All Dogs go to Heaven
I know the title of this sounds strange but I pray you stick with me in this and read it all the way through; so you may get a glance of what is in my heart.

This story is true and real and eye-opening and I hope; comforting to you as it has been for me. What makes this story strange is the main character is a very special dog named, Muffy. If you have had a pet die or you have a pet; your pet is very special.

My wife, Jackie and I bought Muffy; 6 years ago; when we were going through some suffering times. We know Muffy was a gift from God.

In preparing for this, I did some research and found the Lord uses animals to manifest himself. This whole concept was totally foreign to me. I knew God used humans as instruments such as Paul and Peter. To my amazement I had this wonderful revelation of the other side of creation and how this fits into the master plan of the Master - the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and he created Adam and Eve and he created all the animals. God brought the animals to Adam and Eve to see what Adam would name them and Adam named them and “God saw that it was good” (Gen.2:19; 1:25) and “very good.”

I saw a parallel here; you buy your pet (cat or dog) and you name it just the way Adam named the animals. I never saw this simple truth until now.

I must tell you at this point, this story is first sad and by seeing the title you know it also has a good ending. May you see and hear God’s love and hope through my tears and words; for you see Muffy died this week. The pain is like a knife in my heart. My brain said, Where is Muffy? I feel alone. I cannot sleep or eat. My head hurts. In my car my breathing is rapid. I saw myself crying like a little boy that was abandon.

I heard Jackie my wife talking on the phone to her friend these words, “we are to give thanks to God in all situations, for this is the will of God toward you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thes.5:18)

I started to thank God for Muffy and for my pain, my tears, and my fears, and for Muffy not being here any more. I did feel a release within.

I cried out to Lord - Why do I feel this strong pain for Muffy? I got the answer the next day in two words: security blanket.

When I was a little boy I went with my mom to visit my grandmother in New Jersey. I always took my security blanket everywhere I went - just like Charlie Brown (in the comics, in the newspaper). This one day my grandmother cut up the security blanket into one inch squares and gave me one of them.

I am 54 years old and I am feeling the feelings I stuffed 50 years ago because I felt anger toward my grandmother for destroying the thing in my life at that age that gave me comfort and protection.

The conflict within was I loved my grandmother so much that I could not tell her or my mom the feelings of anger; fear; and loneliness; by what happened to the blanket. The feelings were hidden deep in my soul. We all stuff our feelings at times because we do not know how to talk them out with a friend.

If you are a parent or grandparent and have done this to a child, do not feel condemned. We are ’not told’ how to parent. ’Not guilty’ all are wounded; all are wounders; all for good “no condemnation.” It all works out for good. You can go to a Christian counselor and learn how to turn it around.

My grandmother was a Christian and is with the Lord. I know her prayers and others prayers; God used to get me in the kingdom. She died with a bible on her lap and this had a profound effect on me.

I came home from work the other day and I went into the bedroom and hit the bed with my hand and said, Nana, you hurt me, you took away my protection and comfort and I cried again.

If you find a parent or grandparent did this to you, do what I did in the bedroom and release that stored up anger by hitting a pillow and yelling at the person who hurt you but do Not call them up and yell at them. What happened happened no one knows how to parent all have sinned. You are dealing with the parent of the past Not the present, God works in they heart.

This process was very important because it releases the past hurts inside the soul that bind us up.

Anger of the past that was stuffed needs to be processed or it comes out in other dysfunctional behaviors (rage, drinking, smoking, over eating, sexual dysfunction, codependence). “...God requireth that which is past” (Eccl.3:15)

Years ago I went to a place where they show you how to feel your feelings and that all your feelings are ok but at the same time we do not live by our feelings. They are only passing and are gifts from God. Feelings are not life; Christ is life.

“Day unto day uttereth speech, night unto night sheweth knowledge” (Ps.19:2) When we are at our lowest and darkest times. When it feels like the Lord is a million miles away, he is right there in it with us; for these are the sufferings of Christ taken up in our bodies for the glory of God in Christ Jesus.

“Unto Adam and to his wife did the Lord make coats of skins, and clothed them.” (Gen.3:21) Here the animals provide a covering and protection from weather after Adam ’s fall.

Noah builds a large ark to save two of every animal before the great flood. The ark is a symbol of the new heaven and the new earth.

When God talks to suffering Job he speaks of:

goats (Job 39:1)
unicorn (39:10)
peacocks (39:13)
ostrich (39:13)
horse (39:18)
grasshopper (39:20)
hawk (39:26)
eagle (39:27)

Before Christ Jesus came to earth; man used animals for sin offerings and sacrifices:

goats (Lev 7:52, 16:8-22)
lamb (Eze.46:15)
oxen (Num.7:88)

The Lord Jesus sends roaches into the prison cell of Corrie ten Boom (“The Hiding Place” film and book) for comfort and for a sign of his love.

In the book of Kings we read the Lord uses ravens to feed Elijah (1 Ki.17:1-6) and God in his poet of writing likens things to animals (Ps.103; Isa.40:28-31)

In the manger, the baby Jesus was surrounded by animals and they were the first to see the new born outside of his own family.

“For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him (Jesus), and came and fell at his feet: the woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. But Jesus said unto her, let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it unto dogs. And she answered and said unto him, yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs. And he said unto her, for this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.” (Mk.7:25-29)

——————- After that Jesus feed the five thousand with five barley loaves and two small fishes, he said, unto his disciples, gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.” (Jn.6:12)

The Father wanted Jesus to enter Jerusalem on a colt “whereon never man sat” (Mk.11:1-9) and again animals aid in the manifesting of the Lord.

I really believe ’All Dogs go to Heaven’ for in this suffering at my lowest point; I was given two visions of the Lord with Muffy next to him. That is what sparked this writing.

God used Muffy to open my eyes to my wife’s sufferings.

Muffy, when she was young was shot with a pellet gun and from that day on she feared everyone but myself and my wife. She is one of the wounded healers. My wife is a wounded healer and I believe everyone is a wounded healer. The Master is the real wounded healer because he was wounded for our sins. If Jesus is not Lord and Savior of your life please I pray you say this simple most powerful prayer: ’Jesus come into my heart and life; be Lord of my life; forgive me my sins; fill me with your Spirit, Amen’

The wounded talk to the wounded. The wounds are for glory. The past wounds are sometimes hidden to us but they trigger dysfunctional behaviors. We not knowing of the past wounds keep repeating the dysfunctional behaviors until they are brought to the light.

Some say animals are not in heaven but the bible says: we will come back to the earth with the Lord riding on horses (Rev.19:14; 2 Ki.6:17)

A dog has unconditional love but the dog has not the capacity to produce this love because it is “imparted” (Job 39:13-17;26) from God.

A fish pays the Rome tax for Jesus and Peter: the fish with the gold coin in it’s mouth.

The book of Revelation, Song of Solomon, Isaiah and many other books of the bible talk about the new heaven and new earth.

Jesus came to the earth to take our sins on Himself on the cross and to open the door between God and humanity and His other mission is to restore the “garden” back to its perfection: “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the young lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.” (Isa.11:6-7)

“But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee” (Job 12:7-8)

“And a voice came out of the throne, saying, praise our God, all ye his servants and ye that fear him, both small and great” (Rev.19:5)

’God made all the creatures and gave them our love and our fear
To give sign we and they are his children, one family here’
(the poet Browning)
If your pet is sick call Pastor John 410-655-3777