Participants: Pr. Stephen Bohr
Series Code: GAB
Program Code: GAB000009
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01:11 Shall we bow our heads for prayer?
01:14 Our Father and our God, 01:15 we thank You for the awesome privilege 01:20 of coming to Your house to sing praises to Your name, 01:26 to speak with You in prayer 01:29 and to hear Your voice speaking to us through Your word. 01:34 We ask Father, 01:35 for the enlightenment of your Holy Spirit. 01:39 Help us to learn the lessons 01:40 which will be beneficial to our spiritual life. 01:44 As we open Your word, hover over this place 01:50 through the ministration of Your spirit and Your angels. 01:53 We pray this in the precious name 01:55 of your beloved Son Jesus, amen. 02:01 In the news in the last several weeks 02:03 has been a very interesting document. 02:07 It is a very ancient document in fact scholars believe 02:11 that it was written probably 02:16 at least the year 180 of the Christian era. 02:23 It was discovered actually in 1971 02:27 in Nag Hammadi in the Egyptian desert. 02:33 We know that even though this particular manuscript 02:36 is probably dated to 280, 02:40 it was actually in existence already 02:42 as I mentioned in the year 180. 02:46 And the reason for that is because 02:48 one of the early church fathers, Irenaeus 02:51 who lived approximately 180 AD 02:55 speaks about this gospel which has been discovered 03:01 the name of the gospel is the Gospel of Judas. 03:06 Basically Irenaeus says this, 03:10 "Judas was acquainted with the truth 03:13 as no others were." 03:15 Irenaeus is saying about this gospel. 03:19 "And had produced a fabricated work to this effect 03:24 which they entitle the Gospel of Thomas." 03:28 In other words, Irenaeus is saying 03:30 that around the year 180 there was a gospel, 03:33 the Gospel of Judas 03:35 which was in existence it was a Gnostic gospel 03:38 where those who actually wrote it were teaching 03:43 that Judas was the closest of all of the disciples 03:48 and that he was acquainted with the truths of Jesus 03:52 more than any of the other disciples. 03:55 It's interesting to notice the content of this gospel. 04:00 It actually rehabilitates 04:03 the Judas of the biblical gospels. 04:06 In fact, it tells us 04:08 that Judas was the favorite disciple of Jesus 04:13 with whom Jesus shared 04:14 the deepest mysteries of the kingdom. 04:18 Now this gospel there is no doubt was a Gnostic gospel, 04:22 it was written by the Gnostics. 04:25 And I need to share with you a little bit about 04:27 what the Gnostics believed. 04:30 They believed that the Old Testament God 04:33 the Creator was actually an evil demigod. 04:39 And the reason why He was evil 04:41 is because He created the material world. 04:44 And according to the Gnostics matter is evil. 04:48 They taught that imprisoned inside the material body 04:54 is what they called gnosis. 04:57 The word gnosis in Greek means knowledge. 05:01 They believe that gnosis was incarcerated 05:04 within the fleshly material body. 05:09 And that the epitome of the desire 05:12 of every human being should be 05:14 the liberation of gnosis or the liberation 05:18 of that special knowledge or wisdom 05:21 which was contained inside the evil material body. 05:28 In other words the ultimate spiritual goal in life 05:31 was to liberate gnosis 05:34 which many Christians call the soul today 05:37 from the material body 05:39 so that the individual could enter the fullest 05:43 and most complete spear of acknowledge. 05:47 This is where the Gospel of Judas comes in. 05:51 You see, this gospel says that Judas was the closest 05:55 of the apostles of Jesus to the Lord. 05:58 It teaches that Jesus had a body 06:00 and of course according to their view the body is evil, 06:04 because it's composed of matter. 06:08 And so Jesus more than anything 06:10 desired to liberate gnosis from within Him. 06:14 But He had this cumbersome body composed of matter 06:18 and so Jesus actually whispered in Judas's ear and He said, 06:24 "Judas I need to have some way to be liberated 06:28 from this cumbersome body would you please deliver me 06:34 to the authorities so that they will kill me 06:37 so that gnosis can be delivered from this physical body." 06:44 Now let me ask you the question. 06:46 Does this sound like the biblical gospels? 06:50 This is totally opposite, totally different 06:54 than what the biblical gospels teach about Jesus Christ. 06:58 And yet I find it amazing that many Christians today 07:02 will read "The Da Vinci Code," 07:04 they'll watch the movie "The Passion of the Christ" 07:07 and they'll read the Gospel of Judas 07:09 and they'll say well, maybe there's some information 07:13 that we didn't know about, maybe perhaps 07:17 the Bible isn't exactly acrid in its description. 07:21 It's amazing how Christians will accept extra biblical 07:25 sources as being trustworthy and they will question 07:28 the authority of Holy Scripture. 07:33 The question is this morning 07:34 who really was Judas Iscariot? 07:40 We are in the midst of a series 07:42 called great apostasy of the Bible 07:44 and today we're gonna study about the apostasy of Judas. 07:48 We're gonna notice what the Bible really has to say 07:51 about this enigmatic figure Judas Iscariot. 07:57 Now we've studied in our previous lecture 07:59 actually it was the one on Absalom. 08:01 That Absalom was actually a miniature copy of Lucifer 08:07 and his rebellion in heaven. 08:09 And we studied that Lucifer had four basic problems. 08:16 Number one, he was wise 08:19 and you say, well, that's not a problem. 08:20 It's a problem when you get caught up in your wisdom, 08:24 in other words, when you corrupt your wisdom. 08:26 So what I'm going to mention now 08:28 has to do with the corruption of these qualities. 08:31 We're told in scripture that Lucifer was wise. 08:35 He was rich, he had a position of power, 08:39 he was powerful. 08:41 And of course we studied that he was very beautiful. 08:45 None of these four things are negative in themselves. 08:49 None of them are intrinsically evil, 08:53 but they can be corrupted 08:55 when these characteristics become focused 08:58 and centered on self. 09:01 We're gonna notice in our study 09:03 that the same four pitfalls of Lucifer 09:05 were the pitfalls of Judas. 09:08 And those four things once again intelligence and wisdom, 09:13 riches, power and physical beauty, 09:19 physical attraction. 09:22 Allow me to say a few things about the qualities, 09:26 the personal qualities of Judas Iscariot. 09:30 We know that Julius was more physically imposing 09:34 then any of the other apostles. 09:37 We also know that he was most likely 09:40 more intelligent then any of them. 09:44 We also know that Judas first step 09:47 for power more than any of the other disciples. 09:50 He was the ringleader and of course 09:52 it goes without saying that Judas coveted money 09:58 and material possessions. 10:01 I like to call them the four sins of pride. 10:06 We know that Judas was a shrewd politician 10:10 and he was an able financier. 10:13 His whole life seed to revolve around position and money. 10:19 And the idea that he had 10:21 that he was wiser more intelligent 10:24 and more capable than his fellows. 10:29 I'd like to read a couple of statements 10:31 actually there's three statements 10:33 from the Spirit of Prophecy where Ellen White describes 10:38 the personal qualities of Judas Iscariot. 10:42 Desire of Ages, page 294 she says this. 10:46 "He was of commanding appearance." 10:49 By the way she goes on to say that the reason why, 10:52 Judas, you know the Bible seems to have 10:54 two contradictory accounts. 10:56 I said seems to have, 10:58 because one account says that he hanged himself, 11:00 another account in the Book of Acts says 11:02 that he burst open and the dogs came and ate him. 11:05 So how can you reconcile those two? 11:07 Ellen White explains it beautifully. 11:09 She says that Judas was a very heavy man, 11:11 he was very tall, very imposing. 11:14 And he hung himself on a limb over a cliff 11:17 and his body was so heavy that it broke the branch, 11:20 he fell a great distance to the ground, 11:22 he burst open and then the dogs came and ate him. 11:26 Very interesting. 11:28 He was physically more imposing than any of the other disciples. 11:31 She says "He was of commanding appearance, 11:34 a man of keen discernment and executive ability." 11:40 There's the wisdom. 11:41 "And they the disciples commended him to Jesus 11:46 as one who would greatly assist Him in his work. 11:50 They were surprised that Jesus received him so coolly." 11:57 In another statement that we find in the Bible Commentary 12:00 volume 5 page 1001 and 1002. 12:04 We find this description. "But Judas was a speculator." 12:09 He would have fit very well at Wall Street. 12:14 "He thought that he could manage the finances of the church, 12:18 and by his sharpness in business get gain. 12:25 He was divided in heart. 12:28 He loved the praise of the world. 12:32 He refused to give up the world for Christ. 12:35 He never committed his eternal interests to Christ. 12:40 He had a superficial religion, 12:44 and therefore he speculated upon his Master 12:47 and betrayed Him to the priests, being fully persuaded 12:51 that Christ would not allow Himself to be taken. 12:55 Judas was a religious fraud. 12:59 He held up a high standard for others, 13:01 but he himself utterly failed to reach the Bible standard. 13:05 He did not bring the religion of Christ into his life." 13:11 Keen business ability, intelligent, smart, sharp, 13:19 according to the description. 13:21 Very much in love with money 13:23 and very much a physically imposing figure. 13:28 Desire of Ages, page 717 13:30 we find a description of where his problem was. 13:35 "Judas was highly regarded by the disciples 13:40 and had great influence over them." 13:44 Now I want you to notice 13:46 and want to underline certain words. 13:48 "He himself had a high opinion 13:53 of his own qualifications." 13:56 Is that true of Lucifer? Oh, yes. 13:59 "And looked upon his brethren 14:02 as greatly inferior to him in judgment and ability. 14:08 They did not see their opportunities, he thought, 14:11 and take advantage of circumstances. 14:15 The church would never prosper 14:17 with such shortsighted men as leaders." 14:22 That is the disciples. 14:24 "Judas summed up all the disciples." 14:28 I'm synthesizing because Ellen White 14:29 even mention certain disciples by name 14:32 and what Judas thought about them. 14:35 "Judas summed up all the disciples, 14:36 and flattered himself that the church 14:40 would often be brought into perplexity 14:43 and embarrassment 14:44 if it were not for his ability as a manager. 14:50 Judas regarded himself as the capable one, 14:54 who could not be overreached. 14:57 In his own estimation he was an honor to the cause, 15:02 and as such he always represented himself." 15:08 Do you see where the problem is? 15:11 He had a high opinion of himself and his wisdom, 15:15 and his intelligence, and his stature, 15:20 and his position. 15:23 But he was attracted to Jesus. 15:25 In fact, did you know probably many of you do 15:29 that he actually offered his services to Jesus. 15:35 Notice Matthew 8:19-21. 15:38 Many people fail to realize that this is Judas. 15:42 It says there in Matthew 8:19-21. 15:47 "Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, 15:51 'Teacher, I will follow You wherever you go.'" 15:57 And Jesus said to him, 15:59 "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, 16:05 but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." 16:11 Did you know that that was Judas 16:13 that was offering his services to Jesus? 16:16 He was saying I will be one of your disciples. 16:18 I offer my services as one of your disciples. 16:24 Now why would Jesus say the birds of the air have nests 16:28 and the foxes have holes, 16:30 but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head. 16:33 Because He was telling Judas 16:34 if you're in this for the position 16:37 and for the money it's not gonna happen. 16:42 You're not gonna get fame 16:44 and you're not going to get riches 16:46 from your connection with me. 16:50 Desire of Ages, page 716, we find these words. 16:56 "He felt" now this is amazing, 16:58 "He felt a desire to be changed." 17:02 He wanted to be changed but partially. 17:07 "He felt a desire to be changed in character in life, 17:11 and he hoped to experience this 17:13 through connecting himself with Jesus. 17:17 The Savior did not repulse Judas. 17:20 He gave him a place among the twelve. 17:22 He trusted him to do the work of an evangelist. 17:26 He endowed him with power to heal the sick 17:28 and to cast out devils. 17:31 But Judas did not come to the point" now listen to this 17:34 "of surrendering himself fully to Christ. 17:39 He did not give up his worldly ambition." 17:43 That's position, that's powered by the way. 17:45 "His worldly ambition or his love for money. 17:50 While he accepted the position of a ministry of Christ, 17:54 he did not bring himself under the divine molding. 17:58 He felt that he could retain his own judgment and opinions, 18:02 and he cultivated a disposition to criticize and accuse." 18:10 Now as we study along you're gonna notice 18:11 that the character of Judas is the character of Satan 18:16 because the very same four things 18:18 which led to the fall of Lucifer in heaven 18:21 where the four things 18:22 which led to the fall a Judas Iscariot. 18:25 He was a small-scale copy of Satan. 18:29 And you can tell that Satan was working upon his heart. 18:32 And so Judas offers his services and Jesus says 18:35 "Okay, I will choose you, 18:39 I will include you among the twelve." 18:42 Now I want you to notice 18:44 what we find in the Gospel of Mark 3:13. 18:50 Here we have the calling of the twelve. 18:52 See, the offering of Judas to serve Jesus 18:56 and become one of the disciples happened before 18:59 and evidently the disciples continued insisting upon Jesus 19:03 saying, "this is a good asset for the church, 19:06 you need to include him among the twelve." 19:08 So Jesus says "Okay, I will choose him 19:10 and I will include him among the twelve." 19:13 It says there "And He went up on the mountain 19:16 and call to Him those He Himself wanted. 19:19 And they came to Him. 19:21 Then He appointed twelve, 19:23 that they might be with Him 19:25 and that He might send them out to preach 19:28 and to have power to heal sicknesses 19:30 and to cast out demons. 19:32 Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter, 19:35 James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, 19:39 to whom He gave the name Boanerges, 19:41 that is, 'Sons of Thunders.' 19:44 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, 19:47 Thomas, James the son of Alpheus, 19:50 Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite" 19:53 and now notice last on the list 19:57 and there's a special purpose for that. 20:00 "And Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. 20:06 And they went into the house." 20:11 It's interesting to notice that 20:13 Judas then became part of the inner circle 20:18 of the followers of Jesus. 20:20 He was an insider, he wasn't an outside. 20:24 This is important, because in our next study 20:27 we're gonna talk about the antichrist. 20:30 The antichrist is not some blasphemous 20:32 individual from outside 20:34 the antichrist will be an insider. 20:36 We're gonna notice in our study. 20:38 Who will bear the characteristics of Satan 20:40 and particularly of Judas. 20:44 Ellen White says speaking about Judas 20:47 and his influence on the inner circle. 20:49 She says that "Judas manifested a continuous 20:53 secret and subtle and antagonism against Christ. 21:00 Education page 92. 21:02 You see if you seeing Judas on the surface 21:05 it would have look like he was supporting Jesus, 21:08 he was in favor of Jesus, 21:10 but when Jesus wasn't around, 21:12 and he was with the disciples in an underhanded way 21:15 he tried to undermine the work of Jesus in a secretive fashion. 21:22 Now let's go to the moment when Jesus fed the 5,000. 21:27 It's interesting what Jesus had to say 21:29 immediately after feeding the 5,000. 21:32 Go with me to John 6 and we'll read verse 64 21:35 and then we'll jump down to verse 70. 21:37 John 6:64 it says, 21:41 "But there are some of you who do not believe." Jesus says. 21:45 "For Jesus knew from the beginning, 21:48 who they were who did not believe, 21:50 and who would betray Him." 21:53 And then we jump down to verse 70. 21:55 "Jesus answered them, 21:58 Did I not choose you, the Twelve?" 22:01 And now notice this and one of you is a diabolos. 22:08 "One of you is a devil." 22:12 Did Jesus know what was in the heart of Judas 22:15 from the very start? Yes. 22:17 He spoke of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon 22:20 for it was he who would betray Him 22:23 being one of the twelve. 22:26 Now it's interested to know 22:27 what's the previous context of this. 22:29 Jesus had fed 5,000 and the people were impressed. 22:33 They said, well, this guy has to be the Messiah. 22:37 Nobody could feed 5,000 people 22:39 with five loaves and two fishes, its an impossibility. 22:44 And so Judas actually went among the people, 22:48 among the molted and he said, 22:50 wouldn't it be great if this man became King in Israel? 22:55 Just think what He could do to the Romans? 22:59 The army's wouldn't even have to carry provisions. 23:02 He could say abracadabra 23:05 and lo, behold enough food to feed everyone. 23:10 Do you know as a result according to John 6:15 23:14 the people tried to forcefully take Jesus and make Him king. 23:19 Did you know that Judas was behind a plot? 23:23 Because he wanted power, he wanted position, 23:28 he wanted a place of influence. 23:30 Notice Desire of Ages pages 718 and 719. 23:35 Here Ellen White caught the contest, 23:37 she knew that it was Judas 23:39 who would encouraged the people to place Jesus as king 23:42 that's why Jesus at the end calls, 23:44 he says one of you is the diabolos, 23:46 one of you is the devil or is a devil. 23:51 She says this "Judas was first 23:54 to take advantage of the enthusiasm 23:56 excited by the miracle of the loaves. 23:59 It was he who set on foot 24:03 the project to take Christ by force and make Him king. 24:09 His hopes were high. 24:12 And his disappointment was bitter." 24:17 You see Judas loved to be praised by the world. 24:19 Judas hated it when Jesus said 24:21 my kingdom is not of this world. 24:25 He hated it when Jesus said blessed are the peacemakers. 24:29 He hated it when Jesus spoke about loving your neighbor 24:33 and turning the other cheek, 24:35 because he says, you have to occupy a position of power. 24:39 This is not the kind of Messiah that I'm envisioning. 24:46 And in the Sanctified Life page 59 24:49 Ellen White describes his character. 24:51 She says "Judas possessed a form of godliness." 24:54 In fact you know Ellen White says 24:56 that if Judas had died on the way to Jerusalem 24:58 that last journey to Jerusalem 25:00 he would have gone down 25:01 as one of the greatest of the disciples. 25:04 Everybody would have thought that 25:06 he had been a tremendous asset to the twelve apostles 25:09 if he died on the way to Jerusalem 25:11 before his plot was unmasked. 25:13 You see, he was undercover. 25:15 Second Thessalonians 2 we're gonna notice 25:17 that the antichrist is also undercover, 25:19 but he's gonna be revealed at some point. 25:22 And he's gonna have the same characteristics as Judas. 25:27 She continues saying, 25:28 "Judas possessed the form of godliness, 25:30 while his character was more satanic than divine. 25:35 He professed to be a disciple of Christ, 25:38 but in words and in the works denied him." 25:44 And then we move forward to the moment 25:46 that the feet of Jesus were anointed by Mary. 25:52 It's found in John 12:1-8. 25:55 And we catch another glimpse of the problem the Judas had. 25:58 See, Judas had problems with his physical stature, 26:05 he had problems with the praise of the world 26:07 with a position of power, 26:10 he had problems with money with prestige and with riches. 26:17 Notice John 12:1-8. 26:19 "Then six days before the Passover, 26:21 Jesus came to Bethany, 26:23 where Lazarus was whom had been dead, 26:27 whom He had raised from the dead. 26:29 There they made Him a supper, and Martha served, 26:32 but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. 26:36 Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, 26:40 anointed the feet of Jesus, 26:42 and wipes His feet with her hair. 26:45 And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. 26:50 Then one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, 26:55 who would betray Him, said, 26:57 Why was this fragrant oil not sold 27:01 for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?'" 27:08 Now the gospel writer John provides some insight. 27:13 Notice verse 6. This he said. 27:17 "Not that he cared for the poor, 27:20 but because he was a thief, and had the money box, 27:24 and he used to take what was put in it." 27:28 In other words he used the money for his own personnel benefit. 27:36 He was an embezzler if you please. 27:40 "But Jesus said, 'Let her alone, 27:42 she has kept this for the day of My burial. 27:44 For the poor you have with you always, 27:47 but Me you did not have always." 27:50 Do you notice that Jesus never openly criticize Judas? 27:54 It would have been a disaster if Jesus had criticized Judas. 27:57 The disciples would not have been able to understand 28:00 exactly what was going on, 28:01 because to all appearances Judas appeared to be okay. 28:07 His principles needed to develop so that the disciples 28:10 could finally see the fruition of his life. 28:14 Is that also a true of Lucifer in heaven? 28:17 Absolutely. 28:21 Now we come to the moment of the events 28:23 that take place in the Upper Room. 28:27 In Luke 22:3, 28:30 we are told "Then Satan." Listen to this. 28:33 "Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, 28:40 who was numbered among the twelve." 28:43 Satan entered Judas. 28:47 Could we say that Judas was Satan's vice regent? 28:53 Could we say that Judas was Satan's right-hand man 28:58 to carry on the betrayal of Jesus? 29:00 Is it just possible at the end of time 29:02 the devil is gonna have an antichrist 29:06 who will serve as His right-hand man 29:09 not to betray Jesus, 29:11 but to betray the body of Jesus which is His church. 29:17 And it will be not some outside blasphemous atheist, 29:23 but it would be someone 29:25 from the inner circle of Christianity. 29:29 In fact, Ellen White says in Desire of Ages page 295. 29:32 "Judas became a representative of the enemy of Christ." 29:41 We continue noticing the problems 29:43 that Judas had with money. 29:45 In Matthew 26:14-16 we find the moment 29:51 when Judas signs the bill of sale. 29:53 And by the way it's interesting to notice 29:55 that Judas unites with the religious leaders. 29:59 You have a two-fold religious coalition 30:02 that is going to deliver Jesus 30:04 into the hands of the civil power. 30:07 That's important, because in Revelation 30:10 we're gonna notice that we have also 30:12 two religious powers, the beast and the false prophet 30:15 who join together to deliver God's remnant into the hands 30:19 of the civil powers of the world. 30:22 And so Judas becomes allied with the religious leaders 30:29 to deliver Jesus into their hands. 30:32 And by the way we'll just read the passage 30:34 and then we'll come back to a very important point. 30:36 It says than one of the twelve called Judas Iscariot 30:39 went to the chief priests and said 30:42 what are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you? 30:46 And they counted out to him 30 pieces of silver, 30:50 so from that time he saw opportunity to betray Him. 30:53 Listen folks, that was in the mind of Judas 30:57 only the down payment for betraying Jesus. 31:01 Do you know what plan Judas really had? 31:04 He says, I will betray Him now 31:07 and I'll get the down payment 30 pieces of silver 31:10 and then what He will do is deliver Himself. 31:15 And when He delivers Himself He'll take the throne 31:19 and when He takes the throne He'll make me His vice regent 31:22 and then there will be a lot more 31:24 where this came from. 31:27 And you say how do we know that? 31:28 Well, it's very simple, 31:30 when he saw that his plan backfired, 31:32 when he saw that Jesus was gonna go to the cross 31:34 and He was gonna die what did he do? 31:36 He committed suicide. 31:38 It wasn't his plan for Jesus to be killed. 31:41 It was his plan for Jesus to deliver Himself, 31:43 become king and make Judas His vice regent. 31:46 Notice once again power and money are involved. 31:51 And then we go to the Last Supper, 31:54 we're moving chronologically through the life of Judas. 31:59 Matthew 26:20-25 Jesus is sitting at the table 32:03 in the Upper Room with the disciples. 32:06 It says there "When evening had come, 32:08 He sat down with the twelve. 32:11 Now as they were eating, He said, 32:14 Assuredly I say to you, one of you will betray Me. 32:19 And they were exceedingly sorrowful, 32:22 and each of them began to say to Him, 32:24 Lord, is it I? He answered and said, 32:29 'He who dipped his hand with Me 32:31 in the dish will betray Me. 32:34 The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, 32:39 but woe to that man 32:41 by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! 32:43 It would have been good for that man 32:45 if he had not been born.'" 32:50 And now noticed the hypocrisy of Judas. 32:52 He still trying to hide his identity to the disciples. 32:59 Verse 25 "Then Judas, who was betraying Him, 33:02 answered and said, "Rabbi, is it I?" 33:09 He said to him, "You have said so.'" 33:15 In John 13:2 33:19 we find that it was the devil 33:20 who put this plan into the heart of Judas. 33:22 It says "And supper being ended, the devil having 33:25 already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, 33:28 Simon's son, to betray Him." 33:33 And then after they had supper 33:36 Jesus girded Himself 33:40 takes a towel and water 33:45 and now Jesus is going to wash the feet of the disciples. 33:51 Notice what we find in John 13:2-6, 33:55 John 13:2-6. 33:59 "And supper being ended, the devil having already put it 34:03 into the heart of Judas Iscariot, 34:05 Simon's son, to betray Him, 34:07 Jesus, knowing that the Father 34:09 had given all things into His hands, 34:11 and that He had come from God and was going to God, 34:15 rose from supper and laid aside His garments, 34:19 took a towel and girded Himself. 34:24 After that, He poured water into a basin 34:26 and began to wash the disciples' feet, 34:29 and to wipe them with the towel 34:31 with which He was girded." 34:35 Whose feet did Jesus wash first? 34:40 He washed the feet of Judas first 34:43 according to Desire of Ages. 34:47 Probably to read your statement 34:48 from Bible Commentary volume 5, pages 1138 34:52 very interesting remark. 34:55 Ellen White says "Christ gave His disciples to understand 34:59 that the washing of their feet did not cleanse away their sin, 35:03 but that the cleansing of their heart was tested 35:06 in this humble service." 35:08 Notice by washing the feet their hearts went cleansed, 35:11 but by them being willing to wash one another's feet 35:15 they were showing that their heart had been cleansed. 35:19 She continues saying, 35:21 "If the heart was cleansed this act was all 35:24 that was essential to reveal the fact. 35:28 He had washed the feet of Judas, 35:31 but he said, 'Ye are not all clean.'" 35:33 That shows that the water didn't cleanse the individual 35:36 because he washed the feet of Judas and Judas wasn't clean. 35:42 "He had washed the feet of Judas 35:43 but he said, "Ye are not al clean." 35:46 Judas brought a traitors heart to this scene, 35:49 and Christ reveal to all 35:52 that He knew him to be the betrayer of his Lord, 35:55 and that the washing of his feet 35:57 was not on ordinance to cleanse the soul 36:00 from its moral defilement." 36:01 In other words the washing of the feet 36:03 was a signal that the heart was clean. 36:07 The washing of the feet was not to clean the heart 36:09 but to show that the heart was clean. 36:13 And Judas according to this 36:14 had come with the traitor's heart. 36:18 You see, Jesus was trying to reach the heart of Judas 36:22 with His act of love, 36:24 this with, with His act of humility. 36:26 What it did was hearting the heart of Judas. 36:32 And it's not Jesus' fault that his heart was hardened 36:35 it was because of Judas's choices. 36:39 Notice what we find in Review and Herald June 14, 1898. 36:44 "If this service of his Master, 36:47 in humbling Himself to wash the feet of the worst sinner, 36:52 did not break his heart, what more could be done? 36:57 It was the last act of love 37:00 that Jesus could evidence in behalf of Judas. 37:04 Infinite love could not compel Judas to repent 37:08 confesses his sin and be saved. 37:11 Every opportunity was granted him. 37:14 Nothing was left undone that could be done 37:18 to save him from the snare of Satan." 37:22 And then there's this very significant passage 37:26 that we find in Desire of Ages page 645 37:30 where we discover but at first Judas was impressed positively 37:35 with what Jesus did but then he was disgusted. 37:40 You see, because this act 37:41 what king would wash the feet of his subjects. 37:45 What king in his right mind 37:47 who should be sitting on the throne 37:48 and having a subject serve Him 37:51 would actually bow and stoop 37:55 to wash the feet of his subjects. 37:56 That was disgusting. 37:59 Notice this statement, 38:01 "When the Savior's hands were bathing those soiled feet, 38:08 and wiping them with the towel, 38:11 the heart of Judas thrilled 38:15 through and through with the impulse 38:18 then and there to confess his sin." 38:22 Wow, did that happened to Lucifer heaven 38:26 where God call all the Angels before Him 38:30 and for a moment there Lucifer said, 38:32 I should confess my sin. 38:34 See this is repeating the story of Lucifer 38:37 because Judas is possessed by Lucifer. 38:41 That's why all these stories are similar. 38:43 Absalom you say. 38:44 Well, why is the story of Absalom similar to the story 38:47 of the rebellion of Lucifer in heaven 38:49 because Absalom is serving as and instrument of Satan. 38:55 And this how was the story being written in us? 38:58 Is Jesus tapping His character in us 39:02 or is Lucifer stamping his character in us? 39:05 Very important question. 39:08 She continues saying, 39:09 "But he would not humble himself." 39:14 So hard to humble yourself isn't it. 39:18 "He hardened his heart against repentance 39:21 and the old impulses, for the moment put aside," 39:24 almost identical to the terms about Lucifer 39:26 when he was in heaven. 39:27 For a moment he felt like confessing 39:30 and then all of those selfish feelings 39:33 rushed back into his heart 39:36 "and the old impulses for the moment put aside, 39:39 again controlled him. 39:40 Judas was now offended." 39:42 See he was not melted so now he's offended. 39:46 "Was now offended at Christ act 39:48 in the washing the feet of the disciples, 39:51 of his disciples. 39:52 If Jesus could so humble Himself, 39:55 he thought, He could not be Israel's King. 39:59 All hope of worldly honor 40:02 in a temporal kingdom was destroyed." 40:09 What did he want? 40:10 Worldly honor, temple kingdom, 40:14 position of power, money, influence. 40:21 She continues saying "Judas was satisfied 40:23 that there was nothing to be gained by following Christ." 40:28 Sounds like many Christians today 40:30 we're into the prosperity gospel. 40:33 Serve Jesus and you get rich. 40:37 Oh, there's nothing wrong with having lots of money 40:41 and multiple houses and lots of money in the bank 40:44 and lots of toys to play with and lots of automobile. 40:47 There's nothing wrong with that 40:48 God wants you to be rich and prosperous. 40:50 And meanwhile the work of God languishes 40:53 the church budget likes behind. 40:56 I had to get that in. 41:02 After, notice this, "After seeing him degrade himself," 41:06 after Judas saw Jesus degrade himself 41:08 and he's in his mind "as he thought, 41:12 he was confirmed in his purpose to disown Him, 41:16 and confessed himself deceived. 41:20 He was possessed" notice this, 41:22 "He was possessed by a demon." 41:26 Ellen White calls it the demand of selfishness. 41:30 "And he resolved to complete the work 41:33 he had agreed to do in betraying his Lord." 41:39 And then you have a closing events in the Upper Room. 41:43 Notice John 13:26-30. 41:48 Jesus answered, "it is he" 41:51 because all of them are asking is it I? 41:54 "It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread 41:58 when I have dipped it and having dipped the bread 42:02 he gave it to Judas Iscariot," 42:07 I wish I had time to talk about the name Iscariot. 42:10 Very interesting. "The son of Simon. 42:14 Now after the piece of bread" 42:16 notice this, "Satan entered him." 42:20 When he says is it I? Satan enters him. 42:24 In other words, he becomes a vice regent of saint, 42:26 he becomes the instrument of Satan, 42:27 he becomes possessed by Satan. 42:31 "Then Jesus said to him, 'What you do, do quickly.'" 42:36 Now notice this, "But no one at the table 42:39 knew for what reason He said this to him." 42:41 The disciples were deceived even to the moment 42:43 that Judas got up and left the table. 42:47 How many Christians are gonna be deceived 42:49 till the very end by the end time antichrist? 42:52 Most. 42:55 They actually thought that Jesus was sending Judas on an errand. 43:01 It continues saying, verse 29, 43:04 "For some thought, because Judas had the money box, 43:07 that Jesus had said to him, 43:09 'Buy those things we need for the feast,' 43:12 or that he should give something to the poor. 43:16 Having received the piece of bread, 43:18 he then went out immediately. 43:20 And it was night." 43:22 Allow me to read a statement from the Sprit of Prophecy 43:24 on that comment it was night. 43:27 Desire of Ages 654 and 655, 43:30 the Lord's servant says this, "Night it was to the traitor 43:36 as he turned away from Christ into the outer darkness. 43:40 Until this step was taken 43:42 that is when he left the Upper Room, 43:44 Judas have not passed beyond the possibility of repentance. 43:49 But when he left the presence of his Lord 43:51 and his fellow disciples, 43:53 the final decision had been made. 43:56 He had passed the boundary line." 43:59 In other words she had committed the unpardonable sin. 44:04 Pride, over his physical stature his keen intelligence 44:10 and ability pride over the desire for position and power 44:15 enriches over around him 44:18 and he became the dominating force in his life. 44:22 Interestingly enough in John 17: 12, 44:27 Judas is given a unique name. 44:37 and we'll come back to this, this is on our next subject 44:39 we're gonna talk about another son of perdition, 44:43 the end time son of perdition. 44:46 Here Jesus says, "While I was with them in the world," 44:50 He is praying to His Father "I kept them in Your name. 44:55 Those whom You gave Me I have kept 44:58 and none of them is lost" except whom? 45:03 "Except the son of perdition, 45:06 that the Scripture" might be what? 45:09 "That the Scripture might be fulfilled." 45:13 What is the name that is given to Judas? 45:15 The son of perdition. 45:20 By the way did Jesus, did Judas know 45:22 where to find Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane? 45:26 Yes. 45:27 In fact, Judas was the one who led the guard 45:32 of the high priest to Jesus in the garden. 45:35 So is this on insider who is betraying his Lord? 45:40 Yes, it's no atheistic blasphemous outsider 45:44 who is betraying Jesus, 45:46 it is one who belongs to the inner circle. 45:49 Jesus is being betrayed from within. 45:54 How did Judas betray Jesus? 45:57 Even to the way in which he betrayed Jesus 46:00 he's professing loyalty to Christ. 46:05 Notice Matthew 26:47, 46:09 "And while he was still speaking," 46:10 that is Jesus "behold, Judas, one of the twelve, 46:13 with a great multitude with sergeant clubs, 46:15 came from the chief priests and elders of the people. 46:19 Now His betrayer had given them a sign saying, 46:21 Whomever I kiss, He is the one, seize Him. 46:25 Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, 46:28 "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed Him." 46:34 Is it just possible that the end time 46:36 antichrist will deliver the body of Christ 46:41 so to speak with a kiss? 46:45 No doubt whatsoever about it folks, 46:48 this story is going to be repeated 46:51 and the awesome sad thing is that everyone 46:55 who has the same spirit of Judas will end up in that camp, 47:01 in the camp of the antichrist. 47:04 Unless these sins are expelled from the life 47:07 through the power of Jesus, through the power of spirit 47:10 we will end up in that system 47:12 which is called the son of perdition 47:14 the end time antichrist system 47:18 and we will end up not betraying possibly Jesus 47:21 because those who will live in the end time 47:24 will be a Christian system 47:27 but they will betray the body of Jesus the church. 47:34 And then of course we have the repentance of Judas, 47:37 crocodile tears. 47:40 He was sad at the consequences of what he had done, 47:44 his plan had back fired. 47:45 He wasn't sorry that he delivered the Son of Man. 47:49 He was sorry that his plan hadn't worked. 47:51 He was sorry of the results of sin not the sin itself. 47:56 And notice Matthew 27:3-6, 47:58 how this tragic story ends. 48:00 By the way do you remember how the life of Saul ended? 48:04 There's a striking similar to between 48:06 the life a Judas and the life of Saul. 48:09 Because Saul was also possessed by a demon 48:12 at the end of his life, 48:14 because Saul had the same qualities 48:17 that Lucifer had in heaven the same qualities of Absalom, 48:21 the same qualities of Judas the same qualities 48:25 as the end time son of perdition. 48:28 If we know how the devil worked in these preliminary cases 48:31 we will know how to flee from the antichrist 48:35 who is here now who will soon be manifested as the antichrist. 48:38 Notice Matthew 27:3, "Then Judas, His betrayer, 48:43 seeing that He had been condemned, 48:45 was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver 48:50 to the chief priests and elders, saying, 48:52 'I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.' 48:56 And they said "What is that to us. 48:58 You will see to it!" 49:00 Then he threw down 49:02 the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, 49:05 and went and he what? 49:09 "And he hanged himself." 49:12 Did Saul commit suicide? He most certainly did. 49:18 Notice the comment on this in Desire of Ages 721 and 722. 49:24 "As the trial drew to a close" 49:27 trial of Jesus, "Judas could endure 49:30 the torture of his guilty conscience no longer. 49:34 Suddenly a hoarse voice rang through the hall 49:38 sending a thrill of terror to all hearts, 49:43 He is innocent; spare Him O Caiaphas! 49:48 The tall form of Judas was now seen 49:51 pressing through the startled throng. 49:54 His face was pale and haggard 49:57 and great drops of sweat stood on his forehead." 50:01 Ellen White saw this in vision. 50:06 "Rushing to the throne of judgment, 50:08 he threw down before the high priest 50:10 the pieces of silver 50:12 that had been the price of the Lord's betrayal." 50:14 By the way at the end of time 50:15 our people gonna take their silver and their gold 50:17 and throw them on the streets 50:18 when they realize that they are lost. 50:20 Ezekiel 7:19 says, 50:22 "Their silver and their gold will not be able to save them 50:25 in the day of the Lord's wrath. 50:27 They will throw their silver and gold into the streets." 50:31 Revelation 18 describes it as "Babylon crying out 50:34 because all of the merchants of the earth 50:36 can no longer make themselves rich through this system." 50:43 "Eagerly grasping the robe of Caiaphas, 50:45 he implored him to release Jesus, 50:48 declaring that He had done nothing worthy of death." 50:54 And then interestingly enough 50:57 and I'm not gonna read the passage 50:58 it's a rather long passage 51:00 you can read it in Acts 1:16-26. 51:05 An election takes place in the Upper Room 51:07 before the day of Pentecost. 51:10 The successor of Judas. 51:13 Have you ever read in Scripture where it says 51:15 there were suppose to be a carefulness 51:17 anyone takes our crown. 51:20 Have you read that that verse? 51:23 Here we have the case 51:25 someone else is taking Judas's crown, its Matthias. 51:31 In fact what Judas did was a fulfillment of Psalm 109 51:37 where it says in that Psalm 51:39 that another would take his office 51:43 and that's exactly what happened, 51:45 another took his office. 51:51 Do you know who was sitting on the left side of Jesus 51:55 at the last supper? Judas. 52:00 Do you know who was sitting on the right side of Jesus? 52:04 John. Interesting. 52:08 John was reclining upon Jesus 52:10 and Judas was on the left hand side 52:12 trying to press close. 52:13 Desire of Ages tells us 52:14 that if there was gonna be a first place in the kingdom 52:17 Judas wanted to be real near Jesus, 52:20 'cause he wanted that position. 52:22 Do you know that these two disciples 52:24 describe two kinds of people that exist in the world 52:27 today and will exist till the very end of time? 52:30 Did John have serious defects of character? 52:34 He was called a son of thunder. 52:39 He has serious defects in his character, 52:42 some of them probably even worst than the defects that Judas had. 52:47 But John allowed the influence of the Holy Spirit 52:49 to impact his life and transform his character. 52:53 Where as Judas harden his heart 52:55 and he did not allow Jesus to influence 52:57 and mold and change his selfish heart. 53:02 The Sanctified Life page 60 53:04 we find these words speaking about John and Judas. 53:10 "Those two disciples 53:13 represent the Christian world." 53:18 Did you catch that? 53:20 Say, oh, no Judas is all of the unbelievers. 53:24 And John represents the believers. 53:29 It's like Cain and Abel 53:31 two different kinds of worshipers, 53:35 two different kinds of religious people, 53:39 two different kinds of individuals 53:40 who claim to serve God. 53:43 We could go into the story of Cain and Abel 53:44 to illustrate the same story that we find here. 53:51 "These two disciples represent the Christian world. 53:56 All profess to be Christ's followers, 54:00 but while one class walk in humility and meekness, 54:06 learning of Jesus, the other show 54:10 that they are not doers of the word, but hearers only. 54:15 One class are sanctified through the truth, 54:20 the other know nothing 54:21 of the transforming power of divine grace. 54:25 The former are daily dying to self, 54:30 and are overcoming sin. 54:34 The latter are indulging their own lusts, 54:37 and becoming the servants of Satan." 54:44 One last quotation before making some concluding remarks. 54:48 Desire of Ages, 716 Ellen White speaks 54:53 about the reason for the demise of Judas. 54:56 She says, "Judas had naturally a strong love for money, 55:03 but he had not always been corrupt enough 55:06 to do such a deed as this." 55:09 That is of selling Jesus. 55:11 "He had fostered the evil spirit of avarice" 55:18 That's an extreme type of covetousness 55:21 is the way I like to describe it. 55:25 "Until" notice this, 55:27 "He had fostered the evil spirit of avarice 55:30 until it had become the ruling motive of his life. 55:35 The love of mammon 55:38 overbalanced his love for Christ. 55:42 Through becoming the slave" 55:45 listen to this "Through becoming the slave of one vice 55:51 he gave himself to Satan, 55:54 to be driven to any lengths in sin." 56:02 How do we handle beauty? Physical attraction? 56:07 The way we deal with the issue of jewelry, 56:09 people get all bent out of shape, 56:12 because jewelry is spoken up. 56:14 Well, why do you use it? To bring glory to Jesus, right. 56:23 Could that be a pitfall? 56:26 A physical appearance, it's a moral issue. 56:30 Other thirsts for position and power 56:33 especially when nominating committee comes. 56:38 Others are in love with money 56:41 while the work of God languishes in need. 56:46 Others are proud of their intellectual pursuits 56:50 and their intelligence and their degrees, 56:54 that how many PhDs after their name. 56:59 There is no one greater in the kingdom of God 57:04 than those who take these assets 57:08 and place them on the altar of sacrifice. 57:12 Were they dedicated to God service 57:16 instead of being dedicated to self service? 57:20 May God give us that spirit is my prayer. |
Revised 2014-12-17