First Thoughts... Related to this subject are three other studies. Please read "Do Stillbirths, Miscarriages, Aborted Babies, and Infant Deaths go to Heaven", "Age of Accountability" and "Original Sin". There is also an interesting "sidebar" to this study... God's action killed a lot of children in events such as "The Flood", "Sodom and Gomorrah", "The Exodus", "see Deuteronomy 2:33-34, Joshua 6:21, Deuteronomy 3:6, 1 Samuel 15:3, 2 Kings 2:23-24 and other events (like when Herod had all the children under 2 killed)"! --- Did those children go to Heaven?
Biblical References... (words in brackets are my comments)
1 Corinthians 3:13... "each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work."
1st Corinthians 7:14... "For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband; for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy."
1st Corinthians 7:16... "For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?"
1st Samuel 15:3... "Now go and strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that he has, and do not spare him; but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.”
2nd Samuel 12:23... "But now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”
2 Kings 2:23-24... "Then he went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up by the way, young lads came out from the city and mocked him and said to him, “go up, you baldhead; go up, you baldhead!” When he looked behind him and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore up forty-two lads of their number.
Acts 2:39... "For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”
Deuteronomy 1:39... "Moreover, your little ones who you said would become a prey, and your sons, who this day have no knowledge of good and evil, shall enter there, and I will give it to them and they shall take possession of it."
Deuteronomy 2:32-34... “Then Sihon with all his people came out to meet us in battle at Jahaz. The Lord our God delivered him over to us, and we defeated him with his sons and all his people. So we captured all his cities at that time and utterly destroyed the men, women and children of every city. We left no survivor."
Deuteronomy 3:6... "We utterly destroyed them, as we did to Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying the men, women and children of every city."
Ezekiel 16:20-21... “Moreover, you took your sons and daughters whom you had borne to Me and sacrificed them to idols to be devoured. Were your harlotries so small a matter? You slaughtered My children (emphasis mine) and offered them up to idols by causing them to pass through the fire."
Galatians 6:4–5... "But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another. For each one will bear his own load."
Isaiah 54:13... "All your sons will be taught of the Lord; and the well-being of your sons will be great."
Jeremiah 19:4-5... "Because they have forsaken Me and have made this an alien place and have burned sacrifices in it to other gods, that neither they nor their forefathers nor the kings of Judah had ever known, and because they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent (emphasis mine) and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, a thing which I never commanded or spoke of, nor did it ever enter My mind;"
Job 3:16:17... "Or like a miscarriage which is discarded, I would not be, as infants that never saw light. There the wicked cease from raging, and there the weary are at rest."
John 5:24... “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life".
John 9:39-41... "And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.” Those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him, “We are not blind too, are we?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains."
Joshua 6:21... (this was the battle of Jericho) "They utterly destroyed everything in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword."
Luke 18:15-17... And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they began rebuking them. But Jesus called for them, saying, “Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.”
Mark 10:13-16... "And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them."
Matthew 18:1-3... "At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, truly I say to you, unless you change and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 18:10... "See that you do not look down on one of these little ones; for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven."
Matthew 19:13-14... "Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, “Leave the children alone, and do not forbid them to come to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
Psalm 127:3-5... "Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; they will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate."
Romans 5:12-13... "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned... for until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law."
Romans 10:13... ..."whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved."
Discussion thoughts... 2nd Samuel 12:23 is the story of when David lost his son... David knew he would see his son again in Heaven! Deuteronomy 1:39 makes the point that since their children have no knowledge of good and evil they will go to Heaven! (In other words, they have not yet reached the age of accountability). Ezekiel 16:20-21 makes the point that the sons and daughters that were being sacrificed were Gods children. Jeremiah 19:4-5 explains that the children sacrificed to Baal were innocent children. Job 3:16:17 explains that "infants that never saw light" were "at rest" (at rest being Heaven). John 9:39-41 suggests that until a person "sees"... they are innocent (meaning they have not yet reached the age of accountability and/or the "word" has not yet reached and explained to them). Luke 18:15-17, Mark 10:13-16,
Matthew 18:1-3, and Matthew 19:13-14 all explain that unless you become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of Heaven (indicating that children will enter the kingdom of Heaven)!
Research says that some scholars take the position that Jesus's death on the cross was payment for babies sin and for those who are incapable of understanding the difference between right and wrong... (research has not provided me with scriptures that confirm that position).
1st Corinthians 7:14 is an interesting verse and requires some deep thought, please consider... Paul is not saying a person's unbelieving spouse and children are eternally saved simply by being married to or parented by a Christian. Saving faith cannot be given, borrowed, inherited, or willed to someone else. Scripture's clear teaching is that individuals must come to faith in Christ on their own in order to receive the grace of God's forgiveness for sin (1st Corinthians 3:13; Galatians 6:4–5). However... what Paul does seem to be saying is that God regards the unbelieving spouse and children of a Christian person as a holy spouse and children. This is precisely and specifically because the husband and wife are united as one, and one of them is united with Christ. In this life, on this side of eternity, they are included with the people of God who have been set-apart for His purposes. Going a bit further with this thought... read what Paul writes in 1st Corinthians 7:16... an unbeliever might be saved through the witness of a Christian spouse. That verse, in and of itself, proves that simply being married to a believer does not automatically bring eternal salvation to a non-Christian.
The "sidebar" to this study... regarding to God's action killing a lot of children in events such as "The Flood", "Sodom and Gomorrah", "The Exodus", and other events (like when Herod had all the children under 2 killed)"... we reach the same conclusion as explained in paragraph one of this discussion... innocent children will enter the kingdom of Heaven!
My Beliefs... This study and my other study "Do Infant Deaths go to Heaven?" both result in the same conclusion... God loves little children and certainly would not let anything stand in the way of them inheriting Paradise. From the moment of conception, up to their age of accountability, unborn babies, newborn babies and children are innocent and will enter the kingdom of God.
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