We owned an Australian Shepherd dog who lived to be over 15 years old. He
was a member of our family and greatly loved. God kept him healthy and happy
but as with all who live on this earth at the present time, death is inevitable. We
would love to see our dog someday but our emotions or feelings cannot get in the
way of teaching true biblical principles.
This is a subject to which we really don't have a solid biblical scripture to support
a viewpoint and therefore cannot teach that pets go to heaven. The Bible is silent
on this subject. For those who would preach against pets in heaven, truth is, no
one knows for sure. The bible mentions nothing about it. To say that pets do not
go to heaven is just as erroneous as to say that they do. We simply do not know.
In this case, since there is no clarity from the Word of God on this subject, the
saying goes, "you cannot argue a doctrine from silence." God's Word does not
offer a definitive answer to this question.
We realize there a few popular Christian TV personalities who are promoting the
"Animals go to heaven" doctrine but we, as bereans at this ministry, cannot agree
from a Scriptural standpoint. Anyone may twist Scripture to fit anything their
hearts desire but that does not mean that their teaching is correct. God's Word
must be rightly divided and taught.
In these last days, there is so much focus on the worship of animals and nature
with a disregard for human life and the unborn child. We must be careful, as
believers in Christ Jesus, that our hearts are in the right place and our focus-- in
the right direction. The Lord gave us His Word to read and to study. In it, the
Lord instructs us to take care of the fatherless, widows, to feed the hungry, and
above all else to preach the glorious Gospel message to the whole world-- that
Jesus saves and Him alone. When we shift our teaching onto presumptions- ie:
pets go to heaven-- rather than teaching concise biblical principles, we will find
ourselves drowning in error.
We, as Christians, believe that God can do anything and nothing is impossible
with Him. God is the giver of life and He certainly could breathe life back into
our pets someday, if He so chooses but as much as we love our pets, we do not
live for them and really should not think about or focus on what we do not
know with certainty. The Bible is silent on this subject so why speculate?
What God's Word does tell us is that we walk in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
We must obey the Great Commission that Jesus gave us. We must tell others the
good news-- that Jesus saves!
PREACHING THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
Our focus must be on winning PEOPLE for the Lord Jesus Christ and preaching
the Gospel for the Lord Jesus told us to win the lost. Jesus died for human
beings-- those with a free will to choose right from wrong. Animals, as cute and
sweet as they are-- are NOT HUMAN beings.
Our pets enhance our earthly life with joy and friendship but they cannot take
the place of real people or our relationship with the Lord. In a secular world that
focuses so much on the creature rather than on the Creator-- and in fact 95% of
the time the world denies it has a Creator-- the Christian's priority should be to
get to know their Creator more by reading the Bible and developing a relationship
with Him. Our focus must not be on the creature but rather on the Lord God,
who made them. Our praise should be directed to the Lord for the wonderful
things which He created.
Animals In the Future Kingdom
We know that God never intended death to be present on this earth when He
originally created everything. God created everything good. The sin of man
brought about death for every creature. We know that Christ Jesus conquered
death when He rose from the grave and that someday death, too, will be
abolished upon the earth. (Rev. 20:15)
Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things not seen." We know that the New Jerusalem will be about
three forths the size of the United States. If one city will be that large, one must
conclude that the new earth will be a very large place-- able to accommodate
many people, animals and creatures. The Bible says that Jesus will make all
things new someday. Because of Adam's sin, death is in this world at the present
time. Jesus is the Second Adam-- The Last Adam-- who died on the cross for
our sins and rose from the dead and conquered the grave. The Lord Jesus will
restore peace someday on this earth and all things will be as they were in the
beginning when God first placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. There
will be no more death, no more sin, no more tears, no more sorrow, sadness or
woe.
Rev 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the
tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall
be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
Rev 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there
shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be
any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Rev 21:5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things
new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
Rev 21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the
beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain
of the water of life freely.
With that said, we know that whatever the Lord chooses to do will be the best.
We put our trust in Him and in Him alone. When Jesus reigns as King, it will be
a glorious place and we will forever be in the presence of the Lord. There will be
so much joy when Christ Jesus reigns.
Psalm 16:11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness
of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
Rev 21:23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to
shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light
thereof.
JESUS IS THE VICTOR OVER DEATH
Jesus is the Victor over death. Jesus conquered death when He rose again from
the dead. Jesus has the keys of hell and of death.
Rev 1:18 [Jesus said] I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am
alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
Whether our pets are in heaven now or whether the Lord chooses to bring our
pets back from the dead is something we just don't know. What must be
realized is that our hope and focus MUST be upon Christ Jesus. God's word
promises us in 1Cor 2:9, "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear
heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God
hath prepared for them that love him."
So we must love the Lord and put our hope in Him. He knows what is best for
us and for our deceased pets. We trust in Him.
Psalm 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give
grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk
uprightly.
Psalm 84:12 O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.
1Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which
according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope
by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1Peter 1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth
not away, reserved in heaven for you,
OUR FAITH AND HOPE MUST BE IN THE LORD!
1Peter 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with
corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received
by tradition from your fathers;
1Peter 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without
blemish and without spot:
1Peter 1:20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the
world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
1Peter 1:21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the
dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
Our hope and our trust must be in the Lord! As believers in Christ Jesus,
we have a wonderful inheritance waiting for us. We are joint heirs with
Christ. Romans 8:17 says that we are, "heirs of God, and joint-heirs with
Christ". Col 1:12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet
to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light"
CONCLUSION:
We must have the mind of Christ and we must be careful not to worship
our pets or love our pets more than we love the Lord or each other. We
must worship the Lord who made all things good. We must obey God's
Word which tells us to preach the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. We
must not be led into the error of speculating things about God's Word
that are not written within the Bible. We must remember that whatever
God has in store for His children will be beyond our greatest expectations.
So in saying that, we put our hope and our trust in Him alone and we will
not lean upon our own finite understanding.
Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for
the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and
is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Copyright © 2004 Cobblestone Road Ministries. All rights reserved.
was a member of our family and greatly loved. God kept him healthy and happy
but as with all who live on this earth at the present time, death is inevitable. We
would love to see our dog someday but our emotions or feelings cannot get in the
way of teaching true biblical principles.
This is a subject to which we really don't have a solid biblical scripture to support
a viewpoint and therefore cannot teach that pets go to heaven. The Bible is silent
on this subject. For those who would preach against pets in heaven, truth is, no
one knows for sure. The bible mentions nothing about it. To say that pets do not
go to heaven is just as erroneous as to say that they do. We simply do not know.
In this case, since there is no clarity from the Word of God on this subject, the
saying goes, "you cannot argue a doctrine from silence." God's Word does not
offer a definitive answer to this question.
We realize there a few popular Christian TV personalities who are promoting the
"Animals go to heaven" doctrine but we, as bereans at this ministry, cannot agree
from a Scriptural standpoint. Anyone may twist Scripture to fit anything their
hearts desire but that does not mean that their teaching is correct. God's Word
must be rightly divided and taught.
In these last days, there is so much focus on the worship of animals and nature
with a disregard for human life and the unborn child. We must be careful, as
believers in Christ Jesus, that our hearts are in the right place and our focus-- in
the right direction. The Lord gave us His Word to read and to study. In it, the
Lord instructs us to take care of the fatherless, widows, to feed the hungry, and
above all else to preach the glorious Gospel message to the whole world-- that
Jesus saves and Him alone. When we shift our teaching onto presumptions- ie:
pets go to heaven-- rather than teaching concise biblical principles, we will find
ourselves drowning in error.
We, as Christians, believe that God can do anything and nothing is impossible
with Him. God is the giver of life and He certainly could breathe life back into
our pets someday, if He so chooses but as much as we love our pets, we do not
live for them and really should not think about or focus on what we do not
know with certainty. The Bible is silent on this subject so why speculate?
What God's Word does tell us is that we walk in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
We must obey the Great Commission that Jesus gave us. We must tell others the
good news-- that Jesus saves!
PREACHING THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
Our focus must be on winning PEOPLE for the Lord Jesus Christ and preaching
the Gospel for the Lord Jesus told us to win the lost. Jesus died for human
beings-- those with a free will to choose right from wrong. Animals, as cute and
sweet as they are-- are NOT HUMAN beings.
Our pets enhance our earthly life with joy and friendship but they cannot take
the place of real people or our relationship with the Lord. In a secular world that
focuses so much on the creature rather than on the Creator-- and in fact 95% of
the time the world denies it has a Creator-- the Christian's priority should be to
get to know their Creator more by reading the Bible and developing a relationship
with Him. Our focus must not be on the creature but rather on the Lord God,
who made them. Our praise should be directed to the Lord for the wonderful
things which He created.
Animals In the Future Kingdom
We know that God never intended death to be present on this earth when He
originally created everything. God created everything good. The sin of man
brought about death for every creature. We know that Christ Jesus conquered
death when He rose from the grave and that someday death, too, will be
abolished upon the earth. (Rev. 20:15)
Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things not seen." We know that the New Jerusalem will be about
three forths the size of the United States. If one city will be that large, one must
conclude that the new earth will be a very large place-- able to accommodate
many people, animals and creatures. The Bible says that Jesus will make all
things new someday. Because of Adam's sin, death is in this world at the present
time. Jesus is the Second Adam-- The Last Adam-- who died on the cross for
our sins and rose from the dead and conquered the grave. The Lord Jesus will
restore peace someday on this earth and all things will be as they were in the
beginning when God first placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. There
will be no more death, no more sin, no more tears, no more sorrow, sadness or
woe.
Rev 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the
tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall
be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
Rev 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there
shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be
any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Rev 21:5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things
new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
Rev 21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the
beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain
of the water of life freely.
With that said, we know that whatever the Lord chooses to do will be the best.
We put our trust in Him and in Him alone. When Jesus reigns as King, it will be
a glorious place and we will forever be in the presence of the Lord. There will be
so much joy when Christ Jesus reigns.
Psalm 16:11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness
of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
Rev 21:23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to
shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light
thereof.
JESUS IS THE VICTOR OVER DEATH
Jesus is the Victor over death. Jesus conquered death when He rose again from
the dead. Jesus has the keys of hell and of death.
Rev 1:18 [Jesus said] I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am
alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
Whether our pets are in heaven now or whether the Lord chooses to bring our
pets back from the dead is something we just don't know. What must be
realized is that our hope and focus MUST be upon Christ Jesus. God's word
promises us in 1Cor 2:9, "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear
heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God
hath prepared for them that love him."
So we must love the Lord and put our hope in Him. He knows what is best for
us and for our deceased pets. We trust in Him.
Psalm 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give
grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk
uprightly.
Psalm 84:12 O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.
1Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which
according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope
by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1Peter 1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth
not away, reserved in heaven for you,
OUR FAITH AND HOPE MUST BE IN THE LORD!
1Peter 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with
corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received
by tradition from your fathers;
1Peter 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without
blemish and without spot:
1Peter 1:20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the
world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
1Peter 1:21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the
dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
Our hope and our trust must be in the Lord! As believers in Christ Jesus,
we have a wonderful inheritance waiting for us. We are joint heirs with
Christ. Romans 8:17 says that we are, "heirs of God, and joint-heirs with
Christ". Col 1:12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet
to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light"
CONCLUSION:
We must have the mind of Christ and we must be careful not to worship
our pets or love our pets more than we love the Lord or each other. We
must worship the Lord who made all things good. We must obey God's
Word which tells us to preach the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. We
must not be led into the error of speculating things about God's Word
that are not written within the Bible. We must remember that whatever
God has in store for His children will be beyond our greatest expectations.
So in saying that, we put our hope and our trust in Him alone and we will
not lean upon our own finite understanding.
Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for
the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and
is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Copyright © 2004 Cobblestone Road Ministries. All rights reserved.
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