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.
The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Re 20:10.
The devil’s future was foretold in the beginning (Genesis 3:14-15) and carried out in the end (Rev 20:10). The first has happened and we are waiting on his end. In the mean time we deal with the consequences of his ambition. The temptation in the garden that promoted the separation between God and man haunts us to this very day. We continue to deal with his “fiery darts” that target our resolve.
Knowing one’s end should have a huge impact on the way one lives. As I see it you have several choices. For one you can lay down and quit and have a “what’s the use” attitude. That one depends on whether your outcome is life or destruction. Destruction would seem to most likely cause this kind of mindset. Second, if you belived in a cause so much that the end did not negate the desire for the continued purpose then one would continue with the effort in that purpose and maybe even “dial it up”. The third choice would be to change one’s ways or status (if possible) to possibly change the outcome. I mention this one because God gives us this exact choice when Jesus paid it all so that we could have an opportunity to change our outcome.
The scrpture focuses on the devil and his end but I can’t help but think that we need to see the bigger picture regarding those who are enemies of God. The devil’s future is set. He cannot change it. He made his choice when he rebelled against God. What about us? We have the choice of being an enemy alongside the devil or a child of God alongside Jesus, our savior.