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WHO IS THE "DESTROYER"?

bout 95 CE, while in exile on the isle of Patmos, the apostle John was given in vision a glimpse of the end of the age (Rev. 1:10),calledthe"DayoftheLord"innumerousOldandNewTestamentScriptures.Duringthis"dayoftheLord's wrath"(Zep.1:18),Godwillpunishhumanityfortheirproud,sinfulwaysandtheirrefusaltoacknowledgeHimasthetrueGod. John recorded the visions he saw in the book of Revelation. One of those punishments, chronicled in Revelation 9:1-11, will be the release of the depraved demons and fallen angels currently lockedintheAbyss.TheBibleteachesthattheAbyssisaspiritprison(Luke8:31IPet.3:19IIPet.2:4Jude6).IntheAbyss, someofthefallenangelsarenowboundin"everlastingchainsunderdarkness"waiting"forthejudgmentofthegreatday."For more information on these angels and the Abyss, refer to my articles "Fallen Angels and Demons" and "Genesis 6-Who Were 'The Sons Of God'?." In Revelation 9:11, an intriguing character is introduced:

REVELATION 9:11 They have as king over them, the angel of the Abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon. (NASU)

AbaddonandApollyonbothmean"destroyer."Whoisthisrulingspiritcalledthe"Destroyer,"whoisreleasedfromtheAbyss duringGod'swrathonmankindinthelastdaysofthisage?DoestheBiblementionthisbeinganywhereelse? Thetrueidentityofthe"Destroyer"haslongbeenmisunderstood.Inthisarticle,Iwillattempttopiecetogetheralltherelevant Scriptures to show who Abaddon/Apollyon really is and what his role will be in end-timeprophecy.Mosthaveneverrealizedhow much the Bible has to say about this vital end-time figure, who is called by a variety of names.

The "Destroyer" Released

Let'sstartbyreviewingtheeventthatwillallowthispowerfulfallenangelentranceintotheworld.Thisoccurrenceisrecordedin Revelation 9:1-11.Torightlyunderstandwhothis"kingofthebottomlesspit"is,it'svitaltocorrectlyinterpretwhatthispassage issaying.WemustbeguidedbyScripture,notourimagination.

REVELATION 9:1 And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key of the shaft of the bottomless pit; 2 he opened the shaft of the bottomless pit and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. (RSV)

First,noticethatatthesoundingofthefifthtrumpet,anangel("star")descendsoutofheaventotheearth.Thisangelhasinhis possessionakeytotheAbyss(alsocalledthe"bottomlesspit").Withthiskey,theangelunlockstheAbyss.Itisverylikelythat this is the same angel who later comes from heaven again with the key and a great chain to imprison Satan in the Abyss for the duration of the Millennium (Rev. 20:1-3).

REVELATION 9:3 Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth; 4 they were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green growth or any tree, but only those of mankind who have not the seal of God upon their foreheads; 5 they were allowed to torture them for five months, but not to kill them,andtheirtorturewaslikethetortureofascorpion,whenitstingsaman.6Andinthose

days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death will fly from them. (RSV)

Regarding the "locusts" which ascend out of the Abyss, David H. Stern writes:

Demonic monsters are released which fly like locusts (Exodus 10:12-20; Joel 1:4, 2:4-14) and sting like scorpions (Ezekiel 2:6, Lk 11:12). (p. 816, Jewish New Testament Commentary)

God grants these evil "locusts" from the Abyss the power which scorpions have thepowertoinflictpain.Godtellsthese paroleddemonsandfallenangelsnottoharmtheearthorthosehumanswhohaveHissealontheirforeheads.Yetforfivemonths God permits them to torment the unrepentant among mankind.

REVELATION 9:7 In appearance the locusts were like horses arrayed for battle; on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, 8 their hair like women's hair, and their teeth like lions' teeth; 9 they had scales like iron breastplates, and the noiseoftheirwingswaslikethenoiseofmanychariotswithhorsesrushingintobattle.10They have tails like scorpions, and stings, and their power of hurting men for five months lies in their tails.11They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon. (RSV)

Herewehaveafantasticdescriptionofwhatthesereleaseddemonslooklike.Thefive-month period of their torture of mankind is alsoreiteratedinverse10.Theninverse11,wehaveourfirstmentionofAbaddon.Heisidentifiedastheangelicruleroverthose who were released from the Abyss.

Abaddon Is The "Beast" Who Ascends From The Abyss

In Revelation 9:1-11,AbaddonisclearlyidentifiedasthekingoftheevilspiritsreleasedfromtheAbyss.Thisfactidentifieshim throughouttherestofthebookofRevelation.Twicespecifically,andoncesymbolically,Abaddonisreferredtoasthe"beast" who is to come up out of the Abyss:

REVELATION 11:7 When they [the two witnesses] have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the Abyss will make war with them, and overcome them and kill them. (NASU)

REVELATION 17:8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is to ascend from the bottomless pitandgotoperdition...(RSV)

REVELATION13:1ThenIstoodonthesandofthesea.AndIsawa beast rising up out of the sea...(NKJV)

Revelation11:7and17:8areclearlyreferringtoAbaddonasthe"beast"whowillascendfromthe"bottomlesspit."Whatwesee describedinthefirstpartofRevelation13:1isasymbolicreferencetothereleaseofAbaddonfromtheAbyss.InJewishthought, theAbysswasoftenassociatedwiththeoceandepths.SpeakingoftheGreektranslationoftheHebrewScripturesinuseatthe time of Christ, The New Unger's Bible Dictionarysays:"The LXX renders Heb. tehom, 'the primeval ocean' (Gen. 1:2; Ps. 24:2; etc.) as 'abyss'"(p.18,"Abyss").ThisidentificationofAbaddonastheprimary"beast"mentionedinthebookof Revelation will help us to learn more about his activities in the end-time. ThereisoneotherScripturethatenigmaticallymentionsthereleaseofAbaddonfromtheAbyss.Thisobscurereferenceisfound inIIThessalonians2,wherePauldiscussesthe"manofsin."We'lllookatthispassageindepthtotrulygraspthesignificanceof what Paul is saying:

II THESSALONIANS 2:1 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, eitherbyspiritorbywordorbyletter,asiffromus,asthoughthedayofChristhadcome.3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. (NKJV)

Here,PaulistalkingaboutthereturnoftheMessiah.HetellstheThessalonianchurchnottobedeceivedifsomeonetellsthem thatChristhasalreadyreturned,becausesomedefiniteeventshavetooccurbeforethateventwillhappen.Thefirstofthose events is the "falling away" (Gr. apostasia)fromthetruth.AnothereventPaulsaysmusttakeplaceistheappearanceofthe"man of sin," who will attempt to usurp the power of God.

II THESSALONIANS 2:5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?6Andnowyouknowwhatis restraining [katechon], that he may be revealed in his owntime.7Forthemysteryoflawlessnessisalreadyatworkonlyhewhonowrestrains will do so until he is taken out of the way [ek mesou genetai].8Andthenthelawlessonewillbe revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of his mouth and destroy with the brightness of his coming. (NKJV)

PaulsaysthattheThessaloniansknowwhatisnow"restraining"the"manofsin"(v.6),yethedoesn'tstatewhatitisinhisletter. PaulhadalreadytaughttheThessaloniansthesethingswhenhehadbeenwiththemearlier(v.5).TheGreekwordtranslated "restraining" here is katechon.AccordingtoFriberg'sAnalytical Lexicon to the Greek New Testament, this verb means "hold back, detain, prevent...figurativelyrestrain, check." The phrase "only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way" in the latter half of verse 7 implies that the one restrainingthe"manofsin"isaperson.However,theGreektexthereliterallyreads"onlythe thing holding back now will continue until out of the midst he comes [Gr. ek mesou genetai]."WithanunderstandingofwhatistaughtinRevelationabout thereleaseofAbaddon,wecanseewhatPaulissaying.Thefollowingtranslationofverses6and7clarifiesthispassage:

II THESSALONIANS 2:6 And you now know the thing [the Abyss] that is holding back [Abaddon], thathemayberevealedatthepropertime.7Forthemysteryoflawlessnessisalreadyat work; only the thing [the Abyss] which now restrains [Abaddon] will continue to do so until out of the midst [of the Abyss] he comes. (literal)

Paul goes on to say that only after his release from that which is now restraining him would the "lawless one" be revealed to mankind(v.8).We'lllookatthelasthalfofverse8alittlelater,andshowhowitrelatestosomeotherpropheticScriptures(Dan. 7:26; 8:25; Rev. 19:20).

Symbolic Description of Abaddon and His Kingdom

In symbolic language, Abaddon and the kingdom he will rule over are described in detail in the 13th and 17th chapters of Revelation.Thesechaptersgiveusagreatdealofinformation.Let'sexaminethem,alongwithseveralotherparallelScriptures,to see what we can learn about this ruling fallen angel and his end-time kingdom.

REVELATION13:1ThenIstoodonthesandofthesea.AndIsawa beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. (NKJV)

Thelasthalfofverse1describesAbaddoninsymbolicterms.Todeterminewhatthisdescriptionmeans,we'llhavetolookat some related passages in Revelation 17, where an explanation of these heads and horns is given:

REVELATION 17:1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on

many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants oftheearthweremadedrunkwiththewineofherfornication."3Sohecarriedmeawayinthe Spiritintothewilderness.AndIsawawomansittingonascarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. (NKJV)

As you can see by comparing Revelation 17:3 to Revelation 13:1, the "scarlet beast" the "woman" rides looks very similar to the "beast" which arose from the sea.

REVELATION 17:4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthinessofherfornication.5Andonherforeheadanamewaswritten:MYSTERY,BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTSANDOFTHEABOMINATIONSOFTHEEARTH.6I saw the woman,drunkwiththebloodofthesaintsandwiththebloodofthemartyrsofJesus. AndwhenIsawher,Imarveledwithgreatamazement.7Buttheangelsaidtome,"Whydid youmarvel?Iwilltellyouthemysteryofthewoman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. (NKJV)

Thereareseveralopinionsabouttheidentityofthe"woman"inthispassage.Wearetoldthatthiswomanisriding(being supportedby)the"beast"(Abaddonandhiskingdom).Revelation17:5tellsusthatthewomanisthe"motherofharlots."Her harlotdaughtersaretheungodlygovernmentalsystemsofthisworld.The"greatharlot"isthesumtotalofallsatanically-inspired religious/societal/governmental systems in existence since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. Revelation17:5tellsusthatthewomanis"BabylontheGreat."ThisfactisverifiedinRevelation17:18.Revelation18:24tellsus that in this woman "was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain on earth."ThisScripture declaresthatthiswomanisresponsibleforthebloodofeveryonewhohaseverbeenslainontheearth.Obviouslythiscannot represent any one "human" system. "Babylon the Great" is the false religious/societal/governmental system of Satan, who has been a murderer from the beginning (John8:44).Theharlotisthe"mother"ofallangelic/humangovernmentalsystemsthathaveeverexistedapartfromGod.The originalversionofthissystemculminatedintheTowerofBabelunderNimrod,thefirsttypeoftheAntichrist.Theend-time version of this system will be hated by the "beast" and the "ten horns," and will eventually be destroyed by them (Rev. 17:16), in fulfillment of God's will. Now let's examine the scarlet beast ridden by the great harlot:

REVELATION 17:8 "The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the Abyss and go to destruction.Andthosewhodwellontheearth,whosenamehasnot been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come. (NASU)

WhatdoestheangelmeanwhenhetellsJohnthatthe"beast"hesaw"WASandISNOTandWILLCOME"?Thelanguageused definitelyimpliesatimeelement.Asstatedearlier,Johnlikelyrecordedthisprophecyaroundtheyear95CE.Theangelclearly tells John that, at that point in time, the beast "is not"(presenttense).Yettheangelsaysthatthebeast"was" (past tense), and he also says that the beast "will come up out of the Abyss"(futuretense).Whatarewetomakeofthiscrypticstatement? Actually,theexplanationisn'tthatdifficulttounderstand.Abaddon"was" free in the time before the Flood to interact with humanity.Yetbecauseofthedeviousanddestructivenatureofhissins,Godsawthatitwasnecessarytoimprisonandthereby restrainhim.Therefore,atthetimeJohnreceivedhisvision,Abaddon"was not"becausehewaslockedintheAbyss.However, as the angel makes clear, this "Beast" will in the future be freed from his imprisonment and "will come up out of the Abyss." However,Abaddonisnottheonlyentitythatseeminglyrisesupfromnowhere.ThekingdomthatAbaddonappropriatesand rulesoverfigurativelycomesupfromthebottomlesspitalso.Thiskingdomisrepresentedasabeastwithsevenheadsandten horns.WhatdoestheBibletellusaboutthesymbolicrepresentationofthesefeaturesofthebeast?

REVELATION17:9Hereisthemindwhichhaswisdom:Theseven heads are seven mountainsonwhichthewomansits.10Therearealsoseven kings.Five have fallen, one

is, and the other has not yet come.Andwhenhecomes,hemustcontinueashorttime. (NKJV)

IntheBible,amountainfigurativelyrepresentsakingdomortherulerofthatkingdom.The New Unger's Bible Dictionary states:

...WhenDavidsays,"OLord,byThyfavorThouhastmademymountaintostand"(Ps.30:7),hemeansto express the stability of his kingdom. In like manner the kingdom of the Messiah is depicted as a mountain (Isa. 2:2; Dan. 2:35), as is also the Chaldean monarchy (Jer. 51:25; Zech. 4:7). (p. 891, "Mountain")

Therefore, the seven mountains and the seven kings referred to in Revelation 17:9-10 are one and the same. What does the angel mean when he says that "five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come"?Again,theangelis givingJohnatimesensitiveclue.Asof95CE,fiveofthesymbolicheads(kingdoms)ofthebeasthadalreadyfallenfrompower. Those five were: (1) EGYPT (2) ASSYRIA (3) BABYLON (4) MEDO-PERSIA (5) GREECE The kingdom in power at the time the Apocalypse was written was: (6) ROME Somemaywonderhowwecanknowthatthesixkingdomslistedabovearecorrect.Thereisoneoverridingprincipleaboutthe Biblethatgivesusassurance.TheBiblewaswrittenABOUTandFORthepeopleofGod.Thesixkingdomslistedaboveall haveonethingincommonthatidentifiesthemasthefirstsixheadsofthebeast:theyweresatanically-inspired human empires that ruled over God's chosen people, Israel. Thatmeansthatthereisoneremaining"head"yettocomewhichwillruleoverGod'speople.Thislastempirewillbeglobalin scope, as God tells us in the seventh chapter of Daniel:

DANIEL 7:7 "After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible,exceedinglystrong.Ithadhugeironteethitwasdevouring,breakinginpieces,and tramplingtheresiduewithitsfeet.It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns....19ThenIwishedtoknowthetruthaboutthefourthbeast,which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze, which devoured, broke in pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet; 20 and the ten hornsthatwereonitshead...23Thushesaid:'Thefourthbeastshallbeafourthkingdom on earth, which shall be different from all other kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, trample it and break it in pieces. 24 The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from thiskingdom....'"(NKJV)

Inhisvision,Danielsawfourbeasts:alionwitheagle'swings,abear,aleopardwithfourheadsandfourwings,andaterrible beast with iron teeth and ten horns (Dan. 7:3-7).ThebeastJohnseescomeupoutoftheAbyss(Rev.13:2)containselementsof allthebeastsseenbyDaniel.Itisanamalgamationofallthesatanicempiresthathavecomebeforeit.Formoreinformationon the identification of these beasts, refer to my article "The Beasts of Revelation and Daniel." ThefourthbeastDanielsawisthesameastheseventhheadofthebeastJohnsaw.Itisthesooncomingglobalgovernment,the "New World Order," which will arise out of the chaos that occurs during the opening of the first four seals (Rev. 6:1-8).Daniel shows that this one world government will be reigned over by ten kings, called "horns" (Dan. 7:24). GodtellsusinRevelation17:10thatthis"NewWorldOrder"willlastonlyforaveryshorttime.Revelation13:3recordsthe apparent demise of this seventh head of the beast:

REVELATION 13:3 One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth followed the beast with wonder. (RSV)

Whatisthisapparentlydeadlywoundthatwillbeinflictedontheseventhheadofthebeast?Danielgivesusthecauseofthe wound:

DANIEL 7:8 "I was considering the [ten] horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up [silqat, "ascending"] among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots.Andthere,inthishorn,wereeyesliketheeyesofaman,anda mouthspeakingpompouswords....19ThenIwishedtoknowthetruthaboutthefourth beast...20andthetenhornsthatwereonitshead,andthe other horn which came up [silqat, "ascended"], before which three fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke pompous words, whose appearance was greaterthanhisfellows....24Theten hornsaretenkingswhoshallarisefromthiskingdom.Andanother shall rise after them; he shall be different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings." (NKJV)

ThefourthbeastofDaniel7hastenhorns,whichweknowissymbolicforakingorkingdom.Thesehornsrepresenttheten kings or nations that will control the end-timeglobalgovernment.Inhisvision,Danielsawa"littlehorn"ascendandriseupamong theseten.This"littlehorn,"Abaddon,kingoftheAbyss,willdefinitelybedifferentfromthefirsttenkings. Probably using the evil spiritual forces God allows to be released upon mankind during the fifth trumpet as his army, Abaddon will conquerand/ordestroythreeofthetenrulersofthe"NewWorldOrder"(andtheirnations).Insodoing,hewillappeartohave "mortallywounded"theseventhhead,therulingworldgovernment.However,insteadoftotallydestroyingthissatanic governmentalstructure,Abaddonwillseizecontrolofitandbecomeitsleader.AsRevelation17:8tellsus,almostthewhole world will be amazed when they see Abaddon rise up.

REVELATION 17:11 And the beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven,andisgoingtoperdition.12Theten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast.13Theseareofonemind,andtheywillgivetheirpowerandauthoritytothebeast. (NKJV)

The beast is not one of the seven, he is the eighth; yet clearly he is oftheseven.Thatis,heisgivenhisauthoritybySatan(Rev. 13:4),justasthesevenheadswere.Abaddonwilleitherrehabilitatethethreekingshe"pluckedoutbytheroots"(Dan.7:8),orhe willreplacethemwiththreewhowillpledgehimtheirsupport.Withthetenkings(Rev.17:12-13), Abaddon will become the ruler of the entire earth in the ultimate and final realization of Satan's governmental system.

REVELATION 13:4 So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshipedthebeast,saying,"Whoislikethebeast?Whoisabletomakewarwith him?" (NKJV)

After the resurrection of the mortally wounded seventh head, almost the entire world will worship Satan, who gives Abaddon his authority.TheywillalsoworshiptheAntichristbecauseofhisconquestofthe"NewWorldOrder."

The Length of Abaddon's Reign

TheBibletellsusinseveralplaceshowlongAbaddonwillreign.Itisstatedas42months(Rev.13:5)or"atimeandtimesand halfatime"(Dan.7:2512:7),whichliterallyis"oneyear,twoyears,andahalfayear,"oratotalof3years:

REVELATION 13:5 And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months; (RSV)

DANIEL 7:25 He shall speak words against the Most High, shall wear out the holy ones of the Most High, and shall attempt to change the sacred seasons and the law; and they shall be given into his power for a time, two times, and half a time. (NRSV)

DANIEL 12:7 The man clothed in linen, who was upstream, raised his right hand and his left handtowardheaven.AndIheardhimswearbytheonewholivesforeverthatitwouldbefora time, two times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end, all these things would be accomplished. (NRSV)

Revelation11:3mentionsthesametimespanindays,andequatesitwiththetestimonyofthetwowitnesses.Theperiodinwhich the two witnesses give their testimony likely matches the 42 months that Abaddon is in authority:

REVELATION 11:3 "And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days,clothedinsackcloth....7Whentheyhavefinishedtheir testimony, the beast that comes up out of the Abyss will make war with them, and overcome them and kill them." (NASU)

The "Abomination of Desolation" in the Heavenly Sanctuary

SeveralScripturesrecordtheblasphemousactsofAbaddonduringthetimeofhisrule.Let'slookatthosepassagesnow:

DANIEL 7:8 "While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great boasts....19Then Idesiredtoknowtheexactmeaningof...20theotherhornwhichcameup,andbeforewhich three of them fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth uttering great boasts and whichwaslargerinappearancethanitsassociates.21Ikeptlooking,andthathornwas waging war with the saints [qadishin] and overpowering them 22 until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was passed in favor of the saints [qadishey] of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints [qadishin]tookpossessionofthekingdom....25'He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints [qadishey] of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for atime,times,andhalfatime.26Butthecourtwillsitforjudgment,andhisdominionwillbe taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever.'" (NASU)

The Aramaic root word qadishliterallymeans"holyones"itcanbetranslatedeitheras"saints"oras"angels."Aswewillsoon seefromparallelScriptures,translatingthiswordas"angels"appearstobethecorrectrenderinginmostinstanceslistedabove. This passage shows that Abaddon will speak against the Eternal God, and will attack the holy angels.

REVELATION 13:5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-twomonths.6Thenhe opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven.7Itwasgrantedtohimtomakewarwiththesaints [hagion] and to overcome them....(NKJV)

As you can see in Revelation 13:6, along with God Himself, the heavenly tabernacle and those who dwell in heaven (the holy angels)arespecialtargetsofAbaddon'sblasphemy.Theword"saints"inRevelation13:7istheGreekwordhagion.Although thiswordisgenerallyusedofhumans,itcanalsorefertoGod'sholyangels.ThisusagecanbefoundintheSeptuagint (LXX, Psa.88:6,8),andintheNewTestament(IThe.3:13).Friberg'sAnalytical Lexicon to the Greek New Testament gives the definition for hagion in I Thessalonians 3:13 as: "the holy ones, as a designation for angels." Revelation 13:6-7 shows that Abaddon and his spiritual forces of evil are permitted to fight against the holy angels and temporarily defeatthem.ThisdefeatwillallowAbaddontooccupythecourtyardofthetempleinheavenandproclaimhimselftobe"God."

REVELATION 11:1 Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, "Come and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, 2 but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample over the holy city for forty-two months. (NRSV)

II THESSALONIANS 2:3 Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless oneisrevealed,theonedestinedfordestruction.4 He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple [naon] of God, declaring himself to be God. (NRSV)

PaulclearlysaysthatAbaddonwilloccupythetempleofGod,takingaseatinitanddeclaringhimselftobeGod.TheGreek word translated "temple" here is naon, a form of the noun naos.Itgenerallyreferstothe(outer)HolyPlaceandthe(inner)Holy ofHoliesinthetempleproper.However,itisalsousedintheBibletorefertothetemplecomplex,includingthecourtyard.The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament says:

Mt. 27:5 tells us Judas cast the thirty shekels into the temple (eis ton naon) and went out and hanged himself.Ifnaos is taken to mean the temple in the narrower sense, one may ask how Judas could bring the moneyintoit,sinceonlythepriestswereallowedaccess.Wemaythusassumethatitisusedinabroader sense,asinJn.[2:]19...(p. 884, vol. IV)

Most people interpret the "temple of God" in II Thessalonians 2:4 as either a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem, or figuratively as the Church.YettheBibleclearlyshowsthatthetabernacle,andlaterthetempleinJerusalem,wereearthlytypespatternedafterthe heavenlyantetype(Exo.25:9Heb.8:2,59:11,23).ItappearsfromtheScripturesthatAbaddon'spresenceinthecourtyardof theheavenlytempleisoneaspectoftheabominationofdesolationspokenofbyDanielandChrist.Thisheavenlydesolationwill almost certainly have an earthly counterpart in Jerusalem:

LUKE 21:20 "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near." (RSV)

MATTHEW 24:15 "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains." (NKJV)

DANIEL 8:9 Out of one of them came another horn, a little one, which grew exceedingly greattowardthesouth,towardtheeast,andtowardthebeautifulland.10Itgrewashighas the host of heaven.It threw down to the earth some of the host and some of the stars, and trampled on them.11EvenagainstthePrince of the host it acted arrogantly; it took the regular burnt offering away from him and overthrew the place of his sanctuary.12Becauseofwickedness,the host was given over to it together with the regular burnt offeringitcasttruthtotheground,andkeptprosperinginwhatitdid.13 Then I heard a holy one [qadosh, "angel"] speaking, and another holy one [qadosh] said to the one that spoke, "For how long is this vision concerning the regular burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled?"14Andheansweredhim,"Fortwo thousand three hundred evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state." (NRSV)

Abaddon and his army will be given victory over the host (literally,"army")ofheaven.Hewilloverthrowthesanctuaryofthe "Princeofthehost"(YeshuatheMessiah),andwillcausethe"regularburntoffering"toceasefor"2,300eveningsandmornings." The evenings and mornings are referring to the time of the daily sacrifices; this means that the actual time period being defined is only 1,150 days (half of 2,300).

If Daniel truly is referring to the Temple of God in heaven, then what are the "daily sacrifices" that Abaddon will cause to cease?

I PETER 2:5 You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (NKJV)

HEBREWS 13:15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. (NKJV)

REVELATION 5:8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twentyfour elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. (NKJV)

REVELATION8:3Thenanotherangel,havingagoldencenser,cameandstoodatthealtar.He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the goldenaltarwhichwasbeforethethrone.4Andthesmokeoftheincense,withthe prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel's hand. (NKJV)

TheNewTestamentshowsthatsacrificesremainforbelievers.Thosesacrificesarespiritualsacrifices,whichincludepraiseand theprayersofGod'speopletotheEternalCreatoroftheuniverse.Itislikelythatthesearethesacrificesspokenofhere.In addition, it is also possible that an altar will be erected on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, and literal physical sacrifices in accordance with the Mosaic Law will once again be offered there by Jews seeking God's favor as the world turns against them once more. Below is Gabriel's explanation of Daniel's vision:

DANIEL 8:16 And I heard a man's voice between the banks of the Ulai, who called, and said, "Gabriel,makethismanunderstandthevision."17SohecamenearwhereIstood,andwhen he came I was afraid and fell on my face; but he said to me, "Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the time of the end."18Now,ashewasspeakingwithme,Iwasinadeep sleepwithmyfacetothegroundbuthetouchedme,andstoodmeupright.19Andhesaid, "Look, I am making known to you what shall happen in the latter time of the indignation; for at the appointed time the end shall be....23Andinthelattertimeoftheirkingdom, when the transgressors have reached their fullness, a king [Abaddon] shall arise, having fierce features,whounderstandssinisterschemes.24Hispowershallbemighty,butnotbyhisown power; he shall destroy fearfully, and shall prosper and thrive; he shall destroy the mighty, andalsotheholypeople.25Throughhiscunningheshallcausedeceittoprosperunderhis ruleandheshallexalthimselfinhisheart.Heshalldestroymanyintheirprosperity.He shall even rise against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without human means. (NKJV)

GabrielclearlystatesthattheeventsDanielsawinhisvisionwilloccurat"thetimeoftheend."Atthattime,whentransgressors havereachedtheirfullmeasure,Abaddonwillcomeonthescene.HispowerandauthoritywillcomefromSatan(Rev.13:4).The "Destroyer" will live up to his name; he will destroy the mighty and the holy ones (both the saints and the holy angels), as well as thosehumanswhoopposehim.Hewilldeludehimselfbecauseofprideinhisaccomplishment,thinkingandevenproclaimingthat heis"God"(IIThe.2:4).HewillopposeMessiah,the"Princeofprinces,"buthewilleventuallybedefeated"withouthuman means," as we will see in the next section.

The Destruction of Abaddon and His Kingdom

Aspreviouslyshown,Abaddonwillhavethesupportofmostoftheworldafterhisconquestoftheglobalhumangovernment. Revelation 17:12-14 shows that Abaddon and the "ten kings" who acknowledge his power and authority will be given authority to rule with him:

REVELATION 17:12 "The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom asyet,buttheyreceiveauthorityforonehouraskingswiththebeast.13Theseareofone mind,andtheywillgivetheirpowerandauthoritytothebeast.14These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful." (NKJV)

After the Jews have returned to the Holy Land, Abaddon will summon rulers and their armies to help him attempt to destroy them (Eze. 38-39).ThesekingsandtheirtroopswillgatheratMegiddo,northofJerusalem:

REVELATION 16:13 And I saw, issuing from the mouth of the dragon and from the mouth of the beast and from the mouth of the false prophet, three foul spirits like frogs; 14 for they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemblethemforbattleonthegreatdayofGodtheAlmighty....16Andtheyassembled them at the place which is called in Hebrew Armageddon. (RSV)

TheseforceswillthenmarchtowardJerusalem.Atthisgreatbattle,Yeshua,thePrinceofthearmies(hosts)ofheaven,will destroythearmiesofthebeastandcapturehim.ThenAbaddon,alongwiththefalseprophet,willbecastintothelakeoffire:

REVELATION 19:19 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.20Thenthe beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshipedhisimage.Thesetwowerecast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.21Andthe rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse.Andallthebirdswerefilledwiththeirflesh.(NKJV)

ZECHARIAH 14:12 Now this will be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the peoples who have gone to war against Jerusalem; their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, and theireyeswillrotintheirsockets,andtheirtonguewillrotintheirmouth.13Itwillcome about in that day that a great panic from the LORD will fall on them; and they will seize one another's hand, and the hand of one will be lifted against the hand of another. (NASU)

Let'slookatoneotherpassagefromIsaiah14thatexplicitlyshowsthedefeatandfateofAbaddon.ThisScriptureiscommonly thoughttorefertoSatan.However,ifwelookatthecontextandputawayourpreconceivedideas,itbecomesapparentthatthe Antichrist, not Satan, is the subject:

ISAIAH 14:1 The LORD will have compassion on Jacob and will again choose Israel, and will set themintheirownland,andalienswilljointhemandwillcleavetothehouseofJacob.2And the peoples will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them in the LORD's land as male and female slaves; they will take captive those who were their captors,andruleoverthosewhooppressedthem.3WhentheLORDhasgivenyourestfrom your pain and turmoil and the hard service with which you were made to serve, 4 you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon:"Howtheoppressorhasceased,theinsolentfury ceased!5TheLORDhasbrokenthestaffofthewicked,thescepterofrulers,6thatsmotethe peoples in wrath with unceasing blows, that ruled the nations in anger with unrelenting persecution.7The whole earth is at rest and quiettheybreakforthintosinging.8The cypresses rejoice at you, the cedars of Lebanon, saying, 'Since you were laid low, no hewer comesupagainstus.'9Sheolbeneathisstirreduptomeetyouwhenyoucome,itrousesthe shades to greet you, all who were leaders of the earth; it raises from their thrones all who were kingsofthenations.10Allofthemwillspeakandsaytoyou:'Youtoohavebecomeasweak aswe!Youhavebecomelikeus!'11Yourpomp [ga'on, "arrogancy"] is brought down to Sheol, the sound of your harps; maggots are the bed beneath you, and worms are your covering. (RSV)

Thesceneissetinverses1through3.ThisisthetimewhenGodhasgivenresttoHispeoplethisistheMillennium,whenthe

IsraeliteswillbebackintheirlandandYeshuawillberulingfromJerusalem.Verse4identifiesthesubjectofthepassage: Abaddon,the"kingofBabylon."Verses5through8showthatGodhasbrokenthepowerofthiskingwhohadoppressively ruledthewholeearth.Verse9showsthatAbaddonhasbeencastintosheol.Sheol is used figuratively for the abode of those whoaredeadinthisinstance,thosewordlyleaderswhowereunderthiskingarespecificallymentioned.Verse10showsthem symbolically exulting in the fact that the Antichrist, although at one time extremely powerful, has suffered the same fate they suffered.Verse11reaffirmsthatthisarrogantkinghasbeendeliveredtosheol.It'sclearthatAbaddonisnolongeraroundduring the Millennium.

ISAIAH 14:12 "How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star [Helel],sonofDawn!Howyou are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low!13Yousaidinyourheart,'I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will make myself like the Most High.'15ButyouarebroughtdowntoSheol,tothedepths ofthePit.16Thosewhoseeyouwillstareatyou,andponderoveryou:'Isthisthemanwho made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, 17 who made the world like a desert and overthrewitscities,whodidnotlethisprisonersgohome?'18Allthekingsofthenationsliein glory, each in his own tomb; 19 but you are cast out, away from your sepulchre, like a loathed untimely birth, clothed with the slain, those pierced by the sword, who go down to the stones of thePit,likeadeadbodytroddenunderfoot.20Youwillnotbejoinedwiththeminburial, becauseyouhavedestroyedyourland,youhaveslainyourpeople."Maythedescendantsof evildoers nevermore be named!" (RSV)

Inverse12,thisdefeatedkingisgivenaname:Helel.SometranslationsrenderthisHebrewnameas"Lucifer,"whichisLatinfor "light-bearer."However,therealmeaningofHelelissubjecttoconjecturebyscholars.TheTheological Dictionary of the Old Testament says that the hithpael form of "hll means 'pride oneself,' often with overtones of 'brag, boast'" (vol. III, p. 409).ThatmeaningfitsnicelywiththedepictionofthearrogantkinginthispassageofScripture. In this prophecy, Abaddon, although he conquered the nations and even heaven for a time, has fallen from heaven and been cut downtotheearth.Inverses13and14,weseethattheAntichristdecidedtoascendabovethecloudsandthestarsintoheaven. Hewantedtoestablishhisthronethere,attheveryplaceofGod'sheavenlytemple,themountofassembly.Hewantednothing lessthantoruleinplaceofGod.Yetverses15through20showthathewillbebroughtdowntosheol,hispowerdestroyed.The theme of this entire passage is the overthrow of the arrogant king, Abaddon, who wanted to be like the Most High God. AfterthecrushingdefeatofAbaddon'sforces,Satan,thepowerbehindtheAntichrist'sthrone,willbecapturedalso.Hewillbe locked in the Abyss during the 1,000 year reign of the Messiah on earth:

REVELATION 20:1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the Abyssandagreatchaininhishand.2Andhelaidholdofthedragon,theserpentofold,who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he threw him into the Abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time. (NASU)

Conclusion
hile some end-time prophecies of the Bible are still not clear, events will notoccurashascommonlybeenexpected.The "beast"whoascendsoutoftheAbyssduringthe"lastdays"willbeanangelickingnamedAbaddon.He,withhisarmy offallenangelsanddemons,willoverpowerthehumanglobalgovernmentandtakeoverasruleroftheearth.Abaddonwilleven conquertheholysanctuaryinheavenandgainvictoryovertheangelichostsofheaven.Nevertheless,hisrulewillbeforalimited timeonlyafter3years,GodwilltakehisauthorityawayandcauseBabylontheGreattofall.Abaddonwillmarshalhisforcesin onefinalattempttodestroyGod'speople,buthewillbeunsuccessful.HewillendupinthelakeoffireasYeshuatheMessiah establishes the Kingdom of God at the beginning of the Millennium. Bryan T. Huie December 27, 1997
Revised: August 16, 2009

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