Destruction

Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

(2 Thessalonians 2:3-4) NKJV

If souls are eternal and continue to exist regardless of our choices during life, or if our body is alive or dead; and the phrase soul-destroying means “continuing in a sad or depressed state,” is this meaning in the Bible?

We’ll take a look at the Greek word translated as perdition in the passage above and see how much meaning we find.

Of destruction: ἀπωλείας – apóleia

• Destruction, ruin, loss, perishing; eternal ruin.
• Destruction, causing someone (something) to be completely severed – cut off (entirely) from what could or should have been.
  1. actively, a destroying, utter destruction: as, of vessels,
  2. passively, a perishing, ruin, destruction;
     • in general: let thy money perish with thee,
     • in particular, the destruction which consists in the loss of eternal life, eternal misery, perdition, the lot of those excluded from the kingdom of God.
• Perdition does not imply “annihilation” but instead “loss of well-being” rather than being.

As you may expect, the meaning of the Greek word is exactly what we would anticipate given the parameters which we’ve described. We see a very clear statement of the meaning that a soul doesn’t stop existing when its host body dies. It continues is a state of destruction, ruin and loss.

Most of us have spent time in this state at some time or other. Thankfully, for most of us, it’s temporary and things turn around. The tragedy is when this condition is terminal, from which there’s no turning around, and that’s after death.

Perdition – Navigation

Section	Title	Scripture
1	Introduction	1 Timothy 6:9
2	States of Being	Colossians 2:13
3	Soul Destroying	Matthew 10:28
4	Destruction	2 Thessalonians 2:3
5	The Son of Destruction	John 17:12
6	A Definition of Time	Jeremiah 1:5
7	Are You Lost?	Hebrews 10:39
	Salvation	Romans 10:9-10

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