The Bible warns of a very real devil and many Satanic cohorts. What is their ultimate fate?
Here is the truth about Satan, and the startling proof about his final judgment!
THIS WORLD is totally deceived. In His very first words to His disciples in the Olivet Prophecy, Jesus sternly warned, "Take heed that no man deceive you. For MANY shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many"! (Matt. 24: 4-5)
Most of you are well aware of the false doctrines circulated in modern "Churchianity" about Satan the devil. The familiar tunes of the "preachy-toned" tent-camp evangelist shouting, "We're sure gonna twist ole Satan's tail tonight!" is just one of many examples.
Some believe he is merely the embodiment of all that is evil, and therefore not a real being, but just a BAD "idea" in the minds of men. Others believe Satan appears as a red, dancing monster with wings like a bat, horns, a tail and a pitchfork.
But What Is the Truth?
The Bible reveals that Satan is the god of this present world.
Paul expressly calls him that! "In whom the god of this world [Greek aion, or "age"] hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, LEST the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them" (II Cor. 4:4).
In trying to overthrow Christ, Satan boasted, "All this power will I give thee [all the kingdoms of the world), and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it" (Luke 4:6).
Had Satan made this statement falsely, Christ would certainly have refuted it! And yet, Christ said not one word to contradict Satan's presumptuous remarks about the kingdoms of this world. Jesus did, however, rebuke the devil for tempting Him by means of the kingdoms of this world.
Jesus warned His disciples that the majority would be deceived, and going in the broad, wide, easy way — the way of following that which seems right to a man — to destruction! (Matt. 7:13)
The deceiver is called the "prince of the power of the air" in Eph. 2:2. John's vision plainly showed Satan as the deceiver of the WHOLE WORLD, who was cast down with his angels, who are now called demons (Rev. 12:9).
How It Happened
God reveals how Satan became the god of this world — and why! Perhaps many have falsely assumed the devil is the god of this world against the will of God! Many, perhaps, have unknowingly followed another deception of Satan by believing the false idea of this world of some kind of GREAT CONTROVERSY between God and Satan! This doctrine represents the devil as being much more powerful than God! After all — the world is totally wrapped up in sin, isn't it? Such religious teachings represent just one more example of the thoroughness with which Satan has done his work of deception.
Your Bible reveals Satan as a CREATED being — created of God.
For the startling proof, read our article Did God Create a Devil?
Counterfeit Doctrines
Satan began his deception by introducing the doctrine of the "immortality of the soul" to Eve in the Garden of Eden. He told her, "Ye shall not surely die" (Gen. 3:4). Since that time, the devil has succeeded in palming off his own aspirations and his ultimate destination on gullible human beings as their chief religious doctrines — which are NOT found in the Bible!
Listen!
Satan (Lucifer) wanted to go to heaven! The churches teach a doctrine of going someday to heaven! Lucifer is a spirit, and is therefore immortal! The churches believe man has an immortal spirit! Christ said an everlasting fire awaits Satan and his angels. The churches teach an everlasting fire awaits all "sinners." Satan FELL from his attempt to overthrow God. The pagan misconception is that man FELL!
These are only a few of the more prevalent doctrines that Satan has palmed off as truth to this gullible world.
Satan's Work
God shows that fully one third of all the multiplied millions of the angels followed Lucifer in his rebellion, and were cast down to the earth with him! (Compare Rev. 12:4 with Rev. 1:20) These fallen angels, remember, are SPIRITS, not human beings! To accomplish his work of deception, with the ultimate goal of destroying human beings, Satan utilizes these millions of disobedient spirits! He is called the PRINCE of demons (Matt. 12:24).
Satan himself is always concerned with the top-level jobs in his attempt to destroy God's plan. Notice how he began — by trying to destroy Adam and Eve — the very FIRST (and therefore a primary aim) humans on the earth. Again, when God sent His own Son, Satan tried by many clever subtleties to cause Christ to SIN against the Law of God. All through Christ's ministry, Satan tried to have Him killed — to thwart His every purpose! Finally, when it was time according to God's purpose to ALLOW Christ to be killed, Satan the devil was a DIRECT instrument in executing Christ. He entered personally into Judas! (John 13:27)
It is not at all inconceivable that Satan could personally, individually tempt one of God's people! However, many people attribute many insignificant things to the devil — not realizing that he is concerned with the top-level jobs in his evil plan! Many of these things are nothing more than the pulls of their own human nature!
Since the devil is concerned directly with the primary targets in trying to upset God's plan, it also follows that the MOST IMPORTANT TARGET ON EARTH IS GOD'S CHURCH!
God thunders a warning at every one of us that the devil is yet to come down to this earth in GREAT WRATH — knowing he has but a short time left — to PERSECUTE God's Church. "And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ"! (Rev. 12:17)
Paul said he was not IGNORANT of Satan's devices (II Cor. 2:11).
Are you?
What About the Everlasting Fire?
The time is rapidly drawing nearer when Satan the devil will no longer be permitted to deceive the nations! At this present time, God is directly ALLOWING Satan to be used as His instrument in blinding the world, so the lesson of mankind will be so firmly and completely etched in its own blood that there will never again be a society existing in total rebellion against God's government! God is the One who has "concluded [shut up] them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all" (Rom. 11:32). He says He is not willing that ANY should perish, but that ALL should finally come to repentance! (II Peter 3:9)
At the beginning of Christ's millennial rule over the nations, Satan is to be BOUND, and cast into an abyss (Rev. 20:1-3). This condition of restraint will last during the thousand years, and then the devil will be momentarily allowed freedom to deceive the nations again (verse 3)!
But consider what occurs next!
Jesus said He is going to cast unrepentant, carnal-minded HUMANS into "everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angel?' (Matt. 25:41). This parable of the sheep and the goats is another example of a parable of Christ that makes no special reference to the time element, but is showing a spiritual lesson and principle to be learned! The separation described in verse 32 takes place over a period of 1,100 years! — to the end of the 100-year period after the millennium.
Notice, however, that these wicked HUMAN BEINGS are cast into an everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
Fire is a physical, chemical thing! Fire is the combustion of physical objects with oxygen which changes the physical objects into ashes and gaseous vapor!
Notice that the wicked (the same ones Christ referred to) are to be ASHES under the feet of the righteous! (Mal. 4:3) Therefore, this fire Christ spoke of in Matthew 25 is a fire that CONSUMES human beings! But Satan is a SPIRIT being! And spirit beings are not affected by fire! They are not material.
Yes — it may be possible that Almighty God could create a fire that would perhaps consume a spirit — since ALL THINGS are possible with God! (Matt. 19:26) But it is not a question of what God CAN do. It is a question of what God WILLED to do!
Let's continue!
The word "everlasting" in Matthew 25:41 is aionion in the Greek language. Aionion comes from the root aion which often means "age"! In this case, the correct translation into the English language should be "AGE-LASTING fire."
Does the Bible bear this up?
Yes, it does!
The "Age-Lasting" Fire
Next, let's notice carefully some significant facts about the fire Christ will use to destroy His enemies!
When Jesus returns to this earth as KING, His first act will be to destroy, NOT ALL the wicked, but that "wicked ONE" who is going to be working miracles and deceiving the world! (II Thes. 2:8) Together with this great False Prophet, Christ will lay hold of the Beast who is yet to arise, and throw them both into a lake of fire, burning with brimstone! (Rev. 19:20)
These two are human beings — physical, breathing men, who are alive and drawing breath at this instant! The fire will CONSUME them. This lake of fire is going to be burning all during the millennium! (Isaiah 66:23-24)
During Christ's time, the Valley of Hinnom, just outside of Jerusalem, was the place where refuse and the bodies of criminals were thrown — into fires that were kept constantly burning. God uses this as a type of the coming lake of fire! My father, mother, brother and I saw this valley, called "Gehenna" in the Bible — and thus were actually looking into HELL, believe it or not!
During the millennial reign of Christ and His saints, this valley will once more be kept perpetually burning — and the incorrigibly wicked ones who WILL to continue in rebellion against God's laws will be THROWN INTO this "lake of fire" as a stern witness to all the rest of the world! (Isa. 66:24)
Next, turn to Revelation 20:10. "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet [WERE CAST]." There is no verb "are" in the original Greek, as the King James revisers have added in italics! See an interlinear or any concordance!
Notice that the devil WILL BE CAST into THE (not just "a," but the definite article "the" is in the Greek) lake of fire where the Beast and the False Prophet WERE CAST!
THIS IS THE SAME FIRE!
It was burning at the precise beginning of the millennium when the Beast and False Prophet were thrown into its flames; it will be burning at the END of the millennium, when Satan is thrown into the same fire!
That's WHY it is called an AGE-LASTING fire in Matthew 25:41 — because it does, literally, LAST for an age — the millennial age!