Is Judas in Hell?

Summary

Father Mike Schmitz addresses the misconception that Judas Iscariot is in heaven, clarifying that the Church has never definitively stated anyone's eternal destiny, including Judas. He emphasizes Jesus' teachings on hell, the necessity of God's will, and the importance of grace and choice in salvation. Schmitz also discusses the conditions for salvation as mentioned in the Bible, such as baptism and faith, and stresses that hell is a result of personal choice or indifference to God, not just for the 'worst' people.

Takeaways

• 🙅‍♂️ Father Mike Schmitz clarifies he never claimed Judas is in heaven, emphasizing the church's stance against definitive statements on anyone's eternal destiny.
• 📜 Biblical references suggest Judas's negative outcome, with Jesus indicating it would have been better if Judas had never been born.
• 🛏️ St. Teresa of Avila's analogy implies even a life of sin could be overshadowed by heaven's joy, but this doesn't imply Judas's salvation.
• 🚫 The Catholic Church avoids declaring anyone, including Judas, to be in hell, adhering to Jesus's teachings against judging others' hearts.
• 🙏 God's will is for all to be saved, as stated in the Letter to Timothy, emphasizing God's desire for everyone's salvation.
• 💧 God provides sufficient grace and opportunities for everyone to choose Him, but the choice remains individual.
• 🔥 Hell is a reality, and not just for the 'worst' people; it's a destination chosen by those who reject God's will.
• 🍇 Jesus mentions conditions for salvation, such as baptism and the Eucharist, indicating that faith and actions are required.
• 🛐 Doing God's will is crucial; not just professing faith but living it, which includes repentance and reconciliation.
• 🎤 The theme song of heaven is 'Father, thy will be done,' contrasting with hell's 'my will be done,' illustrating the path to salvation.
• 🕊️ Judas's act of betrayal, though used by God for salvation, does not make him a hero; his choice was wrong, and God can work through our brokenness.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the video script?

The main theme of the video script is the eternal destiny of individuals, particularly Judas Iscariot, and the concept of choosing between Heaven and Hell.

What is Father Mike Schmitz's stance on Judas being in Heaven?

Father Mike Schmitz clearly states that he would never say that Judas is in Heaven, as there are scriptures indicating otherwise.

What does Father Mike Schmitz believe about Judas's eternal fate?

Father Mike Schmitz believes that the Church has never made a definitive statement about anyone, including Judas, being in Hell because Jesus prohibited us from judging one another.

Why does Father Mike Schmitz think it's important not to judge Judas's heart?

He emphasizes that we cannot know another person's heart or the mystery of their relationship with God.

Outlines

00:00

😇 Heaven vs. Hell and Free Will

Father Mike Schmitz opens by comparing the mottos of Heaven and Hell, referencing C.S. Lewis and Frank Sinatra’s song 'My Way.' He explains that while people may make choices aligning with these themes, the focus is on serious spiritual matters. He clarifies a misconception from a listener’s email about Judas’ fate, firmly stating that Judas is not in Heaven, citing biblical references, like Jesus saying it would have been better if Judas had never been born. Despite this, Father Mike emphasizes the importance of not judging anyone’s eternal fate, as even Judas could have experienced God's grace and mercy.

05:00

🌟 God’s Grace and Mercy for All

Father Mike continues by explaining the Catholic belief that God wills all people to be saved and provides everyone with sufficient grace to choose Him. He stresses that while we don’t know the full extent of someone’s struggles, God knows their heart and gives each person the grace to choose salvation. However, many people still choose otherwise. He emphasizes that the Church has never definitively stated that anyone, including Judas, is in Hell because only God knows the heart and ultimate fate of each person.

10:01

🔥 The Reality of Hell and Salvation

In this section, Father Mike highlights the reality of Hell, pointing out that it’s not just for the extremely wicked, but for anyone who chooses not to do God's will. He refers to biblical passages where Jesus speaks of the narrow path to salvation and warns that Hell is more easily chosen than people realize. He underscores that faith alone is not enough, mentioning that true salvation requires baptism, receiving the Eucharist, and doing God's will. A key point is that Hell can be chosen either by actively rejecting God or passively failing to choose Him.

🙏 Choosing God's Will and Avoiding Hell

Father Mike reflects on C.S. Lewis' analogy of the themes of Heaven and Hell—'Thy will be done' versus 'My will be done'—and stresses that Hell is not just for 'bad people' but for anyone who insists on doing things their way rather than God's way. He shares his discomfort with the song 'My Way' being played at funerals, viewing it as antithetical to the Gospel. Ultimately, salvation requires choosing God's will, and no one ends up in Hell by accident—it’s a result of either choosing Hell or failing to choose God.

😔 Judas' Role and God's Plan

Father Mike dispels the notion that Judas is a hero in the story of Christ’s betrayal, even though God used Judas' terrible decision for a greater good. He explains that God can bring good out of evil, but this does not justify Judas' betrayal or make him a hero. Father Mike expresses hope that Judas repented before his death, though his fate is ultimately unknown. He encourages listeners to reflect on their own choices, as their stories are still being written, unlike Judas'.

⛪ The Choice Between Heaven and Hell

Father Mike concludes by urging listeners to consciously choose Heaven and God while they still have time. He explains that if one does not actively choose Heaven, they are by default choosing Hell. He stresses the gravity of this decision and emphasizes that God wants all people to choose Heaven. Father Mike reassures the audience that he is praying for them as they navigate these spiritual stakes, reminding them of the opportunity they have to change their eternal destination by aligning with God's will.

Keywords

💡Judas

Judas is a key figure in the Christian narrative, known for his betrayal of Jesus Christ. In the video, Father Mike Schmitz refutes the idea that Judas might be in heaven, emphasizing that Jesus himself said it would have been better if Judas had never been born. This statement is used to argue against the notion that Judas is in heaven, highlighting the seriousness of his betrayal and its implications within the Christian faith.

💡Heaven

Heaven is often depicted as a place of eternal reward for the righteous. The video discusses the concept of heaven in the context of whether Judas might be there, with Father Mike Schmitz clarifying that the Church has never made a definitive statement about anyone, including Judas, being in hell. This underscores the idea that the ultimate destination of one's soul is a profound mystery and not for humans to judge.

💡Hell

Hell is presented as a place of eternal punishment, and the video script mentions that it is real and not merely chosen by 'really bad people.' Father Mike emphasizes that hell is a possibility for anyone who does not choose God's will, which is a central theme of the video. He also notes that Jesus talks more about hell than any other figure in the Bible, indicating its significance in Christian teachings.

💡God's Will

The concept of 'God's Will' is central to the video's message. Father Mike Schmitz explains that doing God's will is essential for salvation, and he contrasts this with the idea of doing one's own will, which he likens to the theme song of hell. The video encourages viewers to align their will with God's, as reflected in the scriptural command to 'do the will of my Father in heaven.'

💡Salvation

Salvation is discussed in terms of being saved through faith and adherence to God's will. Father Mike Schmitz mentions several scriptural conditions for salvation, such as baptism and the Eucharist, and he emphasizes that salvation is not automatic but requires active participation and choice. This keyword is integral to understanding the video's message about the path to heaven.

💡Grace

Grace is described as the unmerited favor of God, which is available to all people. The video script mentions that God gives every person enough grace and opportunities to choose Him, which is a central tenet of Catholic doctrine. This keyword is used to illustrate God's mercy and the potential for redemption, even for those who have made grave mistakes.

💡Confession

Confession is mentioned as a means of reconciliation with God when one fails to do His will. Father Mike Schmitz suggests that going to confession is a way to be reconciled with God, which is crucial for those who have sinned and wish to return to a state of grace. This keyword is part of the broader discussion on how individuals can maintain their relationship with God.

💡Indifference

Indifference is portrayed as a danger in the video, as it can lead to choosing hell by not choosing God. Father Mike Schmitz warns against being indifferent to God's will, as this can result in eternal separation from God. This keyword is used to emphasize the importance of actively choosing to follow God's path.

💡CS Lewis

CS Lewis is referenced to illustrate the contrast between the themes of heaven and hell. Father Mike Schmitz quotes Lewis, saying that the theme song of heaven is 'Father, thy will be done,' while that of hell is 'my will be done.' This keyword is used to highlight the central message of the video about the importance of aligning one's will with God's.

💡Frank Sinatra

Frank Sinatra is mentioned in relation to his song 'My Way,' which Father Mike Schmitz criticizes as being antithetical to the Christian message of surrendering one's will to God. The video uses Sinatra's song as a symbol of the self-centeredness that can lead to hell, contrasting it with the Christian ideal of humility and submission to God's will.

💡Repentance

Repentance is implied as a possible path for Judas to avoid hell, should he have turned back to Jesus before his death. The video script suggests that even those who have committed terrible acts can find redemption through repentance, which is a recurring theme in Christian teachings about mercy and forgiveness.

Highlights

Father Mike Schmitz refutes the idea that Judas Iscariot is in heaven.

Scriptures indicate Judas is not in a favorable afterlife, with Jesus stating it would be better if Judas had never been born.

Judas is referred to as the 'son of perdition', suggesting his loss.

The Church avoids definitive statements on who is in Hell, including Judas, to avoid judgment.

Jesus' teachings emphasize not judging others' hearts or ultimate destinations.

God's will is for all people to be saved, as stated in the Letter to Timothy.

God provides grace and opportunities for everyone to choose Him.

Hell is a real possibility and not just for the 'really bad' people.

Jesus talks more about hell than anyone else in the Bible.

The road to life is narrow, while the road to destruction is wide, indicating many may choose the wrong path.

Baptism and the Eucharist are conditions for salvation as stated by Jesus.

Faith and doing the will of the Father in heaven are crucial for entering the kingdom of heaven.

Hell can be chosen by not choosing God or by actively choosing against Him.

CS Lewis described the theme song of Heaven as 'Father, thy will be done' and Hell as 'my will be done'.

Judas is not the hero of the story; his betrayal was used by God for a greater purpose.

Father Mike expresses hope that Judas repented before his death.

The story of Judas is complete, but ours is not; we still have the chance to choose Heaven or Hell.

The importance of choosing Heaven over Hell is emphasized, as the default choice can lead to the latter.

Transcripts

the theme song of Hell basically as I

said the motto CS Lewis said is my will

be done the SE theme song would be the

one popularized by Frank Sinatra that I

did it my way oh gosh Lord help us all I

was going to pray in the name of the

father Son and Holy Spirit I mean it

because this is serious here we go hi my

name is father Mike Schmitz and this is

essential presents so I got an email

recently from someone who said that they

thought they heard me give a talk back

in my hometown a bunch of years ago or

they thought it must have been me but

something along the L lines that uh

Judas is in heaven and that Judas was

doing God's will he was a collaborator

with Jesus in in off in Jesus's offering

of himself on the cross okay wow no I

would never say that let's back up a

little bit first um would I ever say

Judas is uh in heaven and the answer

nope nope would never say that uh there

are a number of scriptures that indicate

that that is not the case um Jesus even

says about Judas it would be better for

him if he had never been born I'll tell

you what uh St Teresa Avala said that

even after the worst life on Earth if

you get to heaven your whole life will

will have been like one bad night in a

cheap motel something like that along

those lines right so no matter

how how bad things were get if Judas

ended up in heaven then yes it was

definitely worth it for him to be alive

so if Jesus is saying it would better

for him him if he'd never been born then

that doesn't give me any indication that

Jesus is saying that he's going to be in

heaven or is in heaven uh secondly Jesus

even says calls him the son of predition

he says I haven't lost any of what you

gave me except the son of predition

again that's kind of an indication that

Judas was lost now I'm saying this

quickly I'm not saying this dismissively

hopefully that comes across right I'm

kind of ramped up as I make these videos

hopefully I'm not coming across flippant

like or glib because when we're talking

about heaven in Hell the Eternal Destiny

of anyone including

Judas that's never a a light thing it's

never something something again to be

flippant or glib about but at the same

time the person said maybe it was you

who said that Judas was the hero and

that Judas is in heaven I would never

say that at the same time if you would

say well father is Judas in hell I

wouldn't say that either why because the

church it's interesting to note this the

church has never ever made a definitive

statement on anyone ever being in Hell

including Judas and this and why why

would would Church do this especially

since there kind of be seems like there

might be some evidence there well the

reason is because Jesus had prohibited

us from judging one another right

condemning one another and now keep this

in mind when Jesus says do not condemn

one another L you be condemned or judge

one another L you be uh L you be judged

he's not saying that we can't assess

right he's not saying that we can't

evaluate because in that same section in

that same scripture Jesus also goes on

to say um you'll know the tree by its

fruits like by the fruits of their

actions whether good or bad you'll know

whether this person at the core is good

or bad right that sense so here's Jesus

who's not saying we can't assess can't

evaluate can't say oh actually that

action is bad or that action is good

that that belief is true that belief is

false what he's saying is we can't judge

a person's heart like we can't actually

say their ultimate destination is be to

be separated from God so basically the

church takes that really seriously even

in the case of Judas and says no we

can't say we can't say that because

while there might be some indication

that Judas has been lost we don't know

his heart we don't know the mystery of

God's grace and mystery of God's mercy

in the heart of anyone even someone that

is like a notorious sinner like Judas

one thing that uh we believe as

Catholics is that uh every person that

God Wills all men to be saved that God

Wills all people to be saved is is

letter to Timothy uh the the word of the

Lord says this that God Wills that all

people come to the knowledge of him that

come to to know him love him and live

with him forever that God wants that

because of that it's one of the points

of Catholic Doctrine is that God gives

every person the grace and the

opportunity to say yes to him we know

right we we know that all these people

people around us as you've heard many

said many times that you know be patient

with each other because everyone around

you is fighting a battle that you know

nothing about absolutely I look at my

own life I have inside information on my

own heart and my own experience and I

realize how many opportunities God has

given me I realize how much grace God

has given me I see in so many ways not

all of them but so many of the ways God

has just spared my life from some of the

bigger wounds that other people around

me have experienced and so I know myself

a little bit but I don't know you and I

don't know your struggle I don't know

your battles I don't know what has made

it difficult for you to trust the Lord

but here's the thing God does know that

therefore God is the one who knows that

okay in even in the midst of someone

who's wounded in ways that are unknown

to everyone around them struggles in

ways that are unknown to everyone around

them God still will give every person

including you and all of your neighbors

and all your strangers around you will

get everyone on this planet enough Grace

and enough opportunities to choose

him that being

said not everyone chooses him like that

being said even though we can't say yeah

Judas is in

hell we do know that hell is

real we do know that it's not just

something that that really really really

bad people choose I know sometimes

people will say things like yeah but

listen I but I believe in Jesus and

Jesus is Love and his mercy and he and

he his goodness absolutely but do you

know that Jesus talks more about hell

than any other person in the entire

Bible did you know that Jesus said

narrow is the road that leads to life

and wide is the road that leads to

destruction and many are on that

road that it might be

easier to choose hell than we

think I mean think

about you know there's some conditions

in the in the in the scriptures for uh

being saved Jesus says in John chapter 3

uh unless you're born again of water and

the spirit cannot be saved so baptism

John chapter 6 he says unless you eat of

the Flesh of the son of man and drink

his blood you can't be saved so the

Eucharist scripture says if you profess

with your lips and believe in your heart

that Jesus Christ is Lord you'll be

saved so

Faith but also Jesus says not everyone

who says to me Lord Lord will enter the

kingdom of my father but only those who

do the will of my Father in heaven so

actually doing the father's

will that's a big question for those of

us who have been baptized who receive

Holy Communion who have a degree of

Faith the question is do I do God's will

and when I don't when I fail do I go to

confession am I reconcile with him or am

I kind of indifferent because here's the

crazy thing I can get Hell by choosing

hell I can also get Hell by simply not

choosing

God our natural kind of disposition is

selfishness and I can have an eternity

of just

myself because in some ways that's what

hell

is you know CS Lewis said it like this

he said that the theme song of Heaven is

Father thy will be done and the theme

song of hell is my will be

done so we think about this right now

and realize wait a

second it's not just really really bad

people who go to

hell is anyone who would sing that Frank

Sinatra song I did it my way sorry let

me clarify not everyone who sings the

song goes to hell I'm not saying that

okay not being glib again not being

flipping about this but I just want to

clarify that's not the case I've been at

funeral where they've asked to play that

song as the funeral song I'm like are

you kidding me there's nothing more

antithetical to the gospel than that

song being played at someone's funeral

not only because it's not sacred don't

play it at a funeral but also because

it's basically a big thumbing the nose

to the Lord

himself we only get to heaven if we

don't do it our way but if we actually

say father thy will be done not everyone

who says to me Lord Lord will enter the

kingdom of heaven but only those who do

the will of my Father in

heaven we don't

know who goes and chooses hell we do

know that no one ends up there by

accident we're either there because we

chose it or were there because we didn't

choose the father's will we're there

because we didn't choose God

himself last thing Judas is not the hero

of the

story see yeah but but what he did in

betraying Jesus is he made the whole

thing possible no

no yes God used the horrible evil

decision of Judas to betray his Rabbi

his friend yes Jes God was able to use

this terrible decision made by Judas but

that doesn't make Judas a

hero that means that God can even take

our

Brokenness and do something incredible

with it but it does not make judas's

Choice the right one and it doesn't make

Judas

hero I hope I hope that God willing I

get to heaven I hope and pray you all

get to heaven and I hope that would be

amazing if at the end of judas's life

even as he was hanging himself that he

repented and turned back to the Lord

Jesus I hope that's the

case but that story's been

written he is either in heaven or he's

in Hell your story is not over

yet your story is not rich yet your

story is not completed yet you and I we

still have the chance to choose

hell and I don't want that for

you we also still have the chance to

choose heaven we also still have the

chance to choose

God and not only gosh not only do I want

that for you God himself wants that for

you in his son Jesus Christ he made it

possible for every one of us to choose

CH

Heaven do

that choose

Heaven because if we don't choose Heaven

by default we are choosing the other

thing again this is a heavy topic today

but that's why I'm praying for you

because we're in the game we're in the

game and these are the stakes from all

this here to S presents my name is

father

Mike God bless

[Music]