Apollyon

Apollyon (a Greek name for "Destroyer" "Απολλυων, from απολλυειν" meaning "to destroy") is equated in the New Testament's "Book of Revelation" with the Beast.Fact|date=September 2008 The term "Apollyon" was often associated by early Christians with The Devil, and fancifully described, and is still used as an alternative name for him.Fact|date=September 2008 Apollyon appears in "Revelation" 9:7–11 leading the locust plague that will be released on God's enemies in the End Times:

The symbolism of Revelation 9:11 leaves the exact identification of Apollyon open for interpretation. Some bible scholars believe him to be the antichrist [http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/comm_read.pl?book=Rev&chapter=9&verse=11&Comm=Comm%2Fmhc%2FRev%2FRev009.html%231%26Matthew%26Henry&Select.x=18&Select.y=9#1 Matthew Henry Commentary on Revelation 9] , Accessed 4/15/2007] or Satan. [http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/comm_read.pl?book=Rev&chapter=9&verse=11&Comm=Comm%2Fjfb%2FRev%2FRev009.html%2359238%26JF+%5E%26B&Select.x=24&Select.y=0 Jamieson, Fausset & Brown Commentary] , Accessed 4/15/2007] cite book
last =Halley
first =Henry H.
authorlink =
coauthors = James E. Ruark (ed)
title = Halley's Bible Handbook
publisher = Zondervan Publishing House
date = 2000
location = Grand Rapids, MI
pages =936
url =
doi =
isbn = 0-310-22479-9 ] cite book
last =MacDonald
first =William
authorlink =
coauthors = Art Farstad (ed)
title = Believer's Bible Commentary
publisher = Thomas Nelson Publishers
date = 1995
location = Nashville, TN
pages =2366
url =
doi =
isbn = 0-8407-1972-8 ]

Apollyon is important to eschatology as an indelible part of Christian end times prophesy. The beginning of Revelation 9 identifies John's vision of Apollyon/Abaddon as a fallen angel. (Rev. 12:3-4 & 7 show that biblically 'stars' are symbolic of angels, and the fallen angel Satan's/the dragon's "stars" are his "angels".)

Rev. 9:1-3 "And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power."

The description of the locusts and their function ends with Rev. 9:10-11: "And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon."

In John Bunyan's allegory "The Pilgrim's Progress", Apollyon appears as the "foul fiend" who assaulted Christian on his pilgrimage through the Valley of Humiliation. The identification with the Asmodeus of Tobit iii. 8 is erroneous.Fact|date=October 2008

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