Response
The Bible does not provide explicit teachings on whether pets or animals possess souls, or if they will be present in heaven. However, we can utilize general biblical principles to gain some insight into the matter. The Bible affirms that both humans “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (Genesis 2:7) and animals (Genesis 1:30; 6:17; 7:15,22) have the “breath of life”; indicating that both humans and animals are living beings. The fundamental distinction between humans and animals lies in the fact that humanity is created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27), whereas animals are not. Being made in the image and likeness of God implies that humans share some characteristics with God; they possess spirituality, a mind, emotions, and will; and a part of their essence endures after death. If pets or animals do possess a soul (or spirit, or immaterial aspect), it would likely be of a different and lesser nature. This distinction suggests that the souls of pets or animals may not persist after death.
Another aspect to contemplate regarding the presence of pets in heaven is that animals are an integral part of God’s creative work in Genesis. God created the animals and declared them to be good “And God made the beast of the earth after its kind, and the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing on the earth after its kind: and God sawThat it was good.” , (Genesis 1:25). Therefore, there is no reason why there could not be pets or animals on the new earth “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.” , (Revelation 21:1). There will most definitely be animals during the millennial kingdom (Isaiah 11:6; Isaiah 65:25). It is impossible to say definitively whether some of these animals might be the pets we had here on earth. We do know that God is just and that when we get to heaven, we will find ourselves in complete agreement with His decision on this issue, whatever it may be.
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