Pets in Heaven

Will your pet be with you in heaven?

The Bible does not teach against this belief, but it also does not state it as a fact.

So how can you know for sure? You can't.

However, there is no doubt that God will provide whatever He wants for us and common sense would imply that a beloved pet would be welcomed by his Creator.

Not only that, but consider this passage in I Corinthians 2:10

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

Certainly a God who is preparing the best for His children would also consider providing them their beloved pet to accompany them through eternity.

Why wouldn't He?

Let's consider what the Bible does tell us about animals...

* The lion will lay down with the lamb

* Animals are cared for by God just as humans are (Matthew 6:26 and Psalm 104—verses 14 and 27-30 in particular)

* The fourth commandment as recorded in Deuteronomy 5:12-15 includes a Sabbath rest for animals as well as people. (Taken from Clarifyingchristianity.com)

* All souls return to God at their death, and yes, by definition, animals have souls if you are going by the original definition of soul in the Greek, before it was changed to accomodate Christians. (Ecclesiastes 12:7)

1: the immaterial essence, animating principle, or actuating cause of an individual life

The original definition was simply "life, spirit, consciousness" which was given to humans and animals alike. Now, it is more commonly accepted to only define humans with the ability of acting on a conscious dividing right from wrong included. Some would say the soul existed before it was placed into the body, which in their minds, limits its existence to humans only. However, Genesis 2:7 says that Adam only became a living soul when God breathed the breath of life into him, so that casts a shadow on the theory of the pre-existence of the soul, unless the soul was in a "waiting" place or some state of hibernation, all of which is possible in theory. Since animals can be either good or bad, even pets, then do they not have some type of conscious that helps them determine whether or not they will be obedient or defiant? Hmmm. It would appear that they have a choice. When a wild animal is in pain or hungry, does he not cry out? When he cries out, who do you suppose he is calling out to, maybe his creator? Let's not be so quick to put words into God's mouth simply because we do not understand His mysterious ways.

* Many passages speak of animals in Heaven, but they do not let us know if these are new creations.

There you have it.

I believe some pets will be in heaven because I believe my Loving Creator will reward a good and faithful servant to His children by allowing them to continue in paradise. This is my belief. There is no need for you to try and dissuade me since you have no proof. Believe what you will, but do not put words into God's mouth and then proclaim them as truth.


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