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NASB | Luke 23:43 And He said to him, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise." |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Luke 23:43 Jesus said to him, "I assure you and most solemnly say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." [2 Cor 12:4; Rev 2:7] |
Bible Question:
I am in a discussion on if Judas could be in heaven. The person recited John 17:12. But during his last moments on earth if he asked for forgiveness, could Judas be in Heaven? God's love and understanding is that great. Or did he sinned asgainst the Holy Spirit? Seedling |
Bible Answer: "the son of perdition [Judas Iscariot--the one who is now doomed to destruction, destined to be lost]" AMPLIFIED John 17:12 While I was with them, I kept and preserved them in Your Name [in the knowledge and worship of You]. Those You have given Me I guarded and protected, and not one of them has perished or is lost except the son of perdition [Judas Iscariot--the one who is now doomed to destruction, destined to be lost], that the Scripture might be fulfilled. [Ps. 41:9; John 6:70.] 'Son of Perdition (John 17:12) 'As terrible as “traitor” is, that title pales into insignificance compared to this one. To be the “son of perdition” denotes that Judas is a man identified with eternal destruction, or whose destiny is the Lake of Fire. “Son of perdition” is a predictive designation. 'Furthermore, Acts 1:25 says that Judas went “to his own place,” the thought being the place of his own choosing. Accordingly, it is not that Judas was foreordained from eternity past to go to hell, without opportunity to be saved. Instead, he chose to reject Jesus Christ and will suffer the consequences of any person who rejects the Savior.' ____________________ 'Judas’ Character 'In the village of Bethany six days before the Lord’s final Passover, where Lazarus had been raised from the dead (John 12:1), Martha served supper with Lazarus at the table (12:2), but Mary anointed Christ’s feet with expensive “oil of spikenard,” “wiping His feet with her hair” (12:3). It was a wonderful display of love, gratitude, and worship. 'Then Judas asked 'Why was this fragrant oil not sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it (John 12:4-6). 'Character trait #1: He did not care about the poor. He was a hard-hearted man, too concerned with feathering his own nest while others, less fortunate, suffered around him. 'Character trait #2: He was a thief, pilfering funds from the Lord’s money box, which exposes that Judas was full of avarice, or greed. 'Accordingly, Judas was not in tune with Jesus, rejecting the Lord’s message. To the poor, Jesus preached the gospel (Luke 7:22). And for the needy, Jesus taught that we should go out of our way to help them so far as we are able (parable of the Good Samaritan, Luke 10:29-37). Judas did not welcome that message, nor did he want to help the needy. The man was not regenerated for in a believer God works to will and to do of His good pleasure, which includes ministering to those with pressing needs (cp. Philippians 2:13 with Titus 3:14). Of course, carnality can quench this work of the Spirit in believers also.' ____________________ 'One commentary says this about Judas: 'The comment of the Evangelist [that Judas was a thief] is intended to stress the avarice of Judas, who saw in the price of the ointment nothing of the beautiful deed which Jesus praised (Mark 14:6) but only a means by which the apostolic fund would be increased, and thereby his own pocket lined. And even this motive was cloaked under a specious plea that the money could be given away to relieve the poor. Thus to covetousness there is added the trait of deceit.4 'Commentators have suggested many possibilities to explain Judas’ character: 'Love of money; jealousy of the other disciples; fear of the inevitable outcome of the Master’s ministry which made him turn state’s evidence in order to save his own skin; an enthusiastic intention to force Christ’s hand and make him declare himself as Messiah a bitter, revengeful spirit which arose when his worldly hopes were crushed and this disappointment turned to spite and spite became hate-all these motives have been suggested.5 'What is clear is that Judas was a self-serving thief. who followed Jesus not because his inner man had converted to Him, but because he hoped for personal gain by the relationship.' ____________________ 'The role of the devil 'Jesus knew that ultimately His battle was with the evil one. On an occasion well before His final trip to Jerusalem, He implied that the devil would be involved. 'Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil (ei” diavbolo” ejstin)?” He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve (John 6:67-71).' ____________________ To read the entire article go to: www.bible.org/qatopic.asp Judas By: George E. Meisinger , Th.M., D.Min, Ph.D. Article from CTS Journal, volume 3, number 1 (Summer 1997), a publication of Chafer Theological Seminary, Orange, CA. |