The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
I have often said that all unbelievers will be judged at the Great White Throne Judgment, which takes place after the Millennium (Rev 20:11-15). However, Rev 20:10 seems to say that two human unbelievers will be sent to the lake of fire before the Great White Throne Judgment.
Since we know that every human being will be judged according to their works (Matt 16:27; Gal 6:7; 2 Cor 5:9-10; Rev 20:11-15), we know that the beast and the false prophet will be judged according to their works.
But will the two world rulers from the Tribulation be judged at the Great White Throne Judgment, or before?
The word are is not in the Greek text of Rev 20:10; the word is supplied. But we know from Rev 19:20 that the beast and false prophet “were cast alive in the lake of fire burning with brimstone” immediately after the Tribulation ended. So, they will still be there after the Millennium ends.
A possible sequence of events is that the beast and false prophet are killed at the end of the Millennium, raised, judged at the Great White Throne Judgment, and then cast again in the lake of fire. However, that seems to contradict Rev 20:10, which sees their torment as continuous.
The most likely conclusion is that the beast and false prophet will be judged before the Millennium, before they are cast alive into the lake of fire. That was the view of John Walvoord: “The lake of burning sulfur is not annihilation, for the beast and false prophet are still there a thousand years after they experienced their final judgment (Rev. 19:20)” (“Revelation,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary, p. 982, italics added).
Walvoord sees in Rev 19:20 additional proof that the torment in the lake of fire is eternal, conscious torment: “Most significant as a support of the doctrine of eternal punishment is the concluding statement, They will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (p. 982, bolding his).
Many give to Satan, the beast, and the false prophet the title “the Satanic trinity.” It will be appropriate, considering their close association with Satan, that they will be judged before the Millennium and will even precede him, and all other humans, to the lake of fire.
Talk about the passing pleasure of sin. These guys will get seven years to rule the world, and then they will spend eternity in torment in the lake of fire. Why? Because they will not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for the gift of everlasting life. They are sad reminders of the importance of the promise of everlasting life to the believer and eternal rulership to the overcoming believer.
Keep grace in focus.
