RC was my buddy. He lived to be 18. Almost every night he slept on my bed and was a comfort and companion to me as a kid. When that long-haired white and orange cat died it broke my heart.
- Will I see him in heaven?
- Will I also see my dogs Oscar and Buffy?
- How about Harry, our pony growing up?
- Will I see Pinball, the pet hamster that Rica and I had as newlyweds?
- Will I see Iggy my pet iguana?
- How about Sparkles the goldfish?
This is a delicate topic because animals can be special and loving companions in our lives. It can comfort a child or adult who has lost a special pet to say that they are in heaven. Ultimately, the Bible does not speak directly to this issue, yet we can extrapolate from what we see in God’s Word to get reasonable clarity on this topic.
We have every reason to believe that there will be animals in heaven. We see a sampling of animals listed in the prophetic passages of God’s future kingdom (Isaiah 11:6-9; 65:25). We see horses in heaven including those ridden by Jesus and the armies of heaven (Revelation 6:2-8; 19:11-14). We also believe that when God remakes the heavens and the earth, the new creation will, as biblically demonstrated by the old creation, include animals. (Isaiah 65:17; Revelation 21:1). Now whether those animals will be our resurrected pets is an entirely different issue and one that not all believers in Christ agree on.
I think there are two questions we need to interact with to get insight on this issue:
Do animals have souls?
We see in the creation account that mankind is made in the image of God (Gen. 1:27). Part of our human design is a soul that was uniquely and personally placed within us from God Himself (Gen. 2:7). We didn’t just receive breath, we received God’s breath; our source of immortality. No other creature received this exclusive and divine treatment.
Although animals can think, express and be affectionate, they lack the creativity, cognition and moral capacity found in human beings. From a theological perspective, there is no biblical support that animals have a soul. And if they did, it then opens the door for discussing the eternal destination of that soul. Do all dogs go to heaven or just the good ones? Can a cat sin? If so, how are those sins atoned for? As we know, Christ came to die in order to reconcile the sinful souls of man back to God (1 Tim. 1:15; Rom. 5:8; 1Peter 3:18) so to include animals into the equation of salvation is not only unbiblical but problematic.
Does the nature of God allow for it?
We know that heaven will be an experience of great and everlasting joy. That is why Jesus referred to it as “paradise” (Luke 23:43). We also know that God is a heavenly Father who gives good gifts to His children (Matt. 7:11; James. 1:17). So, if in His power and goodness God wanted to include the reunion of our pets in heaven, He very well could. We just need to be cautious to confidently say that He will. Our joy in heaven is not dependant on the presence of the animals we loved being there. God’s presence and glory will overwhelm us.
For me personally, I know eternal life in heaven will go beyond my wildest imagination (1 Cor. 2:9). As I live in eternity with my awesome God, I see evidence in His Word that perhaps I’ll be able to wrestle around with a huge lion rather than pet RC or ride a rhino instead of Harry the pony. I could swim with blue whales and not worry about changing the water in Sparkle’s bowl. So for now, let’s be thankful to God for our pets, these incredible companions on earth, and trust Him for what He has in the future, pet or no pet.
Resource:
“Do Pets go to Heaven?” by Pastor John Piper (11 minute audio message)
“Will there be animals in heaven?” by Brad Huston
