“The Abyss vs. The Angel of the Abyss vs. The Key of the Abyss”

 

“The Abyss vs. The Angel of the Abyss vs. The Key of the Abyss”

Revelation 9:1 Then the fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star fall from heaven to the earth, and the key to the bottomless pit was given to him.

Revelation 9:2 He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke rose from it like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the sky were darkened by it.

Revelation 11:7 After they had finished their testimony, the beast that came up out of the bottomless pit will fight against them, and overcome them and kill them.

Revelation 17:8 The beast you see was there before, but is not now; it will come up out of the bottomless pit and go to destruction. All who dwell on the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life since the creation of the world will marvel when they see the beast that was there before, is not now, but will be there.

Revelation 20:1 Then I saw an angel descending from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain.

Revelation 20:3 They threw him into the bottomless pit, locked him up, and sealed him so that he would no longer deceive the nations, until the thousand years were over; after that, they must release him for a little while.

A. Main Comparison Table

Item	The Abyss	The Angel of the Abyss	The Key of the Abyss
Meaning	The realm of death, Hades, and satanic darkness	The leader who comes up from the abyss to execute destruction	The authority to open and release the powers of the abyss
Cause	The accumulation of death and satanic power after the fall	A satanic agent temporarily released in God’s economy	Authority temporarily given by God for judgment
Illustration	A deep pit, the deep, a prison	King of the demon-possessed locusts	A key that opens a gate
Function	To imprison and contain dark powers	To rule, destroy, and torment humanity	To open the abyss and release judgment
Explanation	The dwelling place of demons, the source of the beast, and Satan’s future prison	Named Abaddon/Apollyon, identified with Antichrist	Given to Satan at the fifth trumpet, not permanently
Purpose	To manifest the power of death that Christ has overcome	To carry out Satan’s final rebellion	To fulfill God’s judicial plan
Relationship	The source and destination of dark powers	Comes out of the abyss and rules its released forces	Enables the abyss to be opened
Examples	Christ descended there after death and rose in resurrection (Rom. 10:7; Acts 2:24)	The king of the locust army at the fifth trumpet	Satan uses it after being cast to earth
Application	See that Christ has conquered death	Discern the spirit and work of Antichrist	Trust God’s absolute sovereignty
Burden	Proclaim Christ’s victory over death and Hades	Warn against deception in the end times	Encourage believers not to fear
Prophesying Guide	“Christ descended to the depths and rose in resurrection”	“Antichrist is only a released instrument”	“The key is still under God’s authority”
Conclusion	The abyss is defeated territory	The angel of the abyss has only temporary power	The key ultimately belongs to Christ
Related Scriptures	Rom. 10:7; Luke 8:31; Rev. 9:1–2; 11:7; 20:1–3; Eph. 4:9	Rev. 9:11; 11:7; 17:8	Rev. 9:1; 20:1

 

B. Spiritual Integrative Explanation (Summary)

• The abyss represents the deepest realm of death and darkness, yet it has already been conquered by Christ in resurrection.
• The angel of the abyss (Antichrist) is not the source of evil but a temporary outlet of satanic power.
• The key of the abyss proves that even Satan’s activity is limited by God’s sovereign permission.

C. Prophesying Summary (One Sentence)

The abyss reveals the depth of death, the angel of the abyss manifests ultimate rebellion, but the key of the abyss testifies that all darkness remains under God’s sovereign authority, and Christ has already triumphed in resurrection.

D. Spiritual Reminders for Believers

• Do not focus on disasters but on the resurrected Christ.
• Do not fear Antichrist’s power; the key is not in his hand.
• Stand on Christ’s victory and prophesy with assurance in the last days.

 

*Please refer to the 2025 Winter Training: Experiencing, Enjoying, and Manifesting Christ (Part Four), Chapter Two: Christ Holds the Keys of Death and Hades