How many of you personally know someone at school, at work, or in your neighborhood who is named Peter?
How many of you personally know someone named Judas? How many of you have ever even met someone named Judas?
Why is that? When Wendy was pregnant with our first child, before we knew it was a girl, we began to pick out baby names for boys and girls, and do you know what? We never even considered the name Judas for a boy. You want to know what else? Wendy and I are really into the meaning of names — and the name Judas actually has a great meaning! It means “praised” or “celebrated.”
So how come no one names their little boy Judas? The reason, as you all know, is because the name Judas is synonymous with treachery. If you call someone a “Judas” you are saying that they are someone who will betray you, who will stab you in the back.
Why? Because that is what Judas Iscariot in the Bible did to Jesus 2000 years ago. We look upon Judas in the same way some of us might look upon Hitler, or Osama bin Laden. All of these kind of people deserve the darkest pit of hell. In fact, have you ever read Dante’s Divine Comedy? It is a three volume trilogy written by Dante in which he takes an imaginary tour through Hell, into Purgatory, and then finally to Paradise. In each place, he mentions various levels of existence.
The first volume, Inferno, is his description of hell. He begins at the outer rings of hell where existence there is not too bad. As he journeys deeper and deeper into the pits of hell, he comes, at the end of the book to the lowest, darkest and worst level of Hell. It is there that the Devil resides, and Dante describes him as having three mouths in which he tears to bits the three worst sinners the world has ever seen. Then Dante goes on to say this: “The foremost sinner found that biting to be nothing, when matched against the clawing, for at times his back was stripped completely of its hide.”
Who was this sinner? According to Dante, it was none other than Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Jesus.
After this, Dante journeys through purgatory, which, unlike hell, is a fictional place, and then finally, Dante gets a tour or Heaven. And who should be one of the foremost saints in Heaven, but the apostle Peter? And whereas Judas was described as undergoing the worst torment ever, Peter is described as being as bright and glorious as three rings of fire circling around one another in a dance and singing a song so divine that no imagination can comprehend it (Canto 24). Even today, if you have ever heard, or if you have ever told a story, or a joke about heaven, I am sure the story included something about Peter. You know, “You arrive at the gates of heaven, and Peter is standing there…” and then story goes on from there.
Judas and Peter. Two very different men. When we speak of them, we get very different reactions. We often exalt Peter. We name our kids Peter. We place Peter in heaven. But we often condemn Judas. We name our enemies Judas. We put Judas in the lowest pit in hell. But really, Peter and Judas had a lot in common.
I want to compare and contrast these two men for you. I will show you that they really were almost identical. We think they were so different, but really, there was only one difference that separated them and it is this that made all the difference in regard to their eternal destiny.
But let’s begin with what they had in common. First, the positive things.
Positive Similarities between Peter and Judas
When Jesus walked the earth, hundreds of people were amazed at his teachings and so began to follow him and listen to him, and learn from him. These people were known as his disciples. Among these multitudes were both Peter and Judas. Both of them were disciples. At a certain point in Jesus’ ministry, he knew that he had to pick out a few men to give more attention to. He wanted to train and teach and spend more time with a select few of his disciples. So, he went among his disciples and picked out twelve. These twelve became known as His apostles. This was a wonderful privilege. And among those chosen, were Peter and Judas (John 6). As his apostles, they spent a lot of quality time with Jesus. They followed him around, traveled with him, ate with him, they learned from him, they witnessed all of his miracles. We know that both Peter and Judas prayed, for Jesus taught his apostles to pray. We know that both Peter and Judas, along with all the apostles, read their Bibles and learned Scripture.
Near the end of Jesus’ life, he did for them what only the lowest servant in a house would do, and only then because they were ordered to. In John 13, Jesus and his apostles come back from a journey, and whether it was dry and hot or wet and muddy, their feet were most assuredly filthy and stinking. And Jesus gets a basin and a towel to wash all of their feet. And among them, of course, is Peter and Judas. Jesus washed both of their feet. On the last night Jesus was alive, he and his apostles at a final meal together, and again, both Peter and Judas were present. Not only that, but Judas got a place of honor at the table. He got sit at Jesus’ left hand, when Peter did not (John 13:22-26). (The apostle John was on Jesus’ right hand.) Both took part in the last supper.
So, Peter and Judas had a lot in common. These are all good things. Maybe, now you don’t view Judas as low as you once did. Jesus thought highly of him and loved him, and now maybe you’ve raised your estimation of him a bit.
But we still place Peter pretty high on our scale, right? So, we have raised Judas up a bit, let’s bring Peter down. We’re looking at things they had in common, and we’ve see the positive, now let’s look at the negative.
Negative Similarities Between Peter and Judas
Maybe you remember that before Judas betrayed Christ, Satan entered into him (Lk. 22:3). And we think, “That’s why Judas was so evil.” But did you know that Jesus called Peter Satan? Once, as Jesus was walking along with his disciples, he was telling them what would happen to him in Jerusalem. He said that he would be put to death. Peter didn’t like to hear this, so he took Jesus aside, and rebuked him by saying, “Never Lord! Don’t say such things. This shall never happen to you.” How did Jesus respond? He looked right at Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan!” (Matt 16:21-23; John 6:70-71).
So in other words, both Judas and Peter were influenced in one way or another by Satan. We can also be certain that both wanted Jesus to be someone he was not: a political, military, kingly ruler. Both wanted Jesus to rule and to reign and to judge. Both wanted him to overthrow the Romans, and set himself up as king, and return Israel to the glory they once had, and which is prophesied they will have again. Both wanted a type of Messiah that Jesus had not come to be. Again, all of us remember Judas for his betrayal, his treachery. But did you know that Peter betrayed Christ as well? Both turned their backs on Jesus. Judas sold Christ to those who wanted to kill him for 30 pieces of silver, which was the price of a slave.
Peter’s betrayal, though, was almost worse. Let me explain why. At the last supper, Jesus told them that they would all deny him. Peter, who was always sticking his foot in his mouth, boasted that even if all of the others denied him, he would not. But we all know what happened. When Jesus was arrested, all of his disciples fled and hid. But Peter, most likely remembering his boast, followed Jesus from a distance. So far, so good. But when people began to recognize Peter as one of Jesus’ followers and question him about it, he denied ever having known Jesus. He even cursed and swore that he did not know Jesus. All in all, Peter denied Jesus three times (maybe six times – see my study entitled “The Six Denials of Peter“). Both Peter and Judas betrayed Christ.
We’ve seen the positive and the negative things they had in common. Now let’s begin to look at what their differences were. There are two main differences, and the first is really quite surprising.
Surprising Similarities between Peter and Judas
Probably, what we have already seen this morning has been surprising for you. Peter, whom we all think is in heaven, and Judas, whom we all think is in hell, have more in common with each other than any of us ever imagined. So why do we honor the name of Peter so much, and despise the name of Judas? Why? Maybe you think it is because Peter knew he was a sinner and Judas didn’t. Well, surprisingly, it appears from Scripture that Judas knew what he had done was wrong before Peter did. Now remember, both thought Jesus was going to set himself up as king and rule the world. So try to imagine what Judas and Peter were thinking when Jesus went to the cross almost 2000 years ago.
Let’s take Peter first. Scripture doesn’t really tell us what Peter was thinking. Movies and fictional books tend to portray him as severely depressed and upset at himself for denying Christ three times. But I think Peter very possibly, could have felt a sense of relief when Jesus died. You see, he didn’t think that the Messiah would come to die, so when Jesus did die, Peter might have thought that Jesus had been a false Messiah.
So in a sense, Peter was probably angry with Christ for acting like a Messiah when He was not the Messiah. Peter was probably angry with himself for being taken in, for being deceived, by a false Messiah. So in that case, Peter might have felt a sense of relief, for although he had denied Christ, and said that he didn’t know Christ, it turned out to be OK, for Jesus was not the Messiah after all. Peter might have even felt a little proud. Maybe he began to justify his actions in his own mind by saying that he denied Christ because Peter was smart enough to realize that Jesus was a false Messiah.
Now this is all speculation, but I can easily imagine that this might have been what Peter was thinking, especially since Peter was not present at the crucifixion. It is very possible that Peter did not think he had done anything wrong, until after Jesus rose from the dead. And then, I am sure, Peter was terrified. Possibly, Peter thought he had not done anything too bad. If Jesus was the Messiah, he wouldn’t have died – in Peter’s thinking. But since He did die, then maybe Jesus wasn’t the Messiah. And if Jesus wasn’t the Messiah, the only thing Peter had done was deny a false Messiah.
Judas, on the other hand, when he saw that Jesus had been put to death, he immediately knew that what he had done was wrong! He had done something which ended in someone getting killed! He had taken part in a murder! In fact, Judas, probably more than any of the others, wanted Jesus to be the Kingly Messiah who would restore Israel to it’s rightful place among the nations. And Judas, after spending three years with Jesus, became convinced that Jesus was this Messiah. He had power over nature. He had authority over the rulers. He had strength to cast out demons. Judas was not stupid. He knew who Jesus was. But he thought that Jesus just needed a little help. He thought that Jesus needed a little boost. A little goading. A little kick in the pants to get things going. He knew that Jesus was presently a good teacher, a good rabbi, but Judas thought that Jesus deserved more (cf. Matt. 26:22, 25). And Judas was not content to let Jesus just sit around and teach.
So he developed a plan. He created a series of events in which Jesus would be forced to defend himself against the Romans, and a battle between the Jews and the Romans would result. The end of the matter would be that Jesus would chase off the Romans, and the Jews would have their land back. It was a perfect plan. Judas carried out the details with precision. He told the religious leaders that he would help them capture Jesus. They pulled some strings to get some guards, and on a certain evening, they all journeyed up to the Garden on the Mount of Olives where Jesus was. Things went just as planned at first. Judas, in the typical Jewish fashion, greeted Jesus with a kiss to show the guards who Jesus was. They asked if he was Jesus, and he said, “I Am!” (Mk. 13:6). At this, all the guards fell to the ground. This was the name of Yahweh that Jesus had spoken! This was the name of God! Can’t you just see Judas smiling to himself? Jesus had scared them all to the ground with two simple words! Judas looked up to heaven, expecting to see fire and lightning fall from the sky to incinerate Jesus’ would be attackers. Good old Peter even drew a sword to start attacking the guards! Judas hadn’t counted on that, but it fit in fine. Peter took a swing at one of the guards (John 18:10) and lopped off his ear, just barely missing the man’s head! Everything was going great.
And then, things went terribly wrong. Jesus told Peter to put the sword away. Confused, Peter did. Then Jesus went to the man who was screaming and holding his bloody head, and Jesus healed him! Judas was getting scared now. This wasn’t supposed to happen! You don’t heal your enemies when you are trying to defeat them! But then things got even worse. Jesus allowed himself to be arrested! They took him, and tied his hands behind his back. They knocked him to the ground. A few guards “accidentally” hit him.
And Jesus never did a thing. Can’t you just imagine it? Judas is scared now. But he still thinks there’s a chance Jesus will pull out of his tailspin. In fact, when he realizes that Jesus is going to go on trial, he realizes that Jesus might have a better plan in mind! Maybe he’s going to reveal himself before the court! But hour by hour goes by, and Jesus does nothing. He says nothing. He allows people to falsely accuse him of all sorts of things. He allows people to mock him, and strike him, and spit on him. And still he does nothing. And at the end of the trial, Jesus is condemned to death. Judas had meant for him to take over, not to be condemned.
Wracked with guilt, he returned to the temple and flung the 30 pieces of silver back at the priests who had given it to him, he went home, got a piece of rope, walked slowly to a empty field that was nearby, climbed up into the branches of a twisted, solitary tree, put the rope around his neck, and jumped. Judas went out and hung himself
When Jesus died, Peter thought maybe he had done the right thing in denying Christ. When Jesus was condemned, Judas knew he had done the wrong thing. In fact, Matthew 27:3, says that Judas repented of what he had done. He knew he had sinned by shedding innocent blood.
If that was where the story ended, we might think today that neither one of them went to heaven. We might think, that if anything, since Judas repented when Peter did not, maybe Judas went to heaven when Peter went to hell. But that is not the end of the story. We know from Scripture that in fact, Peter went to heaven, and Judas went to hell. Why? Was it because Peter was better than Judas? Not from what we’ve seen today. We have seen that they were identical in so many ways. And we have seen that in the areas they differ, Judas might have been better than Peter. But still, Judas goes to hell when Peter goes to heaven?
Why?
So the question for us today is “Why?” You know, maybe you’ve lived a pretty good life. Maybe you haven’t. Maybe you think you deserve to go to heaven. Maybe you realize you don’t. But did you know that you can know where you’re going, whether heaven or hell? Did you know that God tells us in his Word how to know where you are going?
This way we can know what is in store for us after death is the one thing that Peter did which Judas did not. We’ve seen that in so many ways they are identical, but there is one thing Peter did which made all the difference in regard to his eternal destiny. Do you want to know what this one thing was? Let me tell you. I want to read a few verses for you from John 6. In John 6, Jesus has been teaching some of his disciples about himself, and some of them find what he has said hard to believe. So Jesus says this: “Truly, truly, he who believes in me has eternal life. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him (That’s Judas).
At this point, many of his disciples leave him. But some remained, and Jesus turns to them and says, “You do not want to leave also, do you?” Among them was Peter, who answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” What was the difference between Peter and Judas? One believed in Jesus for eternal life, one did not. The one who believed in Jesus Christ for eternal life went to heaven, the one who did not believe, went to hell. (John 17:12; Acts 1:25).
It’s that simple. It’s not because one read the Bible and one didn’t. They both did. It’s not because one prayed and one didn’t. They both did. It’s not because one was a better person or lived a better life than the other. They both had good and bad. The only difference that affected their eternal destiny was the fact that Peter believed in Jesus for eternal life, and Judas did not. And that has made all the difference.
So what about you? If you were to die in 13 seconds, do you know where you would spend eternity? You can know. If, like Peter, you believe in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life. God promises eternal life to you simply by believing in Jesus for it! In John 3:16, he says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only son, that whosoever believes in him, shall not perish (that’s hell), but have everlasting life (that’s heaven).” Peter believed and went to heaven. Judas did not and went to hell. Both of them deserved hell. Just like all of us deserve hell. Romans 3:23 says that all have sinned, and Romans 6:23 says that the wages of sin is death. If you think you’re not such a bad person, James 2:10 says that even if you keep the whole law, but stumble in just one point, you are guilty of breaking all of it.
So, Peter, Judas, and all of us, deserve hell. But Peter believed in Jesus for eternal life and went to heaven.
Which is it going to be for you? Have you believed in Jesus for everlasting life? If not, won’t you believe in Jesus today? Won’t you believe in what He has done for you? All other religions in the world say that you have to do something to get to heaven. Christianity is the only “religion” in the world which says that everything that needs to be done has already been done for you by Christ. Your responsibility is to accept it by believing in Jesus Christ for it. It’s that simple. What will you do? Are you going to be like Peter or Judas?
Today, it’s up to you. Believe in Jesus for everlasting life.
The following poem sums up what we have seen in Peter, and in us:
I was shocked, confused, bewildered
as I entered Heaven’s door,
Not by the beauty of it all,
by the lights or its decor.
But it was the folks in Heaven
who made me sputter and gasp–
the thieves, the liars, the sinners,
the alcoholics, the trash.
There stood the kid from seventh grade
who swiped my lunch money twice.
Next to him was my old neighbor
who never said anything nice.
Herb, who I always thought
was rotting away in hell,
was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
looking incredibly well.
I nudged Jesus, “What’s the deal?
I would love to hear Your take.
How’d all these sinners get up here?
God must’ve made a mistake.
And why’s everyone so quiet,
so somber? Give me a clue.”
“Hush, child,” said He. “They’re all in shock.
No one thought they’d see you.”
I read and was interested until I came to your speculations about Peter being relieved by Christ’s death thinking he was a false messiah Matt. 26:75 Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly -read your bible
Julie,
LOL! No need to be unloving and rude. If you have a question, ask a question.
I am not guaranteeing I am right. I am speculating a bit. Nobody can know for sure what went through Peter’s mind when Jesus died.
But why do you think Peter wept bitterly? You seem to think it was because Peter was convinced more than ever that Jesus was the Messiah. But if this was so, wouldn’t Peter have known that Jesus was going to rise from the dead as Jesus had promised He would? If so, why did he and the apostles not initially believe Mary when she told them that Jesus has risen (Mark 16:11; Luke 24:11). Even Luke 24:12 indicates that he “wondered what had happened.”
Could it be that he had all his hopes and dreams dependent upon Jesus and His claim to be the Messiah, and now, all those dreams came crashing down? The Messiah was not supposed to die at the hands of His enemies, but was supposed to overthrow and conquer them. It seems likely that Peter wept because He could not believe that the the person He thought was the Messiah had died.
Or could it be that Peter sold his soul to the devil for 30 Pieces of silver? And maybe he thought he had it in the bag, playing God, thinking he had it all under control. And that’s when everything went wrong. Only God is in control, and Judas found that out the hard way.
I think you mean “Judas sold his soul”?
It’s possible, but this “selling your soul to the devil” idea is a modern invention. People in that time did not think in such terms.
Scripture is also clear that “no not one believes”. Scripture is also clear that it wasn’t until “after” the resurrection and Jesus revealed himself to them that they “finally” believed. He even upbraided them for their unbelief when he returned. Peter didn’t believe any more than Judas did. You’d do well to look into the old ways of the “two” priests it required for the atonement of sin of the people – one for the inner court and one for the outer court, and the two animals – the spotless sacrificial lamb, and the scapegoat of whom the blood of that sacrificial lamb was placed and sent into the wilderness. Then you might begin to see the truth about Judas…
Not by works lest any man should boast.
Not by thy will nor thy desire nor thy effort.
Peter wept bitterly after the cock crowed 3 times and remembered what Jesus said, not after Jesus died. But yes we don’t know what Peter was thinking after Jesus died. Like most Christians when things seem not to go according to plan we get afraid. But what I learned from all of this is to trust God when all seems lost! Thank you for your article!
I know that our faith in Jesus’ death and shed blood at the Cross is what washes away our sins, and gives us eternal life. But one question that I have is, what happened to the people who died during the time after Jesus’ birth, and the 33 years he lived before His crucifixion? Did they go to Heaven or Hell based on the Old Testament Law, or did those who died that had believed in Jesus and followed His ministry go to Heaven by virtue of the fact they accepted Jesus for who He claimed to be?
Jeremy,
I really enjoyed your post and insight. The part that Julie refers to was very thought provoking. But in the end it also made me a little weary about the post. No disresepect of course because we are all entitled to our opinions. In response to “why do you think Peter wept bitterly?” I believe that Peter realized even more than before that Jesus was who he said he was. Jesus knew that Peter would deny him, and it even took Peter a minute to realize that the prediction came true. Maybe Peter was unbelieving of Mary’s story on Easter morning because he did not fully understand. Although Jesus explained what would happen, it would still be a lot of information to understand. I figured that Peter would have believed in Jesus being the Messiah because of the supernatural things that followed (like the sky getting dark, and the earth shaking).
Like I said, I completely support your pov and I can definitely see where you are coming from. It could very well be the way that it happened in Peter’s mind. It is a little odd that the disciples, including Peter, were so miserable after Jesus died. You would think after all the predictions by Jesus that they would be happy instead of sad? Maybe this is where you were getting the idea of Peter being disbelieving?
All in all I found it to be a great post! It is very useful in my Bible studying.
Jennifer,
Thank you for the comment. Yes, I was engaging in some speculative thinking in this study. It is sometimes helpful to look at Scripture from another perspective and see where it leads us.
I am glad you found it useful, even if you didn’t fully agree! Thank you for reading.
Great article. I was a little uneasy about your take on Peter, but in many ways it makes sense. It doesn’t hurt to hypothesize about these things we know little about. Many people commit suicide every year, and though they are sad cases and some of them are nice, what gets them into hell or heaven has to do with one thing — they’re trust in God.
Thanks Don,
Right, suicide is a forgivable sin, just like any other. If people believe in Jesus for eternal life, they have it! He guarantees it.
Suicide a forgivable sin? Pls explain
Because Jesus forgives all sins, even before you commit them.
Nowhere in Scripture does it say that suicide is not forgivable, so the burden of proof is on those who teach that people who commit suicide cannot be forgiven.
As much as your submissions are speculative, i think we should reason in this light. if you think suicide is forgivable, why then did the bible declare that “it is appointed unto man to die once, after which, judgement follows”? Hebrew 9:27.
I love your work though.
thanks
Pastor Ayodele D.O
Nigeria, West Africa
In the Luther movie, Luther gently takes the body of a child who commits suicide and buries him in the church cemetary contrary to Catholic practise. John Piper speculates that if a person commits suicide rather than a heinous sin that they are unable to resist, perhaps the suicide is a better choice. Regardless, salvation is of the Lord and our salvation is by faith alone . . . unto good works.
Get real y’all. the New Testament is an allegory. And the meaning of the allegory is that Judas is Mashiach.
Uhh. Nope.
While it’s clearly written that Judas repents, he is the only one of the disciples who repents of anything. Jesus infers that Peter will be strengthened when his heart has turned, but on no occasion do we ever hear of him having a moment of remorse. Furthermore, before Jesus is captured and crucified, he tells his disciples that he shall be handed over to sinners, who will entreat him spitefully, and will then put him to death, and on the third day he would rise. But his disciples failed to understand what he was talking about, as they did on numerous occasions. Why? Because the story is an allegory; Jesus speaks in parables, because he is a parable, for his alter ego, Judas, who for the last 2,000 years has been in the hands of self-confessed sinners (Christians), who have indeed entreated him spitefully, and have done every thing in their power to have you believe that he is dead, (although it’s never written that he has died, or that he was ever buried, either). And now, with advent of the third day, as time is reckoned unto the Lord, it is Judas who is on the ascension. In brief, for all intents and purposes, Judas IS Jesus, writ large.
Judas is Jesus? Yikes! This sounds like something the early Gnostics taught. Be careful!
Yes, I know it sounds absurd to claim that Judas and Jesus are one and the same. But in my opinion, it’s no more strange than trying to take The New Testament literally. As a sort of proof, I would ask you to look at the three accounts of St. Paul’s conversion, to be found in The Book of Acts, chapters 9, 22, and 26. If you observe closely, they don’t agree with another, in a deliberate, almost comical way. And of course there are numerous other discrepancies throughout the New Testament as well which are unresolvable. It might be noted that there is an excruciating irony to Jesus, the most popular personality of all-time, saying, “that which is highly esteemed by men, is an abomination in the sight of God. ” And that two-edged sword is prevalent throughout the book. In closing, let it be said, that like most of the mineral wealth on earth, the real treasures in scripture lie hidden beneath the surface. Consequently, a little digging has to be done.
In response to Rick’s comment, “that which is highly esteemed by men, is an abomination in the sight of God.” That is true! But the meaning behind it is that those things which men exalt above God by their own desires, ARE an abomination to God. Jesus was not an abomination to God, but the sin of mankind He took upon Himself at the Cross was. Jesus thus bore the wrath of God for our sin/abomination, but because He was sinless, was resurrected to glory as the first fruits of both spiritual and bodily salvation and everlasting life. God thus shows that He alone has the power to overcome both spiritual and physical death to those who are sinless. Which is how God sees us when we are washed clean by the blood of Christ for having believed in Him as our Savoir and grow in our love for the Lord. He would only do this for His beloved Son because no sin was found IN Him. While He bore the sin of mankind outwardly or in a manner of speaking, placed the weight of man’s sin on His shoulders, inwardly Jesus was still spiritually perfect in God’s sight. While both Peter and Judas believed in Jesus, Peter loved the Lord, Judas did not. Yes Judas repented because he felt remorse, but he still did not love the Lord, whereas Peter did. Judas is not the alter ego of Jesus because that would make Jesus a sinful human being and unfit to be the perfect atonement to God for our sin. Furthermore, your saying that Judas was just another side of Jesus is false because then Jesus would have to betray Himself. By that logic that would make Jesus and Satan one in the same. Therefore, if Jesus sinned against Himself, we can just throw out the Gospel because He would no longer be perfect, right? A final point is that if Judas was simply another side of Jesus as you claim, how could Satan inhabit the body and soul of the Son of God who is also God Himself? The one who created all things, including Lucifer and all the other hosts, by Himself for Himself!
How do you know Judas didn’t love Jesus?
One has to wonder if Judas too could have found redemption had he not chosen to take his own life.
well, this is very important to me because redemption cane in one instant and jesus and Judas make eye contact, imagine how Judas must to fiol after he did what he did, I think after he repent and was redim he hung himself, to continue his life in a better place. He knew who Jesus was. Plus don’t we live x for a purpose? Judah purpose was to cause God, after that he was done here. lf I’m wrong God forgive me. God dosent wanted any one to perish.
The book is hard to find, but one author I know of makes a compelling case that Judas did in fact find redemption before he died. The book is “Judas and Divine Grace” by Dale Taliaferro.
This is great.
Jesus gave second third and forth chances to everyone He encountered .
I love to see you people an specialy man after the ❤ of God, Jeremy Myers keep and reading and wonder and sharing with your friends. I ha a 36 year old son name Jeremy, we can talk for hours what a flows hip he has his own church he atend and l have my own church I attended. we can be friends if you wanted. My son dosent like face book.
How many chances can be given to a dead man ? How could Judas be redeemed and then commit suicide ? Am I stepping on any doctrinal toes with these questions ?
How do I get a copy of “The Six Denials of Peter.?”
I just included a link in the text above where I referred to it. Or you could just search for it at the bottom of the page in the search box.
Hello,
What about where scripture says in Matthew 10:33 “But whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.”. Peter having denied Yashua before men, Yashua would then deny him before His father- in heaven. Where in scripture does it state Peter and Judas and their… ‘placement’ (heaven or hell) after death?
I thought I had sent this off a long time ago but I clicked on the wrong link. Sorry! Accidentally clicked on this folder and discovered my error. So here is my original reply to why I don’t think Judas loved Jesus. Judas saw Jesus as a means to an earthly end (an earthly kingdom, power, wealth, notoriety, etc…). When Jesus said He was going to die, Judas was angry that his position of power and influence would be eliminated. Remember the Jews were looking for the Messiah to be the conquering earthly king they expected to overthrow the Romans and restore Israel to prominence. Judas was motivated by how he could gain personal earthly wealth and status, not his eternal salvation. Believing his prominence among the Jews and his worldly position was about to come to an end, Judas “plotted” to betray Jesus and voluntarily went to the Sanhedrin because he had a hardened heart against Jesus, thus sealing his condemnation. Peter on the other hand, betrayed Jesus out of fear for his own life. Afterwards, Peter’s guilt and remorse caused him to weep bitterly when his eyes met Jesus’ eyes because he had betrayed the one he loved! Judas’ guilt and remorse caused him to commit suicide. Judas knew his act had condemned him to hell and his hardened heart could not ask Jesus for forgiveness. After His resurrection, Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved Him and Peter replied, “Lord, You know my heart, You know I love You.” Jesus also knew Judas’ heart and He knew he had no love in his heart for Him. Once Judas got to the point where his disdain for Christ was at its peak, his heart was hardened to the point where he totally rejected Jesus and he gave Satan the opening to enter him. Much different than a demon possession. No redemption at that point! In essence, Jesus told Judas/Satan, ‘do what you came to do.’ Judas had crossed the point of no return! Finally, when Jesus said there is a traitor among you, all the disciples said ‘Surely it is not I Lord?’ But Judas said, ‘surely it is not I Rabbi?’ Judas does not acknowledge Jesus as Lord, but rather as Rabbi (teacher). Unlike the others, Judas does not acknowledge His authority as Lord. Judas loved the benefits of being associated with Christ, but he had no love in his heart for Him!
Sadly, Judas was not the last person to see Jesus as a means to an earthly end, such as power, wealth and so on. The history of the church has been replete with such individuals. Each of us needs to examine ourselves to see if we follow in his footsteps or in the footsteps of Jesus.
we are sorry, but there are more issues with your writing; a few of which of are the following :
what LORD JESUS CHRIST Said what HE Said, after Peter felt very very surprised and highly disappointed for what LORD JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF Mentioned about what was going to happen (HIS Passion), was pointed out not to Peter personally, but directly to the fallen angel who suggested Peter
to say what he said, but Peter did not know yet The DIVINE Plans Of LORD GOD for humanity and right there his thoughts were moved, compelled, by
immediate instinct of preservation towards LORD JESUS CHRIST, LORD JESUS CHRIST Was Moved to Say what HE said because for the temptation
Being possibly a little discouraged by the sudden words of Peter, but, more than that, HE Wanted to Make a point after what Peter said;
Peter was moved by immediate act of heart when he said what he said because, to know that LORD JESUS CHRIST was going to suffer and die, was too
much for him, he didn’t know better, he didn’t understand yet; LORD JESUS CHRIST mentioned the name of the fallen angel because HE was referring
to the same not to Peter as a person, personally, bu at the same time HE let understand Peter, and so the others there, what HE said by Saying what HE
Said;
you cannot compare Peter to Juda, two completely different situations; Peter much loved LORD JESUS CHRIST, but was confused of what LORD
JESUS Said and what HE Was Going To go through;
also, for Peter, a big percentage of his denial (three times) was based on fear, he was unable to see beyond at that time, a lot confusion caught him also,
but LORD GOD, LORD JESUS CHRIST, Understood, Understands, Knew, HE Knows, HE Sees beyond ! HE Kept HIS Promises on Peter, all Of The
Things HE Said !
Peter acted also as a defense for LORD JESUS CHRIST when they were going to capture LORD JESUS CHRIST in the Garden of The Getsemani, and
this also confirms Peter’s true contents in his heart, of his thoughts;
your assertions are exagerated and presented in a dangerous way which then could create further confusion to others who do not know better;
At the end, Peter put himself in the condition of suffering as a martyr, after doing great work of ministry like the other Apostles;
let us not forget that, LORD JESUS CHRIST, LORD GOD SON Incarnate, Emmanuel, Knew also alot about Peter and how he was going to act,
think by heart, obviously, otherwise HE was not going to chose him as an Apostle, changing his name to stone, putting him in the situation of
feeding HIS sheeps, giving him the keys that we know, etc. .
Thank you for giving this opportunity to writing.
even Peter wrote telling about the future apostasies and doctrines of demons, etc., he had the Holy SPIRIT Of LORD GOD after The Ascension
into Heaven Of LORD JESUS CHRIST, he became a true healer, he preached, he ordained others through the Imposition of Hands To Call
The Holy SPIRIT for those you he chosed to minister, etc.;
Peter was the real traitor who betrayed Christ Judas was the patsy !
Let those of you who have never betrayed Jesus cast the first stone. And it may be wondered if Christianity would be able to survive without having Judas to kick around. The Crusades, the Inquisition, why even the Holocaust can be laid at the doorstep of the church, which verily canonized Jew-baiting throughout The Middle Ages and beyond. The one sure way to atone for such savagery is to magnify the name of Judas, whose story, as one of a brotherhood of twelve who becomes separated from the rest, clearly recalls the ordeal of Joseph, the patriarch Jacob’s favorite amongst his twelve sons, , whom, it may be noted, ironically saved and finished by ruling over his respective brethren. Scripturally, everything is in place for this to happen. It only needs to be recognized.
An intriguing comparison between two biblical characters. The concept presented of “repentance,” however, caused me to question the conclusion about the difference in eternal destinations. Both proved to be traitors or doubters. Peter proclaimed to be a believer and stated his allegiance to Christ, even to the death. He took up the sword and used it according to the story. He then retreated and when confronted retreated again. He wept and he went back to fishing for fish after Jesus was buried. Judas also repented of what he had done. Realizing he was wrong he reportedly tried to give the money back that he was paid to provide the whereabouts of Jesus. (Another of those confusing pieces of information. How hard would it have been to find Jesus? The New Testament doesn’t depict him as a gorilla-warfare type evangelist. He was very much out in the open and hated by many and had many followers. So his whereabouts was not something that had to be paid for and his identity was not some hidden secret known only to a minute few.) That aside, I will thank you for your observations. Peter and Judas were both accused of being associated with evil, both seemingly had misconceptions, both retreated, albeit in different ways when confronted by their opposers. However, the poem presented in this article made me realize that just as the new arrival in heaven was surprised to see all those “sinners” he had once known and apparently judged, so too were they surprised to see him, so too my many be surprised to see Judas.
I’m still confused. After Judus realized what he had done and that Jesus was innocent, surely he must have realised that Jesus is the messiah?
So why did he go to hell if he believed whi Jesus really was?
Also, if Judus hadn’t betrayed Jesus then God’s plan wouldn’t have happened.