Apollyon
The Name and Its Meaning
The name Apollyon appears only once in the New Testament, in Revelation 9:11: "They had as king over them the angel of the abyss. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon." The Greek name comes from the verb meaning "to destroy" and is translated simply as "Destroyer." John deliberately provides both the Hebrew and Greek forms, connecting his apocalyptic vision to the Old Testament concept of Abaddon while making it accessible to his Greek-speaking audience. By giving this figure a name in both languages, John emphasizes the universal scope of the destruction he represents.
Abaddon in the Old Testament
The Hebrew word Abaddon appears several times in the Old Testament's wisdom literature, always in connection with death and the grave. In Job 26:6, "Sheol is naked before God, and Abaddon has no covering." In Job 28:22, "Abaddon and Death say, 'We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.'" Proverbs 15:11 declares, "Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD; how much more the hearts of the children of man!" In Psalm 88:11, the psalmist asks, "Is your steadfast love declared in the grave, your faithfulness in Abaddon?" In these passages, Abaddon refers to the place or state of destruction associated with death and the underworld. It carries a strong moral dimension, not merely physical death but the ruin reserved for the wicked. Notably, even this realm of destruction lies fully exposed before God, who sees and governs all things.
The Fifth Trumpet Judgment
In Revelation 9:1-11, the fifth angel sounds his trumpet, and a star fallen from heaven opens the shaft of the abyss. From this pit rises smoke like a great furnace, and from the smoke emerge locusts with terrifying power. These are no ordinary insects. They are described with vivid, composite imagery: shaped like horses prepared for battle, with crowns of gold, human faces, women's hair, lions' teeth, iron breastplates, and scorpion-like tails that can inflict pain for five months (Revelation 9:7-10). They are commanded not to harm vegetation but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. These locusts cannot kill but torment, and during those five months people will seek death but not find it. Over this army of torment, Apollyon reigns as king.
Apollyon's Identity
Scholars have debated the identity of Apollyon. Some have identified him with Satan, but Revelation 9:1 appears to distinguish the angel who opens the abyss (possibly Satan) from Apollyon who rules over the locust army. Others have seen Apollyon as a powerful demonic being subordinate to Satan but ruling over a specific domain of destructive evil. Some early interpreters noted a possible wordplay between Apollyon and the Greek god Apollo, whose symbol was the locust and who was associated with plagues. Whether John intended this connection, the primary point is clear: Apollyon is a personification of destructive evil, a figure embodying the ruin that comes from the realm of the dead. He is not depicted as an independent power but as one operating within limits set by God, the locusts can only torment, not kill, and only for a fixed period.
Apollyon and God's Sovereignty
A crucial feature of the Apollyon passage is that even this terrible destroyer operates under divine constraint. The abyss is opened only when God permits it. The locusts are given specific limitations: they may not harm the sealed people of God, they cannot kill, and their authority extends for only five months. This pattern is consistent throughout Revelation, where even the most fearsome manifestations of evil serve God's larger purposes. The point for the original readers, facing persecution and temptation, was clear: the forces of destruction are real and terrible, but they are not ultimate. God remains sovereign over the destroyer and will bring all evil to its final end.
The Destroyer Destroyed
While Apollyon represents the height of destructive evil in Revelation 9, the broader narrative of Revelation moves inexorably toward the defeat of every such power. The beast, the false prophet, and ultimately Satan himself are cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20; 20:10). Death and Hades are thrown into the lake of fire as well (Revelation 20:14). The Destroyer himself is destined for destruction. The promise of Revelation's conclusion is a new creation where "death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore" (Revelation 21:4). Apollyon's reign of torment is temporary; God's reign of life is eternal.
Biblical Context
Apollyon appears by name only in Revelation 9:11, but the concept of Abaddon runs through the Old Testament wisdom literature (Job 26:6; 28:22; 31:12; Psalm 88:11; Proverbs 15:11; 27:20). The fifth trumpet judgment in which Apollyon features is part of the larger sequence of divine judgments in Revelation 8-11. The themes of destruction, divine sovereignty over evil, and the ultimate defeat of death connect Apollyon to the broader apocalyptic narrative.
Theological Significance
Apollyon reveals that destructive evil, while terrifyingly real, operates within boundaries established by God. The Destroyer cannot act independently of divine permission, cannot touch God's sealed people, and is ultimately destined for defeat. This teaching provides both warning and comfort: warning that forces of spiritual destruction are genuine and powerful, and comfort that they are not ultimate. God's sovereignty extends even over the abyss, and His redemptive purposes will prevail over every form of destruction.
Historical Background
The imagery of Revelation 9 draws on multiple ancient sources. Locust plagues were among the most devastating natural disasters in the ancient Near East, capable of stripping entire regions bare. The Old Testament plague of locusts in Egypt (Exodus 10) and Joel's prophetic vision of a locust army (Joel 1-2) provide biblical precedent. Some scholars note that the Greek god Apollo was associated with locusts and plagues, and that the Roman emperor Domitian, under whose reign Revelation was likely written, identified himself with Apollo. If John intended this allusion, it would add a layer of political critique to his apocalyptic vision.