John of Patmos incorporated into Revelation a great number of references to existing scriptures, not all of which would become canon. Was there any scripture that referred to the ‘second death’ and if so what did it mean?
The Targums were Aramaic translations of Jewish scriptures meant to be read aloud in conjunction with the Hebrew to Aramaic speaking Jews. The Targums were often not fully faithful to the Hebrew, expanding on ideas to clarify them or simply adding entirely new ideas. It is there that the phrase ‘second death’ appears and its meaning is very pertinent to Revelation 20.
Canonical
Isaiah versus
Targum Isaiah (See the
link here
Isaiah 22:14 The Lord of hosts has revealed himself in my ears: “Surely this
iniquity will not be atoned for you until you die,� says the Lord God of hosts.
Targum Isaiah 22:14 The prophet said, with mine ears I was hearing when this was decreed from before the Lord of hosts, namely, that this your
iniquity shall not be forgiven you till you die the second death, said the Lord, the God, the God of hosts.
In the time of Isaiah, written probably around the 6th century BC, the idea of personal resurrection had not yet arisen. The focus was on national renewal. All the dead simply went to sleep in Sheol forever. If individual transgressions are to be punished, it must be in this life. The punishment for this iniquity will be ‘for the rest of your life’.
Targum Isaiah, dating from the 1st century BC, introduces this mysterious
second death, suggesting a punishment after this life.
Isaiah 65:6 Behold, it is written before me: “I will not keep silent,
but I will repay; I will indeed repay into their lap
Targum Isaiah 65:6 “
I will recompense unto them the wages for their sins, and deliver their bodies to the second death�
Deliver their
bodies? How does that fit?
Isaiah 66:24 “And they shall go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against me.
For their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.�
Targum Isaiah 66:24 “And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men, the sinners who have rebelled against my Word:
for their souls shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched; and the wicked shall be judged in hell [Gehenna] till the righteous shall say concerning them, we have seen enough.
Now we see how ‘bodies’ fits in. It is the dead bodies of the rebels. But even in Isaiah there is a puzzling hint of everlasting punishment
of the dead bodies?
Targum Isaiah makes this hint explicit. It is not the bodies, it says, that will be punished. The second death is the souls burning in the burning type of hell usually envisioned by that word. But another puzzling feature is the righteous saying they have seen enough. When they say that, does that mean they stop watching but the punishment goes on forever? Or does the punishment end when the righteous say there has been enough of that? It would be unusual for anyone but God making such a decision, so the implication seems to be eternal punishment of the souls of the wicked.
The use of the phrase ‘the second death’ by John of Patmos in relation to the fate of the unrighteous would seem to be eternal punishment and not annihilation.
Another work of the same era as the Targums borrows the language and ideas of Targum Isaiah concerning the fate of the wicked.
Judith 16:17 Woe to the nations that rise up against my kindred! the Lord Almighty will take
vengeance of them in the day of judgment, in putting fire and worms in their flesh; and they shall feel them, and weep for ever.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/apo/jdt016.htm
The concept of conscious eternal punishment after death, including by fire, was definitely around.
Revelation already makes a reference to unending punishment by fire (and sulfur) before the ‘lake of fire’ passages.
Revelation 14
9 And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and
he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.�
Fire and sulfur keeps showing up and in interesting company.
Revelation 19
20 And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the
lake of fire that burns with sulfur.
Revelation 20
10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the
lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and
they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Revelation 20
14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the
lake of fire. This is the
second death, the
lake of fire. 15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the
lake of fire.
Fire and sulfur, the lake of fire (that burns with sulfur), unending conscious punishment and the second death all get linked together. It certainly sounds like John of Patmos was talking about eternal fiery punishment for the unrighteous. Whether one wishes to say this is symbolic is another matter. But it is clear what image Revelation is portraying.
