What Is a Son of Perdition, and Are They All Bad?
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Who Is the Son of Perdition in the Bible?
The curious phrase, son of perdition, occurs only twice in Scripture. Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer in John 17 contains one of the recordings of this mysterious phrase. Apart from the crucifixion, this section of John’s Gospel may be the most intense. Through fervent prayer, Jesus prepared His disciples for His departure, and He prayed for their protection and perseverance in the faith. One of the main focuses of Jesus’ prayer was God’s protection over those who belong to Him. When we come to verse 12, Jesus makes a startling remark that stands out from the rest of His prayer. In this verse He references His earthly ministry to His disciples, “…I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled” (emphasis mine). Jesus’ ministry to His disciples was an act of obedience to the Father, Who had given Jesus care over the disciples (John 17:6). Jesus faithfully and perfectly accomplished all the work the Father had given Him, which included establishing the foundation of the disciples’ faith in Him. This pertained to 11 of the 12 disciples, excluding Judas Iscariot—the son of perdition. The word perdition comes from the Greek word apōleia, which refers to irreparable ruin or destruction. When the New Testament applies this word to people, it always pertains to their eternal destruction.
Jesus knew from the beginning of His ministry that Judas was not a true follower (John 6:70-71). During His priestly prayer, His reference to Judas as the son of perdition is rather unsettling, but it’s also important for understanding Jesus’ ministry on earth. John documented this statement in his Gospel because he wants the reader to understand that Judas’ betrayal and falling away was not a failure on Jesus’ part. This reality was emphasized in Jesus' statement that Judas’ role as the son of perdition was a fulfillment of Scripture (John 17:12). God’s Word is perfect and infallible; it is impossible for it to fail (Hebrews 6:18). For this reason, all God’s prophecies either have or will come true by necessity. That is why, in the Old Testament, the test for a self-proclaimed prophet was their prophecies had to all come true with complete accuracy (Deuteronomy 8:18-22).
Jesus consistently alluded to the unfailing nature of Scripture (Luke 21:33; 24:25-26). He also knew everything they prophesied concerning Himself, including Judas’ betrayal (John 13:18). The Father never counted Judas among those He had entrusted to Jesus’ care because Judas had a different purpose. Therefore, Judas was excluded from Jesus’ target audience when He prayed for His disciples.
An interesting comparison between Judas and Peter demonstrates Jesus’ faithful care over His true disciples. In the Gospel of Luke, we find Jesus told Peter ahead of time he would fall into temptation from Satan, “Simon, Simon, behold Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat” (Luke 22:31). This foreboding statement referred to the tragic incident where Peter denied Christ three times on the night of His crucifixion, despite his most emphatic claim that he would follow Jesus even unto death (Luke 22:33). Peter, it seemed, had completely rejected the Lord, denying Him three times, and there was no hope that Peter would recover. However, Jesus next statement revealed that He, not Satan, would have the final say over Peter’s faith, “but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail…” (Luke 22:32). As we know, Peter did in fact recover from this tragic event because our Lord was a faithful advocate for Peter who was indeed one of His own.
Contrast this with Judas, for whom Jesus did not pray, but actually condemned from the beginning of His ministry (John 6:70-71).
The second occurrence of the phrase son of perdition is found in 2 Thessalonians 2 when the Apostle Paul spoke of the man of lawlessness, the son of perdition (2 Thessalonians 2:3). In many Bible versions, that phrase is translated as “son of destruction” (the NIV and CSB translate it “the man doomed to destruction”). In any case, all these translations faithfully communicate the essence of the Greek phrase used, yhios apōleia, which is the exact phrase Jesus used to describe Judas Iscariot. However, unlike Jesus’ prayer, the identity of the son of perdition in this passage is not so clear. Paul’s mention of the man of lawlessness has caused scholars much frustration as they have sought to answer the perplexing question, “who is the man of lawlessness?” This article will not be able to address this difficult topic in-depth, but it will present two of the more common interpretations regarding this passage. It should be noted the two interpretations presented are very broad and there are variations and hybrids of each view presented.
Historical interpretation. This approach looks to the historic events of the first century as the subject of much of the eschatological discussion in Scripture which is said to pertain to the end of the Jewish Age. Within this viewpoint, the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple in A.D. 70 is a major focal point. Here, one would say Paul’s reference to the man of lawlessness pertains to someone in the first century because Paul’s reference to the “temple of God” (2 Thessalonians 2:4) refers to the Jewish temple in Jerusalem which was destroyed in A.D. 70 by Roman general Titus when he besieged the city of Jerusalem.
Futurist interpretation. This viewpoint is the most common today and interprets many if not all eschatological passages in the New Testament as references to events that have not yet taken place. Here, the man of lawlessness is seen as an individual who will come at some time in the future before Christ’s final coming.
What Does the Bible Say about Perdition?
As mentioned before in this article, perdition pertains to a person’s eternal destruction. That does not mean they cease to exist for eternity. Rather, perdition refers to a person’s eternal state of existence in which they sit under God’s divine judgment for their sin. In this state of destruction, a person will not experience any of God’s goodness, but will only exist in a state of torment (2 Thessalonians 1:10; Revelation 20:10).
What Qualifies a Son of Perdition?
If we apply the title son of perdition in a broader sense, it can refer to all unsaved people. Unbelief in Christ is what qualifies a person to be considered a son of perdition. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is more than God’s offer for salvation; it is God’s command to the world to repent (Acts 17:30-31; 2 Thessalonians 1:8). All people who refuse to acknowledge Christ as Lord and Savior easily fit the title of son (or daughter) of perdition. They would be the people who fit Jesus’ description, who enter by way of the broad gate whose path leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14).
Can a Son of Perdition Ever Be a Good Thing?
For the individual, it is never a good thing to carry the title son (or daughter) of perdition. For all of God’s children, however, those doomed to eternal destruction serve as God’s instruments which He uses to accomplish His divine purposes which work for the good of all who are in Christ Jesus. Judas Iscariot provides a prime example of this wondrous reality. It was through Judas’ sin that God worked to accomplish His perfect work of salvation in Jesus Christ. To Him be the honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
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