What happens to animals after death?

I recently lost my pet rottweiler and my wife lost her pet cockatiel. When one suffers such a loss it is a natural question to wonder..."what happens to them?" Most of us have some sort of belief as to what happens to us when we die, but what happens to the little critters?


I asked some Christians about this and was told animals have no soul and don't get to enjoy eternal life (be-it on earth or in heaven).

This to me seems quite problematic. For instance, if God created Eden and all was good. Then at what point did death come to the animals? If death came to the animals after the fall from grace then originally, Gods plan was for animals not to experience death. On the other hand, if animals were not meant to live forever then it is God who actually created and implemented death. You see, if God (who has power to create the physical laws and orders any way He sees fit) made animals in a way that they ultimately die...then God created death. I fully understand our current natural cycles and I see the current need for animals to eat other animals (food chain) etc...But this is no excuse to allow death. If God has the power to make the universe anyway He wanted...why make it so the natural biological cycles depend on the death of creatures?


Other interesting thoughts about animals and the Bible (and other Jewish writings) view of their spiritual state:

In Job 12:7-10 Job states that all animals are aware of who was their creator. It is also plainly stated that all animals also have souls and that their souls are in God’s care.

“Even birds and animals have much they could teach you; ask the creatures of the earth and sea for their wisdom. ALL OF THEM KNOW THAT YAHWEH’S HAND MADE THEM. In His hand are the SOULS of all His creatures and the breath of all humanity.”


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Revelation 5:13 we are plainly told that all creatures of the universe actually are capable of praising God with a rational mind:

“Then I heard every creature that is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and in the sea offer praise. Together, all of them were saying, Praise, honour, glory, and strength for ever and ever to the one who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.”


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In Isaiah 43:20 we read:

“Even the wild animals will honour Me.”


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Genesis 9:5 also alludes to the fact that animals will also be held responsible for their evil deeds:

“And for your lifeblood I will demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting FROM EVERY ANIMAL and from each man too.”


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In Ecclesiastes 3:18-20 we read:

“I said in my heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that THEY THEMSELVES ARE BEASTS. For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, THEY HAVE ALL ONE BREATH; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the SPIRIT OF THE BEAST that goeth downward to the earth?”


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Jubilees 3:28 we read:

“On that day the mouth of all the beasts and cattle and birds and whatever walked or moved was stopped from SPEAKING because all of them USED TO SPEAK with one another with one speech and language.”


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Gen 3:17: Cursed is the GROUND [Earth] because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.


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Numbers 22:28-30

28 And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?
29 And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.
30 And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay.

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Enoch 58:7 we read:

“And as every soul of man is according to number, similarly beasts will not perish, nor all SOULS OF BEASTS which the Lord created, till the great judgement, and they will accuse man, if he feed them ill.”

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The very word "animal" is from the Latin word animalis, meaning "living" or anima, meaning "soul."


An interesting Final note:

Koko the gorilla. She speaks in sign language, and has an extensive vocabulary. Koko has invented words for objects that she did not know the sign for, evidence that she is actually using language, not just mimicry or conditioned response. For example, Koko once called a "ring", a "finger-bracelet", because she had never seen a ring before. Similarly, a stale biscuit was signed "cookie-rock"!

Koko has much meaningful dialog with researchers, about "good" and "bad", and obviously interprets this in light of obedience of her human keepers. She also has an awareness of the finality of death, as evidenced by conversations with her about her pet kitten, when it died. (Yes, Koko, an animal, kept a PET)