QUESTION:  Does Satan have an immortal nature, and thus burn in hellfire for eternity?

ANSWER:  The Bible describes angels as created beings (Psalm 148: 2, 5), powerful (Psalm 103: 20), and in form they are spirit (Hebrews 1:14).  There is no known way to detect the presence or movement of angels.  This does not make them any less real.  Humans are limited to see them unless angels either open our eyes or they appear in human likeness.  Before being battled out of heaven, Satan was known as Lucifer, the covering cherub (Isaiah 14:12).  His position was in the very throne room of heaven.  God gave him great responsibilities.

Satan is ultimately responsible for sin.  He is demonic and ultimately hardened in sin.  At some stage he passed the point of no return in his rebellion against God.  He knows what fate awaits him and is emblazoned in his goal of robbing everyone on earth of their inheritance in Christ.  He wants millions upon millions to share the same fate that he knows is coming to him.  The Bible reveals that "everlasting fire, [is] prepared for the devil and his angels."  Matthew 25:41.

There is one reference in Scripture that describes the execution of Satan.  This text also is an example of what the Bible means by the term "everlasting fire."  It is a fire with eternal results, not eternal in duration.  You be the judge!

(Ezekiel 28:16-19)
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: 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.  (emphasis added) 


QUESTION:  The Terms "everlasting fire" and "tormented day and night forever and ever" have led to a long history of belief that unrepentant sinners will be punished in hellfire with no end to it.  Doesn't the fact that so many people believe this mean that it must be true?

ANSWER:  Popularity of belief is never a measure of truth!  What is true is reality; and only God's Word assures us of that.

If the Eternal Torment theory is true, then there are several Bible figures that owe the world an apology:

1)  David said:  "the wicked shall perish, ... they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away." (Psalm 37:20)

2)  Jesus said:  "fear him [God] which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 20:18)

3)  Paul wrote:  The disobedient "shall be punished with everlasting destruction." (2 Thessalonians 1:9, emphasis supplied)

4)  The Lord of hosts said by Malachi:  "For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch." (Malachi 4:1, emphasis supplied)

Whom do you choose to believe?  Are these Bible spokesmen to give deference to the Plato-tainted teachings of Tertullian, Augustine, and the personalities of the medieval church era that most Christians still cling to today?

The Bible says, "the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."  (Romans 6:23)  Isn't it "another gospel" that teaches the wages of sin is eternal conscious torment in hell?  This does not meet the Bible formula, which is a choice between life or death. (John 3:16)

Another dilemma for eternal torment advocates is the measure of what it cost the Son of God to ransom the sinner.  Jesus forfeited His life to redeem man from the grave.  Sin is a capital offense. The just penalty for the unrepentant sinner must match the penalty Christ paid for sin --- forfeiture of life --- not eternal life in hellfire.

The crux of the problem in understanding "everlasting fire" is in the usage and meaning of the Greek word for "eternal," "everlasting," and "forever."  These words are derivatives of the Greek word aion; the adjective form is aion-ios.  Biblical scholars who study word meaning speak up about this with honesty.

The meaning of aion depends on the context.  It is used to refer to a brief measure or an indefinite measure of time.  For example:  The boy, Samuel, is given by his mother, Hannah, to serve the Lord "forever,"  (1 Samuel 1:22) But verse 28 qualifies this to mean, "as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord."  Jonah stated he was at the bottom of the sea "forever" during his fish ride.  (Jonah 2:6)  In his case aion is at the most three days.  When aion is used with reference to life (John 3:16) it refers to time without an end.  In the Bible the determining factor of the length of aion is the time it takes for God's plan to be accomplished or fulfilled.

God has given an example of what "everlasting" or "eternal" fire is:  "Sodom and Gomorrha, ... are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire."  Again, aion means the time it takes to accomplish or fulfill God's purpose.  In Sodom's case it was a few hours.  The results of the fire may be considered "eternal" as well.  Hence, the result of the fire is forever permanent.  Is Sodom a foretaste of the lake of fire that will destroy the unsaved?  You be the judge!

When we consider what David, Jesus, Paul, and God through Malachi have said about the fate of the wicked, is there any doubt about the meaning of the second death with reference to "everlasting fire" and "shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever"?  God's purpose to end the problem of sin surely will be accomplished and fulfilled.  And Nahum's prediction will be a HOPE COME TRUE:  "He will make an utter end:  afflication [sin] shall not rise up the second time."  (Nahum 1:9)

Search for the immortal soul, Daniel Knauft

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