Pets in Heaven? Serious biblical answers please referencing scripture. Thanks?

Answer 1

First of all, there are animals in heaven. Scripture, particularly Revelation, makes reference to horses, lambs (particularly Jesus as a Lamb), and to "four living creatures". One of the later books in the Old Testament refers to a time of peace on earth, when
The wolf and the lamb will feed together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox,
but 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), and also see Isaiah 11.

But you want to know, I suspect, if your pet will be in heaven. The book of Ecclesiastes says something about the deaths of animals:

From Ecclesiastes 3 (NIV)
18 I also thought, "As for men, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. 19 Man's fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath [or spirit] ; man has no advantage over the animal. Everything is meaningless. 20 All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. 21 Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the spirit of the animal [or Who knows the spirit of man, which rises upward, or the spirit of the animal, which] goes down into the earth?"

This MAY indicate that animals don't rise up to heaven. However, I still believe, from other Scriptures, that there are some sorts of animals in heaven.

Jesus also said, in John 14:
"2In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."

If he's preparing a place especially for you, so you will be eternally happy, perhaps that place will include your pets. (For me, it might include a live theater.)

Therefore, I don't know of any Scripture that promises that your pets will be, or won't be, in heaven with you. But you can hope. Also, you might gain new pets from the animals that will be in heaven.

BTW, some translations of Revelation say something about "dogs" being kept out of heaven, but I think this refers to some sort of cur-ish human beings, and not to actual canines.

Answer 2

The bible doesn't contain any specific scripture about animals in heaven. That is probably because the bible was written for human redemption.

Answer 3

God gave Adam dominion over all the animals. And if our pets are under our dominion, they will go to heaven.

Also Paul said that if we believe in Christ we will be saved, "and thy house". Our pets are definitely of our house.

That might not include cats, because they aren't usually coming under anybody's dominion but their own.

Answer 4

Since, within this faith, all things are created in Heaven and sent to Earth, excepting humans, all things return there.

Only humans have the right to refuse this.