Expert: Dr. Ronald E. Shultz - 5/18/2008

Question
My wife Lynda and I had to put her precious pet LADDIE, a dog, down last week. He was 21 years old and she raised him from a pup, took very good care of him and I tell her it was the best act of love we could give. He was a great companion to her and she is very upset at his loss. He had multiple old age problems  We are both saved but do not know where to turn for questions about our beloved pet's soul and his afterlife. Can you help with any beliefs or biblical referance that will ease our grief?
Thank you very much.

Answer
The Bible does not really say and I just looked a forum where this topic was discussed and no one had solid biblical evidence one way or the other.  They were very speculative, emotional and even some logical assumptions but that is all that they were, assumptions.  Some passages were just flat taken so far out of context that it was pitiful. There is one passage,

Ecclesiastes 3:21:

"Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?"

I would say that this might indicate that animals are not beings with spirits that will be in Heaven and we see nothing about animals being resurrected in any passage in Scripture.  

Since animals cannot sin like man did then it would be logical to assume that they would go to Heaven but I just do not have any Biblical evidence for animal afterlife. If they don't go anywhere but just cease to exist that is better than the possibility of them being in Hell like humans.

Animals were given to us for this life to enjoy and some to eat but there will be so much beyond our comprehension in Heaven they may not be needed.  

Rev 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. KJV

There will be no sea creatures at least since the seas are not there in the new heaven and new earth so why would there be lad animals?

God sent horses and chariots to get Elijah but where they only designed for that moment?  I don't know.  Revelation says that we will come back on horses but many would say that is just imagery. Even if literal these may only be horselike creatures designed for only bringing us back and they later vaporize.  We can only speculate and we usually get into big trouble when we do that.

Don't get me wrong.  I would love for animals to die and go to Heaven. I had a small dog that got me past losing my father when I was seven. I would love Smokey to be there.  I have a 12 year old daschund named Shiloh that I dread losing and would like to think he will be up in Heaven chasing bunnies and sleeping in a sunbeam but I cannot prove it from Scripture.  

All I can say for a fact is that the God of love and the Judge of all the earth shall do right.  When we get there, whichever way it goes will be right.  If they are there or not it will be right and we will have all our tears wiped away.  We will not grieve over anything in this present life.

I pray that yor dear wife will give her grief to God and trust Him to do right for her and animals!  May He bless you richly as you seek Him through His Word and Spirit.