Do animals go to heaven?

More of a curiosity than anything, nevertheless a common question, one that everybody seems to have an opinion on. Usually that opinion is based on whether that person likes or dislikes animals.

Do animals go to heaven? I don’t know. But delving into the question can give us a good insight into the gospel of Christ and be quite fun in general.

Some say there are no animals in heaven, whilst others say that animals like their family pet do go to heaven – which is a nice thought. Both of these views are problematic. There are Bible verses that can help shed some light on the question.

To those who don’t think there are animals in heaven, this is incorrect. The Bible states that there will be animals in heaven. Isaiah 11:6-7 which relates to the millennial reign states “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
The leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
The calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
And a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze;
 Their young ones shall lie down together;
 And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.” In the book of Revelation we are told of armies on horseback in heaven following the Lord.  Furthermore animals were present in the Garden of Eden, which was paradise on earth. The way the garden was before sin entered the world is the way that God originally intended us to live before we disobeyed Him. God created animals. There is no doubt that animals will be in heaven, but this does not actually answer our question. The real question is: will the animals in heaven be the same ones as those who have died on the earth?

The problem with this is which animals would go to heaven and which wouldn’t? Would all animals go to heaven? Would there be a standard that animals must meet in order to enter heaven, like humans have? What about a dog who has attacked somebody and had to be put down, or Hitler’s dog, or even Jaws? I don’t think we’d be very happy if Jaws was in heaven (Jaws keeps me out of the water...). What about the fish who swallowed Jonah? We all like him, for some reason, so surely he would be in heaven, right? But then if he is in heaven then this would raise the problem that if the fish that swallowed Jonah is in heaven, then why wouldn’t Jaws be in heaven? The only difference between the two is that God made the whale spit Jonah back up whereas in Jaws the people who were swallowed were not regurgitated at all… unfortunately.

The serious bit:

All joking aside, we know that because of sin there is a gap between God and man that can only be filled by putting our trust and faith in the Lord Jesus. For it is impossible for God to be in the presence of sin.  Animals, just like everything else on this earth are fallen too. God did not intend animals to attack people and each other. It is sin that caused animals to act like they do. Isaiah 11:8 tells us that once Jesus has returned, “The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, 
And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den.” This is how God intended animals to behave. Animals are sinful, just as we are. Now God loved us so He sent His only Son to die for us and take the punishment that we deserve so that we may be reconciled to God and enter heaven. Animals do not have a mediator as we do, therefore on that basis it is impossible for animals on earth to enter heaven because it is impossible for sin to be in heaven. Only humans can put their trust in Christ. Without Christ you cannot enter heaven. John 14:6 says “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

A Biblical argument

As stated, ultimately I do not know if animals go to heaven, but from my limited understanding the book of Job presents the greatest argument that suggests that animals do not go to heaven.

In the last chapter of the book of Job (Chapter 42), Job has had everything taken from him and still he remained faithful to God. Because of His faithfulness God blessed Him. Job 42:11 states that God gave Job double of everything that He once had, “After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before.”

Now we are told further on in the chapter how much Job is given. At the beginning of the book, Job lost all of his animals and his family. We are told that Job is given double the amount of animals that he once had, however he is only given the same amount of family that he had before they died. Why is this? Why was Job not blessed with double the amount of family members than he had had before they all died, like God said He would? Based on my understanding, which may be incorrect, I understand it to be like this: Job receives double the animals he once had, because the animals he used to have are gone for good, however he receives the same amount of family members as he used to have because his family that died are still alive in heaven. Once the animals died they were dead and gone, therefore God gave Job a double amount of new animals. Job’s family that died however still existed in heaven, so by giving Job the same amount of new family Job’s family was still doubled.

On the other hand, to rebut this you could argue that the reason the amount of animals were doubled and not the amount of family is because they were used for Job’s business. Maybe his previous animals were in heaven, but dead animals are dead animals and have no economic value for Job once they are dead, therefore it was necessary that Job received double the amount from an economic point of view.

Either way, it is a good point to consider. Whether animals go to heaven or not is unimportant. If you take comfort in Fluffy the bunny waiting for you in heaven, then maybe you are right... Fluffy is in heaven. The real question to ask is, will you be in heaven? To enter heaven you must put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. What's the point in having Fluffy waiting for you in heaven if you aren't going to turn up. Study God's Word and examine your own life based on it to determine if you are going to heaven or not. If you have put your trust in Jesus then be content in the fact that you will be going to heaven, with Fluffy or without!

- BACChristian