Abaddon

This article is my response to an article on the internet that I believe completely misrepresents and  incorrectly interprets the events described in Revelation 9:1-11.

The title of the article:

“The Most Terrifying Figure In The Bible Isn't Satan, It's God's Right-Hand Man"

This is not true – Abaddon is not God’s right hand man.

He is one of the angels who disobeyed God before the earth and human beings were created, and was kicked out of heaven along with Satan.

The article is probably correct that Abaddon is not the devil.

The word Abaddon is not the angel’s name, it is his job description.

It does mean “destroyer”.

In the Old Testament the Hebrew word never refers to a specific angel or person. It is not personified.

The word is used five times in the Old Testament. It is translated with various meanings:

Destruction; place of the dead; death and destruction, etc.

This angel was a fallen angel and was not an “archangel”.

"In The Book Of Revelation God Unleashes Abaddon To Torture Earth"

Unleashes is too strong a word.

God allows human beings to have and exercise free will; as a result some human beings will do evil things.

God also allowed Angels free will so some Angels will do evil things.

In that sense God allows evil to happen; but he does not order it or directly cause it.

This section of the Book of Revelation is using figurative language to describe life on earth as it is happening right now between the first and second coming of Jesus. This is not some future special judgment that will happen at a particular moment in time. This is using the symbols of a nasty angel and locust monsters to describe the evil and suffering that occurs in the world right now every day.

Look at the description. This is clearly symbolic language. Notice that the locusts have some human features. Maybe they represent evil human beings.

"Now the locusts looked like horses equipped for battle. On their heads were something like crowns similar to gold, and their faces looked like men’s faces. 8 They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. 9 They had breastplates like iron breastplates, and the sound of their wings was like the noise of many horse-drawn chariots charging into battle. 10 They have tails and stingers like scorpions, and their ability to injure people for five months is in their tails."

In the Bible, Lions and breastplates and chariots are often used to represent or describe powerful kings and powerful armies.

"Even more disturbing, in the Gnostic texts, Abaddon plays a central role in the creation of humankind, such as gathering the dirt from which God created Adam."

Anything in the “Gnostic texts” is suspect and untrue. The Gnostics totally misunderstood God, human beings, good and evil, and the nature of matter and the universe.