Do Unborn babies and Children Wind Up in Heaven?
By Grace Kemp
gracekemp@aol.com
1. Where in the Bible does it state that all infants go to Heaven? We are given a huge clue and great hope that babies go to Heaven in 2 Samuel 12:21-23. King David losses a child. He is sorrowful and wonders if it is his fault that the baby died. It is not his fault.
Then he realizes that one day he shall see the baby again. He says, "I shall go to him (when God calls the king home to Heaven), but he shall not return to me."…"
Jesus always had a soft spot for children. In Matthew 19:14, He tells His disciples, "Suffer (allow) little children to come unto me for of such is (present tense) the kingdom of heaven." The "children" referred to here are likely those who are physically and spiritually immaturity.
When we compare every occasion in which the Greek word for "children" is used in the New Testament, it suggests immaturity regarding exposure to truth.
2. What is the age of accountabiliity? An age of accountability is not clearly defined in the Bible. None of the arguments are solidly convincing.
- Some Bible teachers suggest that the biblical age of accountability is 20 because that is when Jewish boys were required to fight in war.
- Other Bible scholars say it is age 13 because of Bar-mitzpa: when a Jewish boy is considered an adult and responsible for his moral and religious duties.
- Some believe that age 12 is significance as that is the age when Jesus first taught in the synagogue. There is nothing written about Him in His childhood before this. At age 12 or so, many children are going through struggles of independence and wanting to make their own decisions, independent of their parents.
- Others are emphatic that only God knows, and that each individual is different. They say the reason there is no definitive verse that pins down the exact age of accountability is because the Lord wants us to leave this up to Him. They say God does not want us to fret ourselves into a huge mess.
It seems reasonable to many that the age of accountability is when a child can make a decision based upon their ability to personalize the gospel and respond to it.
In other words, if a child's parents told their toddler to believe in Santa Claus and they believe simply because their parents tell them to despite all the evidence against it, they are likely not yet accountable.
If a child is capable of making a decision based upon their personal analysis of the situation or facts and they are capable of understanding what they personally believe, then they become accountable. Then they may chose to believe or reject it.
3. What verse suggests that aborted or miscarried kids go anywhere? Logic dictates that the created eternal, human spirit is present from conception. We are told in Luke 1:41 of real human life in an unborn baby.
"When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit."
It appears there will be many children in Heaven whose parents will be not be aware they had produced. This would be due to early miscarriages.
Conclusion: God is fair and loving. He will bring all those babies into Heaven who were cruelly murdered before they were given a chance to be born into this world.
In His mercy, He will spare the aborted babies the pain of growing up in an ungodly home and allow them to enjoy the riches of Heaven.
