Philip Garbarino is primarily known as the author for his book, ‘The Devil Repents, Genesis: ‘Should God forgive the devil or not, 8 billion people in the plot.’ A 2026 speculative theological / horror novel that explores the idea of whether Satan could seek redemption and whether God should forgive him. The central premise is provocative: “What if Satan genuinely wanted forgiveness and redemption from God?”

Philip Garbarino, was also known for his minor role in Robert DeNiro’s 1993 directorial debut, ‘A Bronx Tale,’ as ‘Sonnys Assassin,’ a.k.a. ‘The Guy Who Whacked Sonny.’

Stories like this attract readers because they explore thought-provoking theology:

The limits of forgiveness,

Whether evil is born or chosen,

And whether redemption is truly universal,

Philosophical questions about forgiveness, evil, free will, and redemption.

One of the central questions behind the work is:

“If human sinners can repent and be forgiven, could the devil repent too?”

That’s what makes the premise of ‘The Devil Repents’ so provocative.

The Book Blends:

Christian theology,

Supernatural fiction’

Philosophical horror / debate,

Reader’s interaction,

Apocalyptic imagery,

Biblical references, 

Debates about mercy versus justice,

Free will,

Divine mercy,

The nature of evil,

Whether redemption has limits,

And whether forgiveness must be universally available if God is perfectly merciful.

And interactive storytelling, where readers were invited to help influence later books in the planned trilogy. 

Reception to ‘The Devil Repents’ was small-scale and mostly centered around independent-reader reactions rather than major literary critics or mainstream review outlets. Here is a general picture of how the book was received:

What Readers Praised.

The originality of the premise. The strongest positive reaction was to the book’s central theological “what if”?

What if Satan wanted redemption?

Many readers said the concept itself was compelling and unlike anything they had ever encountered before. One reviewer described it as:

“An intriguing story-line” built around the question of redemption for Satan. 

Joseph Eboli, New York. 

Another reader said the topic:

A reviewer who was initially hesitant about the topic said the novel “made me think more of God” and forgiveness in a new way. And praised the novel as unusual and                        thought-provoking.  

Chris Iannuzzi, California. 

Conversational storying style.

Some reviewers liked the informal style and said it felt as though the author was personally telling them the story. One review said:

“The author wrote as if I was across from him.” Micheal Kucica, Florida.

Readers who expected dense theological book often said they were surprised at his magic for storytelling and wicked imagination.

According to published descriptions, the story follows:

The devil reveals how he manipulates humanity on a daily basis,

Debates over whether redemption is possible even for ultimate evil, 

And a mix of celebrities, religious figures, and political intrigue becoming entangled in the question.

Some reviewers describe it as more philosophical and entertaining than expected, especially because it focuses less on horror and more on redemption, free will, and forgiveness.

A theology blogger on Patheos discussed the novel’s premise as the “what if of all what if’s…” “What if…”

What if…

What if the devil repented? He said his reign of rebellion was all false. The angelic host influenced through devilish propaganda false. Corruption of humanity and all of God’s creation—make a mistake. Would he and his demonic forces of evil have a second chance? This question I’ve often pondered, which was recently echoed by my recent visit to Venice Beach California, where a saw a man dressed as a devil carrying a twelve-foot cross with a sign on top.

The Bible seems to indicate that one of the settled matters of reality is that God has determined that the powers of evil will remain hell-bent on rebellion until the consummation. The difficult part of this question is that the Bible is a bit ambiguous on the idea of Angels / Demons in general. There’s plenty to know…there’s even more that we don’t know.

This past week I was on a trip to Los Angeles area for a Seminary class. One evening was spent in Venice Beach. While enjoying some pasta, an odd sight (which isn’t irregular at Venice) emerged.

Apparently, this man is a novelist who has written a book called, ‘The Devil Repents.’

The story follows several characters—including a horror novelist, a celebrity, and an atheist, Stanley Kingston—who sold his soul to the devil and become entangled in revelations about the devil’s deceptions and a possible “loophole” in biblical prophecy that could allow repentance on the last page of the Bible. 

A major theological question behind the novel is whether divine forgiveness has limits:

Can repentance apply even to ultimate evil?

Is Satan beyond redemption? 

Does free will remain possible after rebellion against God?

Traditional mainstream Christian theology generally says Satan cannot or will not repent, based on interpretations of passages in Revelation 12:12 “the devil knows his time is short,’ and the fallen angels’ final judgment. But Garbarino’s novel explores the speculative “what if?” angle. 

Thomas Degrazzio, Indiana.

One reviewer said “the book took me completely by surprise, because I was expecting a “heavy religious theme” But instead found “an intriguing story line.”

Satu Lahti, Texas.

Another reader described it as “light and entertaining,” while also saying it became more serious as it explored the devil’s redemption, forgiveness and philosophical debate.

Jane Corso, Idaho.

The story explores the devil questioning his own rebellion and whether redemption is possible even for the ultimate symbol of evil. It’s more philosophical then preachy

The theological angle is controversial because traditional Christianity generally teaches that Sayan’s rebellion is final and irreversible, while the book imagines a scenario where repentance might still be possible.    

Here is the plot:

After eons of evil atrocities, the devil finally takes us into his realm of raw ungodliness that he daily sows in mans hearts and minds through his deceptive, wicked thoughts, idea’s and suggestions. But why?...Has he finally come to his senses?...Is the universes first outlaw-angel willing to put up a white flag and cut a deal with, God, in exchange to put an end to evil on earth, and bring, Jesus’ prayer of Matthew 6:10 ‘Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’

Will God even except a deal from the devil? If so, what are the conditions of the deal?

Can God and the people of the earth trust the devil? No one knows what’s in the devil’s heart because the devil is a liar and has been since the beginning and cannot hide from the words long written down of Revelation 12:12, ‘For the devil knows his time is short.’ 

So, the devil is trying to stitch together a last-ditch plan of salvation to save his sin-sodden soul from being ‘bound and cast into the bottomless pit.’ Are his intentions genuine? Can the devil’s intentions ever be genuine? Truth or lie, either way, what thread would the devil use to stitch his crazy plan together?...

This is where the world’s most famous horror fiction writer, Stanely Kingston, who sold his soul to the devil for a movie part in 1993 “A Bronx Tale” as Sonny’s assassin when he was nineteen. He is now  a mega famous, A-list personality and stanch atheist gets sucked into a confluence of unfortunate events, that is not a plot, or a story, or a tale, but a situation, his real life situation, where his art imitates it, and where his real life imitates his art, with the lines between the two are blurred by the devil himself. 

The devil delves deep into his bag of deceptions and reveals his most guarded secrets to this superstar on how he deceives us humans on a daily basis, through his deceptive thoughts, ideas, and suggestions. But no longer, because the people of the world will gain an insight into the devil’s modus operandi, which is important because now the tables are turned on the devil and he shall deceive us humans no more.  

This is where you, yes, you, the ‘regular cup of coffee people’ get sucked into a confluence of unfortunate events that unfold in the plot of this book . And you have chance to voice your opinion and cast your vote on the all-important question, ‘Should God forgive the devil or not, 8 billion people in the plot?’    

The core premise is unusual and theological: “What if Satan actually wanted forgiveness from God?”

The book mixes:

Supernatural / religious fiction,

Philosophical debate,

Horror-thriller elements.

And audience participation, where readers were invited to help shape later books in the planned trilogy. 

According to book descriptions, the story follows the devil revealing how he manipulates humanity time and time again on a daily basis, while trying to find a possible loophole in scripture that could allow his redemption. 

A major theological question behind the novel is whether divine forgiveness has any limit: 

Can repentance apply to absolutely anyone?

Is Satan permanently condemned, wasn’t he a created / Arch-angel creature by God?

Would genuine repentance even be possible for the devil?

The book appears to lean into Christian themes of mercy and free will also provoking debate about biblical prophecy and judgment. Some readers describe it as a thought-provoking rather than strictly doctrinal, making it an easy read.

There was also some attention around Garbarino’s crazy promotional style –he reportedly dresses up as the devil in public and carries a twelve-foot cross with a ‘The Devil Repents’ sign on top. He is sort of an enigma in the public, but when the general public encounters him on the street, or the Venice Beach boardwalk they don’t know what to think; is this man dressed as a devil, a devil worshiper? A mocker of God? An atheist goofing on Almighty God?

None of the above. Philip Garbarino, from what we can gather from Chat GPT, is a born-again Christian who flips a traditional religious narrative upside down by making universes ultimate villain, the devil, potentially redeemable.

Garbarino has been seen promoting in New York, California, Las Vegas, Europe and the Middle East. Going on a worldwide promotional tour dressed as the devil with a cross.

The concept of The Devil Repenting has similarities to themes explored in works like;

Paradise Lost,

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis,

Lucifer,

And some speculative theological fiction about free will and grace.

Even though the premise is outside orthodox Christian teaching, it works as a novel because the philosophical “what if?” scenario about mercy, evil, and redemption, along with his friends who are all savvy characters.

Garbarino’s concept challenges that assumption by asking whether God’s mercy could theoretically extend even to the devil if genuine repentance occurred. The book description itself notes that the author searched scripture and found no explicit verse saying “the devil can’t repent,” though mainstream theology usually interprets the Bible differently.

Reception appears mixed but generally positive among readers who enjoy speculative religious fiction. Several reviews praised it as “thought-provoking” and unexpectedly entertaining rather than preachy, making it an extremely enjoyable read.

The book was conceived around the theological question: “Can the devil repent?” Garbarino explained that the idea came after thinking deeply about forgiveness, judgement, and biblical passages concerning Satan when he was at his lowest point in life. He said he wrote the first edition in a L.A. county jail cell in forty days in a jail cell, sharping his golf pencils with his teeth and selling his meals in jail for pencils and papers. He said he was on a mission from God writing this  ‘The Devil Repents.’ He said 2 Chronicles 15:7 kept on spin cycle in his mind; it is written “Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.” It is a call to persevere, remain diligent, and trust that steadfast efforts will lead to success and divine reward.   

He promoted the book aggressively and theatrically in public. Multiple readers mentioned meeting him in places like Times Square, the Venice Beach Boadwalk and the Las Vegas strip, as well as Europe and the Middle East,  where he appeared dressed as the devil carrying a twelve-foot cross with a sign on top to advertise the novel and blessing people (still dressed as the devil) along the way. 

Public reviews describe him as enthusiastic, personable, and highly invested in the philosophical questions behind the story, even though he is dressed as the devil all he does is talk about Jesus to everyone and sends blessings on everyone he meets, especially the police. On all the social media platforms Garbarino blesses every cop he encounters with the words, “may the shed blood of Jesus be with you on every call you take, officer.”

The novel was designed as a “reader-driven” trilogy,” where readers could vote on his website www . The Devil Repents . com on if “God Should Forgive The Devil or Not, 8 billion People in the Plot.”

Reception appears limited mostly to readers’ reviews and niche interest rather than mainstream.  

There is surprisingly little publicly documented biographical information about Philip Garbarino beyond his connection to the novel, ‘The Devil Repents,’ and being an independent / self-published author. His writing style has been described by readers as conversational and thought-provoking rather than strictly theological and praised the unusual premise.

Philip Garbarino was alsoRobert DeNiro’s 1993 directorial debut movie, ‘A Bronx Tale.,’ as ‘Sonnys Assassin,’ a.k.a. ‘The Guy Who Whacked Sonny.’ 

Some of Garbarino’s other books are his life story, ‘Look Mom I Made It’. As well as two children’s books, ‘Toes & Nose Adventure,’ and ‘Cat and Turtle.’ Also, he wrote the movie, ‘The Cult of Scientology,’ expected to be in theaters sometime in the future.

Garbarino wrote the screenplay for ‘The Devil Repents’ and is expected to be in theaters sometime in the future. 

Also in the preface, he tells the story of how ‘The Devil Repents’ was born into the world and of how his then wife kept his autistic son named, Asa and ‘America’s Next Top Model, cycle 22’ daughter, Ava Marie Capra-Garbarino away for him for over a decade and of how she totally used ‘Parent Alienation’ as a weapon against him seeing his children. That is how he ended up in a Pasadena courthouse jail cell on December 3, 2007. 

Philip Garbarino is a current card-carrying member of I.B.E.W. local # 3, New York, local #11Los Angeles and local # 40 Hollywood. (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) since 1989.