Why I Believe Dogs go to Heaven

When dogs leave this earth they wake up in heaven. If you don’t believe that, you don’t know dogs. You don’t know animals in general, for that matter.

Some religious people I know scoff at the idea that dogs and other animals go to heaven. “They don’t have souls,” they’ll sputter atop their starched collars, half strangled by their conservatively striped neck ties. That is a profoundly unspiritual assertion and it’s not supported by Scripture.

One of the most interesting and curious passages in scripture that deals with animals is found in Numbers 22:22-33. The ancient Israelites camped in the plains of Moab on their way to the promised land. And, word of the great miracles that God had performed on their behalf had proceeded them. So, the people of that area—the Moabites—were afraid of being conquered by Israel. Their king, Balak, sent word to Balaam, a local prophet, hoping to elicit a curse from him on the Israelites.

“Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me: Come now therefore, I pray thee, and curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me…” (Numbers 22:5,6)

Balaam received the messengers from King Balak, heard their message, and prayed to God about what he should do. God respond unequivocally: “Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed.” (v.12) The servants of King Balak asked the prophet Balaam to come with them once. But, Balaam was given specific instructions by God to only go with them if they asked again. He disobeyed God’s specific command, took matters into his own hands, and began a fateful journey.

God’s wrath fell on Balaam due to his disobedience, and “the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary.” (v.22) The angel stood with a glittering sword in his hand, whetted and sharp, and Balaam in his spiritual blindness drew near to his doom.

But, Balaam was riding a faithful donkey, or as the King James puts it, an ass. The Bible doesn’t record how long this little animal served his master, but it does record that the beast had carried him on all of his previous travels without so much as a braying complaint. On this day, that donkey would save Balaam’s life.

The animal perceived something of the spiritual realm that Balaam couldn’t. She saw the angel standing in the way and turned aside three times. In his stupidity, Balaam abused the donkey, who stood between him and certain death.

At this point, the Bible records something miraculous, “And the LORD opened the mouth of the beast, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?” (v. 28) The word for “opened” in Hebrew means to “free, to loosen, to be let loose.” This wasn’t just a sock-puppet moment.

The donkey was granted the ability, temporarily, to articulate the content of her soul.

Moreover, God chose to use this lowly donkey to repudiate the arrogance and stupidity of Balaam. She reminded him that she’d been ever faithful—a trustworthy creature. And, when Balaam acknowledged this, God opened his eyes to the being of light and power that stood to slay him. Balaam fell “flat on his face” before the angel of death who rebuked him further, telling him that if it were not for the actions of the donkey, he’d have slain him and saved the animal — “unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive.” (v.33)

This remarkable account demonstrates the existence of a soul in animals. In fact, the early church understood that animals were endowed with souls. That is not to say that animals are on par with humans—we are made in God’s image, animals are not. People are tripartite creations, possessing a spirit, soul, and body. Just as God is a trinity — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But, many Christians have excused a certain callousness and even cruelty by forgetting our proper relationship to animals, the natural world, and their place in the order of things.

At all places, in all times, there are hierarchical structures. As much as postmodernists hate it, it’s still axiomatic. But, just because the animal kingdom occupies a lower realm in hierarchical terms, that doesn’t efface their God-given nature. It’s not wrong to hunt them for food. For that, the Bible grants specific permission. But, it is a sin to be cruel or to be wasteful. As an aside, hunters are the “greenest” people in our society, motivated by a strong self-interest in managing and preserving the animals they harvest.

Balaam’s story is just one of many reasons I believe dogs — and yes, other pets — go to heaven. In Randy Alcorn’s book Heaven, he defines a soul this way, “ [it] includes the mind, emotions, will, intentionality, and capacity to worship.”

How can an animal have the capacity to worship? I’m glad you asked. Revelation records the existence of four beasts (animals) that surround the throne of God in heaven who “rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.” (Revelation 4:8) And, every creature will worship Him. (Revelation 5:13).

Our beloved German Shepherd, Aspen, passed last week. But I know her soul is with the Creator. God is not the author of oblivion—there is no evidence for that in the Bible. He is good beyond our wildest imagining. The Savior was born surrounded by animals, and He will soon return in judgment riding a white horse. Then, all will be restored, including the animal kingdom. (Romans 8:18-23) Until then, I know Aspen is in a fair, green land chasing butterflies, smelling flowers, and wondering at bees. And, I will one day meet her there.