Will my pet be in heaven?

I am by no means certain about my answer here but it does seem to be right based on my understanding of the passage in question. Initially when I was challenged to look at this passage more carefully I started to doubt that I had properly understood it in the past. But when I really examined it carefully I came to feel even more firmly about this interpretation. If any of you disagree then I hope you are right! Please feel free to share your reasons in the comments.

[MikeWinger]

I’ve wrestled with this question but it seems to me that we have better reason to think the answer is “no” than to think it is “yes”.

I would be quite happy to change my mind and I’m open to your thoughts on this. But it’s not enough to simply demand God do what we want. I want Scripture, not demands, to establish my theology. So I’ll mention ahead of time that the attitude I’ve seen from some in the comments on this video, an attitude which effectively says, “I want to see my pet again so bad that God is a villain if He doesn’t grant my desire, ” is a dangerous way to approach God and an unreliable way to figure out what to believe.

I absolutely trust that God’s comforts will be more than enough for our hearts when we stand before Him in glory.

It’s also interesting that this is probably a question that most humans in history wouldn’t have thought much about while modern, first world residents tend to have and thoroughly love pets.

[budbrigman]

I think when He says "I make all things new" it could mean that the animals that lived in our imperfect, broken world will be remade and get the life they all deserved. But I have nothing to back it up. I have a few pets I would dearly love to see again, perfect and whole.

[andweknow]

Even if we won’t see our pets in heaven, they are wonderful blessings here on earth. I’m very grateful to have them here and now.

[naz]

Eyes have not seen ears have not heard what God has prepared for us…. Hang on to your hats folks it’s going to be beyond our best expectations….

[k-dawgwestmore]

I think God knows we all want to see our animals again in Heaven

[cathywestholt]

I hope I can be reunited with my dear cat, Sam. He was the sweetest, most loving, and even protected me from my abusive ex. I miss him every day. I thank God for the blessing he gave me in Sam.

[spencersmith]

I lost my cat this week. It has been way harder than I could have ever imagined. I have been struggling with this question all week between my tears. Thanks for addressing it Mike!

[einosaari]

Nothing clear about that in the Bible. But can share something that happened when our very special and loved cat Mirrhe died. My wife had a very clear and peaceful dream/vision same night where she saw Mirrhe running and jumping happily on a sunny field with beautiful grass, flowers etc.. He seemed very happy and she had a very peaceful feeling about it in the dream. When she told me the dream in the morning i felt at peace and a warm, little tingling feeling of peace and love grew inside me..
So for me it was confirmation that God took care of Mirrhe from that day on...

[bohemianvegan]

I lost 3 cats last year and I lost 1 this year. I am still heartbroken over losing them. I do hope I see them all again.

[grannygear]

Psalms 36:6
“Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast.”

[ellygan]

I lost my dog recently. I loved him so much, i still do. I've never felt this kind of pain (and I've lived through some awful, unspeakable things).

At first, i wrestled with this question.. but then, 2 things gave me comfort:

1) my yearning to be in heaven is because i want to be in the presence of God, without my sinful nature. I want to be made whole and be able to worship God forever. So, if not seeing my pets would jeopardize that (as in, somehow I'd be too sad if my dog isn't there), i wouldn't belong in heaven in the first place. The yearning is for God, not for things that my earthly self loves (even if the love is wholesome)

2) BUT!!! The second thought that occurred to me is this: i LOVED my dog. So much. I still do and will continue to love and miss him.

AND i know my God - He is the good, loving Father. He loves me - the sinful human whose heart is so prone to disappoint Him. My dog, on the other hand, was the sweetest bestest boy, he was so loving and precious. God made him, He brought my dog into my life so i could take care of him, and i was so blessed by it.

If I know for a fact how much I love/loved my dog, how much more must my Heavenly Father's love must be for His creation. So much more.

So. Knowing all of this, i would imagine that whatever the afterlife looks like for the precious innocent animals, it must be good, regardless of whether it is just peace/rest for them, or if they will be in heaven with us.

My little earthly brain can't even begin to comprehend the goodness of God. I KNOW that my God is good though, His word tells me about His character, and I've experienced His grace firsthand. His mercy endures forever, there's no end to His love. So whatever He has prepared for my sweet pup, it must be good and just and wonderful. Praise be to God.

[Ephesians-]

When I see the bond between human and animal, I see what our Creator had intended for us and for our animal companions. God created animals and created Adam to govern them with love... He sees every bird that falls from the air... I believe all our pets and all those neglected animals and harmed animals will get a second chance with us in the New Jerusalem and everything will be as it should..

[paulgee]

Just like the garden of Eden, I believe heaven will be a lot like that for us in heaven. There were animals in the garden, so I believe they will be in heaven also.

[lindagalloway]

I love animals so much. Too much sometimes. Several years ago, my mom was devastated by the loss of her dog, Lady. I tried to comfort her and tell she would see Lady again. She said she had been taught that our animals don’t go to heaven with us. I told her it’s a comfort to us on this earth to believe we will see them again. If we are wrong and they aren’t in heaven with us, we will be in the loving arms of our Father. And our sorrow will be changed to joy no matter what.

[dubyredburndarling]

Animals have been a huge part of my life for 62 years. I've had to say goodbye to many. Why would he send all of these precious fur babies to me and then take them from me in glory?
I have such a deep connection with all of them. I truly believe God knows our hearts and wil have our pets with us forever ❤️

[gtownwr]

My wife and I have this convo often. If they don't then it's up to us to make sure their lives are good. It makes animal abuse even more harsh if they have nothing after that.

[breana.d]

I think it means animals don’t get judged as well. Not just that they just go back to the ground and die… the Bible doesn’t say what happens to aborted babies but I just believe God told us all we need to know for living on Earth and help us long for forever with Him, and some things only He knows.

[cynthiaharris]

I’ve always heard the statement about our beloved little pets. You may not have them all of your life but you have them all of theirs. I have loved several puppy dogs, and would love to think they would be in heaven with me, but I know they were a gift that God allowed me to have for comfort and joy.
We must also remember that God wipes away all of our tears

[loribruno]

I have a story. I had 2 cats for 18 years. The youngest at 18 died 2 days after palm Sunday this year(2021). I begged Jesus to take her to Heaven as she was a great cat!!. I was sobbing as my husband and I got her ready for burial(she died peacefully in her sleep at home, a prayer answered!) He went out to look for a burial place in our back yard. I did not want to be part of burial. 20 minutes later after digging the hole he comes to the back door and says, "Lori, look at this!" And at the bottom of the hole is a 4 inch statue of Jesus. In one hand he has bread and the other a jug of wine. It was holy week.

[smoothsoulbrotha]

I mean if we are being truly honest, the correct answer is no one knows. To say that we know that pets won't be there is to puff ourselves with the pride of our own theologies.