Was Judas Iscariot Saved In The End?
Did he repent unto salvation, and ask for forgiveness, having believed in the end that Jesus is God?

There are many people who seem to believe on Jesus and who seem to be born again and saved. From the outside, they appear to believe that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God, who is God as shown in John 1.

However, we must be careful about this because some are not what they may seem. Remember that satan is a liar and a thief. He does not come as darkness but comes appearing as light. The devil is fine with people going to church buildings teaching a false gospel. The devil takes Scripture and then just twists it a tiny bit, just enough so people are deceived. The devil places tares WITHIN the wheat. His plan is all of our destruction as he HATES US and is evil in his ever intention as the Father Of Lies.

“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” (John 8:44 KJV)

JUDAS ISCARIOT

When it comes to Judas, this seems to be the case. Judas lived with Christ and travelled with Him during His Earthly ministry. Judas was given charge over the finances of the ministry purse. We all know now looking back, that Judas really never believed. He believed that Jesus was the Messiah foretold to set up His Kingdom fro Israel, but who he thought the Messiah was, was not actually God. He wanted Jesus to overthrow Rome and their oppression.

And when we dig a bit deeper into Judas in Scripture, Jesus’ own words and Judas’ words and what he actually did, we see that he was the only disciple that actually did not believe on Christ for righteousness. Especially near the end when Jesus began His great opposition in boldness against the Pharisee leaders. Turning over the tables of the money changers, calling the Pharisee leaders vipers and hypocrites, calling Himself to be the Son of God etc.

We read in the Old Testament a prophecy about Judas Iscariot,

“Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.” (Psalm 41:9 KJV)

Jesus also referred to this prophecy coming to pass before the disciples,

“Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?” (John 6:70 KJV)

“While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.” (John 17:12 KJV)

Was Judas Created Just To Fulfill This Prophecy?

Some think that because it was a prophecy being fulfilled that it means Judas was born to betray Christ just so that the prophecy would be fulfilled, proving Jesus is the Son of God.

That is not a correct interpretation. It is an interpretation that Calvinism pushes just as they push the idea that some are born predestined to hell and others to Heaven before birth. This is very false teaching. A topic for another commentary with many reasons in Scripture that it is very false teaching. For the purpose of this article of commentary, I will just show one well known passage as an overview rejection of that false teaching and it is this,

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:16-18 KJV)

This is very clear. And notice it does not state that these who believe are only the people predestined to believe, as Calvinist who say. It reads WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH! And verse 18 is so clear that it just blows their false teaching out of the water, sort of speak.

“18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:18 KJV)

GOD GAVE US FREE WILL TO CHOOSE

The truth is that God gave us all a FREE WILL to chose Him in BELIEF or reject Him in UNBELIEF. That is exactly what the free GIFT of salvation is. It is never earned but can only be accepted or rejected by our choice. Free will is so important to God because He wants a real relationship with us. We were not created as robots. Everyone must CHOOSE.

“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore >>CHOOSE<< life, that both thou and thy seed may live:” (Deuteronomy 30:19 KJV)

If we need to CHOOSE, then a decision must be made of the free will God gave us as humankind.

A prophecy being fulfilled does not mean that Judas was predestined to condemnation before he was born. It is just that God, in foreknowledge of the decisions Judas would make, KNEW beforehand what would happen. And so gave a prophecy so others may believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Remember God lives outside of time because HE CREATED TIME! To God, He is the I AM that I AM. He lives in the forever now, present. He sees it all from the beginning to the end of time. God foreknew those who would choose to believe on His Son for salvation and righteousness and who would choose in pride to be their own little god and reject Christ. We read this in Ephesians 1,

“1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, TO THE SAINTS which are at Ephesus, and TO THE FAITHFUL IN CHRIST JESUS:
2 GRACE be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

4 According as he hath CHOSEN US in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
5 Having PREDESTINATED us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
7 In whom we have redemption THROUGH HIS BLOOD, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his GRACE;
8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:” (Ephesians 1:1-9 KJV)

The very first verse shows us who this is written about. It is not written to unbelievers destined to hell from birth. It is not written to those destined at birth to believe either.  It is written to THE SAINTS and the FAITHFUL in Christ Jesus. It is written to the “whosoever believeth” from John 3. To those who CHOSE to believe on Christ for salvation and not by their own works (Eph. 2:8-9). So this is addressed to those that believe on Christ. That those who believe on Christ for righteousness, God predestinated to many things, gifts, benefits and eternal life with God!

Judas was born as we all are created and that is with a free will to choose. It was his choice that condemned him. Peter stated that it is not God’s will that any should perish! It is just that God gave us a free will to choose. God foreknew what his choice would be and so foretold of it in a prophecy so that others would believe in Jesus as the Christ.

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, NOT WILLING that any should perish, but that all SHOULD come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9 KJV)

Our loving God did all that He could to save us from our sins, dying on a cross who knew no sin, becoming sin for us and paying for it all with His precious blood. The greatest act of love in the created universe.

WAS JUDAS SAVED IN THE END?

It is true that Judas went back to those who paid him that 30 coins and felt remorse because he caused an innocent man to be crucified. But that does not mean he changed his mind and believed Jesus was the Son of God. He only thought of Jesus as a prophet and Rabbi from God. We see this if we look very closely at the words here,

“And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, LORD, is it I? And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.
The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.

Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, MASTER, is it I? ” (Matt. 26:21-25 KJV)

We see here that only 11 of the disciples called Jesus LORD. Although they all called Jesus Rabbi in the early days of the ministry, this is late in the ministry now. This is after all the miracles. This is after Jesus declared Peter was right when asked by Jesus, who do you say that I am? Answering “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God“. Yet, here just before the cross we see Judas called Jesus ‘MASTER’ which in Strongs Greek is

“ῥαββί rhabbí, hrab-bee’; of Hebrew origin (H7227 with pronominal suffix); my master, i.e Rabbi, as an official title of honor:—Master, Rabbi. “

See the difference? Not LORD, which the disciples by this time have come to believe in Jesus as the Son of God, but RABBI.

Judas never really believed. He was as a tare among the wheat.

Just look at these Scriptures about Judas Iscariot,

“Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you IS A DEVIL?” (John 6:70 KJV)

“Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should betray him, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because HE WAS A THIEF, and HAD THE BAG, and bare what was put therein.” (John 12:4-6 KJV)

What BAG? The money of the ministry! Judas held the finances and money bag. We see here he was a deceiver and had been STEALING from that purse for himself.

“Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, BUT NOT ALL. For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.” (John 13:8 KJV)

Judas was not CLEAN. That is, his sins were not forgiven because of his unbelief in Christ as the Son of God as we read in John 3. His sins remained unpaid.

“And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.” (John 13:27 KJV)

Satan himself had ENTERED Judas Iscariot! The devil cannot enter a born again believer.

Judas was a disciple, but in the end He never BELIEVED Jesus was God, which is a requirement to salvation. Jesus stated in outright,

“…woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.”