The Devil a prodigal?

A while back a friend of mine posted the following question:

When all is said and done, could the Devil be a prodigal son?

I think what is meant by the question was is there a possibility of reconciliation and forgiveness for the devil.

The devil's destiny is clearly stated in Revelation 20:10 as someone else already pointed out.

But I'd like to look at it from another perspective and look at what reconciliation with God is and who it is for.

The example of the Prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) is very useful. It demonstrates repentance (vs. 18) and the compassion of God (vs. 20). The resentment of the older brother is also an interesting subject for another time.

However the parable does not deal exhaustively with the concept of reconciliation. To gain a fuller understanding we have to look elsewhere in the Bible.

In 2 Corinthians 5:14-21 Paul calls his ministry the "ministry of reconciliation" (vs. 18). Here Paul describes the reconciliation offered to man. He says that , "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation...All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself."(Vs.17-18) And that, "in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself"(Vs. 19). But Paul also makes clear in this section that this is possible because the price for this reconciliation has been paid: "we have concluded this: that one has died for all...and he died for all. that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised" (Vs. 14-15) This is a clear picture of reconciliation those that once lived for themselves in rebellion (like the prodigal son) will turn and live for God. But this requires the death of Christ. Paul points to the importance of the death of Christ again in Vs.21 "For our sake he made him sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." Becoming that righteousness is clearly impossible without Christ being made sin.

This also agrees with the rest of the New Testament teaching on reconciliation. Hebrews 9:22 leaves no doubt, "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins."

Whose reconciliation was paid for by Christ in his death is something the New Testament describes in many ways. It is described as "many"(Matt 26:28), "the church of God" (Acts 20:28), "all men" (Rom 5:18), or the "whole world" (1 John 2:2). But one thing that I think is pretty indisputable is that the sacrifice was for people.

The devil isn't a person so it wasn't for him. That is bad news for the devil, but good news for people. Because something amazing is offered to people.

John 10:28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.