Page 136 - Bible Doctrines II w videos short

messengers they should listen to while they have a chance. What this should remind us about is the
importance of taking the Gospel to everyone while they have a chance.

Two important exception to this answer must be made. Babies who die and those who are mentally
incapable of differentiating right from wrong. The bible seems to have a clear principle that those who
are incapable of discerning right from wrong are not held accountable the same way by God. Even a
Calvinist of John Piper’s level of consistency says “I don’t think the Bible says explicitly what I am about
to say and so people should take it carefully. It seems to me that there are pointers in the Bible like
Romans 1:19-23 and John 9:41 that God’s desire of public justice to be done and manifested will lead
him not to bring infants who die in to everlasting judgment and condemnation, which raises the
question: Well, how then will they come to faith in Jesus who alone is their Savior? And so I am leaving
open the possibility that in some way that I do not know and don’t want to speculate too far about, God
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might be pleased to make that possible for them to come to faith after death.” This issue will be
addressed in more detailed later in the course.

Can Satan (the Devil) Be Saved? Satan cannot be saved from the consequences of his sin. Satan’s
future is clearly foretold in multiple places in Scripture. He will try to destroy the nation of Israel during
the Tribulation period. He will be bound and thrown into the bottomless abyss for a thousand years
while Christ reigns on earth (Rev. 20:1-6). He will then be released and gather a final army to try to
overthrow Christ and His followers. God will miraculously defeat Satan and throw him into the lake of
fire forever (Rev. 20:10).

Can Fallen Angels be Saved? There is no passage in Scripture that indicates that fallen Angels can be
saved. In fact, the fact that their eternal fate was determined is mentioned multiple times in Scripture.
Matthew 24:41 Jesus tells the goats “Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire
prepared for the devil and his angels.” So, there is no salvation from the consequences of their sin. It is
also interesting to note that there is no method of payment for their sin. Jesus had to be fully God and
Fully human to pay the penalty for mankind’s sin. For humanity Jesus blood was necessary to be able to
forgive sin. Hebrews 9:22 says “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” Angels
are spiritual beings. There is no blood to be shed. Is there an angelic equivalent? We are not aware of
any from Scripture. We are aware that their fate is sealed. Jude 1:6 mentions a specific group of fallen
angels as doomed for eternal fire “And the angels who did not stay within their own position of
authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the
judgment of the great day.”

Can Animals be Saved? Like angels, animals are not said to be able to be saved from the
consequences of sin. Animals do have blood but are not created in the image of God. They are not said
to have a soul. They were cursed as a result of human sin. The future of all physical beings in the fallen
world is burning. Peter makes this clear in 2 Peter 3:7 saying “But by the same word the heavens and
earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the
ungodly.”

Can the Earth be Saved? The earth is going to pass away. Paul says it is longing to be set free from its
corruption (Rom. 8:20). God has allowed it to endure, along with humanity, and the fallen angels,
because He loves and desires to save mankind. Revelation 21:1 says “Then I saw a new heaven and a
new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.” We have
already seen that Peter said the world would be destroyed by fire.

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