I Need A Sincere Christian Response Please

[orangebox21]

My wife is a Christian, I am not. She would like to believe that animals go to heaven (pets etc.).
Where, in the bible, is this supported or refuted? I sincerely appreciate all responses from theists and atheists alike. Thanks

There is no specific scripture that says animals 'will be resurrected' or 'not resurrected' to point your wife to. Any conclusions are implicitly derived, not explicitly.

My thoughts are as follows. The scriptures do teach that those who share in the death of Christ on the cross will share in His resurrection (Romans 6:5). This begs the question: Do animals share in the death of Christ?

If animals do not sin, then they do not need an atonement, then they wouldn't participate with Christ's death on the cross, and therefore would not participate in His resurrection.

If animals do sin, then they would require an atonement, but since Christ took on human nature, not animal nature, there would be no worthy sacrifice on behalf of animals, therefore they would still be dead in their sins and would not participate in the resurrection.

The Bible is God's revelation for the salvation of human sinners.

Most theologians are going to say pets don't make it to heaven for precisely the reason Polaris gave. But if you'd like to give her hope there are two passages in Isaiah about a time of peace which might suggest animals will share the second coming.

These passages most likely refer to the millennial kingdom. It is true the kingdom will be established at the time of Christ's return. It is also important to note that the final judgment/resurrection/destruction of the old creation/creation of the new heavens and earth all take place at the end of the millennial kingdom. So the passages given refer to a time the current creation will still be in existence.

Revelation 19:14 says the armies of heaven come in riding horses. So I'd say yes.

Revelation 19:14 does say the armies of heaven come in riding horses. Does that necessitate that the horses the armies come riding on are resurrected horses?

Romans 8
20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

Creation itself is saved, and animals are part of creation.

How is the creation itself delivered from the bondage of corruption? Is it through resurrection, or through destruction and a new creation?

This kind of thing always bothered me. So you're saying there are no animals, or by extension plants, in heaven? as someone who has always lived in somewhat rural areas, surrounded by plants and animals, I find this totally undesirable. Not even talking about how bad it is to not see my pets, or my friend's pets. Just the idea that nothing will be there but Humans? No thanks.

If we assume there will be no resurrected animals in heaven, that doesn't necessitate there will be no animals in heaven, it only necessitates there will be no resurrected animals in heaven. The Bible explicitly states there will be a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21). If animals are a part of the new earth or not the text does not say.

Are bacteria in heaven?

Only spirochaetes. I think that's greek for spiritual.

Great. Now I'm wondering if my car will go to heaven. Thnx guys.

As long as it's not a speed demon.




@ShaMan
On a serious note. Why do you think this issue means so much to your wife?

Depending upon the people, some pet owners love and consequently mourn for their pets as they would a human family member. Believing pets go to heaven would comfort that grief.

[The Grand Nudger]

A bronze age idea of power?

Possibly more like "something you can't outrun". Not power, necessarily- inevitability.
(pestilence, war, famine, death)

[Polaris]

What are they symbols of?

A bronze age idea of power?

Didn't the Bronze Age end some 1300 years before the supposed penning of Revelation?

Horses in this case were usually associated with vast armies.

In Revelation, it was very much imagery focused like Jeremiah before it.


Revelation 9:17

"The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur."

[Wyrd of Gawd]

You're being unkind Min. Muslims aren't going to need the goats or sheep anymore. They'll be too busy violating underage girls, for one.
(I've always wondered...btw, do female muslims also get virgins in heaven?)

The few female muslims that don't end up in hell are the virgins in paradise.

When you think about it the numbers seem to be off. The literature claims that most people in hell will be women but there's a 72 to 1 ratio of women to men in paradise. The writer must have been suffering from sunstroke when he wrote it.

[The Grand Nudger]

The 72 virgins aren't actually women, per se. More like clever machines designed to satisfy every desire forbidden to the faithful in life (they fill the glass full of booze before they take it like a man).

[Polaris]

The 72 virgins aren't actually women, per se. More like clever machines designed to satisfy every desire forbidden to the faithful in life (they fill the glass full of booze before they take it like a man).

What's what I gathered as well because the Qur'an also mentions the rewards for women, which is just one man.

[The Grand Nudger]

Amusingly, early muslim scholars had a heated debate about whether or not the houris(houriii....? fucking arabic!) have anuses. This was (of course) very important-within context-.

The general theme is that heaven is filled with any sort of delight that earth might be (and some that earth doesn't have). Sexual satisfaction and gratification are among those things. Whether or not women get their sexdolls when they get to paradise - depends, mostly, upon how any given translator feels about what women may desire(there's a definite current in the surrounding literature about modesty being the "nature" of a woman-clearly no one's clued these guys in, but that's neither here nor there). Some insist that all things are equal in heaven - and so too, the sex available to the sexes. The houri are magical beings, they can be whatever is wished of them. Ostensibly, if a women wished for something from them - she'd get it (whatever "it" is).

[ShaMan]

@ShaMan
On a serious note. Why do you think this issue means so much to your wife?

She's a sweet lady with a child's heart, and it brings her comfort to believe that she'll one day see her pets again. I do not dissuade her fancy because it's harmless and it brings her comfort.

Honestly, I asked more so with the hope that her desire is bible-supported so that she could have a firmer trust in her hope. For me, I don't believe in heaven at all, so its a moot point.

I really appreciate all of the responses.

[orangebox21]

@ShaMan
On a serious note. Why do you think this issue means so much to your wife?

She's a sweet lady with a child's heart, and it brings her comfort to believe that she'll one day see her pets again. I do not dissuade her fancy because it's harmless and it brings her comfort.

Honestly, I asked more so with the hope that her desire is bible-supported so that she could have a firmer trust in her hope. For me, I don't believe in heaven at all, so its a moot point.

I really appreciate all of the responses.

Gotcha, thanks. In heaven there will be no death. So at least nothing living will be lost again once there. Maybe that's comforting to her.