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All Dogs Go to Heaven... Right?

Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by MovieProducer, Dec 14, 2009.

  1. Andy T.

    Andy T. Active Member

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    That's the position I take on the issue, as well.
     
  2. webdog

    webdog Active Member
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    Where does Scripture say only humans will be resurrected? The earth as a whole will be resurrected.
    What I mean is if does not violate God's nature..why not? He knows we love our animals, and He designed us that way. There is nothing in Scripture that states one way or the other whether we will see our pets again...but if we did, wouldn't that only reflect God's love for us?
     
  3. Amy.G

    Amy.G New Member

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    The only dog that I can say with certainty that is going to heaven is.............webdog. :wavey:
     
  4. FR7 Baptist

    FR7 Baptist Active Member

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    I agree that it is within God's power to resurrect animals; I don't see in Scripture that He will. In Scripture, I see that animals are only material in nature, while man is both material and immaterial in nature.
     
  5. Johnv

    Johnv New Member

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    Yep, that's my point exactly. Scripture implies that the spiritual nature is endowed upon humans only.
     
  6. Allan

    Allan Active Member

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  7. Aaron

    Aaron Member
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    What a small, small view of Redemption!

    We're told that eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
     
    #47 Aaron, Dec 17, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 17, 2009
  8. righteousdude2

    righteousdude2 Well-Known Member
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    If You Knew My Dog, You'd....

    change your opinion of that view. I tell people all the time that if you want to believe your pet isn't going to heaven, than I'll claim it's loyalty and love when I get there and am joined back up with my little furry friends. God has a place in heaven for our pets, of that I'm sure.
     
  9. righteousdude2

    righteousdude2 Well-Known Member
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    You have a point...

    I certainly hope the "dog" gets there, because I want to meet him face-to-face...:laugh:
     
  10. exscentric

    exscentric Well-Known Member
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    If dogs, then cats. If cats, then horses, then cows, then monkeys, well then zebras and camels and T-Rexs and all others in God's creation, why would it only be pets? :laugh:

    And if animals, the creatures of the sea and of the air including misquotes etc. Why not yall come.:wavey: Rats, mice, coons and ants. Why not!
     
  11. Marcia

    Marcia Active Member

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    I do think there will be a variety of animals in the new heaven-new earth. But since it will be perfect, there will be nothing annoying there, like mosquitos or rats. Or if they are there, they will be different. Iow, we won't be bothered by the creatures that bother us now.

    I also think maybe pets are in a special category since they have a special relationship to humans.
     
  12. Hawkins

    Hawkins New Member

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    Isaiah 65:25
    The wolf and the lamb will feed together,
    and the lion will eat straw like the ox,
    but dust will be the serpent's food.

    I think that animals may not have souls to exist after death. Yet it may be possible that they can be re-made.

    I also think that perhaps whatever inside Noah's Ark may exist in New Heaven and New Earth. But their digestion system may have been changed. They eat straw instead of meat. We can't be sure about heavenly things at this moment thou.
     
  13. Martin

    Martin Active Member

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    ==I'm not a "Hebrew" scholar, however I believe verses like Genesis 1:20, 24, 30, etc, hints at that.




    ==I think if you take that time to examine the argument(s) put forward by someone like Wesley you would find that it is not a "supposition" at all. It is based on a "literal" understanding of Romans 8:20-22.



    ==I don't believe that God will resurrect "old dead animals like...man". I don't believe in a "resurrection of the dead" for animals. I am refering to a regeneration of all things.



    ==So you are saying that the current creation, which now groans in anticipation of its freedom, will never see that freedom? Paul speaks of the creation longing to be freed from corruption. Animals with spirits will, I believe, be part of that restoration. I could be wrong, but I don't think so...;)



    ==I see no example in Scripture of annihilation of conscious life. That is why I hold that position. In Scripture death is separation (from the body, from God, etc). It is not the end of existence. And, btw, the Bible never says that only humans have spirits that live on after death. I've seen/heard some Christians argue that it does. But it does not. That is just one of those things that gets read "into" Scripture.



    ==I don't understand what you are trying to say there. However I would only add that this is not a Reformed v. non-Reformed issue. This in no way impacts anything. This is simply a statement on the condition of current animals in the future new heavens/earth.



    ==As I have said, I don't believe in a "resurrection of our pets". That is going too far. I'm simply talking about animals being part of the regeneration of all things. Also, I never said there was a single Scripture that "'indirectly' answers the question". I said that "Scripture does not directly answer this question. So there is a sense in which we will just have to wait and see". There is no statement of Scripture on this issue. So all any of us can do, in reality, is draw the best conclusions we can or remain silent.

    ==To be honest, I could point to Scriptures that say the exact same thing about man (ex: Ps 146:4). The spirit is taken and they go to the dust. The text I suspect you are referring to (Ecc. 3:19-21) does not say that animals do not exist beyond death (life after death). The text says that both animals and man die (vs 19) and both return to the earth (vs 20). Verse 21 is a question, not an answer. The text is talking about death from a human point of view. It does not answer the question of life after death.

    Back to verse 11, where it says that "He (God) has also set eternity in their heart". Only man thinks about eternity. Animals do not think about life after death. Dogs don't dwell on yesterday or tomorrow. They live in the present. God has not placed eternity in their hearts. However that does not mean that they do not have life beyond death in some form.
     
    #53 Martin, Dec 17, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 17, 2009
  14. Martin

    Martin Active Member

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    ==I am talking about conscious life. Not plants and trees (etc).

    ==I don't know about that. I would like to think that my dogs would know me, but they may not. It could be (speculation alert) that in the new earth they would be and do what they were originally suppose to be and do. Again, since Scripture does not give a clear answer on this topic all we can do is speculate or stay silent.

    ==Well you could say that about earth if Adam had not sinned and after the resurrection of the dead. I'm sure God is more than able to deal with any "space" problems that might arise (regardless of animals).


    ==Since there is no marriage in heaven (Matt 22:30) clearly husband/wifes will not have the same relationship.

    ==Again, Scripture does not provide such tangable proof. I wish it did tell us their fate, one way or the other, but it does not. All we can do, you and I, is come to our own conclusions. Only eternity will tell who is right and who is wrong. Either way though, I suspect we will be more than happy with the outcome.
     
  15. Magnetic Poles

    Magnetic Poles New Member

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    Anyplace without animals would not be heaven.
     
  16. webdog

    webdog Active Member
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    Where did I ever say or allude to the fact this was the ONLY redemption?
     
  17. webdog

    webdog Active Member
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    Were they all part of God's perfect creation or not? Was extinction part of God's plan...or was that brought on by sin? I believe there will be dinosaurs on the New Earth...and every form of life that died off due to sin. Right now the earth is mainly water, but I believe in God's original creation that was not the case (the current earth is post flood)...and there will be mostly land, able to hold many more animals and humans.
     
  18. Johnv

    Johnv New Member

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    Whether animals will be a part of a new earth isn't what's in question. The question is whether the souls of our animals go to heaven when they die. There's no scriptural support for that (in fact, scripture endows only humans with a living soul), so one must conclude that the answer is "no".
     
  19. David Michael Harris

    David Michael Harris Active Member

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    Amen.

    Also all things will be new. Let's not get too hung up on this.

    I also believe that Isaiah says ( 65:17 ) the former things will not be remembered or come to mind.
     
  20. Johnv

    Johnv New Member

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    Those are probably the wisest words spoken in this thread.
     
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