Does Anyone Go To Paradise Now?

Q

Your answer to the question on paradise made me think of a question. As believers go straight to the Lord when they die, will a child under the age of understanding, say a two or three year old, go to Heaven or Paradise if they die? And what is the age of understanding anyway?

A

Since the Lord’s resurrection, paradise has been empty. No one goes there any more, because the gates of Heaven were opened as a result of the Lord’s once for all time sacrifice for sin. Believers who die now go directly to be with Him (Phil. 1:21-24)

As far as we know there is no specific age of understanding because intellectual maturity varies from child to child. The age of understanding is defined as the time in a child’s maturation when he or she is able to understand the nature of sin and its consequences, and is capable of making an informed decision on whether or not to accept the Lord’s death as payment in full.