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SUBJECT: Satan
QUESTION: What is the ultimate fate of Satan?
ANSWER:
Satan and his demons are spirit beings, created with
inherent immortality (see Luke 20:36). They cannot die.
Paul wrote that Jesus Christ would "destroy" the devil
through His sacrifice (Hebrews 2:14). Paul, however, was not
saying that Christ will kill Satan or completely blot him
out of existence. According to "Webster's New Collegiate
Dictionary," the word "destroy" can also mean "neutralize"
or make "subject to a crushing defeat." The original Greek
word, "katargeo," translated as "destroy" in this verse,
means "to render inactive" or "idle." Notice I John 3:8:
"For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he
might destroy the WORKS of the devil."
Revelation 20:10 reveals that God will condemn Satan to the
lake of fire after the Millennium. Notice that this verse
does not say that Satan will remain there forever. It says
only that his torment will last forever. The lake of fire
will end when the new heavens and new earth are established
(Revelation 21:1). But, the punishing of Satan and his
demons will continue through eternity.
The Bible gives us only a clue as to the nature of Satan's
punishment. Jude describes some as being "wandering stars [stars
are symbols of angels], to whom is reserved the
blackness of darkness for ever" (Jude--verse 13).
Apparently, God will banish Satan and his demons from the
universe. They will never again associate with nor influence
the glorified inhabitants of God's realm.
Notice this excerpt from the booklet, “Did God Create a
Devil?” which is posted here:
http://www.garnertedarmstrong.org/pubs/didgod.htm
Satan's Fate
When Jesus Christ comes back to this earth, the fires of
Gehenna will be reignited! They will begin to burn then,
and will continue to burn throughout the millennium! Notice
the proof: "And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth,
and their armies, gathered together to make war against him
that sat on the horse, and against his army.
"And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet
that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived
them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that
worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a
lake of fire burning with brimstone" (Revelation
19:19-20).
What HAPPENS to them when they are cast alive into a lake of
fire? They are BURNT UP! So says your Bible, and so says
science, common sense, and logic.
In the types and antitypes of Satan found in Ezekiel 28 and
Isaiah 14, further light is shed on the fate of the modern
"King of Babylon," who is the BEAST, in collusion with the
great False Prophet, who attempt to fight Christ (Revelation
17:12-14), and are cast into Gehenna fire. Notice, "Yet thou
shalt be brought down to hell [Hebrew:
Sheol the grave], to the sides of the pit.
"They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and
consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth
to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;
"That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the
cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?
"All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in
glory, every one in his own house.
"But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable
branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust
through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit;
as a carcase trodden under feet.
"Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou
hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of
evildoers shall never be renowned" (Isaiah 14:15-20).
Remember what happened to the strutting, proud, arrogant
dictator of Italy, Mussolini?
When partisans shot him, his body was hung from the parapet
of a gas station in public, where thousands of his former
worshipers spat on it, stoned it, pummeled it until hardly a
bone in the body remained intact!
In like fashion, the prophecies indicate that, like the
bodies of criminals in the past, the bodies of the Beast and
the False Prophet may repose for a time in the "sides of the
pit" (Isaiah 14:15), breeding maggots, before being finally
consumed by the flames. Now, look at Ezekiel 28 once more:
"By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the
midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore
I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and
I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of
the stones of fire.
"Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast
corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: [here
the type of the Prince of Tyre reverts from Satan to the
human prince which is a type of the Beast] I will
cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that
they may behold thee.
"Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine
iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffic; therefore will I
bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour
thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the
earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
"All they that know thee among the people shall be
astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt
thou be any more" (Ezekiel 28:16-19).
WHEN are the Beast and the false prophet thrown into
Gehenna; the valley next to Jerusalem, which will be
ignited? By Christ Himself, at His second coming!
As we read: "And the beast was taken, and with him the false
prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he
deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and
them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive
into a lake of fire burning with brimstone" (Revelation
19:20).
Now, notice what happens to Satan and his demons during the
one thousand year reign of Christ on earth: "And I saw an
angel come down from heaven, having the key of the
bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
"And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is
the devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
"And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and
set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no
more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after
that he must be loosed a little season" (Revelation 20:1-3).
Now, notice what occurs when the devil is loosed following
the thousand years: "And when the thousand years are
expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
"And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the
four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them
together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the
sea.
"And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed
the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire
came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
"And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of
fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet
are [this word is not in the
original. The italicized word is added, and should read
"were cast"], and shall be tormented day and
night for ever and ever" (Revelation 20:8-10).
"Gog and Magog" can read "Jaj and Majaj," and, while some
scholars believe Gog to be Russia, and Magog to be Mongolia
and China, it is more likely the names are used to describe
the incorrigibly wicked; human beings all over the earth,
who, even after one thousand years of Christ's rule, will
follow Satan's deceptions, and attempt once more to
overthrow God.
Now, remember WHEN the Beast and false prophet were cast
into Gehenna fire! They are to be cast in at the time
of the second coming of Christ (Revelation 19:11-21). And
what HAPPENS to human beings who are cast into a pit filled
with fire? They are burned UP (Malachi 4:1-3). They are
reduced to ashes!
Now, remember what you have learned about the ultimate fate
of this planet! "...the elements shall melt with fervent
heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be
burned up" (2 Peter 3:10).
Following his final abortive attempt to conquer God, Satan
and his demons are to be cast into a lake of fire — the same
Gehenna fire where the Beast and the false prophet
WERE CAST, one thousand years earlier! But this time,
following the Great White Throne Judgement day, the earth
itself will be consumed! "And I saw the dead, small and
great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and
another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the
dead were judged out of those things which were written in
the books [Greek: Biblos,
meaning the books of the Bible], according to
their works.
"And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death
and hell [Hades, the grave]
delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were
judged every man according to their works.
"And death and hell [hades,
the grave] were cast into the lake of fire.
This is the second death.
"And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was
cast into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:12-15).
Read the entire twentieth chapter of Revelation, and
continue on through the final two chapters of the Bible.
This destruction of the earth by fire occurs AFTER the
millennial reign of Christ; AFTER the Great White Throne
Judgment day, which ensues for an additional one hundred
years (Isaiah 65:20, 21).
Following the very melting of the "elements with fervent
heat"; the probable extrusion of the molten layer of magma
beneath the mantle of the earth, God says, "And I saw a new
heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first
earth were passed away; and there was no more sea"
(Revelation 21:1). Our oceans are vitally important for the
existence of human and animal life on earth. Without them,
no fleshly life; no fishes, no insects, no air-breathing,
food-eating, water-drinking creatures can live.
The NEW earth will now become the headquarters of Christ AND
God the Father! Notice, "And I John saw the holy city, new
Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a
bride adorned for her husband.
"And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the
tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with
them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be
with them, and be their God.
"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and
there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying,
neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things
are passed away.
"And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all
things new" (Revelation 21:2-5).
Thus will conclude the FIRST GREAT PHASE of God's plan,
announced by the Logos who became Christ, at the
creation of Adam! They said, "Let US make MAN IN OUR IMAGE!"
But creation was not completed in the Garden of Eden — it
was only begun!
First, God made man in God's physical image. God is revealed
as having the form and shape of human kind! Moses was
allowed to see His hind parts (Exodus 33:18-23). Christ said
"If you have seen me, you have seen the Father." God is
described as having eyes, arms and legs. Christ is described
in Revelation 1:12-16 from head to foot.
Next, through His wondrous plan of salvation, God planned to
REDEEM man from sin; save him from the clutches of Satan and
his powerful temptations, and through the process of
spiritual growth and overcoming, create in God's own image,
SPIRITUALLY!
Man was but a human, physical prototype. The "new Creature
in Christ" is to become a NEW SPIRIT BEING (I Corinthians
15:35-52).
The god of this present God-rejecting, commandment-breaking
evil world is Satan the devil (2 Corinthians 4:4). He is
called the "Prince of the power of the air" who works in
rebellious, disobedient people (Ephesians 2:2). When Christ
was fasting for 40 days and nights, Satan continually
tempted him, trying to cause Christ to fail in His mission.
But finally, Christ gave a command, "GET THEE HENCE, SATAN!"
and the devil had to obey!
Satan is pictured as the "Lord of the Dead," in Hallowe'en
mythology; Samhain, or the "Shaman" of the Druids and
many other religious cults. As the first great sinner; the
first great liar (John 8:44), Satan was the first cause of
DEATH on this earth.
Christ came for many reasons, among them to conquer the
present evil world ruler, thus conquering DEATH as well as
conquering SIN! Christ "condemned sin in the flesh" by
proving that a human being, with God's Holy Spirit, can
OVERCOME SIN!
Presently, Satan has been DISQUALIFIED, but not yet removed!
As Paul wrote, "Then cometh the end, when he shall have
delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he
shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
"For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his
feet.
"The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death" (1
Corinthians 15:24-26).
This is why "death and the grave" are pictured as being
"cast into the lake of fire," metaphorically abolishing
death and the grave forever!
Since Christ conquered Satan, He commands His people to
"RESIST the devil, and he will flee from you!" (James 4:7).
John wrote, "Ye are of God, little children, and have
overcome them: because greater is he that is in you [Christ!],
than he that is in the world [Satan].
What, then, is Satan's ultimate fate? First, Satan will see
Christ's prophecies delivered during the flood — that the
flood was a type of a yet future destruction of
the world by fire — come true! Following his
final futile attempt to conquer God, the great Gehenna fire
of the last day will envelope the whole world!
The "world and the works therein" shall be BURNT UP!
But Satan is impervious to fire. He and his demons are
spirit beings; a fallen archangel and fallen angels
under his sway, who will see everything they have worked
for; every evil, twisted, perverted, plan utterly destroyed!
Now, notice carefully the wording of God's statement
concerning Satan's final fate: "And the devil that deceived
them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the
beast and the false prophet [were
cast].., and shall be tormented day and night
for ever and ever" (Revelation 20:10).
This verse is describing TWO THINGS happening. One: the
devil is cast into the same Gehenna fire where the
Beast and the False Prophet were cast over one thousand
years earlier:
Two: Satan will be "tormented day and night for ever and
ever!"
Obviously he is not tormented IN THE FIRE for ever, for the
fire finally ceases to burn when the surface of the earth
has been changed; when there "is no more sea," and when the
"new heavens and new earth" are created!
A powerful clue to Satan's ultimate fate is contained in
Jude's short letter, as he describes the demon-influenced
men who deliberately infiltrate God's church; evil men of no
conscience, who have the very nature of Satan. Here is much
of that short book, with commentary: "Beloved, when I gave
all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it
was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye
should earnestly contend for the faith which was once
delivered unto the saints.
"For there are certain men crept in unawares [they
do so deliberately!], who were before of old
ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the
grace of our God into lasciviousness ["license,"
permissiveness], and denying the only Lord God,
and our Lord Jesus Christ.
"I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once
knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of
the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed
not.
"And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left
their own habitation [the
demons who followed Satan in his rebellion], he
hath reserved in everlasting chains [Tartaroo,
or "the place of restraint"] under
darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
"Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in
like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and
going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example,
suffering the vengeance of eternal fire [fire
from God: however, the fires are not still burning.
When Sodom and Gomorrha were destroyed, the fires having
consumed all combustible materials, they died out, as all
fires do].
"Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh,
despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.
"Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil
he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against
him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
"But these speak evil of those things which they know not:
but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those
things they corrupt themselves.
"Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and
ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and
perished in the gainsaying of Core.
"These are spots in your feasts of charity ["love
feasts," usually for the poor, but including God's
Feasts] , when they feast with you, feeding themselves
without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about
of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice
dead, plucked up by the roots;
"Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame;
wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of
darkness for ever" (Jude 3-13).
Satan has deceived the Christian-professing world into
believing mankind possesses an "immortal soul" which can
never die, but which must go either to heaven or an ever
burning hell fire upon death! Yet, Satan himself is an
immortal spirit, who TRIED and will yet try, to get to
heaven, and who will, instead, be consigned to ETERNAL
PUNISHING!
The Bible frequently uses stars as symbols for angels
(Revelation 1:20). "Wandering stars, to whom is reserved the
blackness of darkness forever," without doubt refers
to Satan and his demons, whose false doctrines will come to
pass upon themselves!
Satan is keenly, brilliantly intelligent! Yet, his
intelligence is perverted by rebellion against God! He has a
keen MEMORY!
Satan and his evil demons are to be cast far, far away into
the universe — perhaps in a "black hole" somewhere, without
the possibility of seeing even the tiniest pinprick of light
— the light given off by a distant star! There, they will
"wander in the blackness of darkness forever," bitterly
accusing one another, arguing, blaming, hating!
The HORROR of such unrelenting mental torment is
Satan's ultimate fate!
---end of excerpt---
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