So many people love animals and wonder if our pets and other animals will be with us in heaven. The Bible clearly states that God created animals for a purpose and that they will be present in heaven and no longer harmful.
“And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.”
–Genesis 1:25
Adding one more thing to the list of things we should praise God for is his creation of animals. The variety of God’s creatures that fill the earth, air, and sea is awe-inspiring and seemingly endless.
As humans, it’s probably safe to say that the majority of us love animals. In fact, many people treat them with the same type of care and affection one shows toward children.
“The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”
–Isaiah 11:6-9
In the above passage, the Bible shows us a picture of tamed animals, so gentle that they will not harm a child or baby. So tame, that animals will lie down with those preyed upon as food during life on earth, gentle and no longer predators.
Another chapter of Isaiah gives us the same assurance.
“The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,” says the Lord.”
–Isaiah 65:25
While the Bible does not give us any specific reference to the types of animals we keep as pets, the Scriptures use the types of animals listed in the above verses repeatedly in symbolic ways. Therefore, we can infer from the above passages that our companion animals will be with us as well.
“In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.”
– Job 12:10
We know that God instructed Noah to take a male and female of every kind of animal with him on the Ark, demonstrating God’s concern for the welfare and continuation of all of his animal creation.
“And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive.”
– Genesis 6:19-20
We can be assured by the above verses that just as human beings will dwell with God in the uncorrupted realm of a new heaven and earth as foretold by the prophet Isaiah, so too will all of God’s creation, including animals and angels.
“See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.”
–Isaiah 65:17
