Genesis 1:30 – And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein [there is] life, [I have given] every green herb for meat: and it was so.
Job 12:10 – In whose hand [is] the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.
Animals were created by God and they have a body, anyone can see that, BUT do they have a soul and spirit. No where in scripture does it say they have a spirit. What about a soul? There is something that exists within their body that gives it life. All animals have an awareness of man (Genesis 9:2), a consciousness (fear, dread) of man. For example, dogs are considered man’s best friend because it seems as though this type of animal knows what his human master is thinking. Dogs, like any animal, have a certain consciousness to man and that is why we have a particular heart for them. Most animals can be trained and obey commands. However, despite their consciousness, they do not have spirits. For this reason, when they die, they do not enter into an afterlife. In other words, they will not go into heaven with us.
The reason for this is because they were not created in the image and likeness of God. They do not have body, soul, and spirit — and for this reason, they do not go to heaven or hell like us. The Lord God created animals for the betterment of man. After the flood, animals became food for man (Genesis 9:3).
Was Adam and Eve able to communicate with animals while in the Garden?
It’s interesting that Eve had a conversation with an animal and did not seem concerned about it. Genesis 3.
It seems apparent that animals communicate with each other. How about Balaam when his ass spoke to him! Numbers 22:21-31
But are there Animals in Heaven? Horses are mentioned twice.
The bible says very little about the spiritual nature of animals, much less where they go when they die. There are a few scriptures from which we can glean information, but none that clearly tell us about the spiritual afterlife of animals.
⇛ return to Death