Who is “the man of lawlessness” or “son of perdition” in 2 Thessalonians 2? He is not what the majority of Christians today believe.
What I have found is not what the majority of evangelical teachers teach today. It’s certainly different from the more popular approach of dispensationalism. Second Thessalonians 2 is the prophecy of the man of lawlessness, the son of perdition.
“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 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. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:” 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8
This is a very interesting and much debated passage in scripture. It is one of the more difficult passages regarding Paul’s writings. In fact, the early church father Augustine said, “I confess that I’m entirely ignorant of what he means to say.” Leon Morris, wrote in his commentary on the Thessalonian epistles, that “this is a notoriously difficult passage.” Consequently, I’m not going to pretend that I my understanding is flawless. Rather, my wish is that you will consider my view and compare scriptures to see if I am on target. Remeber though, we must consider what scripture says, and not read our pre-concieved ideas into the scripture.
Now, despite popular opinion, I do believe that even though some of the details might be difficult for us, that despite popular opinion, that I can demonstrate sufficiently well that this passage, this prophecy regarding the man of lawlessness is not a prophecy that’s in our future, but it refers to events that are well in our past and has already transpired. As is so often in the case when we’re studying biblical passages, it is important for us to look at the historical setting.
The New Testament letters are often called occasional epistles. That means that they were occasioned by some circumstance in the life of the church. Generally the occasional epistles are not just a generic platitudes, but they’re responding to particular issues that the churches are facing. Think of the Corinthian epistles where they talk about the man who had his own father’s wife for his own wife and all of these various things that don’t go on in the church universal, that’s something particular for that church at the current time. So it’s an occasional epistle written upon a certain occasion and an uncertain need. While the same thing is true for the Epistles to the Thessalonians. Consequently, it’s very important for us that we understand the historical setting of an occasional epistle. Otherwise we’ll just bypass the reality of the situation and develop our own thoughts about it without reference to what’s really going on in the region.
Now, to give you a little historical bearing about where the testimony and epistles arose and when they arose, you could look up Acts 17 through 18. This is a very important historical setting. Paul was in Thessalonica ministering to the people there and in Acts 17 and 18, he leaves Thessalonica. He goes to Berea and ministers there for awhile. Then he goes to Athens, just for a little while and then he goes onto Corinth, where he stayed for 18 months. It’s while he is at Corinth that he writes the first and second epistles to the Thessalonians, and this background is very important. When we look at the historical setting we’re going to see, as is so often in the New Testament, the historical background shows a Jewish opposition to the budding Christian faith and this Jewish opposition is going to affect how we understand the man of lawlessness.
Acts 17:1-7 “Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ. And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few. But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.”
We read here, that when he went to Thessalonica, Paul preaches that Jesus is the messiah the Jews were expecting. Instead of accepting this, as you well know from your general understanding of New Testament history, the Jews turn to mob action. In fact, Paul escapes, but when the Jews did not find them, that is Paul and the others with him, they they began dragging Jason and some brethren before the city authorities shouting, “these men who have upset the world have come here also and Jason has welcomed them and they all teach, act contrary to the decrees of Caesar saying that there’s another King Jesus.” So the Jews are trying to use the Roman authorities to support their actions, saying, “these people are turning the world upside down there teaching that there’s another king other than Caesar.”
The Jews are stating the Christians are a political threat, but the authorities released Jason and his group. Then the Jews follow Paul to Berea.
“But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither
The Jews are vehemently opposed to the Christian declaration that Jesus is the Messiah and they’re following around the leading Christians causing them trouble wherever they go. Paul then goes from Berea to Athens, where he’s there just a brief time and then on to Corinth where he stays for 18 months. You can read about that in acts chapter 18. Now, remember, he wrote the first and second epistles to the Thessalonians while at Corinth.
What’s going on in Corinth while he writes these letters? Acts 18:1,2 “After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth; And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them.”
Now, why have Claudius commanded that all the Jews leave Rome at this time? Well, it seems obvious to historical and Biblical scholars that the Jews were driven out of Rome because of the riots being caused by the Jews and the agitating against the Christians. The Roman biographer, Suetonius, who lived and wrote not too long after the New Testament era, says in his book ‘Divus Claudius 25,’ “as the Jews were indulging in constant riots at the instigation of Christus, Claudius banished them from Rome.” Roman authorities tell us that Christus is the Latin way of referring to Christ.
There are riots being caused because of the name of Christus, that is Christ. And because of that, the emperor Claudius drove the Jews out because they are causing so many riots and so much trouble. So again, Paul is being chased around by the Jews from city to city. He goes to Corinth. He meets up with Priscilla and Aquilla who have had to leave Rome because they’re Jewish converts to Christ. They’ve had to leave Rome because Claudius is sick of the Jews causing trouble regarding Christ.
And in Corinth, the Jews again, are angered. “And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ. And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean; from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles,” Acts 18:5-6 Paul went to the Gentiles with the Gospel after all this continuing persecution.
We read in Acts 18:12, “And when Gallio was the deputy of Achaia, the Jews made insurrection with one accord against Paul, and brought him to the judgment seat.” The Jews were constantly agitating, constantly seeking to get Paul and trouble with the legal authorities of Rome. Because of all this Jewish antagonism, because they’re chasing him from city to city, because of the danger there presenting Paul with imprisonment to Rome, Paul uses very hostile language against the Jews and he even equates them with Satan.
Remember what Jesus said in John 8:44 to the to the Jews, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.” Remember, Jesus sees an apostate Judaism, a resistance to him that is so
Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16,18, “For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews: Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men: Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost. Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us.”
He has just said that Jews have hindered him from doing his ministry, and then he says, “I wanted to come to you again, but Satan thwarted us.” Thinking of the Jews, Paul associates them with the activity of Satan.
Now in 2 Thessalonians 3:2, right after
That’s the historical background backdrop to this occasional epistle and 2 Thessalonians 2. This epistle is written to a people for particular reason. That’s very important for us to understand who the man of lawlessness is and what it’s all about.
Despite the fact that this passage is often projected into our future or something that is coming in the last days at the very end, just before the rapture or whatever. The text itself clearly gives us information that demands that the prophecy be something current to the day in which Paul wrote. I’m going to give you four evidences that Paul is writing about something that is currently going on and it’s about to come to pass and therefore it’s almost 2000 years in our past.
Look at 2 Thessalonians 2:4 and see that this man “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.” What is the temple of God? That is the temple in Jerusalem and it’s the temple that was destroyed in age 70 AD. So this has to have reference to something going on prior to the destruction in 70 AD.
The temple of God has not been rebuilt since the year 70. That’s evidence that Paul is dealing with an issue that has some sort of reference to the temple of God, which was still standing at that time. Furthermore, notice verse 6 says, “And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.” Paul is writing about the man of lawlessness being presently restrained when he wrote the epistle. Is that restraint going on for 2000 more years?
Third, notice also in verse six, he says, “you know what restrains him.” The Thessalonians knew what was restraining this man of lawlessness. So the man of lawlessness was something they knew about. Now what in the world, how could they know the man of lawlessness is if he’s coming 2000 years in the future. So not only was he being restrained in their timeframe, they knew the man of lawlessness. And then finally notice verse 7, he says, “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.” This man of lawlessness, somehow in a mystery form, is already at work. Paul is dealing with contemporary issues relevant to that era.
Let’s now consider the judgment coming of Christ. “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,” (2 Thessalonians 2:1). This is a crucial statement and this is a statement that can be easily misunderstood. I believe that this coming that he’s talking about is not his second coming at the end of history, which I believe will occur, but this is another kind of coming. His coming in judgment against the Jews in the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. The destruction of the temple is often spoken of as a coming.
In Revelation 1:7, it says, “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him.” I believe that that’s a reference to Jesus coming and judgment upon the Jewish temple. Now, the reason I say that is Revelation 1:11 says, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass.” Shortly take place. Then Revelation 1:3 “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.” Why? For the time is near, he tells the people in the opening of Revelation these events are shortly to take place, because the time is near and then he gives the theme of the book which is he is coming in the clouds of judgment against those who pierced him, the Jews who caused his death. And the tribes of the land will mourn because of it. Their temple is going to be destroyed and their city, their holy city, will be laid waste.
Revelation 1:7 speaks of a judgment, coming of christ that was near at hand in John’s day. I’m saying that 2 Thessalonians 2:1 is speaking of that same judgment coming.
Matthew 24:30 says, “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” Four verses later, verse 34 says, “Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” He is talking to the disciples who in verse one point to the stones in the temple. The disciples who heard him say in verse two, not one stone will be left on another. Who had been warned in verse 16 to flee Judea when you see these things happening. Then he says the Jews, they will see the coming of the son of man in the clouds of heaven.
“And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down,” (Matthew 24:1,2).
“And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory,” (Matthew 24:30)
That is the judgment coming of Christ. They will see that he is judging and then just four verses later he says, all these things will happen to this generation. Not some of these things, but all of these things. So again, this idea of coming can refer either to the physical coming of Christ at the end of history or it can refer to a spiritual judgment coming of Christ in providence, in history before the end. I think that’s what Paul is dealing with here.
I’m going to expand on this. The judgment coming of Jesus Christ against the Jews, for rejecting him is what it means, but what does it mean when he goes on to say, “by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,” (2 Thessalonians 2:1).
The Greek word for “gathered together” Here is ἐπισυναγωγῆς (episynagōgēs) and you will recognize the word synagogue in there. This word ἐπισυναγωγῆς (episynagōgēs) is only found one other time in scripture and that’s in Hebrews 10:25 which reads, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
Those people were seeing the day of judgment against Israel approaching and they were not to dissimulate. They were not to avoid gathering themselves together as the body of Christ, to worship Jesus. Hebrews is warning Jews who have converted to Christ, who are beginning to go back into Judaism, don’t. Hebrews is warning them, don’t do it. Now’s the worst possible time. The temple is about to be destroyed. These Jewish converts were going back into Judaism and he’s warning them, don’t forsake the assembling of yourselves together. Don’t forsake the episynagōgēs of yourselves together, especially as you see the day of judgment approaching.
The episynagōgēs is the gathering of Christians in one body. The synagogue is a place that you went as a crowd of Jews. They went to worship and study the word of God. That’s synagōgēs, synagogue. The Greek prefix epi intensifies it. Don’t forget that you are to gather as one body in Christ. One of the gathering together to him, I believe, refers to the fact that prior to the destruction of the temple in 70 AD, as we see in Acts, the Christians frequented the temple. When Paul went anywhere, he always went to the synagogue first and began his evangelism. Their Christianity was really considered a sect of Judaism, which was one reason the Jews were so furious at them, because they didn’t like that sect.
Here Paul is warning, when Jesus comes in judgment against the Jews and their temple, we will be gathered into a separate and distinct body. Christianity will have its separate and distinct standing in the world and will no longer be considered a sect of Judaism. After the destruction of the temple, when the, when the Christian Jews did not help in defending the temple and they fled to Pella, then at that time it was very clear the Christians, were not going to be helping the Jews and keeping up the Judaic practices.
Remember in Acts 10, Peter received that vision just before he goes out and talks to a gentile. He would never have gone out and associated with gentiles previously, but he received that vision of the unclean animals and he is encouraged to go talk to the
We see how Christianity is so tied up in Judaism at that time that they’re even keeping the Judaic laws. And in Acts 15, some of the pharisees who had converted to Christ say, “except a man be circumcised and cannot be saved.” Christianity is considered a sect, a subset of Judaism, but after the destruction of the temple, no more. There’s no more either in the eyes of Rome, in the eyes of Israel or in the eyes of the Christians.
So this gathering together, this coming Judgment of Jesus and their gathering together means Jesus is going to destroy the temple. The Christians will be very clearly a separate and distinct gathering of people. They will have their own ecclesia, which means a called-out assembly.
Paul is warning them that the destruction of the temple is coming and it hasn’t happened yet. Now notice in 2 Thessalonians 2:2, Paul writes, “That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.” Now he’s talking about the day of the Lord and he says, don’t let anybody fool you and say, the day of the Lord has come. Because if it has come and they don’t see anything that looks like a day of the Lord type event, then it looks like Christ’s prophecy regarding the day of the Lord has failed or it means something altogether different than what they were taught. So Paul is warning them not to be fooled by these agitators who say the day of the Lord came and nothing happened.
What is the day of the Lord in Acts 2:19-21? When Peter standing up and preaching at pentecost warns that the episode of the pouring out of the spirit upon the church at that time shows that God is moving in history in a different way than he had in the past and with the giving of the spirit to his people. And he says, in conjunction with that coming of the spirit, “And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
The initial speaking in tongues were a sign that there was a judgment coming, the day of the Lord and that came in 70 AD.
And then he preached own a little further down in the passage. And he says, “before the great and glorious day of the Lord shall come, and it shall be that everyone, not just the Jews, but everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” The giving of the spirit at that point in time was an indicator that God was coming in judgment. There will be blood, fire, vapor, smoke, and the destruction of the temple so that the whole world can now be reached out to with the gospel, rather than just narrowly confined Israel. Then he says in verse 40, to the J
This generation is the one that’s going to see the day of the Lord. You need to be saved out of this or you’re going to be judged with it. That’s why the Christians sold their property in Jerusalem. They knew that zero value is what’s coming for their property because it was going to be destroyed by Titus. They didn’t know exactly when, but they knew it was in their generation, so they freely gave up their property. Only in Jerusalem. It’s the only place it ever happened. I’m not diminishing the fact that Christians were doing something noble, but it’s a matter of fact. They had a prophecy that said, get out of Jerusalem.
In Thessalonica, some unscrupulous people had begun saying that the day of the Lord had already come. “That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand,” (2 Thessalonians 2:2).
The word troubled is the Greek word throeisthe and it’s only found one other place in scripture. It’s found in Jesus’ prophecy regarding the destruction of the temple. Mark 13:5-7 “And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you: For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled (throeisthe): for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet.”
And here we can look back to Jesus. He said, “don’t let anyone mislead you. Many will come in my name saying I am. He and will mislead many. And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be frightened.” Those things must take place.
Paul is urging that the Thessalonians not be confused by false reports that the day of the Lord has come. Christ has not yet come in judgment against the Jews to separate christianity finally, from Judaism, for the rest of human history. If the day of the Lord has come and the Jews are still doing just fine, then the day of the Lord was nothing to worry about. That’s the thought behind all of this.
Paul says in verse 3, “let no one in any way to save you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness be revealed, the son of destruction.” In other words, these are signs that the day of the Lord is coming, and until you see those signs, that day of the Lord can’t come. You haven’t seen those signs. Therefore the day of the Lord hasn’t come. You see the logic of Paul there?
So let’s look now at the apostasy in the man of lawlessness. He says, “the day of the lord cannot come until the apostasy comes and the man of lawlessness be revealed,” be known and open to all. Both of these must occur before anyone can say the day of the Lord has come, but what are these things?
What is the apostasy? The Greek word for
The word revolt there is
That’s religious apostasy, their sin against God. But wrath has come upon them to the uttermost. Since they’ve sinned against God, they will politically be destroyed by the Romans in their apostasy from Rome. It’s ready to break out upon them so that religious apostasy and political apostasy are merged in this thought pattern. The priority I believe goes to the political apostasy itself. The Jews falling away from God led to their revolt against Rome so that God could judge their temple and remove it from history. Because “He came unto his own, and his own received him not,”(John 1:11). Because they cried, “his blood, be upon us and our children away with him, give us Barabbas and crucify him,” (Matthew 27:25-26).
Because they did that against God’s son, their Saviour, their
That parable is a clear prophecy regarding the fact that Jews are rejecting jesus and their city is going to be destroyed by some armies who are going to burn it. That’s exactly what happened in 70 AD. In 2 Thessalonians 2, Paul is emphasizing the revolt against Rome because the revolt against Rome, will lead you into apostasy. It is cumulative, and there’s not one event that makes them apostatize, but it’s a series of defections from God. And so it’s not something you could date. But as soon as the Jews revolt against Rome and Nero Caesar commissions Vespasian to send his armies down there, that’s datable. In fact, it occurs in 66 AD when the Jews revolt, and then in early 67, Nero commissions Vespasian to go in and conquer them. That’s datable.
Everybody knows when the Jewish War erupts. Sitting in a narrow timeframe there that you can put these events together and say, this is it. It’s coming.
Nero is the man of lawlessness.
What is the man of lawlessness? The apostasy is the Jewish revolt against Rome, the day of the Lord will not occur until that happens. The Jewish revolt against Rome broke out in late 66. And it’s that datable. The man of lawlessness is not the pope. It is Nero. He is the one who is lawless and who desires to sit in the temple.
Now look at verse four. “He opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.” If you know anything at all about first century imperial history, you will have heard of emperor worship. Nero thought of himself as Apollo. He minted coins that had his head on it with the rays of the sun going out from it to emulate the god Apollo, who is the Sun God.
When the Parthian king Tiridates came before Nero, he bowed before him and laid crowns at his feet and said, “Master, I have come to thee, my god, to worship thee as I do Mithras. The destiny thou spinnest for me shall be mine, for thou art my Fortune and my Fate.” (Payaslian, 29). Nero thought of himself as god. And when it says so that he takes a seat in the temple of god that doesn’t require that he actually sat in god’s temple, but the Greek language there is such that he desired to do so.
For instance, in Luke 4:29, it says, the Jews “led him (Jesus) unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.” And if you read the story, they didn’t cast him down, he eluded them, but that was their intent. And that same grammatical structure is found in this passage in 2 Thessalonians. It is Nero’s desire to present himself as god and he would even desire to be in the temple and to be worshiped as god.
We need to go to point of the restrainer that is already working. “And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time,” (2 Thessalonians 2:6). Paul is writing in the year 52 AD. Nero is not yet the emperor. Claudius is the current emperor.
As long as Claudius is alive, Nero can’t do any evil trouble or show himself to be any danger to anybody. But once Claudius dies, then Nero seizes the throne and he can soon thereafter begin showing himself to be the evil man that we know him to be. Nero’s mother Agrippina is married to Claudius. Claudius is not his father, but she’s married to Claudius. She poisons her husband so her son can come to the throne. So the mystery of iniquity is Agrippina working in the background to kill Claudius so that Nero can come to the throne. It’s only when Nero ascends to the throne that the mystery of lawlessness is revealed. He can now act and show himself to be the danger that he is. He couldn’t do it in 52, but just a few years later, he comes to the throne.
We read in 2 Thessalonians 2:8 “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.” In scripture, the coming of God, like in Isaiah 19:1 and other passages is a judgment coming against the particular people. Nero died in the year 68, just before the temple was destroyed. Nero, died providentially under the governance of God. His imperial guard killed him or caused him to kill himself. Instead of looking at it secularly, Paul a interprets it in terms of religious reality, Jesus destroyed this evil man. And even though he used Nero’s own sword in a suicide to do it, it’s Jesus destroying him just before he comes in judgment upon the temple.
Second Thessalonians chapter two is a passive event, contemporary with Paul’s ministry. We saw in the first place that there are obvious parallels with Matthew 24, which we know was to occur in this generation. We saw a reference to the temple standing in verse four. We know it was destroyed in 70 AD. We saw a reference to the present restraint of the man of lawlessness. We saw that the Thessalonians knew the restrainer in verse six. How could they have known the identity of someone living 2000 years in the future? We saw the mystery operation of the man of lawlessness was working during Paul’s day. He says it is already at work.
The mystery is what’s going on in the court. Intrigue in the background of verse six or verse seven, for the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. In other words, Agrippina is in the background plotting the death of Claudius so that the lawless one, Nero can come forth.
This my understanding of that passage. I am open to correction in some of the details, but one thing we definitely know from scripture is that the “man of lawlessness,” “the son of perdition,” was contemporary to the time of Paul’s writing.
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