Article — Heaven and Hell — Q & A

In Genesis, man was uniquely made in the image of God. But God didn’t say he made animals in His image.

 

God created man with an eternal soul. But nowhere in the Bible does it say that animals have a soul or an immortal soul.

 

The Bible says man must believe in Christ and repent of their sins to go to heaven. But nowhere in the Bible does it say what an animal needs to do to go to heaven.

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These reasons indicate that animals are not at the same spiritual level as humans.

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God loves animals

Jesus said we shouldn't be worried or anxious about food or clothing. He then drew an analogy of how God takes care of the birds of the air, so I'll take care of you too since you're worth so much more than birds are.

 

Jesus said,

"Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?" (Matt. 6:26).

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Further demonstrating God's care and concern for animals is that they are to rest from work on the Sabbath just like man was to rest. 

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"In it you shall not do any work . . . or your ox or your donkey or any of your cattle . . ." (Deut. 5:14).

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People in the Bible loved animals

For example, when the prophet Nathan confronted King David with his sin, he used a parable describing a poor man and his children who deeply loved a small lamb they were raising. The lamb was like a daughter to him (2 Sam. 12:1-3). While the purpose of the parable was not about the poor man's love of his lamb, it held an underlying truth about a love for animals.

 

Conclusion

Based on animals being at a different spiritual level than humans, we might make an educated guess and say that our pets do not go to heaven—despite God and people dearly loving animals.

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Animals in the Millennial Kingdom or Heaven

Scripture says there will be animals in the Millennial Kingdom.

 

But scripture doesn't say whether there will be animals in the new heaven and earth after the Millennium. It does say there will be a city, a river, and trees bearing fruit in the new heaven and earth, so there may be animals too, but we can't say for sure (Rev. 22).