Some Universalists maintain that even the demonic horde will ultimately be redeemed and enjoy heaven.  Other Universalists deny that the demonic forces will be redeemed.  You often get different answers from different Universalists.  Is it important?  Yes, it is.

People are redeemed because they have a Redeemer, Jesus.  Jesus is God in flesh (Col. 2:9) who bore our sins in His body on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24).  Nowhere in the Bible does it state that Jesus bore the sins of demons.  Why?  Because it did not happen.

The reason this is important is that we can then see that the demonic realm does not have a savior and cannot be redeemed from their sins.  They will remain in their sins for eternity.

We see the pattern of God’s incarnation, bearing of sins, dying, resurrection, and justification by faith (Rom. 5:1).  We see that God became man. We see that Jesus was both God and man (Col. 2:9).  It was necessary that He be both God and man for a very simple and important reason.  He had to be God in order to offer a sufficiently holy and infinite sacrifice to counter the infinite offense against God that creatures commit against Him.  He had to be man in order to bear the sins of men.  He had to represent the ones for whom He atoned in order for them to be atoned for.

According to this pattern that we see in Scripture, for the demonic realm to be saved, God would have become one of them, bear their sins, and, somehow, redeem them through death or some other means that God would determine.  Yet, there is nothing in scripture to substantiate that this has or will occur.  Therefore, the demonic realm has no redeemer and their sins will be retained, forever.

But some might ask, “Could God have another means by which He saves the fallen angels?”  Yes.  He could, most anything is possible.  But mere possibilities do not make actualities.  The Bible does not provide any redemptive plan for the demonic forces.  Therefore, we can safely conclude that there is none.   Demons are not and will not be redeemed.

Reconciling the whole world

Some Universalists maintain that all the demonic forces will be redeemed because it states so in the Bible.  It doesn’t.  Nevertheless, the following are some of the verses used by the Universalists to claim that the demonic realm will be redeemed.  I’ve commented following each verse.

• 1 Cor. 15:27-28 “For He subjects all under His feet. Now whenever He may be saying that all is subject, it is evident that it is outside of Him Who subjects all to Him. Now, whenever all may be subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also shall be subjected to Him Who subjects all to Him, that God may be All in all.”
  • This is simply stating that all things will be subject to God.  Even the damned will be subject to God because in hell they are in a state of subjection to God’s judgment upon them.  It is God’s will to judge those who are unsaved.  It is according to His law and they will be subject to that righteous judgment.
• Col. 1:20, “and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.”
  • This verse does not state that the demons will be saved.  Reconciliation means to bring someone or something into a right relationship with another.  The lawful and proper relationship of the unsaved before God is damnation.  Those who are condemned to damnation are rightly condemned and their relation to God is proper.  They are eternally subjected to His judgment.
  • The demonic horde is not in heaven.  This is speaking of God reconciling His people to Himself — those who who have died and gone to be with God and those who are still living in this world.  But, it is only the Christian who is redeemed.  Those who reject Christ are not.
• Rom. 8:19-22, “For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope ²¹that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. ²²For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.”
  • Does creation have a will?  No, it does not.  Obviously, we have figurative usage here.  This is dealing with creation as a whole — earth, sky, animals, stars, etc.  All of creation was affected by Adam’s sin because Adam was the one who was in charge of it.  Since Adam’s sin (and the sins of his progeny) are cleansed, then that which Adam represented is also cleansed; namely, creation.  Creation did not have a redeeming sacrifice for its sin since creation did not sin.  Rather, as sin entered the world through Adam, when all sin is finally dealt with, its effect will be removed from the creation that was given to Adam in his dominion authority.
  • The angels who fell were not under Adam’s representation.  They had their own freedom to choose what they wanted to do.  They willingly sinned.  They willingly rebelled.  And, they have no propitiation, no atoning sacrifice to have their sins forgiven.
  • Also, note that “all creation” does not always mean every created thing.  Look at Mark 16:15; Jesus said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” All creation here is not inclusive of the planets, stars, nebulae, nor the angels.  We are told to preach the gospel to people.  And consider Col. 1:23, “. . . the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven. . . ” This is not speaking of angels, planets, etc.  It is a representative usage of people all over the place.

Why is this important?

The Lake of Fire was created for the devil and his angels.  The devil and his fallen angels have no redeeming sacrifice the way we do.  The demonic forces will be cast into hell and since they are not forgiven, their punishment is without end.  Likewise, we see that people are also thrown into the Lake of Fire.  Since the angels’ condemnation is without end in the Lake of Fire, so too is the punishment delivered to those people who are also cast into that very same lake.

• Matt. 25:41, “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.
• Rev. 20:14-15, And death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. ¹⁵And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
• Mark 9:43, “And if your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire,”

The demonic realm has no redeemer. Jesus did not bear their sins in His body. He bore OUR sins in his body (1 Pet. 2:24). Since they do NOT have a sin-bearer, they will remain in their sins. Their punishment is eternal. Since there are people thrown into that SAME lake of fire, their punishment is likewise eternal.  Is hell eternal?  Yes.  Are all people saved?  No.