Biblical explanation
Animals were included in God's original creation. repeatedly describes God creating living creatures and calling His creation good. God also showed concern for animals in His law. For example, says, “Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn” (). says, “A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast.” The prophets describe the future restored creation using peaceful animal imagery. describes the wolf dwelling with the lamb, the leopard lying with the young goat, and the lion eating straw. similarly describes God's renewed creation. says that the entire creation waits for liberation from the curse and “groaneth and travaileth” while awaiting redemption. These passages demonstrate that God's restoration involves more than human beings alone. The created world itself will be renewed. However, Scripture does not explicitly promise that a particular dog, cat, horse, or other individual pet will be resurrected. Therefore, we should distinguish between what the Bible clearly promises and what we may personally hope for. Scripture does not explicitly answer whether individual pets will be resurrected. It does clearly reveal that animals belong to God's creation and that the future restored earth will include animal life.
In brief
Animals were included in God's original creation.
Bible references
Go deeper into this topic Where Did Evil Come From? Start the studyThis answer is written and reviewed by the Word Oasis Editorial Team, and is presented with supporting references so you can examine each passage in context. If you notice an error or unclear statement, please suggest a correction.