-------The Gospel Of Judas-------

Recently, National Geographic aired a program called The Gospel Of Judas. The program questioned why this document was not included among the documents of the Holy Bible, which I believe is the word of God.

This so called gospel of Judas portrays Judas as someone who collaborated with Jesus to set up his crucifixion. This document claims that the other disciples were ignorant of this plan. A careful study of the four gospels clearly shows that the disciples were told time and again by Jesus that He was going to be put to death. The gospels in the Bible also portray Judas as someone who walked with Jesus but his heart was never with Jesus.

The sacred gospels portray Judas as the son of perdition who was possessed by Satan at one point. He was also a thief who cared more about money than Jesus. Judas hung himself shortly after the crucifixion. So how could there have been a gospel of Judas if Judas was dead? Who wrote it?

There were a group of people called the Gnostics, who wrote many "secret" gospels many years after all of the disciples had died. They were written to support the beliefs of the Gnostics, not to reveal God's word.

Gnostic believed that there was no good at all in the flesh and the only thing that could be redeemed was the spirit. They used this belief to live a lifestyle of indulging in any sin they desired, especially sexual sin. They believed that since the body was evil anyway, it was pointless to worry about doing bad things with the body. The only thing they had to worry about was the spirit.

Of course, they were just deceiving themselves just like many people do today. In the Star Trek series, there was a holograph room in which you could indulge in any fantasy or adventure you desired. You could rob a bank, be an assassin, or indulge in your every sexual fantasy and there would be no consequences since none of it was "real". As a person of flesh and blood, the idea of a place where I could do whatever I wanted without paying the price has great appeal. This is basically what the Gnostics did with their lives.

They tried to justify this lifestyle by inventing gospels that put emphasis on the spirit and none on the flesh. Does what we do in the flesh matter? What does God say?

10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 2 Cor 5:10

The gospel of Judas is a gnostic invention. It is an actual document that has been preserved (barely) for hundred of years. The story of how this document went through the black market and "shady" dealings is more interesting than the gospel itself. It was first discovered in the 1970's in an Egyptian cave.

Iraneus, a second century Christian, believed the gospel of Judas to be the work of heretics and rebels. As do I. The gospel of Judas contradicts the word of God. The word of God has never failed before and it's not going to now. Like the Da Vinci Code, it is just another effort by modern society to discredit the word of God. Who benefits when we question God's word?

1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" Genesis 3

It was Satan who caused Eve to doubt God's word and he is still at it. Do you ever wonder why books and movies such as the Da Vinci Code are so popular? Could it be that mankind wants to discredit the existence of God so they can deceive themselves into living a life of sin without consequences? Why isn't there a movie that questions the existence of Allah? Or Buddah? Why does the media attack only Christ?

Since the world is currently controlled by Satan, the world hates Christ and anyone who chooses to follow Him. It will be this way unit Christ Himself returns.

Copyright 2006 by Gary Goodworth