Pets are beloved members of our families and can bring immeasurable joy. When they pass on, however, it can be extremely upsetting.
Some believe that when Jesus returns, believers will be taken directly to heaven while their earthly possessions, including pets, will remain behind. Does the Bible support this notion?
Many people question why God would take their beloved pet away? Could it be for something they did or didn’t do?
Table of Contents
1. He loves them
Dogs in particular are an integral part of Western society homes, providing affection, companionship and security. Dogs especially are prized as sources of affection, companionship and security; sharing meals, playing together and sleeping beside their owners night after night. Pet dogs bring great joy and comfort for owners experiencing hardship in life; indeed some become so attached that their beloved pooch becomes idolized that worship of such an animal occurs – in such instances God may remove the pet altogether to stop its worship being idolised.
God takes great pleasure in creating animals for His pleasure as much as He enjoys making people. Mice scampering across grass, dolphins frolicking in water and dogs chasing tails are among those He created to enjoy earthly pleasures as much as any person might. He gave them every chance they needed to do just that!
The Bible emphasizes how physical things provide only fleeting pleasures compared to spiritual ones, which have lasting value. God cares deeply for every living creature on Earth – He even had Noah build an Ark to protect animals and pets from destruction!
All creatures possess souls (Addison). As such, they possess the natural right to live full and healthy lives, as well as being cared for and valued – which explains why God cares so deeply about animal suffering, punishes wrongdoers accordingly and rewards good ones (Proverbs 12:10).
Pets can teach us many important life lessons about unconditional love, trust and forgiveness. Additionally, they help us become more attuned to the needs of other animals and people in need. God has an eternal plan for all His creation, including our pets who will one day go with Him when their time comes.
2. He wants them to be happy
Pets can often become members of our families, and when one dies it can be hard to cope. Many feel responsible and spend weeks and months wondering whether something they did caused their pet’s demise; this can lead to feelings of guilt or depression which require counseling or medication treatment for proper adjustment.
However, the Bible makes it abundantly clear that God loves animals just as much as He loves people. He created them with equal precision, and each serves a purpose both here and after death when we meet again on judgment day. God won’t take away our pets as punishment from us either!
God can use bad situations as an opportunity for growth and learning; He won’t kill our beloved pets in this process! Much like how loving parents might send us away to our rooms to reflect upon what has gone wrong in our actions, He uses situations as opportunities to guide and correct us in life.
The Bible also tells us that dogs can reincarnate and rejoin their owners in heaven. Though their journey will likely be slower, as long as they remain faithful, dogs will find happiness in the next life.
If you have questions about where pets go when they die, a great book called “Pets in Paradise” by an author who experienced the grief associated with losing his own pets may provide answers. Packed with inspiring insights and scriptural proof to give pet lovers new perspective about their relationships with beloved companions, “Pets in Paradise” is available on Amazon and should give comfort in times of grief for those who have experienced losing furry friends.
3. He wants them to learn from their mistakes
The Bible states that God has a plan for every human, animal and plant on this Earth. Everything exists for a specific reason and everything that occurs has meaning. By caring for your pet like God does for all creation, you’re modeling some of His care of it. By keeping fish tanks for example, you are taking on some of His role and exercising dominion over a section of it – an enormous responsibility which should also apply to pets! It’s crucial that any mistakes made are learned from; both you and your pet must also learn from their mistakes so as not repeating them again next time around!
Your initial fear may have been that God took your dog away as punishment for something you did, but Scripture and common sense suggest otherwise. God is an all-loving, gracious creator with “tender mercies toward all he has made” (Psalms 145:9) including our pets – it would be cruel of Him to suddenly end such innocent lives simply for doing nothing wrong!
God knew your pet would die at some point and allowed it to occur. He wasn’t punishing or taking revenge against you for anything; rather He may have used this experience to teach a valuable lesson that will guide your future decisions.
Due to their short lifespans, dogs do not reincarnate in quite the same way that humans can. On resurrection day however, God will gather all living beings–both human and non-human alike–together and judge each for their actions in this life and the next; He will separate out those who acted wrongfully from those who acted righteously, sending each to either heaven or hell accordingly.
No matter your belief system, it’s essential that we remember our beloved pets and remember all of the love, joy, and light they brought into our lives. When your beloved companion passes on, take time to talk with God about how he can comfort you – prayers don’t need to include petitions or praise; simply speak from your heart!
4. He wants them to be with Him in heaven
God revealed in the Bible that animals, just like us humans, have souls. This means pets can go to heaven. One Christian blogger named Neila shared her experience of losing a dog and how she hoped he’d greet everyone as an “excellent dog”. Neila’s account provided much-needed comfort; her beloved pet had gone onto greater things in heaven!
Unfortunately, she was wrong. God does not euthanize our pets to send them straight to heaven; rather, He allows them to die naturally as loving creator He does not want any unnecessary suffering for His creations – be they humans or non-human animals such as pets. For humans He allows their actions to play out and decides between heaven or hell accordingly, while non-human creatures (pets included) He simply euthanizes to avoid unnecessary suffering.
As is evident, there can be many reasons for God to take our pets from us and none of them involve punishment. He would never do such a thing and is far too kind a Being to punish innocent creatures this way.
Randy Alcorn also writes that pets will make it to heaven, though not in their current forms. Instead, in heaven pets will take the form of devas. We will only recognize our memories of them. While I find this idea less comforting, I hope that it does provide comforting relief.
