Abaddon is both a place of destruction in the Old Testament and the name of the angel of the bottomless pit in Revelation.
In Hebrew the word means “destruction” or “place of destruction.”
In Revelation 9:11 the angel of the abyss is named Abaddon in Hebrew and Apollyon in Greek — both meaning “Destroyer.”
He appears in the context of the fifth trumpet judgment as the king over the demonic locusts that rise from the bottomless pit.
In the Old Testament, Abaddon is often paired with Sheol and refers to the realm of death and destruction — a place of ruin that lies open before God even when hidden from human eyes. Job, the Psalms, and Proverbs use the word to speak of the grave’s destructive power and of the hidden depths that only the Lord fully sees. In the New Testament the word appears once, in Revelation 9, as a personal name. When the fifth trumpet sounds, a star fallen from heaven is given the key to the bottomless pit. From the pit come locust-like creatures that torment those who do not have the seal of God. Their king is the angel of the abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek Apollyon. The passage presents him as a real spiritual being exercising destructive authority under the sovereign permission of God during the judgments of the end.
- In the Old Testament Abaddon primarily means “destruction” or the place of destruction, closely linked with Sheol.
- Nothing in Abaddon is hidden from God; His eyes see into the deepest places of ruin.
- In Revelation, Abaddon is the personal name of the angel of the bottomless pit.
- The Greek equivalent Apollyon also means “Destroyer,” emphasizing his character and role.
- He appears in the fifth trumpet judgment as king over the demonic locusts released from the abyss.
- Even this destructive figure operates only under the authority and timing God allows.
- The imagery warns of real spiritual powers of destruction that will be unleashed in the last days, yet remain under God’s control.
- Old Testament Usage – A poetic and wisdom term for the place or power of destruction, often parallel to Sheol.
- Revelation Identity – The angel of the bottomless pit, named Abaddon (Hebrew) and Apollyon (Greek).
- Role in Judgment – King over the locust-like creatures that torment the unsealed during the fifth trumpet.
- Meaning of the Name – “Destruction” / “Destroyer” — indicating character and function.
- Connection to the Abyss – Rules over beings released from the bottomless pit.
- Limited Authority – Acts only within the boundaries God sets in the unfolding of end-time judgments.
- Warning and Sovereignty – Reveals both the reality of destructive spiritual powers and the ultimate rule of God over them.
- Revelation 9:1-11 – “And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit… 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.”
- Job 26:6 – “Sheol is naked before God, and Abaddon has no covering.”
- Job 28:22 – “Abaddon and Death say, ‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’”
- Job 31:12 – “For that would be a fire that consumes as far as Abaddon, and it would burn to the root all my increase.”
- Psalm 88:11 – “Is your steadfast love declared in the grave, or your faithfulness in Abaddon?”
- Proverbs 15:11 – “Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the Lord; how much more the hearts of the children of man!”
- Proverbs 27:20 – “Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, and never satisfied are the eyes of man.”
- Revelation 9:1-2 – The star fallen from heaven is given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit; from the shaft rises smoke like the smoke of a great furnace.
- Revelation 11:7; 17:8 – The beast that rises from the bottomless pit (related abyss imagery).
- Luke 8:31 – The demons beg Jesus not to command them to depart into the abyss (related concept of the deep as a place of confinement).
Abaddon stands at the intersection of two truths: the reality of destructive spiritual powers and the absolute sovereignty of God. In the Old Testament the place of destruction lies naked before the Lord. In Revelation the angel of the abyss is named Destroyer, yet he appears only when a key is given and a trumpet is sounded by God’s command. The powers of darkness are real and terrible, but they are not ultimate. They operate within limits set by the One who holds the keys of Death and Hades and who will one day cast every enemy into the lake of fire. For the believer the name Abaddon is a warning against the reality of evil and a reminder that even the Destroyer cannot act outside the permission of the Almighty. Fear God, stand firm in Christ, and remember that the final victory belongs to the Lamb.
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