And they begged him repeatedly not to command them to go into the Abyss.

or "Who will descend into the abyss?" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).

And the fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star which had fallen from heaven to earth; and he was given the key of the shaft of the bottomless pit. He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went up from the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the pit. read more. Then out of the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green growth or any tree, but only those of mankind who have not the seal of God on their foreheads. They were allowed to torture them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torture was like the torture of a scorpion, when it stings a man. And in those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death will fly from them. In appearance the locusts were like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; and their faces were like human faces, their hair was like women's hair, and their teeth were like lions' teeth. They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. They have tails like scorpions, and stings, and their power to hurt men for five months lies in their tails. They have as king over them the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he has the name Apollyon.

When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them and kill them.

The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth, whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, because he was and is not and will come.

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key of the abyss and a great chain.

and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any more, until the thousand years were ended. After these things he must be released for a short time.