1.1 Significance of the Study
Judas Iscariot is a name synonymous with betrayal. Jesus Christ made a powerful statement directed towards him: “Woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born” (Matthew 26:24)! Judas went on to commit suicide after fully realizing what he had done (Matthew 27:3-5). Does his suicide mean that he’s surely in hell, or does it instead prove that he was repentant and therefore in heaven? The answer takes an altogether different approach: Despite his actions and his lingering infamy, we can have confidence from the Word of God that Judas Iscariot is not currently burning in Hell—and the reasons may surprise you!
We can have confidence from the Word of God that Judas Iscariot is not currently burning in hell and that no one will suffer an eternity in hellfire, but rather those who refuse God’s way will simply be destroyed.
The outline of future events in Revelation 20:4-15 are crucial to understanding why Judas is not in Hell. This passage describes the time when Jesus Christ will return to the earth and will reign for 1,000 years along with the saints, who are resurrected at that time. The “saints” are the people who God has called out and chosen during their lifetimes. But verse 5 says that “the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished” (Revelation 20:5), and the details of this second resurrection are given in Revelation 20:11-15.
One key to understanding this sequence of events—and to understanding why Judas cannot be in hell right now—challenges a common assumption: people are not judged by God immediately when they die. Peter explained in 1 Peter 4:17 that the “house of God” is being judged now. This is how the saints in Revelation 20:4-6 are qualified to inherit eternal life at Jesus’ return, while “the rest of the dead” are not judged until later in Revelation 20:11-15.
If the dead have not yet been judged, then no one is in hell at this time, including Judas! But what about when “the rest of the dead” live again and stand for judgment? Will he be condemned to hell then? It’s worth examining what exactly we mean by “hell.” Many understand hell to be a place of eternal torment where the wicked are punished forever in fire. But the truth of the Bible again challenges this traditional teaching. For example, it says that “the soul that sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:20) and that God “is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).
In Romans 6:23, Paul explains the afterlife from both sides of the issue. Firstly, he tells us that “the wages of sin is death”—the unrepentant do not live in everlasting torture! The end of Romans 6:23 contains a contrasting statement that makes the conclusion even more certain: “the gift of God is eternal life.” Human beings do not live forever unless they receive God’s gift of eternal life.
A person who does not receive eternal life faces what Revelation 20:6 calls “the second death” in the lake of fire. Jesus referred to this same fate as the destruction of the body and the soul in “hell” (Matthew 10:28). The word translated as “hell” in Matthew 10:28 is gehenna, which is the name of a place near Jerusalem where trash was taken to be burned according to one rabbinical source. We can therefore conclude that hell is the place where the bodies and souls of those who will not repent will be destroyed, once and for all, and this will not happen until after the 1,000-year reign of Jesus on the earth.
We can have confidence from the Word of God that Judas Iscariot is not currently burning in hell and that no one will suffer an eternity in hellfire, but rather those who refuse God’s way will simply be destroyed. As proof of God’s great mercy and love, He offered His Son as a sacrifice for all sinners who reach out to Him in repentance. It is comforting to know that God is on our side; He wants everyone to succeed in obtaining eternal life (Ezekiel 18:32, 2 Peter 3:9). Whether Judas will ultimately be destroyed in the lake of fire is beyond our capacity to know, but we can be sure that the judgment of our merciful God will be righteous, just and fair.
In twenty-one places Sheol is described as a place beneath, very far beneath the earth, and those who go to Sheol go downward. E.g. (Gen. 37:35, 42:38, 44:29 and 31; Num. 16:30; Deut. 32:22; Ps. 86:13 etc.) Sheol is also the place where the judgement of God and His dire vengeance overtakes the evildoers. Korah’s rebel band went down to Sheol in Numbers 16:30 and all the congregation of Israel witnessed this shocking spectacle. Yes, this event was also recorded to warn future generations. To proud Israel, to that people who often provoked God with their vanities, is held up for their warning a fiery Sheol in Deut. 32:22 – “A fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest Sheol.” Sheol ‘Consumes’ those which have sinned in Job 24:19. “The wicked shall be turned into Sheol – Psalm 9:17 and in Sheol they are made to be ashamed and silent, Psalm 31:17. Against his wicked and treacherous enemies David prays: “Let death seize upon them, and let them go, down quick into Sheol.” Those children of Belial who are enticing the son of the God-fearing to join them in their evil-doings are impersonating death and Sheol in Proverbs 1:12. Sheol is the place for harlots: Prov. 3:5, 7:27, 9:18. In Hosea 13:14 there is a promise of God’s mercy that Ephraim’s sin is hid, and that the Lord will ransom him from the power of Sheol and from death. This passage is quoted by St. Paul in 1 Cor. 15:55 and is interpreted as referring to the victory of Christ over death and the grave (Hades). While in Psalm 16:10 Christ is represented as victorious over Sheol and corruption, He is here shown as the conqueror of death and the entire realm of death, the prince or power of Sheol.
I. JUDAS ISCARIOT
Revelation 13:11 says, “And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth.” This beast is the false prophet (16:13; 19:20; 20:10). Since the earth, the land, signifies the nation of Israel, this beast, the false prophet, will come out of the Jewish nation. Some students of prophecy believe that the false prophet will be Judas Iscariot. I believe this view is correct. According to Acts 1:25, after his death Judas went “to his own place,” rather than to “his people,” as was the case with others recorded in Scripture (Gen. 25:17; 35:29). Although there have been many false persons in history, no one was as filled with Satan as Judas was. Jesus said, “Did not I choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil? Now He spoke of Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, being one of the twelve, would betray Him” (John 6:70-71). Here we see that the Lord Jesus even called Judas a devil. Because Judas was filled with the Devil, he was one with the Devil. No one other than Judas matches the description of the false prophet.
Let us consider further the significance of Judas’ going “to his own place.” According to the record in the Bible, Elijah was raptured to God, and the body of Moses was kept by God for a specific purpose. In addition, we have seen that the spirit of Nero is being kept in the abyss. Undoubtedly, the spirit of Judas is also being kept in a particular place. Only when we come to the book of Revelation do we see why the Bible gives us this particular record of these four people.
During the time of the great tribulation, the Lord’s people on earth will need strengthening. Because God foreknew this, He has sovereignly kept Moses and Elijah for His testimony during that time. God is also keeping Nero and Judas, but, in contrast to Moses and Elijah, they are not in a pleasant place. One is in the abyss, and the other is in “his own place.” Although I do not know what this place is, I am confident that it is not a place of joy. Hence, two people have been kept by God for His positive purpose and two others have been kept for His negative purpose. The spirit of Nero is being held in the abyss until the time it will fully constitute the last Caesar of the Roman Empire as Antichrist. Judas is kept in his own place until he appears as the false prophet. By God’s sovereign keeping of these four people, we can see that the whole universe and the entire human race is under God’s sovereign hand. Nothing happens accidentally. Rather, everything takes place according to God’s sovereign arrangement.
Centuries ago, God prepared Moses and Elijah. As we have pointed out, Moses represents the law, and Elijah, the prophets. In ancient times, the Jews referred to the Old Testament as “the law and the prophets.” Because Moses and Elijah are two witnesses, they have been purposely kept by God. One day, after Satan has been cast down to earth and embodied in Antichrist, who will exercise satanic power to persecute God’s people, God will send these two witnesses back to strengthen His people. At that time, Satan will call out Judas to work for him as he did once before. Just as the spirit of Nero will emerge from the abyss to become Antichrist, so Judas will come out of his own place to become the false prophet. Therefore, during the three and a half years of the great tribulation, four special persons will be on earth—Moses, Elijah, Nero, and Judas. Probably all four will meet one another face to face. I wonder what Moses and Elijah will say to Judas. Moses and Elijah will be the anti-testimony to Antichrist and the false prophet. Imagine what a situation that will be when these four confront one another!
II. COMING UP OUT OF THE EARTH
Revelation 13:11 says that the other beast, the false prophet, will come up out of the earth. Geographically, he will come from underneath the earth, and symbolically he will come from the nation of Israel. We have seen that the land signifies the nation of Israel. For this reason, the false prophet will certainly come out of the nation of Israel. He must be one of the Jewish people.
2.1 Significance of the Study
Sheol This Hebrewword, referring to the grave in the Old Testament, is unique because it does not have any cognate in any other ancient Near Eastern language, and its etymology in Hebrew is unknown. It frequently appears in poetic literature but is also mentioned early on in Scripture (Gen. 37:35; 42:38; 44:29, 31). The realm of the dead is a minor theme in the Old Testament. The Hebrew scriptures have only about 100 references to it. Also, the Old Testament contains no accounts of travel to the underworld, remarkable among the other ancient Near Eastern cultures, whose literature displayed great interest in the netherworld and contained many epics about visits to it. The Old Testament depicts Sheolas deep in the earth (1 Kings 2:6; Job 17:16; Ps. 55:15; Prov. 7:27; Ezek. 31:16) and, therefore, cosmologically opposite to heaven (Job 11:8; Ps. 139:8; Isa. 7:11). Yet, Sheol is still under God’s dominion (Job 11:8; 26:5, 6; Ps. 139:8; Prov. 15:11; Amos 9:2). It is a prison from which no one can escape (Job 16:22; Isa. 38:10; Jonah 2:6) and characterized by inactivity and silence (Ps. 94:17; 115:17). Agreat leveler, Sheol is the destiny of everyone, from the least to the greatest, whether rich or poor, slave or free (Job 3:13-19; Ps. 89:48; Eccles. 9:10).In a few cases, the Old Testament describesSheol’s inhabitants as repa’im(“shades”), a term related to the Phoenician and the Ugaritic roots rp’m, which also referred to the dead. However, unlike their pagan counterparts, the Hebrews did not conceive of the repa’imas gods or protectors of the living. Nowhere does the Old Testament describe them as engaging in any activity or having any contact with the living. Furthermore, they are never to be consulted through necromancy, invoked as patrons, or invited to feasts. Lifeless and weak (Prov. 21:16; Isa. 14:9-11), they are poetically and metaphorically portrayed as trembling before Yahweh and unable topraise Him (Job 26:5; Ps. 88:10). The Bible asserts, however, that Sheol is under God’s power and that He would rescue the righteous from it (1 Sam. 2:6; Hos. 13:14). God’s radical solution to the problem of the righteous in Sheol is not some blissful afterlife but the future hope of physical resurrection (Isa. 26:19; Dan. 12:2). https://www.qr.safeliz.com/ba/eng/rv5.html Page 1 of 3 Title—Bible verse 5/22/23, 12:18 PM Hadēs Hadēs The ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament known as the Septuagint (LXX) almost always usedthe word hadēsto translate Sheol. In the New Testament, Hades, like Sheol, lies deep down in the earth and is conceived as the opposite of heaven (Matt. 11:23; Luke 10:15; cf. Matt 12:40; Rom. 10:7). It is a prison with gates (Matt. 16:18; Rev. 1:18) and locked (Rev. 1:18) from which nobody can escape. All the dead, righteous and wicked alike, are there (Luke 16:23, 26; Acts 2:27, 31). In the end, however, only the wicked are seen in hades (Rev. 20:15) because Jesus has the keys of Hades and rescues His people from it (Rev.1:18). Tartaros (Hell) According to 2 Peter 2:4, the rebellious angels are “cast … into tartaros,”which is a prison of darkness which confines them until the judgment day. It appears to be similar to the place described as “the abyss” (abyssos) in Revelation 20:1-3, where Satan remains for a thousand years before the final judgment. Revelation 12:7-12 identifies this prison as the earth. During the millennium, when the depopulated earth would be a wasteland, Satan is bound by a “chain” because he has no one left to deceive. Gehenna(Hell) Most of the references to “hell” in English versions of the New Testament are a translation of the Greek word geenna (often called Gehenna). It is the Greek form of the Aramaic gehinnam, which in turn goes back to the Hebrew ge ben-hinnom (Valley of the son [or sons] of Hinnom)—a geographical feature that lies to the south of Jerusalem. (Today, the valley is called Wadi er-Rabâbi.) In the time of Ahaz and Manasseh,people offered child sacrifices to Molech—an underworld deity —in that valley. Josiah,during his religious reforms,had desecrated this site (2 Kings 16:2, 3; 21:6; 2 Chron. 28:3; 33:6; Jer. 7:31). The place may have become an enormous pyre to burn the corpses of the 185,000 soldiers of the Assyrian army in the time of Hezekiah (Isa. 30:31-33; 37:36; 2 Kings 19:35). Jeremiah also predicted that the valley would be the place of God’s judgment in which the bodies of wicked Israelites would lay unburied until burned (Jer. 7:32, 33; 19:6, 7; cf. Isa. 31:8, 9; Isa. 66:24). In time, it came to symbolize the place where God would inflict His judgment upon the wicked with an unquenchable fire and an undying worm, two images that describe the corpses being totally consumed (Isa. 66:15, 16, 24). Gehenna does not appear in the Septuagint orthe writings of Josephus and Philo. In the New Testament, the termgeenna occurs a total of 12 times, all but one of which are in the teachings of Jesus and refers to the place of final punishment for sin (Matt. 5:22, 29, 30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15, 33; Mark 9:43, 45, 47; Luke 12:5; James 3:6.). The New Testament describes Gehenna as a place of darkness, of unquenchable fire, and where an undying wormconsumes the wicked (Matt. 5:22; https://www.qr.safeliz.com/ba/eng/rv5.html Page 2 of 3 Title—Bible verse 5/22/23, 12:18 PM Matt. 18:9; Mark 9:43, 48).It is the place of final punishment (Matt. 23:15, 33) and, metonymically, the source of wickedness (James 3:6). The Bible regards unquenchable fire as kindled by God and what cannot be stopped until it inflicts total destruction (Amos 5:5, 6). Similarly, the image of the undying worm denotes a destructive work that cannot be halted and comes from Isaiah 66:24—a prophetic description of God’s final judgment over His enemies when the righteous would “go forth and look upon the corpses” of their enemies. What the righteous see are dead bodies undergoing destruction, not their unceasing misery. The maggots represent the rotting of the unburied corpsesand thus symbolize the eternal dishonorthe dead have chosen forthemselves (cf. Dan.12:2). Therefore, the images of the undying “worm” and eternal firespeak of the eternal consequences of the final judgment, not their duration. Similarly, the expressions “eternal judgment” (Heb. 6:2), “eternal salvation” (Heb 5:9), and “eternal redemption” (Heb. 9:12) do not refer to an unceasing duration but to the permanence and irrevocability of theconsequences. Thus Jude 7 says that Sodom and Gomorrah suffered the punishment of eternal fire—the results of which wouldlast forever. The reference to hades in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus,rather than describing the ongoing punishment of the wicked in the fires of hell, usesa common fable to teach the importance of making decisions in this life that have eternal consequences based on the message of “Moses and the prophets” (Luke 16:19-31). The rich man should haveshown mercy to the poor in obedience to Scripture, while Lazarus was alive. Similarly, John the Revelator uses the prophecy of the total destruction of Edom in Isaiah 34:8-10 to represent the complete annihilation of the wicked in Revelation 14:9-11. The punishment would be without respite until it is complete. Like the fire that God kindles cannot be quenched, His punishment cannot be stopped until justice is fully rendered upon those who have chosen eternal death by clinging to sin (cf. Rev. 15:3-4)
Sheol, Hades, Gehenna, and Hell: Concepts of the Afterlife in the Bible
The tie that binds together the one Hebrew and two Greek words of our topic seems to be the rather consistent and yet at times not so consistent rendering of these terms in the KJV as “hell.” However, our approach to this topic will not concentrate on the scriptural definition, significance and bounds of the English word hell because this of necessity would involve a study of many other words and phrases in Scripture. Rather, we will confine ourselves to a study of the use and significance of the three words named in our topic heading as they are used in Scriptures with perhaps just a few passing references to their use in secular literatures. First of all, we should be aware that there is a very close connection between the Greek word “Hades,” which is used eleven times in the NT and the Hebrew word Sheol which is used 65 times in the OT. For in every case but one in the LXX translation of the Hebrew OT Sheol is translated Hades. The one exception is in II Samuel 22:6 where the LXX translates thanatos instead. Also in those cases where a NT reference is made to an OT quotation (Cf. I Cor. 15:55, Ps. 16:10), Hades is the regular translation of Sheol. Thus we are safe in saying as most dictionaries also make clear, that Hades and Sheol are equivalent terms.