Did Judas Go to Heaven?

One question I’ve seen asked a lot is whether Judas Iscariot went to heaven.

Some say there is no way he could have since he betrayed Jesus.

Others assume he did because the Bible says he regretted what he’d done.

 

Let’s look at these a little further.

First of all, yes Judas did betray Jesus.

But, at the same time, so did Peter when he denied Christ 3 times before the cock crowed. (Matthew 26:31-35, 69-75 NIV)

 

If I am real honest with myself, there are times I betray Jesus, too.

No, I don’t do anything “big” like sending people to kill Him.

But…

Every time I laugh at an inappropriate joke…

Every time I say something I shouldn’t…

Every time I brush away that little nudge in me that is reminding me my thinking isn’t in line with His…

Every time I choose to do things my way, not His…

Every time I decide I’m too busy to pray but have time to watch t.v. or hang out with a friend…

Every time I put my own feelings or ideas ahead of what Scripture tells me is right and true…

Every time I tell myself that one little slip won’t matter..

I betray Christ.

 

In short, I turn my back on the One who is the lover of my soul, who willingly died so that I could have life and have it abundantly.

 

This abundant life is not about doing all these things that please and tickle the flesh.

It’s about a life abundant in love for God and my fellow man.

It’s about a life full of relationship with God, fellowship with Christ, and obedience to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

 

From the world’s perspective that might not sound like fun, but as Christians we aren’t called to live a life that is according to the world.

We are called to a life that is according to God, His word, and His will.

These are two very different paths and they often conflict.

 

The world is focused on celebrating and serving self.

It is constantly trying to call us to it and to woo us away from the life Christ has planned for us; to convince us that following Scripture closely doesn’t matter.

 

It does matter!

 

If we are Christians we have died to self and are now alive to Christ and the path of the Kingdom of God.

The path of the Christian is to deny self, and to follow Christ wherever He may lead, doing good, and trusting that He knows a better way to walk through this life than we do.

 

Like it or not, every time we choose the world or our own way, we betray Christ.

 

Was Judas kept out of heaven simply because he betrayed Jesus?

I don’t think so.

 

As for whether Judas regretted what he’d done, yes he did.

Matthew 27:3 tells us Judas was seized with remorse.

He regretted what he had done and returned the coins he’d been paid.

He even goes so far as to say he has sinned and that he has betrayed innocent blood.

Then Scripture says he then went out and hanged himself.

 

Nowhere does it say he went to Jesus to apologize or did anything to try to make things right with God.

Nowhere does it say Judas repented.

In some translations of Scripture it does say he repented himself. This does not mean he repented before God. It means he regretted his actions and wished he hadn’t done it.

 

Here’s the thing – it’s not enough to have remorse or to regret how you’ve acted.

It’s not even enough to repent – realize what you have done is wrong and to decide not to do it again.

You have to take it to the next step.

The next step is to go to God in prayer about these feelings and realizations.

You have to repent to Him, not just to yourself.

There is a big difference between repenting and repenting to God.

 

The question, then, is did Judas repent to God?

We don’t know for sure because Scripture doesn’t specifically say.

There are clues, though.

In Matthew 26:24 Jesus tells us it would be better for the man who betrayed Him if he had not been born at all.

Certainly, if his final destination was heaven then Jesus wouldn’t have said that.

 

Another thing Jesus said was during a prayer.

In it, He said that He had kept safe all those God had given Him while He was on earth and that the only one not kept safe was the son of perdition and that that was so the Scripture would be fulfilled. (John 17:12)

 

Finally, in Acts 1:25 it says that Judas lost his spot of being with the other disciples because he fell by transgression (sin) and that he was going to his own place.

In other words, he wasn’t going to the same place as the other disciples.

 

When I take into consideration these things Jesus said as well as the verse in Acts, I think it is clear that no, Judas probably did not go to heaven.

 

Judas wasn’t kept out of heaven because he betrayed Jesus.

He was kept out of heaven because he fell into sin* and chose that path instead of trusting Jesus and following Him. (Acts 1:25).

 

Judas’ life is a lesson to us all about the importance of actually following Jesus, not just knowing who He is.

It’s also a lesson in the dangers of betraying Christ.

 

Judas was right there with Jesus and saw His miracles firsthand.

He was able to hear Jesus Himself preaching and teaching the people.

Yet, he chose the way of the world and self instead of the way of Jesus.

What a sad way to live.

What an opportunity lost!

 

I pray that we will learn from Judas and not make the same foolish choices he did.

 

 

 

*John 12:4-6 tells us Judas didn’t care about the poor, but regularly stole money from the coin purse meant for Jesus’ ministry.

The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern. – Proverbs 29:7 NIV

 

Not sure who Judas Iscariot was? Learn more about him in my post, Judas Iscariot.

 

To learn more about the Easter Season, please visit my Easter page, a compilation of previous Easter and Lent posts.