What is the meaning of Revelation 9:11? They were ruled by a king • “They” reaches back to the demonic locusts released when “smoke rose from the pit” (Revelation 9:2-3). Unlike ordinary locusts—“Locusts have no king, yet they all advance in formation” (Proverbs 30:27)—these creatures possess organized command. • Their kingly oversight heightens the judgment: humanity faces not random pests but a deliberate, disciplined force. • Even so, God’s sovereignty frames everything: the locusts were “given power” and “were told not to harm” certain targets (Revelation 9:3-4). The Lord remains on the throne (Psalm 103:19). The angel of the Abyss • John immediately clarifies the monarch: “the angel of the Abyss.” This is no earthly ruler but a supernatural being tied to the bottomless pit—an abode for imprisoned spirits. • Demons dreaded that place in Jesus’ day: “the demons kept begging Jesus not to order them to go into the Abyss” (Luke 8:31). • The Abyss opens again when an angel chains Satan there (Revelation 20:1-3), and the beast arises from it to war against the witnesses (Revelation 11:7; 17:8). • Passages like 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 6 show fallen angels already confined; the one in view here wields authority over others temporarily released, yet only within limits God sets. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon • Scripture links the name Abaddon to the realm of the dead: “Sheol is naked before Him, and Abaddon has no covering” (Job 26:6); “Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD” (Proverbs 15:11). • These pairings underline unrelenting ruin and finality. By assigning this name, Revelation stresses that the king’s nature perfectly matches the mission of devastation unleashed during the fifth trumpet. And in Greek it is Apollyon • John supplies the Greek counterpart so both Jewish and Gentile readers grasp the warning. • Other passages spotlight a destroyer at work under God’s allowance: the Passover plague (Exodus 12:23), the wilderness judgment (1 Colossians 10:10). • Jesus contrasts Himself with such a figure: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life” (John 10:10). The Savior rescues; Apollyon ravages. • The double naming drives home that this angel’s destructive role spans every culture and language—no one escapes the reach apart from Christ’s protection (Revelation 9:4). summary Revelation 9:11 introduces a literal, malevolent ruler over the demonic locusts, identified both as “king” and “angel of the Abyss.” Scripture consistently portrays the Abyss as a prison for fallen spirits and pairs the names Abaddon and Apollyon with unrelenting destruction. Their organized assault, strictly limited by God, serves as a trumpet-blast reminder that ultimate safety is found only under the Lamb’s seal, while unchecked rebellion invites the reign of the destroyer. |
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