My pastor and another that I heard speak about it, said that animals do not have redeemable souls, and they are unable to accept Christ as their saviour, so as a result, there won't be animals there. I personally think that they will be there because before The Fall there were animals made perfect by God. I also wonder about people who are severely mentally disabled (not to say and mentally disabled person is akin to an animal in any way), if they are not able to comprehend the concept of salvation, you could easily say that they will not go to Heaven. But God says that all of His creations that are under the age of comprehension will be accepted into His kingdom without question. So to me, this sounds like those who cannot mentally comprehend the idea of salvation, and are therefore unable to accept Christ because of their lack of understanding, will be accepted into Heaven, and I feel like that includes animals. Animals are also His creation.
As for animals not having souls, they who would say such a thing, don't know what the soul is. I will simply say for now that animals do indeed have a soul.
I change my mind, I'm going to say a little more about animals having a soul.
Rev 16:3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and e
very living soul died in the sea.
The above verse is referring to fish having a soul.
Though you will get many interpretations concerning the soul, it is basically your consciousness. Look up the word soul and see how the soul goes through everything the body goes through when alive and it can die with the body, yet when the body is dead, the soul experiences what is happening to its spiritual body.
Your heart is what you use to understand with, which is not to be confused with the mind. They are distinct one from another.
Another thought to consider is the following.
I have told this story many times in the past, but not to you, so please listen.
I will make this true story short.
Years ago I was listening to a man who said he went to heaven, and while he was there, he said he saw many children. Then he said, "all those aborted babies are in heaven". Then I said
within myself, "that man is lying, for the word of God says that except a person be born again, he cannot go to heaven".
Is that really what the word of God says?
No, it doesn't.
Keep in mind, I never said that out loud but thought it only.
Immediately, I heard a man's voice screaming at me in great anger. After that He said, "My word says except a
MAN (and He stressed the word, man) be born again, he cannot see into the kingdom of God".
Then He said, "b
abies are not men".
What does this have to do with animals, you ask?
Rom 7:8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. F
or without the law sin was dead.
Rom 7:9
For I was alive without the law once:
but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.
Rom 7:10 And t
he commandment, which was ordained to life,
I found to be unto death.
Rom 7:11 For s
in, taking occasion
by the commandment, deceived me, and
by it slew me.
Like babies, animals don't live in sin, for they don't have the law nor do they have the capacity to understand God's law. They do however know some of the things you like and dislike by your response to them.
All I was getting at, is that animals don't need a savior to save them from their sins because they don't commit sin, just like babies don't sin. And if God doesn't hold our children accountable for their foolish actions, neither would He hold an animal accountable for doing things they don't understand.
