Do pets go to Heaven?

Hello my Fellow Brothers and Sisters,

This wondering started yesterday when my bird (well, God's bird, as all things are technically His) became misshapen and labored in her breathing. My parents and I called around for a vet and took her to one (in a small cage wrapped in a warm blanket, of course). I prayed and left it up to God to do what He thought best in accordance to His Will.

Of course this has become a time of tribulation for me, as it has saddened me a lot (and I'm still weepy). But it's also a time for joy, because I have Someone special to rely on for comfort and strength. If I didn't have Jesus as my Lord, I'd probably be an emotional wreck.

Anyways, getting to the question, will I see my Gabby in Heaven? Of course, one answer is that one must get right with God to get to Heaven in the first place, that God comes first ALWAYS, so that's a given. The Bible does mention animals after the Great Tribulation, but I'm assuming here that those are new creations living in the restored Earth rather than resurrected ones. Any thoughts my Brothers and Sisters? I have a feeling Jesus has her waiting for me.

All things wise and wonderful, all creatures
great and small; the LORD GOD made them all.
All things in creation will be restored in
the kingdom of GOD. I don't mean your pet
will be there; but there will be so many
beautiful birds and things in paradise!!

I think man is unique in that he has a spirit. He is a spiritual being created so in the image of God. Animals have brains, and bodies, but not spirits. So, we see a lot of intelligence in the animal kingdom, but animals do not possess (if you can use that term) an immortal spirit.

We often grow to love our pets as members of our family. It is part of being human I guess. We are emotional beings. But I would have to say no, I don't believe animals go to heaven, even though when there is a new heaven and a new earth, I fully expect I will see animals there. But, since animals are not created in the image of God as spiritual beings, I would have to say no.

This doesn't mean that we should not feel emotions of loss when a favorite pet dies, and that there is anything wrong with being thankful that God has allowed us to enjoy His creation, or ask Him to help us to deal with the loss. I still remember fondly the collie that I had growing up. Thank you Lord for allowing me to enjoy Your creation in that way.

Hello jmooney6,
Loosing a pet is a sad thing, allow God to comfort you over this.

The bible has an answer to your question in Eccl 3:21 Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

Animals do not have a soul, they are different from humans. They cannot think the way we do. Their spirit returns to the earth, they do not go to heaven or hell.

Revelation 21:4
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Once you get there, there will be no mourning over anything.

Hello jmooney6,
Loosing a pet is a sad thing, allow God to comfort you over this.

The bible has an answer to your question in Eccl 3:21 Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

Animals do not have a soul, they are different from humans. They cannot think the way we do. Their spirit returns to the earth, they do not go to heaven or hell.

Revelation 21:4
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Once you get there, there will be no mourning over anything.

hi,as i once saw many birds praise God and know that everything that has breath praise the Lord.... read rev 5;13... thats your bird in that verse.jimp

When my beloved pet died, the Lord showed me that it was He that had brought forth that life and placed it within my care.

I was holding my dog when he died. One second he was there, and the next second he was gone - and all that I was left holding was a bag of bones. From this I realized that it was the beauty of what the Lord had placed within my pet that I loved and not the thing in itself - that it was the life that He had placed within my dog that I loved - that it was God that I loved for it was He that had given that life.

In realizing this, I would say that the essence of your pet - that which you loved - will be in heaven, for that is what makes heaven what it is, it is the presence of the Lord.

I believe yes. 1. Mary Baxter went to Heaven and I believe she saw animals there. Read Divine Revel. of Heaven. 2. When you reckon yourself dead and alive unto God Rom 6.6, your affections are His,and His yours, and you want to be with your pets. It's almost an innate desire, which 3. is an earnest from God. 4. He interests Himself with our cares/interests/wants (even as we do with/to His)--we want to see our pets again and know they will be in heaven. 5. because heaven is good, therefore our pets will be there (even if their owners won't). Not a sparrow is unknown to God, Careth God for oxen?

Dear HeartSong,

Your post has been saved against future need.

In realizing this, I would say that the essence of your pet - that which you loved - will be in heaven, for that is what makes heaven what it is, it is the presence of the Lord.

My husband found it very touching and thoughtful. We have 3 aged dogs and can not happily anticipate their passing, although it is inevitable.

Thank you for posting on this thread.
white stone

May the Lord give you comfort jmooney6. I don't know the answer, but I hope there is some provision the Lord has made for those of us that love our pets dearly, other than wiping away our tears and sorrow. We had the most amazing golden retriever, and his passing was like losing a child. He had a personality, emotions, etc. Sometimes I knew exactly what he was saying even though he never spoke (not in some new age way, just body language etc.). Since he died in my arms, and I saw the life leave his eyes, I tend to believe that animals do have a spirit, because something definitely left my dogs body when he died. I also tend to believe that animals have a soul (especially golden retrievers - just kidding) because of the emotion they display. Some will argue that. I don't know for sure, but it seems to be true. As to their eternal state, well the bible tells us that ALL creation cries out for the sons of God to be revealed, which leads me to believe that it is a good thing for creation that God's plans have their outworking, and that it doesn't mean their eternal demise. The problem with this question is that no one really knows. But I hope! We really miss our dog. He was noble and good, and God blessed us with a great treasure. If it is the Lord's way that I never get to connect with my dog again in eternity, I know it won't matter to me then, but it is sad to think of that part of God's creation being obliterated somehow.

I pray you obtain the peace that passes all understanding in your heart. I know how hard it is!

We know that there are horses in heaven, why not other animals?

:-) I hope no one takes offense, or vilifies me for this comment, but just to keep things in their proper perspective...

Though we are ordered to be kind to our animals, we should be realistic (Biblical) in how we look at them. Only man is God's special creation, everything else is...*ahem*...food.

[i]Ge 1:26-27 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."

Ge 9:3 "Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything."[/i]

May God bless you all. The Lord has comforted me over the whole situation, and I've recovered rather quickly.

@Brother/Sister GospelBreath (pardon my ignorance), it seemed that my Gabby had more to her than a physical feathered body, like a soul or spirit, just as your Golden Retriever seemed to have one. She died in an incubator at the vet's clinic, so at least she was warm and comfortable in her passing. I still think about her sometimes; it's hard not to when a pet leaves such an impression on you.

@Brother Leo, I wouldn't imagine parakeet meat to be all that appetizing. ;)

@Brother Micah, you mentioned horses in Heaven. Since I'm still studying the NT, can you please point me to the passage where this is mentioned? :) Thank you and God Bless.

@Brother Micah, you mentioned horses in Heaven. Since I'm still studying the NT, can you please point me to the passage where this is mentioned? :) Thank you and God Bless.

[b]Revelation 19:11 (NKJV)[/b]

Now 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.

:-)

Another passage on horses in heaven that is more of a stretch in my opinion.

[b]2 Kings 2:11 (NKJV)[/b]

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.

Bro,

Please read this story by appolus from 2/18/2008 and how God is glorified, I've kept record of it b/c it spoke to me...

[url=https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=22334&forum=44]My Dog Died Today[/url]

@My Sister Lysa,

I got your PM, and I just read the story. I ended up with tears in my eyes and a bit of sorrow. I don't think it was so much my bird's passing this round, rather how much more I need Him, to please Him! Excellent post by Brother Appolus.

@My Brother Miccah,

I'm not sure yet if the horses of Revelation are literal or symbolic, but the verse from 2 Kings seems to indicate some manner of fiery horse-like creatures in Heaven. :) I'm going to read through the passages containing these verses to get a better understanding and of course pray on it.

Take care and God bless.

This is a very touching story written by Frank - I loved it.

I, too, grew up with a variety of pets which included dogs, cats, a sheep, pigeon (a special one). They filled a void in my life. I was for five years an only child and animals filled that need for companionship and friendship. After I became a mom our children had a variety of pets as well that included a raccoon (my favorite). The only animals they were unable to tame was a squirrel and an opossum. Snakes were forbidden - by me!

I do not know whether animals that lived here on earth will go to heaven. This issue gets complicated: how about the beef I eat? the pork? the chicken? My brother made a pet out of a cow we had and it ended up at the meat processing plant. My husband used to have a pet chicken and it ended up in his mother's frying pan and it was eaten by the family....

Modern tree huggers are so infatuated with animal life they would never kill any animal, bird, insect or reptile because they feel it has a right to life. So where is the balance? I think the early Anabaptists had the right idea when they believed that animals should not be hunted for sport but only for food, that one should not kill for its own sake and allow it to rot like the early Americans did who hunted the bison almost to extinction.

It seems to me that one must be careful about our perception of animals that it will not rise to the level of fellow human beings. They are made by God for our use and enjoyment and that is all. To wish them to be in heaven - could this not be similar to wish that some of my favorite things will be in heaven as well? What if I were to wish that I could have a new Embroidery machine with lots of threads, stabilizers and fabrics in heaven? Or, how about my "Prayers and Promises" collection? I hate to see it burned up....Absurd? Why?

Have a blessed day, y'all! Now I must go feed our cats...

ginnyrose