Christians are to hate sin and its effects—and we do (Zechariah 8:17; Romans 8:12-13; Colossians 3:5-8; Revelation 2:6), while unbelievers often love their sin (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12). Believers hate sin because it’s an offense against our holy God and it harms our walk with Christ. Christians would love to see Satan and his demons cast into the lake of fire immediately. Is that possible? Can demons be cast into the lake of fire now?
When Will Demons Be Cast into the Lake of Fire?
Many of us wonder why God doesn’t just toss Satan and the demons into the lake of fire now. God has a reason and purpose for everything, and He wastes nothing. Satan’s and the demons’ demise is a case in point. God will not cast them into the lake of fire until the time He determined from before time began. Does the Bible specify when that time might be?
We don’t know the time of God’s final wrath against Satan and his demons because only God knows that day. But God allows demons’ influence until Christ returns as a time (while Christ builds His church) of testing for true faith, growth in perseverance, and so God gets the glory (more on that below).
Colossians 1:16 tells us, “For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him.” Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” [italics added] All things includes the demons’ schemes.
God is still using Christ’s humiliation and victory on the cross to overcome the evil ones through the saints. Christ gets the glory as He completely shames Satan and the demons (Colossians 2:15) and as the saints persevere through trials and suffering. Christ is building His church, and “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).
As we suffer, His sufferings are still being filled up in His church to make us complete in His joy (Philippians 2:1-11). Christ continues to demonstrate His victory over Satan and the demons through His building up of the church. God turns the suffering of the saints around for His glory. And His victory contributes to the demons’ shame (Colossians 2:15).
Jesus Christ, the Alpha and the Omega (Revelation 22:13), will be completely honored at the demons’ demise because of His character and because He is the King of righteous suffering. We, His church, share in His suffering (2 Timothy 1:8; 2:3; 2 Peter 5:9-11), and He will display His matchless might when He casts Satan and his demons into the lake of fire. For us, our joy will be complete in Christ’s exaltation.
Think of how God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. The ultimate reason was so God would get the glory for the deliverance of the Jews, and so His name would be magnified. God also allowed the Egyptian magicians to mimic God’s plagues, but God showed Himself greater. He is superior to any wiles of evil all the time—from the first evil act to the final vestige of evil Satan can perpetrate, God’s name will be magnified.
God is sovereign over all His creation. Satan and the demons are created beings and are under God’s control. God holds Satan with a long chain; He allows him room to try to tempt Christians. As we persevere (Ephesians 6:18), we will overcome him by the power of Jesus in our lives (Ephesians 1:19-23; 1 John 2:14), and Christ is glorified (2 Corinthians 4:15-18). The demons are continually defeated by God’s power working in and through us, which allows more of God’s glory to shine forth. As we Christians struggle and persevere and overcome, more of God’s glory is manifested in their ongoing defeat than if He’d removed the demons before. God is glorified as He sanctifies us.
God allows Satan to continue to exist and doesn’t instantly send him and his demons to the lake of fire because it’s a greater display of God's power and grace. We are able to choose to follow God in the face of the presence of evil, which strengthens our faith and love for God and glorifies Him.
What is the Lake of Fire According to the Bible?
The Bible describes the lake of fire as the final destination for Death, Hades, Satan and his demons, and those who reject Christ as Savior and Lord (Revelation 19:20; 20:10, 14, 15).
A closer look at the lake of fire in Revelation 19:11-20 reveals visions that symbolize the final and ultimate battle between Christ and Satan’s demonic forces. Christ fulfills prophecy when He vanquishes all evil and returns to reign on earth (Revelation 20:10).
The verses in Revelation tell us all evil things and people will be thrown into the lake of fire. Some translate the lake of fire as Gehenna, a place of eternal punishment for the wicked. Included in the purge are Death and Hades, the places where the evil ones (both demons and unsaved people) are banished until Christ returns.
Whether or not the lake of fire is a literal location or a metaphor for something else, the biblical imagery is scary at best and terrifying at worst. Who would want to end up in such a place? Jesus called it “the fiery furnace,” where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:42). He also called it “the eternal fire” (Matthew 18:8; 25:41), and “hell, 'where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched’” (Mark 9:47-48).
Throughout the Bible, the word “fire” is often used to denote God’s anger and the judgment that flows from His anger. Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary tells us, “Because of fire's heat and destructive capacity, it frequently appears in the Bible as a symbol of God's anger and of the judgment and destruction that sometimes are extensions of that anger. The psalmist employs fire as a simile for divine displeasure when he asks the Lord, "How long will your wrath burn like fire?" (Psalm 89:46). Isaiah, referring to God's coming in judgment, sees Him "coming with fire" and bringing down His rebuke "with flames of fire" (66:15). Jeremiah says in reference to the destruction of Jerusalem that Yahweh "poured out his wrath like fire" (Lamentations 2:4).”
The lake of fire is most likely an image which directs us to a truth much more terrifying. The unsaved, wicked dead are right now suffering God’s wrath, and they’d do anything to get out of the lake of fire as represented in the Bible. To them, a lake of fire probably looks like cool water compared to the torment of where they are. The word “fire” is used not to make something trouble-free sound dreadful, but to make the extremely dreadful sound similar to what it truly is.
What Does Scripture Say about the Fate of Demons?
No one has ever existed who has more authority to speak of the judgment of demons than Jesus. Nearly everything said about the place of their eternal judgment (the lake of fire) was uttered by Him.
The destiny of demons is specifically noted in the Bible; the demons won’t escape God’s judgment. Jesus is explicit in His description of where demons will go, “Then He will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). This fire will never be quenched.
Matthew 8:28-34 records a time when Jesus traveled to the country of the Gadarenes (cf. Mark 5:1-20; Luke 8:26-39). When He arrived, two demon-possessed men met Him, “And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”
Three things stand out from that verse.
- The demons recognize Jesus as Who He is.
- They realize torment is coming for them.
- God has scheduled a particular time for demons to be cast into the lake of fire, and they knew the time was not yet.
We must realize God will not only cast the demons into the lake of fire, but He will also cast Satan, the beast, the false prophet noted in Revelation (Revelation 19:10), Death and Hades (Revelation 20:14), and all who reject Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord (Revelation 19:10; 20:15).
Their end is coming, and once it happens, there’s no going back (Matthew 25:41).
How Should Christians Respond to Demonic Influence Today?
The Bible tells us, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). Demons are fallen angels—those who followed Satan in his hateful, pride-filled rebellion against the Lord God.
We cannot see the demons at work but we know demonic influence is everywhere. They have free rein in the hearts and minds of unbelievers, but they cannot thwart God’s plan for His people, the church. The passage that immediately follows Ephesians 6:12 is our victorious armor as won and secured by the Lord Jesus. Scripture calls it the full armor of God, and we are told to put it on in our fight against the insidious wiles of the demonic forces (Ephesians 6: 13-18).
Remember, demons cannot possess believers, so any attack against a Christian will always stem from external forces (people and/or circumstances). We need to remember Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Also, take demonic activity seriously, but don’t consider them as undefeatable foes; Christ has already defeated them.
The Lord God has given us the means to not only discern demonic influence but to fight it. In addition to our full armor of God, prayer is our best offense and defense, and the Lord is greater in you than Satan, who is in the world (1 John 4:4). Another wise option is to submit to God and flee from demonic influence (James 4:7). Joseph did that very thing when tempted by Potiphar’s wife (Genesis 39:7-12; Acts 7:90).
When a brother or sister is confronted by demonic influence, you can counsel them to submit to God and to flee (James 4:7). Regular fellowship and accountability, though, would have us prepare every day with our full armor. The Apostle Paul finished the section in Ephesians 6 by telling the church to be, “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18).
There’s no better place to go than God’s Word for wisdom to respond to demonic influence. In that same vein, gather with other mature believers and counsel each other from the Word.
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