Since I faulted Jonathan Edwards for making a bad argument to support the assertion in his sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” that “the great and almighty creator and king of heaven and earth” is the superlative torturer, I think it best that I look again at the verses that, if taken literally in some cases (in Revelation particularly), support that point of view.  First, I reject the testimony of the Gadarene or Gerasene demoniac(s) on principle: an unclean spirit is speaking.

This is like the impish boy corrected by his father in a public place who throws himself down on the ground screaming, “Please don’t beat me!”  Mark and Luke recorded the real cause of the demon’s histrionics:

Mark’s and Luke’s accounts continue but diverge some as well:

I have heard a sermon in which—And they began to beg him not to order them to depart into the abyss—was proof positive that even the demons fear hell.  Apart from taking the word of a liar as proof of anything, I agree, the unclean spirits probably do fear the wrath of God.  I just won’t accept this statement and their plea not to be tormented as proof that God is a torturer.

A form of the word βασανίζω occurred in Mathew’s account of a Roman centurion who came to Jesus asking for help:^[4] Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible anguish (δεινῶς βασανιζόμενος, a form of βασανίζω).^[5]  This was not just any old torture; it was terrible torture.  And at the risk of being facetious I think it’s important to recognize that Jesus’ first response was not, “Oh, goody!  I can’t wait to see that!”  Nor did He say, “Well, if your servant is suffering terrible anguish I’m sure he did something to deserve it.”  Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”^[6]

So, what about Jesus’ apparent unwillingness to send the unclean spirits out of the region or into the abyss before the time?  Did his compassion for them prove that deep down in his heart of hearts Jesus knew what kind of torturer He really is?  Matthew and Luke recorded a curious bit of Jesus’ insight into the travails of unclean spirits:

The point of this little bit of demonology in Matthew’s Gospel account was, It will be that way for this evil generation as well!  But Luke recorded the demonology without its application.  That intrigued me.  Jesus could certainly relate to passing through waterless places looking for rest but not finding any.  It is something that could elicit his compassion apart from some secret knowledge of Himself as a torturer.

So Jesus allowed the unclean spirits to enter a nearby herd of pigs.  Did they thank Him? Or praise Him?

No, they drowned the pigs.  And here the unclean spirits’ purpose comes into focus.  This spectacle attracted a buyers’ market of new homes to their location: Now the herdsmen ran off and spread the news in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened.

So when the new-homes-for-unclean-spirits saw what had happened they were afraid (ἐφοβήθησαν, a form of φοβέω).  Both Gospel writers used ἐφοβήθησαν, the same word found in the phrase ἐφοβήθησαν φόβον^[10] μέγαν^[11] in Mark’s gospel that was translated, They were overwhelmed by fear.^[12]  This was the very fear Jesus called δειλοί,^[13] a form of δειλός.^[14]  As δειλοῖς (another form of δειλός) this fear appears first in the list of the damned in Revelation.^[15]

And so the new-homes-for-unclean-spirits proved what path they were on when their ἐφοβήθησαν prompted them to ask the only One standing between them and a Legion of homeless unclean spirits to leave.

So the unclean spirits got what they wanted all along.  Unclean Spirits = 1; Jesus and compassion = 0.  At least that’s the way it seems if I quit here or only read Matthew’s account.

Jesus left as they asked.  He might have taught them Himself about eternal life except for their ἐφοβήθησαν.  So they had only the testimony of a cleansed demoniac, and all were amazed.