Animals do not go to heaven; man differs from animals because man has spirit - Pastor Robert Jeffress

Pastor Robert Jeffress said man differs from animals because only man has spirit, yet sadly that also means many people would be spending eternity in Hell after death.

The megachurch pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas with 12,000 members talked about the resurrection of man's spirit after death during his program "Pathway to Victory."

He quoted Solomon as saying in Ecclesiastic 3:19-21, "Here's how we're different. The animal has no spirit, but man has a spirit that descends to Heaven even after he dies."

The 60-year-old pastor and author then warned what this spirit meant for man.

"Everybody's spirit lives forever," he said. "Doesn't matter what you believe – Jew, Atheist, Muslim, Catholic, Baptist – everybody's going to live forever."

Unfortunately, Jeffress believes that not many people would share God's Kingdom in Heaven.

"Some are going to live forever in Heaven with God. Others – the majority of people – are going to live in hell, separated by God," he warned.

The Evangelical leader's belief that confined spirit exclusively to man remains a theological contention among Christians. Two years ago, reports circulated and misquoted Pope Francis as he supposedly consoled a boy who was upset by the death of his pet, assuring the young child not to worry because they'll meet again one day in Christ's paradise that is "open to all of God's creatures."

However, Religion News Service debunked the story and clarified that the publication misattributed the current pope. As it turned out, the scenario and comment did happen decades ago during the time of Pope Paul VI.

"There is a fundamental rule in journalism. That is double-checking, and in this case it was not done," Fr. Ciro Benedettini, the Vatican's deputy spokesman, told Reuters.

He also interpreted the current pope's stance on animals as "clear that he is in spiritual harmony with all of creation."

Although Pope Francis' position on animals having spirit remains to be clarified, Pope John Paul II hinted that he believed animals have souls while former Pope Benedict XVI expressly did not.