Crushing the Serpent's Head - Tormented Day and Night Forever

 Referring to the Devil as well as the wild beast and the false prophet, John now tells us:  "And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever." (Revelation 20:10b)  What could this mean?  As mentioned already, it is not logical to say that symbols, such as the wild beast and the false prophet, as well as death and Hades, could suffer torture in a literal way.  Hence, we have no reason to believe that Sata will be suffering for all eternity. He is to be annihilated. 

The Greek word used here for "torment," ba-sa-ni'zo, means prmarily "to test (metals) by the touchstone." To question by applying torture" is a second meaning.  (The New Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament)  In the context, the use of this Greek word indicates that what happens to Satan will serve, for all eternity, as touchstone on the issue of the rightness and righteousness of Jehovah's rule.  That issue of sovereign rulership will have  been settled once and for all time.  Never again will a challenge to Jehovah's sovereigty need to be tested over and extended period of time in order to be proved wrong. - Compare PSALM 92:1, 15. 

Additionally, the related word ba-sa-ni-stes', is used in the Bible to mean "jailor."  (Matthew 18:34, Kingdom Interlinear)   In harmony with this, Satan will be imprisoned in the lake of fire forever; he will never be released.  Finally, in the Greek Septuagint, which was well known to John, the related word ba'ss-nos is used to refer to humiliation that leads to death.  (Ezekiel 32:24, 30)  This helps us to see that the punishment that Satan undergoes is a humiliating, everlasting death in the lake of fire and sulfur.  His works die with him. - 1 JOHN 3:8. 

Again, the demons are not mentioned in this verse.  Will they be released with Satan at the end of the thousand years and then undergo the punisment of everlasting death along with him? The evidence answers yes.  In the parable of the sheep and the goats, Jesus said that the goats would go off into the everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels."  (Matthew 25:41) The expression  "everlasting fire" must refer to the lake of fire and sulfur where Satan is to be hurled. The Devil's angels were to be cast out of heaven with him. Evidently, they went into the abyss with him at the beginning at the Thousand Year Reign.  Consistendly, then, they also be destroyed with him in the lake of fire and sulfur. - MATTHEW 8:29.

In this way, the final detail of the prophecy recorded at Genesis 3:15 is fulfilled. When Satan is hurld into the lake of fire, he will burn as dead as a snake the head of which has been underground under and iron heel.  He and his demons will be gone forever. There is no further mention of them in the book of  Revelation.  Now,  having prophetically disposed of these, Jehovah's spirit draws attention to a matter of pressing interest to those who cherish an earthly hope: What will result to humankind from the heavenly reign of the "King of kings" and "those called and chosen faithful with him"?  (Revelation 17:14)   To answer, John brings us back once again to the beginning  the Thousand Year Reign. 

Next time: God's Day of Judgment-Its Joyful Outcome!

From the jw.org publishment