Your Bible Questions Answered
Good News Magazine
December 1963
Volume: Vol XII, No. 12
QR Code
Your Bible Questions Answered
Good News Staff  

Heb. 2:14 says, "That through death he might DESTROY him that had the power of death, that is, the devil." How can the devil be destroyed if spirit can't die?

   Satan is an angel. Turning over to Hebrews 1:13-14, you will see that angels are spirits. So Satan is an evil angel, composed of spirit. To prove that it is utterly impossible for angels or spirits to die turn to Luke 20:36, which says "Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto angels." So you see from God's own word that spirit cannot die! Yet Hebrews 2:14 says God is going to "destroy" the devil. We know the Bible does not contradict itself; what we have is a translation error here.
   To get the true meaning we must go to the original Greek from which the English was translated. Here the word in question, "destroy," does not mean destroy in the sense of doing away with or making nonexistent. It is the Greek word KATARGEO which means to render entirely useless, to restrain or make void. You can prove this by looking into any Greek lexicon or concordance.
   This is precisely the fate that awaits Satan the devil. Since he is composed of spirit, he himself cannot be destroyed. But he is to be made useless by being restrained. To understand when he will be restrained, how and why, write immediately for the articles entitled "Satan's Fate," and "Did God Create a Devil?"
   When you put all the scriptures together and let the Bible interpret the Bible, the meaning of Heb. 2:14 is plain.

Back To Top

Good News MagazineDecember 1963Vol XII, No. 12