Satan's Fate

1 Peter 5:8-9

by Guy C. LaMar

WHAT is the fate of Satan the Devil and of the incorrigibly wicked?

A great many people just accept and believe that when you die you either “go to heaven” to be with God and Jesus Christ, or you go to “the other place” – an ever-burning hellfire.

Our Lord Jesus Christ makes it crystal clear that NO ONE has ever been to the Third Heaven – where God’s throne resides (John 3:13).

There may have been visions and dreams that have been allowed to some of which may be looked upon as “an out of the body experience,” which is a mental psyche frame of thought, into what would be considered as part of the heavenly realm (2 Corinthians 12:1-4).

But, it also could be looked upon as a future situation when the Third Heaven – God’s throne – comes to earth and the Kingdom of God gets established. 

Beginning with the first and second heaven.

When our Lord Jesus calls them out of their graves at the resurrection they will go to the first heaven to meet Jesus in the clouds.

As the Bible describes, the first heaven is that which contains clouds which rain upon the earth (Deuteronomy 11:11; 1 Kings 8:35; Isaiah 55:10).

Then, as they go to the Sea of Glass (to receive their assignments, their new name, have the Bridal Supper, and to receive their white horse) where they will, most likely, be in the second heavenly realm hovering over the area of Jerusalem while on the Sea of Glass, before returning to the earth – to establish a “new earth” when God the Father Himself will come down to make His dwelling with men. Then EARTH will be the Third Heaven in this place of this World Tomorrow!

So, yes – when we look at it like that, true Christians will go to heaven after death.

Personally – for this reason – I have no issue with people that mention how when someone dies they will “go off to heaven” or go to “hell.”

Of the three different definitions, one of the definitions of hell simply means grave. A hole in the ground. Depending on the version of the Bible, one of the meanings for the Hebrew word for “hell” is Sheol – which is equivalent to the Greek term Hades. Both of these words are used in Scripture in reference to the grave – a burial in the earth.

Another word for “hell” is the Greek term Tartaroo, which occurs in only one verse (2 Peter 2:4). It refers here to the present conditions of rebellious angels, called demons, and of their restraint or imprisonment on the earth.

Then there is the word Gehenna in Greek, from the Hebrew Gai Hinnom – the Valley of Hinnom – which ran along the west and south sides of Jerusalem.

During biblical times of terrible apostasy, people were burned here in pagan sacrifices and it became a place to burn garbage. Criminals that had died were thrown into this pit to be cremated.

There is no indication here of a fire burning and torturing forever.

Satan the Devil and his demons will be cast into an Abyss for one-thousand years (Revelation 20:1-3, 7-8; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6). This hell, in Greek, is abyssos – which means “the deep place.”

This is the place where Satan the Devil and his demons are to be sent and bound for a thousand years chained up with a seal upon them so that they “should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished.”

After which they are released for a short season of time, before being permanently removed from the earth when they are “cast into the lake of fire and brimstone” which is “prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 24:41).

So, what is the ultimate fate for Satan the Devil, and his demons?

Is it be cast into what most of the religious world believes is the hell reserved for bad people!?

No.

Revelation 20:10 says:

“The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet [had been cast]. And they [Satan and his demons] will be tormented day and night forever and ever [meaning, ages of the ages – eternal ages].”

The very fate of Satan the Devil and his demons are the ones who will be in a never-ending psychological torture and misery. That torture and misery is probably a lot of the fact that they will be eternally together blaming each other. They will most likely be eternally bickering over their vanity. These are the fathers of the twisted that has influenced all mankind.

Now, there are two verses that many assume proves that the bad people are to be “eternally” tortured in a hellfire. And they are Matthew 25:41 and Matthew 25:46.

This is the setting to which our Lord Jesus referred to as “’ the Son of Man comes in His glory’” (Matthew 25:31-32).

We are told that He separates the nations from one another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. The sheep represent the righteous (Matthew 25:34-40).

So, upon His return, He sets the sheep at His right hand, and He sets the goats at His left – the goats represent the incorrigibly wicked. He then consigns the goats to “’ the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels’” (Matthew 25:41).

The word everlasting in Greek is aiōnios, which means “eternal.”

The key to understanding this verse is knowing and understanding what will occur everlastingly.

Is this a fire that tortures without end, or does it have another meaning?

In Matthew 25:46 our Lord Jesus spoke in a single sentence of “’ everlasting [aiōnios] punishment’” and of “’ everlasting [eternal – aiōnios] life.’”

Now, since the righteous will be given eternal – or everlasting – life, many biblical theologians believe the punishment of the incorrigibly wicked must last as long as the everlasting life given to the righteous.

Yet, this cannot be reconciled with the statement that those cast into the lake of fire PERISH – they are killed. As explained elsewhere, they suffer DEATH – the second death (Revelation 2:11; 14:1-20; 20:6; 21:8).

The plain and simple meaning of Matthew 25:46 that fits with the rest of the Bible is that the incorrigibly wicked that are cast into the lake of fire will annihilate them – renders them dead forever.

The resulting punishment of being cast into the aiōnios fire is a one-time event!

It is a permanent punishment, the results of which will remain forever – which equals eternal death.

It is not this ongoing punishment that continues forever without end!

This truth backs up the rest of Scripture.

Take note: Genesis 19 describes God’s destruction of two incorrigibly wicked cities, Sodom and Gomorrah:

“Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, …” (Genesis 19:24).

Those cities were utterly destroyed – consumed by fire and brimstone.

In the New Testament, the Book of Jude describes those cities as “suffering the vengeance of eternal [aiōnios] fire” (Jude 1:7).

Yet it is obvious that the fires that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah are not still burning.

These cities, in this case, are consigned to aiōnios fire – a fire which burns and completely destroys.

The eternal aspect of the fire is its everlasting effect – not how long it actually burns.

People that believe that GOD would create nerves that feel pain placed in a resurrected physical body – one which can feel pain as we feel pain in our physical bodies – that does not burn up so as to give anguish, torture, and misery without ever ceasing DOES NOT DESCRIBE A LOVING GOD!

That is the most hateful horrible idea ever! That does not describe the God of the Bible! That is an evil and satanic belief!

Why would a God of love (1 John 4:7-8, 16) allow such a vile and hideous thing to happen to some poor misguided person who never knew God!? Just because someone was never properly taught and educated about God and His living word they are placed in such an unthinkable situation!? 

No!

This is an old heathen scare tactic.

The Bible instructs us to diligently study the word of God. This is how we come to know this simple to understand knowledge. O’ my, the vile things that people in these evangelical worldly churches have been teaching have gotten many people off course! (Joshua 1:8; 2 Timothy 3:14-17; Acts 17:11; Psalm 119:9).

Too often people are prone to just accept whatever their church teaches.

We were all born in a ready-made world. A world which is ruled by Satan the Devil (2 Corinthians 4:4), and most simply just accept what this world has set up for us to believe.

Most people of this world trust their church leaders, their doctrines, and ideologies which were set in place from the very beginning of the first civilization (cf. Genesis 10:8-12). They just accept their rules without question. The majority of which is just hand-me-down teachings.

Their grandparents and parents believed a certain way, so they do.

A society, in general, believes in this or in that way so others just accept it and embrace it.

This places people living in little boxes of thought.

God’s people PROVE all things by the WORD of God – not the ideas of mankind (1 Thessalonians 5:21). □

Additional information on this subject:

'No One Has Ascended To Heaven' - Now, if some people go to heaven and others go to hell; then I wonder if saved people in heaven can actually see the writhing and the screaming, the wailing, the torture of their family members who were lost to hell!? [...] pdf online article.

The Book of Life - The Last Great Day - And, the Firstfruits of all is Jesus Christ. And, we have an awesome chance – as we see in the Book of 1st Corinthians, chapter 15 – to have an opportunity to be part of the firstfruits also. [...]

One God - One Mediator - part 1 - Nov. 18, 2020 sermon.

One God - One Mediator - part 2 - Nov. 24, 2020 sermon.

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The Confusion About Death! pdf online booklet.

Is Your Belief Biblical? ...and can you prove it? pdf online booklet.

A Morning Bible Study - What Is God's Throne Like? - Just what is God's throne like!? Just what is Jesus Christ like in His glory!?

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God's Servants Vs. the Devil's Servants - Sept. 14, 2021 sermon.

Are the Dead In Heaven? - July 24, 2021 sermon.

Did the Thief On The Cross Go To Heaven? - Nov. 06, 2021 sermon.

Lucifer - Became Satan the Adversary - Feb. 24, 2021 sermon.

The Last Great Day - 2021 - Oct. 09, 2021 sermon.

A Real Hellfire! - July 17, 2021 sermon.

Is There A Hell? - July 10, 2021 sermon.

The Love of God - Jan. 16, 2021 sermon.

Rage Against the Darkness - June 05, 21 sermon.

The Rest Of The Dead - Oct. 01, 2018 sermon.

In Hope of Eternal Life - July 03, 2021 sermon.

The Two Keys to Eternal Life - Nov. 14, 2020 sermon.

Salvation OFFERED To All - Oct. 10, 2019 sermon.

Do you understand Ezekiel 37? - Friends, Ezekiel 37 helps show us that people who were dead - and not in Christ Jesus - will indeed be resurrected to the flesh and live again [...]

Repent For Salvation - 2009 Internet Archive audio sermon.

The Confusion About Death part 1 - Dec. 19, 2018 Internet Archive video sermon.

The Confusion About Death part 2 - Aug. 07, 2015 Internet Archive video sermon.

The Confusion About Death part 3 - 2008 Internet Archive video sermon.

Is Your Belief Biblical? - Dec. 01, 2007 Internet Archive audio sermon.

In Hope Of Eternal Life Part 2 (What is the Book of Life?) - April 26, 2014 Internet Archive audio sermon.