Revelation 20:10 Commentary and Bible Study

Satan who has been released from the abyss for a little season, is now cast into the lake of fire where he will spend all eternity. The abyss, which is equivalent to Hades, will be cast into the more permanent place of eternal torment. The devil, who has during his existence carried out an amount of evil that only God can measure, will receive a fitting punishment. This everlasting fire was according to Christ, prepared for the devil and his angels. His wickedness is utterly implacable. He has demonstrated not the least degree of mercy for anyone who has ever come within his power. He has shown that he would not hesitate to corrupt God himself. Therefore God has made him an eternal example of his severity and will subject him to an unimaginably terrible punishment.The devil and his angels are spirit beings without bodies. We must therefore understand the lake of fire and brimstone into which they are cast as metaphors for the torments they will endure. It is a fire suited to the nature of angels, a flame that emanates from God directly, an expression of his anger. God himself will be to those beings a consuming fire. At the same time he will preserve them in existence to continue their punishment. The saints will witness this awful spectacle and it will be the backdrop to the amazing mercy that we receive as believers. It will reveal to us the horror of what Christ endured on our behalf. It will show us a side of God’s character that we will be eternally protected from.The beast and the false prophet are already in the lake of fire, consigned to it in an earlier vision. This has not taken place one thousand years before, but at the same time. The visions separate out the different enemies of Christ to make their identity clearer. How long do they remain there? Forever and ever. This is required by justice. They will not cease to exist after a certain amount of time. Non-existence would of course be preferable to divine punishment, as the response of the wicked in hiding in the caves and rocks shows. But non-existence is not an option that the devil will be offered. God will never change Satan’s nature. He will always be evil. He will always therefore deserve punishment. We are soon to be told that the same punishment is reserved for all who have worshipped the beast.