Bar-abbas (literally meaning son of the father), plays the part of the sin loaded scapegoat, described as having committed every sin imaginable. With Jesus, on the other hand, presented as the unblemished/sinless sacrifice. He, also, is the son of the Father. So, we have two characters, both sons of the father, playing out this ritualistic scenario. In fact, Jesus and Barabbas are simply two sides of the same coin, like the darkness of night and the light of day are two parts of one sky, one day. Jesus is a picture of Ideals peculiar to the personality and character of God. Good personified. In contrast, Barabbas represents the opposite, evil personified. I am saying that heaven and hell are not other world physical places where reward and punishment are doled out. Heaven and hell are states of mind. Heaven being the world of positive Ideals/ideas/principles and the happiness associated with them, and hell being the world of negative ideas and actions that lead to misery. Paradise, hell, and everything in between are all here on earth. Ephesians 6: 12 ‘for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities…’ Principalities are mental states of being where either positive or negative Ideals/ideas/principles reside.
War between the Prince of Light and the Prince of Darkness is simple language used to describe the naturally existing, constant tension that exists between the diametrically opposed entities of Good and Evil. In fact, the whole Bible is filled with verses that speak to the struggle between the non-physical (heaven) and the physical (earth) aspects of every human being. The Mind, full of life and the body lifeless, with the one full of life being God and the one devoid of life referred to as the devil. That is to say that God is everything that matters substantively, whereas the Devil, being the opposite, only matters superficially, the way a shadow or a reflection does. It’s hard to understand how reflective reality can take the blame for all of humankind’s missteps when no action ever takes place without starting in the mind as an idea. It is just us and our Creator. We become devils when we give our minds over to hate, lies, evil, etc. In a word – negativity. We become devils when we prioritize things and creature comforts over morals and principles. We become devils when we surrender our wills to a false, materialistic belief/value system, i.e. - mammon.