The Son of Perdition
II Thessalonians 2:3, 4 – “Let no man 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; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”
In the previous post, I made the following statement: “Although the Bible gives many names for the man of sin, it is worthy to note that the Bible does not provide the name of the man of sin.” The Bible certainly gives many names, or titles, to this coming man of sin. Since I am using II Thessalonians 2 as my main text for this brief study, I have been using the term “man of sin” as the chief reference to him. This phrase “man of sin” shows us that the Antichrist will in fact be a man. While some insist that the Antichrist is merely a spirit, the Bible teaches that a MAN is coming to have dominion over the nations of this world. Others insist that the Antichrist is simply a system. However, the Bible reveals to us the truth that the Antichrist is a man of sin.
In II Thessalonians 2:3, he is called the man of sin, as well as the son of perdition. In addition to these titles, he is called the Wicked One (II Thessalonians 2:8); the Little Horn (Daniel 7:8); the Prince that shall come (Daniel 9:26); the Vile Person (Daniel 11:21); the Wilful King (Daniel 11:36); the Antichrist (I John 2:18); the Beast (Revelation 13:1).
In this post, I will examine closely the phrase “son of perdition,” and its relation to the man of sin. This phrase is only found twice in the entire Bible:
John 17:12 – “While 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 scripture might be fulfilled.”
II Thessalonians 2:3 – “Let no man 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.”
In the former passage, the phrase “son of perdition” is used by our Lord to identify Judas Iscariot, the Lord’s apostle who betrayed him. In the latter passage, the phrase is used in reference to the Antichrist, the man of sin. Both Judas Iscariot and the coming Antichrist are referred to as “the son of perdition.” Some Bible scholars insist that there is no connection between these two Bible characters. However, they are the only two characters in the scriptures given this title. In addition to this, there are more similarities between these two characters.
Both Judas Iscariot and the Antichrist were influenced by Satan himself. Some men are possessed with devils; but Judas was influenced, not by a devil, but by Satan himself:
John 6:70 – “Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?”
Here, Judas is called a devil by our Lord. The reason our Lord made such a statement can be found in Luke’s gospel:
Luke 22:3 – “Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.”
Judas was called a devil by our Lord, not because he was possessed of devils; but rather because he was indwelt by Satan himself. Judas was the only man in the Bible, besides the Antichrist, who was influenced by Satan in this manner. The Antichrist, as Judas was, will be influenced by Satan himself. The Antichrist will not be possessed by devils, but rather by Satan himself:
Revelation 13:4 – “And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?”
Here, it is clear that the beast (man of sin) will receive his power from the dragon, who is identified in Revelation 20:2 as Satan. The Antichrist will not be influenced by devils, but rather by the prince of devils – by Satan himself.
It is also noteworthy that Judas came on the scene at the time of Christ’s first coming. The Antichrist will arrive at the time of Christ’s second coming.
It is also noteworthy that when Judas Iscariot hanged himself, the Bible does not say that he went to hell:
Acts 1:25 – “That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go TO HIS OWN PLACE.”
In Revelation 13, John saw the beast coming up out of the sea. The Antichrist comes up from somewhere beneath. I believe he is the same spirit that was in Judas Iscariot. When Judas died, he went beneath, I believe, to the bottomless pit. In Revelation, he will come again from that pit, in the person of the Antichrist.
