Darkness from the abyss
Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven that had fallen to the earth, and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him. He opened the abyss. . .. (Revelation 9:1-2)
Revelation 9:3-11
3 Then locusts came from the smoke and descended on the earth, and they were given the power to sting like scorpions.
4 They were told not to harm the grass or plants or trees, but only the people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
5 They were told not to kill them but to torture them for five months with pain like the pain of a scorpion sting.
6 In those days, people will seek death but will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them!
10 They had tails that stung like scorpions, and for five months, they had the power to torment people.
11 Their king is the angel from the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon – the Destroyer.
Imagine a world of perpetual darkness, where the pressure is so intense it crushes most life forms, and the temperature barely holds above freezing. This is the hadal zone—Earth’s deepest ocean realm within oceanic trenches, ranging from 20,000 to 36,000 feet deep. Named after Hades, the Greek god of the underworld, this realm is as hostile as it is mysterious. Yet, even in the depths of the Atacama Trench, a vast undersea canyon near the Andes Mountains, life thrives despite the absence of sunlight.
During a 2023 expedition, scientists from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and the Millennium Institute of Oceanography (IMO) discovered an extraordinary species of amphipod named Dulcibella camanchaca at an astonishing depth of 25,900 feet. This pale, nearly translucent shrimp-like creature is equipped with specialized limbs for hunting prey in the pitch-black abyss.
Designed to endure the crushing depths, Dulcibella camanchaca boasts a sleek, armored body and powerful mandibles for cutting and crushing food. Measuring nearly 1.6 inches long, it is surprisingly large for an amphipod. Lacking eyes, it has perfectly adapted to life in darkness.
The name “camanchaca” is the word for the dense coastal fog in the Atacama Desert, which is common to the native Andes languages. It could easily be translated as darkness. Skulking in the depths of the abyss, this formidable predator could easily be the stuff of nightmares.
Dulcibella camanchaca
Who knows what creatures lurk in unexplored areas of planet Earth? Could giant creatures such as the megalodon, the Kraken, or the Leviathan dwell there? Perhaps.
But the Scriptures speak of something far more horrifying and ghastly that will be unleashed during the end times from the Abyss found in the book of Revelation.
REFLECT & PRAY
1 John 4:3-4
3 But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and, indeed, is already here.
4 But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.
Father, thank You that You are greater than he who is in the world and all his minions.
INSIGHT
Revelation 9:1-11 describes the moment when an angel, referred to as the King of the Abyss, descends from heaven to earth and is given the key to the Abyss, or bottomless pit. When the pit is opened, smoke and terrifying, hideous-looking creatures emerge to torment unbelieving humanity, those who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
These ghastly, macabre creatures are described as locusts, yet they sting like scorpions. In the Old Testament, one of the most devastating forces was the plagues of locusts, as seen in the book of Joel 1-2. John lacked sufficient vocabulary to convey the indescribable, otherworldly creatures he witnessed.
According to Revelation 9:5, these creatures are instructed not to kill the people but to inflict torture upon them for five months, causing pain akin to that of a scorpion’s sting. Their mission is to cause excruciating harm and suffering to humanity, and this torment lasts for a prolonged period.
The Greek word translated as harm is adikeo. Adikeo means to “do wrong,” “harm,” “hurt,” or “injure.” The Greek word for torture or torment is basanizo, suggesting “acts of harassment,” “torture,” or “causing great pain.”
The suffering is so horrific that people will long for death to escape their agony; however, death will elude them. Revelation 9:6 states: “In those days, people will seek death but will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them!”
Revelation 9:11 reveals that these tormentors have a king, referred to as the angel of the Abyss. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, he is called Apollyon. The Greek word abyssos is typically translated as “abyss” or “bottomless pit,” which is the origin of the English word “abyss.”
What is the Abyss? It is not a physical location that can be pinpointed on a map; instead, it is often described as a vast, dark chasm representing realms of chaos, evil, and the unknown—a kind of containment area. Luke hints at its nature as the home of demons (cf. Luke 8:31), where they are confined. According to Revelation 20:1-3, Satan will be chained and imprisoned in the Abyss for a thousand years at the Second Coming of Christ.
In extra-biblical Jewish literature, the book of Enoch, part of the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, describes the Abyss as a place of punishment for fallen angels (1 Enoch 18:11-17).
The leader of these vile creatures is identified as the angel of the Abyss. He is known as Abaddon in Hebrew and Apollyon in Greek, both of which translate to “Destroyer.” This king embodies a malevolent force that brings chaos and destruction to Earth. And the creatures are a demonic horde.
“Though in the modern world, Satan often appears as an angel of light in the role of that which is good and religious, here the mask is stripped away, and evil is seen in its true character. Satan and the demons are seen as the destroyers of the souls of men and as those who can only bring affliction. When divine restraint is released, as in this instance, the true character of the evil one is manifested immediately” (Walvoord).
Who is the King of the Abyss? The book of Revelation does not identify him specifically. Could it be Satan or one of his chief lieutenants? Could it be a messenger or angel of God? When the Scriptures do not speak definitively, neither should we.
Keep one thing in mind: when Satan is spoken of elsewhere in the book of Revelation, it is clearly identified. Here, there is no such identification (Aune).
Take a moment to reflect on the fear and uncertainty caused by the terrifying events described in the book of Revelation. Consider the reality that we are contending with unseen spiritual forces of evil operating in an invisible realm, which seeks to undermine our relationship with the Father. Which is more frightening: the prophesied events of the future or the unknowable, hidden darkness where malevolent evil resides?
Ultimately, the anxiety associated with the unknown darkness of the abyss embodies humanity’s struggle against the forces of destruction and the unknown. It taps into our primal fears and fuels our imagination, with significant implications for modern life. This concept of an otherworldly realm where malevolence flourishes or is confined reinforces a dualistic view of the world—one of light versus darkness, order versus chaos, and good versus evil.
1 Thessalonians 5:5-8
5 For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night.
6 So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded.
8 But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.
John 16:33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart because I have overcome the world.
¯_(ツ)_/¯
© Dr. H 2024
Dr H Reflections 