Apollyon is the Greek name of the angel of the bottomless pit in Revelation 9:11.
It means “Destroyer.”
The same verse gives his name in Hebrew as Abaddon, which carries the same meaning.
He appears as the king over the demonic locusts released during the fifth trumpet judgment.
In the vision of the fifth trumpet, John sees a star fallen from heaven who is given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. From the pit come locust-like creatures that torment those who lack the seal of God on their foreheads. Over these creatures rules the angel of the abyss. John records his name in two languages: in Hebrew it is Abaddon; in Greek it is Apollyon. Both names mean “Destroyer.” The use of the Greek name would have been especially clear to John’s readers in the wider Greco-Roman world, conveying the character and function of this angelic being. Apollyon is not a mere symbol of abstract destruction; he is presented as a real spiritual ruler operating under the sovereign permission of God in the judgments of the end. His appearance underscores both the reality of demonic powers and the fact that even the Destroyer acts only within the limits God assigns.
- Apollyon is the Greek name of the angel of the bottomless pit; Abaddon is the Hebrew name for the same being.
- Both names mean “Destroyer,” emphasizing his nature and role.
- He appears specifically in the fifth trumpet judgment of Revelation.
- He rules as king over the locust-like creatures that rise from the abyss.
- His authority is derived and limited; he acts only when the key is given and the trumpet sounds.
- The dual naming (Hebrew and Greek) makes the meaning clear to both Jewish and Gentile readers.
- The figure warns of real spiritual forces of destruction that will be active in the last days, yet remain under God’s control.
- Name and Meaning – Greek for “Destroyer”; parallel to the Hebrew Abaddon.
- Identity – The angel of the bottomless pit (abyss).
- Role in Revelation – King over the demonic locusts of the fifth trumpet.
- Sphere of Authority – Exercises rule over the beings released from the abyss for a limited time of torment.
- Limitation – Operates only within the boundaries set by God’s end-time judgments.
- Dual Designation – Named in both Hebrew and Greek so that the meaning is unmistakable.
- Connection to Abaddon – One and the same figure; the two names simply reflect two languages.
- Revelation 9:11 – “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.”
- Revelation 9:1-11 – The full context of the fifth trumpet: the fallen star, the key to the bottomless pit, the smoke, the locusts, their power to torment, and their king.
- Revelation 9:1-2 – “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. He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace…”
- Job 26:6 – “Sheol is naked before God, and Abaddon has no covering.” (Old Testament background for the related Hebrew term)
- Proverbs 15:11 – “Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the Lord; how much more the hearts of the children of man!”
- Revelation 11:7; 17:8 – Further references to the beast that rises from the bottomless pit (related abyss imagery).
- Luke 8:31 – Demons beg Jesus not to send them into the abyss (related concept of the deep as a place of confinement for evil spirits).
- Revelation 20:1-3 – An angel with the key to the bottomless pit binds Satan and shuts him in for a thousand years (related key and abyss imagery).
Apollyon, the Destroyer, is named so that no reader can miss his character. Yet even the Destroyer appears in Revelation only when heaven permits it. The key is given; the trumpet is sounded; the time of torment is measured. The powers of darkness are real and fearsome, but they are not free. They serve the larger purposes of the God who judges the world in righteousness and who protects those sealed as His own. For the believer, the name Apollyon is a sober reminder of the reality of spiritual evil and a clear testimony that every destructive power remains under the authority of the One who holds the keys. The final word does not belong to the Destroyer. It belongs to the Lamb.
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