killing (their normal work), and are only permitted to torment men for five months, after

which other horsemen receive power to kill those who had not the seal of God in their

foreheads. Before passing on to the consideration of the next word, we would like to

quote the primary meaning of apollumi as given by Liddell and Scott:--

Apõleia.--This word is a noun derived from the word apollumi, and means destruction.

It is rendered by the A.V. as follows: "damnation," once; "damnable," once;

"destruction," 5 times; "to die," once; "perdition," 8 times; "pernicious ways," once; and

with eimi eis and accusative, "perish," once; "waste," twice. The words "damnation" and

"damnable" both occur in II Pet. 2: 1, 3, "damnable heresies," and "their damnation."

The same word is rendered "pernicious ways" in verse 2, and "destruction" in verse 1.

Here the one word apõleia is rendered by the four words in those verses. The R.V.

renders the word "destruction," and destruction consistently (the word "pernicious" in

verse 2 is not apõleia in the best Greek MSS and is rendered "lascivious doings" in R.V.).

In II Pet. 3: 7 the word occurs again, translated "perdition," and finally in verse 16 it is

translated "destruction," which passage the R.V. renders as in the second chapter -

"destruction."

Once again we shall find that this word, like apollumi, is contrasted with life, "Broad

is the way that leadeth to destruction. . . .narrow is the way that leadeth unto life"

(Matt. 7: 13, 14). The context immediately continues, "Beware of false prophets,"

which connects this passage with its inspired exposition in II Pet. 2: 3. In John 17: 12

we have a solemn passage wherein the Lord uses both apollumi and apõleia. "None of

them is lost, but the son of perdition." This is also the title of antichrist in II Thess. 2: 3.

Again the word occurs in Acts 8: 20, "Thy money go with thee to destruction." In

Rom. 9: 22 we read of "vessels of wrath fitted to destruction." The apostle uses the word

twice in Philippians, "token of perdition" (1: 28), and "whose end is destruction" (3: 19).

In I Tim. 6: 9 we have a collection of words, of which the Greek language does not

possess any stronger, to express literal death and extinction of being. Hurtful lusts which

drown men in destruction (olethros) and perdition (apõleia).  Does it not appear

unreasonable to say continually that men will perish or be destroyed if they are, in fact, to

be kept alive in suffering, and that they are to be miraculously preserved from perishing

or from being destroyed?

There is one more point which we must bring forward before closing this article. The

subject of the soul, its nature and immortality, is discussed at great length by Plato in the

Phædon, a dialogue on Immortality, and therein is discussed the question of the literal

destruction and extinction of the soul. Plato wrote in Greek, his native tongue, and the

Phædon became the great classic treatise on the subject of Immortality, read, studied and

debated throughout the Greek-speaking world during the four hundred years between its

writing and the ministry of Christ. Plato's words practically stereotyped the philosophical

phraseology of the time. The purpose of the dialogue is to show that in death the soul

does not become extinct, that it cannot die, perish, or be destroyed. Modern orthodoxy,

therefore, is found ranged with Plato against the Word of God. These words of Plato

were known and of fixed meaning in the days of Christ and the apostles. Christ come to

reveal the truth. Shall we say that, knowing as He did the meaning of the words used on