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Does God Take Children to Become Angels in Heaven?

When death strikes a child, friends of the bereaved family may try to comfort them by saying, “God must have needed another angel in heaven.” Does that sound reasonable to you?

If it were true that God causes children to die because he needs more angels in heaven, it would imply that he is unfeeling, even cruel. The Bible says otherwise. (Job 34:10) A compassionate father would not snatch a child away from its parents just so that he could enlarge his own family. Yet, no human parent has more compassion than Jehovah, whose dominant quality is love. (1 John 4:8) His great love would never permit him to act in such a harsh way.

Ask yourself, ‘Does God need more angels in heaven?’ The Bible states that all of God’s activities are good and perfect. (Deuteronomy 32:4) His work of directly creating millions of angels was a perfect accomplishment, and there was no shortage. (Daniel 7:10) Did God somehow miscalculate the number of angels he needed? Impossible! Surely, Almighty God could never make such an error. True, Jehovah has selected some humans to become spirit creatures as part of his heavenly Kingdom, but they would not be little children at the time of their death.​—Revelation 5:9, 10.

Another reason why God would not take children from the earth to become angels in heaven is that it would not be in harmony with his original purpose for children. In the garden of Eden, God told Adam and Eve: “Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth and subdue it.” (Genesis 1:28) Children are gifts from God, essential to his original purpose of filling the earth with a righteous human family. He never purposed for children to have their life cut short and then for them to be transformed into spirit creatures. The Bible affirms that children are “an inheritance from Jehovah.” (Psalm 127:3) Would Jehovah, the God of love, take back a gift that he has given parents? Surely not!

A child’s untimely death brings great sadness, hurt, and pain. What hope, then, do grieving parents have? The Bible promises that God will resurrect countless millions in a paradise right here on earth. Imagine children​—restored with healthy bodies—​reunited with their loved ones. (John 5:28, 29) It is God’s will for young ones to grow up, to enjoy life, and to learn about him and his purpose for the earth. Thus, young ones who have died are not angels in heaven but are awaiting a resurrection to a paradise earth. At that time, under the loving care of our Creator, both young and old will delight in worshipping Jehovah God for eternity.