Do Animals go to Heaven?
Note: In any location where the Bible text has been written in italics, the italics has been added for emphasis.
The question of whether animals will be in heaven or not is often asked and this discussion is an attempt to answer that question. The most obvious place to start this investigation is God’s word which is the Bible. So let’s ask another obvious question, and that would be, “Why didn’t God just tell us in the Bible about animals and heaven so we wouldn’t have to wonder?” I think the answer to that question is that if God talked about animals and heaven, we might put too much emphasis on serving animals and not on serving people. When Jesus was asked what was the greatest commandment he responded:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it; Love your neighbor as yourself” Matthew 22:37-39
So God wants us to love Him and love each other, and not lose sight of this by focusing on animals. So does that mean that God doesn’t care about the animals? Well the short answer is, or course not; and there are several of examples that demonstrate this:
When God gave His ten commandments, they basically told us what was described above about loving Him and loving each other. The fourth of these commandments talks about observing the Sabbath and resting on the seventh day. God could have just told us all to rest, but He pointed out that even the animals require a day of rest:
“Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, or your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox, your donkey, or any of your animals . . .” Deut 5:12.
In the Old Testament (Numbers Ch 22) the story is told of a man, Balaam, who was sent on a mission to put a curse on the Israelites. In the process of making the trip, he beat his donkey, and immediately after, an angel of the Lord spoke to Balaam:
“Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me. The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared her.”
Another example from the Old Testament (Jonah Ch 4), God tells Jonah to go to the city of Ninevah and tell the people to turn from their wicked ways so that God will spare them from destruction. Jonah is reluctant to do this because he didn’t like the Ninevites. God became angry with Jonah for being so reluctant to help save these people, and He says to Jonah:
“But Ninevah has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?”
An example from the New Testament is from Matthew chapter 6 where Jesus is talking about worrying: “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them.” Similarly from Matthew 10:29-31: “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. . . . So don’t be afraid ; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Also, take note of the last part of this verse (verse 31). Note that Jesus says that you are worth more than “many” sparrows. Jesus doesn’t say that you are worth more than all of the sparrows. Animals have value to God, and of course people have more value to God than animals, but the value of animals is still significant to Him.
There is even evidence that animals communicate or pray to God (Job 38: 41). In the book of Job, Job doubts God’s power or at least he wonders why he must suffer through all of the troubles that he is going through. God speaks directly to Job telling him about his power and how much he cares about even the smallest of animals: “Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food?”
God obviously cares about animals, but let’s get down to the point. Will there be animals in heaven or not? We’ve got other examples to lead us to the conclusion that yes there will be.
In Isaiah Chapter 11, the Bible talks about a time in the future when the world will finally be as God intended. This passage may specifically be talking about the thousand year reign when Jesus rules the earth, or it may be talking about heaven itself. Either way God’s plan for the ideal world will include animals:
“The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf, the lion, and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”
In Psalm 84:3, the author is praising God’s dwelling place (temple or perhaps heaven); “Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young – a place near your altar, O Lord Almighty, my King and my God.” You should also take note that this passage isn’t talking about a majestic eagles or beautiful tropical birds, but common, small birds that you might see every day.
Another example comes from the book of Revelation Chapter 19, verses 11& 14: “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True” and “The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.” These horses came with Jesus and his armies from heaven; therefore they must reside in heaven in the first place. If you look at Psalm 145:21 it states “. . . Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever.” For ever and ever would mean eternity, and eternity will be in heaven for believers in Jesus.
This is not to say that all animals go to heaven. Somehow there is a distinction between some animals and others. In 2 Peter 2:12 the Bible talks about men being like “brute beasts”: “But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish.” So there seems to be some types of animals that don’t really have a soul and have been put on earth for mundane purposes such as simply being food for other animals and people, or perhaps something else.
So do animals have souls or not? If you’ve owned a dog, or other pet then you know that they have feelings and the capacity to love and empathize with their owners. Isn’t this ability to love and feel what having a soul is?
What about heaven? God mentions heaven in the Bible. So what about heaven for animals? Since God is able to create this universe that goes on and on beyond any imaginable limits, creating a heaven for animals is an easy task for Him to take care of; and since we have come to the conclusion that He cares for animals, we can conclude that He will find a place for them in eternity.
Questions? email gregj3247@gmail.com
