CHAPTER 6: THE FUTURE OF ANGELS AND FALLEN ANGELS
What is the fate of Satan and the demons? After Christ returns, Satan and the demons will be banished, unable to harm or influence humans for 1,000 years. In Revelation 20:1-3 the place of Satan’s imprisonment is called the “bottomless pit” or “abyss” (New Revised Standard Version) or “pit” (New International Version), a place of restraint so that they cannot roam the earth, wreak havoc or deceive humans.
This future binding of Satan is portrayed by one of God’s annual holy days. Leviticus 16:15-22 describes a ceremony on the Day of Atonement. Two goats were involved—one representing Christ, and the other, Satan. The goat representing Christ was slain (as, indeed, Christ was slain). The goat representing Satan remained alive, but was forcefully taken out to the wilderness, away from people. (See our online article “The Day of Atonement: Removing the Enemy, Reconciling All to God.”)
The fate of this second goat foreshadowed what will happen to Satan after Christ returns:
“He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while” (Revelation 20:2-3).
This is described in verses 7-8:
“Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth.”
After Satan’s (and the demons’) release and renewed efforts to thwart God’s plan, “the devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are” (verse 10). The word are, appearing in some Bibles, should instead say “were cast,” as these two humans—the beast and false prophet—will be cast into a fire and burned up at the beginning of the Millennium, as shown in Revelation 19:20.
Christ also pointed to the post-Millennium fire as the means by which all unrepentant humans will eventually meet their second—or permanent—death. “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels’” (Matthew 25:41).
The devil and his angels are spirit and will not die. This fire is not their final fate. At some point, God will banish them to the eternal fate of their judgment. This is what is meant by the rest of verse 10 in Revelation 20: “And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” Jude 1:6, 13 and 2 Peter 2:17 allude to their eternal fate to live in the “blackness of darkness forever.”
Recall the episode in Matthew 8 of the two men possessed with many demons. They had cried out to Christ, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” (verse 29). They did not say, “Have you come here to kill us before the time?” As previously explained, angels, including those that sinned, were created immortal and will not die (as Christ also made clear in Luke 20:35-36).
Their ultimate punishment will be spending eternity in a condition of imprisonment and irrelevance—unable to influence anyone.
The future of the holy angels
In the final years of this age, the holy angels will play crucial roles in prophesied events to occur prior to Christ’s return to the earth. Their tasks will include administering plagues and sounding the seven trumpets. You can read about these events in Revelation chapters 6-16.
Jesus Christ will return to earth to save His creation and to take over rulership of the earth. “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory” (Matthew 25:31).
Just think about this fantastic procession of Christ and those millions of angels approaching the earth! Revelation 19:14 also describes this momentous event: “And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.”
The angels will then assist Christ with various details of ushering in God’s government over the earth. One of those tasks will be gathering together His faithful saints. “And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matthew 24:31).
This brings us back to one of the primary reasons God created angels. Recall that Hebrews 1:14, in referring to angels, states, “Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?” Even knowing that we shall one day be made higher than them, those angels humbly and diligently serve us now on God’s behalf.
It is incredible to think about these angels who have been dispatched by God to serve us. They saw when we were born, watched us through the years as we grew up, and will continue serving after we die. And they have been doing this for generation after generation, century after century. They will no doubt rejoice when they see the humans whom they have served resurrected back to life.
Angels will no doubt continue serving those divine, spirit-born members of God’s family in various ways for eternity.