Ellen Chat Conversation

The appearance of Satan and the wicked after the millennium is marked by the visible consequences of sin and rebellion. While the righteous are raised in "immortal bloom," those who are part of the second resurrection bear the distinct "marks of the curse" (Hvn 123.1). These individuals return to life with the same "feeble, sickly bodies" they possessed when they entered the grave, presenting a stark contrast to the redeemed (Hvn 123.1). Satan himself undergoes a profound transformation that reflects his fall from his original state as a "covering cherub" and "son of the morning" (SH 121.2).

In the presence of the glory and majesty of Christ at the end of the millennium, he appears "degraded" and "changed" from his former status as a shining angel (SH 121.2). His condition at this time is described as being "paralyzed" as he contemplates the height from which he has fallen (SH 121.2). Throughout human history, Satan has worked to "annoy and enfeeble" the human race, leading to a steady decline in "strength and comeliness" across generations (EW 184.2).

While he often attempts to hide the "deformity of his character" by transforming himself into an "angel of light" to deceive the living, his true nature and the effects of his rebellion become inescapable in the final judgment. The cumulative effects of the curse, which have become "more visible" with every passing age, are finally fully realized in the appearance of the lost and their leader (SR 233.2).

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The concept of immortality in the heavenly courts is intrinsically linked to the principle of obedience and the preservation of divine order. Before his fall, Lucifer held the exalted position of a covering cherub, yet his continued standing in that office and his very existence were dependent upon his allegiance to the government of God (4SP 319.3). Even after he began to manifest a spirit of insubordination and spread false representations among the angels, he was not immediately stripped of his status; instead, he was repeatedly offered the opportunity to repent and submit to the Creator's authority (4SP 319.3). The origin of sin in Lucifer was rooted in self-seeking and a desire to be first, which led him to break the law of heaven and reject the authority of Christ (DA 21.3).

By casting aside the law of God, he sought to establish a system of administration that removed the necessary restraints of purity and peace from created beings (PP 78.4). This rebellion demonstrated that life and position in the presence of God are maintained through harmony with His principles, and when Lucifer stubbornly refused to return to his path of rectitude, his expulsion became a necessity to vindicate the justice and honor of the divine throne (4SP 319.3). Following his fall, Satan developed a strategic deception to obscure the truth about the nature of life and death. He instructed his angels to foster the belief in "natural immortality," a doctrine that suggests created beings possess inherent life independent of God (GC 534.1).

This error was first introduced in Eden through the lie that man would not surely die, and it was designed to lead humanity to the conclusion that sinners would endure eternal misery (1SG 114.2). By promoting the idea that the soul is naturally immortal, Satan intended to represent God as a revengeful tyrant who would preserve beings in eternal flames rather than allowing the literal fulfillment of the warning that the soul that sins shall die (1SG 114.2). Ultimately, the history of Lucifer's fall and his subsequent efforts to deceive mankind reveal that immortality is not an inherent quality of any created being, whether angelic or human. The doctrine of an eternally burning hell is described as being entirely repugnant to the character of a God of love, mercy, and justice (GrH_c 15.1).

Instead, the biblical reality is that life is a gift maintained through connection with the Creator, and the rejection of His law leads to the loss of that life, rather than a state of eternal suffering (1SG 114.2).

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