29-19 (3 days ago) and my grief is horrible but after reading this article and your comment I feel comforted that I will be with my baby again for all eternity.
Dear Robert Smith, thank you for sharing your thoughts and pain in the loss of your dogs. It ministered you me.. I’m in my 60s and have had quite a few dearly beloved dogs and a few horses I loved dearly and either they passed away or had to sell horses due to circumstances.. with great hope of being reunited with them again someday. I don’t believe my love and relationship with them was misplaced. They were each unique.. and an especially difficult loss was last year my dear Saint Bernard I had trained to pull me in a cart alongside her brother was cruelty poisoned in our yard as someone threw a rat poison bait over our 6’ fence. A police report was filed and the perpetrator never found. She suffered terribly with extreme contractions and seizures. She was poisoned Halloween, and I had to put her down in February. She was 5. Not only was this an emotional assault on me and my husband, but also my children and grandkids. Jesus drys every tear. He makes things new and redeems wrong to right. He cares about our relationships and heartaches. I found healing from searching for answers and peace in the encouraging words God gave us in scripture, this article, and the sharing of other believers’ insight. Bless you.
This is so beautiful. Thank you for thisx you’re 100% correct. Just lost my beautiful puppy and your words are very healing. God bless you for this
Thank you for this. Four days ago I have to euthanize one of my rescued dogs due to her aggression. It’s a long drawn out story that I will spare you all from but the guilt and anguish over the decision is overwhelming me. I needed the hope that I would see that beautiful and precious face again. I needed the hope that she is at peace now.
Robert Smith
Well said! I had to put my much loved canine soul mate to sleep after 131/2 years ,she had a brain tumor. My heart is literally torn,cracked,and shattered, I miss her so deeply. At times I don’t think I can go on, the pain is overwhelming for me. Robert your comment along with this article I have booked marked so I can reference it. I pray Jesus blesses each one of us with his peace the surpasses all human understanding until our Lord calls us home. I was extremely abused as a child in a lot ways , she rescued me. She to was abused as a puppy she was thrown from a car and I was able to save her from getting hit. I can’t stop crying please pray for me
Sandy
Friend,
I just lost my oldest and best friend, Bobby, this morning. He was a cat and was a cornerstone of my life. I literally am beside myself with grief and cannot deal with thinking he won’t be here to be my main man anymore. What has been so hard is reading about how animals “don’t go to heaven as they don’t have souls, or they don’t have souls like us.” I just can’t believe God could allow so much love between souls that might be different and not have it count for something, for everything really. I don’t want to make God mad at me. He is all things to me, but I just need to believe God loves animals enough to resurrect them. I know that heaven will be perfect, but I can’t help wanting Bob to get to go there too. He loved as hard as I did. Anyway, I have another friend, Bella, who is that special too. She is a little dog. Don’t even know what kind, but we love each other.
Anyway, I am 69 years old and found over the years I remember my pets better than I do my human friends. My pets loved me unequivocally and without judgement. They always had a good word for me.
I am just putting this out there because I really do feel the pain of those who love their pets like family.
God Bless You All!
We just had to make the decision to have our beautiful black lab put down, I knew she was suffering yet I’m overwhelmed with grief feeling like i did the wrong thing . How do i come to term with having my loving dog put to sleep! Grief is overwhelming. I know the Lord and I want to believe i will see her again but guilt is overwhelming
Don’t forget that when we put our dogs to sleep, we’re not doing something to them. We’re doing something for them. It’s the final act of love for our beloved pets. My dog died a few weeks ago. I fully understand your pain.
Thanks for that. I’ve been feeling so guilty over having had to make that decision. Your words comforted me. God bless and see you soon.
Kathy. I understand your guilt. We’ve know for about 2 months our Sammie was terminal, but her quality of life was still good up until Christmas Eve night. The vets were closed for the holiday and we couldn’t afford to take her to the emergency vet. She became extremely fatigued, very confused, and struggled with her breathing. The previous Saturday night I’d done some research that gave me hope. If she could just make it until Jan 2nd, I’d found a holistic vet an hour away that offered intravenous vitamin C. Clinical trials said to be showing promising results in humans and pets with cancer. At high doses intravenously, it was not only destroying cancer cells, but increasing quality of life. Now, other research had opposing views, but in the state she was still in when I found it, it seemed like it was worth a shot!
Then Christmas night came, and I got very worried. I prayed very hard that God would let her make it and that the IV vitamin C would be the healing for her I’d been praying for.
Each day after that became harder and harder, she became worse and worse until Sunday came. Through last week I began to feel like I was being selfish praying that she would make it until we could take her an hours drive and a hour back in the state she was declining in very rapidly in, only to come to a place she didn’t know, with people she didn’t know, poking her with needles. I felt like it was more humane to put her to sleep at that point. And at the same time, I felt guilty for feeling like I was just giving up on her. I just knew I couldn’t bare to see her like that anymore, But I couldn’t make the decision. I prayed that God would give me the answer. Which was I supposed to do? I laid beside her Thursday night and dozed off watching a sermon from Rick Warren about trusting God. Right at the end I suddenly woke up and heard him pleading with the listeners to trust in God. I felt like God woke me up and grabbed me by the face and was saying, please, just trust me!! I had cried lot and had almost no sleep most last week. God knew I was making myself suffer along with her.
That same night she refused to eat, she had never refused food. I always called her my mooch pooch.
Sunday morning came and we knew we Had to call the vet Monday, to send some one out. No matter what happened, she would be at home!
I called my family to let them know, so they could come love on her one last time.
They all know how important she is to us, and because of that considered her a family member. My mother always said she was her granddog and my sister referred to herself as Aunt Brandi when she’d love on Sammie.
Everyone gathered around her and she even seemed to perk up. She sat up and enjoyed all the petting and rubbing and kissing. Then Even as expecting as we were, I was still shocked when she laid back down with us all standing around, and took her last breathe.
I was so shocked, I just knew she would go when “we” decided to have it done. I cried a lot.
And even though I felt like God wasn’t answering my prayers and wasn’t doing things my way. I was right, he wasn’t! But I remembered back to another sermon, and heard these words, “God doesn’t always give you what you want, but he always gives you what you need!” He knew Sammie needed her suffering to end and he knew I needed my suffering to end. He knew I needed him to make the one decision I couldn’t make. And that’s why he wanted me to just trust him. I know that now and I’m thankful to God for that.
I just want you to know in all of that, what you did was kind and selfless. You were stronger than I was. You made the tough decision, because it was right and what was best. God did for me what he knew I couldn’t do it. God did for my dog, why you did for yours. Don’t ever feel guilt about that.
The worst part for me was watching her these last few days. She struggled and became a shell of the dog I so desperately wanted to save.
Take comfort in the fact that you were able to do right by your pet, even though it was painful for you.
I’m on the other side of the coin. My precious yellow tabby suddenly got sick a week ago. He seemed to improve some on Wednesday. By Friday he wasn’t eating and having difficulty going to the bathroom. I took him to the vet. They did all they could. I think the vet felt she was helping me deal with it by trying to keep him alive. But I think she new he didn’t have long. I feel he suffered for two days and died alone while I was asleep. If she had told me he wouldn’t make it, I would have had them give him a sedative and he would have fell asleep in my arms. Then they could have given him the final shot to end his suffering. I’ll live the rest of my life with the guilt I could have helped him leave this world in dignity and feeling loved.
My heart is breaking as I read these posts. I just lost my sweet talk doodle yesterday. She was 14 1/2. She had been diabetic for almost 4 years, recently lost all her vision and hearing and was starting to have back pain. The vet said he could give more pain medicine that she was already on but that’s just prolonging the inevitable so yesterday I sent her to get her angel wings. I know it was the right thing to do but I keep having second thoughts about whether I should’ve just tried more pain meds and brought her home to be with me some more. But then I tell myself how selfish that is. Visualizing her up in heaven playing ball with my husband who passed away a few years ago is the only way I’m getting through it right now. I know she is free of pain and she could see you and run again but the heart in the pit of my stomach and in my
I just lost my cat last night to Lymphoma. She was almost 16 years old and just the sweetest little kitty. I loved her so much and I know she loved me. She showed her love for me every day. The house is so quite now. She would meow at me from the top of the stairs until I came up to snuggle with her. I miss her so. My heart is broken. I have always wondered if our pets would be in heaven. Growing up I was always told that they don’t have souls and Jesus didn’t die for them, so the answer was always no. I’ve have searched for the answer and after reading this article, I have hope that I will see all my precious pets again. I can just see them waiting patiently for me to get there. Thank you for showing me God’s word and what it may mean for our beloved pets.
I totally understand how you feel. I just lost my Heeler/Aussie mix, Sammie to cancer, yesterday. My husband and I brought her home two weeks after we bought our house, as a puppy. I’m devastated and being in this house with her not here feels empty, even with our 3 other fur babies. She would have been 10yrs old in Feb 2020. We don’t have children yet, so our pets are the closest we have. She was the boss of the other pets, and a loyal, loving protector of her family. She made me feel safe when I was home alone and would stay in bed with me all day, if I were sick. She was smart, loyal, and loving. She did have a bit of an attitude. She was part heeler after all, lol. So I just know that she couldn’t have all of those qualities and not have a soul. It just doesn’t make sense. And God knows how heart broken we are bc of our love for her, and if he loves us beyond even our understanding, then how could he not reunite us again. God is our father and loves us too much to keep us from our loved one, human or animal. Don’t you worry, we will see our fur babies along with our friends and family again all who are innocent and born again.
I lost my my cat of 17 years 2 weeks ago to lymphoma also. He was a stray when we took him in. He was our daughter’s best friend for so many years. When she left for college in 2009 and then married he became my best friend. We both filled a void of not having her with us everyday. When I sat down, he would come sit in my lap. He slept by my side every night. I loved him so much. In April he was diagnosed wth lymphoma. By the end of June, we knew it was time. I did not want my baby to suffer. Losing him was the so hard. I have hope that I will see him again. Thank you for these stories. It brings comfort and hope to me and so many others.
My granddaughter came to me distract because she was told pets don’t have souls and they don’t go to heaven. After a lifetime of having so many animals (dogs are my first choice) of dogs, cats, birds, fish…the scripture would always come to me , “You love me because I first loved you”…and the love I saw in all of my pets..even my love bird who flew out the front door and came back to me!!…(rip Birdie)…I knew I had imparted a piece of my heart, my soul, into them and they were loving me with the love I shared with them. The animals of the wild may become energy again…but I believe all the little furry, feathered, etc..babies who’ve died with a piece of us in them will be where we are going…and my granddaughter left the conversation with a smile and peace
GOLDIE, my 10 year old Labrador/Retreiver, who passed this life September 22, 2019, after an extended illness with a mast cell tumor –
If all the love you’ve given could have kept you here with me,
You’d be here this very moment as the sun is coming up greeting me to start the day…From the day we knew our time was short, you never missed a beat.
It was as though it wasn’t happening, your love, it never ceased. You came into my life, at 7 weeks old and crawled into the deepest part of my heart and showed me that I needed you more than you needed me…
You grew up with your human babies and loved, played with them, and protected them…and they loved you. They were so lucky to have you in their lives.
I have been blessed to have you, always.
Still by my side, and at my feet every minute of the day…just as you have for many years…like you’d never go away….From the day we knew out time was short, you never missed a beat.
It was as though it wasn’t happening, your love, it never ceased.
No matter what you went through,
your devotion never changed. Losing you from my life will be one of the hardest and worst things I’ll ever go through.
Whatever time we had left was a gift. It was a time of reflection, of all love you gave during our time together and all the wonderful days we spent.
Thank you, my darling girl, for the love and devotion you gave to everyone, but especially to me, during your short time here on this earth. You filled my life every day with love and joy. You earned your wings…
I never really thought about it till our 15 yr old shih-tzu was killed tragically on October 2nd, 2019 and for the first time as a Christian I to looked for the answer. Sissy gave my life so much happiness, everyday she lived. Sissy looked after our other shih-tzu who was born special. Sissy always protected her and guided her through the day. After Sissy passed LuLu still is lost and forever she has watched for Sissy to come home and walk through the door again. I pray God would let me hold Sissy just one more time even if not for eternity; but if not I am so grateful for everyday He let me have her and care for her. I never took her for granted and thanked Him always for such a special dog in my life and our family. Like so many questions the answer does jump out from the Bible pages this one doesn’t, but there are two things I know; God says, “There are no tears in heaven.” and God always has our best interest. My prayers for each of us is how fortunate God trusted us with one of his creations and that it brought us so much happiness and love and we were blessed to care for them while they were on this earth with us; how lucky we were.
I had to put my shih tzu (furby)to sleep. The grief was horrible. But After six months later I felt such a void. That I thought if I made his life better. Than I could give another dog a good home. Then I found my Shaggy. When I got him was one of the happiest days of my life. The void was filled. I had my Shaggy for 12 years. He throwed up one day and refused to eat after. I fed him through a syringe and gave him Pedialyte. For three weeks if I felt him move I was up. It didn’t matter how tired I was. After seeing him suffer I made the decision if I loved him. Regardless of the heartache I felt. I had to let him go. I talked to him. Told him how much I loved him. What joy and love he had brought into our lives. But I was going to pray that God take care of my baby. He laid so still and I said Jesus if it’s my babies time. Please don’t let him suffer. Jesus please take my baby to heaven. Shaggy raised his little head up and was looking around. He would look to the left and to the right. Idk what he saw. But he saw something or someone. We had him put down that evening. He said if we love him and serve him. He will give us the desires of our heart. I hold on to his promises. I ask him to send angels to get my baby and I truly believe he did. He had a very peaceful passing. The vet said he must really love you all. He should have never lasted that long. Maybe he just wanted to hear his mom pray again. I miss him terribly. But I truly believe Jesus is taking care of my baby until I can be with him again.
Lillian,
Your love for Shaggy made me cry. The same day I lost Billie, my beautiful chocolate lab. She was 10 and 7 of those years happened because my wife and I performed dialysis in our home 3 times a day for 6 months. She fought back and had a great life. My wife was returning late on Monday and I knew Billie was hanging on. At noon the next day her pain ended. I am reading the Bible for the first time cover to coverI am about half way through and it has changed my life in a big way. I ended up on this site because I was researching what God had to say about heaven and animals I am happy now and I wish you good health and peace…..John
I to believe that we one day will see our baby’s again 9 years ago my sister came home with a yellow little blanket and I saw that she had something in it she said this is for you when I opened and saw the most beautiful 2 and half month old black chihuahua i cried like a baby he started to lick my tears comforting me like saying I’m here for you for as long as I live for 9 years he was my child my best friend my companion my protective all he need it was say words because the rest he was like a human my baby was suffering from cushions desase and collapsed threakea he couldn’t sleep all night he would look at me like saying mommy help me we did all we could with the doctors and all the time was nagative so it came to a time that I asked God to help me decide when was time to make the right decision and to give me strength to do it so my baby on the 4 of February l helped him cross the Rainbow bridge he give me a hug like saying now I can sleep until we meet again and I think we do see our baby’s again as i read all about fur baby’s going to haven i do believe that God makes this possible for all of us until than i keep my hopes and believes in god for he is our creator for all living things humans and animals until we meet again my baby buddy love mommy ❤️
I had to put me sweet innocent fur baby down 2 week before christmas 2019 it was hard But she was sick i knew it was time she let me know Beth i know is with my family in heaven looking down and some day we will be back as a team united as one she was my first cat for 19 years and she was the most spoiled cat on earth
Many feel that pets cannot go to heaven because they cannot repent of sin and accept Jesus. I say that pets are not born into sin as we are. Most of any sin is in the intent. Pets don’t have hateful intent so nothing to repent for. As for accepting Jesus, pets have keener senses than we do, so I believe they don’t have to accept Jesus is present, they KNOW He is.
I agree with you. In Leviticus 16: below (different verses in 16)
I believe the blood of the animal is innocent blood that is why they had to sacrifice and use the blood of an animal. The only human (or any blood) blood that can completely cover and take away sin is Jesus Christ.
2The Lord said…6Aaron is to offer the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household…9 Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the Lord and sacrifice it for a sin offering…30…Then, before the Lord, you will be clean from all your sins
That is a fantastic perspective which I’ve never considered. Animal blood is innocent otherwise how could they serve as a sacrifice for sin. Just as Jesus had to be totally sinless to be able to be a sacrifice for us. Amazing. Thank you.
Excellent point about animal blood being innocent. Thank you for sharing this thought as that had not occurred to me and it was very insightful.
This I believe too, they know their Creator from the beginning and He know them and each of us human creations. I believe animals are created as a gift to us to teach our hearts true depth of what it means to love, then as they have to leave us, we learn what it means the grieve( and that is because we were able to love) I believe they will be with us there in heaven.
I dearly loved all the pets (cats) I’ve had over my lifetime. I feel that I will see them again in heaven … because God knows my heart and the love and total enjoyment I experiences with His creation of these very precious animals.
Comparing the outcome of man’s fall from grace cannot be placed on God’s other creatures … in the sense that “they” did not sin; therefore there is nothing that requires (animal) forgiveness.
I totally believe my pets will be with me in heaven.
Angel, Rusty, Angel, Magic and Midnight I will see you there!
This page is like therapy for me.
My wife and I just put our poodle down yesterday and my heart is absolutely broken.
He was only 5 but he was diagnosed with lymphoma last month. During the course of the month he was slowly regressing. The decision was incredibly difficult but I felt like we were only holding off for ourselves.
Murphy was like a best friend to me. I miss him terribly and hope God’s grace will allow us to see each other again someday. The unknown of that part is the worst for me. If I knew for sure, I could handle this temporary separation.
Our dearest friend, Toby, almost 13 Golden, said good bye on April 20, 2020. His legs were failing (neuropathy), but his final insurmountable problem was congestive heart failure. I walked miles and miles of trails with him in all seasons. He was everyone’s friend. The night before his last day, he had 7 visitors who were not family come over to say good bye. He was loved by everyone who knew him. My heart is so broken and I’m a grown man of 57 years. He was the kind of dog every guy dreams of… an adventure buddy, a gaurdian, a confidant, a co-laborer in the workshop and in the garage. Kind, never a foul moment. I have always thought at a superficial level that pets would not be in heaven. However this has made me look more keenly at scripture and not just project my broken heartedness into it. the word clearly states people and animals have souls. Uses the same word. it also states we both have the breath of life (spirit). Ours of course are in the image of God, and due to our moral nature require a savior. Animals are amoral, though they have feelings as we do. However, they do not require a savior. To project the argument that Christ didn’t die for animals (pets) and therefore they will not be in heaven, is in my opinion, a poor exegesis of scripture. The Bible does not exclusively say either way, but it certainly does provide evidence for the ‘kind’ of creature animals are, and they are made like us in important ways. Heaven is not just a nebulous existance with no substance… A city, streets of ‘gold’, jewels and crystals, streams, lovely trees… it is a place of substance and beauty in addition to the Majesty of God himself. All these things he has given us, now, and then, for our enjoyment, in addition to his presence. And if that be the case, I see no REASON (thinking person) to preclude the notion that the ones we loved who are not human, could easily be present in some ideal and perfect way for us to enjoy, with the Lord, for ever. I’m sure he enjoys those whom he created as much if not more than we do. I would be surprised if he did not want them to be with him, his gifts to us, to be enjoyed by us and him for ever.
I am truly sorry for your recent loss..i just loss my best girl chihuahua of 18 yrs on 7.8.2020. it was heartbreaking to see her lose her battle with a mass on spleen..what you wrote at the end of your story is pretty powerful..i never saw it that way it makes total sense thankyou for writing that and i needed to see it that way..one day we will rejoice with our pets
We lost our baby girl name Pepper Sundsy morning at 03:55 while racing to the emergency animal hospital. She was the greatest pet that we have ever had. I’ll miss her until we are REUNITED in heaven. We live you Pepper, that will never ever stop till we all are REUNITED once again this for all eternity. Mom and Dad
I lost my sweet Bulldog Mix, Raisin, this month to cancer. As the vet put her to sleep I felt led to pray. I prayed for the Lord to take her and keep her with Him. A week later I had a dream and saw her in a room sniffing around the perimeter. Next to her was a family dog, a German Shepherd from my childhood. His name was Prince. Then I saw her running, but she wasn’t limping from the pain caused by her cancer. She appeared healed. The Shepherd named Prince had great spiritual significance to me. I believe I received the answer to my prayer.
I know that the Lord will restore our pets unto us because He himself told me so. Years ago I had 3 black German Shepherds. All three escaped from our yard and ran off. They wandered onto a highway and 2 were killed before we could find them. That night I slowly fell asleep while crying. Once I was asleep I began to dream. In my dream I was crying bitterly because I had lost my beloved pets. It felt as if my heart was about to break from the sorrow. As I cried in my dream, I suddenly heard the most beautiful voice I have ever heard come out of nowhere. The voice said to me in my dream “Why do you weep”? In my dream I told the voice that I had lost my 2 dogs and I would never see them again. Then the voice said to me in the dream “Weep not, for can not I who can give thee anything your heart desires restore them unto you once you are here with me in Heaven? All you need do is but ask, and they shall be restored unto thee.” When I heard those words spoken to me in my dream I stopped crying, and then I awoke. It was then that I realized that in my sorrow the Lord had come unto me in my dream and had told me that I would have them back one day. All you have to do is but ask, and you shall receive. I have lost several more pets throughout the years since then, but from that moment on I knew that it would not be forever. I know that when my times comes, and I am in the presence of my beloved Heavenly Father he will restore all of my lost beloved pets unto me, and I will be with them all again forever! : )
I needed to hear this as I come near the end with my heart and soul on earth. My sweet tuxedo boy.. I’ve been begging Jesus to give me this answer. I put my faith in your dream and what God told you and I hope and pray he gives me the same answer somewhere somehow. So special. I can’t wait for that day.
I just put down my beloved pitbull terrier of 10 years yesterday (10/202020) and the pain and grief is a lot to bear. I prayed to the heavenly father to take her into his hands to watch over and protect until I come home. I know that time will heal the pain as I have had other pets to send back to our creator after he granted then their time on earth. Not only do I know for certain that we ALL get our wonderful companions back, I will leave you off with something nobody tends to understand about heaven. I had a coworker many many years ago who was an Atheist that asked me if I believed in God. Of course I answer “yes” and asked him the same at that moment in time not knowing his beliefs. He relayed something interesting to me that Atheists tend to agree on, and it’s not that they don’t believe in God. Most of them tend to believe in a higher spiritual nature, just not the name of God. What he told me was that “my” God is perfect and that for heaven to be completely perfect it must go in reverse order to come back to the start. In other words, the last person to die would be the first to be judged and enter until we arrive at Able since he was the first of us humans to arrive there and start the line to eternity. You may be asking what this has to do with our pets? Well, he then explained that when it comes to our “wealth” in heaven, it is not based on your actions or good deeds here on earth. Your wealth is based on the animals or Gods creation’s you took care of on earth. Thus, the more creatures you cared for….the more your wealth is in the form of those animals. Your wealth ARE all the pets you acquired in your existence and will be your charge for the rest of eternity. So don’t hurt, for God will wipe away your tears and restore all your companions for the rest of time.
Thinking back one week before my dear Clover passed away I had a special but heartbreaking dream. I dreamt that Clover and I were walking on a path in a forest together. Then Clover ran off and I lost him. I kept looking for him and searching for him. When I found him finally, he was playing in the most beautiful garden, like the Garden of Eden. Clover was free playing in the flowers and in the green grass. I remember waking up from this dream feeling heartbroken because I lost Clover for a little bit but then felt good that I found him again. This may be different for some to understand, but I believe that the garden I saw in my dream was a place in Heaven where Clover is now. He is playing care free there now.
I believe that your dream was very significant. I just lost my sweet kitty Molly. We got Molly when she was very old (about 17). I am very grateful for the 3 years that I had her. I of course just want to know that she is ok and that I will see her again. Your dream gives me comfort.
My wife , Shelia and I just lost our fourteen year old Miniature Pinscher . A whopping beautiful black and tan at seven pounds . We got her at five years of age and she had been passed around to three or four different people until us . I will never understand that but we had her and she now had her forever home with us . I grew up with dogs , cats and horses etc. while Shelia had not but just loves animals . Shelia’s mom was not an animal person but could not resist Rosie . While not even looking Shelia found Rosie that had been passed to a friend that had several dogs and could not keep her . I did not want her but Shelia did and would not have it any other way . It took all of a day for me to fall in love with the most peculiar dog I had ever come in contact with . Absolutely did not want to be in your face , did not kiss (lick) you . Did not play with toys at all , ever , never . Her play was to get her treat after coming inside , taking it to the rug and dropping it then daring one of us to come and get it all the while growling like she would eat us up and if you if you ease up to her in a menacing way with hands out like you were going to get her , she would act as though she was again going to eat you up . And that was the extent of her playing . She loved to ride and went just about everywhere with us . If she did not go with us she would stay with my mom , her granny . Her granny loved her too and would always hint if you need me to keep her , just say . When she sensed it was time to go somewhere she was so excited , spinning in a circle and bucking like rodeo bull and whining away . Every Sunday after Church was the day to go to grannies and get a hot dog or whatever treat granny had for her . She sensed Sunday’s , as soon as we came in from Church and ate lunch she would start with the excitement and that excitement was with her til we got to grannies house and got her treat . She loved me and was with me when I had bad days with my health . Would lay with me all day if she felt my need for her .Shelia , her mama , was number one . Shelia was her go to , her security and she did not hide it . In my lap or in my arms when Shelia walked in the room , just like a baby , Rosie was reaching , reaching , reaching for her . We have two daughters and four grand daughters plus sons in law and then we have Rosie . They all loved Rosie . Rosie depended on us for everything and we gave her our all . In turn even though those min pin’s just know it is all about them , she gave us her all . She gave us so much love and so much laughter . We lost her to congestive heart failure December the 14th 2020 at 10:00 am . She passed in Shelia’s arms riding home from the vet . Seemed so alert literally one minute and gone the next . We , in all our sixty some odd years have never felt so much heart break and have cried in each others arms so much and do not know where it ends . We just keep praying for relief and comfort all the while thanking God for each other and our time with that little runt . She was our home life and we were hers not to mention camping , fishing or whatever , she was most of the time with us .People that I have lost in my life that I have grieved for does not compare to this because of not knowing if we will see her again . I once asked a pastor of ours if he believed our pets would be in heaven . His answer was , I believe they will be if you need them to be and I thought that was a puzzling answer but did not question it . After I have found this website today , it kind of makes sense . I had Shelia come and read and I stayed out of the room and left her alone while she read . We still had a good cry , afterwards and a prayer . God is Good and God is Great . He put her in our arms to take care of and gave us to her to take care of . He also took her and I just pray that he will ease our pain and reunite us one day .
I really truly believe I will see my pets in eternity – ALL of them. I know The Lord God spoke to and used animals (Jonah and the great fish, Balaam & the donkey), so He can and does have communication with animals. I also believe all that God gave life to will have an eternity and I can’t imagine my sweet dogs and cats being sent to the lake of fire for eternity, as they have not sinned. And really if a horse can be in Heaven why not other beloved pets?
The Lord says he sits at the most high ,The most high is the highest you can go,That is where heaven is I believe ,That is where the gates of heaven is and throw those gates i believe there is a vast area with no END ,THE KINGDOM OF GOD.Thank you for your spiritual insight ,My cat got hit by a car and i could,nt find peace until I found out more insight. I always believed in my heart that there is a animal kingdom in Heaven.
…I so needed this message, I had fostered 5 street dogs and there were lot of issues and were not safe and I decided to bring them with me to new place and city, however, one of the dog,most close one to me as he was weaker beforehand, fell sick, CD kind illness, I thought it got him mental stress to be in New place, and I feel so sad that I had to admit him in hospital and he died, cannot get over this feeling…didtn see him last time also as didn’t have courage to see. I so want to meet him again,my beloved…Coco…I love him so much…with tears in my eyes ,I have asked God number of times,why would he do that with him as he suffered most even on campus street,getting hit by people and stray dog attacks..that’s why I got him with me..
Don’t know but mostly believers say animals don’t have soul and they won’t go to heaven or Ressurect ,I feel truly hurt and pain within,hearing that…I so wish, to meet Coco again,he use be only one who would defence me,listen and obey and act so sweet and weak he was but took up survival well. Wanted him to get happy life better than people who treated him bad and hit him without reason,God took him away…doesn’t se fair…
Feel so sad..can’t stop tears …
I wish God helps us meet again
I so wish.
Loved the way this question was answered by you with research from the Holy Scriptures. I fully agree animals of all sorts are and will be present in Heaven as for one thing they were first on God’s list to be created. A heaven with nothing but angelic & humans souls in it is even difficult to just picture.
Yesterday I came home from the vet’s with one of my cats, to find another one of my cat babies on the floor, paralyzed and breathing abnormally. He had suffered a blood clot and had to be put to sleep, there was nothing that could be done. He was 15 and we had him 3 years. He was rescued and after we adopted him, he developed diabetes, and as we have another cat with diabetes, I believe the Lord intended him for us because He knew we would know how to care for him. I had another cat die of a heart attack 3 years ago. It is SO HARD and my heart is broken and I can’t even describe how awful I feel. Thank you for this article, it gives me hope. I think Jacksun is sitting in my mom’s arms right now-he never knew her on Earth, but Jesus introduced them. 🙂 Bless all of you who are grieving the loss of a beloved furbaby.
I am so very excited about all of this! Yes, I look forward to being with my pets in heaven. I look forward to being with the Lord and the pets. Life just doesn’t get any better that what Michael Christian has described but I have a feeling or even a hunch that God has many more secrets and treats for each of us, but God is not telling us how fabulous it will be at that time!
You have no idea how much this has made the most difficult decision in my life easier & has already eased my grief just a little. When I lost my beautiful best friend JJ kitty, my handsome Tux,I wanted to go with him. I tried to as my grief was so deep but God said no. About a year later, I adopted/rescued a sweet but very scaredy little gray tiger stripe kitty that had been thrown from the window of a moving car. When the man caring for him died we went to the shelter & I looked for this kitty special. Little did I know that he truly was rescuing me. I tried not to love him like I did JJ but I fell deeply in love. Tighe was always so thankful & grateful for everything my son & I gave him. Five days ago I found out he has a bad liver cancer but also a blockage kind of like a kidney stone would be & if it bursts it would be horrible so the vet wanted me to put him to sleep. Until I found this article, I really wanted to die with my sweet baby. I have severe pain as well that the CDC guidelines put an end to proper pain control so I’m dying from a slow painful death. Tighe has been a huge comfort. My reason for waking up every day.I worried about what would happen to him when the rapture happens, who would take care of my sweet scared kitty. Maybe this is so I don’t have to worry & to help keep my eyes on heaven. I know we are so very close to the rapture now so we won’t be apart for long.i also am sure that my JJ & my horse Gypsy will be waiting for me as well. God has answered all my prayers the last few days about Tighe. I love him so very, very deeply. I’m still devastated but I now have hope where I didn’t before. I just want to go home. My Tighe has helped me get through so much grief in the past but I know he will be getting the best that God has & only God Himself can love him more than I do. Thank you Jesus for the cross that set everything right again. I love you so much!!!
I too believe that animals will be in heaven, I am not sure about him resurrecting any, but he did say we don’t know what we have in heaven until we get there, he will give us the desires of our hearts. I do hope all of my kitty’s that have gone on before me, will be there, if not I will be satisfied with whatever he has for me. He will wipe away all our memory of this life and start over fresh, so God could very well give us our pets back, or have something knew for us, cause he does say, eye have not seen, or ear have not heard for the wonderful things Jesus has stored for us who love him. I think if we do love Jesus with all our hearts, he will give us the desires of our hearts. God is so good, we all have to trust him and wait till we all get to heaven to see what he has in store for all of us.
This question has been burning in my mind now since my beloved cat past away a month ago. I love him so much.. I am in so much pain. He was a beautiful little soul that brought me such joy and comfort. What gets me through the day is knowing we will be together again one day.
Thank you so much for this thoughtful, Scripture filled article. Though like you I can’t say definitively that our pets will be in heaven, another Scripture I add to my ‘arsenal’ that there’s a good chance is Revelation 21:5 “Then He Who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ And He said to me ‘Write, for these words are true and faithful.'”
My beloved cat Salter had to be put to sleep tonight due to chronic respiratory issues. He is the third cat that I’ve had to say goodbye to since June 4th, plus my brother, my only sibling, passed away in August. I’ve been reading and re-rereading this since June and want to thank you for the comfort it brings.
I just lost my precious dog today. She has been quite sick for a few weeks. When she was suffering, i would lay my hands on her and pray, and she would calm and would snuggle as if receiving peace. When i had to let her go, i prayed that she would love on Jesus like she loved on me. She licked me to tell me she loved me. I have spent the rest of this day in extreme grief at the loss of her. I did a search, and found your post. I am taking comfort on your words with your Scripture to back it. Thank you for helping with my broken Heart!
An excellent article that brings great comfort to me. I’ve just lost a special buddy to me. My Shiloh, a 14 1/2 year old German Shepherd mix. I’ve always believed that God never gives a gift to us that he would take away from us.
The Scripture you reference provides proof that God gives us many eternal blessings with our furry friends that he will never take away!
I have been deeply grieving the loss of my soulmate cat for ten months now, and have been desperate to know I will see her again in heaven. I have prayed to God every day for comfort. Maybe coming here, is an answer to my prayers. Not only the article written with scriptural backup…but the comments from people here, have been of comfort to me. I will read these words again and again. Thankyou.
I really love your article. It really gives me hope that we will not only see our loved ones again in the millennial kingdom and new heaven and new earth, but our beloved pets as well.
Thank you for this article. My dog just passed away yesterday, and your article has confirmed what I truly believe in my heart – Our Creator, Lord, Master & King will have our beloved pets waiting for us in eternity. God bless you for putting in the time to research in our Saviour’s Word.
Michael,
I had to put down my dog last Saturday. He was just like a son to me. He gave me so much and was my sidekick. He relied on me and I relied on him every day. I have been agonizing the thought of not ever seeing him again. I am truly broken. I have been a born again Christian for 50 years and never in that time doubted God. I know he has a plan. For the first time in my life I got angry with God and I truly hope He forgives me for that. Ram was only 8 &1/2 years old and such a good boy. He wouldn’t hurt a flea. I miss him so bad!!! I have been searching scripture hoping to find answers. Thank you so much for putting this article together. It along with the readers comments should help bring me healing. I know God is the ultimate healer, it just will come in His time…
God bless you. I will be praying for you and all of your readers.
Dennis Hiott
Thank you for putting the scriptures together to help comfort us in the loss of our beloved pets. I am choosing to believe that my punkie boo boo, Jack, will make Heaven a lot sweeter. I don’t have children, so my cat was my baby … I miss my baby terribly and these scriptures broken down has helped to give me a level of comfort. God bless you.
It makes no sense that God would NOT send ALL creation to heaven. He created animals too..and he was very. Pleased with them, even wanted to share his creations with humans, so he created them!
We love our animals…he wouldn’t exclude or eliminate them.
My heart and soul wait for the day I will see all my family, friends and pets in heaven! Yes. They have to be there.
One morning as I was petting my beagle, I was prompted by the Holy Spirit to ask Jesus to hold onto for me when he was to pass. I loved this little guy and he stayed with me wherever I went. I had never considered the issue of pets going to heaven, but found comfort from this prayer when he passed the next day. Thank you for the article, it helps to south my heart.
Yes, there will be animals in Heaven. God says so according to the Bible.
As far as your earthly pets waiting to be reunited with you in Heaven. NO.
Do you truly believe that God is going to reunite you with your earthly pets just because you loved them while on Earth?
Use the common sense that God gave you.
I’m sure that we all have had relatives that we loved dearly that unfortunately were not Born Again Christians that have passed.
Do you truly believe that God is going to reunite you with them just because you loved them while on Earth?
The most important consideration is not only God’s love for us but also the love we give to our Fur Babies and the love they return to us. Goodness and Love are gifts from God and so are our Fur Babies.
Thank you, Mr. Bradley for the insight about animals in heaven and our beloved pets. It’s impressive how you have biblical scriptures to back up your point of view in this matter. In 2003 I had to put down my cocker spaniel her name was Nala. She was beautiful and my faithful companion. I was devastated completely broken! After six months of her passing I had an experience that I will never forget.
I remember one afternoon I put my child down for a nap and I laid on my bed for a few min to relax. I closed my eyes and I begun to feel a breeze on my face. In seconds I saw this beautiful garden, with green, green grass and beautiful flowers and roses. They were so alive and they moved from one side to the other. In my mind, I said to my self, wait! where am I? this is not my bedroom! I have to go back! my baby is sleeping. But I was captivated by the beauty of this garden.
In an instant I noticed this person holding my dog Nala! yes! my dog that had passed. She looked beautiful and healthy. Nala had white coat with black spots and long black ears. She looked the same, except she was not ill and old. She looked alive, healthy and her coat was so white and so clean. I screamed her name loud with joy and she ” licked” my face. Her beautiful black eyes were full of life and happiness. I said to her Nala! I Miss you! I love you! She gave me the biggest lick on my nose. In an instant I opened my eyes and I was back in my bedroom. The lick of her tongue on my nose was still wet when my eyes opened, it lasted for a few minutes after this experience, I’m a believer that God has a place for our animals when they die. I have no doubt! I hope my experience can help someone who is grieving with the loss of their pet. They have souls. God is love and he has a perfect plan to restore everything back to us when we go home or when he returns and creates new heaven and new earth. Let’s hold on to our salvation we have a wonderful promise from our Father and Savior Jesus Christ.
My jill passed away today i told her I’d see her on the other side. Why would god not have our pets waiting on us he knows how we love them.Reading these comments helped me .I love the lord i cryed and prayed when my girl was dying. So i know god will have jill and my other furkids waiting on me.
Thank you Jesus.
Thank you so much! You reaffirmed my thoughts and feelings. Beyond mine. I sincerely appreciate your devotion to this subject with scripture!
The Bible teaches us that for whatever makes us happy in heaven, it shall be. So I believe that if seeing my pets is what makes me happy in heaven, then I shall see them!