Definition and Etymology:
The term "perdition" is derived from the Latin word "perditio," meaning "destruction" or "ruin." In biblical contexts, it refers to a state of eternal damnation or the final, irrevocable loss of the soul. Perdition is often associated with the ultimate fate of the wicked and those who reject God.

Biblical References:
Perdition is a concept that appears in various forms throughout the Bible, often linked with themes of judgment and eternal separation from God. One of the most notable references is found in the New Testament, where it is associated with the fate of the unrepentant and the enemies of God.

· John 17:12 : "While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the son of perdition, so that Scripture would be fulfilled." Here, Jesus refers to Judas Iscariot as the "son of perdition," indicating his destined role in the betrayal and his ultimate spiritual ruin.

· 2 Thessalonians 2:3 : "Let no one deceive you in any way, for it will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness—the son of perdition—is revealed." This passage speaks of the "man of lawlessness," often interpreted as the Antichrist, who is destined for destruction.

· Hebrews 10:39 : "But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls." While the term "perdition" is not explicitly used here, the concept of destruction as the opposite of salvation is evident.

Theological Significance:
In Christian theology, perdition is understood as the ultimate consequence of sin and rebellion against God. It is the final state of those who die without accepting the salvation offered through Jesus Christ. Perdition is characterized by eternal separation from God, often depicted as a place of torment and suffering.

The doctrine of perdition underscores the gravity of sin and the importance of repentance and faith in Christ. It serves as a warning of the eternal consequences of rejecting God's grace and living in opposition to His will.

Related Concepts:
· Hell: Perdition is often synonymous with hell, a place of eternal punishment for the wicked. The Bible describes hell as a place of "weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 13:42) and "eternal fire" (Matthew 25:41).

· Judgment: Perdition is closely linked to the concept of divine judgment, where individuals are held accountable for their actions and decisions in life. The final judgment determines one's eternal destiny, either in the presence of God or in perdition.

· Salvation: The antithesis of perdition is salvation, the deliverance from sin and its consequences through faith in Jesus Christ. Salvation offers eternal life and fellowship with God, contrasting the eternal separation of perdition.

Conclusion:
Perdition remains a sobering reminder of the eternal stakes involved in the spiritual choices individuals make. It emphasizes the necessity of embracing the redemptive work of Christ to avoid the dire consequences of eternal separation from God.Matthew 25:46
And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
Topicalbible.org

2 Thessalonians 1:9
Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
Topicalbible.org

1. (n.) Entire loss; utter destruction; ruin; esp., the utter loss of the soul, or of final happiness in a future state; future misery or eternal death.

2. (n.) Loss of diminution.

PERDITION

per-dish'-un (apoleia, "ruin" or "loss," physical or eternal): The word "perdition" occurs in the English Bible 8 times (John 17:12 Philippians 1:28 2 Thessalonians 2:3 1 Timothy 6:9 Hebrews 10:39 2 Peter 3:7 Revelation 17:11, 18). In each of these cases it denotes the final state of ruin and punishment which forms the opposite to salvation. The verb apolluein, from which the word is derived, has two meanings:

(1) to lose;

(2) to destroy.

Both of these pass over to the noun, so that apoleia comes to signify:

(1) loss;

(2) ruin, destruction.

The former occurs in Matthew 26:8 Mark 14:4, the latter in the passages cited above. Both meanings had been adopted into the religious terminology of the Scriptures as early as the Septuagint. "To be lost" in the religious sense may mean "to be missing" and "to be ruined," The former meaning attaches to it in the teaching of Jesus, who compares the lost sinner to the missing coin, the missing sheep, and makes him the object of a seeking activity (Matthew 10:6; Matthew 15:24; Matthew 18:11 Luke 15:4, 6, 8, 24, 32; Luke 19:10). "To be lost" here signifies to have become estranged from God, to miss realizing the relations which man normally sustains toward Him. It is equivalent to what is theologically called "spiritual death." This conception of "loss" enters also into the description of the eschatological fate of the sinner as assigned in the judgment (Luke 9:24; Luke 17:33), which is a loss of life. The other meaning of "ruin" and "destruction" describes the same thing from a different point of view. Apoleia being the opposite of soteria, and soteria in its technical usage denoting the reclaiming from death unto life, apoleia also acquires the specific sense of such ruin and destruction as involves an eternal loss of life (Philippians 1:28 Hebrews 10:39). Perdition in this latter sense is equivalent to what theology calls "eternal death." When in Revelation 17:8, 11 it is predicated of "the beast," one of the forms of the world-power, this must be understood on the basis of the Old Testament prophetic representation according to which the coming judgment deals with powers rather than persons.

The Son of Perdition is a name given to Judas (John 17:12) and to the Antichrist (2 Thessalonians 2:3). This is the well-known Hebrew idiom by which a person typically embodying a certain trait or character or destiny is called the son of that thing. The name therefore represents Judas and the Antichrist (see MAN OF SIN) as most irrecoverably and completely devoted to the final apoleia.

Geerhardus Vos

684. apoleia -- destruction, loss
... 684 ("perdition") does imply "annihilation" (see the meaning of the root-verb, 622 ,
"cut off") but instead "loss of -being" rather than (, 165; cf. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/684.htm - 7k

Then Shall the Son of Perdition be Brought Forward...
... Piece XL. Then shall the son of perdition be brought forward? Then shall
the son of perdition be brought forward, to wit, the ...
/.../the extant works and fragments of hippolytus/piece xl then shall the.htm

The Man of Sin, the Son of Perdition
... Names And Titles of the Antichrist 2. The Man of Sin, the Son of Perdition. ... "The
Son of Perdition." And again we are forced to exclaim, what a frightful name! ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/the antichrist/2 the man of sin.htm

Whosoever do not Persevere are not Distinguished from the Mass of ...
... A Treatise on rebuke and grace, Chapter 16."Whosoever Do Not Persevere are Not
Distinguished from the Mass of Perdition by Predestination. ...
/.../augustine/anti-pelagian writings/chapter 16 whosoever do not persevere.htm

The Patience of the Heathen Very Different from Christian Patience ...
... Chapter XVI."The Patience of the Heathen Very Different from Christian Patience
Theirs Doomed to Perdition. Ours Destined to Salvation. ...
/.../tertullian/of patience/chapter xvi the patience of the.htm

Thereafter He Expounds the Appellation of "Son," and of "Product ...
... he expounds the appellation of "Son," and of "product of generation," and very many
varieties of "sons," of God, of men, of rams, of perdition, of light, and ...
/.../gregory of nyssa dogmatic treatises etc/section 6 thereafter he expounds.htm

The Antichrist Will be Judas Reincarnated
... Life" is of the true Christ. Nor is this verse in Isa.28 the only one where
the Son of Perdition is so denominated. In Rev.6 a four ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/the antichrist/iii the antichrist will be.htm

Idols not to be Made, Much Less Worshipped. Idols and Idol-Makers ...
... together. And again: "I swear to you, sinners, that against the day of
perdition of blood [181] repentance is being prepared. Ye ...
//christianbookshelf.org/tertullian/on idolatry/chapter iv idols not to be.htm

Because the Rapture of a Part of the Church Only, Would Leave the ...
... days of the apostle Paul and which has been hindered from coming to complete fruition
will yet head up in the appearing of the Man of Sin, the Son of Perdition ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/the redeemers return/4 because the rapture of.htm

Eternal Election...
... We believe that, all the posterity of Adam being thus fallen into perdition and
ruin by the sin of our first parents, God then did manifest Himself such as He ...
/.../various/the belgic confession /article xvi eternal election.htm

The Present Working of the Mystery of Iniquity Proves that There ...
... deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come except there come a falling
away first, and that Man of Sin be revealed, the Son of Perdition" (2:Thess.2 ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/the redeemers return/4 the present working of.htm

Perdition (14 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) Loss of diminution. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. PERDITION.
per-dish'-un (apoleia, "ruin" or "loss," physical or eternal ...
/p/perdition.htm - 14k

Damn
... to sentence; to censure. 2. (vt) To doom to punishment in the future world;
to consign to perdition; to curse. 3. (vt) To condemn ...
/d/damn.htm - 13k

Damnation (11 Occurrences)
... in the New Testament, and is always translated in the King James Version and the
Revised Version (British and American) by either "perdition" or "destruction ...
/d/damnation.htm - 18k

Damnable (1 Occurrence)
... in the New Testament, and is always translated in the King James Version and the
Revised Version (British and American) by either "perdition" or "destruction ...
/d/damnable.htm - 14k

Premillennial
... the falling away," or apostasy, and the appearing of a powerful adversary, whom
he calls "the Man of Sin," and describes as "the Son of Perdition." Neither the ...
/p/premillennial.htm - 23k

Millennium
... the falling away," or apostasy, and the appearing of a powerful adversary, whom
he calls "the Man of Sin," and describes as "the Son of Perdition." Neither the ...
/m/millennium.htm - 24k

Wild (147 Occurrences)
... 17:8 "The Wild Beast which you have seen was, and is not, and yet is destined to
re-ascend, before long, out of the bottomless pit and go his way into perdition...
/w/wild.htm - 50k

Guarded (27 Occurrences)
... While I was with them, I kept them in thy name which thou hast given me: and I guarded
them, and not one of them perished, but the son of perdition; that the ...
/g/guarded.htm - 14k

Gavest (36 Occurrences)
... 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 ...
/g/gavest.htm - 17k

Inhabitants (254 Occurrences)
... 17:8 "The Wild Beast which you have seen was, and is not, and yet is destined to
re-ascend, before long, out of the bottomless pit and go his way into perdition...
/i/inhabitants.htm - 41k

Who is the son of perdition? | GotQuestions.org

What does it mean that Jesus is the Son of God? | GotQuestions.org

What is the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? | GotQuestions.org

Perdition: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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