Verse 13 says that “the sea gave up the dead which were in it.” Since the dead unbelievers who were drowned in the sea are included among those in Hades, the dead given up by the sea must not be any unbelieving human beings; they may be the spirits of the living beings of the pre-Adamic age, the demons in this age (Matt. 8:31-32; 12:43). This may indicate that today’s demons will be judged at the great white throne along with the unbelieving human beings.
You may be shocked to hear that not only human beings but also demons will be judged at the great white throne. Again I say that it is not a simple matter to know the Bible. Most Christian readers think that the dead given up by the sea are those drowned in the sea. But those who drowned in the sea are certainly included among those given up by death and Hades. Notice that verse 13 also says, “And death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them.” By this we see that the dead given up by the sea must be another category of beings. In message two in our life-study of Genesis we pointed out that in the pre-Adamic age there were some living beings with spirits. After God’s judgment upon Satan and those who followed him in his rebellion, these beings became demons, and the sea became their dwelling place. For this reason, the demons caused the swine to rush into the sea (Matt. 8:31-32). Thus, the sea will give up all the demons, who will then be judged at the great white throne.
Verse 14 says, “And death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.” The lake of fire is the “trash can” for the entire universe, into which all negative things, including death and Hades, will be cast. Death will be the last enemy destroyed by the Lord (1 Cor. 15:26).
In the first death, the soul and spirit are separated from the body and, in the case of the unbelievers, are kept in the suffering section of Hades (Luke 16:22-24). In the second death, the soul and spirit of the unbelievers, after being rejoined to the body in resurrection, will be cast with the body into the lake of fire. This means that an unbeliever’s whole being—spirit, soul, and body—will perish in eternal torment in the lake of fire.
Verse 15 says, “And if anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.” The perishing unbelievers will be judged according to the books, which are a record of their works (vv. 12-13), but they will be cast into the lake of fire according to the book of life. This indicates that they are condemned by the Lord because of their evil deeds, but they perish because of their unbelief, not having their names written in the book of life. Not believing in the Lord Jesus is the unique sin that causes people to perish (John 16:9). The lake of fire is prepared for the Devil and his angels. Since the unbelievers have followed the Devil, they share the Devil’s judgment (John 16:11) and will become joint-partakers of the Devil’s eternal torment. The demons, also having followed the Devil, will share the same destiny.