God has indeed given us wonderful friends — our pets. Sometimes their behavior is almost human, and they sometimes seem more kind and caring than people. Often times they can be so loving and forgiving that they are good examples and reminders of how we should be. Indeed, God intended that we should learn lessons from the creatures that He created. He cares about them and watches over them all, and He notes how we take care of them as well.

There is no question that animals will be in heaven. We encourage you to read Isaiah 11:6–9 to see a beautiful picture of what heaven will be like. You’ll see that in paradise, every animal could potentially be a pet because none of them will be “wild” and they will not be afraid of people. They’ll even be vegetarians! God does everything perfectly, so in paradise, we will find complete love and happiness, which will include loving companionship with the animals.

But what about our pets from this life? Will they be with us in the new earth? Some argue that such a scenario would be impossible, because the sacrifice of Jesus was to redeem humans, not animals. And it is true that there aren’t any Scriptures that state animals will be resurrected with new bodies. Moreover, our specific pets, might not be in heaven. Just as many people who reject Jesus’ power in their lives, it might not be safe to introduce them in heaven.

However, this might not rule out the possibility. God will bless His people with eternal life as a gift of His grace when Jesus comes again (2 Timothy 1:10). So if the all-powerful God of the universe wants to surprise us with the gift of resurrected kittens, puppies, horses, fish, rabbits, birds, turtles, or whatever other critters we love on this earth — He is certainly able to do so!

Remember, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9 NJKV). Whatever the answer on this one, no one will be disappointed in heaven. We’ll just have to make sure we are there, then wait and see!