What will happen to my pets after the rapture?
AN
The Rapture, as we’ve come to understand it, might not actually be a thing that happens, as there’s little Scriptural basis for it.SWER
In the pretribulational understanding of the rapture, believers will be taken to heaven prior to the onset of the seven-year tribulation on earth. All earthly possessions, including family pets, will be left behind. This causes many people to wonder what will happen to their pets at that time. If they and their entire family are taken to heaven, then who will take care of the dog? Especially troubling is the thought that one’s dog (or cat or fish or hamster) will have to then go through the tribulation.
The Bible teaches about what happens to believers at the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:15–18), but it does not answer the question of what happens to dogs and other family pets. The best anyone can do is speculate. Here are a few possibilities:
1) After the rapture, God sends a person to take care of the pets that are left behind—or at least let them out of one’s house or yard so they can better fend for themselves.
2) God sends an angel to care for the needs of the believers’ pets.
3) God Himself lets the dogs or cats out of the house—through natural or supernatural means—so they can take care of themselves.
4) God, in effect, “adopts” the pets as His own, miraculously provides them with food and water, and sees to it that they are protected, wherever they are.
5) God euthanizes the pets; i.e., He causes them to die peacefully in their sleep to prevent their suffering in the days ahead.
6) God allows events to run their course, without intervening. In this case, animals, including household pets, would have to endure suffering along with the rest of the earth.
The tribulation will be a terrible time of judgment on the rebellious world. Believers will be spared this time, “for God did not appoint us to suffer wrath” (1 Thessalonians 5:9). But will the dogs and cats and other pets owned by believers also be spared the wrath to come? The Bible does not say. But it is good and right to be concerned about the animals in our care (Proverbs 12:10).
Please note that there are several groups out there offering to provide “after rapture pet care services” for anyone whose pets are left behind. While we are not saying they are all scams, we are highly suspicious. Please do research and be discerning before you sign up with any of these services.
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Will Our Pets Be in Heaven With Us?
By: Michael Bradley
Posted on Last updated: February 23, 2021
Will Our Pets Be in Heaven With Us? Answering The Popular Question – Do Animals Go To Heaven?
One question that many Christians have asked over the years is whether or not do our pets or any animals go to heaven?
For those of you who have researched this topic, I am sure you have seen many of the different opinions on this question.
Many Christians believe that God will allow our pets to cross over into heaven after they die so they can be with us for all of eternity. However, just as many other Christians do not believe that any of our pets will be crossing over to be with us.
So what does the Bible have to say on this issue?
After studying the possible verses on this question, it is my own personal opinion that God does not specifically say one way or the other whether or not any of our own personal pets will be crossing over with us.
And many of the Bible theologians and scholars also agree with this opinion, as they too could not find any verses per se that will definitely answer this question for us.
However, when you put all of these verses together on this topic, I believe there might be a little clue in all of this that might possibly give us the answer. Again, this will just be my own personal opinion on this after putting all of these Scripture verses together like you would pieces to a jigsaw puzzle.
The Bible says we will only “know in part” while we are living down here on this earth, and I am afraid this question is probably one of those questions that we will have to wait until we get into heaven to see who had the right answer.
The best we can do down here is to put all of the Scripture verses together on this topic and then make our own speculative guess as best we can, and then we will see who was right on this issue once we all enter into heaven.
For those of you who would like to take a real good look at this question from the different Bible verses that we have on this topic, follow me very closely.
I believe there may be a big clue in the verses I will list below, along with how God has the “big picture” all set up with us.
Get ready to play detective on this, as the Bible tells us in Proverbs 25:2 that it is the glory of God to conceal a matter and the glory of a king to search out a matter.
Just maybe this particular question is one of these matters, and the answer to this question may have been possibly staring at us right in the face all along.
1. There Were Definitely Animals in the Garden of Eden
The first thing to grab a hold of on this question is that there were definitely animals and various types of living creatures in the first environment that God had created for Adam and Eve. In fact, God had literally created the animals before He had created Adam and Eve.
I believe God did this so Adam and Eve would have everything they would need to be happy and fulfilled in the new life that He was going to give them.
If animals were not going to be fully enjoyed by Adam and Eve and everyone to follow after them, then God would have never created them in the first place. The fact that God had created animals and all of these living creatures in the first type of environment He had set up for us tells me that He felt they were very important in the big-picture, eternal scheme of things. Otherwise He would have never bothered to create any of them in the first place.
Here are the first set of verses showing how God had created all of the living creatures that have ever been on our earth:
So the evening and the morning were the fourth day. Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.”
So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”
So the evening and the morning were the fifth day. Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind,” and it was so.
And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
Then God said, “Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all of the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” (Genesis 1:19-26)
So on the 4th and 5th days of creation, God created all of the living creatures, both in the waters, in the air, and on the ground. And not only did God personally create all of these living creatures, but He also gave man complete dominion over all of them.
Again, if God did not think animals, fish, and birds were not real important in the big-picture, eternal scheme of things, He would have never created them in the first place. This account of how all of these animals were created by Him tells us that this is a very big deal with Him, and that He wanted all of these types of living creatures to be living with us on this earth.
2. There May Be Animals in Heaven
And not only did God make sure to put all of these different kinds of animals and living creatures upon our earth, but there may also be animals living right now up in heaven. How do we know this?
Because there is one verse in particular that is telling us that when Jesus gets ready to come back to us in His 2nd coming, He will be coming back down to us riding on a white horse. And not only will He be riding on a white horse, but so will all of the saints who will be coming back down with Him.
And if Jesus and all of these saints are going to be coming down from heaven riding on these white horses, then this tells me that there literally has to be white horses up in heaven right now. And if there are at least white horses up in heaven right now, then there could easily be other types of animals and creatures living up there as well.
Here is the verse that will show you that Jesus will literally be coming back down to our earth riding on a white horse, along with the rest of His saints:
“Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns.
He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called the Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.” (Revelation 19:11-14)
Another very good verse showing that horses were coming down from heaven is when Elijah saw a chariot of fire with horses of fire coming directly at him. This is when Elijah literally gets raptured up into heaven. Here is the verse:
“Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.” (2 Kings 2:11)
And not only does God have at least white horses, if not possibly other animals living up in heaven right now – and not only did God start everything off by allowing all kinds of animals and living creatures to live with Adam and Eve – but now He is going to take it one more step further.
3. We Still Have Animals Living With Us Even After the Fall
As we all know, Adam and Eve ended up blowing the perfect paradise that God had set up for them to live in. After they had disobeyed God by eating off the one forbidden tree He told them to stay away from, they were then cast out of the Garden of Eden and our entire earth then fell under a curse.
However, even though Adam and Eve and everyone to follow after them lost this original perfect paradise that God had set up for them, God still keeps all of these living creatures on our earth. And today, we still have many of these same living creatures living among us, both in the waters, in the air, and on the land.
Again, if all these animals and living creatures were not important to God in the big-picture, eternal scheme of things, He could have easily taken all of them away from Adam and Eve after He had cast them out of the Garden of Eden. But He didn’t.
And not only did God not take these animals away from us, but He also did not take them away from us when He decided that He was going to wipe out all of mankind with a flood with the exception of Noah and his family.
As we all know, God had Noah put all of these animals by way of two of a kind on his ark so they would all be perfectly preserved when He unleashed this big flood upon our earth.
Again, if God did not think the animals and living creatures He had created at the beginning were important, He would have never had Noah put them on the boat to save and preserve them. For God to go to this extreme length in order to save all of these living creatures shows us how much God really does love and care for all of the animals that He has personally created.
4. There Will Be Animals in the Coming Millennium Kingdom
So not only does God put animals upon our earth at the time He created our earth – and not only does God keep all of these animals upon our earth after Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden – but now God is going to take it one more step further.
He is still going to allow animals to exist in the coming millennium kingdom where His Son Jesus will be ruling our entire earth from the city of Jerusalem. Here is the verse that will prove this to you:
“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; … and the lion shall eat straw like the ox, the nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den. They shall not hurt nor 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)
Chances are, if there are going to be wolves, leopards, lambs, goats, calfs, lions, and cobra snakes in this coming millennium kingdom, then there are probably going to be a lot of the other animals that God has created in the past as well. And also notice that the wild animals existing in this coming kingdom will not be wild or attacking anyone like many of them do today.
5. Will There Be Animals in the The New Heaven and New Earth?
And this now brings us to the real heart of this question.
As we all know, the final ending for us as Christians will be God the Father forming out a New Heaven and a New Earth after the 1000 year millennial reign of Jesus has ended. After that 1000 millennial reign has ended, God will then be forming out a New Heaven and New Earth, where He Himself will then be coming down upon our earth.
And when God the Father then comes down upon our earth, He will be bringing with Himself the city of the New Jerusalem which is up in heaven right now. And once He comes down upon our earth with both Himself and this new holy city, both He and Jesus will then rule our entire earth forever and ever from this New Jerusalem.
Now here is the 50 million dollar question – is God still going to have animals existing and living among us in this New Heaven and New Earth as He has since He had created our world – or will He do away with all of them, including all of the pets we have ever had while living down here on this earth?
Conclusion
1. The Bible does not say one way or the other whether or not we will be having any animals and creatures living with us in this final chapter – the New Heaven and the New Earth. This is where we will just have to make our own speculative type of guess.
Though we do not have any specific verses definitely answering this question one way or the other, the answer may possibly be in the verses already laid down on this subject.
Consider this very carefully:
- If God already has at least white horses living up in heaven right now
- And if God made sure to create a wide variety of animals and creatures when He first created our world
- And if God allowed us to keep those animals and creatures upon our earth after the fall of Adam and Eve
- And if God is still going to allow some of these animals and creatures to be living among us in the coming 1000 year Millennium Kingdom
- Then is it logical to assume that God will CONTINUE THIS PATTERN and allow all of these animals and creatures to continue to live with us in the coming New Heaven and New Earth?
I believe the answer to this question is a big fat yes – that God will continue this pattern and allow all kinds of these animals and creatures to still live among us.
I think the possible “tell” on all of this is the “pattern” that God has been operating on since He had created Adam and Eve and our entire world. If God started everything off with different types of animals and creatures living among us, then I believe He will end it the exact same way He started it – with all of these different kinds of animals and creatures still living among us.
2. But will this also include all of the pets we were close to and attached to while living down here on this earth?
God obviously would have no problems in allowing all of these different kinds of animals and creatures to continue to reproduce in all of these different eras, but what about all of our pets that have already died while we were living down here on this earth?
Again, there are no specific verses answering this question directly. But if you take the above pattern that we are dealing with from God the Father in that He is allowing all kinds of different animals and creatures to continue to live among us as we go from one different era to another – will He now go one more extra step for many of us who were close to our pets, and resurrect that pet for us so we can live with that pet for all of eternity in heaven, and then eventually in the New Heaven and New Earth?
Again, this is just my own speculative guess, but I believe there may be a very good chance that He will do this. Why?
One, because He is our heavenly Father who has nothing but our best interests at heart and wants nothing more than to show us how much He really does love and care for all of us.
Two, the Bible says in Luke 1:37 that nothing is impossible with God. And if nothing is impossible with God, then He could easily resurrect any of our dead pets from the grave and bring them back to life in some type of spiritual, flesh-and-bone body like what we will all be given after we die and cross over.
The Bible says that flesh and “blood” cannot enter into heaven, but a new flesh-and-bone body can. When Jesus was given His brand new glorified body, it was not only a glorified, spiritual body, but it was also a physical, flesh-and-bone body, but with no blood in it. In the same way, we will all be given the same type of body Jesus has been given, a new glorified, spiritual, physical, flesh-and-bone body with no blood in it.
So who is to say that God could not do the exact same thing with any of our pets so they will be able to live with us in heaven and then eventually in the New Heaven and New Earth for all of eternity?
Though Jesus did not die on the cross for animals and all of these different types of creatures, God can still add them back into the mix in the new environment we will all be getting with Him. Two verses that may be telling us that even animals and all the creatures that God has made may end up living with us for all of eternity are the following two verses:
- “… as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying; “The voice of one crying in the wilderness:’Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill brought low; and the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’” (Luke 3:4-6)
- “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.” (Romans 8:20-22)
The two key words in the firs ed very literally, then these two key words could also be referring to the animal kingdom as well as to the human race.
The key phrase in the second verse is “because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” Does the word “creation” also include all of the living animals and creatures God has ever created? If so, this verse could line up with the first verse in that all of God’s creation will see His salvation upon this earth in the coming New Heaven and New Earth Kingdom.
Two other good verses that might be showing us that God will be saving our animals are the following:
- “Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O Lord, You preserve man and BEAST.” (Psalm 36:6)
- Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying: “And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you, and with EVERY LIVING CREATURE that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth.Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall ALL FLESH be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and EVERY LIVING CREATURE that is with you, for perpetual generations.”
… And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and ALL FLESH that is on the earth.” (Genesis 9:8-17)
The second verse is very interesting. This is the verse where God is telling Noah that never again will He destroy the earth by way of a flood. And not only does this include the human race, but it also incudes “every living creature” that is on our earth.
If animals were not important to God, why would He be including them in this incredible covenant He is making with all of mankind?
Also notice in the last verse with Noah that God is using the words, “all flesh,” two different times. Do those two words line up with the same two words in the verse from Luke 3:4, where it says that “all flesh” shall see the salvation of God?
I think these two verses are perfectly lining up, thus giving us a very good possibility that all of God’s creation will be saved, thus giving all of the animals and living creatures eternal life in the New Heaven and New Earth we will all be given by the Lord.
If there is one other verse that I would hang my hat on for the argument that our pets could possibly be resurrected for us, it would be this verse:
“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” (Psalm 84:11)
The three key words in this verse are “no good thing” will God withhold from us. And with God knowing how much we really loved and cherished some of the pets we had while living down here on this earth, I cannot help but wonder if God will want to bring some of these pets back to life for us again so He can show us how much He really does love us.
As many of you already know, animals such as dogs and cats are very, very special. The way they were created, how different they all look, how they all have different personalities, and how they all add that extra element of love and surprise into our lives.
And again, God already knew all of this before He even created us. And that is why I believe He created all of these different kinds of animals and creatures before He even created us, because He knew how much we would really love, enjoy, and appreciate some of them.
Bottom line – if God started everything off at the beginning with this kind of original design in mind, then I personally believe He is going to end it in the exact same way.
In other words, if God started everything off with us having different kinds of animals on our earth, then He will end it with us having these same kinds of animals in the New Heaven and New Earth.
And not only will we be having many of these different kinds of animals still living among us in the New Heaven and New Earth – but for all those who have had pets they were really close to in this life, I believe God will be bringing these special pets back to life for us so we can enjoy them for all of eternity – just like we will be able to enjoy the Lord, His angels, and all of our saved loved ones for all of eternity.
I believe when everything is all finally said and done, we will be made perfectly happy and whole by the Lord.
And having some of the pets we really loved while living down here on this earth will just add that much more into this picture-perfect, fairy tale ending for all of us. As such, I believe the pets we were really close to in this life will be with us for all of eternity once we all end up in the New Heaven and the New Earth.
3. To conclude:
- When God establishes a covenant with both man and all of the living creatures He has made in that He will never destroy them again with a flood, and then He uses the words “all flesh” in that verse to describe that this covenant is with the both man and animals
- And then He says in Luke 3:4 that “all flesh” shall see the salvation of God, those same words “all flesh” could once again be referring to both man and the animals since that is what God is directly referring to on the covenant He makes with all of us after the flood
- And then He tops it off with the verse from Romans 8:20 in that “the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” Is He talking about all of the animals when He uses the words that “the creation itself” will be set free?
I think that He may well be and we thus may have three very good verses that will show us that all of the animals and living creatures God has made will also be saved and thus will have eternal life in the coming New Heaven and New Earth.
Again, all of the above is just my own personal opinion on this topic. With so many people having a real interest in this topic, I thought I would take a look at this to see if there were any clues with the verses that might possibly answer this question.
We will see what the real truth is once we all enter into heaven and the Lord aswers all of our questions and we see exactly what is on the other side.
So what are your thoughts about do animals go to heaven?
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Reggie
October 10, 2020 at 11:27 AM
Hear hear Mary. Had the same thought when I read that. I think something to consider is that while man and animal are subjected to the curse of death pronounced in creation, animals are innocent, having never sinned, like Jesus never sinned. It doesn’t answer your and my question but I think it’s worth keeping in mind. Babies don’t go to hell because they never had the chance to reject Christ. They couldn’t choose. Same with animals. Totally innocent and when you consider the unconditional love our beloved pets show us, how is that not a reflection of the nature of God… Unconditional love.
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Heejung
April 4, 2012 at 05:03 PM
I think this page has convinced me that my beloved pets, and the birds that lived in our yard (Who were like pets; we fed them every day and visited with them) will be there in heaven with me when Jesus takes me home.
I thought of this one verse while reading this page, and it’s Matthew 10:29-31. I use the NIVUK. It says this: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”. Although it says that we are worth more than the animals, it DOES say that the Father cares about them, too. And why would He care about them if they were just to return to dust, and have no consciousness, no farther life, no memory of what He had done for them? IMHO, this convinced me also that our beloved pets will be in heaven.
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Paul Stanton
May 2, 2012 at 01:59 PM
Here are some places in the Bible (look them up for yourself)
that seem to make a pretty strong case that they do:
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OLD TESTAMENT
Ecclesiastes:
3:18 I said in my heart, “Concerning the condition of the sons of men,
God tests them, that they may see that they themselves are like animals.”
3:19 For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals;
one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely,
they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity.
(The Hebrew word, translated into “breath”, is “ruach”… it means SPIRIT in Hebrew…
in fact, “ruach” is translated “Sprit” in English 2 verses later in Ecclesiastes 3:21)
(Where it says: “man has no advantage over animals”…
Surely, an immortal sprit that allows us to go to Heaven,
would be an “advantage” wouldn’t it?
Yet, it says man has NO advantage over animals!
3:20 All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust.
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Exodus:
11:5 and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die,
from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne,
even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind
the handmill, and all the firstborn of the animals.
12:5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year.
You may take it from the sheep or from the goats.
(The “lamb” is the symbol for JESUS)
12:7 And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two
doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it.
12:12 ‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night,
and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast;
and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.
12:13 Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are.
And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague
shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
(The blood of JESUS not only saved the firstborn
People but ALSO their firstborn ANIMALS too)
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Numbers:
20:8 “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together.
Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water;
thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock,
and give drink to the congregation and their animals.”
20:11 Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod;
and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.
(The ROCK is a symbol for JESUS and the ANIMALS also drink His saving water)
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Psalms:
36:6 Your righteousness is like the great mountains;
Your judgments are a great deep;
O LORD, You preserve man and beast.
(The word translated into “Preserve” in the English is “yâsha‛” in the Hebrew…
It means: deliver (-er), rescue, bring (having) salvation, save)
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NEW TESTAMENT
Acts:
10:11 and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound
at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth.
10:12 In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth,
wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air.
(Heaven opened up and their were ANIMALS there)
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Romans:
8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits
for the revealing of the sons of God.
8:20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly,
but because of Him who subjected it in hope;
8:21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage
of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
8:22 For we know that the whole creation groans
and labors with birth pangs together until now.
(Not only will we be delivered, but also the creation itself…
And that includes ANIMALS)
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Above are just a few of my favorite passages about Animals in the Bible and
why I personally believe that as Christians, saved by the Blood of Jesus, our Animals/Pets that we have here on Earth will one day be with us in Heaven.
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t verse is that “all flesh” shall see the salvation of God. Do these two words also include animals as well as the human race? If this verse is to be interpret
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What impact will the Rapture have on pets?
https://wisdomonwheels83.medium.com/what-impact-will-the-rapture-have-on-pets-dd585974e19c
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RAINBOW BRIDGE
The Rainbow Bridge (as beautifully encapsulated in a poem of the same name – see below) is a mythological place to which cats (and other pets) go upon their death, eventually to be reunited with their carers. This ‘rainbow bridge’ webpage is a gallery of remembrance where much loved pets that are sadly no longer with us can be celebrated. We guarantee that we will not delete any entries from this section of the branch website.
Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
“When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together…. “
Author unknown…
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Do Pets Go to Heaven?
A colleague sent me a note the other day, more of a joke than anything, about a business that promises to take care of your pet after the Rapture.
But it’s no joke. It’s a real for-profit enterprise.
The company, Eternal Earth Bound Pets, USA, was started by a consortium of atheists. From their website:
“Q: Is this a joke? A: No. This is a serious offer to our Christian friends who believe in the Second Coming and honestly care about the future of their pets after the Rapture occurs.”
They charge $110 per house and promise to place your animal with those left behind. They claim it’s “The next best thing to pet salvation in a Post Rapture World.”
But what if cats and dogs aren’t left behind…what if our pets go to Heaven?
It’s a question with no clear biblical answer, but I suspect a lot of people have their own opinion.
I’m not so sure; my wife, Jean, thinks they do. She isn’t alone.
A man once asked Dr. Billy Graham whether his dog would go to heaven. The great evangelist answered:
“God will prepare everything for our perfect happiness in heaven, and if it takes my dog being there, I believe he’ll be there.”
Hank Hanegraff, otherwise known as “The Bible Answerman”, considered the question through the prism of the Scriptures:
“First, the Garden of Eden was populated by animals, thus there is a precedent for believing that Eden restored will also be populated by animals. Furthermore, the Scriptures –from first to last– suggest that animals have souls. Both Moses in Genesis and John in Revelation communicate that the Creator endowed animals with souls (see Gen. 1:20, 24; Rev. 8:9) Throughout the history of the church, the classic understanding of living things has included the doctrine that animals, as well as humans, have souls.”
C.S. Lewis had an opinion, too.
“It seems to me possible,” he once wrote, “that certain animals may have immortality, not in themselves, but in the immortality of their masters.”
Popular author Randy Alcorn reflected on the topic in his owns writings on heaven. Mr. Alcorn believes that Romans 8:18-22 may speak to this topic when it says “all creation” suffers because of human sin and longs for deliverance that will come with our resurrection. It may well be that “all creation” includes animals. At the time when God’s people are raised from the dead, creation will experience what it longs for. It will be “set free from bondage to decay” (Rom 8:21).
He concludes that if animals on this Earth will experience life without suffering on the new Earth, it seems possible that some of those animals could well be our pets.
The book of Isaiah (11:6-9) offers a stirring image of what Heaven will be like, and it does suggest there will be animals, all living in beautiful and peaceful coexistence.
6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling[a] together; and a little child will lead them. 7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den, the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. 9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
Martin Luther, the great reformer of the Christian faith, seemed to think our dogs would be with us in heaven. “Be thou comforted, little dog,” he once said. “Thou too in Resurrection shall have a little golden tail.”
But what do you think?
Do dogs and cats go to heaven?
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When the Church is Raptured, Will Animals be Left Behind?
by Shari Abbott, Reasons for Hope* Jesus | May 30, 2020
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This is a great question. Unfortunately, the Bible does not give an explicit answer. But the Bible does give words from the Lord that can help us come to a well-reasoned answer. First, let’s look at what we know, for certain, to be true.
1) Jesus came to earth to die to pay for the sins of mankind.
Rom 5:12Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned;
2) The only way to go to Heaven is to be righteous/perfect.
Mat 5:48Be therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
3) The only way to be perfect is to be made righteous by Jesus.
Rom 5:18Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.
Rom 5:19For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.
4) Those who are made righteous by Jesus, through salvation (Read: How to Be Saved and Born Again?), are promised to be saved from the wrath that is to come.
1 Th 5:9-10For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
5) Those who belong to Jesus will be caught up (Read: What is the Rapture?) to be with Jesus before the Seventieth Week of Daniel, which is known as the Tribulation (Read: Why a Pre-Trib Rapture?).
1 Th 4:16-18For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
Our Question: When the Church is raptured, will animals be left behind?
Paul clearly taught that the Rapture will be the “catching up” of those who are “in Christ.” He referred, first, to the “dead in Christ” and then to “we which are alive” which included himself (“we”). The Rapture of the Church, will the “catching up” of members of the Body of Christ, and no others, because Jesus came to redeem mankind only. Those who put their faith and trust in Jesus’ finished work on the cross, and have been washed in His blood, and received His imputed righteousness, will be raptured. Animals can’t do that.
Jesus didn’t die to redeem animals. He died to redeem those who are created in God’s image; and only those who are “in Christ” will be raptured. Since animals are not “in Christ,” we can reasonably conclude that our precious pets will be left behind. This is not what we want to hear, but it is what God’s Word reveals.
So, what will happen to our pets? Who will take care of them? There is good reason to think that orphaned pets will be well cared for by the people who are left behind. Why? Because those left behind love animals. It’s God they don’t love.
Rom 1:25 Who [those who reject Jesus] exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature [including pets] rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
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Will Our Pets Be Raptured With Us?
“Based on my understanding of a Scriptural application of the Days of Noah, it’s likely that some or all the pets will be removed from the earth before the Tribulation just like some of the animals were removed before the flood.
But since God is perfect in everything, maybe it’s best to rest on the fact that we cannot even imagine how glorious the next life will be post-Rapture, with or without our pets.
This means that if you think having your pet Raptured with you would be great, it’s actually going to be better than that.
If you think it would be awesome to walk your dog every day on a stone path along a babbling brook in the sun-filtered woods, it’s better than that.
Heaven WILL BE better than anything you can imagine. Regardless of what you can dream up, it’s MORE glorious.
For me, I like to think heaven will be like the feeling I get when Auburn beats Alabama by scoring the winning touchdown with one second left to play. I can’t imagine how it could be better than that …but it will be! Go God!
More………………………
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What happens to our pets during the Rapture?
6/20/2015
I have several dogs which I totally love. They are my companions and they are truly gifts from God to me. Because of this special bond I was really struggling with the rapture.
Don’t get me wrong, I want to go to Heaven in the rapture no matter what but I was really, really concerned with the welfare of my pets once the rapture occurred.
I hated the thought that they would be left to fend for themselves and if no one found them, I just couldn’t bear the thought of what would happen to them.
I wrestled with this for many months and my family and friends thought I was nuts because even though they had pets, they didn’t have the same kind of bond with them.
I kept praying about them, asking Jesus to please show me what was going to happen to them, if He thought I could handle the truth.
I didn’t hear anything for the longest time and this was difficult for me because I thought Jesus figured I couldn’t handle what was going to happen and that’s why He wasn’t showing me anything.
I read books about pets being in Heaven and I was convinced that once they die, they would join me. This revelation was a long time coming because I didn’t believe that for a very long time but that’s a whole other story.
Anyway, I continued asking The Lord to show me because if I feel this way, I know there are other people who feel this way too. I promised to share the truth with others if He would show me. After praying this way I began hearing from Him.
I love the way He talks to me. Most of the time He will put ideas in my mind and then confirm them with different signs like leading me to a book or a video of someone who has the answers I’m looking for or someone saying something that He had just told me. He is pretty awesome how He gets through to me.
First He showed me how much He loves animals. He made animals before He made people. That should tell us something right there. He knows the special bond we can have with our pets. There are several scripture in the Bible telling people to take care of their animals and that God is aware of even a little sparrow or ants.
The next thing He reminded me was how much He loves me and that part of the rewards in Heaven will be having the things we love around us. He loves us beyond anything we can imagine.
One night I heard something about our pets going with us in the rapture. That was all that was said and it was not enough for me to be convinced but it was enough for me to start asking God about that. Could it be true? Really? Was it possible that our pets could go with us and not be left to suffer? This gave me some hope.
Not too long after that I came across a video from someone that God had used many times to confirm things He had shown me. This person did a whole video about how God had given her a vision of pets going with us in the rapture. As I listened, with some cynicism I must admit, she began saying things that God had shown me; first one thing, then another, then another until I was totally convinced that our beloved pets will go with us.
I am not the easiest person to convince, as my biggest concern is believing a lie, but this one is something I feel God gave me enough confirmation that I totally believe our pets will be raptured along with us.
I hope this will be confirmation to someone else and a little extra hug from Heaven for your heart.
http://www.jesusreallydoesloveyou.com/blog/what-happens-to-our-pets-during-the-rapture
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Pets and the rapture
Posted on March 27, 2011
I’m asked more often lately about what will happen to our pets when we’re raptured. Some ask about the animals we keep, being a farm community. This place abounds with cows, bulls, buffalo, mules, goats, chickens, pigs and more. An ancillary question is often asked about pets and/or animals in the New Earth. I find the question fascinating, and also encouraging. The question about pets during the rapture has two answers: the literal one and the abstract one
The literal answer would have to refer to the bible. The book of Genesis tells us that we are unique in God’s creation, being made in His image and likeness. Also, though we and the animals have the breath of life in us, we were made to have dominion over the animals. It is reasonable to assume that our futures will be different, being of different flesh and having had different roles on earth.
We read in Isaiah 11:6-9 that there will be animals walking the earth during the Millennial Kingdom.
“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.”
Those verses do not give us any indication one way or another specifically whether any of those animals will be our resurrected pets or whether they will be all newly created animals, or whether they will be animals completely different from any we could conceive of. After all, our normal picture of angels never prepared us for the passages in Ezekiel 10:10-12 with the cherubim of four faces and wheel within wheels. And a word of caution. Remember, a redeemed earth is not a resurrected earth.
After the thousand year reign of Christ on earth concludes and He makes a New Heaven and a New Earth (Rev 21, 22, 2 Peter 3:13, Isaiah 66:22) there is no indication that animals will be present with us. I take comfort in the Genesis flood accounts that He took care to provide for animals of the earth. He didn’t make new animals after the flood, and He didn’t give Noah only the animals he would eat and sacrifice, but He provided for all the kinds of animals. But the truth is, we simply don’t know.
We do know for a fact that we will feel all joy in the new heaven, and the former things will not be remembered nor come to mind. (Revelation 7:16-17). I take that to mean that if our pets are not accompanying us in the eternal state, not only the crushing guilt of our sin will no longer be remembered and not only also our lost family members and friends will not come to mind, but also we will not remember our pets. Everything necessary to our happiness will be in heaven, and that will mean they will either be present or their memory will be absent.
The abstract answer to the question as to what happens to our pets indicates a growing awareness of the real impacts of imminent rapture. Many Christians who ask me this have been Christians for a lifetime, or at least many years. We hear about the rapture and most of us know it as truth and adhere to it as a doctrine, but peeking into the nuts and bolts of the mechanics of it has largely been absent from our thoughts. This is because until now it has not been obvious that we might very well be the generation spoken of that will experience it. Though the rapture has been imminent for thousands of years, the conditions that immediately follow our departure haven’t been.
But those conditions are present now and growing more glaring by the minute. Christians are waking up to the fact that the rapture could indeed occur in our lifetime, or next year, or tomorrow. As we gaze around at our world and see the decline of the church and the war against truth, we start picturing what it will exactly look like- after.
I have an indoor cat. When I’m raptured, whether it occurs when I’m home or at work, it means they will starve. They will be thirsty and alone and lonely and confused. Maybe a tree will fall on the house in one of the terrible storms and disasters prophesied to come upon the earth, and maybe they will be injured or escape into the world, only to be eaten by a larger predator. I don’t know. But it will be bad. The future does not look good for them.
Nor does it look good for the chickens in the pens and the cows needing to be milked and the dogs tied to the pole or inside the car while the master is inside getting coffee. I try not to think about it. It is just one of the many tragedies that will occur during this time. After all, Jesus Himself said “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” (Matt. 24: 21-22). It will be a very bad time, for not only the people but for the animals who suffer under the same corrupted earth that we do. I simply try not to dwell on it.
I take encouragement from something Texas Baptist Pastor Don Fawcett said, “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope, that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.” Romans 8:20-21. It seems abundantly clear from this verse that 1) the entire creation was subjected to decay and corruption due to sin, 2) animals and pets are created beings, 3) animals and pets are subject to corruption as part of the fallen world, 4) Christ, in his atonement, undid the sin/death principle for all corrupted creation, 5) at the eschaton, all things that have been effected by sin and corruption unwillingly will be restored. So, my conclusion- animals or pets in heaven? Animals? No doubt. Personal pets? I don’t know but it is certainly within the scope of biblical theology.”
I would like to agree with this. It is certainly in the scope of possibility, too.
I know God is good. His thoughts are above our thoughts and His plans are always working together for the good and His glory. It comes down to trust. I trust His thoughts and I trust His ways. After all, He sent Jesus to us. He sent the Holy Spirit to us. He sent the bible to us. He knows whither a sparrow falls and He knows our emotions and needs. Maybe He will send Fluffy and Scrappy to us! Heaven is perfection, and so, it will be perfect. I trust that with all my soul.
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