Many people who have a deep love for animals, especially a favored pet like a dog or cat, have often wondered if dogs will be in Heaven. There are even ancient burial customs that still exist today, in which some people will have their pets placed with them in the casket to ensure that they will be together as companions after death.
Some people have clung to Psalm 36:6 in the Bible which says, “You, Lord, preserve both people and animals,” as proof that their fury friends will be with them on the other side in Paradise. Does this passage of Scripture in Psalm 36 say that animals like dogs go to Heaven?
So, What is the meaning of Psalms 36:6? Does Psalm 36 6 mean that dogs go to heaven? Where in Psalms does it say dogs go to heaven? Finally, what does the bible say about dogs going to heaven? Well, Let us see..
Firstly, Dog Heaven would be Cat Hell..
There is a joke that says, “Dog heaven would be cat hell.” While that would certainly be true here on earth, the Bible seems to indicate that the animal kingdom will one day be restored to its pre-fall Garden of Eden like existence when all of the creatures of the world will once again coexist in peace.
The prophet Isaiah predicted in Isaiah 11:6-7 that during the thousand-year reign of Christ on earth (the Millennial Reign) that, “The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.” Thus, at least during this thousand year utopia on earth it appears that there will exist animals like we know today, including our dogs.
Yet, what about those animals that have already died? As the 1989 animated film suggests, do “All Dogs Go to Heaven” when they die because they are inherently good and loyal? Well, let’s consider what the Psalms 36:6 and the Bible has to say about dogs and other pets going to Heaven.
Psalm 36:6 – ‘Dogs go to Heaven’ Bible Verse
Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.
Psalm 36:6, NIV
Does Psalm 36:6 actually say that Dogs go to Heaven?
First, Psalm 36:6 does not explicitly claim that dogs go to Heaven. Instead, the greater context of this passage describes the sinful heart of mankind and the gracious kindness of God in spite of our wickedness.
Psalm 36:4 states, “Even on their beds they plot evil; they commit themselves to a sinful course and do not reject what is wrong.” Yet, in the very next verse we read how that God’s love extends to the heavens, and His faithfulness reaches to the skies. This is a descriptive way of expressing the vastness or limitlessness of God’s love and mercy upon the world.
Thus, in Psalm 36:6 we read that out of His great compassion, God sustains the lives of both people and animals on the earth. One translation of this verse says, “You care for people and animals alike, O Lord,” (Psalm 36:6, NLT). So, this passage of Scripture does not claim that dogs or any other animal will be in Heaven.
However, that does not mean that they will not be there.
Where in the Bible does it say Dogs go to Heaven?
According to the Book of Genesis, God originally designed all the animal kingdom (including dogs) to be intimately connected with mankind. For example, Adam named all the various kinds of animals, so this shows a level of approachability that he would have had with each kind of creature, (see Genesis 2:19-20).
God even says in Genesis 1:26 that He has given man authority over the animal kingdom. Also, the episode recorded in Genesis 3 in which Eve has a conversation with the serpent shows that on some level humans and animals were able to communicate with each other as this encounter did not seem to be unusual to Eve, but rather normal.
However, we know that the entrance of sin disrupted this original and perfect plan of God in which mankind and animals lived in harmony with each other. According to Romans 8:19-23, all of creation has been waiting for God to restore the peaceful relationship that once existed between all the creatures of the world.
There is a great depiction of the restoration of this harmonious relationship in Isaiah 11 and repeated in Isaiah 65 when predators and prey will coexist. Isaiah 65:11 says, “See, I will create new heavens and a new earth…” and then in verse 25 we read, “The wolf and the lamb will feed together.”
There is some debate concerning if these prophecies in Isaiah are restricted to the 1,000 millennial reign on earth or if it is talking about eternally in Heaven. For instance, when the Bible uses the phrase “heavens” plural, it is usually referring to the skies or atmosphere around the earth and the universe rather than the eternal paradise we refer to as Heaven.
In either case, we see the existence of the animal kingdom (which includes dogs as well) in God’s plan for the future. If God purposely created the animals to exist in Eden, then it stands to reason that animals and dogs will also be in Heaven.
Finally, Do our Pet Dogs go to heaven according to Psalm 36:6? The Genesis 2:7 Has the Answer
The question “Do dogs go to Heaven?” is also a theological one which requires some deeper consideration. Generally, when someone asks this question, they are not wondering if dogs will be in Heaven, but rather, they want to know if “their” pet dog will be in Heaven. Like the movie mentioned earlier, do all dogs go to Heaven when they die? That is a different question, and we must return to Genesis for the answer.
Genesis 2:7 says – 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. (KJV) This verse describes a unique aspect to the creation of humans that is different from all the other creatures in the animal kingdom.
God gave us a soul, and that soul has the potential to exist into eternity beyond death. None of the other animals like dogs have that capability. According to Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15:50 “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.” Only humans who also have a soul can enter Heaven. Therefore, it is unlikely that our pet dogs will join us in Heaven unless God graciously allows it to be.
While this truth may initially be troubling or disheartening to us, Paul also says, “no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human mind has conceived the things God has prepared for those who love him,” (1 Corinthians 2:9). This passage indicates that there may be even greater animals than dogs in Heaven that we will love as eternal pets.
If God created so many amazingly wonderful animals in Eden, then we can anticipate even greater creatures in Heaven. Since we are also told that there will be no sorrow or tears in Heaven, we will not feel remorse if our earthly pets like dogs are not with us in Heaven.
However, if God loves us as much as Psalm 36:6 claims, then who is to say that He may not graciously reunite us with the dogs that we have loved here on earth.
Dr. Richard Sams is a top Biblical and Religious educator, who holds a Doctor of Ministry degree (Evangelism and Church Growth emphasis) from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville. He has two masters’ degrees (Master of Divinity and Master of the Arts of Religion) from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary in Lynchburg and also serves on the Pastoral Leadership Advisory Board of Liberty University. Moreover, Richard Sams has been serving as a pastor (Pastoral Ministry) at Calhoun Baptist Church in Calhoun, KY, from the past Nineteen years. He loves practically imparting biblical truths to the next generation, while occasionally conduct spiritual challenges on his facebook page facebook.com/MakeItCountChallenge