Recognizable questions
- What exactly do Jehovah’s Witnesses believe will happen during Armageddon?
- Who will survive Armageddon according to the current teaching?
- What does that teaching say happens to babies and young children of parents who do not serve Jehovah?
- Can children be destroyed because of their parents’ choice of religion, while they themselves still had no choice?
- How does that align with Bible texts that show God values individual justice?
- How does this fit with Jesus as the Good Shepherd who goes looking for the one lost sheep?
- Why could wars, disasters, and world news feel like signs that the end was near?
- What is the great tribulation, and what happens according to Jehovah’s Witnesses before Armageddon?
- Has the explanation of who can still be saved always been the same?
- Why can fear of Armageddon linger even after someone no longer believes?
What is Armageddon?
Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Armageddon is a future war in which God decisively intervenes in the world.
According to them, Armageddon does not mean that humans destroy the earth themselves through a nuclear war, climate catastrophe, or some other global disaster.
According to their official explanation, it is the war in which God, through Jesus Christ, puts an end to human governments and to those who are ultimately judged to be his opponents.
The earth itself will remain.
ARMAGEDDON
no destruction
of the earth
↓
God intervenes
↓
Jesus + heavenly armies
↓
human rule ends
↓
God’s Kingdom rules
over the earthWhere does the word Armageddon come from?
The word Armageddon appears in the Bible at Revelation 16:16.
It is derived from Har-Magedon, often rendered as ‘mountain of Megiddo.’
Megiddo was an important place in ancient Israel, and the surrounding area was associated with several battles.
However, Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe that all the armies of the world literally gather at Megiddo.
According to their explanation, Armageddon is a symbolic situation in which the political powers of the world eventually come into opposition to God.
According to the teaching, Armageddon does not just happen out of nowhere
Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that we have been living in “the last days” since 1914.
Wars, food shortages, earthquakes, epidemics, and social problems are viewed as parts of the Biblical sign of those last days.
Armageddon is then the climax of a larger series of events.
1914
beginning of the ‘last days’
↓
world situation
↓
GREAT TRIBULATION
↓
destruction of
Babylon the Great
↓
attack on God’s people
↓
ARMAGEDDON
↓
thousand-year reign
of ChristWhat is the great tribulation?
Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that before Armageddon, the great tribulation begins.
According to their current explanation, that period starts with the destruction of Babylon the Great.
Within their teaching, Babylon the Great stands for the world empire of ‘false religion’: religions that, according to their interpretation, do not worship God in the right way.
Political powers will, according to this explanation, turn against those religions and destroy them.
Jehovah’s Witnesses expect their own faith community to survive this destruction.
‘BABYLON THE GREAT’
world empire of
‘false religion’
↓
political powers
turn against it
↓
destruction
↓
beginning of the great tribulationThen God’s people are attacked
After the destruction of Babylon the Great, Jehovah’s Witnesses expect an attack on those who worship Jehovah.
That attack is linked, among other things, to Gog of Magog from the Bible book of Ezekiel.
God then intervenes to protect his people.
Armageddon ultimately forms the climax of the great tribulation.
Who will be destroyed during Armageddon?
According to Jehovah’s Witnesses, Jesus will destroy those who ultimately receive a negative judgment from him.
The human governments will also disappear.
The organization therefore presents Armageddon not as random destruction, but as a just judgment by God and Jesus.
That, however, raises a more difficult question:
What happens to young children of parents who do not serve Jehovah?
A baby or young child cannot yet make a conscious religious choice.
They cannot independently research which religion is true, decide to serve Jehovah, dedicate themselves, or get baptized.
Even so, the position of such children within the Armageddon teaching was long tied to that of their parents.
An official publication that is still available on JW.ORG states first that the Bible gives no direct answer to the question of what happens to young children during Armageddon.
Then 1 Corinthians 7:14 is cited. There, the children of a believing parent are called “holy.”
The same publication then points to Biblical judgments in which even small children of those who were destroyed perished as well. Parents are therefore encouraged to live in such a way that God will also judge their children favorably during Armageddon.
BELIEVING PARENT
↓
child is considered
“holy” according to
1 Corinthians 7:14
↓
hope of protection
BUT:
NON-BELIEVING PARENTS
↓
what happens to
their young children?
↓
current publication:
“the Bible gives no
direct answer”Older publications were much more explicit
In a publication from 1952, the conclusion was drawn much more sharply.
It taught that minor children of Christian parents could receive protection because of a kind of “family merit”.
About children who did not fall under that, it was then stated explicitly that they would be destroyed during Armageddon and would have no hope of a resurrection.
In The Watchtower of 1971, it was again said that God can consider minor children of a Christian parent “holy” and can protect them during Armageddon on the basis of the standing of their believing father or mother.
OLDER EXPLANATION
believing parent
↓
“family merit”
↓
child may receive protection
no believing parent
↓
no “family merit”
↓
older publications:
destruction possibleThe current wording is more cautious.
So it would not be accurate to say:
“The current teaching says without reservation that every child of non-believing parents will be killed at Armageddon.”
But the historical teaching is clearly documented, and the current official explanation likewise does not say that such children are automatically saved.
But is a child responsible for the choice of its parents?
That is exactly where an interesting Biblical question arises.
In Ezekiel 18, it is strongly emphasized that every person is responsible for his or her own conduct.
About a son who does not do the same wrong things as his father, it says that he will not die for his father’s sin.
EZEKIEL 18
father sins
↓
son does not do that sin
↓
son does not die
for his father’s sinThe chapter thus emphasizes individual responsibility.
A young child, however, can be held even less responsible for the religious choice of its parents than the adult son in this illustration.
That raises the question:
If a child cannot yet make a personal choice of faith, on what basis would it receive a final judgment because of the position of its father or mother?
Abraham himself raised a similar question about God’s justice
In Genesis 18, Abraham hears that Sodom and Gomorrah are to be judged.
His reaction is striking.
He asks Jehovah whether he would really destroy good people together with bad people.
Abraham starts with fifty righteous people and then asks about 45, 40, 30, 20, and finally ten.
Each time, God says that he will not destroy the city because of those righteous ones.
Abraham puts the key question this way:
Will not the Judge of the whole earth do what is right?
SODOM — GENESIS 18
50 righteous people
↓
45
↓
40
↓
30
↓
20
↓
10
at each step:
“I will not
destroy the city
because of them.”This passage does not directly say what happens to children during Armageddon.
But it does show a Biblical principle that is relevant to that question:
Abraham finds it unthinkable that someone who is not guilty should receive the same fate as someone who is guilty.
And there is even an example with just one righteous person
A similar principle appears in Jeremiah 5:1.
There it is not about Babylon and not about Gog of Magog, but about Jerusalem.
God says that one must search through the streets and squares of Jerusalem for someone who acts righteously and is trying to be faithful.
If such a person is found, God says:
then I will forgive the city.
JEREMIAH 5:1
search in Jerusalem
↓
is there anyone
who acts righteously?
↓
even one
↓
“then I will
forgive the city”This too is not a prophecy about Armageddon.
But again, individual righteousness is central.
Jesus and “these little ones”
It becomes even more striking when we look at what Jesus himself says.
In Matthew 18, Jesus first uses a child to teach his disciples something.
Several verses later he warns:
look down on none of these little ones.
He then tells about a shepherd with one hundred sheep.
One sheep gets lost.
The shepherd does not say:
There are still 99 left.
He goes looking for that one sheep.
Jesus then concludes the illustration with the thought that his Father does not want one of these little ones to perish.
MATTHEW 18
‘these little ones’
↓
100 sheep
↓
1 gets lost
↓
the shepherd goes
looking for that one sheep
↓
the Father does not want
one of these little ones
to perishJesus Is the Good Shepherd
In John 10, Jesus uses the image of a shepherd again.
He calls himself the Good Shepherd.
A good shepherd does not abandon the sheep when danger comes.
Jesus goes even further:
he says that the Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
JESUS
the Good Shepherd
↓
knows his sheep
↓
protects his sheep
↓
even gives
his own life
for the sheepDavid Also Rescued One Sheep
The image of the shepherd who does not simply give up on a vulnerable animal appears earlier in the Bible too.
David tells in 1 Samuel 17 how a lion or a bear took a sheep from his flock.
He chased after the predator and rescued the sheep.
That account is not about Armageddon and by itself proves nothing about God’s future judgment.
But it does fit into the broader biblical picture of a good shepherd: a vulnerable animal is not considered unimportant just because there are still many other animals in the flock.
Then a Difficult Question Arises
When these Bible passages are set alongside the Armageddon teaching, a tension arises that does not disappear easily.
GENESIS 18
the good not destroyed
together with the wicked
JEREMIAH 5
even one righteous person
matters
EZEKIEL 18
a child does not bear
his father's guilt
MATTHEW 18
not let even one of
‘these little ones’
be lost
JOHN 10
Jesus gives his life
for his sheep
VERSUS
ARMAGEDDON TEACHING
young children may
not yet be able to make
a choice for themselves
↓
their standing was historically
linked to that of
their parentsThat allows the question to be formulated much more precisely than:
‘Why would Jesus kill children?’
The deeper question is:
If Jesus is described as the Good Shepherd who seeks the one lost sheep, gives his own life for his sheep, and says that his Father does not want one of ‘these little ones’ to perish, how can that be reconciled with the idea that a young child could be permanently destroyed while still never having been able to choose consciously for or against God?
And even more specifically:
If the Bible emphasizes that a son does not die for the sin of his father, on what just basis could the faith or unbelief of parents determine the fate of a child who is not yet able to make such a choice?
How Would Jehovah’s Witnesses Answer This?
Jehovah’s Witnesses will usually stress that humans cannot determine whom God will save or destroy.
God and Jesus know all the circumstances, and according to the teaching their judgment is always perfectly just.
JW EXPLANATION
God knows each person
completely
↓
Jesus is appointed
as judge
↓
his judgment is
always just
↓
humans cannot
decide in advance who
will be savedThat answer, however, mainly shifts the question to trust in God’s judgment.
It does not explain exactly how the historical idea that a child can be destroyed because of the religious position of its parents fits with the Bible texts about individual responsibility, ‘these little ones,’ and the Good Shepherd.
That is precisely why it is a relevant question to examine for yourself.
But Do Only Baptized Jehovah’s Witnesses Survive?
That is often summarized that way, but that is too absolute.
Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that anyone who wants to serve God must show faith, adjust his or her way of life, and eventually get baptized.
But baptism by itself is not a guarantee of salvation.
Moreover, the organization says that it does not itself determine which individual people will or will not be saved. The final judgment rests with Jesus.
In 2024, an Important Part of the Explanation Changed
Until a few years ago, it was taught that before the start of the great tribulation, people had to clearly choose Jehovah’s side.
Once Babylon the Great had been destroyed and the great tribulation had begun, that possibility was considered, in practice, to be over.
In 2024, that explanation was changed.
According to the current explanation, some people may still respond to what is happening after the start of the great tribulation and yet choose Jehovah’s side.
The organization also says that it does not know how God will judge people who, before that time, never truly had the opportunity to hear the message.
EARLIER EXPLANATION
great tribulation begins
↓
opportunity to change sides
practically over
CURRENT EXPLANATION
great tribulation begins
↓
some people can
still respond
↓
still choose Jehovah’s
sideIn 2025, the explanation about preaching changed as well
In 2025, another adjustment followed.
Previously, Jehovah’s Witnesses believed that the regular preaching of the good news would end when Babylon the Great was destroyed and the great tribulation began.
Since 2025, the official explanation has been that the preaching of the good news continues during the great tribulation until just before Armageddon.
BEFORE
great tribulation
↓
preaching the good news
ends
SINCE 2025
great tribulation
↓
preaching continues
↓
just before Armageddon
the opportunity endsWhat happens after Armageddon?
According to Jehovah’s Witnesses, Armageddon is not the end of the earth.
It is actually the transition to the world they hope for.
After Armageddon, Satan is said to be imprisoned for a thousand years.
Jesus Christ and the 144,000 will rule over the earth from heaven during that period.
According to Jehovah’s Witnesses, large numbers of deceased people will also be resurrected.
ARMAGEDDON
↓
Satan imprisoned
↓
1,000 YEARS
↓
resurrection
↓
humanity grows
to perfection
↓
paradise earthArmageddon is also good news within the doctrine
To outsiders, Armageddon sounds mainly like destruction. Jehovah’s Witnesses themselves present it as hope. According to their belief, Armageddon brings an end to war, injustice, and bad human rule. After that comes the paradise earth that believers look forward to.
That is why two experiences can exist side by side:
ARMAGEDDON
for one person:
hope
↓
end to suffering
↓
paradise
for another:
threat
↓
judgment
↓
loss of loved ones
↓
fearWhy can it evoke both hope and fear at the same time?
That depends greatly on how someone has experienced the teaching.
Someone who is convinced that he or she will be protected by God may see Armageddon as the moment when everything finally turns out right.
But the same doctrine also contains the possibility that people you love will not survive.
For a child, the thought may also arise:
IF MOM AND DAD
SERVE JEHOVAH
↓
am I safe?
BUT IF THEY
DON’T
↓
what will happen
to me then?That makes the question about children not only theologically relevant.
For people who grew up with this, it can also be emotionally important.
Questions to think about
What did I used to think exactly would happen during Armageddon?
What did I think would happen to babies and young children of non-Jehovah’s Witnesses?
As a believer, did I think it was fair that a child’s position could be tied to that of their parents?
How does that compare for me with Ezekiel 18, where a son does not die for his father’s sin?
What does it mean to me that Abraham found it unthinkable that God would destroy the righteous together with the wicked?
How do I read Jesus’ words that his Father does not want even one of ‘these little ones’ to be lost?
How does the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd fit with my former image of Jesus during Armageddon?
Is ‘God will do it justly’ a sufficient answer for me, or does it raise new questions instead?
Was Armageddon for me mainly hope, fear, or both?
What did I think would happen to family members or friends outside the organization?
Did the expectation that the end was near affect my choices about education, work, relationships, children, or future plans?
What does it mean to me that the explanation of the moment when someone can still change has been adjusted in 2024 and 2025?
Summary
Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Jesus will execute God’s judgment during Armageddon and that the current human political system will come to an end.
A difficult question within that doctrine is what happens to babies and young children who are not yet able to make a personal choice of faith.
The current official publication says that the Bible gives no direct answer to that. It does emphasize that the children of a believing parent can be considered “holy” and points to earlier Bible judgments in which children also died.
Older publications were much more explicit. In 1952, it was taught that minor children who did not fall under the “family merit” of a Christian parent would be destroyed during Armageddon without any hope of a resurrection.
By contrast, there are Bible passages that raise interesting questions. In Genesis 18, Abraham asks whether God will really destroy the righteous along with the wicked. God says he would spare Sodom even for the sake of ten righteous men. In Jeremiah 5, it is said that Jerusalem would be forgiven if someone could be found who acted righteously and faithfully.
Ezekiel 18 then emphasizes that a son does not die for his father's sin.
And it is precisely Jesus who uses, in Matthew 18, the image of one lost sheep that is sought out, and then says that his Father does not want even one of ‘these little ones’ to perish. In John 10, Jesus also calls himself the Good Shepherd who gives his life for the sheep.
That leaves a fundamental question:
How is the picture of Jesus as the Good Shepherd — who seeks out the one sheep, gives his life to save it, and says that his Father does not want even one of ‘these little ones’ to be lost — to be reconciled with the possibility that a young child is permanently destroyed while having never consciously been able to choose either for or against God?
That is not an answer that EXJW.World has to supply for the reader.
It is a question the Bible texts themselves raise when they are set alongside the Armageddon teaching.
Sources and further reading
Jehovah’s Witnesses – Armageddon, Reasoning from the Scriptures. Explicitly addresses the question of what happens to young children during Armageddon and refers to 1 Corinthians 7:14 and earlier divine judgments.
The Watchtower – Training Children for Life in the New World, 1952. Historical explanation of ‘family merit’ and the fate of minor children during Armageddon.
The Watchtower – Questions from Readers, March 1, 1971. About baptism, Armageddon, and the protection of minor children on the basis of a believing parent.
Genesis 18:23-32 – New World Translation. Abraham asks whether God will destroy the good along with the bad; the conversation narrows to ten righteous ones.
Jeremiah 5:1 – New World Translation. About looking for someone in Jerusalem who acts righteously and tries to be faithful.
Ezekiel 18 – New World Translation. About individual responsibility and the principle that a son does not die for his father's sin.
Matthew 18:1-14 – New World Translation. About ‘these little ones,’ the one lost sheep, and the Father's desire that not one of them should perish.
John 10:1-18 – New World Translation. Jesus as the Good Shepherd who gives his life for the sheep.
1 Samuel 17:34-35 – New World Translation. David рассказывает how, as a shepherd, he rescued a sheep from the mouth of a predator.
Jehovah’s Witnesses – What Do We Know About Jehovah’s Future Judgments?, The Watchtower, May 2024. Revised explanation of the earlier understanding of future judgments and the possibility that people may still change during the great tribulation.
Jehovah’s Witnesses – Questions from Readers, The Watchtower, August 2025. Updated explanation about preaching continuing during the great tribulation.
Read also
Fear conditioning – Why an old alarm system can react even while your mind knows there is no immediate danger.
God's judgment – When is someone personally accountable according to the Bible?
Free will – Can there be a choice if someone is still too young to understand that choice?
Autonomous thinking – Putting different Bible texts side by side and examining for yourself what conclusion follows from them.
Cognitive dissonance – When two beliefs that both felt true turn out to be hard to reconcile with each other.
