Let us not forget context. Much error can be avoided if we remember the context in which Scripture verses are written. John 3:16 is the continuation of Yeshua's conversation with Nicodemus that began in John 3:1. It is Pesach (Passover), and the conversation Yeshua and Nicodemus are having involves the nation of Israel. In John 3:3, Yeshua says, unless one is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God. The word "again" is G509, and it means "above", not "again". So, the verse should read, unless one is born from "above", he cannot see the Kingdom of Elohim (God). The phrase, "The Kingdom of Elohim" (God) is a reference to the Throne of David, the House of Jacob, which is the Kingdom of Elohim (Luke 1:32-33). Where is the site of David's throne? It is Jerusalem (I Chronicles 14-17).
In John 3:14, Yeshua mentions Moses and the serpent in the wilderness. Who was that story about--the nation of Israel. So, when Yeshua speaks of the world, in v.16, He refers to Israel. The word "world" is G2889. Yes, it does mean the world, as in the global world itself, but it also means an orderly arrangement, a region with borders; a territory. And in this case, it refers to Israel, since that is the territory Yeshua and Nicodemus were talking about. They were talking about Israel, not the world at large. The word "perish" is G622. It means destruction, but it also means to sever from its source. So, Elohim so loved Israel, that He gave Israel His Begotten Son (Yeshua is the Kinsmen Redeemer of Israel only), that whosoever IN ISRAEL, believeth in Him will not be severed from the nation of Israel, but will have everlasting life...