Can We Hope for Satan’s Reconciliation? That is, the Salvation of All?

This is such a sensitive topic, not only for Christians, but for everyone, although this is not outwardly shown. A most unaddressed problem with Christianity is the problem of unredeemed suffering, the reality that many are given opportunities to repent and attain salvation, but that only a select“few are chosen”.

But why are we so afraid of this idea? Why do sink into fearful silence even at the very thought?

I would argue that this fear is rooted not by the thought of unredeemed souls, but by the idea of a permanently unredeemed soul, those that we are taught to call the “ones in the host of hell: the ones with Satan”. We have been taught that Satan, once an angel among the highest hosts in heaven, fell because of pride and was “sent” down in deepest recesses of “hell”^[1].

But to take this literally is almost blasphemous, for with this ideology we have lost sight of the core of our belief as Orthodox Christians, which is that God is nothing but pure, unadulterated love: unlimited, the ever-flowing and the ever increasing expression of passionate love. If this is the case, we can say that Lucifer sent himself to hell; hell was the experience of losing sight of the nature of God, of being burned by God’s love. Indeed, Satan could be said to have not actually lost his position among the angels, but rather felt the need to actually remove himself because the pain of being loved by God and not reciprocating it was indeed the very fires of hell itself for him.

When we speak of demons, remember that they are all fallen angels – fallen angels. We must not forget that these demons which we scorn and always speak of with a withdrawn countenance as one would speak of a pestilential creature, are still loved by God. They are angels who have chosen death, they are creatures of free will, and they are suffering immensely!

But now the question arises:

If they have chosen death, can they repent? Can they ever be reconciled with God and fall into the embrace of the ever reaching arms of His Love?

To this we should all shout with absolute confidence: “Yes! And we pray for their speedy reconciliation!” Because God wishes for nothing more, for nothing brings Him more joy than from this!

We now desperately want to ask:

Is there a chance of reconciliation after death? Do we lose our free will after death?

And to this I beg the reader to just think before he mutters immediately within his soul: “We do not ask such questions, for we have no way of knowing.” But indeed, this reply is so paralysing to the soul – for who would say when he is touched by God’s passion, indeed when he prostrates, when he even thinks of what Christ has done for him, what Christ is, why indeed Christ has descended for him, that God would abandon a lost soul? Him that would rest in this tension and continue calling himself a Christian deludes himself, and suffers immensely by hiding this confusion within his heart.

However, this being said, one who lies deep in the embrace of Christs’ Love, one who has silently taken up his cross without mumbling, but with absolute willingness and humility, will not seek to ask these questions. Rather, having Christ within him, knowing that Christ is everywhere and fills all, only seeks to love and expand his love for all, wishing nothing more and thinking of nothing more than to usher as many souls with him into the sublime experience of being Loved unconditionally by our Creator.

In Dostoyevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov, when Ivan asked Alyosha why Christ would allow for the suffering of so many innocent souls, why suffering should even exist, why Christ did not accept the third temptation of the Satan to enforce His power on Earth and banish those acting contrary to His teachings; Alyosha remained silent and did not respond immediately^[2]. He did not respond with words. Instead he answered through his very actions, he lived the answer – he went out into the world, away from the monastery where he found comfort and peace, and suffered with his brothers in the attempt to establish peace within his family. It is absolutely frowned upon when one tries to explain suffering, and only brings forth suffering and aunguish, confusion and alteration. As Kierkegaard writes in Works of Love:

“The suffering is always most painful when the physician is compelled to cut and penetrate into the more vital and therefore the hidden parts of the body; likewise suffering is also the most painful and also the most pernicious when someone, instead of being gladdened by love in its manifestations, wants to take delight in fathoming it, that is, in disturbing it.”

Let us not ask why, for the answer is not to be fathomed, but rather experienced, for Christianity is not a philosophy to be talked about, it is not a mere explanation of things – it is the raw truth. But just as one cannot explain the phenomenon of colour to a blind man, so too can the meaning and necessity of suffering be explained to anyone until one has completely, absolutely, entirely, abandoned self-will and has devoted themselves to Loving one another in the name of Christ.

Thus, we should eliminate all doubt or worries as to who will be saved after death, or if those after death will still have a chance of being reconciled, or if there is a chance of Satan reconciling and resurrecting from his long slumber; rather, being firm in the faith as to the nature of God, being firm in Loving one another and so doing everything in Love, we will believe all things – for “love believes all things” without being deceived.

Those who have chosen to turn away from the anguish of asking the “why” of Christianity, the “why” of suffering, the “why” of existence will never regret his choice in refusing to ask these questions, but finds no joy in asking them, for they are already answered for him within his soul.

I hope we will all take this courageous step in our lives, stepping away from the paradoxical comfort of anxiety, the familiarity of confusion in our existence – for it is not easy to step into the blindingly bright reality of God’s love while having such darkness in our hearts – and it is certainly not trivial to forsake our former perception of suffering, to ignore the suffering and be joyful in everything, to be joyful and full of peace in the suffering.

But God be with us, His Love in all and all in His Love.

1. I consistently use the noun "hell" with lower case to emphasise that I am now abandoning the idea of it being a place, and replacing it instead with it being an experience. The same applies with the once placed noun, "heaven".
2. See the chapter titled, 'The Grand Inquisitor' to see the questions which Ivan asks concerning the problem of suffering. But for the answer, you must read the whole book!