What is the Abyss?

Answer

The term “abyss” simply refers to “a deep hole” — so profound that it appears bottomless or immeasurable. It is commonly used in contemporary contexts to depict the ocean.

In the Bible and Jewish theology, the Abyss is frequently used as a symbolic representation of the dwelling place of malevolent spirits. At times, the Abyss is portrayed as a deep or unfathomable pit within the earth. This serves as the foundation for its usage in the New Testament. The King James Version typically renders the Greek term “abyssou” as “bottomless pit,” for example, in Revelation 9:2.

In Luke 8, Jesus expels a legion of demons from a man, “and they begged Jesus repeatedly not to send them into the Abyss” (verse 31). Evidently, the Abyss is a location that instills fear in demons, prompting them to avoid it.

Throughout Revelation, the Abyss is depicted as a place of incarceration for malevolent spirits:

Revelation 9:1–3, 11 — “The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. When he opened it, smoke ascended like that from a massive furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. And out of the smoke, locusts descended upon the earth, possessing power akin to that of earthly scorpions. . . . They were under the authority of the angel of the Abyss, known in Hebrew as Abaddon and in Greek as Apollyon (meaning Destroyer).”

Revelation 11:7 — “When [the two witnesses] have completed their testimony, the beast emerging from the Abyss will assail them, overpowering and slaying them.”

Revelation 20:1–3 — “Then I witnessed an angel descending from heaven, holding the key to the Abyss and a mighty chain in his hand. He apprehended the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. The angel cast him into the Abyss, sealing it to prevent him from deceiving the nations.”

Not deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended.

In all of these cases, the Abyss is a place for confining evil spirits. Many Bible scholars believe that this is the same location mentioned in 2 Peter 2:4 as “hell,” where some evil spirits are “in chains of darkness to be held for judgment.” The term hell here is a translation of the Greek tartarus, which can be considered the “deepest pit” or the “lowest part of Hades.”

It is evident from Scripture that God has ultimate authority over all evil spirits. Some of the demons have been confined to the Abyss and detained there, while others appear to have more freedom to move upon the earth. Ultimately, all evil spirits will be confined to the lake of fire, along with all unbelievers (see Revelation 20:10-15).