Spiritual Meaning of REVELATION 9:11
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AR 440. Verse 11. And they had a king over them, the angel of the abyss; whose name in the Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he hath the name Apollyon, signifies that they are in the satanic hell who are in falsities from lusts, and, by the total falsification of the Word, have destroyed the church. By "the king, the angel of the abyss," is not signified any angel who is a king there, but the falsity reigning therein; for by "a king," in the genuine sense, is signified one who is in truths from the affection of good, and, abstractly, that truth itself (n. 20); and thence, in the opposite sense, by "a king" is signified one who is in falsities from the lusts of evil, and, abstractly, that falsity itself. By the "abyss" is signified the satanic hell, where they are (n. 387, 421); by "name" is signified the quality of the state (n. 81, 122, 165); "Abaddon," in the Hebrew tongue, is he that destroys and a destroyer; so "Apollyon," in the Greek tongue; and this is falsity in outermost things, which, by the total falsification of the Word, has destroyed the church. By "Abaddon," in the Hebrew text, is signified destruction, in these places:--

In other places, hell and the devil are called "destruction" and "destroyer" (Isaiah 54:16; Ezekiel 5:16; 9:1; Exod. 12:13); but by another word.

Author:  E. Swedenborg (1688-1772).

Design:  I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002.

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