Apollyon and the Abyss

There’s a popular teaching in Christianity that there are only three named angels in the Bible. I’ve heard this a million times. I’ve probably even taught it before myself.

GotQuestions.org states: Only three angels are identified by name in the Bible: Gabriel (Daniel 8:16), Michael the archangel (Daniel 10:13), and Lucifer the fallen angel (Isaiah 14:12).

Unfortunately, this common belief is wrong. The Book of Revelation blows this idea apart. Especially if we’re including fallen angels.

Revelation 9 tells us about a swarm of freaky locusts that invade the earth in the end times, and it includes this detail:

(Verse 11)

They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon.

So who is this guy Apollyon? Why does he have two names? And what is the bottomless pit?

I find this to be weird, and I’d like to explore why it’s in the Bible. And our study today will answer ALL those questions—who Apollyon is, where he’s from—and believe it or not, how learning about this location of the Abyss will bring you to a deeper understanding so many other passages in Scripture—and even the Gospel itself.

If that sounds like a good time to you, turn with me to Revelation 9, and let’s get weird.

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