Satan’s first deception is still effective and working today. I wrote this in response to Larry’s comment on a news website.
Here is Larry’s comment that was met with a great deal of opposition:
“Let me say to you. God is not going to allow the existence of sin in his universe It will be obliterated. He is not going to listen to the screams of torture from a fire for eternity. It is unnecessary. He is going to obliterate every soul whose sin as not been redeemed because they refuse to believe the Gospel of Christ. Their sin and the sin of the world will disappear forever. He will judge and consume the sinner instantly and in totality. He has other plans for happiness and joy in eternity.” – Larry
Me:
Larry, very well said. Very few Christians consider Ezekiel 28:11-19 and that GOD has promised to completely destroy Satan; as in he will cease to exist.
“…and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.”
“…and never shalt thou be any more.”
It’s very sad that the very deception that Satan used to trick Eve into committing the first sin of mankind continues to perpetuate in our modern Christian Churches today. Genesis 3:1-4
“Yea, hath God said…?”
“And the serpent said unto the woman,
Ye shall not surely die:”
Yes GOD did say it.
Yes death really means complete death of body and spirit (soul).
Eternal life is only promised to covenant keeping born again believers who are in faith continuing in daily confession and repentance (per Jesus Christ and the Lord’s Prayer).
Eternal damnation is an everlasting punishment because people will cease to exist forever without any further remedy offered or given ever again, it’s a permanent and complete destruction as you said.
Jesus warned:
Matthew 10:28
“And fear not them which kill the body,
but are not able to kill the soul:
but rather fear HIM
which is able TO DESTROY
BOTH SOUL AND BODY in hell.”
Below are the symbolic statements of these facts of a complete death and destruction of soul/spirit and body in Hell, as Jesus promised will happen at the final judgement.
“Where their worm dieth not,
and the fire is not quenched.”
“…And the smoke of their torment
ascendeth up for ever and ever…”
Remember GOD will completely destroy Satan and he will cease to exist. So this “everlasting fire” (the symbolism) doesn’t continue to torment them forever, but instead they will forever be destroyed not have everlasting life (the actual thing that’s being represented by the symbol). “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” and “the wages of sin is death” just like GOD said (and Satan knows it’s true despite what he said in Genesis chapter 3).
“…Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels..”
Finally after that final judgement destruction, GOD has promised that the last enemy that will be destroyed will be death itself. Death only came as the consequence of sin, it is a curse and it will be permanently removed after it has accomplished its purpose of ridding sin out of all creation.
1Corinthians 15:26
“The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.”
Revelation 21:4-8
“And GOD shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And HE that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And He said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
He said death, not life.