Revelation 20:14

οὗτος. א reads καὶ οὗτος. 1 cop[781] and Primas[782] transcript of Augustin omit οὗτος … πυρός, nor does Augustin anywhere quote this definition of the second death, though he gives many of his own; when he says that in the second death soul and body are tormented together by eternal fire he is obviously thinking of the synoptic Gospels; Text. Rec[783] omits ἡ λἱμνη τοῦ πυρός with the later vulgate, the older MSS. of which recognise the words in whole or in part.

[781] Coptic.
[782] Primasius, edited by Haussleiter.
[783] Rec. Textus Receptus as printed by Scrivener.

14. ὁ θάνατος καὶ ὁ ᾅδης ἐβλήθησαν. They are enemies of God, 1 Corinthians 15:26, and to be destroyed at Christ’s triumph, ib. 54. But though no doubt presented to St John as individual demon figures (see Revelation 6:8), we are not to understand that they are real persons, like the Devil and those represented by the Beast and the False Prophet: and hence we are not told that, like them, they continue to exist in torment in the lake of fire.

οὗτος … πυρός. We have learnt already, that temporal death does not hinder eternal life, nay, may secure a better and an earlier resurrection thereto. We now learn the opposite doctrine, that there is a resurrection not to life, but to a death far more terrible than that which ends this life. Cf. St John 5:29. It is quite true, however, that both in popular Jewish belief, and in the language of the N.T., when the Resurrection is spoken of, it is ordinarily conceived as one to life. This does not prevent the more terrible side of the doctrine from being also taught in the Gospel, but it does indicate which side is the healthier, as well as the pleasanter, for our thoughts to dwell on.