Will my pet be in heaven?

Last time we looked at the value of having pets as part of our family. But the inevitable downside of loving pets is the heartbreak of losing them. When this happens, our children may wonder, ‘Will my pet be in heaven?’. Here are some things to keep in mind as we answer.

The question behind the question

To begin with, it’s helpful to consider that our children may not be looking for a detailed theological answer to this question. It may simply be an expression of how much they miss their pet and wish they could see them again.

Before jumping to a theological answer, it’s always good to stop and acknowledge our child’s feelings. We can say something like, ‘I know you really miss Daisy. I do too. The hard part of loving someone is having to say goodbye to them. It’s normal to feel sad when someone you care about dies.'

Explaining heaven

When we do go on to explain heaven, it’s important not to speculate beyond what the Bible says. Unfortunately, heaven is one of those topics where we often desire more detail and certainty than the Bible provides. Perhaps that’s why there are so many commonly held ideas about heaven that are derived more from popular culture or classical art than from the Bible.

In the Bible, ‘the heavens’ can simply refer to the skies above us, but it also refers to the place where God dwells. God’s Old Testament people were to pray: ‘Look down from heaven, your holy dwelling place, and bless your people Israel’ (Deuteronomy 26:15). Jesus also taught us to pray to ‘Our father in heaven’ (Matthew 6:9). I like to explain this to my children as being not just ‘above’ the earth, but also ‘behind’ what we can see with our eyes. Heaven is in another, spiritual dimension that is currently invisible to us.

We can explain to our children that people who trust in Jesus will go to be with him when they die (Philippians 1:23). But a day is coming when Jesus will return, those who have died will rise again, and all people will be judged (1 Thessalonians 4:16–18). Peter explains further:

‘That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.’ (2 Peter 3:12–13)

We can comfort our children with the famous words of Revelation 21:

‘Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth”, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling-place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”’ (Revelation 21:1–4)

We can reassure our children that, although we don’t know exactly what the ‘new heaven and new earth’ will be like, we won’t experience grief or sadness as we do now. Revelation describes heaven as full of people worshipping God, the one who sits on the throne in the heavenly city. When we get to heaven, we will be fully satisfied with the joy of seeing and worshipping our Lord.

Will animals be in heaven?

The prophet Isaiah described the ‘new heavens and new earth’ long before Peter or John did. He portrayed it like this:

‘They will not labour in vain,
    nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune;
for they will be a people blessed by the Lord,
    they and their descendants with them.

Before they call I will answer; 
    while they are still speaking I will hear.
The wolf and the lamb will feed together,
    and the lion will eat straw like the ox,
and dust will be the serpent’s food.
They will neither harm nor destroy
    on all my holy mountain,’ says the Lord. (Isaiah 65:23–25)

Author Cameron Cole, in his article ‘Will my dog be in heaven’, explains: ‘If animals were present in the garden and present in the current creation, then discontinuity in the new world order does not seem to make sense. It only makes sense that animals will dwell in the new heaven and new earth.’

We can be fairly sure that animals will be part of life in the new creation with us.

But what about my pet?

Unfortunately, the Bible doesn’t give us enough information to know for sure whether our particular pet will be in heaven.

Cameron Cole speculates:

‘Christ will bring the broken relationship between mankind and creation back into harmony. Since our animals die as a product of the Fall, perhaps an aspect of God’s restoring this relationship to harmony may involve our pets being restored to life. This, of course, is speculative and uncertain, but it is possible.’

When our children ask whether their pet will be in heaven, I think we’d have to say that from the Bible, we can assume that animals will probably be part of the new creation with us. But we don’t really know whether this will include our particular pet.

However, what we do know is that that life in the new heavens and earth will not disappoint us. Those who trust in Christ will get to live with God, his sanctified people and all creation in perfect harmony without a shadow of sin, sickness or sadness. And that’s something that we and our children can eagerly look forward to, especially in the midst of our grief.

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Harriet Connor is the Content Editor for Growing Faith and the author of Families in God's Plan: 12 Foundational Bible Studies and Big Picture Parents: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Life (Wipf and Stock, 2017). She lives on the Central Coast of NSW with her husband and four sons.

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