S. Michael Houdmann Supporter Got Questions Ministries

The title "son of perdition" is used twice in the New Testament, first in John 17:12 and again in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. The phrase simply means "man doomed to destruction" and is not reserved for an...

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July 01 2013 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jack Gutknecht Supporter ABC/DTS graduate, guitar music ministry Baptist church

John 17:12 Grk “the son of destruction” (a Semitic idiom for one appointed for destruction; here it is a reference to Judas).

The one destined to destruction refers to Judas. Clearly in John’s Gospel Judas is portrayed as a tool of Satan. He is described as “the devil” in John 6:70. Satan put into Judas’ heart the idea of betraying Jesus (John 13:2), and John 13:27 Satan himself entered Judas. Immediately after this Judas left the company of Jesus and the other disciples and went out into the realm of darkness (John 13:30). Cf. 2 Thess 2:3, where this same Greek phrase (“the son of destruction”; see above) is used to describe the man through whom Satan acts to rebel against God in the last days.

John 17:12 -- Judas’s life is a warning to those who pretend to serve Christ but whose hearts are far from God. He is also a warning to those who waste their opportunities and their lives. “Why this waste?” asked Judas when he saw that expensive ointment poured out on Jesus by Mary.--. Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; Luke 7:36-50; John 12:1-8 Yet Judas wasted his opportunities, his life, and his soul! Jesus called him “son of perdition” (John 17:12) which literally means “son of waste.” 

The Son of Perdition is a name given to Judas (Jn 17:12) and to the Antichrist (2 Thess 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 @ bible.org) as most irrecoverably and completely devoted to the final apoleia. --(denotes the final state of ruin and punishment which forms the opposite to salvation.)

This 2nd and last reference besides John 17:12 to “the son of perdition” may be seen in the scripture outline in bold:

Characteristics of the Last Days
1 Morally—Lowering of ethical standards—vice and violence (Perilous time—fierce seasons) 2 Tim. 2:1,3,6
2 Spiritually—No fear of God and no time for God—so many will follow Antichrist 2 Thess. 2:3,4,9

This, “the son of perdition,” is the name
we use to identify the last
great world dictator whom Paul designated as “that man of sin,” “the son of
perdition”(2 Thess. 2:3), and
“that lawless one” (2 Thess. 2:8, literal translation).

3 Intellectually—Men of conceited demean-our, communistic ideals, and corrupt minds 2 Tim. 3:2-8.

July 09 2019 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report