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While I obviously cannot conclusively prove when Jesus knew certain things, or when He became aware of certain events that would transpire in His life, I would like to propose a theory which may possibly shed some light on when Jesus was first made aware that Judas would be His betrayer. In the seventeenth chapter of Matthew, we read our first account of what happened on the Mount of Transfiguration. Consider the following verses:

"And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead."


Please notice that in the previous verses, while Jesus and Peter, James and John were descending from the mountain, one of the very first things that Jesus mentioned to them was His soon-coming Death. The reason why Jesus may have done this is not clearly revealed in these verses, and we aren't told what Moses and Elijah spoke to Jesus about. However, if we read the account that was written by Luke, we find out exactly what was discussed, as we see here:

"And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering. And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias: Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem."


So Jesus' Death was obviously heavy on His mind following the visit by Moses and Elijah. I can't help but wonder then, if perhaps it was at this time that Jesus learned from Moses and Elijah that Judas Iscariot would be His betrayer. Again, I can't prove this point one way or the other, so please take my words with a grain of salt. However, if there is any truth to this theory, it would certainly help to explain why Jesus would tell the Twelve Apostles that they would sit on Twelve Thrones in the Kingdom of Heaven, but then later, He states that it would have been better if Judas had never been born, and He doesn't state how many thrones during the Last Supper in the Gospel of Luke.

While this theory seems to have some validity on the surface, the truth of the matter, is that even I recognize that it is not bullet-proof. The reason why I say this is quite simple. In spite of everything that Judas Iscariot did to our Lord, we still find the following verse in the Book of Revelation, and it truly perplexes me:

"And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb."


The way that some people have managed to get around this problem with Judas' name being written on one of the Twelve Foundations of the Heavenly City, is by suggesting that the Apostle Paul became the new Twelfth Apostle, even though in Acts chapter one, Peter and the brethren chose Matthias, as we see by the following verses:

"And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen, That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles."


Concerning the Apostle Paul, we know from his Epistles that he referred to himself as the Apostle of the Gentiles, and also as the least of the Apostles, as becomes evident by the following verses:

"For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:"


"Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity."


"Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles."


"And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me."


While the previous verses would seem to add legitimacy to the argument that Paul became the new Twelfth Apostle, and that perhaps he is represented by the Twelfth Foundation in the Holy City, New Jerusalem, because the verse in the Book of Revelation does not specify by name who the Twelve are, the only thing that we can go by is what Jesus said in the Gospels. That is that the Twelve Apostles will sit upon Twelve Thrones judging the Twelve Tribes of Israel.

So what does this mean? Does it mean that in spite of all of the evil that he committed, and in spite of the fact that he took his own life, Judas somehow still found Grace in God's sight? If Peter found forgiveness, even after denying Jesus three times, does this possibly imply that Judas also found forgiveness? Is Judas possibly meant to serve as an example to all of humanity of the extent of God's Love, Grace, Mercy and Forgiveness? Quite frankly, I honestly do not know with one hundred per cent certainty. But if we accept that Judas, who was possessed by Satan, could be forgiven, what does it say about Satan himself, Universal Reconciliation and other related themes? We are treading some very deep doctrinal waters with these thoughts.

On the other hand, is it possible that part of the punishment of Judas Iscariot is that while his name will remain on one of the Twelve Foundations, he personally will not be there to enjoy it? Rather, he will suffer utter shame and contempt for all of Eternity, as is revealed in this verse that's found in the Book of Daniel:

"And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt."


Again, these are tough questions for which I personally do not have any solid answers at this current time. Anything that I say, or that anyone else says concerning the fate of Judas Iscariot, remains in the realm of personal theory and speculation at best. Perhaps one of these days, when we each go to be with the Lord, we will finally receive a definitive answer to this intriguing question.

Or maybe I just did receive the answer that I've been seeking to this question! It is just after 1:00 AM here where I live. I just woke up after sleeping for about five hours. I was in my bed and on my iPhone, responding to a friend regarding this very article, when a verse just popped into my head, as often happens to me. This verse just really knocked me for a loop, because it seems so like the Lord's answer. I think you will understand why this verse floored me when you read it:

"To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."


That is exactly what happened to Judas! As we saw earlier in this article, Satan entered into Judas, and then used him to betray Jesus into the hands of sinners. Later, feeling great remorse for what he had done, and realizing the grave error he had committed, Judas repented, tried to return the thirty pieces of silver, and went and hanged himself. He literally destroyed his own flesh. Why? No doubt because he just could not stand himself. He just couldn't bear to live with that huge guilt on his shoulders. But please notice that those verses say that he repented. He changed his mind, and he tried to undo the damage which he had done.

As I point out in the series "2012: New Age Deception and Psychobabble", it is rather interesting to note that in the first instance where the word "perdition" is used in the New Testament, it is used by Jesus in a phrase to describe Judas Iscariot, as we see here:

"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."


Exactly why the Lord referred to Judas Iscariot as the "son of perdition" is a matter of personal speculation. It may be because Judas indirectly tried to destroy Jesus through his betrayal. However, there is another possibility which, in my view, seems to make a lot more sense. This becomes much more apparent when we consider the definitions of two words which are used in the above verse. Based on the meanings of those two words -- which I will share with you in just a minute -- I believe that Jesus was emphasizing the fact that Judas was not only lost, but he was also doomed to destruction because of his betrayal of the Lord. This would explain why Jesus said the following concerning Judas in two of the Gospels:

"The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born."


"And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined: but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed!"


So let me unveil the mystery here for you. You see, where the Lord states "none of them is lost", the word "lost" is derived from the Greek word "apollumi", which Thayer's Greek English Lexicon defines as meaning to perish, destroy, kill, ruin or be lost. Furthermore, in that mysterious phrase "son of perdition", the word "perdition is derived from the Koine Greek word "apoleia". This word is presumed to be derived from "apollumi", and so it likewise means destroying, utter destruction, perishing or ruin. As we have already seen, that is exactly what happened to Judas Iscariot. He took his own life. He destroyed himself. He destroyed his flesh. And that brings us right back to what the Apostle Paul states in the previous verse. Let me share that verse with you again for the sake of emphasis:

"To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."


Why is this destruction of the flesh necessary? so "that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus." With this one verse, we have in fact reconciled all of the previous verses which I have shared with you in this article. We have demonstrated how, despite what Judas did in betraying Jesus, he can still be saved; he can still sit on a throne in Heaven judging the Twelve Tribes of Israel; and one of the twelve foundations of the Heavenly City can still bear his name. If that isn't a demonstration of God's everlasting Mercy, then I don't know what is. To reiterate, this is really a personal theory on my part. However, based on what the Apostle Paul wrote in the previous verse, I think it makes a lot of sense. What do you think?

With these thoughts, I will bring this article to a close. It is my hope that you have found it informative, enlightening, and I pray that it has been a blessing in your life as well. If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would really appreciate if you'd take the time to click or tap on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!

For additional information and further study, you may want to refer to the list of reading resources below which were either mentioned in this article, or which contain topics which are related to this article. All of these articles are likewise located on the Bill's Bible Basics web server. To read these articles, simply click or tap on any link you see below.

2012: New Age Deception And Psychobabble
Are You Clean Every Whit?
Demonic Possession and Sickness: A Biblical Perspective
Exposing the Tactics of the Enemy
Have You Been Slain in the Spirit?
The Battle is Not Yours Alone
When Was Satan Cast Out of Heaven?
Who Hindered the Antichrist?

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