This is an often asked question among all people, especially those who are not Christians. I can't give any other answer that is worthy of being relied upon except the answer in scripture. But before that, if you know the character of the Lord through Jesus Christ His Son (Hebrews 1:1-3, John 17:3), then you know the Lord, and you know this answer before we even begin.
But Jesus
said "Let the little children alone,and do
not stop them coming to me; for it is
to such as these that the kingdom of Heaven belongs."
Matthew
19:14
As parents,
we love our children fiercely and do everything within our power to protect
them. As Christians, we know that God created each one of us as unique
individuals, and according to the Bible, has a plan for each of our lives.
Psalm
139:13-17 (David is speaking to God)
"It
was you who created my inmost self, and put me together in my mother’s womb;
for all these mysteries I thank you; for the wonder of myself, for the wonder
of your works. You know me through and through, from having watched my bones
take shape when I was being formed in secret, knitted together in the limbo of
the womb. You have scrutinized my every action, all were recorded in your book,
my days listed and determined, even before the first of them occurred. God, how
hard it is to grasp your thoughts! How impossible to count them!
God makes it
clear that He is in control and makes no mistakes. He is the powerful one, not
us.
Job
40:6-9 (God is speaking to Job)
God gave Job
His answer from the heart of the tempest. He said: "Brace yourself like
a fighter, now it is my turn to ask questions and yours to inform me. Do you
really want to reverse my Judgment, and put me in the wrong to put yourself in
the right? Has your arm the strength of God’s, can your voice thunder as loud?"
When the
life of a child is taken, parents not only want to know why, but they also want
to know where the child has gone. Many questions will not be answered until we
meet the Lord face to face. In the meantime, He has given us His Word with some
answers, as well as comforts. I’ve provided some scriptures that offer hope
that children (who have died before the age where they might reason between
right and wrong) are waiting for us in Heaven.
The
following are scripture that support evidence of a "Book of Life".
These scripture indicate that all names are written in the "Book of
Life", blotted out when we sin, and reconciled for life when Jesus Christ
sacrificed His life for us, and we confess that we are sinners and believe
Jesus is our one and only Savior.
Exo 32:33 And the LORD said unto Moses,
Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.
The
encouragement in this verse is that all names are written in the
"book" of life when we are born. Those who willfully sin
against God then find their names blotted out of the book. It is clear that
young children may not willfully commit sin, as their minds are unable to
reason yet what is right and what is wrong.
Deu 9:14 Let me alone, that I may destroy
them, and blot out their name from under heaven: and I will make of thee a
nation mightier and greater than they.
Deu 29:20 The LORD will not spare him, but
then the anger of the LORD and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and
all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the LORD
shall blot out his name from under heaven.
Psa 69:27 Add iniquity unto their iniquity:
and let them not come into thy righteousness.
Psa 69:28
Let them be
blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.
Rom 7:7 What shall we say then? Is
the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had
not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.
Rom 7:8 But sin, taking occasion by the
commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin
was dead.
Rom 7:9 For I was alive without the law
once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.
Rom 7:10 And the commandment, which was
ordained to life, I found to be unto death.
Rom 7:11 For sin, taking occasion by the
commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.
In the above
verses, Paul points out that he was alive (verse 9) before he knew about his
sin. When he realized that he had coveted, "when the commandment
came", sin was made alive in him and spiritually he died. This is in
keeping with the other scriptures which indicate we are born with spiritual
life (names written in the Book of Life). We lose that life when "sin
comes", or we are aware of our sins. We regain that life again only
through accepting Jesus Christ’ blood as payment for our sins.
Rev
3:5 He that
overcomes, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out
his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father,
and before his angels.
Rev 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth
shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb
slain from the foundation of the world.
Rev 21:27 And there shall in no wise enter
into it any thing that defiles, neither whatsoever works abomination, or makes
a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great,
stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which
is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were
written in the books, according to their works.
All of the
above verses support the views that there is a Book of Life, that all
names of every living person are written in this book at birth, that the
names are then blotted out when they willfully understand what is right and
wrong and chooses to commit sin. They may then be written again in the Book
of Life by accepting the blood of the Lamb as payment for their sin. While
there is some room for discussion regarding what is the age of accountability
(if there is one), when one is old enough to understand right from wrong, etc.,
the basic premise above seems well supported from the scriptures.
In these
verses Christ is speaking to His followers:
Luk 10:20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice
not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your
names are written in heaven.
Phi 4:3 And I intreat thee also, true
yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement
also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.
Heb 12:23 To the general assembly and church
of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and
to the spirits of just men made perfect,
2 Sam.
12:23 But now he
is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I
shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.
In this last
verse, David had been fasting in the hopes of seeing his sick infant son healed
by the Lord. When he was told by his servant that his child was dead, David
arose, washed himself, and ate. The servants were surprised by his behavior. He
responded in verse 23 that knowing his child was now dead, there was no more
reason to fast. He knew he could not bring the child back to life. He then
states that "I shall go to him". This means that David knew he would
see his child when he died. David in no way believed he was going to the place
of the wicked dead, and did not believe his infant son was their either.
These
verses indicate that sin is what causes death.
Eze 18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the
soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth,
it shall die.
Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death;
but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Rom 5:21 That as sin hath reigned unto
death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by
Jesus Christ our Lord.
These
verses indicates that when we sin, we are dead in Christ, but if we except
God’s gift of Jesus Christ, we can have eternal life.
1Jo 5:11 And this is the record, that God
hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
1Jo 5:12 He that hath the Son hath life;
and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
1Jo 5:13 These things have I written unto
you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have
eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
