Question:
Where in the Bible proves that animals do not go to heaven when they die? I have been taught that they do not, based on Genesis 2:7, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
Answer:
As far as I know, there are no clear and definite Scriptures which prove dogmatically that animals do not go to heaven when they die. (Psalm 49:20 says that when animals die they no longer exist: “A man who is in honor, yet does not understand, is like the beasts that perish.”—Ed.)
(1) There cannot be found one passage of Scripture which would indicate that animals go to heaven after death. In Ecclesiastes 3:19, 20 we read of how their bodies, along with the bodies of men, are “of the dust,” and that they “all turn to dust again.” But we will look in vain for one Scripture which would indicate that the soul of an animal (animals do have souls–see Genesis 1:24, 25 JND version) lives on after death. And when Scripture speaks of the resurrection of bodies from the dust, we hear nothing about the bodies of animals being raised. Now surely if God had destined that animals would be in heaven, one would think He would have spoken of it somewhere in His Word.
(2) Scripture has much to say about those who are to occupy heaven. We have not the time, nor the space, to cover this, but suffice it to say that MAN, not ANIMALS, is the object of God’s purposes regarding heaven. It is obvious from the creation account in Genesis chapter one that Man is the crown of God’s creation. It was given to Adam to be the Head of all creation, thus all things, including the beasts of the earth, were put under his dominion (Genesis 1:26).
His creation was unique, as is evidenced by the Scripture you refer to in your question (Genesis 2:7). This Scripture, along with the verses which tell us that “God created man in His own image,” teach us that man has a link with God that animals do not have. And then we have Scripture revealing to us that God formed something special in man which He did not form in animals, namely, a “spirit” (see Zechariah 12:1). We know that “God is a Spirit” (John 4:24), and it goes on to say in that verse that “they that worship Him must worship Him in SPIRIT and in truth.” In other words, one must possess a “spirit” in order to render intelligent worship to God.
It cannot be proven from Scripture that animals have a spirit, thus they cannot worship Him. The many passages in Scripture which speak of men in heaven, also teach us that man’s chief occupation in heaven will be the worship of God (see Revelation 5:6-14; 19:1-7). Other points could be made on this subject, but perhaps enough has been said to show us that God did not create animals with a view to living in heaven with Him. They have not the capacity to know God (being void of a spirit), and thus they cannot worship Him, which, as we have seen, will be the primary activity of redeemed sinners in heaven.