Babys In Heaven?

As a pastor I have had to deal with many difficult situations. Twice I have had to do funerals for babies that died at birth. These situations always raise the question about the eternal destiny of these little lives. Do they go to heaven? Do they go to hell? Do some go to heaven and some go to hell? Do we not know what happens to babies who die?

Well, I've noticed some discussion about this in the blogosphere lately and I have personally had some discussions recently on this subject, so I thought I would mention it here. What does happen to babies who die?

The overwhelming answer of the church throughout history has been that babies that die go to heaven. But what does the Bible say? Is the church just expressing warm sentiment or do we have a biblical leg to stand on? Let me give you something to chew on.

Consider Job. Job was blameless, upright, fearing God, and turning away from evil. God said regarding Job, "There is no one like him on the earth." Job faced some incredible adversity in his life, as the book of Job records for us. Listen to some of the comments that Job makes in the midst of his adversity.

Why did I not die at birth,
Come forth from the womb and expire?
Job 3:11

Why then hast Thou brought me out of the womb?
Would that I had died and no eye had seen me!
I should have been as though I had not been, carried from womb to tomb.
Job 10:18-19

Job is saying it would have been better for him to die at birth than to experience what he did. How can he say that? Remember, these are the statements of the most godly man on earth at the time. Perhaps he understood that babies who die go to heaven.

This is just one place in Scripture that gives us some insight into the destiny of babies who die.

What do you think?