Is Judas in hell?

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Hmm… here are my personal thoughts on this (opinion only, of course, please feel free to contradict me as I may be well off 🙂 )

Judas made a terrible decision and committed an awful wrong when he sold Christ into the hands of the priests. He was a disappointed man, a man confused and bewildered, saddenned, perhaps, that Jesus was not what he had hoped he would be. We later read of his remorse and anguish at his decision, which he felt to such an extent that he was moved to suicide. He was clerely in turmoil, lost, confused, frightened, consumed with guilt and remorse. These factors suggest to me a scared person having realised he’d made a terrible mistake.

Of course, none of these factors excuse what he did. However, my experience of God teaches me that he is the shepherd who seeks the lost, who tends to the confused, comforts the frightened and relieves the guilty. It is also true that no sin, not even this terrible one, is too big for God to forgive. The Bible tells us that Judas was influenced by demonic forces to betray Our Lord. God’s victory over demonic powers, and over the powers of fear, guilt, confusion and anguish will be final and total. What a fitting testimony it would be to the greatness of Our Lord if we saw Judas seated in heaven with him! Of course, this is contingent on the relationship between Our Lord and Judas, which is something we can never know.
 
Hmm… here are my personal thoughts on this (opinion only, of course, please feel free to contradict me as I may be well off 🙂 )

Judas made a terrible decision and committed an awful wrong when he sold Christ into the hands of the priests. He was a disappointed man, a man confused and bewildered, saddenned, perhaps, that Jesus was not what he had hoped he would be. We later read of his remorse and anguish at his decision, which he felt to such an extent that he was moved to suicide. He was clerely in turmoil, lost, confused, frightened, consumed with guilt and remorse. These factors suggest to me a scared person having realised he’d made a terrible mistake.

Of course, none of these factors excuse what he did. However, my experience of God teaches me that he is the shepherd who seeks the lost, who tends to the confused, comforts the frightened and relieves the guilty. It is also true that no sin, not even this terrible one, is too big for God to forgive. The Bible tells us that Judas was influenced by demonic forces to betray Our Lord. God’s victory over demonic powers, and over the powers of fear, guilt, confusion and anguish will be final and total. What a fitting testimony it would be to the greatness of Our Lord if we saw Judas seated in heaven with him! Of course, this is contingent on the relationship between Our Lord and Judas, which is something we can never know.
When one considers Jesus’ words regarding Judas, “It would be better if he would have never lived” (paraphrasing), I would seriously doubt that Judas is in heaven.

I mean, think about it, betraying our Lord and still getting to heaven is much better than never having lived at all. This would seem to preclude Judas’ chances of being in heaven.
 
Could He have been referring to the Hell on Earth Judas must have experienced after the betrayal? Certainly he knew then that Jesus would suffer as He said He would and knowing he sent Him there would have been anguish. I can imagine his mental state…then purgatory and possible damnation would be enough to wish he wasn’t born.
 
Could He have been referring to the Hell on Earth Judas must have experienced after the betrayal? Certainly he knew then that Jesus would suffer as He said He would and knowing he sent Him there would have been anguish. I can imagine his mental state…then purgatory and possible damnation would be enough to wish he wasn’t born.
What is all that compared to the eternal bliss of heaven?

Jesus didn’t say that the person who betrays him would “wish he wasn’t born”. He said it would be better for him if that person had not been born. :eek:
 
Jesus said about Judas “It would have been better for that man if he had never been born”.

Now if Judas were to wind up in Heaven–even if he endured the worst purgatory of anyone in history–Jesus’ statement would be false.

Since Jesus can not lie then Judas must be in Hell.

The only way that wouldn’t be true is if Jesus were not speaking LITERALLY when He made the statement "It would have been better for that man if he had never been born.

The bottom line is we don’t KNOW if Judas is in Hell but Jesus’ statement about Judas makes it very likely that yes he is in Hell.

Since the Catholic Church doesn’t KNOW that this is the case it doesn’t teach that Judas is in Hell.

If I had to speculate I would say that because of Jesus’ statement that yes Judas is in Hell.

Since I don’t have to speculate my answer is I don’t know but I pray that no one is in Hell but Jesus teaches me that the road to eternal life is narrow and FEW there are that find it.

Since Jesus teaches us this we know that the majority of people throughout all times will be in Hell!

And since that is true we must “work out our salvation in fear and trembling” as St. Paul teaches us in the holy Scriptures.
 
Maybe Judas was a part of the divine plan for salvation, in this case why would he go to hell? someone was needed to betray jesus and accomplish the plan.

Also Judas regreted what he did, he felt totally guilty, sad and weak, that’s why he ended his life… He didn’t end it for selfish reasons, he ended it because he misunderstood God and felt ashamed, maybe he thought God would not forgive him ( for him maybe, dying was better than living ashamed in the eyes of God).
In this case what influence God’s choice in judging, the intention of regret? Or the wrong way of using regret?
In another question, do all suiciders go to hell?
 
Maybe Judas was a part of the divine plan for salvation, in this case why would he go to hell? someone was needed to betray jesus and accomplish the plan.
Judas wasn’t a pawn of God’s. He chose to betray Jesus. If I remember correctly, Jesus even told him he didn’t have to go through with his plan at the Last Supper.
Also Judas regreted what he did, he felt totally guilty, sad and weak, that’s why he ended his life… He didn’t end it for selfish reasons, he ended it because he misunderstood God and felt ashamed, maybe he thought God would not forgive him ( for him maybe, dying was better than living ashamed in the eyes of God).
In this case what influence God’s choice in judging, the intention of regret? Or the wrong way of using regret?
In another question, do all suiciders go to hell?
What part of “thou shalt not kill” is hard to understand? Not all suiciders, but those who know they are sinning against God by committing suicide.
 
Judas wasn’t a pawn of God’s. He chose to betray Jesus. If I remember correctly, Jesus even told him he didn’t have to go through with his plan at the Last Supper.
But if he didn’t go through it, then Jesus prediction would not be true, and it’s impossible for a perfect god to say something that will not happen!
What part of “thou shalt not kill” is hard to understand? Not all suiciders, but those who know they are sinning against God by committing suicide.
Do you see it the case for Judas? Was his suicide based on full conscience or was it influenced by fear, sadness and guilt for what he did?
 
Judas wasn’t a pawn of God’s. He chose to betray Jesus. If I remember correctly, Jesus even told him he didn’t have to go through with his plan at the Last Supper.
Here’s what Jesus says of Judas:

**“For indeed, the Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!” **(Lk 22:22)Judas did what he did because God decreed that He would.
 
In another question, do all suiciders go to hell?
I believe it was the sagacious St. John Vianney who provided the answer to this:
*
We don’t know. *

The Catholic Church has NEVER proclaimed that any individual is in hell. For we do not know the state of that person at the moment of death. As St. John Vianney said, regarding a man who jumped off a bridge: we know not if this man prayed for forgiveness after he jumped off the bridge and before he hit the water.
 
Here’s what Jesus says of Judas:
**“For indeed, the Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!” **(Lk 22:22)Judas did what he did because God decreed that He would.
that passage does not say that Judas did what he did because God decreed it. Judas did what he did by his own choice and none other. Period.

God does not cause evil to happen in the world. He allows it, but He is not the cause of it.
 
‘Venerable Bede relates that this man, who had been fervent, fell into tepidity and mortal sin, and deferred confession from day to day. He was seized with a dangerous illness; and even then put off his confession saying that he would afterwards go to confession with better dispositions. But the hour of vengeance had arrived: he fell into a deadly swoon in which he thought that he saw hell open under his feet. After he had come to his senses again, the persons who stood round his bed begged him to make his confession, but he answered: “There is no more time; I am damned.” They continued to encourage him. “You are losing time,” said he; “I am damned, I see hell opened; I there see Judas, Caiphas, and the murderers of Jesus Christ; and near them I see my place, because, like them, I have despised the blood of Jesus Christ by deferring confession for so long a time.” Thus the unhappy man died in despair without confession, and was buried like a dog outside the church without having a prayer offered for his soul.’

St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, Doctor of the Church
 
‘Venerable Bede relates that this man, who had been fervent, fell into tepidity and mortal sin, and deferred confession from day to day. He was seized with a dangerous illness; and even then put off his confession saying that he would afterwards go to confession with better dispositions. But the hour of vengeance had arrived: he fell into a deadly swoon in which he thought that he saw hell open under his feet. After he had come to his senses again, the persons who stood round his bed begged him to make his confession, but he answered: “There is no more time; I am damned.” They continued to encourage him. “You are losing time,” said he; “I am damned, I see hell opened; I there see Judas, Caiphas, and the murderers of Jesus Christ; and near them I see my place, because, like them, I have despised the blood of Jesus Christ by deferring confession for so long a time.” Thus the unhappy man died in despair without confession, and was buried like a dog outside the church without having a prayer offered for his soul.’

St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, Doctor of the Church
That pretty much sounds like checkmate, doesn’t it?
 
Here’s what Jesus says of Judas:
**“For indeed, the Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!” **(Lk 22:22)Judas did what he did because God decreed that He would.
So, Jesus makes Judas do it to fulfill the prophecy and then punishes him for doing it (“Woe to that man…”)?

I wasn’t aware that Jesus was a Calvinist? 😉
 
So, Jesus makes Judas do it to fulfill the prophecy and then punishes him for doing it (“Woe to that man…”)?

I wasn’t aware that Jesus was a Calvinist? 😉
You learn something everyday. 🙂

Actually, Jesus is stating a simple truth regarding God and man: God is absolutely sovereign, and man is responsible for his own actions. That’s clearly stated both in the OT, and the NT.
 
I believe it was the sagacious St. John Vianney who provided the answer to this:
*
We don’t know. *

The Catholic Church has NEVER proclaimed that any individual is in hell. For we do not know the state of that person at the moment of death. As St. John Vianney said, regarding a man who jumped off a bridge: we know not if this man prayed for forgiveness after he jumped off the bridge and before he hit the water.
Seems more a logical and ethical response, better than proclaiming to know the destiny of a person!
 
God is absolutely sovereign, and man is responsible for his own actions. That’s clearly stated both in the OT, and the NT.
Indeed.

This is very Catholic of you to say, WCH! 👍
 
Do you know any Catholic who proclaims to have known that someone is in hell?
I know some very religious Catholics who were very happy when Osama Bin laden died, and they started some notes and threads about how happy they are because osama is in “hell” right now, but I don’t judge a religion by some of it’s followers, and I know that Catholicism teach that nobody can know where the soul is, except maybe for saints right?
Even that hating the enemy, I don’t think it’s a part of Christianity either, I find it strange when many people have faith but don’t have compassion.
Why you asked?
 
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