Judas Iscariot is an example of what can happen when people half-heartedly follow Christ and are not fully trusting Him. I fear that our churches may contain many people who are professed Christians but who have never been born again through faith in Jesus Christ. Judas was not committing gross public sins. I am sure he was highly respected by his fellow apostles and by those who followed Jesus. But Judas was a counterfeit; his ministry was only a cover for his sins. We have every reason to believe that, like the other apostles, Judas performed miracles and preached sermons; yet he died and went to hell. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness’” (Matthew 7:21-23).
Finally, Judas reminds us of how close a person can come to the truth, and to salvation, and finally be lost. If any person ever had the privilege of knowing Christ, it was Judas; but it did not lead him to salvation. Judas heard our Lord preach, saw Him perform miracles, and even lived with Him and handled His finances; yet Judas Iscariot died a lost soul. John Bunyan expressed this awesome truth at the close of his Pilgrim’s Progress: “Then I saw that there was a way to hell, even from the gates of heaven….”
Judas went out “and it was night.”
“While you have the light, believe in the light, in order that you may become sons of light” (John 12:36).
Wiersbe, W. W. (1988). Prayer : Basic training. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale.
Just because you go to church and read your Bible, you may not know the Lord. You must seek him with your whole heart, turn from sin, and turn to Christ. Take heed. We are in the last days. Ensure you will not turn out to be like Judas.
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This is the very subject that God the Holy Spirit is putting on my heart right now, seeking out the unregenerate sheep within the flock. If we would learn how to get our congregations to think upon their salvation with fear and trembling, if we would preach and teach the gospel lovingly and unapologetically, I think more people would realize their need to truly repent and turn from their sin.
Unfortunatley, there are more groups that think that attendence is the by-product of regeneration. Oh, there is much foolishness going on these days. Most “leaders”, however, are blind themselves and don’t even realize what’s happening right in front of them.
May God truly have mercy on our souls……
As far as being in the last days, I’m not sure we are there, I just think God has illuminated our need for Him that much more to some. After all, people have thought that they’ve been in the last days since the NT was written.
What a thought… I have pondered on this for myself recently. How easy it is to ‘trick’ myself into thinking I am right with the Lord, but if that were true, how can selfishness, pride, envy, greed, etc. have any room to take root in my heart, actions, and life? To truly think about Judas and all of the ‘right’ things he was doing, yet he was completely, hopelessly lost. This is quite a wake-up call.
When Christ was here, He warned us of the last days being near (Mark 1:15). We should all live expectantly, hoping that tomorrow may be the Day. This does not mean quit living, rather, take the intense reality check and fulfill His calling to come to Him (as well as bring others to Him) for repentance and TRUE salvation.