(Revelation 20:10) And the Devil who was misleading them was hurled into the lake of fire and sulfur, where both the wild beast and the false prophet already were; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Because jailers were the ones who tormented prisoners, the word derived from “touchstone” was also applied to jailers. Thus, the Bible records Jesus’ illustration in which an ungrateful slave was handed over to “the jailers,” or in some translations, “the tormentors.” (Matthew 18:34; American Standard Version, Darby, King James Version) Concerning this text, The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia comments: “Probably the imprisonment itself was regarded as ‘torment’ (as it doubtless was), and the ‘tormentors’ need mean nothing more than jailers.” This helps explain an intriguing Bible text. A Riddle Solved Sincere Bible readers have long been puzzled about Satan’s destiny. The Bible says: “The Devil . . . was hurled into the lake of fire and sulphur, where both the wild beast and the false prophet already were; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” (Revelation 20:10) Surely, for Jehovah to consign someone to everlasting life in torment runs counter to God’s love and justice. (Jeremiah 7:31) In addition, the Bible presents everlasting life as a gift, not as a punishment. (Romans 6:23) Clearly, then, Revelation 20:10 is written in symbolic language. The wild beast and the lake of fire are figurative. (Revelation 13:2; 20:14) Is the torment also figurative? What could this expression possibly mean? As we have seen, the Greek word for “torment” is derived from the word for “touchstone” and may refer to the torment of imprisonment. Thus, Satan’s eternal torment may refer to his being forever locked away in the securest of prisons—death itself.
Posted on: Wed, 26 Mar 2014 00:22:40 +0000
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