The following excerpt is taken from What Every Christian Should Know About Satan. Order your copy in print, Kindle, or Audible versions here.

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We should clarify that only God is truly eternal. That is, only the uncreated Father, Son, and Holy Spirit share the unique attribute of being without beginning or end. So, when we look at passages like Matthew 25:41, in what sense are we to understand the final destinies of the sheep, goats, Satan, and evil spirits as eternal? 

The Greek word rendered “eternal” in this passage is aionios, which generally means “without beginning or end, that which always has been and always will be.” In some contexts, aionios may be rendered “without beginning” or “without end, never to cease, everlasting.” R. T. France, in his commentary on Matthew, says the word “may convey either the sense of ‘going on forever’ or that of ‘belonging to the age to come.’”

Since these places of blessing and punishment are “prepared,” they must have come into existence; that is, God must have created them. Surely, the earthly kingdom in which the sheep enjoy everlasting life, and into which God brings his heavenly throne, is created (and ultimately renovated; cf. 2 Pet. 3:10-13). So, the concept of “eternal life” means not only “without end;” it also signifies a quality of life as we enjoy unbroken fellowship with the one who truly is eternal. 

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