Do Pets go to Heaven?
A Biblical Perspective
Dean Holbrook
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Do Pets go to Heaven, A Biblical
Perspective Copyright © 2022
Table of Contents
I owned two cats for sixteen years. The veterinarian told me that I was like a nursing home for cats. They both passed away within months of each other. One of them had cancer along the side of her face and I had to put her to sleep. She went into my closet one day and wouldn’t come out. I tried to get her out by putting her favorite canned cat food by her but she wouldn’t come out and she wouldn’t eat. You could tell she wasn’t feeling well. I was devastated.
Every night at bedtime they would crawl on top of me and fall asleep. It was such a nice way to fall asleep. One of my cats would crawl on top of me and drool as I pet it. When they passed away I cried and cried. So it was important to me to grieve and to find biblical comforting.
In some ways, our pets are better than some Christians. They don’t judge us and they give us unconditional love. Our pets seem to empathize with us when we are feeling down. They are good listeners. They seem to know when we are sad. They are there for us through the good times and the bad times, never judging. We could learn a lesson from our pets. In fact, God uses animals in the bible to teach us.
This piece is near and dear to my heart. I admit, when it comes to animals I’m a little biased.
Taking Care of Animals is Part of our Identity
Taking care of animals is one of the first things God tells us to do in the bible. God put us in charge of the animals. That’s why we care for them. It’s part of our human identity as God’s people—to take care of the animals. Some people are downright gifted in this area.
Then God
said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our
likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the
birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and
over all the creatures that move along the ground. (Genesis 1:26 NIV)
The word “rule” in the verse above is
the Hebrew word râdâh and simply means “to
have dominion over”. God delegated
humans to take care of the animals. You
see God’s people taking care of animals many times in the Old Testament and the
New Testament.
The righteous care for the needs of their animals,
but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.
(Proverbs 12:10 NIV)
He said
to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit
on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out?
(Matthew 12:11 NIV)
God even let Adam
name all the animals:
Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild
animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to
see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living
creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and
all the wild animals. (Genesis 2:19-20 NIV)
Here God is
talking about humans but he describes it as taking care of animals:
Then this message came to me from the Lord: “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds, the leaders of Israel.
Give them this message from the Sovereign Lord: What
sorrow awaits you shepherds who feed yourselves instead of your flocks.
Shouldn’t shepherds feed their sheep? You drink
the milk, wear the wool, and butcher the best animals, but you let your flocks
starve. You have not taken care of the weak. You
have not tended the sick or bound up the injured. You have not gone looking for
those who have wandered away and are lost. Instead, you have ruled them with
harshness and cruelty. (Ezekiel 34:1-4)
God takes care of the animals as well:
Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,
your justice like the great deep.
You, Lord, preserve both people and animals. (Psalm 36:6 NIV)
Be sure you know the condition of your flocks,
give careful attention to your herds; (Proverbs 27:23 NIV)
Jesus speaks about a sheep to the Pharisees about the Sabbath:
He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the
Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a person than
a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
(Matthew 12:11-12 NIV)
“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away,
what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out
to search for the one that is lost? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it
more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away! In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of
these little ones should perish. (Matthew 18:12-14)
Jesus understands our love for animals. He likens taking care of humans to taking care of animals.
Having Animals as Pets
In the bible, King David got in trouble with the Lord for sleeping with another man’s wife and sending her husband to die in war. The Lord sent Nathan to confront David:
And the Lord sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.
The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds:
But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.
And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.
And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die:
And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; (2 Samuel 12:1-7 KJV)
Look how indignant David got!
Some people must have had animals as pets in the Old Testament, so clearly animals have been pets of ours since long ago.
God knows that you love your pet. They’re God’s pets too. He loves them too and can take better care of them than we can.
Do Animals Have an Immortal Soul?
The Breath
of Life
There are two Hebrew words in the
Old Testament of the Bible that translate to “breath”—nᵉshâmâh and rűwach.
nᵉshâmâh
nᵉshâmâh is a word
translated from Hebrew as “breath” and in the bible can mean “soul” or
“spirit”. It is used for both man and
animals.
Man
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. (Genesis 2:7 KJV)
All the
while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils;
(Job 27:3 KJV)
The
spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.
(Job 33:4 KJV)
But hast
lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels
of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy
concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver,
and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know:
and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou
not glorified: (Daniel 5:23 KJV)
Man and Animals
And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of
cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth,
and every man:
All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in
the dry land, died. (Genesis 7:21-22 KJV)
Let every
thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord. (Psalm 150:6 KJV)
Rűwach
According to my Strong’s Concordance and Hebrew dictionary, the
word “breath” (rűwach)
in these next verses can mean “spirit” or “mind” and is used for both animals
and humans:
And to all
the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that
move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give
every green plant for food.” And it was so. (Genesis 1:30 NIV)
I am
going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the
heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth
will perish. (Genesis 6:17 NIV)
Pairs of
all creatures that have the breath of life in them came to Noah and entered the
ark. (Genesis 7:15 NIV)
In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the
breath of all mankind. (Job 12:10
KJV)
For that
which befalleth the sons of men befalleth
beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea,
they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for
all is vanity. (Ecclesiastes 3:19 KJV)
Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to
enter into you, and ye shall live:
And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you,
and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall
know that I am the Lord. (Ezekiel 37:5-6 KJV)
Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of
man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon
these slain, that they may live.
So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them,
and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.
(Ezekiel 37:9-10 KJV)
God breathed the same spirit into animals in the same way He breathed the spirit into humans.
I also thought about the human condition—how God proves to
people that they are like animals. For people and animals share the same fate—both breathe and
both must die. So people have no real advantage over the animals. How
meaningless! Both go to the same place—they came
from dust and they return to dust. For who can
prove that the human spirit goes up and the spirit of animals goes down into
the earth? (Ecclesiastes 18-21)
I believe the
point of the above verse is making is that both animals and man fates are
intertwined as in the next verses using the Hebrew word nephesh:
I will remember my covenant between me and you and all
living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to
destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and
remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of
every kind on the earth. (Genesis 9:15-16 NIV)
The word “nephesh” in the bible is
used to describe both animals and humans.
God lumps humans
and animals together. They both have the
same “breath” (or spirit).
Nephesh
The Hebrew word “nephesh” appears in the bible many times. Nephesh can mean “soul”, “breathing creature”, “mind” and “sentience”. It is used for both humans and animals.
Sea Life
And God said, “Let the water teem with living
creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” So God created the great
creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their
kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it
was good. (Genesis 1:20-21 NIV)
Land Creatures
And God
said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their
kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the
wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. (Genesis 1:24
NIV)
And to
all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures
that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I
give every green plant for food.” And it was so. (Genesis 1:30 NIV)
Man
Then
the Lord God
formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into
his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
(Genesis 2:7 NIV)
Both Man and Animals Create Physical Vessels for Immortal Souls
God gave Adam a helper (Eve) just like He gave the animals. As humans, God has delegated us to create physical bodies for Him to put immortal souls in. Just like humans, God delegates animals to create physical bodies for Him to put immortal souls in as well. Animals give birth the same way as humans do and they care for their young just as humans do.
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
(Jeremiah 1:5 NIV)
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.
And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. (Genesis 2:19-22 KJV)
Beings without Souls
can’t have demons
Like people, I believe that animals have an immortal soul. Read about Jesus casting demons out of a man and into a heard of pigs:
When Jesus climbed out of the boat, a man possessed by
an evil spirit came out from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the burial caves and
could no longer be restrained, even with a chain. Whenever
he was put into chains and shackles—as he often was—he snapped the chains from
his wrists and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Day and night he wandered among the burial caves and in the hills,
howling and cutting himself with sharp stones.
When Jesus was still some distance away, the man saw him, ran to
meet him, and bowed low before him. With a shriek, he screamed, “Why are you interfering with me, Jesus,
Son of the Most High God? In the name of God, I beg you, don’t torture me!” For Jesus had already said to the spirit, “Come out of the man, you evil spirit.”
Then Jesus demanded, “What is your name?”
And he replied, “My name is Legion, because there are many of us
inside this man.” Then the evil spirits begged
him again and again not to send them to some distant place.
There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside
nearby. “Send us into those pigs,” the
spirits begged. “Let us enter them.”
So Jesus gave them permission. The evil spirits came out of the
man and entered the pigs, and the entire herd of about 2,000 pigs plunged down
the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water. (Mark 5:2-13)
Demons went from being
inside a human to being inside of an animal.
A demon can’t inhabit a
robot outside of a Hollywood movie. Only
beings with a soul can have demons. It
takes a being with a soul for a demon to inhabit. That’s what this whole spiritual war that
we’re in is about, our souls. Animals
are caught up in it just like humans are.
Dreams
Dreams are spiritual and can be important, whether they come from God, or the enemy. Dreams come from both sources. Dreams sometimes show us what our spirits are going through spiritually. In the bible, God sometimes uses dreams to communicate with us.
Have you ever seen a dog having a dream? They sometimes whimper and bark and their legs move as if they’re trying to run away from something.
There are many places in the bible where God communicates through dreams. I believe that only beings with a soul can dream, therefore, I believe that any creature that sleeps and dreams has an immortal soul that God cares about.
The bible talks about dreams in the Old Testament and the New Testament. There a couple times in the bible where an angel speaks to someone in their dreams. The enemy can show up in dreams as well. Hence, dogs running away from something in their dreams, just like humans do.
I also believe that any creature that has emotions has an
immortal soul. Humans have emotions and
so do our pets as well as their own personality. This is further evidence that leads me to
believe that animals have an immortal soul.
God cares for the animals
God takes care of the animals as He takes care of humans.
But Jacob replied, “You can see, my lord,
that some of the children are very young, and the flocks and herds have
their young, too. If they are driven too hard, even for one day, all the
animals could die. (Genesis 33:13)
But
the Lord will
again make a distinction between the livestock of the Israelites and that of
the Egyptians. Not a single one of Israel’s animals will die! (Exodus 9:4)
But among
the Israelites not a dog will bark at any person or animal.’ Then you will know that the Lord makes
a distinction between Egypt and Israel. (Exodus 11:7 NIV)
but the seventh day
is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day
no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and
daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners
living among you. (Exodus 20:10)
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your justice like the ocean depths.
You care for people and animals
alike, O Lord. (Psalm 36:6)
He gives food to every living thing.
His faithful love endures
forever. (Psalm 136:25)
Are not
two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground
outside your Father’s care. (Matthew 10:29 NIV)
Look at
the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your
heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they
are? (Matthew 6:26)
Animals in Heaven
Here are some more bible verses that seem to indicate that animals have an immortal soul. There are animals in Heaven, just like humans, just like in the Garden of Eden. Animals will be peaceful and we will still have a relationship with them.
In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together;
the leopard will lie down with the baby goat.
The calf and the yearling will
be safe with the lion,
and a little child will lead them all.
The cow will graze near the
bear.
The cub and the calf will lie down together.
The lion will eat hay like a cow.
The baby will play safely near
the hole of a cobra.
Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly
snakes without harm.
Nothing will hurt or destroy in
all my holy mountain,
for as the waters fill the sea,
so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord. (Isaiah 11:6-9)
Desert creatures will meet with hyenas,
and wild goats will bleat to each other;
there the night
creatures will also lie down
and find for themselves places of rest.
The owl will nest there and lay
eggs,
she will hatch them, and care for her young
under the shadow of her wings;
there also the
falcons will gather,
each with its mate. (Isaiah 34:14-15 NIV)
The wolf and the lamb will feed together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox,
and dust will be the serpent’s food.
They will neither harm nor
destroy
on all my holy mountain,”
says the Lord.
(Isaiah 65:25 NIV)
This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun:
The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of people, moreover, are full
of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and
afterward they join the dead. Anyone who is among the living has hope—even a live dog is better
off than a dead lion! (Ecclesiastes 9:3-4 NIV)
Then
I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on
the sea, and all that is in them, saying:
“To
him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be
praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and
ever!” (Revelation 5:13 NIV)
Covenants that God Makes with Humans that include the Animals
There
are verses the bible where God includes the animals when He makes a covenant
with His people.
Just like God included
animals on Noah’s ark, He makes covenants with people that include animals. Why would God do this if He didn’t care about
the animals’ souls in the same way He cares about human souls?
I believe that God had
Noah save the animals as well as humans not for us to make hamburgers and
hotdogs out of them, but because both humans and animals have an immortal soul
that He cares about.
And
the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face
of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the
air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
(Genesis 6:7 KJV)
But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife,
and thy sons' wives with thee.
And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with
thee; they shall be male and female.
Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of
every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come
unto thee, to keep them alive. (Genesis 6:18-20 KJV)
The above verse seems to suggest that
God communicated to the animals as we’ll discuss later on.
Bring out
every kind of living creature that is with you—the birds, the animals, and all
the creatures that move along the ground—so they can multiply on the earth and
be fruitful and increase in number on it. (Genesis 8:17 NIV)
Here are some other bible verses where God makes covenants with
animals as well as humans:
“Consecrate to me every firstborn
male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to
me, whether human or animal.” (Exodus 13:2 NIV)
Six days
do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your
donkey may rest, and so that the slave born in your household and the foreigner
living among you may be refreshed. (Exodus 23:12 NIV)
“I now establish my covenant with you and with your
descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the
livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with
you—every living creature on earth. I establish my
covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the
waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”
And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am
making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for
all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it
will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the
rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and
you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become
a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds,
I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all
living creatures of every kind on the earth.” (Genesis 9:9-16 NIV)
In that day I will make a covenant for them
with the beasts of the field, the
birds in the sky
and the creatures that move along the
ground.
Bow and sword and battle
I will abolish from the land,
so that all may lie down in safety.
I will betroth you to me
forever;
I will betroth you
in righteousness and justice,
in love and compassion.
(Hosea 2:18-19 NIV)
God includes the animals in
the Ten Commandments. Animals take part
in the Sabbath:
Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all
your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath
to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor
your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your
donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so
that your male and female servants may rest, as you do. (Deuteronomy 5:12-14 NIV)
You will laugh at destruction and famine,
and need not fear the wild animals.
For you will have a
covenant with the stones of the field,
and the wild animals will be at peace
with you. (Job 5:22-23 NIV)
I will
make a covenant of peace with them and rid the land of savage
beasts so that they may live in the wilderness and sleep in the forests in
safety. (Ezekiel 34:25
NIV)
Why would God make covenants that include the animals over and over again if they don’t have a soul like humans? Because He cares for them. He cares about their souls. He cares about His creations.
Again, God includes the animals with humans.
I also
said to myself, “As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they
are like the animals. (Ecclesiastes 3:18 NIV)
In just about every covenant that God
makes with humans, the animals are included.
Animals are even included in God’s wrath:
Or if I
send a plague into that land and pour out my wrath on it through bloodshed,
killing its people and their animals,
(Ezekiel 14:19 NIV)
Therefore
this is what the Sovereign Lord says: My anger and my wrath will be poured
out on this place—on man and beast,
on the trees of the field and on the crops of your land—and it will burn and
not be quenched. (Jeremiah 7:20 NIV)
In just about every covenant that God makes with man He includes the animals. Again, man and animals fates are intertwined.
Animals Interact with Humans According to God’s Will
A dog once helped me
to save someone’s life.
I used to live in a trailer home and on one winter day on Christmas, the furnace stopped working. To gain access to the furnace to fix it you had to access it from the outside. It was cold and snowy.
So I was out there looking at the furnace when a big Rottweiler came around the corner of the house and started barking ferociously at me. I was terrified so I backed away slowly to go around the house to get back inside.
Behind my trailer home was a big field. As I turned the corner to head inside, I heard a noise coming from the field. I moved closer. I could hear someone saying help. The dog came around the corner and kept barking and motioned to me as if to follow it.
So I followed it into the field and it led me to find a man lying on his back. He couldn’t move. He had tipped his 4-wheeler over and fell off of it.
I told the guy not to move and started to walk back to the house to call a paramedic. As I walked, the dog started barking again and started nipping at my ankles. I think that it thought I was just going to leave the man there. Again, I was scared. I just kept saying to myself, “Oh Lord, please let me make it to the door.”
I was able to get back inside and call the paramedics. If things didn’t play out like this, the man probably wouldn’t have lived and maybe would have frozen to death.
The dog knew that the man needed help and did it’s best to get help for him.
Animal Helpers
God uses animals to help people in this life and throughout the bible. In our lives, service dogs help the visually impaired and other people with disabilities. The police have K-9 units and dogs help sniff out bombs and drugs at airports. Dogs are used in the military to sniff out bombs.
There are even therapy animals that visit people and provide comfort for people in nursing homes, schools, hospitals and rehabilitation centers as well as all other companion pets. Some animals really seem to empathize with us.
In the next verse, God told Elijah to go into hiding.
You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the
ravens to supply you with food there.
So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the
Jordan, and stayed there. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread
and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. (1 Kings 17:4-6 NIV)
In the above verse, God communicates with the animals as well as humans.
Noah and the Raven and Dove
Why do you think God had Noah save all the animals? Not to make food out of them but because God cares for the animals as well as humans. Here Noah uses birds to help him find out if the flood waters had receded.
After another forty days, Noah opened the window he had made
in the boat and released a
raven. The bird flew back and forth until the floodwaters on the earth had
dried up. He also released a dove to see if the
water had receded and it could find dry ground. But
the dove could find no place to land because the water still covered the
ground. So it returned to the boat, and Noah held out his hand and drew the
dove back inside. After waiting another seven
days, Noah released the dove again. This time the
dove returned to him in the evening with a fresh olive leaf in its beak. Then
Noah knew that the floodwaters were almost gone. He
waited another seven days and then released the dove again. This time it did
not come back. (Genesis 8:6-12)
Anxiety
Just like our pets teach us not to judge people, God uses them to teach us about anxiety. Jesus tells us that we are to look to the birds when the stress and anxiety of this world get to us.
That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday
life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t
life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or
harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t
you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all
your worries add a single moment to your life? (Matthew 6:25-27)
Dear friends, don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body;
they cannot do any more to you after that. But I’ll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill
you and then throw you into hell. Yes, he’s the one to fear.
“What is the price of five sparrows—two copper coins? Yet God does
not forget a single one of them. And
the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more
valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows. (Luke 12:4-7)
When it comes to
worry and anxiety, look to your pet.
They don’t seem to worry much.
Just as we take care of our pets, our heavenly father takes care of us. How our pets rely on us is how we are to rely
on God.
Teaching Daniel a
Lesson
These are some of the weirdest verses in the Bible about people and animals:
Let his
mind be changed from that of a man and let him be given the mind of an animal, till seven times pass by for
him. (Daniel 4:16 NIV)
You will
be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like the
ox and be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven times will pass by for you
until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on
earth and gives them to anyone he wishes. (Daniel 4:25 NIV)
God teaches the beasts as well as humans:
who teaches us more than he teaches the beasts
of the earth
and makes us wiser than the
birds in the sky? (Job 35:11
NIV)
A donkey helped Balaam and even talked to him:
So the next morning Balaam got up, saddled his donkey,
and started off with the Moabite officials. But God was angry that Balaam was going, so
he sent the angel of the Lord to
stand in the road to block his way. As Balaam and two servants were riding
along, Balaam’s donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand. The
donkey bolted off the road into a field, but Balaam beat it and turned it back
onto the road. Then the angel of the Lord stood at a place where the road narrowed between two vineyard
walls. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it tried to squeeze by and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall.
So Balaam beat the donkey again. Then the angel of
the Lord moved farther down the road and stood in a place too narrow
for the donkey to get by at all. This time when
the donkey saw the angel, it lay down under Balaam. In a fit of rage Balaam
beat the animal again with his staff.
Then the Lord gave the donkey the ability to speak. “What have I done to
you that deserves your beating me three times?” it asked Balaam.
“You have made me look like a fool!” Balaam shouted. “If I had a
sword with me, I would kill you!”
“But I am the same donkey you have ridden all your life,” the
donkey answered. “Have I ever done anything like this before?”
“No,” Balaam admitted.
Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the roadway with a drawn sword in
his hand. Balaam bowed his head and fell face down on the ground before him.
“Why did you beat your donkey those three times?” the angel of
the Lord demanded. “Look, I have come to block your way
because you are stubbornly resisting me. Three times the donkey saw me and shied away; otherwise, I would
certainly have killed you by now and spared the donkey.”
Then Balaam confessed to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned. I didn’t realize you were standing
in the road to block my way. I will return home if you are against my going.” (Numbers 22:21-34)
Here a donkey actually spoke to Balaam and could see an angel.
The Book of Jubilees
The Book of Jubilees is not in the bible. It’s basically a retelling of the book of Genesis and possibly dates back as far back as 150 BC. It speaks about animals talking and communicating with each other and possibly humans.
It says that after the fall of man Adam closed the mouth of all beasts, that they had all spoken with one another with one tongue.
In the bible, the serpent spoke to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Don’t forget about Balaam’s donkey speaking to him as well.
Daniel
God was able to communicate through an angel with lions to keep Daniel from death:
So the administrators and high officers went to the king and said,
“Long live King Darius! We are all in agreement—we administrators, officials, high officers,
advisers, and governors—that the king should make a law that will be strictly
enforced. Give orders that for the next thirty days any person who prays to
anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be thrown into the den
of lions. And now, Your Majesty, issue and sign
this law so it cannot be changed, an official law of the Medes and Persians
that cannot be revoked.” So King Darius signed the
law.
But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home
and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward
Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving
thanks to his God. Then the officials went
together to Daniel’s house and found him praying and asking for God’s help. So they went straight to the king and reminded him about his law.
“Did you not sign a law that for the next thirty days any person who prays to
anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be thrown into the den
of lions?”
“Yes,” the king replied, “that decision stands; it is an official
law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.”
Then they told the king, “That man Daniel, one of the captives
from Judah, is ignoring you and your law. He still prays to his God three times
a day.”
Hearing this, the king was deeply troubled, and he tried to think
of a way to save Daniel. He spent the rest of the day looking for a way to get
Daniel out of this predicament.
In the evening the men went together to the king and said, “Your
Majesty, you know that according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, no
law that the king signs can be changed.”
So at last the king gave orders for Daniel to be arrested and
thrown into the den of lions. The king said to him, “May your God, whom you
serve so faithfully, rescue you.”
A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. The king
sealed the stone with his own royal seal and the seals of his nobles, so that
no one could rescue Daniel. Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night fasting. He
refused his usual entertainment and couldn’t sleep at all that night.
Very early the next morning, the king got up and hurried out to
the lions’ den. When he got there, he called
out in anguish, “Daniel, servant of the living God! Was your God, whom you
serve so faithfully, able to rescue you from the lions?”
Daniel answered, “Long live the king! My God sent his angel to shut the lions’
mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his
sight. And I have not wronged you, Your Majesty.”
The king was overjoyed and ordered that Daniel be lifted from the
den. Not a scratch was found on him, for he had trusted in his God. (Daniel 6:6-23)
God used a whale to correct Jonah’s behavior. God told Jonah to go to Ninevah and preach against it. Jonah was afraid to go so he disobeyed God tried to flee on a ship to another town. He was thrown overboard because God made the sea turbulent. God used a whale to save him:
Now
the Lord provided a
huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three
days and three nights. (Jonah 1:17 NIV)
And
the Lord commanded
the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. (Jonah 2:10)
Jesus fulfilled a prophesy by riding on a donkey:
As Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem, they
came to the town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives.
Jesus sent two of them on ahead. “Go
into the village over there,” he said. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there, with its
colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to me. If
anyone asks what you are doing, just say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will
immediately let you take them.”
This took place to fulfill the prophecy that said,
“Tell
the people of Jerusalem,
‘Look,
your King is coming to you.
He is humble, riding on a donkey—
riding
on a donkey’s colt.’” (Matthew 21:1-5)
Here’s another example of God using animals to serve His will:
On their arrival in Capernaum, the collectors of the
Temple tax came to Peter and asked him, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the
Temple tax?”
“Yes, he does,” Peter replied. Then he went into the house.
But before he had a chance to speak, Jesus asked him, “What do you think, Peter? Do kings tax their own
people or the people they have conquered?”
“They tax the people they have conquered,” Peter replied.
“Well, then,” Jesus said, “the citizens are free! However,
we don’t want to offend them, so go down to the lake and throw in a line. Open
the mouth of the first fish you catch, and you will find a large silver
coin. Take it and pay the tax for both of us.” (Matthew 17:24-27)
How can animals do the
will of God if they don’t have an immortal soul?
Original Sin
We are all born into falsehood because Adam and Eve believed Satan’s lies. Part of our souls believe truth and part of our souls believe falsehood. This is why God couldn’t find Adam and Eve after they ate the forbidden fruit. Instead of being fully steeped in truth, they’re souls now existed in the land of falsehood.
We usually equate the word “sin” with evil. The word “sin” in the bible is an archery term. It means “to miss the mark”. Falsehood misses the mark. I would describe sin as behaving falsely.
Like people, animals are born into original sin as well because of Adam and Eve. Our fates are intertwined. That’s why some animals are so violent. The fall affected the whole world and we all were cast out of the Garden of Eden, humans and animals alike.
We know
that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth
right up to the present time. (Romans 8:22 NIV)
Free will versus God’s plan
There are two trains of thought in Christianity. Do we have free will or is everything going according to Gods meticulous plan. I look at my past trauma and all the other awful things that happen in this world and I just can’t believe that this is all according to Gods plan. If everything happens for a reason or if everything is going according to God’s meticulous plan, then to me, that paints an ugly picture of God.
I have read the bible numerous times, and to me it seems like it’s a little of both. Both sides of the spiritual war are at work in this world and in our lives. I don’t believe that everything happens for a reason but I do believe that God is at work in this world as well as the enemy. Although I do believe that God has a plan to win the spiritual war that we’re all in. I’m sure there are Christians who disagree with me on this, but some do agree.
So, as beings that have free will, we
choose which side of the spiritual realm to get our thoughts from. It’s the same with animals. Some thoughts are of God and His angels. Some thoughts are of the Satan and his angels.
Just like humans, animals have different personalities that depend on where they get their thoughts from.
The Sacrificing of Animals in the Old
Testament
Remember this. God deals with people where they are at, not where they should be. Also, before you use something from the Old Testament, you have to compare it to the New Testament. Jesus was sacrificed for us in our new covenant with God. They didn’t have Jesus to be their sacrifice in the Old Testament.
How do we reconcile animal sacrifice that occurs in our old covenant with God in the Old Testament with our new covenant with Jesus in the New Testament?
Like I said earlier, God deals with humans where they are at, not where He would like them to be. We force Him to. The same is for animals.
To me, “Thou shall not murder” seems like a no brainer. But that’s where God’s people were at that time. The same goes for slavery and the sacrificing of animals. As you read the Old Testament, just keep in mind that much of it is different now in our new covenant with God through Jesus.
Violence in the Animal Kingdom
The reason why some animals are violent has to do with the fall of man. When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, the entire world fell, including nature and animals, as well as man.
We know
that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth
right up to the present time. (Romans 8:22 NIV)
For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children
of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own
choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its
bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of
God. (Romans 8:19-21 NIV)
Adam and Eve chose Satan’s falsehood and that falsehood carries over into our lives as well as the animal kingdom. It’s not so much that some animals and some people are evil. They’re just behaving falsely.
Now, just like we choose between thoughts from the enemy and thoughts from God, so does the animal kingdom. This is another reason to believe animals have immortal souls.
I believe that demons exist
and that they influence our lives. Where
do you think thoughts of temptation to sin come from? We are in the middle of a spiritual war over
our souls. The war takes place in the
spiritual realm as well as in our minds.
That includes the animals as well.
That’s why there is so much violence in the animal kingdom.
I do remember reading about
one lion that would not eat meat. They
would put slabs of meat in front of it but it would not eat it. They would put vegetables in front of it and
it would eat.
It doesn’t mean that some
animals automatically go to hell. Let’s
let God decide. Only God is qualified to
judge both humans and animals.
As we saw in Chapter 6,
animals will not be violent in the next life (Isaiah 11:6-9, Isaiah 34:14-15, Isaiah 65:25).
And to
all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures
that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I
give every green plant for food.” And it was so. (Genesis 1:30)
Do Animals have Angels?
This chapter is mostly speculation.
At the time I write this piece I’m living in an apartment. There is a pond near it where I sometimes go out and sit. One day I was sitting out there and a rabbit hopped right up to my shoe, which is somewhat unusual for a wild rabbit to do. This was in the summer.
She (the rabbit) has only one eye so I felt kind of sorry for it. I don’t know if it was attacked by another animal or how it lost its eye. If you’ve read any of my books then you know I have a soft spot for people who are a little broken. This goes for animals as well.
Anyways, this kept happening over and over again. It finally dawned on me that maybe I should start feeding it. So I started feeding it carrots every day. Later in winter I added unsalted peanuts. Special thanks to my sister for telling me about the peanuts. She’s a big animal lover.
Who told this wild rabbit that it was OK to trust humans? I just wonder if animals have angels and that maybe if an angel put this rabbit in my path so I could take care of it. It is winter now where I live. Winters here can be brutal, especially for animals that live outside. There’s not a lot of food to eat with the snow so I continue to feed it even when it gets below zero.
God likes to bless and prosper humans so maybe God likes to bless and prosper animals as well, through people. We’ve seen how God includes animals in His covenants with man and that taking care of animals is part of our identity. I think that just like God wants to bless us, He wants us to bless animals as well because He gave us dominion over them.
If God cares about the animals then I think that it seems likely that He would delegate angels to care for them just as He delegates angels to take care of us.
Angels appear to animals in a couple places in the Bible—Daniel in the lion’s den and to Balaam’s donkey, both talked about previously.
I just wonder if an angel communicated with this rabbit to bless it like God blesses us and our pets.
If animals can have demons then it stands to reason that they have angels working on their behalf as well.
Animals will Praise God
Humans will praise God along with the animals forever:
My mouth
will speak in praise of the Lord. Let every creature praise his holy name for ever
and ever. (Psalm 145:21 NIV)
Why would animals praise God if they did not have an immortal spirit?
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord. (Psalm 150:6 NIV)
Again, the word “breath” in the above verse means soul or spirit.
To me, I think that it’s obvious that animals have immortal souls and I think that the biblical evidence supports this. If you have had a pet pass away on you, here’s a thought: God can take better care of our pets than we can.
Animals are the same as humans as far as which ones go to Heaven and which ones don’t. With both animals and humans, we are infinitely unqualified to judge.
But
the Lord said
to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected
him. The Lord does
not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward
appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
(1 Samuel 16:7 NIV)
Only God is qualified to judge who goes to Heaven and who doesn’t. We don’t see into a person’s or animals heart the way God does. Having said this, you know your pet. You probably have a good idea where it will end up.
God has a relationship with animals as well as people.
Then
I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on
the sea, and all that is in them, saying:
“To
him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor
and glory and power,
for ever and ever!” (Revelation 5:13 NIV)
The word “creature” in the verse above and the verses below is the Greek word “ktisis” or “ktisma” and can mean either creation or creature. The bible uses different Greek words for “mankind” or “man” (anthrōpos) and “woman” (gynē). In Revelation 5:13 and 8:9 it refers to creatures in the sea.
The Gospel of Jesus
I don’t really represent any one Christian denomination but I
noticed that Catholics have a saint named Saint Francis of Assisi—the Patron Saint of Animals, who allegedly
preached to animals.
The gospel of Jesus has been preached
to every living creature, not just humans.
Just like the Holy Spirit speaks to us, I believe that it also speaks to
the animals. Don’t ask me
how. Here are some other verses that support
this and support the idea that animals have an immortal soul:
if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not
move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard
and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a
servant. (Colossians 1:23 NIV)
Then
I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on
the sea, and all that is in them, saying:
“To
him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be
praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and
ever!” (Revelation 5:13 NIV)
And he
said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach
the gospel to every creature. (Mark 16:15 KJV)
For the
earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the
manifestation of the sons of God. (Romans 8:19 KJV)
Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the
bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. (Romans 8:21 KJV)
Why would the gospel be preached to
animals if they didn’t have an immortal soul that God cares about? What would be the point if animals don’t have
an immortal soul?
The gospel of Jesus is preached to every living creature.
What is the Gospel of
Jesus?
The word “gospel” in the Bible means “good news”. The good news for us is that God sent His son Jesus to die on the cross for us as a sacrifice to atone for our sins.
For God
so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that
whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
(John 3:16 NIV)
Invite Jesus
If you haven’t already, ask Jesus to come into your heart and heal your pain. Ask Him to be your lord and savior.
Moving Forward
I know you are probably in a lot of emotional pain right now so I’m going to be as gentle as I possibly can. I don’t want to minimize your suffering.
Before my cats passed away I had a dream. There was a woman sitting at a desk with two other people that had cat-like faces sitting nearby. She asked me to choose one. I didn’t know which one to choose at first but there was one that had an injury on its cheek. I chose that one because I felt sorry for it.
Nowadays, I’m drawn to people and animals that are a little bit broken, just because I was so broken for so long. Besides, normal people are boring. Jesus has a heart for people and animals that are broken.
A few months later my first cat died, not the one with cancer on her face but the other one. The one with cancer on her face died about a month later. I believe the person sitting at the desk was one of God’s helpers, giving me a choice as to which cat died first to help my spirit prepare. The person with the wound on its face was the cat that had cancer on its face.
Letting Go and
Letting God
The sad truth is that our pets don’t live as long as humans do. We have to surrender our pets to God. Ultimately, our pets are His, not ours. God is not to blame for your pet dying. Satan is the author of illness and death. Jesus empathizes with us.
It took me a long time to grieve over my cats. When my cats passed away I cried and cried and begged God to give them back to me.
It’s OK to love your pet. All I am saying is to love Jesus too. (Matthew 10:37)
I know it’s difficult, especially if you’ve just lost a beloved pet.
I know how difficult this all can be. Somehow the little buggers work their way into our hearts. You can be thankful for your pets for getting you through some hard times.
Something happened to
me
Throughout the researching of this piece I became a vegan. The idea of eating something with a soul convicted me. I’m not saying you should do the same but maybe just try doing Meatless Mondays.
When Jesus sent out His disciples He told them to eat the food set before them so I’m not going to be a Nazi about it. Do as you feel led to do. The Bible approaches both sides of the issue:
Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling
over disputable matters. One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose
faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The one who
eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the
one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God
has accepted them. Who are you to judge someone
else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will
stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand. (Romans 14:1-4 NIV)
* * *
Heavenly Father, I
pray that you reach out to anyone reading this and for those that need it, let
them know that You are there and that You care about
them and that you care about their pet.
Please bless them in some small way.
In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
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