Do All Dogs Go to Heaven?
- VBS4ever
- Jul 23
- 3 min read
Most of us who have owned a special pet have asked the question, “Do animals go to heaven when they die?”
While the Bible does not directly say that animals are spiritual beings, from the beginning it is evident they hold a special place in God’s plan. Noah was commanded to take a male and female of every kind of animal on the ark to ensure their survival during the flood.
Genesis 6:19 - “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.”
God tells the righteous to care for and respect the lives of animals.
Proverbs 12:10 - “A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.”
Even animals of land and sea participate in obeying, praising and glorifying God.
Revelation 5:13 - “And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.”
Christ Himself is likened to a Lamb and is called The Good Shepherd. We are His sheep; those who have put their trust in Him are His flock.
John 10:11 - “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”
Just as there is peace and harmony in heaven, a future vision of peace and harmony among animals and humans is described in the Book of Isaiah. This passage (below) is symbolic, and points to harmony among men, who will no longer prey upon one another. But if animals are included in the new heaven and new earth, their predator-prey nature will also be transformed into harmony.
Isaiah 11:6-9 – “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. 7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.”
Humans and animals die physically and have been given a shared aspect of life (breath). Perhaps there is a shared fate beyond death as well.
Ecclesiastes 3:19 - “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.”
Revelation Chapter 6 describes John’s vision of the opening of the seals and the different colored horses. Each seal uses a horse of a specific color to represent the six seals. The seals represent God’s plan and his grace, as well as His day of righteous wrath.
The important lesson here is to be sure that heaven will be our eternal home. When we meet our Saviour face-to-face and move into our mansion, then we will know if our canine, feline, equine and other animal friends will be there too.
One thing is for certain, the life of every living thing is in God’s hands. He is the sovereign Creator of all. Animals are here for our pleasure, and hopefully they will be in heaven for the pleasure of God and all of his saints.
Job 12:7-10 – “But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: 8 Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. 9 Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this? 10 In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.”
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