The salvation of babies who die (Part 1)

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John MacArthur, Jr.*

Some of you who tuned into the Larry King Show will remember that Larry fired a question to me on the air--it came out of nowhere--a question that reveals a nagging, troubling issue in the human heart. He asked me, “What about a two-year-old baby crushed at the bottom of the World Trade Center?” I answered, “Instant heaven.” He replied with another question: “Wasn’t a sinner?” I again answered, “Instant heaven.”

That’s a compelling question: what about a baby crushed at the bottom of the Trade Center? What about any baby that dies? It’s an agonizing question. It’s a question that plagues Christians and non-Christians alike: “What happens to babies that die?” All kinds of strange answers have been offered in the past. We don’t need to deal with those; we need to know the right answer.

I said, “Instant heaven,” and what was my authority for saying that? In a sound-byte environment like that, I didn’t have time for an explanation and he didn’t ask for one. But, you deserve one so I’m going to tell you why I said what I said.

We are often hearing these days from those who are against war of any kind. The statement “many innocent children will die,” and what about them? This matter of death that exists in the world is obviously a massive force that operates in the realm of the little ones. We need to understand what it indicates, what it means. Life begins at conception--that is clear in Scripture. This is what the Bible teaches without question. So any death from the point of conception on is the death of a person and persons have eternal souls.

Millions, perhaps billions, of such souls have died throughout history. Millions continue to die today. In fact, cumulatively it will be in the modern era, billions. One report I read in a book called Empty Arms says that up to 25 percent of all human conceptions do not complete the twentieth week of pregnancy. One out of four conceived die. 75 percent of fatal deaths occur in the first twelve weeks. Neonatal death (that is, death in the womb), Paranatal death (that is, death at the time of birth) occurred in massive numbers. Even today, with medical advancement, we have a larger population in the world than we’ve ever had and we have a lower mortality rate than we’ve ever had because of medical advancement…we still have a massive amount of deaths!

The latest statistics from the year 1999 indicate 4,350,000 babies died--in that year--infant mortality. A study that concludes 4,350,000 babies died is based upon statistical information and estimates are that the figures are so low that the actuality may be more than that figure--by double! Since most losses during pregnancy may not even be reported. The highest rates of infant mortality are found in the poorest and most primitive nations, and at the same time, the most pagan nations: mostly in Africa and Asia. Take 4,350,000 in the year 1999 and just keep adding the years and you can see the numbers of deaths are massive, staggering.

And these are, as I said, eternal souls! The question about “Where are they?” then is of monumental significance: they’re either populating hell at an incredible rate or they’re populating heaven at an equally incredible rate or getting divided into heaven and hell. This is a question that needs to be answered. It needs to be answered on the large scale and it needs to be answered on the individual scale. A parent has the right to know! “Where is my baby? Where is my child? Where is that adult child of mine whose mind never developed and who for all intents and purposes mentally is still an infant?” The death of one single baby in a family--the loss of one in the womb, the loss of a child at birth--is significant.
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*[All rights reserved - John MacArthur Jr.]