Perhaps probably the most quoted verse within the Bible is John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him is not going to perish, but have everlasting life.”
When I used to be a recent Christian, I wondered if that was a literal or figurative promise and what “perish” means within the Bible. Certainly, all people die, so is there a distinction between dying and perishing? If, in accordance with the Apostle John, believers don’t perish, does that mean we don’t die on earth but are taken as much as heaven like Enoch within the Old Testament? How could we’ve got everlasting life with no dying on earth?
Because little question about it, perish means to die. It can mean that your usefulness is destroyed, or ultimate death, destruction, and separation from God.
So, how does the Bible use this serious word?
What Bible Translations Use the Word Perish?
In what Bible translations can we discover the word perish? We may not use the word much in on a regular basis language, but we are able to see the word in a lot of the favored Bible versions we read today. Just taking a look at John 3:16 for an example, the word “perish” might be present in:
- The King James Version
- The Revised Standard Version
- The New Revised Standard
- The Message
- The Holman Christian Standard
- The New International Version
- The English Standard Version
When read in various contexts, the Bible might be used to mean being destroyed, causing death, taking someone’s life, being separated from God for eternity, or being utterly ruined. But it at all times signifies that the person has chosen something over God, and God has caused them to now not live due to their unrepentant sin. For instance:
“For behold, those that are removed from you shall perish; you set an end to everyone who’s unfaithful to you.” (Psalm 73:27)
“For the nation and kingdom that is not going to serve you shall perish; those nations shall be utterly laid waste.” (Isaiah 60:12)
What Does Perish Actually Mean When Used within the Bible?
At times within the Bible, God, in His sovereignty, selected that individuals would immediately perish for his or her sins (any motion that went against God’s law). For example, when King David reclaimed Jerusalem from the Jebusites within the Old Testament, he also reclaimed the Ark of the Covenant from where it was being stored outside Jerusalem. It was kept in the house of Abinadab for twenty years (1 Samuel 7:1). When David got here to say the ark, it was placed on an oxcart, and Abinadab’s two sons walked alongside it. The cart began to tumble, and one in all the sons, Uzzah, touched the ark and immediately died because he broke God’s law regarding the ark (2 Samuel 6:1-7).
In the New Testament Book of Acts, the brand new fellowship of believers in Jesus “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer . . . All the believers were together and had all the pieces in common” (Acts 2:42; 44).
Two of those recent followers were a married couple named Ananias and Sapphira. They were landowners and sold a portion of the land to present the proceeds to the disciples. But Ananias, along with his wife’s knowledge, kept a part of the cash for himself and gave the remainder to the fellowship.
Peter, immediately inspired by the Holy Spirit, challenged Ananias, saying that Satan filled his heart to lie and cheat. He also told him that he wasn’t lying to men but to God Himself. He immediately fell dead. When his wife got here in later, she was also questioned and fell dead (Acts 5:1-10). But it also signifies that for individuals who don’t come to faith in Jesus because the sacrifice for his or her sins, they may perish or be eternally separated from the God they rejected.
What Kind of Things Does the Bible Say Cause People to Perish?
“All who sin aside from the law may even perish aside from the law” (Romans 2:12). Here, Paul is talking about Gentiles who’re unaware of God’s law of sin resulting in death within the absence of repentance and salvation.
“. . . my individuals are destroyed from lack of expertise. Because you may have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you may have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your kids” (Hosea 4:6). In John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible, he explains that these dire words don’t apply to all of God’s children: “This is to be understood of the people of the ten tribes of Israel, who were nationally and nominally the people of God, were so by career; they called themselves the people of God; and though they were idolaters, yet they professed to worship God of their idols . . .” But idolatry is disgusting to God, so their ignorance of that fact meant that they’d perish.
“A false witness will perish, but a careful listener will testify successfully” (Proverbs 21:28). Bearing false witness or lying about someone–normally in a court of law–is against the Ten Commandments God gave to the Israelites through Moses.
“Where there is no such thing as a vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, completely happy is he” (Proverbs 29:18 KJV). Again, this refers to those that keep God’s law and people who don’t after which perish in ignorance. It’s interesting to notice that the most well-liked Bible translations today rarely discuss people perishing, preferring wording about people not knowing the right way to live or “casting off restraint” from God or running amok.
So What Does Perish Mean in John 3:16?
According to John Piper, when the Bible discusses perishing, “The issue shouldn’t be merely dying, but being judged by God.” As the Apostle John writes in verse 36, “Whoever believes within the Son has everlasting life, but whoever rejects the Son is not going to see life, for God’s wrath stays on him.”
Piper writes, “What this shows us is that if we’re rescued from perishing, it’s since the love of God has rescued us from the wrath of God. To perish signifies that we remain under the wrath of God because we is not going to trust Christ. And that could be a terrifying place to be.” He goes on to say that perishing means fiery torment for eternity in hell.
How Should the Meaning of the Word Perish Change How We Live?
God is love, but God can be the Judge of the world. He created the sacrificial system that tied rejection of His laws to death (sin = perish). Thanks be to God that He sent Jesus Christ to take our place in that equation in order that by believing in Him, we’ll never perish but have blissful everlasting life in His presence.
First and foremost, the meaning of the word should direct us toward committing to Christ because, without that relationship, we’ve got no hope. Secondly, while we aren’t under the law, we should always consider that the “best commandment” (love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength—and love your neighbor as yourself.) still applies. If we love God, we’ll wish to please Him and consider those things that displease Him (i.e., bearing false witness, making “idols” of individuals and things). We would do well to contemplate how holy God is that one infraction of the law within the Old Testament caused people to drop dead. The word perish teaches us to have a reverent fear of the Lord while at the identical time adoring His goodness, mercy, and majesty.
Finally, we must consider all those perishing of their ignorance or disdain of God. We need to wish fervently for those we all know who’ve rejected God, lest they perish of their unbelief. It was not God’s original design or will to be separated from His human creation, so beyond praying, ask the Holy Spirit the right way to reach individuals with the gospel, whether at home or across the globe. Step out in faith and share your hope with others in hopes that they wake as much as the reality.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/koyu
Mary Oelerich-Meyer is a Chicago-area freelance author and replica editor who prayed for years for a solution to write about and for the Lord. She spent 20 years writing for area healthcare organizations, interviewing doctors and clinical professionals and writing greater than 1,500 articles along with marketing collateral materials. Important work, but not what she felt called to do. She is grateful for any opportunity to share the Lord in her writing and editing, believing that life is simply too short to put in writing about anything. Previously she served as Marketing Communications Director for a big healthcare system. She holds a B.A. in International Business and Marketing from Cornell College (the unique Cornell!) When not researching or writing, she likes to spend time along with her author daughter, granddaughter, rescue doggie and husband (not at all times in that order).
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