Last night was a sad night for my brother's family. They decided to euthanize their 16 year old dog "Princess." It was a very difficult decision for them to make, but her quality of life was declining quickly. She had gone deaf and was almost completely blind. You could tell that her bones ached when she moved, she would walk into walls and she just recently began showing signs of senility; she would literally get lost coming in from the garage. Here are some pictures of them saying good-bye.
It's interesting how death can spark thoughts of something more. Princess' passing opened up conversations about Heaven. More specifically what does the Bible say about animals going to Heaven, even what does the Bible say about people going to Heaven. From my understanding, the Bible is silent on whether or not animals go to Heaven, but there are Scriptures (to name a few) that talk about creation waiting to be redeemed (Romans 8:21), that describe the new heaven and earth where "The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent's food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain," says the LORD (Isaiah 65:25 NIV), and that describe Heaven as a place filled with creatures that praise Jesus, the Lamb of God (Revelation 5:13).
So though there is some conjecture about this, I would say that it's ok to say that all animals do go to Heaven. Let me explain, I don't believe animals have the capacity to willfully sin as people do. Sure, God frustrated creation by His will (Romans 8:20) and so all creation is fallen, but I'm not so sure that animals have the capacity for premeditated sin. They act more out of instinct than conscious thought. So, if one animal goes to Heaven (in which the Bible is clear that there are animals there), I would have to conclude in God's justice and fairness that all animals go to Heaven. But, regardless of my own thoughts and musings about this, at the end of the day, I put my trust in the Word of God and in His goodness and mercy when it comes to all things pertaining to salvation, redemption, healing and life.
So though there is some conjecture about this, I would say that it's ok to say that all animals do go to Heaven. Let me explain, I don't believe animals have the capacity to willfully sin as people do. Sure, God frustrated creation by His will (Romans 8:20) and so all creation is fallen, but I'm not so sure that animals have the capacity for premeditated sin. They act more out of instinct than conscious thought. So, if one animal goes to Heaven (in which the Bible is clear that there are animals there), I would have to conclude in God's justice and fairness that all animals go to Heaven. But, regardless of my own thoughts and musings about this, at the end of the day, I put my trust in the Word of God and in His goodness and mercy when it comes to all things pertaining to salvation, redemption, healing and life.
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| Princess you will be missed!!! (1994-2010) |
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