THE GATE OF HELL


The World, the Word & You! Broadcast
Commentary by Dennis L. Finnan

IN 1780 A WICKED BETRAYAL OF AMERICAN HISTORY OCCURRED. BENEDICT ARNOLD, COMMANDER OF WEST POINT SECRETLY OFFERED TO SURRENDER IT TO THE BRITISH FOR 20,000 POUNDS! HOWEVER, AN EVEN GREATER BETRAYAL, THE MOST WICKED IN HUMAN HISTORY OCCURRED THOUSANDS OF YEARS BEFORE FOR THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER!..

I’m Dennis Finnan, host and speaker on the WWY Broadcast and in a moment we’ll talk about "THE GATE OF HELL…"

…In 1780, Benedict Arnold, who was commander of one of America's most famous military training centers and in that era a most strategic military post, made the most horrendous decision of the American Revolutionary War. He decided to betray his country and his soldiers, by offering to surrender West Point to the British army for the sum of 20,000 pounds and a commission in the British Army. Much of the reasons behind this traitor's actions are akin to another man who lived thousands of years ago. His name was Judas Iscariot, who has down through the centuries lived in infamy for his wicked betrayal of Jesus Christ. In a moment I want to talk with you about that betrayal and the biblical truth behind it for your edification and warning that the GATE OF HELL most often lies next to the GATE OF HEAVEN itself!..

…JUDAS ISCARIOT! This name lives on in infamy because of his wicked betrayal of the son of God, Jesus Christ. Now almost 2000 years have passed since this treachery occurred, and no one known to mankind has ever used that name "Judas" again. All the other apostles name's are given to boys to bear at birth, but none name their child ¾ "JUDAS!" For Judas has become the epitome of treachery. Why even Webster's New College Dictionary says of his name: "a traitor or betrayer." Yes, this man's name has been anathematized because of his most evil act against the Lord Jesus Christ who loved him. Now today I want to examine the life and betrayal of Judas, for in doing so we can get a glimpse into our own human nature, and also see the dangerous and diabolical pitfalls one can follow to end up in a Christless eternity, a place called Hell. To begin let's look at Judas' early years.

First of all, we really know little about this man who became one of the twelve apostles whom the Lord Jesus Christ called to His side. His name is "Judas Iscariot" (John 6:71). The last name gives us a clue for the name "Iscariot" means "a man from Kerioth," which was a small town in southern plain of Hebron in Israel. But apart from that, he just appears on the scene as an early follower of Jesus. The Bible tells us the moment came when Jesus was about to choose of the many followers, a select group to train and represent Him. We read in Scripture,

Mark 3:13 (NIV) "Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him." John 6:70 (NIV) 70 Then Jesus replied, "Have I not chosen you, the Twelve?.."

Among these men sovereignly chosen by the Lord Jesus, was this man Judas Iscariot. Now in the beginning, all of the "twelve" disciples were a motley band of men. They were dull, lacking humility, proud, jealous and envious men. They lacked faith, and even true commitment. Yet, Judas Iscariot stands out from the twelve as "different." How's that you ask? Well, Judas unlike the others never truly gave his heart to the Lord Jesus, and never was "saved" as the Bible describes those who are "born again." Now some will cry out and say not true. The reason they will point to is this:

  1. Judas held an important place in the circle of the twelve. He was appointed by the apostles as their "treasurer," that is the keeper of the finances for their work and journey. Surely Christ would not have approved in advance, a man who was not truly one of them! ( John 12:6)
  2. Judas like all the other apostles was given the ministry to "cast out devils," perform "miracles, signs and wonders," Judas seemingly possessed the same potential as all the other apostles. To all appearances, Judas did not come behind any of the others in promise or high ideals. (Luke 10:17-20)
  3. Like the others, Judas apparently forsook all to follow Jesus, and sat under all the teachings of the Lord and took it into his heart like the others.
  4. What's more Peter testified before Christ that all who were following him believed that He was indeed the very Son of God Himself! (John 6:69)

Now, what more could you ask? Here's a man who gave up everything to follow Jesus; sat under His teaching day in and day out; served as the treasurer of the group; conducted evangelistic outreach; ministered to the sick, the poor, the demon possessed and performed miracles to heal them ¾ surely this is a testimony of someone who was a believer and true follower of Christ? The answer still is NO! Judas was never a believer and never was he saved from his sins, nor was his name ever written down in the Book of Life! Well now, let's substantiate this and document it biblically.

You see Judas Iscariot is an example, God has given to fallen sinful humanity, as to how deeply wicked and sinful is our human hearts, and how without the grace and mercy of God no one can ever be saved or approach the holy God of eternity.(John 5:40; John 8:47; 1 Cor. 2:14)

Yes, Judas was truly given every possible opportunity, more than any other unsaved human being, to come to learn of and know personally His Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But, alas, Judas never did. We read that when Jesus chose the twelve, he stipulated that in choosing them, all were not the same. He knew Judas' wicked heart and purpose of following Him.

John 6:70 (NIV) "Then Jesus replied, "Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!""

This word "devil" is the same word used of Satan himself, the "father of Lies."(John 8:44). It is the word "diabolos" which means deceiver, liar, or false accuser. Jesus knew and said from the very beginning that one of the twelve He chose, was a phony, a skilled hypocrite! We know of course it was Judas. But John's Gospel tells us more about what Jesus said of this man Judas,

John 17:12 (NIV) "While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled."

Jesus called Judas a deceiver, a liar and "one doomed to destruction." How did Judas deceive the "Twelve?" We read later on in the ministry of Jesus, of an incident that occurred that revealed Judas' treachery and deceit.

John 12:3-6 (NIV) "Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 "Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages." 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it."

Although the eleven other apostles at that time had no idea that Judas was a "thief," the Bible reveals one of Judas' reasons for following Jesus. He was in it for the money! Sadly this is one of the marks of "false teachers," who would arise later in the church. We read of this in Peter's own words, a description of the prophesied phony Christian teachers coming into the church…

2 Pet 2:14-15 (NLT) "They commit adultery with their eyes, and their lust is never satisfied. They make a game of luring unstable people into sin. They train themselves to be greedy; they are doomed and cursed. 15 They have wandered off the right road and followed the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved to earn money by doing wrong."

We know that Peter's illustration of the "Way of Balaam," followed by false teachers, is the way of greed, avarice, and a covetous heart. Judas was determined to get all he could out of serving with Christ. He pilfered money from the treasury to build up his kingdom while falsely professing to build Christ's kingdom. Sadly, we have the same out there today. False teachers and prophets bilk millions of innocent foolish followers to think they are representing Christ. They may even perform miracles, help the poor, while helping themselves to good sums for their own greedy desires. Judas was a deceiver, Jesus said so, and now we learn he was a thief too!

Beware the covetous heart! One the greatest sins that can draw men and women away from God, away from coming to Christ is what John speaks of in,

1 John 2:15-17 (NIV) "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever."

Judas' eyes of the pride of life and wealth, sealed his heart from ever hearing the words of Jesus calling out to him in love, to surrender all. Much like the rich young ruler Jesus met along life's way in (Mark 10:17-22). When Jesus told this man to give all he had to the poor, he could not hear anymore and walked away.

So now we have a clear understanding of what motivated Judas to follow Jesus. He was in it for the money and what he could get out of it. Power, prestige, fame, riches were all in his eye, and the words of Jesus calling him to give up all ¾ were silenced for all eternity in his heart!

However there is more. We also discover that being unsaved in the presence of the Lord and the other eleven apostles who have surrendered their lives and hearts to Christ, opened for Judas the most danger of all! You see, Satan desired to possess and control this man and all who are unsaved. We read about this in,

John 13:2 (NIV) "The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus."

Notice those words, "already prompted Judas." This means Judas had some time ago formed an alliance with Satan himself. Satan obviously promised him riches, fame, fortune, and soon he would have it! By the time of this "Last Supper," of the Lord with his disciples, Judas had become completely disillusioned. Also, he had already negotiated a deal to betray Jesus.

Mat 26:14-16 (NIV) "Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests 15 and asked, "What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?" So they counted out for him thirty silver coins. 16 From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over."

As time went on, Judas began to see that Jesus was not going to be the "cash cow," he thought. He kept talking about his death, and about giving up all to follow Him. This was not his desire. He wanted an earthly kingdom and wanted to be a ruler here, and no where else.

But of course, almost everyone knows the rest of the story. Judas sold out Christ for thirty pieces of silver (Mat 26:15-16; 26:49; John 18:2-5), and he betrayed the Lord in the Olive Garden that night after the Supper. In fact, one of the most endearing moments occurred there at the supper. Listen as I read it,

John 13:21-28 (NIV) "… 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."

You see Jesus, knowing in advance from day one, that Judas was a phony hypocrite and the prophesied betrayer. Why Jesus even gave Judas one last opportunity to turn to Christ. He placed Judas on his right at the supper table, and offered him the first bite of the food of the evening. This was the place of high honor. Here we see the continued love Jesus showed to woe this man to himself, but we have read that immediately upon Jesus identifying Judas as the betrayer, "Satan entered into him." This means, now, finally after repeated moments of satanic control, now Satan fully possesses this unsaved disciple, and he went out and sold the Lord for the money offered by the Jewish authorities. Now, the point of all this is:

  1. JUDAS IS AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO ALL WHO REMAIN UNSAVED IN THIS LIFE - They will perish in Hell for all eternity. Judas we are told went to "his own place." (Acts 1:24), which is Hell! It was his place only because he neglected to change "that place" all humanity will go to who remain unsaved from their sins (Rom 3:23; 6:23). Secondly,
  2. JUDAS IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE FACT THAT RIGHTEOUS LIVING & DEEDS CANNOT SAVE YOU! - Judas did all these things. He probably even performed miracles while preaching. Indeed, the devil deceived him there, and when he attempted to cast out demons, they probably obeyed to "fool" the crowds that this man had power! Even serving with Christ and the apostles was no proof or promise of heaven and eternal life. Judas failed to surrender his heart to Jesus which alone can save. (Rom, 10:9-10)
  3. JUDAS IS AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT THE UNSAVED & WICKED NATURE OF FALLEN MANKIND WILL DO APART FROM THE GRACE OF GOD - Not everyone accept this teaching, but I believe it is taught in Scripture. Judas is an example of the what Christian doctrine calls ¾ the Total Depravity of man. This means that all mankind is born without any ability to seek God, to receive His forgiveness and love, apart from God Himself first enlightening us to it. Therefore, all the good efforts of man, can never save us! All the righteousness of our fallen nature can never be acceptable to God for heaven and eternal life. It is only though the surrender of the heart, mind, body and soul to the Lordship and Saviorhood of Jesus Christ, can anyone turn to God and be saved! Judas had everything. God enlightened his heart and soul with knowledge, but Judas on his own did not respond. The Bible reminds us in Jer. 17:9 (NIV) "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" John 3:19 (NIV) "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil."

Oh, how sad for Judas! However, let us not forget that although the Bible teaches of the sovereignty of God in choosing such as should be saved, there is still our own free will and accountability that is involved. The Lord's foreknowledge of Judas' heart does not imply fore-ordination that Judas must be a traitor, and destined to Hell. Remember, friend, no one goes to Hell except they choose to! Also, no one is saved except they willingly choose to surrender their heart and life to Jesus Christ. How this is accomplished is what we call the mystery "grace" of God.

Eph 2:8-9 (NIV) "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast."

Friend I wonder, How much of God' grace has the Lord Jesus allowed you to experience, see and hear? The question is, have you responded? Have you turned your heart over to Jesus fully? You see, going to church, reading the Bible, giving your tithe in offering, doing good works and deeds, being honest and true are all GOOD and admirable things, but they cannot save you, nor are they evidence you are saved! Judas did them all, had all these things ¾ but he perished in Hell for all eternity.

The difference between the eleven disciples and Judas was one thing -

"A REPENTANT FAITH!"

After betraying the Lord we find that Judas was remorseful. He was sorry for his deed. He cast the thirty pieces of silver back into the temple, and went out in despair and hanged himself! (Mat 27:3-10) Was this a sorrow that saves? No, the Bible says,

2 Cor 7:10 (NIV) "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death."

Judas' sorrow was for the way things turned out, and personal pain. But not for Jesus to forgive him. There was no sin that Judas could commit in this life, that God would not have forgiven him of, save one ¾ UNBELIEF! Unbelief you see, is the most wicked and evil sin in the world. In the light of God's Word, His grace and mercy, and His love to reject so great a salvation and Savior ¾ there is only one fate, an everlasting Hell.

Friend are you in unbelief? Are you walking in this dangerous path? Millions will perish because like Judas, they have a covetous heart, and a deceitful mind, and refuse to be saved from their sins. In the guilt of this, they often do good works, they serve religion, they even perform religious miracles ¾ but alas, they have not crowned Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior of their heart. Herein is the message of Judas, for we discover the GATE OF HELL is right next to the DOOR OF HEAVEN, and multitudes will pass into the darkness of it and be so close to Heaven itself. May God grant you ears to hear, eyes to see, and a heart to obey Christ's call to be saved from your sins. Call upon Christ right now wherever you are to save you, and He will rescue you now and for all eternity keep you as His child of His love. Fail to do it and the way of Judas will be your lot for all eternity too…

…Well friends, the story of Judas Iscariot is one of terrible sorrow. He has, because of his crime and betrayal, become the TRAITOR OF ETERNITY! Yet, I perceive there will be millions of others who although in lesser terms of rejection will suffer the same fate. But it need not happen. Be sure your heart is right with Christ. Be sure you are trusting in Him alone for your salvation, and that you have surrendered your life to Him. This is what it truly means to "believe in Christ." May God so bless these words to every one listening for Jesus sake. Amen.

The World, the Word & You! Broadcast is a non-denominational ministry based on the historic fundamental evangelical interpretation of the Scriptures. A copy of our doctrinal statement is available upon request. These weekly radio commentaries are not exhaustive studies of any particular subject due to the time limit of broadcasting. Actual broadcasts can be heard in selected areas around the nation, as funding provides. Dennis Finnan has been the speaker for over 18 years, and serves as General Director.

These transcripts are available free of charge to all who desire them. Also available are actual radio cassette tapes and printed booklets of each message. A free listing of recent messages is available upon request also.

For further information, reprints, or a listing of all topics, please write to our speaker, Dennis L. Finnan(dennis@wwy.org),or visit our webpage at http://www.wwy.org/