Is Judas in hell?

[TEPO]

Of course not! Judas is not in hell. He didn’t betray Jesus because only we, man, sees it this way. Jesus did not acknowledge this as a betrayal nor does he condemn Judas.

What you say is possible indeed. But there’s no way to say for sure where Judas went.

 

[mdgspencer]

The Church has never said a particular person is in hell. God has never revealed that a particular person is in hell, nor has God ever allowed men to have the evidence that would enable them to say with certainty that someone is in hell. It does look bad for Judas, since Jesus said it would have better if he had never been born. However, Jesus did not say he is in hell but it would have been better if he were not born. Could Jesus have said this because, for example, then he would have never betrayed the Son of God?

 

[tonyrey]

Without regard to the specific question of suicide being an automatic ticket to Hell, our temporal actions and attitudes have effects across eternity. It may seem unjust that our temporal action might render us unfit for Heaven, but it’s just as outlandish that we can somehow join with the Almighty and join him in Heaven.

That’s where Purgatory comes into the picture!

 

[tonyrey]

What you say is possible indeed. But there’s no way to say for sure where Judas went.

Irrefutable!

 

[tonyrey]

Yes, I’ve heard other explanations too. The point being that there are sometimes other ways to interpret what is said, and in this case the Church herself has not been confident enough to interpret Jesus’ words regarding Judas. Like you, I’m just glad that the responsibility is not mine.

I believe that heaven, if I’m blessed to be included, will hold many surprises. I don’t expect to see Judas there, but can’t entirely dismiss the possibility.

A very good - and humble - point (which **all of us **should recognise).

 

[tonyrey]

According to Jesus, Judas was possessed by Satan. Now I’m not sure, but during a possession, I think the person is unable to prevent it. Therefore Judas may have desired not to betray Jesus but was forced beyond his free will.

A very likely possibility. A friend of mine was obsessed with the idea of suicide herself because she said she felt “dirty” and rejected by others. She was so terrified of being on her own she followed me everywhere, even comng to Mass with me - with tears streaming down her face the whole time she was in the church.

Several times she asked me to help her kill herself. I told her I couldn’t because I would feel guilty for the rest of my life. Eventually one Sunday afternoon she walked along a railway track. The driver of the train said she had a smile on her face…

 

[bilop]

I might agree, except that Jesus said it would have been better for Judas if he had never been born. If Judas were on his way to Heaven, I can’t see how that makes sense.

Exactly. If Judas was in purgatory, it would not be better for him not to have been born, for everyone in purgatory will eventually reach heaven.

I’m frankly shocked that so many people deny the clear implications of Scriptures.

The idea that almost everyone is saved is completely foreign to Catholic teaching. Consistently, from the Gospels to the Saints, the teaching is that salvation is hard. e.g. the narrow path, work out you salvation with fear and trembling, many are called but few are chosen, etc.

Everyone is given the opportunity to be saved, but many/most don’t take it.

God Bless

 

[J_Peterson]

As Catholics we are also allowed to hope that hell is empty.

ETA: As long as we believe we may be the first to go there.

 

[bilop]

As Catholics we are also allowed to hope that hell is empty.

ETA: As long as we believe we may be the first to go there.

Not true. We can hope any particular soul is not in Hell, but we have to accept that there are souls in Hell.

As far as I know, it is de Fide that there are souls in Hell.

See St. Matthew Ch. 25.

Then he shall say to them also that shall be on his left hand: Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels. [Matthew 25:41] [Latin] [42] For I was hungry, and you gave me not to eat: I was thirsty, and you gave me not to drink. [43] I was a stranger, and you took me not in: naked, and you covered me not: sick and in prison, and you did not visit me. [44] Then they also shall answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to thee? [45] Then he shall answer them, saying: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it not to one of these least, neither did you do it to me.

[46] And these shall go into everlasting punishment: but the just, into life everlasting.

To deny that there are souls in Hell is to call Christ a liar.

God Bless

 

[tonyrey]

Some people seem to take a morbid delight in contemplating the prospect that most people are or will be in hell, overlooking the greatly increased probability that they will belong to that great multitude if they are right. It should be a sobering thought rather than a source of inspiration…

We can thank God for being infinitely more loving and merciful than human beings.

“Forgive us as we forgive those who have trespassed against us - and those we think would trespass against us if they had the opportunity.”

 

[bilop]

Some people seem to take a morbid delight in contemplating the prospect that most people are or will be in hell, overlooking the greatly increased probability that they will belong to that great multitude if they are right. It should be a sobering thought rather than a source of inspiration…

We can thank God for being infinitely more loving and merciful than human beings.

“Forgive us as we forgive those who have trespassed against us - and those we think would trespass against us if they had the opportunity.”

Not a morbid delight, a realistic fear.

The idea that nearly everyone will be saved, regardless of their many unrepented sins, leads us to ignore the clear teachings of God and the Church.

I know I deserve to be damned for my sins. I know it is only the Grace of God that allows them to be forgiven through the Church. And, I know I can easily slip back into a life of sin.

A healthy fear of Hell keeps one on the straight and narrow.

Don’t kid yourself, you and I both have a really good chance of ending up in Hell if we don’t heed exactly what God has told us we need to do.

God Bless

 

[Tighty_Whitey]

Vegas has the over/under at 93% that he is.

All in all it doesn’t look good, nor does it look good for most people in this world.

 

[tonyrey]

Not a morbid delight, a realistic fear.

The idea that nearly everyone will be saved, regardless of their many unrepented sins, leads us to ignore the clear teachings of God and the Church.

I know I deserve to be damned for my sins. I know it is only the Grace of God that allows them to be forgiven through the Church. And, I know I can easily slip back into a life of sin.

A healthy fear of Hell keeps one on the straight and narrow.

Don’t kid yourself, you and I both have a really good chance of ending up in Hell if we don’t heed exactly what God has told us we need to do.

God Bless

Purgatory seems to have disappeared from the scene yet it is also a fundamental doctrine of the Catholic Church.

Hell is reserved - not surprisingly - for those who behave diabolically.

 

[bilop]

Purgatory seems to have disappeared from the scene yet it is also a fundamental doctrine of the Catholic Church.

Hell is reserved - not surprisingly - for those who behave diabolically.

Purgatory is not a final thing. It is a waystation on the road to Heaven. If you die with unabolved mortal sin, you can’t go to Purgatory because you cannot go to Heaven.

Gob Bless

 

[J_Peterson]

I thought that Pope John Paul II said that we can hope that hell is empty (of human souls anyway). Maybe it’s not official Church doctrine but I don’t think it goes against it. It’s certainly not a sin to believe that everyone is saved (but like I said before, as long as we assume we may be the first). How can the belief that God’s mercy is infinite and absolute separate us from God?

 

[bilop]

I thought that Pope John Paul II said that we can hope that hell is empty (of human souls anyway). Maybe it’s not official Church doctrine but I don’t think it goes against it. It’s certainly not a sin to believe that everyone is saved (but like I said before, as long as we assume we may be the first). How can the belief that God’s mercy is infinite and absolute separate us from God?

Because the clear teaching of the Gospels says otherwise.

 

[jmcrae]

How can the belief that God’s mercy is infinite and absolute separate us from God?

God’s mercy is just. He would not allow the innocent victims to be required to live for eternity in the same place as their unrepentant killers - how would that be in any way just or merciful to the innocent?

 

[Jeanne_S]

We should all aim for Heaven,that way at the very least we may spend some time in Purgatory

 

[underacloud]

I thought that Pope John Paul II said that we can hope that hell is empty (of human souls anyway). Maybe it’s not official Church doctrine but I don’t think it goes against it. It’s certainly not a sin to believe that everyone is saved (but like I said before, as long as we assume we may be the first). How can the belief that God’s mercy is infinite and absolute separate us from God?

Yes, we may *hope *that hell is empty. But no, we may not *believe *that everyone is saved. This belief, universalism, is rejected as a heresy. The Church clearly teaches that hell is real and eternal, and rejects the notion that hell is inconsistent with an all loving and merciful God.

So there is a difference. We may hope that no one goes to hell, but we must accept that it is possible for souls to go to hell.

 

[tonyrey]

Purgatory is not a final thing. It is a waystation on the road to Heaven. If you die with unabsolved mortal sin, you can’t go to Purgatory because you cannot go to Heaven.

Only God knows who cannot go to Heaven. It is presumptuous for us to claim we have a “good” idea of who is in Hell and why they are there - apart from Satan of course. And the topic is strictly Judas…