Important Notice:
Always check out what you read and hear for yourself, using the Bible, asking our HEAVENLY FATHER for wisdom, guidance, and understanding. Never take anyone's word alone, including this website, without first doing your own homework. As Christians, we should be listening to GOD's WORD, not what someone else has to say if it can't be documented. As it's written in 2 Timothy 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." Please note, the yellow text within our studies is Scripture, whereas the white text is our commentary.
Do Animals Go To Heaven?
One of the worst experiences in life is losing a beloved pet as it's never easy to deal with, no matter how long you try to prepare for it, and what's worse is being told by others, who are ignorant, that "animals don't go to Heaven because they have no soul.", when nothing could be further from the truth. Below, we'll see in Scripture that animals do have a soul and we'll see the care that GOD has towards them. Below, let's begin in Genesis 1.
Genesis 1:20-25
20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
Notice before GOD made us (flesh man), HE created the animals. If animals were just meaningless creatures, GOD would have not created them, nor would it be written "and God saw that it was good."
22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
This word "creature" in the Hebrew is "nephesh", and means "soul", which is the same word used for humans, and when GOD formed Adam from the dust. Genesis 2:7 says "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul (= nephesh)." So to anyone who says "animals don't have a soul" obviously is talking foolishly because as we have seen here for ourselves, animals do, as "life" and "soul" are often used interchangeably but refer to the same Hebrew word "nephesh."
25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
Again, "GOD saw that it (their creation) was good." Continuing, let's go to the next chapter.
21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
Notice before GOD made us (flesh man), HE created the animals. If animals were just meaningless creatures, GOD would have not created them, nor would it be written "and God saw that it was good."
22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
This word "creature" in the Hebrew is "nephesh", and means "soul", which is the same word used for humans, and when GOD formed Adam from the dust. Genesis 2:7 says "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul (= nephesh)." So to anyone who says "animals don't have a soul" obviously is talking foolishly because as we have seen here for ourselves, animals do, as "life" and "soul" are often used interchangeably but refer to the same Hebrew word "nephesh."
25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
Again, "GOD saw that it (their creation) was good." Continuing, let's go to the next chapter.
Genesis 2:18-19
18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
In the last chapter, animals were created before man was. In this chapter, animals were made after man. Why? Because this is a different creation being described for the specific genealogy (the Adamic race) in which CHRIST would eventually come through, later known as the Hebrews/Israelites. See study "Did We All Come From Adam & Eve?" for more documentation. Aside from that though, notice GOD said "it is not good that the man should be alone..." and as a result, HE made animals for the man Adam.
Now if you were to continue reading in to the next chapter (Genesis 3), you'll notice that after Adam and Eve brought sin into the world through their disobedience to GOD, GOD covered their nakedness with animal skins, which means an animal sacrifice was made for their sins, as that is what was required of the people all throughout the Old Testament whereby they could make atonement for their sins. Now why is that? Because our MESSIAH (JESUS/YEHOSHUA) had not yet been born at that time, which means HIS sacrifice had not yet occurred in which we receive forgiveness for sins today. "But why was a sacrifice needed anyway?" Think of it like this, GOD is life, as HE is the Creator of life, and when people sin, which is to violate HIS HOLY and righteous standards through committing lawlessness/wickedness, it leads to separation from HIM, as HE is perfect and not capable of sinning (1 John 1:5), and if we're separated from GOD (life), then that only means death awaits for us, as apart from HIM, there is no life (John 14:6).
Romans 6:23 tells us, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." So in other words, because we all have sinned against HIM at some point in our lives (Romans 3:23), HE in return is paying us in death for our unrighteousness. Think about if you're in court for committing a crime, such as robbing a bank, you will be sentenced to years in prison, but if someone steps in and pays your fine, you can be released and the judge can dismiss your sentence, but the only one capable of paying for your crime would be someone not caught in the action of that crime themselves, which is exactly what GOD (the Ultimate Judge) did for us through HIS SON JESUS, whereby we wouldn't have to face death for our sins, but instead could live because HE took our punishment upon HIMSELF. So that is why a sacrifice was required because without it, we have no atonement for sin and death awaits for us.
Getting back to the Old Testament though, JESUS had not yet been born or died for our sins, so at that time, the only way people could get atonement for their sins, which had to be made annually then, was through animal sacrifice, and the reason animals were instructed is because aside from JESUS (GOD in the flesh [Isaiah 9:6, John 1]), there has never been anyone perfect, nor will there ever be, who could pay for our sins, whereby we wouldn't have to die, which is why certain animals were instructed to cover the sins of the people before HE came, because animals are not capable of sinning. So think to yourself for a minute, if animals are not capable of sinning, and sinning leads to separation from GOD (eternal life), then that means they will be in HIS Kingdom. After all, there's only two destinations after judgment day, Heaven and the lake of fire, and are we really to believe our HEAVENLY FATHER who loves us and gave us life, and gave us our pets, who saw that their creation was "good", and gave us them to help comfort us and be companions for us, is just going to let their innocent souls turn into ashes from within, when they've never done any wrong? Absolutely ridiculous. After all, who was it that brought sin into the world? It certainly wasn't the animals. It was man.
In Hebrews 10, which is the fulfillment written of Psalm 40 - prophesying the coming of CHRIST centuries before it happened, you'll see where it is written that GOD had no pleasure in the sacrifice of animals, but they were a shadow of something GREATER to come, which is our MESSIAH (JESUS/YEHOSHUA) who fulfilled and became our ultimate sacrifice for one and all times. Just as the people who lived before CHRIST, were required to offer their best animal for sacrifice, so did GOD offer HIS best for us on the cross. GOD knows and understands the hurt we feel, as not only is HE the designer of our bodies, but also because HE walked here in the flesh through the SON and took the punishment we deserved, whereby we could live forever. Continuing, let's go to Numbers 22.
19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
In the last chapter, animals were created before man was. In this chapter, animals were made after man. Why? Because this is a different creation being described for the specific genealogy (the Adamic race) in which CHRIST would eventually come through, later known as the Hebrews/Israelites. See study "Did We All Come From Adam & Eve?" for more documentation. Aside from that though, notice GOD said "it is not good that the man should be alone..." and as a result, HE made animals for the man Adam.
Now if you were to continue reading in to the next chapter (Genesis 3), you'll notice that after Adam and Eve brought sin into the world through their disobedience to GOD, GOD covered their nakedness with animal skins, which means an animal sacrifice was made for their sins, as that is what was required of the people all throughout the Old Testament whereby they could make atonement for their sins. Now why is that? Because our MESSIAH (JESUS/YEHOSHUA) had not yet been born at that time, which means HIS sacrifice had not yet occurred in which we receive forgiveness for sins today. "But why was a sacrifice needed anyway?" Think of it like this, GOD is life, as HE is the Creator of life, and when people sin, which is to violate HIS HOLY and righteous standards through committing lawlessness/wickedness, it leads to separation from HIM, as HE is perfect and not capable of sinning (1 John 1:5), and if we're separated from GOD (life), then that only means death awaits for us, as apart from HIM, there is no life (John 14:6).
Romans 6:23 tells us, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." So in other words, because we all have sinned against HIM at some point in our lives (Romans 3:23), HE in return is paying us in death for our unrighteousness. Think about if you're in court for committing a crime, such as robbing a bank, you will be sentenced to years in prison, but if someone steps in and pays your fine, you can be released and the judge can dismiss your sentence, but the only one capable of paying for your crime would be someone not caught in the action of that crime themselves, which is exactly what GOD (the Ultimate Judge) did for us through HIS SON JESUS, whereby we wouldn't have to face death for our sins, but instead could live because HE took our punishment upon HIMSELF. So that is why a sacrifice was required because without it, we have no atonement for sin and death awaits for us.
Getting back to the Old Testament though, JESUS had not yet been born or died for our sins, so at that time, the only way people could get atonement for their sins, which had to be made annually then, was through animal sacrifice, and the reason animals were instructed is because aside from JESUS (GOD in the flesh [Isaiah 9:6, John 1]), there has never been anyone perfect, nor will there ever be, who could pay for our sins, whereby we wouldn't have to die, which is why certain animals were instructed to cover the sins of the people before HE came, because animals are not capable of sinning. So think to yourself for a minute, if animals are not capable of sinning, and sinning leads to separation from GOD (eternal life), then that means they will be in HIS Kingdom. After all, there's only two destinations after judgment day, Heaven and the lake of fire, and are we really to believe our HEAVENLY FATHER who loves us and gave us life, and gave us our pets, who saw that their creation was "good", and gave us them to help comfort us and be companions for us, is just going to let their innocent souls turn into ashes from within, when they've never done any wrong? Absolutely ridiculous. After all, who was it that brought sin into the world? It certainly wasn't the animals. It was man.
In Hebrews 10, which is the fulfillment written of Psalm 40 - prophesying the coming of CHRIST centuries before it happened, you'll see where it is written that GOD had no pleasure in the sacrifice of animals, but they were a shadow of something GREATER to come, which is our MESSIAH (JESUS/YEHOSHUA) who fulfilled and became our ultimate sacrifice for one and all times. Just as the people who lived before CHRIST, were required to offer their best animal for sacrifice, so did GOD offer HIS best for us on the cross. GOD knows and understands the hurt we feel, as not only is HE the designer of our bodies, but also because HE walked here in the flesh through the SON and took the punishment we deserved, whereby we could live forever. Continuing, let's go to Numbers 22.
Numbers 22:18-34
In case you don't know what's taking place in this chapter, Israel is increasing mightily in strength and conquering their enemies due to their obedience and faithfulness to GOD at this time, and Balak (the king of Moab) is getting worried that they will soon take over and be more powerful than Moab too, so Balak calls upon Balaam (a diviner) by sending servants unto him, hoping that Moab will receive some kind of luck if Balaam curses Israel, and that they'll somehow be greater than Israel. So to Balaam's response this is what he said.
18 And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD (= YHVH) my God, to do less or more.
Balaam starts out by professing that YHVH is his GOD and seems to be on the right track by stating he will not go against the words of GOD.
19 Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the LORD will say unto me more.
20 And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do.
21 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass (= donkey), and went with the princes of Moab.
22 And God’s anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him.
It may seem confusing to you why GOD became angry with Balaam after telling him he could go with them, but what most people overlook is the key word GOD said, which is "If". GOD said "If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them..." These men never called Balaam to go with them, but rather Balaam's mind was so set on materialistic riches, and gaining wealth through a higher position, he was ready to leave with them, though they never called him to go with them.
23 And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way.
Notice who it was that saw the angel of the LORD first. It wasn't Balaam, but rather Balaam's ass (donkey).
24 But the angel of the LORD stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side.
25 And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall: and he smote her again.
26 And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.
27 And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff.
In other words, Balaam was embarrassed because his donkey wasn't acting the way he was wanting her to act in front of the two servants.
28 And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?
29 And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee (In other words, he said, "if there were a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now").
30 And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay.
In other words, she let Balaam know that she has served him well ever since he's had her, and asks him if she had ever been contrary before now, and of course Balaam's answer was "no."
31 Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.
32 And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me:
33 and the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive.
34 And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again.
So what did we learn? We learned here that it was a donkey which recognized the presence of GOD before Balaam or the servants did, and we learned that GOD would have taken Balaam's life if it wasn't for his donkey's "misbehavior", and that GOD would have saved her life only instead of his too. The point of including this in this study is we see GOD's care towards animals, and HIS power through this animal by allowing it to speak. We see how even animals have feelings and emotions too, which is even observable today when you spend time with pets and animals.
If you were to continue reading, you'd see Balaam never verbally cursed Israel, even though Balak tried several times to get him too, by asking him to seek GOD, in hopes that GOD would change HIS mind, and when Balaam never verbally cursed Israel, Balak told Balaam that he would get no riches/power and that GOD is the reason why. Eventually Balaam wanted them so bad, to where he came up with a plan for Balak, whereby he could cause Israel to curse themselves, and in doing so, he had it set up whereby Moab would lay out prostitutes before Israel, and use them to get Israel to commit fornication and idolatry, as the pagan gods they (Moab) worshipped, often dealt with "fertility rituals", which caused them to stumble, and sure enough many of Israel fell into that trap and committed fornication and idolatry by worshipping baal of peor, which resulted in 24,000 Israelites who died as a result (Numbers 25:9). For this reason, Balaam got his reward and rise of power for a moment, but he later was killed by the Israelites (Joshua 13:22) for causing such a fall, in attempt to destroy GOD's chosen people (Israel).
Getting back to the main subject though, in Revelation 5:13, it is written that in the end, every creature (including animals) will worship and glorify our LORD JESUS CHRIST. "And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever." Psalm 84:11-12 tells us "11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. 12 O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee." And so it is. The kingdom of Heaven awaits for all who truly love our HEAVENLY FATHER and have JESUS CHRIST as their SAVIOR. Notice it said "no good thing will he (= GOD/YHVH) withhold from them that walk uprightly." Remember in the beginning of this study, we went over Genesis 1, and GOD said the creation of animals were "good."?
Proverbs 12:10 says, "A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast (= animal): but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel."
Proverbs 27:23 says, "Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds."
Luke 12:6, "Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?"
Psalm 147:9 "He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry."
And Psalm 36:6 says, "Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast."
GOD knows our hearts and minds better than we ever will, and HE knows how much our pets mean to us, and as we have seen in just these few places, how much they mean to HIM as well. In Matthew 6:25-31, JESUS lets us know, "25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." and in Matthew 18:11-14, JESUS gives us the example of a man who's lost one of his sheep, and compares it to how happy GOD feels when one of HIS lost children returns to HIM. HE says, "11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. 12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? 13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. 14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish." In other words, just as a man rejoices over finding a lost pet, such as a sheep here, so does GOD rejoice when one of HIS children comes back to HIM.
18 And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD (= YHVH) my God, to do less or more.
Balaam starts out by professing that YHVH is his GOD and seems to be on the right track by stating he will not go against the words of GOD.
19 Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the LORD will say unto me more.
20 And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do.
21 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass (= donkey), and went with the princes of Moab.
22 And God’s anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him.
It may seem confusing to you why GOD became angry with Balaam after telling him he could go with them, but what most people overlook is the key word GOD said, which is "If". GOD said "If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them..." These men never called Balaam to go with them, but rather Balaam's mind was so set on materialistic riches, and gaining wealth through a higher position, he was ready to leave with them, though they never called him to go with them.
23 And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way.
Notice who it was that saw the angel of the LORD first. It wasn't Balaam, but rather Balaam's ass (donkey).
24 But the angel of the LORD stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side.
25 And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall: and he smote her again.
26 And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.
27 And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff.
In other words, Balaam was embarrassed because his donkey wasn't acting the way he was wanting her to act in front of the two servants.
28 And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?
29 And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee (In other words, he said, "if there were a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now").
30 And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay.
In other words, she let Balaam know that she has served him well ever since he's had her, and asks him if she had ever been contrary before now, and of course Balaam's answer was "no."
31 Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.
32 And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me:
33 and the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive.
34 And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again.
So what did we learn? We learned here that it was a donkey which recognized the presence of GOD before Balaam or the servants did, and we learned that GOD would have taken Balaam's life if it wasn't for his donkey's "misbehavior", and that GOD would have saved her life only instead of his too. The point of including this in this study is we see GOD's care towards animals, and HIS power through this animal by allowing it to speak. We see how even animals have feelings and emotions too, which is even observable today when you spend time with pets and animals.
If you were to continue reading, you'd see Balaam never verbally cursed Israel, even though Balak tried several times to get him too, by asking him to seek GOD, in hopes that GOD would change HIS mind, and when Balaam never verbally cursed Israel, Balak told Balaam that he would get no riches/power and that GOD is the reason why. Eventually Balaam wanted them so bad, to where he came up with a plan for Balak, whereby he could cause Israel to curse themselves, and in doing so, he had it set up whereby Moab would lay out prostitutes before Israel, and use them to get Israel to commit fornication and idolatry, as the pagan gods they (Moab) worshipped, often dealt with "fertility rituals", which caused them to stumble, and sure enough many of Israel fell into that trap and committed fornication and idolatry by worshipping baal of peor, which resulted in 24,000 Israelites who died as a result (Numbers 25:9). For this reason, Balaam got his reward and rise of power for a moment, but he later was killed by the Israelites (Joshua 13:22) for causing such a fall, in attempt to destroy GOD's chosen people (Israel).
Getting back to the main subject though, in Revelation 5:13, it is written that in the end, every creature (including animals) will worship and glorify our LORD JESUS CHRIST. "And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever." Psalm 84:11-12 tells us "11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. 12 O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee." And so it is. The kingdom of Heaven awaits for all who truly love our HEAVENLY FATHER and have JESUS CHRIST as their SAVIOR. Notice it said "no good thing will he (= GOD/YHVH) withhold from them that walk uprightly." Remember in the beginning of this study, we went over Genesis 1, and GOD said the creation of animals were "good."?
Proverbs 12:10 says, "A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast (= animal): but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel."
Proverbs 27:23 says, "Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds."
Luke 12:6, "Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?"
Psalm 147:9 "He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry."
And Psalm 36:6 says, "Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast."
GOD knows our hearts and minds better than we ever will, and HE knows how much our pets mean to us, and as we have seen in just these few places, how much they mean to HIM as well. In Matthew 6:25-31, JESUS lets us know, "25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." and in Matthew 18:11-14, JESUS gives us the example of a man who's lost one of his sheep, and compares it to how happy GOD feels when one of HIS lost children returns to HIM. HE says, "11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. 12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? 13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. 14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish." In other words, just as a man rejoices over finding a lost pet, such as a sheep here, so does GOD rejoice when one of HIS children comes back to HIM.
Things To Consider:
- Who was it that brought sin into the world? It wasn't animals, but man through disobedience to GOD.
- If animals weren't important to GOD, why would HE create them? And why would HE command Noah to save two of every flesh?
- If animals weren't important to GOD, then why does HE give us instruction throughout HIS WORD on how to take care of them, even to the extent of including them in the Sabbath commandment (Exodus 20:9-11), by making sure we give them rest too? Though the text reads "cattle" in English, the Hebrew word is "bᵉhêmâh" which according to the Strong's Concordance refers to "any animal".
- If animals were sinful, they wouldn't have been used for sacrifice in the Old Testament.
- Animals and Man (Adam) in the Hebrew both are described as having "nephesh", which means soul, unlike the plants and trees mentioned in Genesis. That being said, doesn't mean that there won't be plants or trees in Heaven but that animals, people, and other living things, are distinct from plants and trees, which have no feelings or emotions.
- In Isaiah 65:25, GOD says, "The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD." As we can see, even serpents and wolves will be there, but they will not hunt others.
- In Revelation 19:11, the vision John saw when concerning the return of JESUS, it says, "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war."
So are there animals in Heaven or will there be animals in Heaven? The Bible has given us more than enough evidence which suggests there are/will be, and we know from Scripture just how much care GOD has for them.
Below are a few YouTube videos to check out, showing the personalities and emotions of GOD's creatures.
(Please note and be cautious, that any video/s that pops up after the one you're viewing has fully played, is a suggested video from YouTube, and may show any video content, which is out of this websites control.)
Below are a few YouTube videos to check out, showing the personalities and emotions of GOD's creatures.
(Please note and be cautious, that any video/s that pops up after the one you're viewing has fully played, is a suggested video from YouTube, and may show any video content, which is out of this websites control.)
Video #1
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Video #2
Video #3
2 Peter 3:13 "Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."