Scripture and the death of children
One of the most difficult moments in a person's life is the death of a loved one, especially an innocent young child. Then we wonder, where is God? Why did he let the child die, after all, he did not manage to do anything wrong in life.
At the outset, let's clarify what death is.
It is worth reading the Book of Revelation/Apocalypse to understand the issue of the second coming of Jesus Christ, who will take saved people to heaven. This coming is followed by 1000 years of darkness. The 1000 years pass and Jesus descends to earth again with the saints (saved people). Unsaved people and fallen angels, attack the Savior and only then is the second death, or the destruction of evil forever, along with unsaved people and fallen angels. If you don't want to read the entire Revelation, check out chapters 19-22, because this period is presented there.
The first death of saved people is a sleep so long until Christ returns to earth again to take saved people to heaven.
John 20.4-6 "and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."
Only those who have received the grace of salvation will be taken away. Everyone else will remain on earth, which will be shrouded in darkness for 1,000 years.
John 20.2-3 "And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season."
When the millennial period has passed, God will once again return to earth with the angels and saints, that is, all the saved. During this coming, the holy new city of Jerusalem will descend from heaven, possessing the glory of God.
John 21.10-11 "And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; "
Now comes the most terrible moment in all of Scripture. All unsaved souls and fallen angels will attack the holy city of the saved with fury. They will lose this battle, after which they will suffer a second death, this time eternal, they will be destroyed forever.
John 20.7-10, 14 " And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.", "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death."
The kingdom of heaven belongs to the children
This is how all those who refused to live with God end up. Hatred, envy, anger their moral decline caused them to attack the saved. Do you want your child to be among them? You don't know how his life would turn out. Looking at the world, almost everyone lives away from God, and if they acknowledge Him, they are not with Him in their hearts anyway. What is the probability that a child who would not have died would not have met the same fate?
Matthew 18.3-5 "And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me."
Matthew 19.13-15 "Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence."
The above verses are interpreted by many to mean that Jesus assured us that the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to the children, and therefore they are assured salvation by the grace of Christ. However, this interpretation is not unanimous, as it may also indicate that heaven will belong to the innocent, as they will be cleansed from sin. Young children, before they even begin to distinguish between good and evil, are innocent because they do not understand that they are sinning.
If the above interpretation that children will be saved is correct, then any parent whose child has died receives comfort from God and a guarantee that their child will receive the grace of salvation, in which case death proves to be salvation.
Another comforting verse might be the one contained in 1 Kings 14.12-13 "Arise thou therefore, get thee to thine own house: and when thy feet enter into the city, the child shall die. And all Israel shall mourn for him, and bury him: for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in him there is found some good thing toward the LORD God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam."
In the earlier verses of 1 Kings, we can read about the announcement of the defeat of the people of Israel and the royal family for the evil they did. God says that of Jeroboam's royal family, only the little child pleased Him, meaning that he was innocent in His eyes. This verse may indicate that little children will enter the kingdom of heaven.
The Apostle Paul, faithful to God, understood the matter of death, he included it in one of his letters.
Philippians 1.21-24 "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you."
Every death is sad, this was not God's intention. Our life was supposed to be eternal, God gave us immortality, unfortunately but it was humans who brought death to earth thereby rejecting the gift of immortality. Jesus being at the tomb of Lazarus wept. He wept knowing that he was to be resurrected. Death, even if it is a gain, as Paul writes, still causes sorrow, tears, grief.
It's terrible when we can't talk to the deceased person more in the present life, enjoy together with him, spend moments together. It is a sad feeling and everyone deserves sympathy and help in these difficult moments. As a consolation, we are left with the knowledge that the child will spend all eternity in a life without evil and violence, surrounded by love and joy, which is far superior to the conditions on earth now.
It should also be noted that the Bible contains many colorful descriptions that should not always be taken literally, as in the case of the words "and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever" A strong image is used here, depicting eternal death. To be tormented day and night for ever and ever is nothing more than a permanent loss of connection with God. A person who no longer exists because he has been destroyed cannot enjoy eternal life with God, this is as terrible as the description used above, which serves to show what has been lost. This loss is tantamount to eternal suffering, although the soul that has suffered the second death no longer suffers because it is gone.
A child who has not been baptized loses nothing. There is not a single case in Scripture of a person receiving baptism who is ignorant of sin. Every baptism described in the Bible is that of an adult. The blessing spoken by Jesus should not be confused with baptism, where one and the other are not the same thing. Infant baptism was introduced contrary to God's Word, by Christianity in decline at the time, and since something that became a tradition regardless of who introduced it and contrary to God's teaching is now difficult to retract, it persists in unbiblical teachings.
