Revelation 20 ~ The Final Fate of Satan, His "Angels", and His "Sons"

At the end of the final judgment, both death and hell are cast into the bottomless pit. The first death has been conquered by Christ's resurrection, so there is no more death. The second death has been conquered by Christ's atonement. Even those whose works are judged by justice rather than mercy will be taken from hell and receive a kingdom commensurate with their choice and character.  King David - who committed adultery with Bathsheba and arranged the murder of her husband, Uriah the Hittite -understood this when he wrote: For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell . . . (Psalm 16: 10) Because all of the spirits are taken from hell (Sheol), hell itself will cease to exist.

But what of Satan and his angels and the openly rebellious who know Christ and then deny Him? Satan and his angels have never lived and had bodies, so they can not be resurrected to a body they never had. Those mortals who share Satan's fate will receive their bodies, but will not receive a kingdom of glory. They are they that will be cast into the bottomless pit of outer darkness.  But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:12) 

Modern day revelation has this to say about their fate: Thus saith the Lord concerning all those who know my power [Jesus Christ's], and have been made partakers thereof, and suffered themselves through the power of the devil to be overcome, and to deny the truth and defy my power— They are they who are the sons of perdition [Satan], of whom I say that it had been better for them never to have been born; For they are vessels of wrath, doomed to suffer the wrath of God, with the devil and his angels in eternity; Concerning whom I have said there is no forgiveness in this world nor in the world to come— Having denied the Holy Spirit after having received it, and having denied the Only Begotten Son of the Father, having crucified him unto themselves and put him to an open shame. These are they who shall go away into the lake of fire and brimstone, with the devil and his angels— And the only ones on whom the second death shall have any power; (Doctrine and Covenants 76: 31-37)

The world often thinks of this as hell, but it is not.  By the time of the final judgment, hell will have served its purpose and will be cast away.  The bottomless pit is what Matthew calls outer darkness and John calls a lake of fire and brimstone.  It is hard to think of the two concepts as describing the same place.  This is what I think*: the bottomless pit will be dark and cold without because there will be absolutely no contact with God and His eternal light.  I believe the fire that cannot be quenched is the gnawing despair of those who have known Christ and denied Him.  This would include Satan himself, the first and ultimate rebel.  Because they have known Jesus, they will know that they could have chosen differently and did not.  As a result, nothing can change their fate, worlds without end.  I cannot even imagine the mental and physical anguish that would bring.

Wherefore, he [Jesus] saves all except them [the sons of Satan or Perdition]—they shall go away into everlasting punishment, which is endless punishment, which is eternal punishment, to reign with the devil and his angels in eternity, where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched, which is their torment—Wherefore, the end, the width, the height, the depth, and the misery thereof, they understand not, neither any man except those who are ordained unto this condemnation. (Doctrine and Covenants 76: 44, 48)

I'm glad I don't know.  I don't ever want to know.

*Totally a personal opinion and not from scripture.

Text copyright Gebara Education 2013

 

Picture of outer darkness from www.cartoonsforchrist.com