What does the Bible say about Satan's fate?

My former religious affiliation (Herbert Armstrong's Worldwide Church of God) taught that the Day of Atonement pictured God's justice for Satan! They believed that Satan was ultimately responsible for ALL of the sin in our world, and that God would ultimately place all of those sins on his head and imprison him in the Abyss (or cast him into "outer darkness"). Armstrong reasoned that Satan would continue to exist somewhere in torment, because he believed that Satan was immortal - incapable of being destroyed.

What about all of that? Is all of that consistent with what Scripture reveals about Satan's fate? In short, what does the Bible say about Satan's fate?

Now, Armstrong certainly wasn't the first theologian or Bible student to suggest that the fourteenth chapter of Isaiah applied to Satan, but he was unique in the amount of his theology which depended upon that passage. However, before we explore Armstrong's interpretation of this passage, we should also note that the notion that Satan is connected to it is NOT universal. Indeed, the passage itself indicates that it is a reaction to God's judgment on the King of Babylon when Israel is restored (verses 1-3). Nevertheless, for the sake of argument, let's say that this passage does apply to Satan. Notice that the passage makes quite clear that the entity being described there has been defeated and destroyed (verses 4-11). Continuing, we read there: "How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world. For you said to yourself, ‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.’ Instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead, down to its lowest depths. " (Verses 12-15) Indeed, the passage concludes with the subject's corpse not even being permitted a proper burial and the death of his children! (Verses 16-21) Hence, the subject of this passage (whether we interpret it to refer to Satan or the King of Babylon) clearly dies!

In similar fashion, Armstrong declared that the twenty-eighth chapter of Ezekiel constituted a direct reference to Satan. However, like the passage in Isaiah, it is addressed to the "King/Prince of Tyre" (verses 1 and 12). Moreover, as with the other passage, this one ends with the death of its subject! In fact, the language is even more explicit here than it was in that passage from Isaiah. We read: "You defiled your sanctuaries with your many sins and your dishonest trade. So, I brought fire out from within you, and it consumed you. I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching. All who knew you are appalled at your fate. You have come to a terrible end, and you will exist no more." (Verses 18-19) Although I am generally not a fan of Armstrong's use of typology in his interpretations of Scripture (especially where he saw types of himself and his church), I do think that the case for saying that this passage applies to Satan is much stronger than the one in Isaiah. Admittedly, the language is very poetic and filled with symbolism, but it is harder to make the case that the language in this passage can only be applied to a human leader. For example, we read there: "You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and exquisite in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God. Your clothing was adorned with every precious stone— red carnelian, pale-green peridot, white moonstone, blue-green beryl, onyx, green jasper, blue lapis lazuli, turquoise, and emerald—all beautifully crafted for you and set in the finest gold. They were given to you on the day you were created. I ordained and anointed you as the mighty angelic guardian. You had access to the holy mountain of God and walked among the stones of fire." (Verses 12-14) Even so, whatever conclusion you reach about the subject of these passages (whether they are references to a human leader or Satan the Devil), it is clear that the subject ceases to exist in both passages!

In this connection, we should also note that the demons of Capernaum are reported to have asked Christ: "Have you come to destroy us?" (Mark 1:23 and Luke 4:34) Moreover, the original Greek word translated into English here as "destroy" means just that (to put an end to, kill, abolish, cause someone to perish, etc. - see Strong's entry for Apollymi). Thus, if angels and demons have the same kind of immortality or self-sustaining life as God (which Armstrong taught), how do we explain this passage? In this same connection, we have this passage from the first epistle to Timothy: "At just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords. He alone can never die, and he lives in light so brilliant that no human can approach him. No human eye has ever seen him, nor ever will. All honor and power to him forever! Amen." (I Timothy 6:15-16) - OR- In the words of the King James Version, "Who only hath immortality." In other words, this passage seems to indicate that true immortality is a GOD QUALITY!

Indeed, this notion is far more consistent with the notion that God is the Source and Creator of all other life - angels included. After all, John's Gospel informs us that "In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone..." (John 1:1-4). Likewise, Paul wrote to the Ephesians that God "created ALL THINGS by Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 3:9) Does "everything" and "all things" include angelic beings? Apparently, the author of the epistle to the Hebrews thought so! In the first chapter, we read (once again) that God created the universe through Jesus Christ, and that he also "sustains everything." In other words, all created things exist AT GOD"S PLEASURE - their continued existence depends on him! The same passage also makes plain that angels were designed by God to serve him and humankind, and the following chapter makes plain that angels were NEVER given the potential of inheriting the immortality which God has promised to impart to humankind someday!

These notions are also more consistent with what is revealed about Satan's fate in the book of Revelation. In the twelfth chapter of that book, we are informed that after Satan's ejection from heaven that he would show up on earth with great anger "because he knoweth that he hath but a short time." (Verse 12, KJV) The original Greek word used in this passage indicates a fixed or definite period of time. In other words, Satan understands that he does NOT have eternity/forever to accomplish what he wants to do! Now, of course, some will insist that this relates only to Satan's freedom to wreak havoc on the earth, and not to his ultimate demise. Even so, the information provided in the twentieth and twenty-first chapters of this book also appear to argue in favor of a finite time for Satan's existence.

In the twentieth chapter of that book, we read: "Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the bottomless pit and a heavy chain in his hand. He seized the dragon—that old serpent, who is the devil, Satan—and bound him in chains for a thousand years. The angel threw him into the bottomless pit, which he then shut and locked so Satan could not deceive the nations anymore until the thousand years were finished. Afterward he must be released for a little while." (Verses 1-3) Notice, that this CANNOT represent the ultimate fate of Satan the Devil, because he is only kept in the "bottomless pit" for the duration of the Millenium! Later, we are told that "Satan will be let out of his prison" and will gather together a mighty army - which he will then use to attack God's people in the vicinity of Jerusalem. (Verses 7-9) Moreover, you will notice in this account that the "bottomless pit" is described as a prison - there is NOTHING in this story to suggest that anyone places the sins of humankind on his head and leads him out into a wilderness! In this connection, we should also note that the Azazel of the Torah was never seen or heard from again! Frankly, it's a wonder to me that Armstrong and his followers have never questioned this obvious discrepancy between this Revelation account of Satan and the ceremony for the Day of Atonement described in the Torah.

Now, we come at last to the real fate of Satan described in the book of Revelation. After informing us that fire came down from heaven and consumed Satan's army, we are told: "Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever." (Verse 10) Interestingly, although Armstrong taught (I believe correctly) that the beast and false prophet would be consumed by the flames - NOT suffer for eternity, his teachings would have us believe that that is exactly what will happen to Satan and his minions! In the final two verses of this chapter, we read: "Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire." (Verses 14-15) Hence, we have to ask: Does the Lake of Fire really represent eternal death? OR Does it represent eternal torment for the damned? Why bother to throw Satan into the Lake of Fire if it doesn't consume/destroy him? And why did Christ say that this fire had been prepared for the Devil and his angels? (See Matthew 25:41)

Finally, we are also left to wonder how Satan's continued existence anywhere in the universe can be reconciled with a passage from the twenty-first chapter of Revelation. We read there: "I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children. “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." (Verses 3-8) I say again: Is Satan's (or the rest of the wicked) continued existence anywhere in the universe consistent with this passage? After all, if he exists somewhere in torment, doesn't that necessarily render false the statement that those things have been eliminated?

In conclusion, Scripture does NOT support Herbert Armstrong's understanding of Satan's fate and the symbolism of the Day of Atonement! Indeed, if we put all of the passages together that we purport to deal with the topic of Satan's fate, it appears that Satan is ultimately bound for destruction in the Lake of Fire. In other words, like the rest of the wicked, he is destined to be among those ashes under the soles of the feet of God's people! (See Malachi 4:3) This, I believe, is what Scripture teaches about the fate of Satan!