What is Satan's Fate?

Argument XI

Refuting Luke 20:36

QUESTION:

Aren’t Jesus’ words being taken out of context when He said that angels cannot die?

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Just days before His arrest, trial and crucifixion, Jesus became engaged in a series of debates with some of the leading religious minds gathered in Jerusalem for the Passover. One such group consisted of the Sadducees. These spiritual thinkers didn’t believe in a resurrection and they were committed to proving their point to the Messiah. They did so by presenting a hypothetical scenario involving a woman who was lawfully married at different times to seven different brothers. The marriages were necessitated by the death of each preceding brother (husband). After presenting their scenario, they asked Jesus the following question:

To which of her husbands will she be married in the resurrection?” (Matthew 22:28, Mark 12:18-23, Luke 20:27-33).

The Sadducees probably thought they had the Messiah intellectually trapped with their “test.” This is because these men presupposed that life in the resurrection (something they did not believe in) was an exact counterpart to earthly life where levirate laws governing marriage applied. Therefore, if their conclusion was accurate (as they obviously thought it was) then:

• The woman in their scenario would be guilty of adulterous marriages because, in the resurrection, all of her husbands would be alive at the same time (See: Leviticus 18:16; 20:21). Or,
• She would have to be designated as the wife of one of the brothers; and if so, which one? Or,
• The whole notion of a resurrection was absurd (which is the point the Sadducees were pressing.

Jesus responded to this query by providing an explanation that not only addressed their specific test, but also cuts deeply into the issue of the mortality of Spirit Beings and the ultimate fate of Satan and his demons. Notice His words.

Luke 20:34-36

“And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: NEITHER CAN THEY DIE ANY MORE: FOR THEY ARE EQUAL TO THE ANGELS; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.”

With this response the Messiah was revealing that in the resurrection God’s people will have at least two things in common with Spirit Beings. First, they will not be given in marriage and second, they will be immortal—in other words, like the angels, they CANNOT die.

Although it has been the long held position of God’s Church that this verse proves the immortality of all Spirit Beings—including demons, some now see it differently. One particular COG presents five points intended to prove that the Church has been mistaken in its understanding. These five points are as follows:

Five Rebuttals

1)  Other scriptures reveal that Jesus’ words cannot be taken literally.

2)  The angels referred to by the Messiah are limited to righteous angels who are a part of God’s Eternal Kingdom. This would obviously exclude Satan and his demons.

3)  The context of Jesus’ statement clearly reveals that the issue is marriage and the resurrection, not Satan’s fate.

4)  Luke wrote earlier that Satan and his demons were destined for total destruction. Therefore, Jesus couldn’t possibly be saying that demons cannot die.

5)  Jesus’ words to the Sadducees regarding not dying only referred to resurrected human beings, not Spirit Beings.

Below is how this Church expresses each of these points followed by my response.

Advocates of the New Doctrine:

Point I

Other scriptures reveal that Jesus’ words
cannot be taken literally.

“Consider that Christ is not making an exact equation in His statement. He is NOT addressing every similarity or difference between the angels and the resurrected saints. Jesus expected his listeners to understand His intended meaning from the context of the dialogue.”

“For example, Christ states that those in the first resurrection do not marry, but the saints actually do marry. They wed Christ at the marriage supper of the Lamb which takes place after their resurrection (Rev. 19:7-9). Thus, Jesus did not mean that the saints will not marry Him. We are expected to understand that Christ only meant that the resurrected saints will no longer marry one another.”

“In another example, Jesus also says that those who are in the first resurrection will be “equal to angels.” However, He did not mean that they will be identical to them. We know from other verses that the saints will be superior in beauty, power, and authority. In fact, those in the first resurrection will ultimately judge angels (Heb. 2:5-12; 1Cor. 6:3).”

“Thus, it should be absolutely clear. Christ’s intended meaning was simply that, in the resurrection, the saints will be like the angels in that they will be composed of spirit and no longer be flesh and blood.” 

My Response:

This point is presenting, what in legal parlance, is referred to as a “misdirect” or, “non-sequitur.” It is intended to have you look one place in order for you to not look at another. In this case, those making it want you to believe that Jesus’ words are “technically” incorrect. After all, according to Scripture, the saints WILL marry even though Jesus said they WOULDN’T. Additionally, the saints WILL be above the angels even though Jesus said they would be “EQUALS”. The intent of this approach is really quite simple. Those who advance it want you to believe that if Jesus’ words regarding marriage and equality with angels, in the resurrection, cannot be taken literally, neither should His pronouncement regarding the immortality of these great spirits.

Although this point may sound plausible, neither of its observations is correct. First, consider the assertion regarding the marriage of the saints and how it technically contradicts Jesus’ claim that there will not be marriage in the kingdom. In truth, when the Messiah made His statement, He was addressing a specific question advanced by the Sadducees. His sole point was to explain that their understanding of life in the resurrection was incorrect because the citizens of God’s Kingdom do not marry at all. Therefore, their scenario was irrelevant.

However, at this point, it is important to understand that Jesus’ words are not contradicted by the marriage recorded in Revelation 19 either. This is because the saints will not individually marry Christ in His Father’s Kingdom. In other words, there will not be 144,000 weddings, nor will Jesus be engaged in a polygamous relationship with His Church. The book of Revelation describes His wedding this way.

Revelation 19:7

“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.”

Notice that this verse does mot say Jesus’ WIVES have made THEMSELVES ready. This is because there is only ONE bride—HIS CHURCH—and ONLY ONE wedding. This fact is reinforced by the apostle Paul in his epistle to the Church at Ephesus. In it, he explains that the relationship between a husband and wife in this life pictures a transcendent relationship between Christ and His Church—NOT CHURCHES, in the next (See: Ephesians. 5:31-32).

At this point, it is interesting to note that when Jesus told the Sadducees that people will not marry in the resurrection, He used the term “THEY” (plural). However, every mention of the future marriage of Christ in Scripture identifies ONLY one bride (singular).  The point here is that the saints will not individually marry Christ nor will they marry each other, which is a perfect response to the question proffered by the Messiah’s antagonists. Therefore, there is no contradiction in Jesus statement—technical or otherwise. In truth His response contained absolute PRECISION. 

“Equal to the Angels”

We now come to Jesus’ statement regarding those in the resurrection being “equal” to angels. According to the fellowship making this particular argument, this statement is also technically incorrect. They base this opinion on the understanding that because the saints will JUDGE angels (1 Corinthians 6:3) they would have to be OVER them, NOT “equal” with them. Therefore, once again, Jesus’ words are “technically” inaccurate and thus, cannot be taken literally.

The problem with this argument is that Jesus NEVER, EVER, EVER said that people in the resurrection will be EQUAL to angels. That’s right! The Messiah never uttered such a thing. In truth, the word “equal” in this verse (Luke 20:36) was provided by King James translators. The actual word recorded by Luke is Isaggelos. According to Strong’s Concordance this term has only one rendering. It means “LIKE” the angels (See: Strong’s G2465)—NOT “equal” to them. The point to this is thatChrist wasn’t addressing the issue of organizational hierarchies in God’s Kingdom; He was addressing what it would be LIKE to be a part of that kingdom. Here, the Messiah was simply explaining that those who are citizens in God’s Eternal Realm will not marry nor will they die. In this regard they are just LIKE angels. Furthermore, it is the way angels have always been.

An Interesting Observation

Finally, this fellowship makes a very interesting observation regarding Jesus’ “true intent” when responding to His religious antagonists. According to the advocates of this new doctrine:

“Christ’s ‘intended meaning’ was SIMPLY that, in the resurrection, the saints will be like the angels in that they will be composed of spirit and no longer be flesh and blood.”

Although this observation appears innocent, it speaks volumes regarding how some COG leaders approach this issue. Here, they subtly attempt to direct their readers away from what Jesus actually said and toward what THEY claim he actually meant. According to them, Jesus was comparing the composition of the resurrected saints to the composition of angels, but not comparing the immortality of the resurrected saints to the immortality of angels. They do this because they reject the idea that angels are immortal (See: Argument 1). This is striking when one considers that the Messiah NEVER mentions what the resurrected saints will be composed of, but DOES specifically mention their immortality and directly likens it to that of the angelic realm. In other words, Christ never mentions what this fellowship claims is His intent, but DOES specifically mention what they claim He didn’t mean.   

In truth, the Messiah was revealing a remarkable facet regarding citizenship in God’s Kingdom. When doing so He addressed two specific things that these citizens would have in common with the angelic realm: first, they will never marry and second they will never die. That’s right! Angels CANNOT DIE.

Advocates of the New Doctrine continued:

Point II

The angels referred to by the Messiah are limited to righteous angels
who are a part of God’s eternal kingdom.
This would obviously exclude Satan and his demons.

“It must also be understood that, when making this comparison, Jesus was not referring to the devil or the wicked angels. In these verses, Christ says nothing of the second death, the lake of fire, or the fate of the wicked.

“Other parallel verses clearly show us that when Christ speaks of the resurrected saints being equal to angels, He is only comparing them to the faithful angels who reside in heaven with God. This is made clear in the accounts found in the gospels of Matthew and Mark. These apostles record this very same dialogue, but they write:”

“For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.” (Matthew 22:30)

“For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.” (Mark 12:25)

“From these verses, it is clear that Christ makes a comparison between the resurrected saints and the holy righteous angels who will live with them forever in God’s Kingdom. He was not speaking of the wicked demons that inhabit the earth or those restrained in Tartaroo—the bottomless pit.” (2 Pet. 2:4)

My Response:

Although this fellowship wants to make a distinction between angels and demons with respect to Jesus’ words, no such distinction exists. God’s Church has always understood Jesus’ reference to “heaven” as referring to the incorruptible realm. In other words, He was stating that those who are a part of the resurrection are like the angels who occupy eternity. This understanding is based on several reasons including:

1)  The scriptures reveal that God’s angels are also on the earth. For example: The prophet Zechariah wrote of spirits that “…walk to and fro throughout the earth” (Zechariah 6:7). There are even examples where angels actually interact with humans such as Abraham, Lot, and Daniel in the Old Testament (See: Genesis 18 & 19, Daniel 9:21-22) and Zacharias, Mary, and John in the New Testament (See: Luke 1:19, 26-38). Furthermore, Satan himself has actually appeared before God when he (Satan) was a fallen angel (See: Job 1:6). This would have been impossible if he had not been immortal.        

2)  If Jesus’ words only pertained to righteous angels as these advocates claim then it would mean that not only will Satan and his demons die, but that they CAN MARRY and be given in marriage as well. After all, according to this point, when the Messiah said angels don’t marry He was only speaking of the righteous angels—not Satan and his demons. Therefore, His comment regarding angels not marrying must only refer to righteous angels as well. At this point, it is interesting to note that even this fellowship doesn’t believe demons marry. Furthermore, they have actually cited this verse as proof of their position.                  

3)  There is absolutely no evidence in the Scriptures even hinting that angels and demons are composed of a different kind of spirit—the very thing that makes them incorruptible. Furthermore, it is the same composition the resurrect saints will have (See: 1 Corinthians 15:51-54).            

4)  Even though Satan and his demons rebelled they never stopped being angels. Prior to his fall, Satan was a part of an angelic group referred to as “the sons of God” (See: Job. 38:7). After his rebellion he was still referred to by the same designation (See: Job 1:6). At this point it is also interesting to note that the book of Enoch refers to fallen angels as the “HOST OF HEAVEN” (See: Enoch 18:15) and "the STARS OF HEAVEN, which have transgressed the commandment of the Lord" (See: Enoch 21:6).                   

5)  There is absolutely no evidence in the Scriptures of even one casualty in the supernatural realm (angel or demon). In other words every spirit who was ever created still lives. This fact becomes more significant when one considers that these great creatures have been alive for billions of years—if not longer. Therefore, there is no evidence that they were not created immortal.                   

6)  Even if Jesus was only referring to righteous angels when responding to the Sadducees, nothing in His words suggest that Satan will die. The point the Messiah was making was that in the resurrection God’s human family will never experience death. In that regard they are like all spirit beings, which also have never (or will never) experienced death.

Note

An Interesting Theory

7)  It has also been speculated that the resurrection Jesus was referring to was the final one in which the books will be opened and Gods eternal family is selected and a new heavens and earth completed. If that is the case Satan and his demons would already have been consigned to the “blackness of darkness” forever and thus, although still alive, not a part of God’s ETERNAL KINGDOM.

God’s Word clearly states that death came by man (Adam) NOT SATAN! Therefore, in order to be condemned to die, Satan would have to be born of the flesh (John 3:3) as a descendant of Adam (I Corinthians 15:21-22)—and Jesus is the only one that can ever make that claim (See: John 1:14). (See ALSO: Argument V, From Spirit to Flesh).

Here is the point.

Virtually every piece of empirical evidence PROVES that man in his current state, is MORTAL and that spirit beings are IMMORTAL. In other words, every human being in history has (or will have) died while every angel has remained alive (Hebrews 9: 27). Furthermore, the Scriptures actually refer to man’s longevity as temporary—it is a “vapor” (James 4:14). On the other hand, there is NOTHING in the Scriptures that comes remotely close to making such a reference regarding spirit beings—and for good reason.

The bottom line is this. Jesus’ point when addressing the Sadducees was that in the resurrection God’s human family will be just like the spirit beings He created in eternity past—THEY WILL NEVER DIE.                                  

Advocates of the New Doctrine continued:   

Point III

The context clearly reveals that the issue is marriage
and the resurrection, not Satan’s fate

“In any discussion of a controversial verse in the Bible, the context of the Scriptures is the single most important factor in determining the author’s intended meaning. In this case, the context is levirate marriage and the resurrection—not the fate of the wicked angels!

“Therefore, we understand that ‘the actual point that Jesus wanted His listeners to comprehend’ was that levirate marriage would no longer apply to those raised in the first resurrection. They would never again experience the tragedy of death and find themselves in a position in which they needed to remarry (Revelation 20:6; Luke 20:35-36).”

My Response:

Advocates of the New Doctrine continued:

Point IV

Luke wrote earlier that Satan and his demons were destined for total destruction. Therefore, Jesus couldn’t possibly be saying that demons can’t die:

“Luke could never have recorded these words believing that Jesus meant the wicked angels could not be destroyed. It was Luke who actually wrote of their destruction in earlier verses of this same gospel. For example, he documented the words of the demons as they spoke to Jesus, saying:”

“Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? Art thou come to destroy us?” (Luke 4:34)

“Further, the author of this gospel understood that God would eventually destroy the spirit of wicked men in the lake of fire. Luke also quotes Jesus as saying:”

Be not afraid of them that kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.” (Luke 12:4-5)

“From these companion verses, we see the obvious truth. Luke never intended readers to conclude that the wicked angels cannot die. He understood that they would be destroyed and wrote of this reality in his gospel.”

My Response:

A Second Citation

We now come to the second citation this fellowship employs when advancing this particular point. Sadly, this one has absolutely NOTHING whatsoever to do with Satan—or any other spirit being for that matter. When the Messiah spoke of destroying the soul, He was addressing HUMAN BEINGS concerning their mortality. There isn’t even a hint that He was addressing Satan, or his demons or any other spirit beings. Furthermore, despite what many adherents of this new doctrine FALSELY assert, God’s Word FORCEFULLY declares that there is a HUGE difference between HAVING a spirit (mind) and BEING a spirit (A PERSON).

A Personal Regret

As much as it grieves me to say this I sincerely believe this entire point is a HUGE DECEPTION intended to trick God’s people into believing something their Savior NEVER, EVER, EVER intended. Furthermore, it illustrates how people can manipulate Scripture for their own purpose.

For a far more detailed examination of this particular point and how Jesus’ words regarding it have been twisted to mean something He never intended, I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE you to refer to Argument IV, “Killing the Soul” which exposes the grim reality contained in this argument.

Advocates of the New Doctrine continued:

Point V

Jesus’ words to the Sadducees regarding not dying only referred
to human beings, not spirit beings.

“A final evidence of this truth is found in the term that Luke uses for the word “die.” This unique word is “apothnēskō” in the Greek, and The Complete Wordstudy Dictionary of the New Testament by Zodhiates defines [this] term as:”

To die. Literaly, to die off, but used with the simplest meaning of to die… to die a natural death, applied to both men and animals.

“When we consider the meaning of the word used by Luke, it is further evidence that Jesus was NOT saying that the devil and his demons are immortal. Christ’s intended meaning was that those in the first resurrection will no longer grow old and die off like human beings do.”

My Response:

In all due respect to those making this point, I believe it is totally contrived. According to them, Luke uses the word “apothnesko” because Jesus’ intent concerning not dying only applied to physical beings. The problem with this logic is that it denies the obvious.

In truth, the reason Luke employed the term “apothnesko” is because death ONLY applies to physical beings—NOT spirit beings—which is the WHOLE point. When Jesus spoke regarding death, His intent was clear—man in his current corruptible state is mortal. In other words, he will DIE. However, in the resurrection that will no longer be the case. At that time he will be different—he will put on incorruption and with it immortality (1 Corinthians 15:53-54). In that state he will be just like angels have always been—he cannot die.

A Final Thought

Jesus and Satan’s Fate

Throughout this entire argument, its advocates claim that Jesus words to the Sadducees NEVER addressed Satan’s fate. This assertion is actually TRUE. In other words, when speaking to these Jewish leaders the Messiah NEVER mentions that Satan will be tormented forever. However, an apostle many regard to be His closest Friend (John), said precisely that (See: Revelations 20:10). Furthermore, Jesus NEVER mentioned that Satan would be exiled to outer darkness forever. However, Jude, the Messiah’s half-brother, said precisely that (Jude 13).

With this said, Jesus wasn’t silent concerning the angelic realm of which Satan is a part. The Messiah stated with great clarity that contrary to what this fellowship asserts, angels CANNOT die.  (Luke 20:34-36)

Argument XII

Blaming God

DIRECTORY