Will My Beloved Pet Go to Heaven?

Will My Beloved Pet Go to Heaven?
©copyright 2007 Bonita M Quesinberry, R.C.

Of the many Bible tutorials TSaS has presented over the last five or six years, this one brings the love of God into a sharper clarity than ever before. Such incredible detail is gained only by way of the greatest Light; such a Light revealing all the smallest, almost insignificant, of features: a Light showing not just the incalculable, immeasurable, and indefinable depth of God's love, but just how immense the area over which His love extends: nothing is without God's love, absolutely nothing with which we are familiar in our finite world and our finite perceptions.

There simply is not one thing or person with whom we could even begin to compare God's love; thus, I feel such sadness for each person who has chosen not to experience His love by having not chosen to obey our Father. This testament of God's love reminds me of the cat with whom I grew up with, Cissy. When I was age 6, we got Cissy as a 3-week old breeder cast off, considered an ugly duckling, which my Mother fed with a doll bottle until she was old enough to eat on her own. She turned out to be the most beautiful cat, part Persian and Angora, truly a family member that did not know she was a cat: she thought she was part dog and part human. She died when I was half way through my 24th year. We all grieved terribly, thus I was so pleased when my parents had her buried in a pet cemetery, headstone and all.

Scriptures hereinbelow cited are paraphrased from the Authorized King James Version Bible and just might come as quite a surprise to many readers.

What animals do not have, that we humans do possess, is the power of free will in making daily choices; other than this, there is no difference between us. Animals do only what God requires they do, the things He designed them to do; which is a lot more than can be said for the human race: unless, of course, man intervenes by forcing a different behaviour upon an animal. Even then, our small and great creatures continuously strive to do as God intended. As He instructed us to obey our human masters, so animals obey their human masters; even when contrary to their nature.

Job 12:10 and Psalm 150:6 could not be more concise in answering our question— "In God's hand is the soul of every living thing and the breath of all mankind. Let every thing that has breath praise the Lord. You praise the Lord."

"Every thing that has breath, praise the Lord." I had opportunity to prove this with my ferret Cocoa. He does not mind his cage for short naps, would even put himself in the it for naps, or overnight sleeping; but, he was adamant about getting out of confinement during the day, IF I were home. Every morning, he would grip the cage door with his little hand-like paws and rattle the daylights out of it until I let him out.

One Friday evening, a little over seven years ago, I came across the above Psalm just about time for Cocoa, then six months old, to go into his cage for the night. I carried him to it while explaining, "Cocoa, the Lord says that ALL things that have breath are to praise the Lord. Now, you have breath, so you need to know that it is now the Lord's Sabbath until tomorrow night: it extends from sundown to sundown every Friday night to Saturday night. This means you need to be quiet and rest and praise the Lord."

I put Cocoa in the cage. Though highly unusual, he never made a sound the next morning. BUT! The minute sunset arrived, signaling Sabbath end, Cocoa instantly set up a mighty rattling, insisting on getting out of the cage for at least a few hours before bedtime. Cocoa is now 8 years old and still obeys God's Sabbath, along with his little mate, 6-year-old Princess. It cannot be said that Cocoa obeyed the Sabbath because I obey the Sabbath and had done so as long as Cocoa could remember. He did not obey the Sabbath UNTIL I told him about it. Is this not true of humans, as well?

Several months later, Cocoa and I went to stay with my friend Betty for a month, while she recovered from a terrible bout with pneumonia. Betty could not help noticing Cocoa rattling the cage door every morning and asked if he did it every day. "All but the Lord's Sabbath." She did not believe me; however, after observing Cocoa's quiet each of four Sabbaths, Betty was a believer and quick to tell others about it.

The first thing we learn in Job and Psalm is that every living thing has a soul, though many might argue that they have no spirit being within, such as we do. Nonetheless, the second thing we learn is an admonition to ALL things that breathe: they are to praise the Lord, for He alone breathed the breath of life into all things. If we back up a bit to Job 12:7-9, we find an instruction to ask of animals, birds and fishes of the sea and they will teach us; also, speak to the earth and it shall teach us.

Have you ever noticed that no matter how badly a dog or a cat might be treated, it remains fiercely loyal to its abusive owner? No doubt the dog or cat is petrified of such an owner, which is clearly noted in its body language— first lesson learned from this mammal, you its master are abusive— still, it will come back again and again seeking its owner's attention and affection, however little or rare the owner might give it. Animals even take abuse without complaint or fight yet do weep and cry out in pain.

Even children, who are abused by parents, still seek the parents' attention and affection, even seek their approval right up until their parents' deaths. Second lesson: animals teach us what it means to love unconditionally. Third lesson: animals teach us to quietly take the abuse of others, including that of those in our lives: such as spouses, other family members, neighbors, even employers. We were instructed to do this when Jesus said in Matthew 18:22, "Turn the other cheek seven times seventy;" as well as when Apostle Paul said in I Corinthians 6:6-8, "You sue a brother who has wronged you, and that before man's court of unbelievers, when you should have accepted the wrong. You do wrong!" 

Take a bird out of the sky and cage it, or take a fish out of the sea: they struggle until they die a premature death. The same applies to us; if we go against our Creator, we struggle until we die or until we repent, which ever comes first. Observe untouched forests, how beautiful and healthy and well balanced they are; then, view the travesties when clear cutting begins: bacteria indigenous to and safe in forests is dangerously spread into areas where it does not belong thus causing hideous diseases; the ground erodes and land slides hazardously, often causing deaths; and, with every tree cut down, the earth loses its ability to convert carbon monoxides into life giving oxygen. Yet, earth still struggles to support life in and upon it. Yes, we can learn from all life forms and even earth. Observe and speak your questions.

God has now established that animals have souls and, like us, are instructed to praise the Lord; but, does this mean they will go to heaven? We already know that only obedient spirit beings, which inhabit these frail flesh bodies we walk around in, will go to heaven. Well, Ecclesiastes 3:19-20 enlightens, "That which happens to men, happens to animals; even one thing befalls them both: as one dies, so dies the other. Yes, they all have one breath; so that a man has no superiority above an animal. All go to one place; all are of the dust and all turn to dust again. Should this mean the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of an animal goes downward to the earth?"

What we see amidst mankind is a belief that we are superior to animals, a belief they have no soul thus no spirit, no ability to rationalize or feel emotions— that is what most of us have been taught— therefore man deems heaven unavailable to them. Ecclesiastes clearly denies man's teaching. Also, animals consistently demonstrate logic and emotions; as shown in Numbers 22:21-35 where God revealed not only a donkey's reasoning ability but also allowed it to speak to Balaam; who learned that his abuse of the animal was not only wrong, but it also acted in what only seemed to be a disobedient manner in order to save Balaam's unworthy life.

Humans are instructed to praise the Lord and, if they do so, they will go to heaven. We praise the Lord by obeying our Father. Like humans, animals and all living things also are instructed to praise the Lord; therefore, if they do so, they also will go to heaven.

Does not Ecclesiastes state that what happens to man, happens also to animals? More importantly, Ecclesiastes reveals that animals are spirit beings within those flesh bodies. And, those spirit beings do as God intended they do and they do it without question. Would that mankind should do the same thing: do, rather than question. Finally, heaven and a restored earth to include animals is further validated in appropriate prophecies, wherein animals are discussed and described (see "Bind Up the Testimony, Seal the Law," wholly Biblical, Holy Spirit interpretation of The Revelation).

The Bible strongly supports pets and all other animals, such as are not considered vile beasts, as going to heaven and inheriting a new earth along with those humans who both "love and obey God as well as have the faith of Jesus Christ."

Oh? Someone questions whether or not animals know and love Christ, one of our prerequisites to entering heaven? There is a large, abused Pit Bull named Buddy roaming the forest community where I live: his body language tells of abuse by his master across the road. For some odd reason, Buddy comes to the end of my driveway every day and simply sits there barking. The first time he did this, I quietly said, from where I sat on the deck some 60 feet away, "In the name of Jesus, you go home, Buddy." That dog cocked his head, then turned and trotted home; though he still visits every day yet too frightened to come to me.

On another day, I was out in the yard when he and Siska, another neighbor's different and smaller breed of Pit Bull came literally charging into the yard. Siska is not abused and does know me, but Buddy instinctively went into pack attack mode by rapidly circling behind me. I spoke softly while making no sudden moves, "Hello, Siska. Buddy, in Jesus name you come back around with Siska."

Buddy actually looked surprised but came around from behind me, his lips appearing to smile. He and Siska then took off. So, yes, our animals even know Christ and obey commands in His name, especially when delivered in loving tones. Did not the fig tree die upon Christ's command? Would it not have born fruit if He had commanded? Upon Christ's command, did not a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish feed 5000 people?

"That which happens to men, happens to animals." As our spirit being will be given a new, incorruptible body, so we can believe our pets' spirit beings will be given new, incorruptible bodies. Why would we doubt such a thing? After all, God loves every thing He created; He would do no less for animals, who have obeyed without choice, as He will do for us who obey by choice.

Consider your choices carefully and remember that we are not superior to animals: treat them well and learn from them how to be better humans and caretakers of our planet and its life-sustaining abilities. It Is Written!

~~ end Sabbath Lesson of 03/17/07
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