A New Beginning
By Niki Behrikis Shanahan
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Matthew 5:4
The first time we experience the heartbreak of losing our beloved animal companion we wonder what happens to them, and if we will ever see them again. Many of us instinctively know that God brings them to Heaven to await our arrival, but many people struggle with this. When I lost my first baby, Pete, I just knew he was in Heaven with the Lord waiting for me, but I needed to do the research and see what God had to say about it. The fact of the matter is that we don’t have to struggle or wonder, because we have the Bible to give us all the answers to these questions. While it’s always comforting to hear someone say they believe animals go to Heaven and very comforting to hear a minister say this, we still need to see the truth in the Word of God and verify for a definitive answer to the question. You see, the comfort you receive from one person saying they go to Heaven is easily crushed by the discomfort of another person with an opposing view.
A careful study of the Bible will provide the answer to this question and like every subject in the Word of God it is not all in one place in the Bible. You look for a constant theme and thread of this truth throughout the Bible. Frankly, how would we know if we were going to Heaven without reading the Bible for ourselves? Is this a matter that is so unimportant that we are going to just take somebody’s word for it even if they are a minister from a church? No, of course not. That’s why we all have a Bible in our homes, read it regularly, and study these things and so many other things pertaining to life.
If you need assistance with this and you don’t read any other book I wrote, I would encourage you to read There Is Eternal Life For Animals because this is the book where I lay out all the Scriptures on this subject. Then take out your own Bible and look up the verses for yourself. Once you see them in the Bible you will feel confident that your beloved animal companion is in Heaven or will be going to Heaven when they leave you.
Some people say, well animals don’t have souls or spirits, but we know this is just not true, and the Bible clearly states that they do have souls and spirits. Many of the same verses that pertain to us also include the animals such as 1 Corinthians 15:22 says For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. How do we know that this includes the animals? Well, nobody died — person or animals — at the beginning in the Garden of Eden until Adam and Eve sinned. Then they eventually died and so did the animals. So this verse tells us that in Adam or because of Adam’s sin all creatures died, and in Christ or because of Christ’s sacrifice all creatures shall be made alive. Jesus Christ reversed the curse for all.
This is an excerpt taken from There Is Eternal Life For Animals.
Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; Thy judgments are a great deep: O Lord, Thou preservest man and beast.
Psalm 36:6
The original Hebrew word translated as “Thou preservest” is “yasha`” meaning “to be liberated, be saved, be delivered, to save from moral troubles, to give victory to.” The original Hebrew word translated as “and beast” is “b@hemah,” which means “beast, animal, cattle, livestock (of domestic animals), wild beasts.” It is obvious that this verse, written by King David, has a future meaning pertaining to the second coming of Jesus Christ, as we, the believers, the animals, and the rest of creation are not currently enjoying liberation from moral troubles.
Summary of Psalm 36:6: The Lord will save from moral troubles, liberate, and deliver man and animals! To me this verse is one of the most powerful and revealing affirmations regarding the fate of man and animals.
The above is an example of the Scriptures and explanations that I go through in the book, and there is too much detail to cover it in an article. But I go through the verses that say animals have souls and spirits and the restoration of animals/eternal life, some misinterpretations and much more.
One of the strongest chapters in the Bible on the subject is in Romans chapter 8. If you look up the Living Bible version I think it is the clearest translation. No, death is not the end of life for any of us whether people or animals, but rather it is the beginning of a new and better life for all of us. It’s our new beginning that lasts for an eternity!
… I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.
Jeremiah 31:13
Copyright 2018 Niki Behrikis Shanahan All rights reserved. Not to be used without author’s explicit written authorization. To reprint this article, please contact the author at eternalanimals@comcast.net.