The Lake of Fire

The final destination of Satan and his demons is the lake of fire, described as 'everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.' This eternal punishment was not originally intended for humanity but designed specifically for Satan and his followers. That humans join them there results from rejecting the salvation God provided at infinite cost. The demons' doom is fixed, their sentence irrevocable, their punishment eternal. No possibility of redemption exists for fallen angels; no gospel is preached to demons; no savior died for them. Their judgment awaits only its execution.

Revelation outlines the final stages of Satan's defeat. At Christ's return, an angel descends from heaven 'having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.' He seizes 'the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled.' This binding removes Satan from influence during Christ's millennial kingdom, demonstrating that human sin does not require demonic temptation—human hearts are sufficiently corrupt apart from satanic influence. Evil persists even with Satan bound, vindicating God's judgment on human depravity.

After the thousand years, Satan 'must be loosed a little season.' He immediately resumes his work of deception, going 'out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth... to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.' Even after a thousand years of perfect government under Christ's visible rule, multitudes follow Satan in final rebellion when given opportunity. This demonstrates the incorrigibility of both Satan and unregenerate humanity—neither time nor perfect conditions produce repentance apart from God's regenerating grace. Fire comes down from God and devours them, and then comes the final sentence: 'And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.'

The demons know this doom awaits them. When confronted by Jesus, they cried 'Art thou come hither to torment us before the time?'—acknowledging an appointed time for their punishment. They know Scripture, believe its prophecies, and tremble at the certain judgment ahead. Yet their knowledge produces no repentance, only terror. Their torment is described as eternal—'for ever and ever,' the strongest phrase for unending duration in Greek. There is no annihilation, no second chance, no eventual rehabilitation. The lake of fire is the final end of all who reject God, and it was prepared first and foremost for the devil and his angels. Satan's defeat is total, his doom eternal, his kingdom utterly destroyed.