What is Satan's Fate?

Argument VIII

"You Shall be No More"

QUESTION:

Didn’t God declare that Satan would eventually cease to exist when He said, “never shall you be any more”?

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Recently, a small but well established Christian fellowship published a work concerning the spirit realm and its role relative to God’s judgment. Although they presented numerous points, they identified as unimpeachable evidence that Satan’s ultimate fate is total extinction (death) they supported this claim by citing one in particular Ezekiel 28:19—actually, they only employed part of this verse when making their case. Furthermore, this fellowship went so far as to assert that if the Bible said nothing else about the devil, this one statement, a clause containing just six words, would put to rest any doubt as to the mortality of history’s most diabolical being.

Here is how they expressed their view followed by my response.

Advocates of the New Doctrine:

“Further evidence of Satan’s fate is found in verse 19 of this same chapter. There, God makes the devil’s fate absolutely clear by stating:”

“All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shaltthoubeany more.” (Ezekiel 28:19)

“If the answer to the question, “can spirit die,” WERE ONLY BASED on this passage, we would have enough evidence to reach the proper conclusion. Spirit can be destroyed, and Satan will ultimately suffer this fate.” 

My Response:

Although sincere believers present this argument as unassailable proof that Satan will be totally eradicated from existence, this is simply not true—for two reasons.  First, God’s Church has long understood that the Scripture these COG leaders cite is NOT referring to Satan at all, but rather to the physical leader of Tyre—and the complexion of this entire chapter bears this out. Consider the following:

A Close Examination of Ezekiel 28

When examining Ezekiel 28 in its entirety, it is clear that the subject is initially a man—the "prince of Tyre" (Ezekiel 28:2). It then transitions to Satan, the "king of Tyre" (Ezekiel 28:12), who is influencing the man. It then returns back to Satan's human instrument, the "prince of Tyre" (Ezekiel 28:18-19) and his fate—NOT SATAN’S FATE as some mistakenly believe. God’s pronouncement on this man and his kingdom begins in verse 18 which declares that the Almighty will bring forth a fire from their midst.

Ezekiel 28:18

“Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; 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.”

A Second Witness

The prophecy of this fire as well as the identity of its intended target is actually provided in the book of Amos. Notice this prophet’s words.

Amos 1:9-10

“Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Tyrus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom, and remembered not the brotherly covenant: But I will send a fire on the wall of Tyrus, which shall devour the palaces thereof.”

Further Evidence

However, there is even more compelling evidence that God's pronouncement in Ezekiel 28:19 refers to the physical city of Tyre and its leader, as opposed to Satan and his demons. Furthermore, this evidence comes directly from the pen of Ezekiel himself two chapters earlier. There, the ETERNAL makes a pronouncement on them which is remarkably similar to the verse in question. In this prophecy, He declares that this prominent city would become totally desolate—never to be any more. Consider how God’s prophet conveys this decree.

Ezekiel 26:19-21

“For thus says the Lord GOD; When I shall make thee a desolate city, like the cities that are not inhabited; when I shall bring up the deep upon thee, and great waters shall cover thee;

When I shall bring thee down with them that descend into the pit, with the people of old time, and shall set thee in the low parts of the earth, in places desolate of old, with them that go down to the pit, that thou be not inhabited; and I shall set glory in the land of the living;
I will make thee (Tyre) a terror, and thou shall be no more: though thou be sought for, yet shalt thou never be found again, says the Lord GOD.”

Everything in this chapter is directed toward the destruction of the literal city of Tyre—the same city that taunted the Jews and mocked the destruction of Jerusalem. God's judgment(s) on them was forceful and direct. Here was the essence of His decree.

The Fate of Tyre
Ezekiel 26

• Many nations would come against it (Ezekiel 28:3)
• Its walls would be broken down (Ezekiel 28:4)
• Dust would be scraped from her, and she would be like a bare rock Ezekiel 28:4)
• It would be a place for the spreading of nets (Ezekiel 28:5)
• Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, would build a siege wall around it (Ezekiel 28:8)        
• He would plunder the city (Ezekiel 28:9-12)
• The city would be cast into the sea (Ezekiel 28:12)
• The city would never be rebuilt (Ezekiel 28:14)

The Fulfillment

The fulfillment of God's words concerning Tyre began with Nebuchadnezzar of Chaldea and was completed by the Greco Macedonian commander, Alexander the Great. According to verifiable history, Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to the city for thirteen years, leaving it in ruins. During this campaign its inhabitants fled to a small island approximately a half mile offshore. Because the channel separating it from the mainland was only twenty feet deep it became impossible for large war ships with an invading army to navigate. Furthermore, the walls of the island were absolutely immense, climbing as much as 150 feet above the water’s surface—thus making the new city appear to be totally protected from future attack.

Enter Alexander the Great

Two hundred and fifty years after Nebuchadnezzar's siege, Alexander stopped at Tyre after defeating Sidon and advancing toward Egypt. Although his intentions were at first benign, that was about to change. Upon his arrival, delegates from the city assured him that Tyre was at his disposal. At this point Alexander expressed his desire to take advantage of their good will and requested permission to offer a sacrifice to the pagan god, Heracles. Unfortunately, Tyre declined his request. According to David Chandler in his book Alexander 334-323-B.C:

"[Alexander] put their goodwill to the test by expressing his wish to sacrifice at the shrine of Heracles inside the city; for the Tyrians recognized a Phoenician god who was identified by the Greeks as Heracles, and from this deity Alexander claimed descent.”

‘Tyrian goodwill unfortunately did not extend so far as to grant him the permission he sought. In short, they would not admit him into the city." (David Chandler, Alexander 334-323 B.C., p. 41).

The leaders of Tyre felt so secure in their “impenetrable” home that they audaciously killed Alexander’s envoys and threw their bodies from the top of its walls into the sea.

A Big Mistake

This act so infuriated Alexander that he determined to build a land crossing to the island in order for his troops to CRUSH it and its inhabitants. It has been estimated by historians that this land crossing was absolutely massive—measuring 200 feet wide. Furthermore, it was constructed from the very stones and timber of the old city—in direct fulfillment of God's pronouncement (Ezekiel 26:12).

The siege of the island lasted seven months concluding in July 332 B.C. The result was its utter destruction. Furthermore, the human toll was absolutely staggering. Over 7,000 of its citizens died in battle. Of the remaining survivors 30,000 were sold into slavery and 2,000 men of military age were crucified.

Alexander’s victory brought about the TOTAL annihilation and permanent end of Tyre—just as God had predicted. From that day till the present, this Phoenician city has ceased to exist—although its’ name has been claimed by others.

Returning to Ezekiel 28:18-19

Some have argued that the context of Ezekiel 28 demands that verses 18-19 be applied to the king of Tyre (Satan)—not the prince of Tyre (the physical king). This view is based on the belief that there exists no transitional phrase back to the prince. In other words, God's judgment clearly shifts from the prince to the king in verse 11, but never appears to shift back. Although this observation is true, it is incomplete. This is because the true context is both scriptural and historical. In other words, the actual prophecy and its historical fulfillment must be reconciled with each other—and it appears there is only one way this can be accomplished. First, notice that in verse 18 God identifies the specific trespass committed by the one He is addressing.

Ezekiel 28:18

“Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick…“

At this point it is interesting to note that king Hiram of Tyre, played a significant role in the building of the Temple in Jerusalem during the time of Solomon (See: 1 Kings 5:1-18). However, the friendship between the Jews and Tyre ended when King Ahab married Jezebel, the daughter of King Ethbaal of Sidon (See: I Kings 16:31). Later, during the time of Joel, Tyre actually filled its own sanctuaries with treasures from God’s house. Because of this, the Almighty promised retribution. Notice His words.

Joel 3:4-5

“Indeed, what have you to do with Me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the coasts of Philistia? Will you retaliate against Me? But if you retaliate against Me, swiftly and speedily I will return your retaliation upon your own head; because you have taken My silver and My gold, and have carried into your temples My prized possessions.”

The bottom line is this. Any mystery concerning Ezekiel 28:18-19 is actually solved when examined in the context of Joel 3 and Ezekiel 26. In both cases God clearly identifies the subject of His prophecy as a city and its leader—NOT the devil as these advocates mistakenly assert.

A Second Possibility

Fulfilled in Part

At this point it is interesting to note that if these verses (Ezekiel 28:18-19) refer to Satan as some claim, they will actually be fulfilled in part, during the millennium, when the devil is bound up for a thousand years (See: Revelation 20: 1-3). At that time, all the terror he has inflicted on this world will be replaced with righteous judgment. The result will be unimaginable peace and prosperity—as well as the hope and optimism that come with it. When speaking of this time, the Scriptures make it absolutely clear that God’s Kingdom does not require that Satan be eradicated in order for it to thrive and prosper. The only thing that will have to be eradicated is Satan’s access to it. Fortunately, that is exactly what the Almighty has declared will happen. The devil’s influence on the ALMIGHTY’S millennial government will be non-existent. Why?—because this great KING will exile him to a desolate place (an abyss) where he will remain powerless for a thousand years (Revelation 20:1-3).

A Final Thought

At this point, it is significant to note that many who believe in the mortality of Satan and his demons also assert that what takes place in the human experience is a reflection of what takes place in the spirit realm—and these particular authors are no different. Therefore, they reason that because human beings, who set their will to defy God, will be killed in the Lake of Fire, the same fate must befall Satan and his demons. Although it is true that there are parallels between the physical and spiritual realms, these parallels are not identical.  However, they do present some interesting problems to those who embrace this new doctrine. For example: If God intends to kill Satan, why doesn’t He do so at the beginning of the millennium—and simply resurrect him at its conclusion? Why does the Almighty instead, bind him up and TOTALLY neutralize his influence (Revelation 20:2-3)? Furthermore, if Satan perishes in the second death, why is there absolutely no evidence of him ever dying a first time? 

At this point, it is also interesting to note that virtually every human who is cast into the Lake of Fire, will have died at least once during their physical life. There is NOT one exception (Hebrews 9:27). This fact is made even more intriguing when one considers that virtually every Spirit Being who is cast into the Lake of Fire will NEVER have died. However, every one of them will have been imprisoned and totally isolated from God’s KINGDOM or HIS PEOPLE at some point prior to their final judgment. In other words, unlike man, these evil spirits have NEVER experienced death. And unlike Satan and his demons, no man will ever have been imprisoned alive in Tartaroo (See: 2 Peter 2:4) or the great abyss (Revelation 20:1-4). This now begs a question: What is it about Satan and his demons that require them to experience protracted isolation prior to being cast into the Lake of Fire, while man must experience death before being subjected to the same fate? In other words, why must these two beings be treated differently if their final judgment is identical?—Unless, of course, it isn’t identical at all.

Argument IX

Tormenting the Devil

DIRECTORY