Matthew 8:29 "[the demons] screamed, saying: “What have we to do with you, Son
of God? Did you come here to torment us before
the appointed time?”
It is helpful to
understand what the demons meant by "did you come here to torment us before the appointed time?" As you probably remember, Revelation
20:1-3 says of Jesus: “I saw an
angel coming down out of heaven with the key of the abyss and a great chain in
his hand. He seized the dragon, the original serpent, who is the Devil and
Satan, and bound him for 1,000 years. And he hurled him into the abyss and shut
it and sealed it over him, so that he would not mislead the nations anymore
until the 1,000 years were ended. After this he must be released for a little
while."
So the demons were
referring to the future time that they know and recognized as their
imprisonment in the "abyss." Granted, these are spirit creatures we
are talking about, so no physical holding tank could restrain them. But God
knew we as physical beings would not understand spiritual things unless they
were put in a frame of reference we humans could relate to. So whatever this
"abyss" is, it is some sort of restraint that prevents the demons
from exerting their influence.
But how do the words “torture”
and “torment” play into this? Regarding the original Greek word used here,
consider this article: http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200004454
Here is a reasoning
point that may help: Just as a holding cell, or even possibly solitary confinement
might be a "torture" all of and in itself, so likewise restraining
the demons inside the abyss is all by itself a torture. (Even a child being
punished by being sent to his room or to sit in a corner knows how torturous
being grounded can be.) Those who have been in prisons can relate to the mental
(psychological and emotional) anguish just being in prison can have. Even if no
actual physical torture is being applied, just the act of restraint, the
inability to express free will, the inability to enjoy life can be torture.
So things we humans
associate with physical torture would not affect a spirit creature. But more
importantly is the principle at Jeremiah 19:5 and James 1:13.
That is to say, God would never use this sort of torture on anyone.
