Abaddon
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INTRODUCTION
The Hebrew term Abaddon (Hebrew: A?adon, meaning "destruction," "doom") and its Greek equivalent Apollyon (Koine Greek: Apollúon, meaning "Destroyer") appears in the Bible as both a place of Destruction and an angel of the Abyss. In the Hebrew Bible, Abaddon is used concerning a bottomless pit, often appearing alongside the place Sheol, meaning the resting place of dead peoples.
In the Book of Revelation of the New Testament, an angel called Abaddon is described as the King of an army of locusts; his name is first transcribed in Koine Greek (Revelation 9:11—"whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon,"), and then translated Apollyon.
SCRIPTURE
10 They had tails with stingers like scorpions, which had the power to injure people for five months. 11 They were ruled by a king, the angel of the Abyss. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in
Greek, it is Apollyon.
Judaism
Hebrew Bible
The term Abaddon appears six times in the *Masoretic text of the Hebrew Bible; Abaddon means Destruction or "place of destruction," or the realm of the dead, and is accompanied by Sheol.
*Masoretic text - The Hebrew text of the Old Testament is called the Masoretic Text because, in its present form, it is based upon the Masora—the Hebrew, textual tradition of the Jewish scholars known as the Masoretes (or Masorites). The Masoretes were rabbis who made it their special work to correct the faults that had crept into the text of the Old Testament during the Babylonian captivity and to prevent for the future, its being corrupted by any alteration.
The text of the Thanksgiving Hymns—which was found in the Dead Sea Scrolls—tells of "the Sheol of Abaddon" and of the "torrents of Belial [that] burst into Abaddon." The Biblical Antiquities (misattributed to Philo) mention Abaddon as a place (Destruction) rather than an individual. Abaddon is also one of the compartments of Gehenna. By extension, it can mean an underworld of lost souls or Gehenna.
Rabbinical literature
In some legends, Abaddon is identified as a realm where the damned lie in fire and snow, one of the places in Gehenna that Moses visited.
Christianity
New Testament
The New Testament contains the first known depiction of Abaddon as an individual entity instead of a place.
A king, the angel of the bottomless pit; whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek Apollyon; in Latin Exterminans.
—?Revelation 9:11
In Revelation 9:11, Abaddon is described as "Destroyer," the angel of the Abyss, and as the King of a plague of locusts resembling horses with crowned human faces, women's hair, lions' teeth, wings, iron breastplates, and a tail with a scorpion's stinger that torments for five months anyone who does not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
The symbolism of Revelation 9:11 leaves the identity of Abaddon open to interpretation. Protestant commentator Matthew Henry (1708) believed Abaddon to be the Antichrist, whereas the Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary (1871) and Henry Hampton Halley (1922) identified the angel as Satan.
In contrast, the Methodist publication The Interpreter's Bible states, "Abaddon, however, is an angel not of Satan but God, performing his work of destruction at God's bidding," citing the context in Revelation chapter 20, verses 1 through 3. Jehovah's Witnesses also cite Revelation 20:1-3, where the angel having "the key of the abyss" is shown to represent God, concluding that "Abaddon" is another name for Jesus after his resurrection.
Mandaeism
Mandaean scriptures such as the Ginza Rabba mention the Abaddons (Classical Mandaic: ?bdunia) as part of the World of Darkness. The Right Ginza mentions the existence of the "upper Abaddons" (?bdunia ?laiia) as well as the "lower Abaddons" (?bdunia titania). The final poem of the Left Ginza mentions the "House of the Abaddons" (bit ?bdunia).
Apocryphal texts
In the gnostic 3rd century Acts of Thomas, Abaddon is the name of a demon, or the Devil himself.
Abaddon is given significant roles in two sources, a homily entitled "The Enthronement of Abaddon" by pseudo-Timothy of Alexandria, and the Book of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, by Bartholomew the Apostle. In the homily by Timothy, Abaddon was first named Muriel and had been given the task by God of collecting the earth that would be used in the creation of Adam. Upon completion of this task, the angel was appointed as a guardian. Everyone feared him, including the angels, demons, and corporeal entities (having, consisting of, or relating to a physical material body). Abaddon was promised that any who venerated him in life could be saved. Abaddon is also said to have a prominent role in the Last Judgment as the one who will take the souls to the Valley of Josaphat. He is described in the Book of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ as being present in the Tomb of Jesus at the moment of the resurrection of Jesus.
Abaddon
In the Book of Revelation ( 9:1-11 ), when John sees his vision of the fifth trumpet blowing, a vast horde of demonic horse riders emerges from the newly opened Abyss. They are sent forth to torment the unfortunate inhabitants of the earth but not to kill them. They have a ruler over them, called a king (basileia [basileiva]), the angel of the Abyss, whose name is given in both Hebrew and Greek. In Hebrew, it is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon, both words meaning Destroyer or Destruction.
The word only occurs once in the New Testament ( Rev 9:11 ) and five times in the Old Testament ( Job 26:6; 28:22; 31:12; Psalm 88:11; Prov 15:11 ). In Psalm 88:11, Destruction is parallel to the grave; in Job 26:6 and Proverbs 26:6 it is parallel to Sheol; in Job 28:22 it is parallel to Death. Job 31:12 says sin is a fire that burns to Destruction. So in the Old Testament, Abaddon means the place of utter ruin, Death, desolation, or Destruction.
The angel of the Abyss is called Destruction or Destroyer because his task is to oversee the devastation of the earth's inhabitants. His identity is a matter of dispute. Some make him Satan himself, while others take him to be only one of Satan's many evil subordinates. However, it is curious that his minions are allowed only to torture and not to kill.
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Second Temple era texts uses Abaddon "destruction," the Hebrew name (equivalent to the Greek Apollyon, i.e., destroyer) of "the angel of the bottomless pit" ( Revelation 9:11 ). It is rendered "destruction" in Job 28:22; 31:12; 26:6; Proverbs 15:11; 27:20 . In the last three of these passages the Revised Version retains the word "Abaddon." We may regard this word as a personification of the idea of Destruction or as sheol, the realm of the dead.
Of all the ominous characters described in the book of Revelation, Abaddon—also known as Apollyon—is one of the most menacing. This demonic being lives up to his name, which means Destruction. He arrives on the scene in the Final Days and is introduced as one of Satan's high-ranking officials, a fallen angel who rules over the Abyss. Abaddon's subjects, a horde of demonic creatures equipped to torment humans, usher in the fifth wave of trumpet judgments described in the apostle John's apocalyptic vision.
"This is the beginning of the End in which Satan and his demonic forces will be unleashed. He will be permitted to take those who reject Christ as King during the cleansing of the whole earth to make way for a "new heaven and a new earth" (Revelation 21:1)."
What Is the Meaning of Abaddon in the Old Testament?
In the Old Testament, we catch a glimpse of the word Abaddon in five places—three times in the book of Job (Job 26:6; 28: 22; 12), once in the Psalms (Psalms 88:11), and once in Proverbs (Proverbs 15:11). Each of these brief occurrences describes Abaddon as a unique place of Destruction associated with the realm of the dead.
Some biblical researchers believe there are indirect New Testament passages that refer to the locale of Abaddon without specifically naming that place. Unlike Sheol, which Scripture characterizes as an intermediate site for unregenerate humanity after Death, these researchers believe that Abaddon is a separate realm where fallen angels are incarcerated until God's appointed time of Judgment.
"And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on a great Day" (Jude 1:6).
"For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment;" (2 Peter 2:4).
Whether or not these researchers have correctly interpreted the fallen angel's prison as Abaddon, one thing is sure according to the Old Testament; Abaddon is a supernatural realm set apart for Destruction and those who cause Destruction.
Who is Abaddon (Apollyon) in the New Testament?
The New Testament helps us identify the ruler over the realm of Abaddon in Revelation 9. This fallen angel, with the same name as his realm, is introduced after the fifth trumpet of Judgment is blown. Those on earth during the Tribulation period witness the horrific events that follow. A star falls from Heaven and releases a horde of demonic locust-like creatures from the smoke-filled Abyss. These creatures are then commissioned to torture everyone on earth who has received the mark of the Beast (Revelation 9:1-10).
Abaddon, whose Greek name is Apollyon, is revealed as the angel of the Abyss and the King of the tormenting locusts (Revelation 9:11). It is debated whether Abaddon's identity is that of Satan himself. However, we know the fallen angel cannot be Satan because our enemy has not yet been sentenced to Hell or any such confined space. Instead, the Bible tells us that Satan currently roams the earth, seeking whom he may devour (John 14:30, 1 Peter 5:8, Ephesians 2:2).
However, according to Revelation 20:1-7, it seems that Satan will eventually be locked and sealed in the realm of Abaddon for a thousand years before His final sentence, where he will be cast into the lake of fire once for all.
"And I saw an angel coming out of Heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding a great chain in his hand. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, the Devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss and locked and sealed it over him to keep him from deceiving the nations until the thousand years ended."
What Is the Role of Abaddon (Apollyon) during End-Time Events?
At God's appointed time and His command, Abaddon is the one who fulfills the fifth wave of trumpet judgment that will overtake the earth during the Tribulation. He uses his locust subjects as a mass destruction tool to accomplish this purpose.
These "locusts" under Abaddon's rule are not the same crop-destroying insects that live in infamy on Earth. "They are instructed not to bother with the grass or trees [when they are released] but to, instead, swarm against humans. They are given five months in which to torment people with pain like that of a scorpion bite. The Bible says it will be such agony that people will long for Death but not be able to find it," explains Lori Stanley Roeleveld in What Do Locusts Symbolize in the Bible?
Scripture details the demon locust's horrific appearance and destructive powers. The apostle John—who received the End Times revelation from God, then recorded it for Believers throughout the ages to read—described the supernatural creatures using vivid language and his limited comparisons when translating the vision. However, these demons were likely beyond anything humans can comprehend this side of Heaven.
John describes the tormenting creatures as "locusts" with human faces, long flowing hair, and sharp teeth. They were dressed in breastplates of iron and looked like horses prepped for battle. They wore crowns of gold on their heads, and the sound of their wings in flight was a thunderous noise that resembled a team of horses rushing into battle. The locusts had the power to torment people for five months, using their scorpion-like tails to sting anyone who bore the mark of the Antichrist. Once stung, a victim would suffer to the point of longing for Death but would be unable to receive the comfort of the grave (Revelation 9:7-10).
Although Abaddon and his minions inflict unspeakable pain upon unsaved humanity during this period, God is still in control. Abaddon will not be permitted to destroy humanity. The role of this fallen angel is defined and ordained by God, and all the other powers of Hell are subject to God's sovereign will.
Why Should Christians Know About This?
If those who have not received the mark of the Beast are exempt from the torture involved in the fifth trumpet judgment, why should Believers be concerned with knowing the gory details outlined in Revelation nine?
"First, we should remember that even if we know Jesus as our personal Savior, many of our friends and family do not. We want to help as many souls as possible to come and know our Savior prior to these events,"
As time draws to an end, the clock is an ever-present reminder of our duty and honor to lead others to Christ. Now more than ever, it is essential that Believers waste no time in presenting the Good News to those around us—especially those we love. Their eternal security depends upon it, and Christians have been given this great commission as a way to honor Jesus and reveal His glory to the world at large.
The tragic events revealed in John's end-times visions are a sobering reminder to believers that Destruction lies ahead for anyone who has not placed their hope in Jesus. This should motivate us to shout from the rooftops the Way of salvation.
Another essential thing to consider when wondering whether the End Times study is critical is that the Bible tells us that God gives all Scripture for a purpose. God wants to teach, rebuke, correct, and train believers in righteousness through His Word so that we can be complete and fully equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16, 17).
Scripture tells us that those who read the prophecies in the book of Revelation are blessed. "Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near" (Revelation 1:3). God included the details of the fifth trumpet judgment and every other prophecy in Scripture to give His children an insight into future events and to shine the light of truth on who He is.
As long as we do not become fixated on and hyper-concerned with setting dates, and over-conceptualizing the End Times according to our limited understanding, a healthy study of the book of Revelation will enrich every believer's faith.
When we take the time to weed through, study, and consider all the complexities of the strange and terrifying last book of the Bible, we see that it points back to the redemptive thread woven through the entire fabric of Scripture. God's redemptive work comes into full view in the book of Revelation and completes the circle of mercy and grace that began in Genesis at the fall of man.
