Will my pet go to heaven when it dies?
Answer: We don’t know what happens to animals when they die, but God does, and we know his plan is good. Sometimes we may get the idea that animals think and understand as we do. But God created animals different from people.
Animals don’t have souls or think as we do, so they can’t enjoy God the way we can. Here on earth, pets are fun to play with and animals are interesting to watch. Only God knows if pets will join us in heaven.
Key verses: God made all sorts of wild animals and cattle and reptiles. And God was pleased with what he had done. Then God said, “Let us make a man-someone like ourselves.
He will be the master of all life upon the earth and in the skies and in the seas.” So God made man like his Maker. Like God did God make man. Man and maid did he make them. (Genesis 1:25-27)
Related Verses: Isaiah 11:6-8; 65:25
Related question: Where do animals go when they die?
Note to parents: This question may be a way of testing the reality of heaven. A child’s world is tied to his or her pet, and the death of a pet naturally raises the question of what happens to it afterward.
But if you’re not sure how to answer, don’t be afraid of saying you don’t know. The answer may not be as important as helping your child deal with losing a pet. When we get to heaven, God will give us everything we need to be filled with unspeakable joy
Q: Why can’t we go to heaven and just see it and then come back?
Answer: This question is like asking, “Can I become a teenager and then come back to my age right now?” It’s impossible because you have to grow into your teens; you can’t simply jump there and back.
In the same way, heaven is more than a place you can visit. It’s a time at the end of life, and God has to make us ready to go there. In fact, we have to change in order to go there. We know that heaven exists because God has told us so in his Word, the Bible.
And Jesus promised to “prepare a place” so that we can live with him forever (John 14:2). Once we get there, we won’t want to come back.
Key verses: Then I looked and saw a door standing open in Heaven. I heard the same voice I had heard before. It was the one that sounded like a mighty trumpet blast.
It said, “Come up! I will show you what must happen in the future!” And instantly I was in the spirit. And I saw a throne and someone sitting on it! Great bursts of light flashed forth from him.
It was like light from a glittering diamond or from a shining ruby. There was a rainbow glowing like an emerald around his throne. (Revelation 4:1-3)
Related verses: Exodus 33:22; Matthew 17:2; 2 Corinthians 12:2-3
Related questions: Is heaven really there? Why can’t I go to heaven now? How do we get to heaven after we die?