Do you think that animals can go heaven?If not,why?

[Shorty1234]

I always wonder if animals can or not go to heaven.As a person who loves animals,I wish it's possible.

 

[trophy33]

Why would not it be possible? They have spirit like we do.

 

[Stranger36147]

I don't know, but I'd like to think they do.

 

[Dave L]

Gordon Clark (taught philosophy at Butler University in Indianapolis) said: In one way this is reminiscent of Genesis 2:7. As God breathed into Adam’s nostrils the breath or spirit of life, so too God sent forth his spirit into the animals.

Some people are afraid to say that animals have souls. They not only have souls, they are souls. Some people are afraid to say that animals have spirit. But Genesis 6:17 and 7:15, and Psalm 104:29, as well as Ecclesiastes 3:21 ascribe spirit to animals. Animals are souls. They are not just clay.

 

[Daniel C]

Can animals accept the Gospel and Jesus as their lord and Savior?

 

[Unofficial Reverand Alex]

All rocks go to heaven!

You may have seen this before, but here's a bit of comedy (seems to be computer-generated, due to the identical backgrounds for each sign):
All Dogs Go To Heaven [Church Sign Debate] FUNNY!!!

Here's an article that actually examines it, where a theologian determines whether dogs & rocks go to heaven after all:
All Dogs Go To Heaven [Church Sign Debate] FUNNY!!!

It's an interesting read.

May God bless us all (dogs & rocks included)!

 

[Unofficial Reverand Alex]

Can animals accept the Gospel and Jesus as their lord and Savior?

"Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more." (Luke 12:48)

Also think of the parable of the talents, Matthew 25:14-30 (Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 25:14-30 - Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition). Some have been given more, some less, and it's only fair & rational & loving to differ expectations for different situations.

May God bless us all & empower us to do more!

 

[Daniel C]

"Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more." (Luke 12:48)

Also think of the parable of the talents, Matthew 25:14-30 (Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 25:14-30 - Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition). Some have been given more, some less, and it's only fair & rational & loving to differ expectations for different situations.

May God bless us all & empower us to do more!

Both scriptures you quoted do not relate to animal agency/will so it doesn't answer the question. We already know animals can't understand the Gospel and therefore cannot accept Christ,so it doesn't really address the point.

 

[Unofficial Reverand Alex]

Both scriptures you quoted do not relate to animal agency/will so it doesn't answer the question. We already know animals can't understand the Gospel and therefore cannot accept Christ,so it doesn't really address the point.

Would God, a God who is love, create something without giving it a chance to go to heaven? Does He make things unable to accept Him, does He create people who have never heard of Him, just to throw them into Hell? Does God rejoice in the death of a soul, or does He reveal Himself in different ways to people & animals with different capabilities & situations?

I know you'll have Scripture to quote, and backing your points with Scripture is something everyone should do; but is it possible that something is flawed in your interpretation? Or are you prideful enough to assume that you know exactly what the Bible means because it seems so obvious to you, just using verses & not using broader questions like these?

I know I asked a lot at once, in a somewhat accusatory manner; please forgive me if I appeared hostile in any way. This is all an attempt to get you & the many other people who will read this to think things through a little more, armed with a little more humility, before claiming that any of you can say who burns in Hell because a loving God created them without a chance to join Him in heaven. Perhaps this wasn't even the direction you were going, but there will likely be many others who read this who do go in such a direction, so I write for their benefit, as well.

May the Good Lord bless us all in all that we hear & say!

 

[bekkilyn]

Can animals accept the Gospel and Jesus as their lord and Savior?

Why would they ever need to? They never sinned against God and are not born with a sin nature. Their natural state is not in opposition to God. They are already in reconciliation with him and thus have no need of a savior to help them become reconciled.

 

[Daniel C]

Would God, a God who is love, create something without giving it a chance to go to heaven? Does He make things unable to accept Him, does He create people who have never heard of Him, just to throw them into Hell? Does God rejoice in the death of a soul, or does He reveal Himself in different ways to people & animals with different capabilities & situations?

I know you'll have Scripture to quote, and backing your points with Scripture is something everyone should do; but is it possible that something is flawed in your interpretation? Or are you prideful enough to assume that you know exactly what the Bible means because it seems so obvious to you, just using verses & not using broader questions like these?

I know I asked a lot at once, in a somewhat accusatory manner; please forgive me if I appeared hostile in any way. This is all an attempt to get you & the many other people who will read this to think things through a little more, armed with a little more humility, before claiming that any of you can say who burns in Hell because a loving God created them without a chance to join Him in heaven. Perhaps this wasn't even the direction you were going, but there will likely be many others who read this who do go in such a direction, so I write for their benefit, as well.

May the Good Lord bless us all in all that we hear & say!

That question was really for the OP who is pondering on the issue,because I already know in my heart what I believe on this subject.

I do not believe animals will go to hell or heaven as they do not have a soul,based on the Bible.

It is not a matter of pride It's simply the message I took from the Gospel. I will concede I do not know what happens in the next life but from what the Bible teaches it is a destination for mankind only,because we have a soul and animals do not.

If you have scripture that shows animals go to heaven by all means post but I don't believe.

Not a subject I'm passionate about either way but I thought it was glaringly obvious that only Man/woman had that special relationship with God and that's why Christ is our atonement.

 

[Daniel C]

Why would they ever need to? They never sinned against God and are not born with a sin nature. Their natural state is not in opposition to God. They are already in reconciliation with him and thus have no need of a savior to help them become reconciled.

They can't sin because they do not have free will. They do not understand Gods commandments so can they can't keep them. They are lawless creatures not created in the image of God.

If your argument is animals get a free pass to heaven and we have a spiritual battle against sin and need Christ, where is this in scripture?

 

[bekkilyn]

They can't sin because they do not have free will. They do not understand Gods commandments so can they can't keep them. They are lawless creatures not created in the image of God.

If your argument is animals get a free pass to heaven and we have a spiritual battle against sin and need Christ, where is this in scripture?

So if there are no animals in heaven, then where did all the horses in Revelation come from?

Revelation 19:14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.

Animals don't need a "free pass" because they never got kicked out. They are not lawless and in opposition to God. By their very nature they were created and proclaimed to be "good" and never fell into sin and therefore, they are still good. They are innocent victims of *our* sin. They have no need of the gospel because they are already in a reconciled state with God by default and not in need of grace.

 

[bekkilyn]

Psalm 50:10-11 “For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine.”

Psalm 36:5-7 Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths. You care for people and animals alike, O LORD. How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings.

It is prideful for us to think that only human beings are of value to God and are the only living beings that matter to him.

The purpose of scripture for us is to show us the way to salvation, how we can be reconciled with God, and to learn of God's character. It may not be for us to know what God's ultimate plans for his animals are, but it also does not in any way mean that he doesn't have a plan.

 

[Daniel C]

So if there are no animals in heaven, then where did all the horses in Revelation come from?

Revelation 19:14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.

Animals don't need a "free pass" because they never got kicked out. They are not lawless and in opposition to God. By their very nature they were created and proclaimed to be "good" and never fell into sin and therefore, they are still good. They are innocent victims of *our* sin. They have no need of the gospel because they are already in a reconciled state with God by default and not in need of grace.

I already conceded I don't know what the next life will be like, neither do you.

I don't believe animals will share the same realm as humans in the next life as it's not preached in the Gospel. The message of Jesus was for mankind to have faith in him as lord and salvation. If animals get entry without trial I would say that undoes everything that is preached about the soul and God special relationship with mankind.

If you disagree that's fine but to be honest I don't think anyone is going to shift me on this issue as it's simply not the message I received from the Bible and the justification offered from the supporters of animals in heaven have not compelled me to change my, so I don't really have any more to add.

 

[bekkilyn]

I already conceded I don't know what the next life will be like, neither do you.

I don't believe animals will share the same realm as humans in the next life as it's not preached in the Gospel. The message of Jesus was for mankind to have faith in him as lord and salvation. If animals get entry without trial I would say that undoes everything that is preached about the soul and God special relationship with mankind.

If you disagree that's fine but to be honest I don't think anyone is going to shift me on this issue as it's simply not the message I received from the Bible and the justification offered from the supporters of animals in heaven have not compelled me to change my, so I don't really have any more to add.

I agree that we don't know one way or the other about God's ultimate plan for animals.

Where I am disagreeing with you concerns this statement:

If animals get entry without trial I would say that undoes everything that is preached about the soul and God special relationship with mankind.

Why would animals need a trial? They never sinned. They never fell. They never did anything wrong. They are completely innocent. God created them as good and they are still good. What trial could they possibly need to make them any more reconciled with God than they already are?

The only reason humans have this trial is because of the fall, because of our sin. Had we never sinned in the same way as the animals never sinned, we would have no trial. If animals who never sinned must have a trial in order to earn their way into heaven, then *that* is a concept that is in opposition to the message of the gospel, since it is only by God's grace alone that *we* are saved. Animals have no need to be saved in the first place.

 

[Bob Crowley]

When we think of animals going to heaven, I think most of us are thinking of pets that have died, and to whom we have a personal attachment. In a sense, they become a part of us, and we've become a part of them.

But what about the mosquito, or the great white pointer, or a viper, or a stone fish? What about the animals we eat, and therefore (in one sense) are involved in their death, even if only as consumers?

On the other hand, some animals suffer all their lives, usually as a result of human cruelty. Do they receive some sort of recompense for their lifelong suffering?

They certainly have souls. As far as that goes, I think all living creatures, including trees and plants, have some sort of spiritual essence. I think they're more than just complicated collections of cells. But what the difference is between their souls and ours is, I have no idea.

One of my personal quirks is that I think God is going to drive us off the planet and out into the rather large universe. I don't think he's finished with us yet. To do this we'll learn to teleport, which would be instantaneous and based on quantum entanglement. We're a long way from it yet, and allegedly it's impossible, but nobody would have envisaged the technology of today a century ago.

We're already mucking around with quantum entanglement now, and a number of successful experiments have been carried out.

Now, if I'm correct, the time will come when we learn how to teleport material items. The next stage after that would be living creatures. But I think there will be a considerable time lapse between the two since the creatures will arrive dead if at all, as their souls won't be able to be "quantised". No doubt if this is what God intends, then He'll have built in a way that we can get around it, and eventually we'll find it.

But in the interim it will become quite clear that all creatures have some sort of spiritual soul, even the simplest, from viruses up.

That's my weird take on it. But as to whether animals get to heaven - well, I'd like to think my past and current pets will do so. In the meantime the heavenly realm is not without its animal-like representation ...

Revelation 4:6-8 (NIV) -

Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:

“‘Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”

 

[Archivist]

I look forward to my kitties being among those greeting me at the Gates of Heaven.

 

[Brightmoon]

I’ve got 9 cats and3 dogs waiting for me . And I hope I see the neighbors’s cat and another’s dog that used to hang with me every once in a while

 

[jacks]

Pope Francis thinks so.

Recently while at a weekly address in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis brought comfort to a little boy who was grieving the loss of his pet dog. He gave the child some hope by telling him, “One day we will see our animals again in eternity of Christ. Paradise is open to all God’s creatures.”