Study 12: Tormented Forever -- Answer Key¶
Revelation 20:10 -- Who Are the Subjects?
A Note on How to Study
Throughout this series, we distinguish between what the Bible explicitly says and what people infer from the Bible. These are not the same thing.
- Explicit: You can point to a verse and quote it. The text directly says this.
- Inference: Someone claims the Bible teaches something, but no single verse says it. They have drawn a conclusion -- possibly a good one, possibly not -- but the conclusion itself is not in the text.
This distinction is especially important in this study. Revelation 20:10 is one of the most frequently cited verses in support of eternal conscious torment. But who exactly does the verse describe? And what vocabulary does the passage use when it turns to human beings?
Section A: Who Are the Three Subjects?¶
1. Read Revelation 20:10. The verse names three subjects who are "tormented day and night for ever and ever." Who are they?
The devil, the beast, and the false prophet.
"And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever." -- Revelation 20:10
2. Read Revelation 12:9 and Revelation 20:2. The devil is identified as the dragon, that old serpent, and Satan. Is the devil a human being?
No. The devil is a non-human supernatural spirit being. Scripture identifies him as the dragon, that old serpent, the Devil, and Satan.
"And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world." -- Revelation 12:9
3. Read Revelation 13:1-2. The beast rises from the sea, has seven heads and ten horns, and receives its power from the dragon. Is this a description of a literal human being?
No. A creature with seven heads and ten horns that rises from the sea is a symbolic apocalyptic entity, not a literal human being.
"And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns." -- Revelation 13:1
4. Read Revelation 17:8. The beast "was, and is not, and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition." Could this description apply to a literal human person?
No. An entity that "was, and is not" and ascends from the bottomless pit is not a description that could apply to a literal human being. This is apocalyptic symbolism.
"The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition." -- Revelation 17:8
5. Read Revelation 19:20. The false prophet is identified as the entity that "wrought miracles before" the beast -- the second beast of Revelation 13:11-17. Is the false prophet of Revelation a literal human being, or a symbolic apocalyptic figure?
The false prophet is a symbolic apocalyptic figure. The word pseudoprophetes in Revelation (used 3 times: Rev 16:13; 19:20; 20:10) refers to a singular specific apocalyptic entity -- the second beast of Revelation 13:11-17. This is distinct from the generic plural "false prophets" (a class of human beings) used 8 times elsewhere in the NT.
"And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him." -- Revelation 19:20
Section B: What Happens to Humans in the Same Passage?¶
6. Read Revelation 20:9. When fire comes down on the human armies surrounding the holy city, what word does the text use? Are they "tormented" or "devoured"?
They are "devoured" (katephagen) -- destruction vocabulary, not torment vocabulary.
"And fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them." -- Revelation 20:9
7. Read Revelation 20:14-15. When humans who are not found in the book of life are cast into the lake of fire, what term does the text use to identify their fate? Does the text add "tormented day and night for ever and ever" to their description?
The text calls it "the second death." It does not add the torment formula. Rev 20:15 states humans are cast into the lake of fire -- and stops. No basanizo. No "day and night for ever and ever."
"And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." -- Revelation 20:14-15
8. Read Revelation 21:8. Eight categories of human wicked are listed -- the fearful, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, whoremongers, sorcerers, idolaters, and liars. What does the text call their fate in the lake of fire?
"The second death." Death vocabulary, not torment vocabulary.
"But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." -- Revelation 21:8
9. Read Revelation 19:20-21. In verse 20, the beast and false prophet are cast "alive" into the lake of fire. In verse 21, what happens to the human remnant? What is the difference in vocabulary?
The symbolic entities (beast and false prophet) are cast "alive" (zontes) into the lake. The human remnant were "slain" (apektanthesan) -- they died. The text uses different vocabulary: symbolic entities continue; humans die.
"And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet... These both were cast alive into a lake of fire." -- Revelation 19:20
"And the remnant were slain with the sword." -- Revelation 19:21
Section C: The Vocabulary Pattern¶
10. Look at the vocabulary the passage uses for each group:
| Group | Vocabulary | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Devil, beast, false prophet | "Tormented day and night for ever and ever" | Rev 20:10 |
| Human armies | "Devoured" (katephagen) | Rev 20:9 |
| Humans cast into the lake | "The second death" | Rev 20:14-15; 21:8 |
The text uses different words for different subjects. The torment formula is reserved for the three non-human/symbolic entities. When the text turns to humans, it switches to destruction and death vocabulary.
11. The "tormented day and night for ever and ever" formula appears in Revelation 20:10. Search the rest of the Bible. Is this formula ever applied to human beings anywhere in Scripture?
No. The formula appears once in Scripture -- Revelation 20:10 -- and names three subjects: the devil, the beast, and the false prophet. It is never applied to human beings anywhere in the Bible.
12. Read Matthew 25:41. Jesus says the everlasting fire was "prepared for" whom? Was it originally prepared for human beings?
It was "prepared for the devil and his angels" -- supernatural entities, not human beings.
"Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." -- Matthew 25:41
Section D: What Does "Basanizo" Mean?¶
13. The Greek word behind "tormented" in Revelation 20:10 is basanizo (G928). Based on the five non-judgment uses listed, does basanizo always mean "eternal torment," or does it have a wider range of meaning?
Basanizo has a wide semantic range. It covers physical illness (Matt 8:6), waves tossing a boat (Matt 14:24), toiling at rowing (Mark 6:48), emotional distress (2 Pet 2:8), and labor pains (Rev 12:2). Seven of its twelve NT occurrences are non-judgment contexts. It is not a technical term for eternal torment.
14. Read Revelation 9:5. Here basanizo is used with an explicit time limit: five months. What does this tell you about whether the word inherently means "eternal"?
The five-month time limit demonstrates that basanizo does not inherently mean "eternal." The word describes pain, suffering, or torment -- but says nothing about duration. Duration is determined by context, not by the word itself.
"And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months." -- Revelation 9:5
Section E: Outside Revelation¶
15. Outside the book of Revelation, what vocabulary does the New Testament use for the final fate of human wicked?
Consistently destruction and death vocabulary:
| Passage | Author | Vocabulary |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew 10:28 | Jesus | "Destroy" (apollymi) soul and body |
| John 3:16 | John | "Perish" (apollymi) vs. everlasting life |
| Romans 6:23 | Paul | "Death" (thanatos) vs. eternal life |
| 2 Thessalonians 1:9 | Paul | "Everlasting destruction" (olethros) |
| Philippians 3:19 | Paul | "Destruction" (apoleia) |
The vocabulary is destruction/death, not torment.
16. Does any epistle, any Gospel, or any Old Testament passage use basanizo or basanismos for the final fate of generic human wicked?
No. No epistle, no Gospel, and no OT passage uses basanizo or basanismos for the final fate of generic human wicked. All five judgment uses of basanizo are in Revelation's apocalyptic framework or involve demons speaking of their own future (Matt 8:29). The consistent vocabulary for human fate outside Revelation is destruction and death.
Explicit or Inference? -- Answers¶
A. "Revelation 20:10 names three subjects for 'tormented day and night for ever and ever': the devil, the beast, and the false prophet." - Explicit. Revelation 20:10 directly names all three subjects. You can point to the verse and quote it.
B. "The 'tormented for ever and ever' formula applies to all unsaved human beings who enter the lake of fire." - Inference. No verse states this. The formula appears once (Rev 20:10), applied to the devil, beast, and false prophet. When humans enter the lake (Rev 20:15; 21:8), the text does not use the torment formula -- it uses "the second death." Extending the formula to humans requires adding a concept the text does not contain: "same destination = same experience."
C. "When humans enter the lake of fire (Rev 20:14-15; 21:8), the text's own term for their fate is 'the second death.'" - Explicit. Revelation 20:14 directly states: "This is the second death." Revelation 21:8 directly states: "which is the second death." Both are quotable.
D. "Because the devil, beast, and false prophet are tormented in the lake of fire, and humans are also cast into the lake of fire, humans must experience the same torment." - Inference. No verse states this conclusion. The text itself provides different vocabulary for different subjects at the same destination. The claim "same lake = same experience" must be added from outside the text.
E. "The text uses different vocabulary for different subjects: 'tormented' for the devil/beast/false prophet, 'devoured' for human armies, and 'second death' for humans in the lake." - Explicit. Each vocabulary choice is directly observable in the text: basanizo (Rev 20:10), katephagen (Rev 20:9), "second death" (Rev 20:14-15; 21:8). The pattern is a textual observation, not an interpretation.
What the Bible Says vs. What People Say the Bible Teaches¶
| The Bible explicitly says... | People often claim the Bible teaches... |
|---|---|
| Rev 20:10 names three subjects: the devil, the beast, the false prophet -- none is a literal human being | Rev 20:10 teaches eternal conscious torment for all unsaved humans |
| The "tormented for ever and ever" formula appears once and is applied to these three non-human/symbolic entities | The torment formula applies to everyone in the lake of fire |
| Humans in the same passage are "devoured" (v.9) and experience "the second death" (vv.14-15; 21:8) | All inhabitants of the lake share the same experience |
| No epistle, Gospel, or OT passage uses basanizo for the final fate of human wicked | Basanizo/torment is the Bible's teaching about human fate |
| The everlasting fire was "prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matt 25:41) | The everlasting fire was prepared equally for humans |
| Basanizo has a wide semantic range (illness, waves, rowing, distress, childbirth) and one use has a 5-month limit | Basanizo is a technical term for eternal torment |