Do pets go to Heaven?

 Pixabay

Growing up, I had a lot of pets for friends- fishes, dogs, cats, and turtles just to name a few. And as each one passed, I always had one question in mind- "Will I ever see Shadow, Tiger, Bridget, Spike, Buddy, David or Goliath ever again?"

You've probably asked that question before or maybe you have a five or six year old inquiring melancholically as you flush a goldfish down the toilet. It's not a big theological question, but it's a legitimate one nonetheless.

The Bible is never explicit about whether animals will co-exist with us in heaven. Some scriptures have made mention of the presence of animals in heaven. Here are two for instance:

Isaiah 11:6 "The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them."

Revelations 19:11 "Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war."

However, these scriptures make mention of animals most likely as allegorical symbols and not as actual accounts of animals in heaven. The most important consideration is whether animals have a spirit or not. We know for a fact that only spirits enter the kingdom and our bodies are left behind with everything natural.

News
Buddhism declines worldwide as ageing and disaffiliation take their toll, Pew study finds
Buddhism declines worldwide as ageing and disaffiliation take their toll, Pew study finds

Buddhism was the only major world faith to record a decline between 2010 and 2020.

Scotland: Eleventh hour plea to MSPs to reject assisted suicide
Scotland: Eleventh hour plea to MSPs to reject assisted suicide

Bishop John Keenan, President of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, is urging members of the Scottish Parliament to think of the vulnerable and vote against assisted suicide. 

Archbishop of Canterbury to embark on historic six-day pilgrimage
Archbishop of Canterbury to embark on historic six-day pilgrimage

The Archbishop of Canterbury will undertake a six-day pilgrimage before she is installed as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury later this month. 

Baptist seminary provides refuge to people displaced in Lebanon
Baptist seminary provides refuge to people displaced in Lebanon

The Arab Baptist Theological Seminary near Beirut is sheltering displaced people who fled their homes as fighting between Israel and Hezbollah forces hundreds of thousands of civilians across Lebanon to seek refuge.