Behind The Mike Podcast
What do faith, hope, and real-life struggles have in common? They all meet Behind the Mike.
Hosted by Mike Stone, the Behind the Mike Podcast is a faith-based show that goes deeper than surface-level conversations. Each episode features heartfelt storytelling, biblical truth, and interviews with guests who share powerful journeys of pain, redemption, and God’s amazing grace.
From questions we’ve all wrestled with — Do pets go to heaven? Why does God allow suffering? How can I know His will for my life? — to inspiring testimonies of people who found hope in Christ against all odds, this podcast is designed to encourage your faith and point you back to Jesus.
Whether you’re grieving a loss, searching for answers, or simply looking for encouragement in your walk with Christ, you’ll find honest conversation and timeless truth here.
👉 Subscribe today and discover hope, one story at a time.
Send your questions or topics to Mike@BehindTheMike.net
The podcast is also available on YouTube at
https://youtube.com/@behindthemikepodcast
Behind The Mike Podcast
Do Pets Go to Heaven? What the Bible Really Says 🐾
Have you ever wondered if your dog, cat, or beloved pet will be in heaven?
🐶🐱
In this heartfelt episode of Behind the Mike Podcast, Mike Stone dives deep into one of the most emotional questions we face after losing a pet: Do pets go to heaven?
Together, we’ll explore:
✅ What the Bible actually says (and doesn’t say) about animals in eternity
✅ Scriptures that reveal God’s love and care for creation
✅ Insights from Christian thinkers like C.S. Lewis and Randy Alcorn
✅ Why grieving the loss of a pet is valid — and how God meets us in that grief
✅ The hope we can hold onto about God’s eternal plan
If you’ve lost a pet or know someone who has, this episode offers biblical reflection, encouragement, and hope. Nothing truly good is lost in Christ — and that includes the furry friends who brought us so much joy.
👉 Don’t forget to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and SHARE this episode with someone who needs comfort today.
📌 More from Behind the Mike Podcast:
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💬 What do YOU think? Will our pets be in heaven? Comment below — I’d love to hear your thoughts.
#PetsInHeaven #ChristianPodcast #BehindTheMikePodcast #PetLoss #FaithAndHope #BibleAnswers #ChristianEncouragement #GriefSupport #animalsinheaven
⏱️ YouTube Chapters for Do Pets Go to Heaven?
00:00 – Introduction: Do pets go to heaven?
00:29 – Remembering Rocky & Lucy 🐾
02:01 – Wrestling with grief and searching Scripture
02:32 – What the Bible says about animals in creation
03:27 – God’s care for animals in Scripture
04:05 – Do animals have souls? (Ecclesiastes 3)
04:42 – Prophetic hints: Isaiah’s vision of peaceable animals
05:13 – Romans 8 & Revelation: Creation’s redemption
05:59 – Early church perspectives on pets & eternity
06:39 – C.S. Lewis on pets sharing in human redemption
07:08 – Modern voices: Randy Alcorn on Heaven & animals
07:43 – Humanity’s uniqueness vs. God’s bigger redemption plan
08:02 – Grieving pets: Why it’s not “just a dog”
08:33 – God notices your tears (Matthew 10:29)
09:06 – Hope in God’s eternal goodness
09:35 – Nothing truly good is lost in Christ
10:15 – Why we love pets: reflections of God’s character
10:49 – What kind of God do we believe in?
11:26 – Our ultimate hope: God’s promise to make all things new
11:42 – Final encouragement & closing
Hey my friends, welcome to Behind the Mike Podcast, I'm Mike Stone. Today's episode might tug at your heart a little bit, because we're talking about something that almost all of us have wondered at some point, do pets go to heaven? I'll be honest with you, this isn't a theological question. It's more of an emotional question. If you've ever had to say goodbye to a dog, a cat, or even a hamster that your kids loved, you know the heartache that it leaves behind. So I think about most recently, two Dobermans that we had. Dobermans tend to have this bad rap for being, junkyard dogs and an evil angry terrier face off kind of dogs, but they're not that way. In fact, our dogs, to my surprise, were big babies. They love to cuddle. They wanted attention all the time. So two years ago, we lost our biggest, oldest Doberman, Rocky. Rocky was, he was kind of the, stubborn dog who got what he wanted, or he was going to pout. He was not a good dog, but we loved him more than life itself. A couple of years later, we got Lucy, who was another rescue Doberman, and the two of them, they were the center of the family. And, two years ago, we had to put Rocky down. He was suffering from a lot of stuff. And then almost a year to the day later, Lucy had, a heart condition and, you know, after we lost her, I really felt like. God. Do. Do these dogs go to heaven? And over the years, I've always said, no, they don't have souls. They're just animals. But after losing both of our dogs, I began to search and really wanted to know what the answer really was. So today I want to wrestle with this. Honestly. I want to I want to search for what the scriptures say. What doesn't it say? And what kind of hope can we have when it comes to seeing our pets again? Let's start off by looking at what the Bible says now. First, let's acknowledge this. The Bible doesn't have a verse that says, yes, Fluffy. The cat will be waiting at heaven's gates when you arrive. But what it does give us are some important truths that help us think about this question. Let's start with creation and the value of animals. In Genesis 1, God creates the animals, land, animals, sea creatures, birds. And he looks at them and he says, it is good. Not it's okay not, it's disposable. But good. In Genesis 2 Adam names the animals. That's not just a biological assignment. It's a relationship. Stewardship, partnership. How about God's care for animals? Psalm 50 says, every beast of the forest is mine. The cattle on a thousand hills. God doesn't treat animals as an afterthought. They belong to him. Let's go to the New Testament. Jesus said
in Matthew 10:29, not even a sparrow falls to the ground without your father knowing. Think about that. If God notices a sparrow, surely he notices the loss of your golden retriever.
Jonah 4:11 says, When God showed compassion on Nineveh, he specifically mentions the many animals. Now let's talk about the question of their soul. Ecclesiastes 3 raises this interesting question, and it says, who knows if the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth. In other words, maybe there is a difference. Maybe not. Humanity is clearly unique. Genesis says we are made in God's image and that sets us apart from animals. But that doesn't mean animals are excluded from God's eternal plan. Let's look at prophetic and redemptive hints in Scripture. Isaiah 11 gives us that beautiful picture of the kingdom of God. Wolves and lambs together. Lions eating straw like oxen. Children playing with snakes without harm. It's poetic, yes, but it paints a picture of animals being a part of God's restored creation. Back to the New Testament. Romans 8 says, all creation groans, waiting for redemption. It doesn't sound like God is only concerned with people. It's cosmic in scope. Revelation 21 promises a new heaven and a new earth. Not just souls floating into the clouds, but a renewed creation. That sure seems to include animals. So the Bible gives us some hints. No direct guarantees, but definitely strong reasons to believe that animals are a part of God's eternal picture. Let's look at some theological reflections. Early church perspectives. Some some early thinkers like Augustine and Aquinas, focused on humanity alone, having eternal souls. They lean towards no pets in heaven, but others, especially Eastern Christianity, saw the renewal of all creation as including animals. One of my favorite authors, C.S. Lewis, in his book The Problem of Pain, suggested something fascinating. Maybe pets live on through their relationship with redeemed humans. In other words, they're caught up in our redemption because of the love and the bond that we shared. Now, I don't know if that's how it works, but after losing our dogs, it's a beautiful thought. I'm sure a lot of you out there can relate as well. Some modern voices in this. Randy Alcorn in his book Heaven makes a strong Biblical case for animals being a part of eternity. He points out that God doesn't scrap his creation. He restores it. If God's going to make all things new, why wouldn't he create animals to be there? Now? Back to having souls again, but this time with humans. To be clear, humans are distinct. We bear the image of God. Our salvation is tied to Jesus death and resurrection. But let's not make the mistake of shrinking God's plan. Redemption is bigger than just people. It's about all creation being made new. So let's look at the pastoral and the emotional application of this. This is where it gets personal. When you lose a pet, it's not silly to grieve. Don't let anyone tell you it's just a dog. Get over it. Now that was a gift from God, a companion, a source of joy. And the grief is real. I probably will never forget the loss of those two dogs. God cares about that grief. If he notices the sparrow, he notices your tears. When you bury your cat in the backyard. And here's the hope.
Romans 8:32 says, he who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, how would he not also graciously give up all things? If God was willing to give His Son for you? Don't you think his eternal kingdom will be even richer and more joyful, more complete than we can imagine? Now, do I have a Bible verse that says, yes, Rocky will meet you at the Pearly gates? No, but I do believe God is good enough. He's loving enough, and he's creative enough to restore everything that is good. I do think of it this way. Nothing truly good is lost in Christ, and our pets are good gifts. Let's take a look at a broader worldview. So let's zoom out for a second. Why do we love our pets so much? Because they reflect something of God's character. Many of you can attest to that loyalty, joy, comfort, companionship. Creation itself points back to the creator. So when we ask if pets will be in heaven, we're really asking, what kind of a god do we believe in? A stingy God who says, I only care about saving human souls, or a God of abundance who says, behold, I make all things new. The Bible paints the second picture a God of overflowing goodness. That's my take. After researching Do pets Go to Heaven? We don't know. And I don't have a definite answer. So do pets go to heaven? We don't have a verse that says it directly, but we do have a God who created animals. Who cares for them. Who promises to redeem creation. And it was far more generous than we can imagine. So if you've lost a pet. Take comfort. Grieve. Yes. But also hope. Because God sees you. He loves you. And his eternal plan is bigger than any of us can imagine. At the end of the day, our ultimate hope isn't whether Fido will be there. Our ultimate hope is in the God who promises. Behold, I am making all things new. That's a God worth trusting. Hopefully this helped you. Thank you for joining me today on Behind the Mike Podcast. Look, if this encouraged you, do me a favor. Share it with a friend who may be grieving the loss of a pet. Click the subscribe button. That helps so much. And as always, keep seeking Jesus. Keep living with hope and keep looking forward to the day when everything sad becomes untrue.
