Results 1 - 8 of 8
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Judas went to hell? | NT general Archive 1 | Makarios | 27985 | ||
Greetings Steve Jones! I disagree, and nowhere in Scripture does it say that Judas ever repented of his sin. You say that Judas "MIGHT WELL HAVE CALLED..".. This is TOTAL and COMPLETE speculation on your part, since NOWHERE in Scripture does it say that he, in fact, did this! In all sincerity, Judas did not! He could not deal with his guilt over betraying the Son of God to death, and he hanged himself. The Bible never says that Judas repented of His sin. If Judas was able to repent, then why did Jesus, who knew the eternal destination of Judas before the creation of the world (John 6:70-71), say that "it would have been better if he would not have been born"?? (Matthew 26:24) If Jesus knew what Judas' eternal destination was, then why did He say this if He knew that Judas would be in heaven with Him? Jesus knew that Judas would go to hell. Also, if Judas truly repented and went to heaven, then why was a replacement sought for him in Acts 1:15-26? And why was Judas' homestead made 'desolate' (Psalm 69:25; 109:8; Acts 1:20)?? Would it not have stated something different in this Psalm if Judas went to heaven? And what was Judas' "own place" that was spoken of in Acts 1:25??? Surely you know, since you believe that Judas went anywhere but hell. You cannot reach the conclusion that Judas repented by citing that he returned the money and killed himself. He, in fact, did not repent, and there is nothing in Scripture that you can cite that would be "pretty strong evidence" that Judas MIGHT be in heaven. - Nolan |
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2 | Judas went to hell? | NT general Archive 1 | stjones | 27997 | ||
Hi, Nolan; If I have you and Tim arrayed against me I know I've written something that requires further thought. But having thought about it a bit more, I'm inclined to defend my position. (That position, by the way, is NOT that "Judas went anywhere but hell". I said I didn't know where he wound up; I still don't know.) The various translations of Matthew 27:3 certainly do hold open the possibiliy that Judas truly repented. In these four, for example, the Greek word is translated as either "seized with/felt remorse" or "repented": [NIV] When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse ... [NASB] Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse ... [KJV] Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself ... [RSV] When Judas, his betrayer, saw that he was condemned, he repented ... Is this a word unrelated to true repentance? It is the same word that Jesus used in Matthew 21:28-32, translated first as "changed his mind" and second as "repent": [NIV] "What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.' 'I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. "Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go. "Which of the two did what his father wanted?" "The first," they answered. Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him." The second use is clearly related to gaining entrance to the Kingdom of God. We don't know what was in Judas' heart and so don't know if he truly repented. English translations of Matthew's gospel may not prove that he did, but they certainly leave it as a real possibility. The other passages are inconclusive. Judas in either Heaven or hell could not be a part of the disciples' earthly ministry, so they replaced him. "His place" might have been the field where he died - that was probably the last they'd heard of him. "Better if he had not been born"? Yes, far better than to be the one who betrayed Jesus. Perhaps Judas in his remorse/repentance figured that out and did what little he could to correct the error of his birth. What the Bible does not say is that Judas went to hell. It says he committed a grevious sin and the consequences of his sin were terrible. It describes the earthly cost to him - remorse, suicide, and universal contempt. It does not say that the cost included eternal damnation. I am not willing to judge Judas' heart. And I am not willing to assume that the actions of a man clearly driven by remorse and self-loathing were improper and somehow prove that he did not really repent. What I am willing to do is express thanksgiving to a God who could - and perhaps did - forgive even Judas. Peace and grace Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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3 | Judas went to hell? | NT general Archive 1 | Makarios | 28036 | ||
Greetings Steve Jones, I appreciate the clarity that you have tried to bring to your position, even though I continue to disagree. You see, Judas only felt regret for his action after Jesus was sentenced to death (Matthew 27:1-2). This is significant because it reveals that Judas was thinking that Jesus would miraculously escape while he got the bribe! But Jesus did not escape (to fulfill all Scripture), and Judas felt a great remorse and regret for his actions (because Jesus was, in fact, going to die)! This was not a remorse or sorrow that would lead to repentence (2 Cor. 7:10), since Judas killed himself before experiencing divine grace. If Judas truly felt a God-centered sorrow over the wickedness of his sin, then he would have repented immediately after the betrayal, not after Jesus' arrest, since the consequences of his action were not unexpected, even though they were horrifying. A "God-centered" remorse would have been a remorse from the very idea of putting the Son of God in danger at all! However, he only felt remorse after the Son of Man was sentenced to death. Also, if he had experienced divine grace, then why did he kill himself? Instead, Judas experienced a 'self-centered' sorrow over the painful consequences of his sin. Since the Son of Man was going to die, he was still more concerned about his well-being rather than that of the Son of Man. This passage illustrates the remarkable power of an awakened conscience! And since Judas' covetous heart trumped his duty as a disciple to love the Son of Man, the possession of his bribe so struck him in the heart that he could not use it or keep it any longer, but he could only throw it into the temple and kill himself. And this is the "self-centered" sorrow that leads to death (2 Cor. 7:10). Blessings to you, Nolan |
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4 | Judas went to hell? | NT general Archive 1 | stjones | 28044 | ||
Hi, Nolan; All excellent points. But I must continue in my ignorance - I simply do not know Judas' heart or God's final judgment on him. I appreciate the fact that you have relied on Scripture to support your conclusion. A lot of commentators have been cited in this thread, all claiming that Judas went to hell. I finally went to the commentaries and study Bible that I use to see what those writers thought. Not one of them addressed Judas' ultimate fate. I take this to mean that there are scholars who, like me, cannot find sufficient evidence in the Bible to declare with certainty what that fate was. I guess they are as ignorant as I am. ;-) Peach and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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5 | Judas went to hell? | NT general Archive 1 | Makarios | 28063 | ||
Greetings Steve, Regardless of how many "excellent points" I make, I see that it is all done in vain, since you have obviously closed yourself to the conclusions that Tim, kalos and I have repeatedly come to, all which nicely coincide with each other. I suppose that we will just have to continue to disagree, since I believe that the Bible explicitly tells us the eternal destination of Judas, and you fail to recognize or acknowledge that, no matter how much work is put into it. - Nolan |
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6 | Judas went to hell? | NT general Archive 1 | stjones | 28094 | ||
Hi, Nolan; I'm sorry to have offended or upset you. I hope you can understand that I am unable to succumb to mere numbers and opinions and abandon what I understand the Bible to say or not say. As for your effort being "in vain", it was if your intent was to bludgeon me into submission - I do not share your certainty about Judas' fate. We obviously disagree; I had thought it could be respectfully. Despite all the impassioned assertions by you and others, the Bible does not explicitly say that Judas went to hell. It does not explicitly say that his repentence was of an inferior variety. It does not explicitly say that "his place" refers to hell. It does not explicitly say that "better to have never been born" is equivalent to damnation. These are all valid interpretations of what the Bible says, but they are not explicit statements. The interpretations offered by you and the others are plausible. I would have thought that by my uncertainty of Judas' current whereabouts I was acknowledging that. He may indeed be in hell. But other interpretations consistent with the rest of Scripture are possible too. Perhaps the certainty that Judas is in hell arises not from anything the Bible explcitly says but from a fervent desire to see him there. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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7 | Judas went to hell? | NT general Archive 1 | Hank | 28099 | ||
Hi, Steve. Happy New Year! Fact is, I don't KNOW where Judas is either and it doesn't bother me much. If he is in hell, I don't think it a worthy goal to wish to go there to find out! Isn't it remarkable how many of these questions we see bandied about on the forum just really don't amount to much to begin with? You know, I've attended Bible study classes for years and taught many of them and don't recall asking or being asked about where Judas went or who Cain's wife was or whether God is left or right handed. There are simply some questions not worth asking. And the answers, even if we knew them for certain, wouldn't be worth a half a cup of warmed-over coffee. This is no slam at you Steve -- not in the least -- but from the tenor of your posts I'd guess you might even be somewhat inclined to give a nod to my observation on this subject. --Hank | ||||||
8 | Judas went to hell? | NT general Archive 1 | stjones | 28184 | ||
Hi, Hank; Yes and no. The answer is not important. Seeking the answer is. Such questions challenge me do two things that I don't usually do - dig deep into a single verse or two and think out of the box (mine, not the Bible's) about God. Just another example of the journey being more important than the destination. Happy New Year to you too. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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