What is Satan's Fate?
Argument II
God the Destroyer
QUESTION:
How can God be omnipotent and not have the power to destroy (kill) Satan and his demons?
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In an attempt to prove that Satan and his demons will ultimately be killed, some contend that because God is all powerful He can destroy anything He creates. Therefore, the great angelic creatures who reside in eternity must be subject to death—just like man is in the physical realm. They anchor this theory, not on scripture, but on the belief that because man can destroy anything he creates, the same must also be true of God. They then reason that because God made all that exists (Col. 1:16), He will always have the capacity to render total annihilation on all things in all places for all time. Here is how this reasoning was expressed in a prominent COG publication.
Advocates of the New Doctrine:
Because man is made in the image of God, he has awesome creative powers in the physical realm. Man is capable of building vast cultures, libraries, artwork, and incredible computerized mechanisms. In considering such awesome human abilities, it is important to realize that whatever man can create, he is also capable of destroying.
With the comprehension that our physical world reflects aspects of God’s spirit world, and that our powers of creation are but a faint reflection of God’s, the truth becomes obvious. If man can destroy what he creates, certainly the Almighty can also destroy anything He has created—whether it is physical or spirit
…Earlier the apostle Paul was quoted to demonstrate that the physical creation was designed to reflect spiritual truths. From this we understood that because man is made in God’s image, he has fantastic creative abilities. Further, man has the ability to destroy what he has created. Therefore, it is understood that God, who possesses supreme powers, can also destroy anything He has made.
My Response:
I'm just curious, but do those who hold this view believe God can destroy the New Jerusalem? After all, He made it (Heb. 11:10). Can He destroy the New Heavens and the New Earth? He made them as well (Rev.21). What about the Tree of Life, or His Throne and His eternal government—can God destroy them? And what about the fact that when God changes the physical universe into spirit (Rom. 8:19-23), the scriptures specifically declare that DEATH will be “NO MORE” (Rev. 21:4, see also 1Cor. 15: 26). Do those who embrace this new doctrine believe God could rescind that decree and then obliterate everything, if He so desired?
And what about God’s great moral code, the Ten Commandments—laws that reflect His wisdom and His virtue? Can the Creator of that law destroy it without compromising His own MORAL CORE? Can He declare evil to be good and good to be evil like man does (Isa. 5:20)? Can He declare tyranny and oppression to be virtues while humility and love are sins? After all, He is the architect of goodness. Can He destroy that as well?
Additionally, what about God’s Church? Christ specifically identified Himself as its builder. He also declared that death has no power over it (Mt. 16:18). Can this promise be broken? After all, according to this particular argument, God can break anything.
Or, Can He?
Contrary to what some believe, there are many things God literally CANNOT do—not simply because He chooses not to do them, but because to do so would go totally contrary to everything He is. Consider just a few examples. The scriptures tell us that unlike man, “God CANNOT be tempted with evil” (Jas. 1:13). The Greek word in this verse is “apeirastos” and is rendered “incapable of being tempted” (See: Companion Bible). At this point it is important to understand that God’s incapacity in this regard is not a reflection of weakness. It is a reflection of STRENGTH. In essence, God’s virtue—His holiness, is so great it CANNOT be compromised by ANYTHING.
The Bible also tells us that God cannot lie (Titus 1:2, Heb. 6:18), He cannot render unrighteous judgment (Job 34:12), He cannot oppress the weak, torment widows, or afflict the innocent. Furthermore, He cannot kill that which He ordained to live forever. In truth, those who embrace this new teaching would have to admit that there is not one syllable in God’s word suggesting that created spirits (angels) have ever suffered one fatality, let alone a fatality at the hands of their Maker. This is because to do so would require God to compromise His own moral core, and that is impossible—even for Him. It is true that Jesus Christ divested Himself of incorruption in order to die for mankind, however, His story actually proves that ONLY the true God can do such a thing—a fact that will be addressed in a later argument (See: Argument V).
Man and His power to Destroy
At this point, it is interesting to note that those who invoke man’s destructive ability when attempting to prove that God has the same power, fail to take their reasoning to its logical conclusion. For example: If this argument is correct, then the answer to each of the following questions would have to be: “NO.” However, even under that scenario God still wouldn’t be omnipotent—because He would lack the power to build something that is completely beyond death. With that said, how would you answer these queries?
1. Can God create something that is totally beyond destruction?
2. Can God create something in which death has absolutely no power?
3. Can God create something that cannot be made to rust, corrode or fade away?
4. Can God create something without any flaw or blemish whatsoever?
5. Can God create beings that cannot die regardless of their circumstances?
The point to this illustration should be clear. Those who embrace this new doctrine would have to answer “NO” to every question because they believe God’s ultimate power is reflected in His ability to DESTROY. On the other hand, those who reject this new doctrine would have to answer “YES” because they believe God’s ultimate power is reflected in His ability to CREATE.
How Human Nature Influences this Argument
In one sense, the belief that God can destroy anything is understandable because it is offered by mortals who have a natural fear of losing control. This is why man is always reticent to surrender power—and to him, the ultimate power is over life itself. Therefore, God must always have the power to KILL.
However, this is not how God thinks. He does not fear surrendering power. In truth, that is exactly what He intends to do to every citizen of His Eternal Kingdom—He will bestow upon them HIS POWER over death. Furthermore, this is exactly what He did when creating the spirit realm so very long ago.
Here is the POINT
The real issue with respect to all spirit beings is WHERE they will reside for all eternity, not IF they will reside for all eternity. The later has already been decided by God when he made these majestic creatures out of that which cannot perish. The former however, is up to these great spirits themselves. If they choose to honor God, they will serve Him and His Kingdom forever. If they choose to rebel against their Creator, they will spend eternity in confinement and isolation (Jude 13, Rev.20:10). Either way they will live forever because God ordained it to be so.
A Final Thought about Man and God
The obvious reason man can destroy everything he makes is not because he is powerful. It is because he is WEAK. In other words, he completely lacks the capacity to build something that is totally beyond destruction. God on the other hand, can do just that—which comes in very handy when your goal is to create the infinite.
The bottom line is this. Some arguments, such as the one just addressed, illustrate why it is foolish to compare the WEAKNESS of mankind to the GREATNESS of his Creator. In truth, God is indestructible. He is IMMORTAL. And He is perfectly capable of building a kingdom that reflects those very traits. He has done so in the past and we have His promise He will do so again in the future. (See: Revelation 21).
Argument III