Romans 7 - Part 1 - Escape from an Abusive Life

Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. Romans 7:4

A study of Romans 7 - Part 1

Romans 6 - He who is dead is Freed from sin!

Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.  Romans 6:4

A study of Romans 6.

Romans 5 - Who is the Israel of God?

For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Romans 5:17-19

A review of the 5th Chapter of the Book of Romans.

Romans 4 - Faith vs the Law

For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. Romans 4:13-18

Review of the 4th chapter of the Book of Romans

Romans 3 - Rejection by the Jews

Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Romans 3:19-23

Review of chapter 3 of the Book of Romans

Romans 2 (cont.) - Circumcision of the Heart

For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. Romans 2:28-29.

Romans 2 continued!

Romans 2 - Evidence of the Occult

But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; Romans 2:5-9

Moving on to chapter 2 of the Book of Romans

Christian Zionism

Good article on the dangers of Christian Zionism. The church needs to wake up!

http://www.israelshamir.net/shamirReaders/english/Cathail--Scofield-Zionist-Bible.php

Romans 1 - Warning to a Judged Generation

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. Romans 1:16

Beginning our study of the Book of Romans.

The Kingdom has Come and Jesus is Here!

Back from a long hiatus! After observing all of the crazy things going on in the world, it is back to the Word and study the Truth. The Kingdom came in 70 AD and Jesus is here!

References: William Bell at allthingsfulfilled.com & Don K. Preston at www.eschatology.org/

Matthew 28 - The Great Commission

Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28:16-20.

The first followers to witness Jesus' resurrection from the dead were the women who ministered to Him. They experienced an angelic announcement to go and tell the other disciples, and then as they went in obedience, they had a personal encounter with Jesus! Think about that! As they were traveling back from the empty tomb to the place where the disciples were hidden away in fear, Jesus met them on the road. Jesus encouraged these women to continue believing and acting in obedience. He knew there would be doubts from some of the twelve (Thomas), but they were to press forward in faith and share the good news. Sadly, the disciples missed this divine opportunity that the women experienced.  

Matthew ends with the disciples returning to Galilee and experiencing their own personal encounter with Jesus. Even though there were some doubts, they accepted His mandate to go into all the known world surrounding Israel and share the Gospel with all nations. And the disciples (including the Apostle Paul) did just that. By the time Judgment Day came in 70 AD, the disciples and apostles had completed their task of delivering the message of Jesus and the New Kingdom, just as the Lord directed! 

Today, we the church, the body of Christ, are to continue that mandate - to share the good news of the Gospel and advance the Kingdom!

Links:
https://pjmiller.wordpress.com/2009/03/26/unheeded-or-misinterpreted-signs-the-destruction-of-jerusalem-70ad/

http://bible.christiansunite.com/jos/warindex.shtml

http://www.allthingsfulfilled.com/

http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/haggadah.html

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/eschatology-allthingsfulfilled

Matthew 27 - Delivered from the Pains of Death

Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. Matthew 27: 50-54. 

The Bible makes it very clear that Jesus suffered greatly on the cross, both physically and spiritually. We considered Psalms 22 in other teachings, but one should also consider Psalms 116:3, which states that The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow, as well as Acts 2:24, which states that Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. There was a great suffering on that day that none of us who are in Christ will every experience, praise God. That suffering, along with His shed blood, were sufficient to satisfy the penalty for sin required by the Law, AND exceed it. God raised Jesus up as proof that death and sin no longer had power over Israel under that old, Mosaic, temple system. A new temple was being established, a spiritual temple, which was Christ (and His body - the church).

Another sign that the Law had been satisfied was the renting of the temple veil separating the Most Holy Place - it was split from top to bottom - not so that man could come in to where God dwelled, necessarily, but so that God could rush out to His people and dwell amongst them, a desire of His from the beginning of time. 

There were other signs of Jesus' divinity, which were witnessed by the Roman soldiers who had tortured Him and hung Him on the cross, as well as some of the women followers. We also see in Matthew that, after Jesus' resurrection, the graves of the saints were opened, and these saints went into Jerusalem and showed themselves to many. We do not have any additional evidence of this event in the Word or from historians, but we must believe it by faith. Just as Lazarus came out of the tomb in John 11, these saints who had died under the Old Covenant came out of their tombs after Jesus' resurrection. 

But there was a spiritual resurrection to come, when the entire Old Covenant, Mosaic temple system came to its finality in 70 AD and the New Covenant/Kingdom of God came. Jesus is here and lives in the hearts and minds of His people, the church! That is very good news!

Links:
https://pjmiller.wordpress.com/2009/03/26/unheeded-or-misinterpreted-signs-the-destruction-of-jerusalem-70ad/

http://bible.christiansunite.com/jos/warindex.shtml

http://www.allthingsfulfilled.com/

http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/haggadah.html

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/eschatology-allthingsfulfilled

Matthew 27 - Psalms 22 Fulfilled!

Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left. And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest itin three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth. Matthew 27: 38-44.

If one wants an idea as to what our Savior was experiencing while hanging on the cross, just read Psalms 22 - which, amazingly, was written by King David some one thousand years BEFORE Jesus was born in Bethlehem and BEFORE crucifixion was invented by the Roman empire. It describes the physical suffering as well as the spiritual suffering that He endured, AND it describes what propelled Him to stay there on the cross and to finish the work. Yes, He was obedient to what the heavenly Father required, but He also saw us, His brethren, the fellow sons of God, who would be born again IN Him and be partakers of the glorious kingdom that God would introduce to the world in 70AD. Like a loving parent who is willing to sacrifice for his or her children, Jesus sacrificed Himself for us, the children of God. (See Hebrews 12:2).

Psalms 22 is bookended by "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" and "He has done it!" or "It is finished." It is no coincidence that these are the first and last words spoken by Jesus before He physically died. The heavenly Father has revealed to us through the Gospels that Psalms 22 is really the words of the Savior while suffering for us.

One additional comment on the thieves hanging on either side of Jesus on their respective crosses-- Matthew reveals that they both gnashed their teeth and cursed at the Lord while He hung there, suffering, but in Luke 23, it is revealed that one of them eventually repented and believed. This is an encouragement to us all not to give up on our friends and loved ones who are stubborn in accepting Jesus. The heavenly Father knows how to draw His children to Himself, and He will do it. Stay vigilant and keep praying and believing and God's plan will be fulfilled!

Just as the Father fulfilled His plan for Jesus set forth in Psalms 22, He will fulfill His plan for all of His sons of glory!

Links:
https://pjmiller.wordpress.com/2009/03/26/unheeded-or-misinterpreted-signs-the-destruction-of-jerusalem-70ad/

http://bible.christiansunite.com/jos/warindex.shtml

http://www.allthingsfulfilled.com/

http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/haggadah.html

Matthew 27 - Sent to the Cross

Then released he [Pilate] Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers. And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put itupon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him. Matthew 27: 26-31

It is very upsetting for many of us in the body of Christ to think about the pain, suffering, torture and humiliation our Savior went through for us. Just one viewing of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, is enough to last a lifetime. The first time I saw that movie was in the theater, and it was difficult to process. I think I was in shock afterward. The second time, I wept like a baby. But as I cried, I sensed the heavenly Father telling me to stop my theatrics. Why? BECAUSE HE IS NO LONGER HANGING THERE! Yes, He suffered and died and descended into the depths of the grave, BUT He was raised up AND glorified at the right hand of God. And the good news is, We are there with Him! Everything Jesus has, we have IN HIM.

Keep that truth in the forefront of your thoughts, regardless of what you may be taught in your denominational churches and bible studies. We are joint heirs with Him. Our minds may not be able to comprehend all that took place on the day of the crucifixtion, but BY FAITH, we believe that in the spiritual realm, a legal event happened whereby spiritual laws were satisfied. Sin was put away and condemned, the curse satisfied, the Law fulfilled, and Death's sting removed. We now have authority and power over sin, we are no longer under the curse of the Law, God's laws are written on our hearts, His love has been shed abroad in our hearts, and Death can no longer separate us from our heavenly Father. 

Selah! Think about all of that and receive it, if you may! How can we walk out this truth in our lives and advance the kingdom on earth, in this physical realm in which we live now? Let's all believe in God's Word, that's how, despite the pressure and temptation to do otherwise! Have faith and believe!

Links:
https://pjmiller.wordpress.com/2009/03/26/unheeded-or-misinterpreted-signs-the-destruction-of-jerusalem-70ad/

http://bible.christiansunite.com/jos/warindex.shtml

http://www.allthingsfulfilled.com/

http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/haggadah.html

Matthew 27 - Standing Before Pilate

When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death: And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor. Matthew 27:1-2. And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest. And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee? And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly. Matthew 27:11-14.

We see from these scriptures that Pontius Pilate knew Jesus was innocent of all the charges brought against Him by that wicked generation of Jews. He knew they were jealous of Him, because Jesus was a man of authenticity; He loved people and went about doing good everywhere He went. He wasn't caught up in religion or pretense, and yet He was able to amass a large following who hailed Him as a king. Pilate did not view Jesus as an insurrectionist who could be a danger to Rome--on the contrary, I feel certain that Jesus impressed a man like Pilate.

Pilate tried fairly hard to free himself from the tough decision of condemning Jesus. We know from history that Pilate was a ruthless man who had probably condemned many innocent men to death, but this Jesus of Nazareth was different. Perhaps Pilate's soul sensed the spirit of God that was in and on Jesus. Ancient Rome was a culture that revered the supernatural and the world of gods and goddess, unlike today's culture that mocks it. If it turned out that Jesus was a son of the gods, then Pilate did not want His blood on his hands. That is why he figuratively washed his hands of Jesus' death.

Before that, Pilate attempted to release Jesus for the Passover week, which was the custom of that day--one prisoner would be set free to appease the Jews. He offered a choice between Barabbas, a known insurrectionist and bad dude, or Jesus, an innocent man. I'm sure Pilate viewed this as an easy decision, but the crowd thought otherwise; they cried out for Jesus' crucifixion like ravenous dogs. Pilate's wife had a dream, warning him that Jesus was a holy man, but the threats from that murderous generation won over. Pilate caved under pressure and went against his better judgment. 

The bottom line is this: regardless of the decisions made by Pilate or the Jewish leaders, Jesus was going to the cross. One way or another, He would be beaten, mocked, spit upon, nailed to a tree, and left there to die; it was His destiny and He was going to be obedient to that plan. He was and is the lamb slain before the foundation of the world! Praise God for all He did for us!

Links:
https://pjmiller.wordpress.com/2009/03/26/unheeded-or-misinterpreted-signs-the-destruction-of-jerusalem-70ad/

http://bible.christiansunite.com/jos/warindex.shtml

http://www.allthingsfulfilled.com/

http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/haggadah.html

Matthew 26 - Betrayed by Israel

But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death. Matthew 26: 63-66

Once Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, the humiliation from His own people, Israel, began. First, He was taken before the high priest, Caiaphas, and the leaders of Israel for a mock trial, where false witnesses were brought forward to try Him as a blasphemer. When the witnesses were put to the test, they were easily discredited, for Jesus was innocent. In an effort to goad Jesus into incriminating Himself, Caiaphas adjured Him by the living God to answer the question, Are you the Son of God?

Jesus answered by referencing Daniels' prophecy of the Son of Man coming in the clouds before the Ancient of Days to receive an everlasting kingdom, inferring that He was this Son of Man whom the prophet had spoken of long ago. But then He spun this prophecy around and stated that the Jewish rulers of His day would see that Son of Man coming in the clouds, with all power, honor, and glory, to judge that wicked, adulterous generation for their unbelief. Jesus clearly indicated here, once more, that all prophecy would be fulfilled in the lifetime of that generation, which we know occurred in 70 AD at the fall of Jerusalem.

When the high priest heard Jesus' words, he rent his robes and declared Him a blasphemer, which is exactly what had been planned all along. Contrary to what many of us have been told, the Jewish leaders could have stoned Jesus under the Law, but they were too cowardly, so they took Him to Pilate to be executed by Rome as an insurrectionist. Pilate knew Jesus was innocent, but there was nothing to be done; he feared what the people thought, and so he succumbed to the evil plan, even after being warned by his wife.

The bottom line is this: the crucifixion had been established before the foundation of the world. Jesus would go to the cross, no matter what, and settle man's sin issue there, once and for all. And that is exactly what He did! Praise God for that!

Links:
https://pjmiller.wordpress.com/2009/03/26/unheeded-or-misinterpreted-signs-the-destruction-of-jerusalem-70ad/

http://bible.christiansunite.com/jos/warindex.shtml

http://www.allthingsfulfilled.com/

http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/haggadah.html

Matthew 26 - The Garden of Gethsemane

Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. Matthew 26:37-39

Jesus knew that the only way the promised Kingdom of God could come was for the handwriting of ordinances that stood against man (due to sin and transgressions of the Law) had to be put away.  And how could these ordinances be put away? Through blood/death. The wages of sin is the curse and then death - the guilty has to die and shed his/her blood to satisfy the sin penalty under the Law. All of us (before being born again in Christ) have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. 

But thankfully, God provided a substitutionary system whereby the sinner could substitute an innocent sacrifice to shed innocent blood in lieu of the sinner's blood; innocent blood is the only blood that God will accept as a substitute for the sinner's death and eternal damnation. The innocent little lambs and other animals sacrificed under the Old Covenant Temple system where merely a shadow of the true sacrifice, Jesus Christ, whose blood would be so powerful, so innocent, that it would exceed the penalty and thereby bring the whole sacrificial temple system to an end. That is very good news!

As a man (who knew no sin), Jesus was subject to temptation to lose faith and be disobedient to God's Word, as all of us are tempted. But since He was conceived of the Holy Spirit, He had the power to resist temptation and not give way to sin. However, as He began the terrible substitutionary process of taking on sin as the ultimate sacrifice, His flesh fought Him and wanted to take another route other than the one the heavenly Father had ordained. But Jesus knew there was only one way; He knew He must suffer for the curse, shed His innocent blood, and then die a spiritual and physical death, just as the scriptures had prophesied.

But, there was joy set before Him which enabled Him to endure this terrible ordeal: He saw us, the children of God, born again IN HIM, the trophies of God's grace, waiting for Him on the other side. And so, He endured the horrific pain of physical and spiritual affliction so that we can partake in His glorious resurrected life. 

He took our sin penalty and gave us His reward for obedience. I believe His time in the Garden of Gethsemane when He prayed three times for strength was the toughest time for Him. He could have walked away, but He didn't. He pressed through and went all the way to the cross, fulfilling God's beautiful plan for us!

Links:
https://pjmiller.wordpress.com/2009/03/26/unheeded-or-misinterpreted-signs-the-destruction-of-jerusalem-70ad/

http://bible.christiansunite.com/jos/warindex.shtml

http://www.allthingsfulfilled.com/

http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/haggadah.html

Matthew 26 - Eat My Flesh, Drink My Blood

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. Matthew 26:26-29

During this wonderful Passover meal with His disciples (which we refer to as the Last Supper), Jesus relayed the good news of the New Covenant promised by God long ago. It would be instituted through Jesus' sinless, tortured, broken body and His blood. 

Jesus instructed them to symbolically eat His broken body (symbolized by the unleaven bread) and drink His blood (symbolized by the wine - the Passover cup of Redemption). This was a sobering concept, considering that the Law strictly forbid any Jew from drinking the blood of the sacrifice (the life was in the blood!) We know from the Gospel of John that Jesus had lost many of His followers when He told them that they must eat His flesh and drink His blood or they would have no part of Him.  As expected, this statement caused great confusion. It takes the Holy Spirit and the new birth in order to fully comprehend spiritual truths. Spiritual truths appear as pure nonsense to a natural man.

That evening, Jesus also warned His disciples that one of them would betray Him, just as it had been prophesied in the Psalms. (See Psalms 41:9). As one could imagine, the disciples were extremely distressed to hear this! They loved each other and they loved Jesus and had been through so many things together during the past three and half years. They could not fathom any of them doing such a dastardly thing! And yet, Jesus knew that it was Judas. 

The Bible is unclear as to when Jesus discovered the identity of His betrayer, but I do believe that He was not 100% ignorant nor was He 100% in the know during the time of His ministry. The Old Covenant tells us that Jesus was hurt by the betrayal of His good friend, as any of us would be hurt by someone we love selling us out to our enemies.

Forgiveness could have been available to Judas, but the Bible says that Judas never sought forgiveness for his evil deed. He became the Son of Perdition spoken of by the prophets years ago.

Links:
https://pjmiller.wordpress.com/2009/03/26/unheeded-or-misinterpreted-signs-the-destruction-of-jerusalem-70ad/

http://bible.christiansunite.com/jos/warindex.shtml

http://www.allthingsfulfilled.com/

http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/haggadah.html

Matthew 26 - Betrayed by Judas

And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. 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. Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said. Matthew 26: 21-25

During this wonderful Passover meal with His disciples (which we refer to as the Last Supper), Jesus relayed the good news of the New Covenant promised by God long ago. It would be instituted through Jesus' sinless, tortured, broken body and His blood. 

Jesus instructed them to symbolically eat His broken body (symbolized by the unleaven bread) and drink His blood (symbolized by the wine - the Passover cup of Redemption). This was a sobering concept, considering that the Law strictly forbid any Jew from drinking the blood of the sacrifice (the life was in the blood!) We know from the Gospel of John that Jesus had lost many of His followers when He told them that they must eat His flesh and drink His blood or they would have no part of Him.  As expected, this statement caused great confusion. It takes the Holy Spirit and the new birth in order to fully comprehend spiritual truths. Spiritual truths appear as pure nonsense to a natural man.

That evening, Jesus also warned His disciples that one of them would betray Him, just as it had been prophesied in the Psalms. (See Psalms 41:9). As one could imagine, the disciples were extremely distressed to hear this! They loved each other and they loved Jesus and had been through so many things together during the past three and half years. They could not fathom any of them doing such a dastardly thing! And yet, Jesus knew that it was Judas. 

The Bible is unclear as to when Jesus discovered the identity of His betrayer, but I do believe that He was not 100% ignorant nor was He 100% in the know during the time of His ministry. The Old Covenant tells us that Jesus was hurt by the betrayal of His good friend, as any of us would be hurt by someone we love selling us out to our enemies.

Forgiveness could have been available to Judas, but the Bible says that Judas never sought forgiveness for his evil deed. He became the Son of Perdition spoken of by the prophets years ago.

Links:
https://pjmiller.wordpress.com/2009/03/26/unheeded-or-misinterpreted-signs-the-destruction-of-jerusalem-70ad/

http://bible.christiansunite.com/jos/warindex.shtml

http://www.allthingsfulfilled.com/

http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/haggadah.html

Matthew 26 - The Conspiracy Begins

Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him. Matthew 26:14-16

As the Crucifixion week drew near, Jesus began to prepare His disciples for what was about to happen. He warned them that the Jewish leaders would conspire to kill Him, and as one would expect, this caused confusion and fear in the hearts of His followers. Even though Jesus had instructed them that His sacrifice was necessary for this New Covenant kingdom to be established, they did not have the understanding of what that meant - like most people of their day, they expected a physical kingdom ruled from the earthly Jerusalem. They did not yet have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that would help bring the spiritual revelation that they needed to understand this new, spiritual kingdom--which is still the case for many professing Christians today! Without the Holy Spirit, it is impossible to understand the things of a Holy, spiritual God!

Sensing that Jesus was not going to establish a physical kingdom, Judas (one of the twelve) took the opportunity to sell Him out to the Jewish rulers. And for what? Thirty pieces of silver, which is exactly what the law stated was the payment for an ox that gored an innocent servant. Amazing! When Jesus informed His disciples that one of them would betray them, they were all in disbelief! They loved each other and had been through so much together and couldn't imagine one of them doing such a thing. But they did not know the heart of Judas Iscariot the way Jesus did. Jesus loved him and viewed him as a close friend but was not surprised at his actions; it had been prophesied long ago that His dear friend would sell Him out for the price of a disobedient ox! See Exodus 21: 28-36.

Tragic!

Links:
https://pjmiller.wordpress.com/2009/03/26/unheeded-or-misinterpreted-signs-the-destruction-of-jerusalem-70ad/

http://bible.christiansunite.com/jos/warindex.shtml

http://www.allthingsfulfilled.com/

http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/haggadah.html