Judas Iscariot — In Heaven or in Hell? Did Judas go to Hell?

By Gary Amirault

Contents

Introduction

Section 1. Scriptures Pertaining to Judas

Section 2. Historical, Cultural, and Geographic Information

Section 3. Putting It All Together

Section 4. Conclusion

Introduction

For the last 1900 years, many Christians have placed Judas in a special category of evil. To sell Jesus into the hands of Israel's Priesthood is a sin most Christians feel they would not be capable of doing.

Most Christians seem to categorize sins. In doing so, it allows them to separate themselves from the worst of sinners like Judas. The Bible says the wages of sin is death and all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Death is death. Little sins and big sins all produce exactly the very same thing. . .death, and there do not appear to be degrees of death. A dead man is a dead man no matter how beautiful his grave.

The purpose of this article is to raise Judas up from the false representation he has received from the self-righteous Christian and to bring down our self-righteousness to where we can look at the Judases of the world in the eye and be able to say, "I am the guilty one. I put Jesus on the tree of crucifixion. He died for my sins."

We Christians must do away with our scapegoats. In Germany, Christian Catholics and Protestants put thousands of Jews into ovens calling them Christ killers. Early in the church the Jews became associated with Judas. They, along with Judas, have been the scapegoats for this desire of mankind to blame shift.

It seems the world is obsessed these days to put the blame for the problems of the world on someone, any one except themselves. It is time to stop. We are all guilty. We Christians have given ourselves a pardon, but we have not pardoned the world. We therefore, have put ourselves in an exalted position which has produced devastating results. We must be humbled. The purpose of this article is to bring us down to a place where we might be of benefit to the world. Our self-righteousness and pride has made us almost useless in changing the world for the good. If the world is getting darker, it is because our light is going out. May this article put a spark back into our Christian witness.

Scriptures pertaining to Judas

John 13:21-31

21 After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, "I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me."

22 His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant.

23 One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him.

24 Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, "Ask him which one he means."

25 Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, "Lord, who is it?"

26 Jesus answered, "It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish." Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon.

27 As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. "What you are about to do, do quickly," Jesus told him,

28 but no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him.

29 Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the Feast, or to give something to the poor.

30 As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.

31 When he was gone, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him.

Matt 26:45-50

45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

46 Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!"

47 While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people.

48 Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: "The one I kiss is the man; arrest him."

49 Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him.

50 Jesus replied, "Friend, do what you came for." Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him.

John 18:2-9

2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples.

3 So Judas came to the grove, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.

4 Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, "Who is it you want?"

5 "Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "I am he," Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them).

6 When Jesus said, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground.

7 Again he asked them, "Who is it you want?" And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth."

8 "I told you that I am he," Jesus answered. "If you are looking for me, then let these men go."

9 This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: "I have not lost one of those you gave me."

Matt 27:3-10

3 When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders.

4 "I have sinned," he said, "for I have betrayed innocent blood." "What is that to us?" they replied. "That's your responsibility."

5 So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

6 The chief priests picked up the coins and said, "It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money."

7 So they decided to use the money to buy the potter's field as a burial place for foreigners.

8 That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day.

9 Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: "They took the thirty silver coins, the price set on him by the people of Israel,

10 and they used them to buy the potter's field, as the Lord commanded me."

Acts 1:15-26

15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty)

16 and said, "Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus--

17 he was one of our number and shared in this ministry."

18 (With the reward he got for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out.

19 Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)

20 "For," said Peter, "it is written in the book of Psalms, May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it,' and, May another take his place of leadership.'

21 Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,

22 beginning from John's baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection."

23 So they proposed two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias.

24 Then they prayed, "Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen

25 to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs."

26 Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles. (NIV)

Historical, Cultural, and Geographical Material

Judas is the Greek form of the Hebrew Judah, which means praise.

Iscariot most likely means "man from Kerioth," a city in the Negev of the region in Jesus' day which was called Judea. There are several other theories about this word. If this is true, Judas was the only one of the twelve apostles the scriptures record not coming from Galilee. Galileans were looked down upon by Judeans.

Judea is where most of the priests lived since all the sacrifices had to be performed in Jerusalem.

The 30 pieces of silver was a small sum of money, the value of a slave. (Ex 21:32) If Judas were really covetous and greedy, why didn't he barter for much more?

Jesus chose Judas, not the other way around.

Judas, not the other way around. Jesus knew them before He picked them.

Prior to the betrayal, Judas' only recorded sin was stealing from the money box. The other 11 apostles had accounts recorded of them of sins which included unbelief, lust for position and power, not being mindful of the things of the spirit but of man, all the disciples left Him, Peter denied Him 3 times in one night, falsely condemning people to fire when Jesus said He came to save, etc., etc..

Judas threw the 30 pieces of silver on the ground in the "naos"(Holy Place) part of the temple. Only a priest could enter that part of the temple. Even Jesus could only enter the courtyard because he was not from the tribe of Levi. This fact is very important.

Judas repented and declared Jesus innocent and confessed his sin.

All these things happened to fulfill prophesy that the Creator planned to be fulfilled at this time.

Many in the 2nd and 3rd century taught Judas hung himself to get to Hades ahead of Jesus and meet Him there because he knew He (Jesus) had entered His Kingdom through death. (Origin, Theophanes, Theophylact, etc.)

Judas was called "friend" (hetairos) by Jesus. A word for friend indicating partnership, comrade, companion as opposed to "philos" indicating endearment. In other words, there was a partnership of some sort involved in this "betrayal."

The 30 pieces of silver, which legally belonged to Judas, purchased a burial field for non-Jews in the land of Israel. There is a discrepancy in the Scriptures as to why it became called "field of blood." A Dictionary of the Bible by James Hastings has some interesting history about this piece of land. This land was also known as "the potter's field." (see Jer. 18:2,19:2)

a burial field for non-Jews in the land of Israel. There is a discrepancy in the Scriptures as to why it became called "field of blood." by James Hastings has some interesting history about this piece of land. This land was also known as "the potter's field." (see Jer. 18:2,19:2) In this land, Israel used to burn their own children and offer them up to the God Moloch. See Jer. ch. 7 and 8.

This land, the "potter's field," is located in the Valley of Hinnom, what was called Gehenna, which the King James Bible and its sister translations call "hell." This "blood money" which belonged to Judas, purchased or redeemed "hell."

Jeremiah prophesied this valley would become the "valley of slaughter."(Jer. 7:32, 19:11)

Jeremiah also prophesied that one day, this land which Jesus called Gehenna translated in the KJV and some of it's sisters as "hell," would one day be holy unto the Lord. "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, that the city shall be built for the LORD from the Tower of Hanenel to the Corner Gate. The surveyor's line shall again extend straight forward over the hill Gareb; then it shall turn toward Goath. And the whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields as far as the Brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be holy to the LORD. It shall not be plucked up or thrown down anymore forever." (Jer. 31:38-40)

"Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, that the city shall be built for the LORD from the Tower of Hanenel to the Corner Gate. The surveyor's line shall again extend straight forward over the hill Gareb; then it shall turn toward Goath. And the and all the fields as far as the Brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, It shall not be plucked up or thrown down anymore forever." (Jer. 31:38-40) In 70 A.D. on Passover, Jerusalem was besieged by the Romans. Hundreds of thousands of Jews' blood ran into this valley and their bodies dumped into Gehenna. Gehenna is what the King James and its sister translations named "hell." The "chosen people" of Yahweh at the end of their time in the land ended in "hell," not the Romans (world).

Matthew 26:24 in the King James Bible reads, "It had been better for that man, if he had not been born." In the KJV and its sisters "that man" refers to Judas. But other translations disagree or present another possibility. The Revised Version of 1881 and the American Standard Version of 1901 put in the margin "Gr. for him if that man." In other words it would have been good for Jesus if Judas had not been born. Martin Luther's translation, Rotherham's, Douay, Wiclif's, Tyndale's, Concordant, and many others read the same way. Rotherham has it, "well would it have been for him, if that man had not been born." Well would it have been for Jesus if that man (Judas) had not been born.

Judas was the "outsider" from the view of the other 11 apostles. As the Judeans looked down on Galileans, it is possible that the Galilean apostles were not past being capable of reverse discrimination. Peter, several years after the resurrection, was still being influenced by a Judaizing spirit and would not eat with the Gentiles when those from James were present.

Putting It All Together

Let us begin to weave all these pieces together and see if we can see some things we have never thought about before. Perhaps we can get a glimpse of the wisdom of our Father which will leave us amazed and a little more humbled..

In reading about Jesus in the New Testament, we must always keep in mind that He came to "fulfill the law." First, He fulfilled it by adding the Spirit back to it which the religious leaders had removed by their "letter keeping." He said to them, "You have heard it said, 'Love your friends, but hate your enemies', but I say to you love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." The religious leaders were concerned about getting caught in adultery, but Jesus told them if they had lust in their heart, they were guilty of adultery. Hate in the heart made one guilty of murder. Religious man always tries to look good on the outside, like going to church every Sunday, but our Father is interested in what goes on inside the heart.

The next aspect of "fulfilling the law" dealt with eliminating laws added to Moses' law which had nothing to do with Moses. The Jews added thousands of laws which were impossible to remember or keep. Some of the laws added actually made it possible to break Moses law' for self gain. For example, when making an agreement, one had to face Jerusalem and say twice "Amen, Amen." If one said "Amen" only once, the agreement was not lawful and therefore could be broken. Knowing the "Law" at this point in Israel's history actually became profitable. Many foreign people were swindled by these kinds of acts. The modern church has copied those swindlers, and has actually exceeded many of the "lawful" schemes perpetrated in Jesus' day by "religious people." The widow, orphan, and poor were greatly oppressed by the religious leaders. Today, the use of the unlawful "tithe" is an example of the greed of religious men and women who use this money to build their own kingdoms.

The third way, I believe Jesus dealt with the Mosaic Law was to fulfill every type and shadow contained in all the sacrificial ceremonies. I believe many people were predestined to participate with Jesus in His fulfillment of these ceremonies. One of the leading participants in fulfilling these ceremonies and Scriptures was Judas. These laws can be seen on at least three levels. 1. The actual performance of them by Israel. 2. Seeing how Jesus would physically perform and fulfill them in the flesh. 3. Seeing the spiritual reality behind it all.

Most of us who have studied the Bible for any length of time know that Jesus was the "lamb of God," the "lamb slain before the foundation of the world." Those of you who have participated in a Passover ceremony are familiar with the symbolism of the rite and its fulfillment on the tree of crucifixion. We know Jesus the Innocent Lamb's blood was shed for us that the Death Angel would "pass over" our house, that is, our life. But we have been very shallow in our studies and have not looked at how the Lamb was determined to be an "innocent lamb." We have looked to Pontius Pilate as the judge who determined whether Jesus was guilty of death or not, but Jesus had to fulfill the Laws of Moses, not the laws of Rome. The Jewish leaders wanted Jesus guilty, not innocent. They would not declare the lamb innocent. So how was Jesus legally determined to be the "innocent" Lamb? The answer: Judas!

As we begin to gather all these pieces together, keep in mind that Judas was predestined just as Jesus being born at this time was predestined. Jesus chose Judas knowing his purpose; that prior to Satan entering Judas, his sins were really not much different than the other apostles. If covetousness kept people out of heaven, then heaven would be void of Christians, especially preachers, and that judgment is without mercy for those who show no mercy. Be very careful in how you judge Judas for as you judge, perhaps, so shall you be judged.

Inspecting the Lamb

As early as the Book of Genesis, there are references to proper sacrifices. All of these Old Testament sacrifices obviously pointed to the reality of Jesus Christ. I believe every sacrificial type and shadow will find it's reality wrapped up in Jesus Christ and His Body. This article will not deal with all of the types. We are concerned with the role Judas played and so we we will have to stay focused as much as possible on Judas' role in prophesy being fulfilled.

Jesus was crucified in the Passover season. The King James, in some places, incorrectly calls it "Easter," a name which is derived from "Ishtar," a Babylonian fertility goddess. The Passover Feast is a very complicated subject to get into. Thousands of books have been written on the subject. Having been in congregations which keep the feasts and also having studied the history of the Passover throughout Hebrew history, I am convinced most of our understanding on the subject is gross darkness. It is like many people still picturing an apple tree in the garden of Eden. Our understanding of the Passover is just as simplistic.

For example, did you know that a young goat was just as acceptable as a lamb? (2 Chron. 35:7, Lev. 22:19, Ex. 12:5) Somehow, due to our false teachings of the separation of the sheep and goats, we have pictures the goat as an unclean animal. This is not so, at least according to Scripture. Many of our perceptions of the Creator and His Plan come from our religious traditions and not from the Scriptures.

In the original Passover, the lamb (or goat) was selected on the 10th day of the month of Abib. This month was to be their first month since that was the month they were delivered from Pharaoh. This lamb or goat was kept for 4 days and inspected to make sure it was spotless and without blemish. In subsequent Passovers, the Priest had to inspect the lamb or kid to make sure it was without blemish.

Most of you know all the ceremonies of Israel were types and shadows which were to point to realities which would come later on. While most Christians are very unskilled in dealing with the Old Testament, they have received enough to know that Jesus Christ was the true Passover Lamb pointed to by the first Passover in Egypt and its commemorative Passovers which were to be kept each year by Israel. The fact of the matter is that many years the Passover was not kept. Neither were most of the other ordinances required by Moses.

Nevertheless, the Passover lamb or goat pointed to the true Sacrificial Goat, Jesus Christ. Did you just get a little flustered? Yes, the goat represents Jesus just as much as the cute little dumb lamb. Remember, on the Day of Atonement, two goats were selected; one to be killed and the other to be set free. These also pointed to the work of Christ. This animal had to be inspected by the Priests. Jesus had to be inspected by the Priests! The problem was that the Priests of the temple declared Jesus guilty of blasphemy which was punishable by death! How could Jesus be the innocent lamb or goats if they declared Him blemished with sin?

Orthodox Christianity puts it in the hands of the true secular authority of Israel which was Pontius Pilate. He asked Jesus a number of questions and after doing so found that Jesus was not guilty of anything worthy of the death penalty. (Matt. 27) He washed his hands of the whole affair and said he found no fault with Jesus and wanted to set him free. The people, prodded on by the priests, wanted Him to be crucified. Pontius Pilate made another attempt to free Jesus by using a tradition Romans used on special occasions. On certain important days they would release a prisoner as a sign of mercy or good will. Pontius Pilate gave Israel a choice of freeing Jesus, who claimed to be the Son of Yahweh, or Barabbas. Some ancient manuscripts called him Jesus Barabbas. Barabbas in Greek means Son of the Lord or Master. Abba in Aramaic means father. So the choice presented to Israel was a very interesting choice. Which do you want freed...Jesus (Yashua which means Yah saves or Yah's deliverance) or Barabbas (son the the Lord or Master or Father). We will not deal with the scapegoat offerings in this article, but it certainly looks like a perfect fit.

The people picked Jesus to be sacrificed and Barabbas to escape into the wilderness of humanity. At this point Pilate ceremoniously washed his hands of the whole thing and turned the whole thing over to the Jews. He said "You see to it." (Matt. 27:24). The people answered and said, "His blood be on us and on our children." There are many Christians who read these words and look upon the Jews with hatred and disdain for making such remarks. I ask you, have you ever pled the blood of Jesus over yourselves and your loved ones? They may have meant it for evil, but our Father meant it for the good of all mankind, including them and you and myself. Do not forget the prophesy of Caiaphas the high priest. The chief priests and Pharisees gathered and were trying to determine what to do with this miracle worker who everyone was following. They were afraid of a rebellion, which would mean the Romans would come in and take away their place and the nation. Caiaphas said in John 11:49-52, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish." John then said, "Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation."

Now dear reader, I want you to think through very carefully what we are about to discuss. It is vitally important for our witness and our ability to demonstrate the love of Christ. It is also vitally important to understand in order to rightly dividing the Word. Honestly, in your heart, between Peter and Judas, who do you identify with most? For whom do you find more love, Peter or Judas? What about those Jews who yelled, "Crucify, crucify, let His blood be on our heads." Do you identify with them or despise them?

(James 1:23,24,NIV) "For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.

(MT 16:21) From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

(MT 16:22,23) Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!" Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."(NIV)

Please note that the text does not say "Satan entered him" as with Judas. Jesus directly called him "Satan," which means adversary. Peter was unwilling for the dark side of the Word to be fulfilled. Death must precede life. Peter was not "mindful of the things of God." Trying to be the nice guy and saving Jesus' life was not the will of the Father. Jesus being betrayed, becoming the Lamb slain, being valued at 30 pieces of silver, and the purchase of the "field of blood" was "being mindful of the things of God."

Please get this one point. Peter was directly called "Satan." Satan had to enter Judas in order for him to fulfill the Scriptures. In other words, Judas was not capable of betraying Jesus by himself! He had to be taken over. Peter did not need the help of Satan to not be mindful of the things of God. It was perfectly natural for him. When Satan wanted to "sift" Peter, Jesus prayed for "Satan" Peter. Why didn't Jesus just pray for Judas? Because Judas had to do what he did to fulfill Scripture that the redemption of the whole world from its bondage to sin might be accomplished! Judas was not a hearer only, as Peter was, but a "doer of the word." Not only was he a doer, but Jesus hastened Judas along to get it done. "What you are doing, do more quickly." (John 13:27) Judas fulfilled his purpose for being born, and when we get to that grand banquet, he will have "returned to his own place." (Acts 1:25)

The reason I am spending so much time on Judas, is because I do not want any of you to have a place in your mind of your position in Christ and one day have Jesus ask you to move a few seats closer to outer darkness because you are sitting in Judas' seat. I also have found among some of the "elect" a disdain for "Jews" who have been called "Christ killers" for almost 2000 years. Martin Luther hated Jews and recommended they be killed. If right now you have an uneasy feeling, or feel a little blood rush to your head, you probably need to come to the place of true realization that you and I are the Christ killers. If there were no Jews, our sins would still have put Jesus on the Tree of Crucifixion.

What I am trying to say, is that we, as Christians, have no business looking down upon any person, race, or nation. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. There is none righteous, nay, not one, including Judas, you, or myself. It is time for us to be able to look everyone right in the eyes, not looking down or up to anyone. We have all fallen short, and we will all be redeemed by the saving work of the Son of the Father, Jesus Christ, Yashua Ha Machiach, Iesus Kristos. When we humble ourselves, then He will allow us to see things in the Scriptures we have never seen before. His Holy Spirit will remove the veil over our eyes and we will behold wondrous things.

For example, we speak so often of the "Lamb who takes away the sin of the world." This takes us back to Exodus to the Passover lamb. Israel was to put the blood of a lamb older than eight days and less than one year which was unblemished on the door of their house. The death angel or God was going to kill every first-born male in Egypt. Only those houses marked with the blood would be "passed over." But the death angel was not going to kill everyone in the unmarked houses, only the first born males. Later on, we find out that the God of Israel wanted every male that opened the womb as His own, whether it be from the domestic animals, or people. The first-born male children of Israel had to be redeemed, that is, bought back. In other words, when they were born, they belonged to Yahweh. The parent had to purchase him back from the Levites for a certain price. A first born-male jackass, an unclean animal, had to be redeemed with a lamb. Money in this case was not accepted. Where I am trying to head, and still stay within the length of an article instead of a book, is that there is much more to the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ than we have been taught. There are great mysteries here. In the days ahead, we will look at many of the Levitical Laws and look at them from a totally new point of view.

The Creator of the Universe has bound Himself to keeping His own Laws. The Jews saw about 613 laws in the Mosaic system. In the days ahead, we will see these laws with completely new light.

As I mentioned, our Father and His Son are not hypocrites. They live by the laws They set. Under the Mosaic Law, an owner of land and animals is responsible for what happens on that land. If he digs a pit and doesn't cover it and a neighbor's animal falls into it and dies, the owner of the pit is liable. If someone builds a house with a roof and doesn't put up a railing and someone falls off, you must flee to a city of refuge until the death of the High Priest.

The following Sciptures may not seem to fit this article, but they are very important. I cannot go into full explanation of all of this because it would take too much space. I hope the gaps will cause you to study this out for yourselves.

(EX 21:28-32) "And if an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox shall surely be stoned and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall go unpunished.

[29] "If, however, an ox was previously in the habit of goring, and its owner has been warned, yet he does not confine it, and it kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned and its owner also shall be put to death.

[30] "If a ransom is demanded of him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is demanded of him.

[31] "Whether it gores a son or a daughter, it shall be done to him according to the same rule.

[32] "If the ox gores a male or female slave, the owner shall give his or her master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.

(Zech. 11:12,13)"If it is good in your sight, give me my wages; but if not, never mind!" So they weighed out thirty shekels of silver as my wages.

[13] Then the LORD said to me, "Throw it to the potter, that magnificent price at which I was valued by them." So I took the thirty shekels of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the LORD.

(MT 27:3-10) Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,

[4] saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." But they said, "What is that to us? See to that yourself!"

[5] And he threw the pieces of silver into the sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself.

[6] And the chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, "It is not lawful to put them into the temple treasury, since it is the price of blood."

[7] And they counseled together and with the money bought the Potter's Field as a burial place for strangers.

[8] For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.

[9] Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying, "AND THEY TOOK THE THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER, THE PRICE OF THE ONE WHOSE PRICE HAD BEEN SET by the sons of Israel;

[10] AND THEY GAVE THEM FOR THE POTTER'S FIELD, AS THE LORD DIRECTED ME."

I am finding as I write this article that I cannot seem to find an end. I could go on with this for many more pages, but I have to conclude knowing there will be many questions.

The Creator of the Universe must abide by His own Laws. He created Adam, placed him in a place where he could be deceived by a Serpent which the Creator also created. Adam and all his offspring fell into a pit and all died. In Adam all died, including you. According to the Mosaic Law, the Creator was responsible for Adam's death and must make restitution. Satan has deceived mankind time and time again. According to the Law, the owner of a beast that has been known to gore in the past, must die along with the beast. However, if a ransom price has been placed upon that man, he may be redeemed. The value the Priest of Israel placed upon Jesus was 30 pieces of silver, which Judas put into the temple. Lawfully, Jesus, who the Father gave all things to, and who all things are of, to, and through (Rom.11:36), must die because of allowing Satan to kill Adam and his offspring, but Jesus was redeemed with the 30 pieces of silver. Not only that, but the 30 pieces of silver purchased the Potter's field, which became the "Field of Blood," which became a proper burial place in the land of Israel for foreigner, gentiles, that is non-Israelites. This "field of blood" was located in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, known as "Gehenna" to the Greeks and better known as "hell" in many misleading Bible translations including the King James Bible. For those of you who want to translate Gehenna as "hell," you should know that Judas purchased that field called "hell" which the Potter's field is in. I tell you now that the Great Potter of the Universe is taking those broken pieces thrown into that pit as called worthless by most of the church, and He is remaking them, all of them, just like He is remaking you. He is also remaking those miriads of vessels buried in the "dump of humanity" and they will come forth glorious.

Our Father and His Son will take complete responsibility for all the unjustices that have ever been committed on the planet earth, whether they be from Satan, Adam, bulls or goats, or you and me. He created us and He will restore, correct, balance, make good, reconcile, redeem, etc., etc., until every tear that has ever been shed in this world of sin is wiped away and every person who has been hurt, marred, or killed will be restored until the glory of the latter house be much greater than the glory of the former house.

One day, the true story of Adam will be told and we will see that our Father wasn't as stupid, or calloused, or powerless as the modern church makes Him out to be in the "Great Fall of Adam Story." No, our Father allowed Adam to "fall" for very good reasons, much better reasons than we have been taught in the past. What we have just looked at, we have just skimmed. We will have to put meat on these bones another time. For now, I hope your appetite has been wet for further light on the above.

Conclusion

Jesus came to fulfill the Law. I believe we are just beginning to understand what that is all about. I know I left many things out; there is just too much to cover. I just hope I have at least brought you to the place where you can look Judas eye to eye instead of down on him. If I have failed to do that, I hope I have cracked a few doors which at least will keep you from making a final judgment of Judas. I am trying to do this not so much for Judas' sake, but for your sake. There is much mystery around Judas and even the writers of the New Testament seemed to have different stories about Judas. For example, Luke states the reason the field is called Akel Dama, that is, the Field of Blood, is because Judas fell there headlong and his intestines gushed out. (Acts 1:16, 17) Matthew says the field was called the Field of Blood because the money that purchased the field was "blood money." (Matthew 27:8)

Another example is found where Mark says, "Now His betrayer had given them a signal, saying, "Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him and lead Him away safely." (Notice the word "safely") "And as soon as He had come, immediately he went up to Him and said to Him, 'Rabbi, Rabbi!' and kissed Him." (Mark 14:44,45) John gives a different account. "Then Judas, having received a detachment of troops, and officers from the chief priest and Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, 'whom do you seek?' They answered Him, 'Jesus of Nazareth.' Jesus said to them 'I am He.' And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. Now when He said to them, 'I am He,' they drew back and fell to the ground." (John 18:3-6) Mark has Judas immediately kiss Jesus to identify Him and John has Jesus come forward to declare Himself as the "I Am" and knocked them all down. I think with that kind of introduction, they knew who He was. No need for a Judas kiss after that happened twice. Quite a different story between the two.

The next generation of Christians villainized Judas so much that Papias, Bishop of Heirapolis in about 140 A.D., claimed that Judas was so swollen that where a wagon could go through easily, he could not go through; nay, he could not even insert the mass of his head. His genital, were repellent and huge beyond all shamefulness. From his whole body flowed blood mixed with worms. According to this "Bishop" who claims to have known John, the apostle, Judas died in his own place, which, because of the stench, has remained deserted and uninhabitable to the present day. This kind of gross exaggeration to the point of lying is not unusual of Christian circles, ancient or present day.

To summarize, be careful where you place Judas. He did the will of the Father and fulfilled the Scriptures. Peter, who we all love, tried to prevent Jesus' crucifixion and was called "Satan" by our Lord. Peter, who was not mindful of the will of God, was restored. Was it not Jesus who said, ""For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother." (Matthew 12:50) Be careful about placing Jesus's brother, Judas, in Christendom's "hell." One day you may have to look up to Judas, instead of looking down on him. Peter denied him three times in one night while Judas declared Jesus innocent in front of the High Priesthood. Judas had a very important job in the Kingdom of God. For three and one half years, as a Priest he inspected the Lamb of God as an unbiased man. He was not "one of them" a Galilean. He was the outsider. He did his job perfectly. If Judas really wanted to mess things up, he could have agreed with the High Priesthood and called Him a "blasphemer" who claimed to be the Son of God when He really wasn't. But Judas declared the Lamb spotless and unblemished, the Perfect Passover. Thank you, Judas, for not only being a hearer of the Word, but also a doer of the Word. Thank you, Judas, for giving the redemption money which purchased the Potter's field; a place for strangers in the land of Israel and the silver which speaks of the redemption of the family of Adam who sold himself as a slave to sin. You may not like how Judas got that money, but you should rejoice in what it did for you.

I cannot spend more words on this, but I hope these words have you stirring. I hope they have rekindled a desire to study the Scriptures more. Most importantly, may these words cause you to give more freely what our Father has so freely bestowed upon you. . . mercy. Is there more room in your heart for mercy for yourself? If there is, then there is also more room for you to have mercy on others, especially those vessels of less honor in our eyes. Lift up the Judases of the world to our wonderful Father who freely forgives, Who bestows mercy upon the undeserving.