Bible Study Judas Iscariot – No Thunderbolt of Warning From God

[ugmug]

Judas Iscariot – No Thunderbolt of Warning From God

In the story of the last supper Jesus Christ was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, one of Christ's own apostles. As the story of the betrayal of Jesus Christ by his own apostle unfolds you see that Judas turned to evil even though he had the perfect spiritual environment with which to thrive. As Jesus Christ was God become man, a sinless man, God's own son.

Surely, Judas' association with the sinless Jesus Christ is exactly what many people today contend will usher in a world without violence or malice towards others. Judas had the perfect spiritual environment and he readily saw and experienced all of Jesus Christ's miracles,and yet,Judas still turned to evil. When Jesus Christ finally raised the issue of Judas' betrayal Jesus Christ did nothing to try to stop him or persuade him to turn from his evil. There were no thunderbolts of warning from God - Jesus Christ.

The main emphasis to take away from the story of Judas' betrayal of Jesus Christ is that no matter how perfect the spiritual environment is (hint: Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden or as an apostle of Jesus Christ) you cannot stop anyone from choosing to do evil. Evil is pursued for its own pleasure (hint: homosexuality, abortion, theft, murder, lying, etc.). Judas had the perfect spiritual environment and yet he chose to pursue Evil.

Matthew 10:16 New International Version (NIV)
16 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

(hint: use your knowledge of Good and Evil for your own protection)

Luke 10:3 New International Version (NIV)
3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.

The moral of the story is that our flesh is corrupt beyond repair........my advice is to believe in Jesus Christ and rest assured that there is a perfect world waiting beyond the grave that will deal with our human failings and shortcomings by God giving us a new body and a new name.

If anyone is waiting for God to send a bolt of lightening to warn us all of our sinful behavior then you'll be waiting for a very long time. Judas received no warning or advice from Jesus Christ to change his evil thoughts or desires (hint: Judas exercised his free will) even if it meant damnation in hell forever. God doesn't beg for our faith and trust.

God Bless

Matthew 10:16-33 New International Version (NIV)

16 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. 17 Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues.18 On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles.19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 22 You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 23 When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

24 “The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!

26 “So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.



Amen

 

[Willie T]

This is not bad. Blind belief verified through thinking.
Something like this is talking about........
*****
My next book, The Atheistic Theist: What You Don't Believe About God is Just as Important As What You Do Believe About God, is nearing completion and should be released in early to late January. It will be a much simpler and shorter book than my last, and will focus on getting us to ask questions of our faith, and will seek to set us on the path of an atheistic theist - that is, one who rejects a...ll Gods but the loving Abba of Jesus.

I wanted to share the introduction to the book with you all, so here it is! Enjoy:
I don’t believe in god.
It’s true.
I don’t.

Now, before you close the cover on this book and list it for sale on Amazon, – since throwing it in the trash wouldn’t be all that economical - let me explain.
I believe in God, I just don’t believe in god.

That is to say that while I do, in fact, believe in a God, there are many others whose existence I vehemently reject. I guess you could call me an atheistic theist. While there are multitudes of gods whom I have always rejected, there’s another that is fairly new to the list.
The god of Christianity.

Now, I know that’s sort of a shocking opener for a book that you probably found in the “Christian” section of some bookstore or website, but if I’ve gotten your attention, then it did its job.

One of the most prominent and outspoken atheists/anti-theists of our day, Richard Dawkins, has written “Everybody is an atheist, some just go one god further”. And what a true statement that is!

Barring the possibility that you’re an ancient, Norse time traveler, there’s a very good chance that you’re an atheist when it comes to Thor. We’ve been atop Mt. Olympus, and have all pretty much concluded that Zeus doesn’t exist either. We’ve dived to the ocean floor, have calculated its depth with sonar technology, and have viewed it from outer space via satellite, and as of this writing, there’s still no sign of Poseidon. We know the precise distance of the sun from the earth, what it’s made of, and approximately when it will burn out, but have yet to capture even a blurry photograph of Ra, the sun god of ancient Egypt.

The world is dominated by atheists as far as most of the gods of antiquity are concerned, some people just keep going one god further.

The Muslim, for instance, is an atheist concerning all gods but Allah, and the Jew concerning all but Yahweh. There’s a very good chance that you’re an atheist concerning all but one god as well. It’s likely that you reject the Hindu pantheon, and I highly doubt that you’re secretly offering sacrifices to the gods of ancient Greece or Rome. I assume that Ba’al and Molech aren’t your religious cup of tea either, and I’m almost entirely certain that you don’t bow before Tamuz, if you even know who he is.

Yet, with all of these gods you disbelieve in, I’m sure that there is at least one whose existence you still cling to, and it’s likely the God who “wrote the Bible” through the willing channels of prophets and apostles, inspired David to pen worship songs about murdering Babylonian babies, created the cosmos in six literal twenty four hour periods, and still had enough energy to personally oversee founding of the United States of America – that is, the God of modern, Western Christianity. As I’ve already stated, this god is one whom I’ve freshly added to the gods-I-can-no-longer-believe-in list, but I also stated that, while rejecting this god, I do, in fact, retain a belief in God.

So…which God, if not that of Christianity, do I as a Christian believe in?
The God of Jesus.

While some may argue that the god of Christianity and the God of Jesus are one and the same, and couldn’t possibly be separated, I would beg to differ.

The god of Christianity is largely a cultural phenomenon, and one that we Western nations have exported to the rest of the world. He looks peculiarly like us, votes republican, is always very much on our side in whatever war it is we’re fighting (be it cultural or militaristic), and, last time I checked, His favorite colors were still red, white and blue. He speaks in King James English, goes to church on Sundays, and is more concerned with whose posterior is planted in a swivel chair in the Oval Office than he is with whether or not babies in third world countries go to bed with empty stomachs.

He’s a god that is chained to both Old and New Testaments, and must look like the deity described in both. He must approve of genocide and infanticide, while also promoting non-violence and a strict, turn-the-other-cheek policy. He claims that raping a young woman can be remedied by paying the girl’s father fifty shekels and marrying her, but also insists that there is no male or female, and that women deserve as fair of treatment as men. He is the God who commands us to love our enemies, but who, if we succeed in life as Christians, promises to bring us back with Him - on spirit horses - to help him slay and butcher his enemies.

He’s a God whose actions are often extremely contradictory, and beyond difficult to reconcile.
He’s up one day and down the next.
Bi-polar doesn’t even begin to describe Him.

Yet, He’s the god that most teach their children about. He’s the ultimate standard of goodness held up as the proverbial “moon” for which we must shoot. Yet, if we ever did hit said moon, we’d be jailed for criminal conduct.

This is the God that has been taught and promoted in Christianity for far too many years and whose existence has gone largely unchallenged by those who claim to worship Jesus. Though His actions are as barbaric and “bronze-aged” as those of bloodthirsty Canaanite deities, most Christians still remain theists as far as he is concerned.
But it’s time for that to change.

For centuries, it has been only those from outside of the institution of Christianity who have dared criticize, ridicule, and attempt to disprove the existence of this god, but that must change as well. Those who claim to follow Jesus must become as staunch of atheists as Nietzche or Dawkins when it comes to this violent deity, and must then come clean, making it clear to a hurting and confused world that this “god” represents neither Christianity nor its Christ!
It is time for the atheistic theists to arise - those who have caught a glimpse of a beautiful, loving, non-violent Father, revealed through His Son Jesus Christ, and who have let go of all vestiges of a bloodthirsty god of wrath and war. This god’s existence may be provable through the use of scripture, and his character qualities may be rooted and grounded in the words of the Bible, but Christianity is required to go further than obscure passages from Joshua or Exodus. We are required to look squarely into the face of Jesus Christ, and define our God by what we see in His countenance. And though our stiff and starchy brand of religion has restrained us from doing so, we must do it anyways.

It is truly time for an atheistic revolution, where a wholesale disbelief in the god who has masqueraded as the Abba of Jesus Christ takes hold, and a kind, loving, self-giving and humanity-loving God is re-revealed!
It’s time for a new breed of Christian; it’s time for the atheistic theist.

Many would say that it's not important to define the god we do not believe in, and that we only need to loudly and proudly proclaim the one we do believe in. They’ll usually follow up with an illustration about counterfeit money or something. However, in a culture that has been wounded, beaten and battered by an angry brand of Christianity, and terrorized by its monster-of-a-god, it is just as important to define who we don’t believe in as it is to define Who we do believe in. We must move beyond being theists, and become atheistic theists who make it clear that we not only believe in a God of love and grace, but also staunchly reject and disbelieve in a god of anger and violence.

Throughout the pages that follow we will seek to dismantle and deconstruct some of the angry portraits of God that have been painted in the past by Christianity, and to then redefine Him in the light of what Jesus has revealed. We’ll see that the identity of one’s god may be wholly rooted in the scripture, and yet that god can still be an idol of the likes of Thor, Ba’al or Molech.

We’ll liberate ourselves to ask questions of our faith, think outside the box and color outside of the lines. We’ll attempt to discover a brand of spirituality that isn’t chained to the idea of denting a pew or lying prostrate in prayer, but that is based on an observation of God in everyday life. We’ll even drill to the center of doctrines like Biblical inerrancy, and see if they truly hold water in light of the revelation of Jesus. And hopefully, at the end of it all, we’ll discover that we can be both atheists and theists at the same time.

I’m not asking you to abandon your belief in God, just in a certain picture of god. I’m not asking you to throw away your faith, only that you direct it away from one god and toward another.

I’m simply asking that you add one more god to the pile you already disbelieve in. Yes, this one may prove to be a bit more difficult for you to discard than the others, but still, I’m asking you to consider going one god further in your atheism.

Yet I’m also inviting you to add one, and only one, to the Gods-I-can-believe-in list, and it is the one revealed in the loving, altruistic, violence-rejecting, humanity-embracing life of Christ.
I’m inviting you, brave reader, to become an atheistic theist.

Are you ready?

 

[Shimshon]

Judas had the perfect spiritual environment and he readily saw and experienced all of Jesus Christ's miracles,and yet,Judas still turned to evil. When Jesus Christ finally raised the issue of Judas' betrayal Jesus Christ did nothing to try to stop him or persuade him to turn from his evil. There were no thunderbolts of warning from God - Jesus Christ.

Maybe because it was not Judas's choice that was the issue but satan possessing him?

The main emphasis to take away from the story of Judas' betrayal of Jesus Christ is that no matter how perfect the spiritual environment is (hint: Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden or as an apostle of Jesus Christ) you cannot stop anyone from choosing to do evil. Evil is pursued for its own pleasure (hint: homosexuality, abortion, theft, murder, lying, etc.). Judas had the perfect spiritual environment and yet he chose to pursue Evil.

If anyone is waiting for God to send a bolt of lightening to warn us all of our sinful behavior then you'll be waiting for a very long time. Judas received no warning or advice from Jesus Christ to change his evil thoughts or desires (hint: Judas exercised his free will) even if it meant damnation in hell forever. God doesn't beg for our faith and trust.

Where is the free will in this occasion?

Luke 22:3Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve.​

Judas name is Judah/Yehudah, and is where we get the term Jew/Jude. He represents the epitomy of Yisrael. He was not only the groups treasurer he as also adimant about the Messiah restoring Yisrael, in his day. When he started to learn that Jesus was teaching he was going to have to die and suffer first he planned a way to push his ideal of restoring Yisrael by turning Messiah over. I think he figured he would push Messiah's hand. I believe he believed Jesus and who he was, but not on his timeline. So he unwittingly turned Jesus over to the authorities who killed him. I imagine he did the world largest face-palm. Thinking he would cause Messiah to stand and fight and restore the nation by turning him in, Judas only led Messiah right into what was planned all along, his death and resurrection. Judas was impatiant wanting Messiah to rule and reign NOW, not after his dealing with sin. Though Judas knew who Jesus was, or else he would not have set him up the way he did.

Judas represents Yisrael. Not that Yisrael is of the devil, but that Yisrael desires to be holy, only attempts to do so by her own power on her own time. In the end she is used for God's ultimate purpose for redeeming the whole world. And I believe resurrected to righteousness and her place in the world to come. The question is will Judas be redeemed, or is he damned because satan entered into him?

In the fall it was the serpent who caused man to be deceived, and God cursed the serpent then caused a way for man to be redeemed, even though they die. The same is believed for Yisrael, that we will be redeemed as a people and a nation, even though we died. In the resurrection all will be made new. Adam/Eve were promised to be redeemed and resurrected, so too Yisrael. Even though they die in sin they will be resurrected in newness of life eternal. Why? All have sinned and fallen short. With this sense all should be damned to hell. Thank God for his everlasting love and mercy!

 

[Chopper]

Judas Iscariot – No Thunderbolt of Warning From God

In the story of the last supper Jesus Christ was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, one of Christ's own apostles. As the story of the betrayal of Jesus Christ by his own apostle unfolds you see that Judas turned to evil even though he had the perfect spiritual environment with which to thrive. As Jesus Christ was God become man, a sinless man, God's own son.

Surely, Judas' association with the sinless Jesus Christ is exactly what many people today contend will usher in a world without violence or malice towards others. Judas had the perfect spiritual environment and he readily saw and experienced all of Jesus Christ's miracles,and yet,Judas still turned to evil. When Jesus Christ finally raised the issue of Judas' betrayal Jesus Christ did nothing to try to stop him or persuade him to turn from his evil. There were no thunderbolts of warning from God - Jesus Christ.

The main emphasis to take away from the story of Judas' betrayal of Jesus Christ is that no matter how perfect the spiritual environment is (hint: Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden or as an apostle of Jesus Christ) you cannot stop anyone from choosing to do evil. Evil is pursued for its own pleasure (hint: homosexuality, abortion, theft, murder, lying, etc.). Judas had the perfect spiritual environment and yet he chose to pursue Evil.

Matthew 10:16 New International Version (NIV)
16 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

(hint: use your knowledge of Good and Evil for your own protection)

Luke 10:3 New International Version (NIV)
3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.

The moral of the story is that our flesh is corrupt beyond repair........my advice is to believe in Jesus Christ and rest assured that there is a perfect world waiting beyond the grave that will deal with our human failings and shortcomings by God giving us a new body and a new name.

If anyone is waiting for God to send a bolt of lightening to warn us all of our sinful behavior then you'll be waiting for a very long time. Judas received no warning or advice from Jesus Christ to change his evil thoughts or desires (hint: Judas exercised his free will) even if it meant damnation in hell forever. God doesn't beg for our faith and trust.

God Bless

Matthew 10:16-33 New International Version (NIV)

16 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. 17 Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues.18 On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles.19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 22 You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 23 When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

24 “The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!

26 “So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.



Amen

 

[JohnD]

Some naysayers have made an issue of Jesus choosing Judas who would later betray him as a matter of Jesus being short-sighted. Fallible. Not possessing traits of deity specifically omniscience. But did Jesus choose Judas? Or did he tag along? Horning his way into "the 12?"

Luke 9:57-60 (KJV)
57 And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
58 And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
59 And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.

The chap in verse 59 was told by the Lord "Follow me..." and the Lord reiterated the calling in verse 60.

The chap in verse 57 said "I will follow you..." but the Lord seemed to pay this chap no mind. Scholars believe this "certain man" was none other than Judas Iscariot. If so, the other account gives us more information about Judas.

Matthew 8:19-22 (KJV)
19 And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
21 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

This would explain how he could so easily enter the presence of the Jewish leadership (the Sanhedrin). And in fact, rather than being a legitimate follower / disciple / apostle... doesn't the biblical evidence rather equate him with being a spy for the Sanhedrin?

John 12:3-6 (KJV)
3 Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.
4 Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should betray him,
5 Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?
6 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.

These things are merely things to consider as this is not a debate forum. And while the OP is a good post, the biblical character Judah Esh Quirioth ben Shimon has deeper layers to him to discover once you peel them away through biblical study.

That when he betrayed the Lord Jesus, the only mention of Satan possessing a human host in scripture is mentioned.

John 13:21-30 (KJV)
21 When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.
22 Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake.
23 Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.
24 Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake.
25 He then lying on Jesus’ breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it?
26 Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.
27 And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.
28 Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him.
29 For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor.
30 He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night.

Luke 22:1-6 (KJV)
1 Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover.
2 And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him; for they feared the people.
3 Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.
4 And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them.
5 And they were glad, and covenanted to give him money.
6 And he promised, and sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the absence of the multitude.

And in his death, Judas "went to his own place"

Acts 1:15-25 (KJV)
15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)
16 Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.
17 For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry.
18 Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.
19 And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood.
20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.
21 Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
23 And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,
25 That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.

He was "numbered among us" does not mean he was one of us. Consider the tares sewn in amongst the wheat left to grow till harvest lest the wheat e uprooted with the tares... in the meantime the tares would be numbered among the wheat. But the tares are still tares.

Even the two choices mere men gave God to replace this opening would not become the Lord's called apostle (the 12th). That apostle was already called, but he went away sad too proud and too in love with the things of the world (his riches). Ah, but...

Romans 11:29 (KJV)
29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

That rich young ruler, using biblical evidence, was Shaul b' Tarshish (the Apostle Paul). Another deeper subject than most realize. He always was the 12th disciple / apostle... he just postponed his calling until the Damascus road incident. And his vitriol towards the Church in the meantime fits perfectly with someone running from the truth.

 

[JohnD]

There's more.

John 17:12 (KJV)
12 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.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 (KJV)
1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Revelation 20 is a particularly puzzling chapter to most scholars who see the scripture through western eyes (most often linearly), and who gauge the Greek term chilioi eta to mean a literal 999+1 years (strong's exhaustive concordance calls chilioi "a plural of uncertain affinity")... but if you read the reign with Christ for "thousands" of years as the text ought to read, then it describes the present church age. And the return of the devil at the end of that age and for a short time (the 70th Week of Daniel) makes sense. So the beginning verses refer to the devil locking himself into the fate of the human host at a critical time when he was "all in" go for broke to (what he thought would defeat Jesus) get Jesus executed. Only to realize he'd played right into God's hand... and the false remorse of Judas who tried to undo the betrayal to the priests (who were the tares in the wheat field) and he threw the money at them and killed himself... The inner rage of the devil was too much for the human host to take, like the demons that tormented the swine that jumped off a cliff into a body of water and drown. And under lock and key the devil in Judas Iscariot remain until the 70th Week begins.

The beast rising up from the sea as 2 Thess 2 indicates will be Judas Iscariot. This fellow will have everyone convinced he is who he claims to be.

Matthew 24:24 (KJV)
24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Think of it... this includes atheists, agnostics, opposing world religions, skeptics... how? Science. If there is some sort of blood test / DNA test that can show he is from 2000 years ago... and is now alive again...

...at least for a time, everyone will buy what the guy says... except for Spirit-filled Christians. And guess who has to be eliminated then?

The beast will rail against God against Christ and claim to be the Messiah himself. Remember who also needs to be convinced... the Jewish people. And a non-Jew would never convince them. Or a Jew who suggests that Judaism was not the true faith... the Jews would never believe. So guess what the religion the beast affirms will be? Judaism. Old Testament non-Christian Judaism. And the Christian refuseniks will be hunted down and killed who will not receive the mark of the beast... which is what the mark is truly about (tracking down the people who will not accept it and therefore the beast).

People have wracked their brains and everyone's patience trying to figure out what the mark may be... when it could simply be the symbol of anti-christ form of Judaism:

1 John 2:18-22 (KJV)
18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.
20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.
21 I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.
22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.

1 John 4:3 (KJV)
3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

2 John 7 (KJV)
7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

 

[JohnD]

Major reminder!

We are to love the Jewish people.

Romans 11:28 (KJV)
28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes.

Jesus wept at the thought of their loss. He was not indignant or hateful. Luke 19:41-44).

And these events are going to happen, so our puny redneck ideals about trying to stop this by persecuting the Jews or trying to force their conversion to stave off future events are just plain foolish!

Ever wonder why a great tribulation?

God whips up on the people who reject him? But only those in the last times... never mind those who did so a hundred years ago or more...

... right before they go to hell for all eternity...

But this doesn't make sense nor fit God's character.

Rather, the purpose for the great tribulation is to get the final remnant of Jews to cry out for Jesus Christ to save them as the world comes crashing in on them. Hosanna in Hebrew is Hosha nah! Save now! And the root word in Jesus' name is Hosh (YeHOSHua). Everything else they tried failed. And sadly as a last resort they cry out to the Savior they should have known since his birth. And he will come and he will rescue them.

BTW the signet of Israel is the seven-candle menorah. The Star of David is the signet of the Modern State of Israel and is rather the seal of Solomon (who brought idolatry / occultism into Israel in his day... and the seal of Solomon had occult origins)

 

[JohnD]

The question about how or why Jesus would allow Judas into his circle at all is raised.

To prove God is serious about "whosoever will..." (which ought to give us all a sigh of relief).

Problem with Judas though, he was also a tare sewn in among the wheat. It appears he not so much turned to evil but was simply evil from the get go.