Apollyon
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Apollyon appears in the New Testament (Book of Revelation 9:7–11) leading the locust plague that will be released on God's enemies in the End Times:
| “ | 7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. 8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. 9 And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. 10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. 11 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. (KJV)
"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. This is the great dragon of chapter 12, Satan or Azazel. He has a number of names, but in each case, he is the king of all the demons, Lucifer, who became Satan." (Revelation 9:11, KJV with Forerunner Commentary) |
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The name is Greek for "Destroyer" (Απολλυων, from απολλυειν, to destroy). It also echoes the unrelated Hebrew Abaddon (lit. "place of destruction," but here personified) and the name of the Greek god Apollo, also a "destroyer" in his aspect of controlling pestilence, though the composite monstrosity that is Apollyon is distinctly Babylonian and Persian, not Hellenic, in inspiration. Apollyon seems to be equated in Revelation with the Beast. 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.
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.
In the Song of Roland (Chanson de Roland), an early French epic, the Sarracens (Arabs/Muslims) are characterised as worshipping Mohammed and Apollyon: "c'est Mahomet qu'il sert, Apollyon qu'il invoque"[1].
[edit] Identification of Apollyon
The symbolism of Revelation 9:11 leaves the exact identification of Apollyon open for interpretation. Some bible scholars believe him to be the antichrist[2] or Satan.[3][4][5]
The beginning of Revelation Chapter Nine 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."
[edit] Other Uses
The name Apollyon was used for a character in the Crossgen Comics series "The Negation". Apollyon is a rival to Charon, ruler of the Negation universe; he is nearly as powerful as Charon and is committed to destroying him, but is also dangerously insane.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Chanson de Roland, 1,8 (trans. Ian Short (1990))
- ^ Matthew Henry Commentary on Revelation 9, Accessed 4/15/2007
- ^ Jamieson, Fausset & Brown Commentary, Accessed 4/15/2007
- ^ Halley (2000) Halley's Bible Handbook with the New International Version, p936.
- ^ MacDonald (1995) Believer's Bible Commentary, p2366.
[edit] Bibliography
- Metzeger, Bruce M. (ed); Michael D. Coogan (ed) (1993). The Oxford Companion to the Bible. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-504645-5.
- Halley, Henry H.; James E. Ruark (ed) (2000). Halley's Bible Handbook. Grand Rapids, MI: ZondervanPublishingHouse. ISBN 0-310-22479-9.
- MacDonald, William; Art Farstad (ed) (1995). Believer's Bible Commentary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers. ISBN 0-8407-1972-8.
