A Biblical Case for Our Beloved Pets in Heaven

 I Corinthians 2:9 But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him"

Nothing crushes my heart more than to hear a preacher/teacher of God's Word say our animals will not be raptured with those of us who are alive or that our pets will not join us in Heaven.  They have many reasons why they say this, but I also have many reasons why I believe they are wrong!

When my husband and I got married, I lived in Mississippi and he lived in Texas.  After our honeymoon in Florida we stopped in Mississippi loaded up my furniture and belongings in the U-Haul and my cat in the car.  We all arrived safely in Texas and my husband did not say to me - "Sorry, Honey, your cat can't come."  So, right there on a purely practical level as the Bride of Christ does anyone really think that Jesus Christ is so seriously cruel He is going to leave behind the beloved pets of His Bride?

But this is a Biblical Case so let me offer some scriptures to back up my firm belief that our pets will arrive safely in Heaven.

Genesis 1:25-26 When God created the animals, He gave mankind dominion over all the earth including the animals.  Dominion means to rule over something and therefore be tasked with taking care of that thing.  So, man was tasked with taking care of the animal kingdom.

Genesis 6:20-21; 7:2-9; 9:2-17; After the fall man was headed for the flood.  God could have easily destroyed all life on earth and started all over again, but God always has a plan higher than our plans.  So, instead God saved Noah, his family and enough of creation to start over again when the flood waters resided.  Then God did something I find astounding - He actually made a covenant not only with man but also with the animals that He would never again destroy the world with a flood.  And to offer protection to the animal kingdom God put the fear of man inside animals to help preserve them on some level from the brutality of man.

As a fun side note there may be a possibility that animals in Heaven and supposedly in the Millennial Reign will actually be able to converse with humans.  Genesis 3:1 the serpent could speak and Eve didn't seem to think this was strange.  Numbers 22:22-34 Balaam's donkey was allowed to speak and give Balaam a piece of her mind for him beating on her, when all she was trying to do was save his life from the angel of the Lord, who actually told Balaam he would have saved the donkey and killed Balaam.  It should also be noted here that when the children of Israel left Egypt Exodus 12:38 they also came out with flocks and herds, their animals.

God cannot contradict His written Word. In Proverbs 12:12 it is written the righteous have regard for the life of his beast.  Psalm 36:6 Your righteousness is like the mountains of God. Your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O Lord.  So, what kind of righteous God who cannot contradict His Word, would remove millions of people from the earth during the rapture and condemn all their beloved pets to His Wrath during the Tribulation.  Not my God.

Jonah 4:11 So shouldn't I be concerned about the great city of Ninveh, in which there are more than 120,00 people who don't know their right hand from their left -- not to mention all the animals (Complete Jewish Bible).  If you back up to verse 6 you will find out Jonah was so upset because of a dead plant and verse 11 was God's response to Jonah's being angry for the plant.  Once again God shows His concern for the animals that would come under His destructive Wrath if Nineveh didn't repent.

Ecclesiastes 3:18-21 is Solomon's great conclusion that both man and animal return to the dust from which they come, but Solomon makes a caveat that it is actually unknown whether the spirit of man goes upward, or the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth.  The reality is that we know from the teachings of Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:8 that to be absent from the body for a Christian is to be present with the Lord.  So the question remains what about animals?  I know this one thing God is the Creator and it is no small thing for Him to resurrect the beloved pets of the righteous if they so desire to have those pets with them for eternity.

We know that in Matthew 6:25-26 that God informs us that He takes care of the birds of the air and aren't we more valuable than they.  If we are more valuable to God than the birds that He feeds, then doesn't it stand to reason that what we care about He cares about.  If God cares for the birds He created, then doesn't He also care for the pets He has given into our care?

Romans 8:18-23 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.  For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.  For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.  And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.  It is clear from this passage that creation also waits to be set free from the bondage of corruption, which goes back to the fall in the garden in Genesis 3.  Prior to the fall all of creation lived in harmony and ate plants not each other and for all accounts there was also no death in the garden.  Death entered the world for man and beast alike when Adam failed in his dominion over the earth including the animals and ate from the Tree of Knowledge or Good and Evil.

I can easily imagine that all my beloved pets that God has sent into my care throughout my life be reunited with me in Heaven.  Those animals gave me love, solace and companionship.  That taught me many lessons about life and God.  So, I firmly believe that my pets that are currently living when the rapture occurs will be taken to Heaven with me.  I also firmly believe that the animals I have and cherished throughout my life will be resurrected to live with me throughout eternity.  That is a little thing for God.

So, I hope this gives you solace and comfort that God will not abandon your pets to the Tribulation.  However, those that do not have Jesus Christ as Savior I fear their pets will be left behind with them to suffer God's Wrath.  I sincerely hope you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.