Is Fido' In Heaven ?

[Lewis]

Yeah' yeah we have talked about this in years past. But I ran across some information that I want to share, about animals going to heaven from earth.

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</td> <td align="CENTER" width="500"> Do Pets Go To Heaven?

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</td> <td align="LEFT" width="500"> http://www.clarifyingchristianity.com/pets.shtml

This question probably enters the mind of every pet owner, especially when they lose a beloved pet companion. We have pets that have personalities and feelings, and can think and reason. It seems as though whatever it is that makes each pet unique (a soul) is like that which makes each human unique. Therefore, we wonder if pets (or any other animals) go to heaven.
Before going on, it is most important to state that if pets do go to heaven, their owners will also have to go to heaven to see them. The Bible makes it clear that the majority of people will not go to heaven—see Matthew chapter 7, verses 13 and 14 (Mat 7:13,14) for one example. Therefore, it is critical that we remind everyone that they need to get right with God themselves or their chances of seeing a departed pet again are zero.
There are numerous examples of animals associated with heaven (including 2 Kings 2:11, Revelation 5:13 and 19:11-14) or the “new creation†(Isaiah 65:17-25). Still, the question is “were these animals new creations or do these animals include reborn earthly creatures?†Let’s look at the facts.

• Both mankind and animals are formed from the ground (Genesis 2:7, 19). This reveals that the physical bodies of both are similar, but it does not tell us about their immortality.
• God’s covenant with Noah included both people and animals (Genesis 9:9-11). However, that covenant was not one of eternal life, but that He would not again destroy the earth with a flood.
• The fourth commandment as recorded in Deuteronomy 5:12-15 includes a Sabbath rest for animals as well as people. Again, it reveals some equality between people and animals, but makes no statement regarding animals going to heaven.
• God takes care of both men and animals (see Matthew 6:26 and Psalm 104—verses 14 and 27-30 in particular). Although death is mentioned in Psalm 104:29, we learn nothing regarding an afterlife.
• At some future time, Christ (a Rod from the stem of Jesse) will bring about a time of peace where all animals and man will be in harmony (Isaiah 11:1-9). Still, the description is not necessarily of heaven, and these animals are not necessarily reborn animals.

Notice the recurring theme, although animals are our “equals†in some ways, none of these passages tells us anything about whether an animal has eternal life.
Some writers claim that “all things†in passages like Acts 3:19-21, Philippians 3:20,21, Hebrews 2:8, and Revelation 21:5 include animals. The passage in Romans 8:18-25 certainly does include animals as part of “the creation.†Still, none of these passages reveals that the animals and plants included in “the creation†are reborn rather than newly created.
Ephesians 1:3-14 is a passage that speaks of redemption through Christ’s sacrifice. (Redemption concerns setting someone or something free that belonged to another.) Specifically, verse 10 states “that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.†Here, “all things†is universal—spiritual and material. That is, this passage is speaking about bringing everything back to a perfect “Genesis chapter 1†condition. Again, this does not directly comment on the eternal life of animals.
<table border="5" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" width="500"> <tbody><tr> <td> A Special Comment—This Topic’s Most Popular Passage

Probably the most commonly cited passage used for “proof†that animals go to heaven is Ecclesiastes chapter 3, verses 18-22. Since it is so commonly cited, we will examine Ecclesiastes chapter 3 in some detail.
First, King Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes. He was (next to Christ) the wisest man to walk the earth. He was also the wealthiest person in the world and could have anything he wanted. As a result, he experimented with everything that this world could offer him. It takes little reading in the book of Ecclesiastes to learn the conclusion: all that the world could provide was meaningless.
Next, let’s look at Ecclesiastes chapter 3, verses 10 and 11:

1. 10 I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied.
   11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

Here we learn that God put eternity into the hearts of people. This makes a distinction between man and beast—not a physical distinction, but a spiritual one. (Notice the contrast with the other Bible passages dealing with animals. They do not refer to eternity or immortality.)
Next, verses 15 to 17 reveal that judgment is coming for wicked people:

1. 15 That which is has already been,
   And what is to be has already been;
   And God requires an account of what is past.
   
   16 Moreover I saw under the sun:
   
   In the place of judgment,
   Wickedness was there;
   And in the place of righteousness,
   Iniquity was there.
   
   17 I said in my heart,
   
   “God shall judge the righteous and the wicked,
   For there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.â€

Of course, the average Jew (the original readers of this Bible text) probably thought, “this does not apply to me,†since they believed that physically being born a Jew (God’s chosen people) was their guarantee of entrance into heaven. Therefore, the text continues:

1. 18 I said in my heart, “Concerning the condition of the sons of men, God tests them, that they may see that they themselves are like animals.â€
   19 For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity.
   20 All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust.

This puts the Jewish reader “in his place†(along with the rest of us). In verses 18-20, the perspective is clearly that of a physical comparison of man to animals. (Solomon already made the spiritual distinction of man in verses 10 and 11.) Now in verses 18-20, we see that both have breath, both die, and both go back to dust. These physical comparisons point towards a completely meaningless existence (from a physical or worldly perspective).
With the a spiritual distinction made in verses 10-11, and the physical comparison made in verses 18-20, we now come to verses 21 and 22. They ask two questions that bring the reader to the point of the entire chapter (and the entire book of Ecclesiastes, for that matter).
Question one:

21 Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth?​

Answer: The “who†is God.
Question two:

22 So I perceived that nothing is better than that a man should rejoice in his own works, for that is his heritage.[1] For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?​

Answer: Again, the “who†is God.
That is the point of Ecclesiastes: this world and what it has to offer us is meaningless by itself, therefore turn towards God, where you can find meaning. As Ecclesiastes states in chapter 12, verse 13:

1. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
   
   Fear God and keep His commandments,
   For this is man’s all.

[SIZE=-1][1] Note: People’s works only have to be their (meaningless) heritage if they ignore God. Anyone who gets right with God will have an eternal existence with Him forever in his kingdom. This is a heritage worth having.[/SIZE]
</td> </tr> </tbody></table> So, where does that leave us? It leaves us with the truth—the Bible is silent regarding an afterlife for animals. However, we do have one hope. The key passage for this question does not deal with animals directly, but rather God’s promise to those who inherit God’s kingdom—those people who have gotten right with God and will go to heaven themselves. For them, the passage in 1 Corinthians chapter 2 applies:

1. 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory,
   8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
   9 But as it is written:
   
   “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
   Nor have entered into the heart of man
   The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.â€

Obviously, what God has prepared for us is wonderful beyond comprehension. Therefore, love your pets as much as you can while they are here. Those of us who go to heaven will later understand that everything worked out perfectly regarding our pets.
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[Knotical]

Wow, that article certainly makes quite a few leaps of logic.

Really, Jesus did not come to this earth to save the animals, He came to save us, who were made in His likeness. We are the only beings on this planet that are afforded a soul, which can be saved or lost. Animals were placed on this earth for us to be stewards over, period.

 

[God&DogGirl]

Since the Bible is silent on the matter of whether or not animals will be in heaven and since I've seen God work through animals in quite incredible ways, I think the possibility of seeing our pets again in heaven is a really nice prospect and choose to believe that our pets will greet us when we finally get to heaven. That would be pretty incredible. Since animals are innocent, I am certain they will not suffer after death and that is comforting on its own.

 

[reba]

ankle biters and pit bulls are not

 

[Lewis]

Do Pets Go to Heaven

http://www.bibleleadership.com/pets-go-to-Heaven.html

I have been asked the question, “Do pets go to Heaven?â€, and my reply always has been, “Yes.†I also know that some people do not agree with that position, and that is OK. So, with that in mind let’s examine what I understand the Bible has to say about animals in heaven. Incidentally, I just ran across a web site that has been produced by a group of atheists who are pet lovers, and they are offering to take care of pets (dogs, cats, and some others) who are left behind after the rapture of the church. They, being atheists, do not believe in God (of gods), so they do not believe in the Rapture. However, they do believe that in case they are mistaken and the Rapture does take place, they are ready to take care of the pets left behind. For $110.00, they guarantee they will rescue the pet within 24 hours of the Rapture, and care for them. If the pet has special needs, you indicate those needs in your application, and they will be met. All of this happens providing the Rapture occurs within 10 years of the receipt of the money. Wow!


Many theologians claim that pets do not go to heaven, and they, in fact, do not have a soul. That is OK for them to interpret the Word in that manner, but they cannot know they are right. I don’t agree with them, but I also admit I cannot absolutely know either. Let’s explore the reasons I disagree.

Here’s a thought. Let us assume that when our pets die, they go to heaven because a loving and merciful God has ordained it that way (biblical proof to come). Our pets have never had a “salvation experience†like you and I have had. Why? Because they do not need it; they are innocent and not fallen from grace. They were created in an innocent state. Adam’s sin passed upon all MEN (humans) according to Romans, third chapter. It doesn’t say sin passed to the animals. They are, however, part of God’s creation that is under the curse caused by Adam’s sin. When the Rapture occurs, and the redeemed are taken out of this world, why wouldn’t God take all the innocent animals also? This could easily be an animal-less world after the Rapture, couldn’t it? I believe that if the Rapture takes place while I am alive, my Great Danes and Basset will go along with me. In fact, I expect it.

What does the Bible say? First, we know that ALL creation is under the curse of sin. Please read carefully Romans 8:18-21. It says that creation is frustrated, not by its own choice, and is waiting in eager expectation in the hope that the creation will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. This passage speaks of ALL creation: animals, fowl, fish and the created world. If that is the case, then we must agree that more than humans are waiting for redemption.


But, you say, animals do not have souls, and therefore, cannot enjoy a relationship with God. There is not much in the Scripture to indicate the souls of animals, but let’s look at Genesis 1:30, and 2:19. In the 30th verse, we are told that God looked upon his creation and told Adam He had given him a perfect environment. But notice, He said, “every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creeps upon the earth wherein there is “lifeâ€. The Hebrew word for “life†is “Nepheshâ€, which is better translated, “soul.†In other words, He has given his animal creation a soul.


In Genesis 2: 19, God brings the animals He created out of the ground to Adam to name. The verse says that Adam named “every living creature.†It is interesting that the word, “creature†is also “Nephesh†or “soul.†Adam named every living soul!


When God brought the flood, in Genesis 6: 17 He told Noah that the flood will destroy all flesh where in is the breath of life. That word, life. is better translated “spirit.†All flesh has a spirit. Interesting!


Ecclesiastes 3: 19 states that both man and beast have “one breath", again the Hebrew word for spirit. Solomon is saying that both man and beast have a spirit, and in verse 21, he says that we cannot know if man’s spirit goes up and the beast’s spirit goes down. In any event, it appears that animals are blessed with the spirit or soul as is man.


I mentioned before that animals were innocent and their soul unaffected by Adam’s sin. There is an interesting story in Numbers, the 22nd chapter that seems to substantiate that premise. Balaam is a prophet who got himself involved with a fellow by the name of Balak who insisted that Balaam go to see him and curse the children of Israel. God didn’t like it, so as Balaam was riding his ass along the road, the Angel of the Lord stood in his way. Balaam couldn’t see it, but the ass (because of his innocent nature) could, and three times turned aside. You need to read the story to see what happens. Now, this was not a “special†ass, nor was it divinely inspired. It was simply an animal whose spirit could see heavenly things we fallen men could not.


We know that God loves His creation, and that includes animals. He mentions that when He returns, He will be riding a white horse. In fact, Revelation reveals that His saints will ride horses (my first experience!). Isaiah 11: 6-9 tells that there will be animals in His kingdom—the wolf, lamb, calf, leopard, sheep, lion, cow, bear and snakes. Where do they come from? Are they specially created? I don’t think so. I think they are some of the animals who have found their glorified bodies as one day we will.
Think about the following poem penned by John Piper:

1. And as I knelt beside a brook
   To drink eternal life, I took
   A glance across the golden grass,
   And saw my dog, old Blacky, fast
   As she could come. She leaped the stream---
   Almost--- and what a happy gleam
   Was in her eye. I knelt to drink,
   And knew that I was on the brink
   Of endless joy…

 

[Rollo Tamasi]

All things will be made new.

 

[jasoncran]

ok I think I will post what the Hebrew words for soul means.

animals are a nephesh. we have a nephesh that is that which breathes and has a shape. animals have a ruach. this is also what we have. a ruach has a body, it also has emotions. animals don't posses or are NOT a nephesh chaya. we are. that is from the father. he breathed us to live. animals don't have nephisma which I think is combo of the ruach and the nephesh and has the idea of emotions and thought and desire. we , finally, have the yechida. that is the part from God. we have his nature in us. though marred.

 

[Lewis]

Good stuff Jason, I alrady knew what Nephesh meant, because I use it sometimes to explaining Genesis 2:7 , but you have gave me some deeper stuff to look into so thanks Jason. I am big on finding out what the original Hebrew wording was when it comes to Bible study.

 

[jasoncran]

you would be best to go to the orthodox jews for that info as that is where I got that. the word soul has the idea of being worn. that is revalant to something jesus did in sheol.

 

[Lewis]

I use my Strongs Exhaustive Concordance, to get most of it.

 

[jasoncran]

you can but there is a lot of other things I didn't mention that are relavent

ie with the yechida there is the vah and the yud letters. the yud is something all of creation has. its from god and the first letter of HIS name. the vah is the same as well is the part of him that comes into us, or rises in us, and removes evil. that you wont find the bible but in the pictographic usage of the letters.

Yud Hey Vah Hey.

 

[Lewis]

That is good stuff Jason

 

[jasoncran]

hmm if I did post the otifier and what the rabbi says about it. its relavant to the thread and if we take into account the the idea of the col 1 verse where It mentions the idea of jesus holding all things together.

 

[Brother Mike]

Cats won't make it. I believe several dogs will though.

My wife wants a Siberian tiger in Heaven. I tried to tell her cats won't make it but she insist. My wife will be living in her "OWN" mansion if she gets one.

Mike.

 

[Lewis]

Another view that I found

Animals in Heaven - A look at Revelation 4:6-9​

There are many people who believe that their companion animals have souls and spirits just as we do, and as the Bible confirms (see below). Upon the death of a beloved companion animal, many people suffer a double tragedy: they are in deep mourning, and they are being denied the Church's comfort and confirmation that animals are in heaven. This article addresses a portion of this problem.​

We have often wondered why the English translation readings of Revelation 4:6-9 use the words "creatures" or "beasts" or "beings", when the Greek clearly describes these beings as "animals". ​

Let's begin by looking at these verses in the King James Version (emphasis added):​

6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.

7 And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.

8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

9 And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,​

The Greek word used is ζωα, pronounced, zō-a (a plural, nominative, neuter noun) meaning animals, and ζωον, pronounced, zō-on for a single animal as in verse 7. Zoology, the study of animals, and zoological garden or zoo are words derived from the Greek word for animal, ζωον (zō-on).​

John F. Walvoord, states in his commentary on this passage in the King James Version: ​

The translation "beasts" is quite inaccurate and should be changed to "living ones." In the Greek the word used is zōon, which means "living ones." An entirely different word, thērion, meaning "a beast," such as a wild animal, is used in Revelation 13 to speak of the beast coming out of the sea. The emphasis here is on the quality of life and the attributes that relate to it. (1)​

Other scholars must have agreed, for the New King James Version changed the word to "living creature" or "living creatures", as the case may be, and as other more modern translations have done. The Living Bible translates the word, zō-on, as "living being". But, none of these translations seem to acknowledge these beings as animals.​

Could the reason be that these animals are full of eyes?​

Could it be that similar beings are described in Ezekiel 1:5-10 as being of human form with three animal faces and a human face?​

Perhaps, but the animals of Revelation 4 each have only one face.​

We seem to have no problem discerning that the Lamb of Revelation 5 is Jesus Christ, even though He is described as a lamb with seven horns and seven eyes (verse 6). Then why don't we acknowledge these beings as animals in Revelation 4?​

Are we afraid that if we acknowledge that there are animals in heaven, we would become so emotionally and spiritually convicted that we would no longer eat them or wear their skins? Is it that we are afraid to admit that animals are "living souls" (Hebrew: נפש החיה pronounced, neh-fesh khah-yaw) just as we humans are? ​

We believe these are exactly the reasons. Compare the Hebrew of Genesis 1:20, 21, and 24, where God created the animals, with Genesis 2:7 where God formed man. We are all described as living souls.​

We have culturally distorted the true meaning of this Revelation passage and many others in the Bible simply because we mistreat, kill, and eat animals. ​

Are the Biblical translations a lie, or are they misrepresentations of the whole truth? In either case they are not the whole truth, as we believe they should be. ​

Additionally, this mistranslation is quite similar to the ways in which the devil mistranslated Scripture to try to tempt Jesus in Matthew 4. Satan is the father of lies. Thus, we can only conclude that these translators were listening to an unholy spirit, rather than the Holy Spirit, when it came to translating this passage.​

By such action, and inaction to correct the problem, the Church is promoting violence to animals and emotional violence to those who love them.
http://www.all-creatures.org/cspv/rev4.6-9.html
​

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[westtexas]

Cats won't make it.

 

[handy]

Cats won't make it. I believe several dogs will though.

My wife wants a Siberian tiger in Heaven. I tried to tell her cats won't make it but she insist. My wife will be living in her "OWN" mansion if she gets one.

Mike.

Once we are all there, your wife and I will have to get in together on a mansion.... We can be the "crazy cat ladies" of New Jerusalem!

I do believe that the animals will share in the resurrection and renewal of the new earth. I do believe that God's final plan of redemption is the redemption of all creation and that includes Antony, Cleo, Miranda, Bootsie, etc. etc. etc. Romans 8:20-22 gives a hint of this.

 

[jasoncran]

lewis, uhm the beast there are angels. not animals and those are spirits. a dog have nepesh. the ruach isn't want is ascends to god. the yechida does. the yechida also can descend into sheol, or gehenna in its new body.

so we get to see every animal we eat? think about it

 

[Lewis]

lewis, uhm the beast there are angels. not animals and those are spirits. a dog have nepesh. the ruach isn't want is ascends to god. the yechida does. the yechida also can descend into sheol, or gehenna in its new body.

so we get to see every animal we eat? think about it

Hmmmm

 

[jasoncran]

@lewis the ruach is also common to the rocks and non living objects thus" ie the heavens declare the glory of the lord " and also for the whole creation crieth out the for the redemption of man