Who is the angel of the bottomless pit in Revelation 9:11?

In the end times, during the seven-year tribulation, God will permit Satan to temporarily cause chaos in the world (Revelation 6–19). This includes a series of escalating catastrophes known as the seven trumpet judgments (Revelation 8:6–11:19). When the fifth trumpet sounds, demonic creatures resembling locusts will arise from a hellish abyss to torment people (Revelation 9:1–12). John says these evil beings “have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon” (Revelation 9:11, ESV). As the passage suggests, and as other Scripture confirms, the angel of the bottomless pit is Satan.

Understanding that the horde of locusts is demonic in nature sheds light on their king's identity. In support of this, John says they emerge from the smoke of the bottomless pit, sting like scorpions, and look like war horses. They wear gold crowns and iron breastplates. They have long hair, sharp teeth, and human faces. They also have wings, and the sound of their flight is comparable to horse-led chariots charging into battle (Revelation 9:1–12).

Furthermore, while real locusts in the Bible destroy vegetation (Exodus 10:1–20; Joel 1:1–7), these creatures are prohibited from harming “the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree.” Instead, they target people who aren’t under God’s protection (Revelation 9:4). These details make clear that John isn’t describing a natural disaster in the form of a locust plague, but spiritual warfare carried out by evil spirits under a fallen angelic ruler who is an enemy of God.

Several details in the passage reinforce this interpretation, including the first verse. John writes: “And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit” (Revelation 9:1). Referring to the fallen star as “he” distinguishes this figure as a personal being rather than an impersonal celestial object. In addition, these details mirror Isaiah’s portrayal of Satan’s demise as “fallen from heaven” (Isaiah 14:12). John describes the same event later in Revelation with similar imagery: “The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him” (Revelation 12:9).

The fifth trumpet is the first of the final three trumpets. Together, they constitute a trio of judgments that John describes with the word “woe” (Revelation 8:13; 9:12). This term signifies a greater level of intensity, violence, and destruction. While the first four trumpets depict cataclysms in the created order, such as hail and fire, the fifth describes a demonic army.

However, the fact that their king was given the key to the pit suggests someone with greater authority—God—permitted him a limited amount of power. The symbolism of a key aligns with the idea that the being is a ruler—a king—over the other creatures in the pit. It also corresponds with other passages that portray Satan as ruling over demons (Ephesians 2:2; Revelation 12:7–9). The king’s restrained power is reminiscent of God's limiting of Satan’s activity in Job's life (Job 1:12).

The “bottomless pit” also points to the king being Satan. First, John mentions the “bottomless pit” three times in his description of the fifth trumpet (Revelation 9:1, 2, 11). The term is a translation of the Greek word abussos, meaning a place of limitless depth. While the ESV, KJV, and NKJV say, “bottomless pit,” other translations like the NIV and NASB render the word “abyss.” Second, Luke uses a form of the same word in the story of Jesus casting demons into a herd of pigs: “The demons kept begging Jesus not to send them into the bottomless pit” (Luke 8:31, NLT; see Revelation 20:1-3).

Finally, the king’s name—“Abaddon” in Hebrew and “Apollyon” in Greek—suggests he is Satan. In both languages, the name means “Destroyer.” In a similar description of Satan, Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). “Destroy” in this verse comes from the same Greek root translated “Apollyon” in Revelation 9:11.

In light of the spiritual warfare that exists in the world today, which will escalate in the future, Christians can be grateful that Jesus defeated Satan and demons on the cross (Colossians 2:15; Hebrews 2:14).