.
The infant stage of human life is only the beginning; nobody stays that way.
No, they grow up and mature into adults. An immutable Biblical axiom is
that human babies don't grow up to become sinless, no, they grow up to be
full-fledged sinners, just like their parents; so that everything the Bible says
about sinners is just as true for people who die in infancy as it is for people
who survive and make it to adulthood; e.g.
†. Gen 8:21 . . Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even
though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood.
So then, God can't take an infant directly to heaven because infants are
innately evil beings, rather than innately righteous beings, with the potential
to grow up and become quite bad.
†. Ps 58:3-5 …Even from birth the wicked go astray; from the womb they
are wayward and speak lies. Their venom is like the venom of a snake, like
that of a cobra that has stopped its ears, that will not heed the tune of the
charmer, however skillful the enchanter may be.
In a nutshell: infants are just as toxic as baby cobras, and as most people
know, a baby cobra can kill you just as quickly as an adult cobra.
According to Christ; nobody is granted citizenship in the kingdom of God
until they first undergo a unique supernatural birth as per John 3:3-8. The
birth isn't optional; no, according to the language and grammar of Christ's
statement, the birth is a must.
†. John 3:3 . . I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless
he is born again.
†. John 3:7 . .You should not be surprised at my saying you must be born
again.
So then, if God were to make an exception for infants in regards to the
unique birth, then Jesus would be found distributing false information and
misrepresenting his own Father. No, the lord and master of New Testament
Christianity is a man of integrity, and what he says is absolute: nobody can
either see nor enter the kingdom of God without first undergoing that unique
supernatural birth regardless of age, race, gender, color, celebrity status, or
religious preference.
While there's no question as to the necessity of that unique supernatural
birth, one has to ask: Where are deceased underage kids kept until they
grow up and become old enough to assume responsibility for their choices?
Personally I think they're taken to a sort of afterlife orphanage where they're
looked after until they come of age. The reason I suspect that is because of
something David said in the Old Testament after his little boy passed away.
"Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me."
(2Sam 12:23)
I suppose it could be argued that David was only talking about his own
inevitable demise; but it's really not all that unreasonable to assume he was
speaking of a family reunion. For example when Jacob was told that his son
Joseph was dead; he replied:
"I will go down mourning to my son in sheol." (Gen 37:35)
"sheol" is often translated the grave; but it's primary meaning is the
netherworld-- an afterlife sphere where all the dead went in Jacob's day;
both the good dead and the bad dead. Sheol's equivalent in the New
Testament is the Greek word haides; and a very revealing view of it is given
at Luke 16:19-31 where the bad dead are depicted in misery, and the good
dead are depicted in comfort. If there really is an afterlife orphanage, then
surely it has to be located in the comfort zone where good people can be
trusted to care for underage children.
David's grief was extremely bitter when his son Absalom died (2Sam 18:32
19:4) but David didn't say the same thing about Absalom that he said about
his little boy. No mystery there seeing as how Absalom was not only of age,
but also quite incorrigible too.
I sincerely wish it were possible to guarantee that everything I've penned in
this post is the God's truth; but even so, it does offer a measure of hope to
parents who've lost their children to an early death. So I would highly
recommend that if they want to see their children again in favorable
circumstances that they take Jesus' instructions very seriously and look into
undergoing that unique supernatural birth while there's still time. Little
children may have an opportunity to undergo that birth in the afterlife; but
grown-ups don't. Just imagine non born-again parents and their born-again
children waving to each other across the gulf depicted at Luke 16:19-31 and
not being able to cross it for hugs and kisses. That would be sorrow,
disappointment, and regret beyond words; not only for the parents; but
their children too.
Buen Camino
/
The infant stage of human life is only the beginning; nobody stays that way.
No, they grow up and mature into adults. An immutable Biblical axiom is
that human babies don't grow up to become sinless, no, they grow up to be
full-fledged sinners, just like their parents; so that everything the Bible says
about sinners is just as true for people who die in infancy as it is for people
who survive and make it to adulthood; e.g.
†. Gen 8:21 . . Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even
though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood.
So then, God can't take an infant directly to heaven because infants are
innately evil beings, rather than innately righteous beings, with the potential
to grow up and become quite bad.
†. Ps 58:3-5 …Even from birth the wicked go astray; from the womb they
are wayward and speak lies. Their venom is like the venom of a snake, like
that of a cobra that has stopped its ears, that will not heed the tune of the
charmer, however skillful the enchanter may be.
In a nutshell: infants are just as toxic as baby cobras, and as most people
know, a baby cobra can kill you just as quickly as an adult cobra.
According to Christ; nobody is granted citizenship in the kingdom of God
until they first undergo a unique supernatural birth as per John 3:3-8. The
birth isn't optional; no, according to the language and grammar of Christ's
statement, the birth is a must.
†. John 3:3 . . I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless
he is born again.
†. John 3:7 . .You should not be surprised at my saying you must be born
again.
So then, if God were to make an exception for infants in regards to the
unique birth, then Jesus would be found distributing false information and
misrepresenting his own Father. No, the lord and master of New Testament
Christianity is a man of integrity, and what he says is absolute: nobody can
either see nor enter the kingdom of God without first undergoing that unique
supernatural birth regardless of age, race, gender, color, celebrity status, or
religious preference.
While there's no question as to the necessity of that unique supernatural
birth, one has to ask: Where are deceased underage kids kept until they
grow up and become old enough to assume responsibility for their choices?
Personally I think they're taken to a sort of afterlife orphanage where they're
looked after until they come of age. The reason I suspect that is because of
something David said in the Old Testament after his little boy passed away.
"Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me."
(2Sam 12:23)
I suppose it could be argued that David was only talking about his own
inevitable demise; but it's really not all that unreasonable to assume he was
speaking of a family reunion. For example when Jacob was told that his son
Joseph was dead; he replied:
"I will go down mourning to my son in sheol." (Gen 37:35)
"sheol" is often translated the grave; but it's primary meaning is the
netherworld-- an afterlife sphere where all the dead went in Jacob's day;
both the good dead and the bad dead. Sheol's equivalent in the New
Testament is the Greek word haides; and a very revealing view of it is given
at Luke 16:19-31 where the bad dead are depicted in misery, and the good
dead are depicted in comfort. If there really is an afterlife orphanage, then
surely it has to be located in the comfort zone where good people can be
trusted to care for underage children.
David's grief was extremely bitter when his son Absalom died (2Sam 18:32
19:4) but David didn't say the same thing about Absalom that he said about
his little boy. No mystery there seeing as how Absalom was not only of age,
but also quite incorrigible too.
I sincerely wish it were possible to guarantee that everything I've penned in
this post is the God's truth; but even so, it does offer a measure of hope to
parents who've lost their children to an early death. So I would highly
recommend that if they want to see their children again in favorable
circumstances that they take Jesus' instructions very seriously and look into
undergoing that unique supernatural birth while there's still time. Little
children may have an opportunity to undergo that birth in the afterlife; but
grown-ups don't. Just imagine non born-again parents and their born-again
children waving to each other across the gulf depicted at Luke 16:19-31 and
not being able to cross it for hugs and kisses. That would be sorrow,
disappointment, and regret beyond words; not only for the parents; but
their children too.
Buen Camino
/
