Who is apollyon in pilgrims progress

Apollyon punished the Supervisor for failing him. Apollyon will be the one who will find the slave, Christian Pilgrim himself. When Pilgrim wears his armor and he fell in the Valley of Humiliation, he met Apollyon who appeared as a human, then Apollyon transformed into his demon form and will fight Pilgrim.

Pilgrim has the confidence and he is able to defeat Apollyon and that demon flew away. Apollyon appeared as a demon of most depictions.

He appeared to have horns, bat wings and red skin, but the Bible did not state the appearance of an actual demon. Apollyon also appeared as a human form. Like the Supervisor, he also wears a black robe and his hair also goes backward. Apollyon hates people and he does not want them to go to the Celestial City, so he tricked many people by tempting them to do what is wrong in order for them not to go to the Celestial City.

Like many villain chiefs, Apollyon often treats his minions badly when thay fail, because he has very short temper. He treats the Supervisor of Not Cursed badly for the his failure. What I promised thee was before I came of age; and besides, I count that the Prince under whose banner now I stand is able to absolve me; yea, and to pardon also what I did as to my compliance with thee.

Therefore leave off to persuade me further: I am his servant, and I will follow him. Consider again, when thou art in cold blood, what thou art like to meet with in the way that thou goest. Thou knowest that for the most part his servants come to an ill end, because they are transgressors against me and my ways. How many of them have been put to shameful deaths! His forbearing at present to deliver them, is on purpose to try their love, whether they will cleave to him to the end; and as for the ill end thou sayest they come to, that is most glorious in their account.

For, for present deliverance, they do not much expect it; for they stay for their glory, and then they shall have it, when their Prince comes in his, and the glory of the angels.

Thou hast already been unfaithful in thy service to him; and how dost thou think to receive wages of him? Thou didst faint at first setting out, when thou wast almost choked in the Gulf of Despond; thou didst attempt wrong ways to be rid of thy burden, whereas thou shouldst have stayed till thy Prince had taken it off; thou didst sinfully sleep and lose thy choice thing; thou wast also almost persuaded to go back at the sight of the lions; and when thou talkest of thy journey, and of what thou hast heard and seen, thou art inwardly desirous of vain-glory in all that thou sayest or doest.

All this is true; and much more which thou hast left out: but the Prince whom I serve and honour is merciful and ready to forgive. But besides, these infirmities possessed me in thy country; for there I sucked them in, and I have groaned under them, been sorry for them, and have obtained pardon of my Prince.

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Note first the schemes that Apollyon uses to attempt to weaken Christian's resolve and turn him back:. The devil would have us believe that our sins are more pleasurable and desirable than the joys and riches we have in Christ. If Christian goes back, he promises to give him "what our country will afford" as if that can satisfy Christian's heart.

But Christian understands that Apollyon's service is hard and "the wages of sin is death" Romans Satan is an "angel of light" 2 Corinthians who can, for a time, make bondage seem like freedom, and ruin feel like happiness. From the beginning he has been a deceiver and a liar Genesis ; John ; 2 Corinthians ; Revelation , We must be on guard against the deadly error of believing that we can find true satisfaction and contentment in yielding to and living in sin.

Apollyon assures Christian: "But it is ordinary for those who have professed themselves his servants, after a while to give him the slip, and return again to me. Slip means to fall or lose your balance, but it can also mean to desert or sneak away—to slip out. Christian lost his footing and slipped on the way down into the valley.

We learn in Part 2 of the allegory that it was these slips his struggles with his pride that caused this confrontation with Apollyon:. Then said Mr. Great-heart, We need not to be so afraid of this Valley, for here is nothing to hurt us, unless we procure it to ourselves.

It is true, Christian did here meet with Apollyon, with whom he also had a sore combat; but that fray was the fruit of those slips that he got in his going down the hill; for they that get slips there, must look for combats here. And hence it is, that this Valley has got so hard a name. Apollyon points to others who have given Christ the slip in an attempt to sway Christian into thinking that he is already on the way to desertion because of his own slips coming down in the Valley.

The Devil is "the accuser" Revelation and we must be wary of his schemes to dissuade us from looking to Christ. He describes those who have suffered and died for the sake of Christ.

To those who walk by sight, it appears that they have been defeated and let down by God. But "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" Hebrews Those who walk by faith are as Christian "pilgrims on the earth" who "desire a better, that is, a heavenly country Hebrews — Christian does not fall for Apollyon's false promises of deliverance, but trusts that, no matter how difficult the circumstances may be, no matter how dark the outcome may appear, his King will safely bring him to glory.

Apollyon now makes the attack personal. He begins to accuse Christian of all the ways he has failed to follow his King: when he fell into the Slough of Despond ; when he followed the advise of Worldly Wiseman and left the Way to find relief from his burden in the town of Morality ; when he fell asleep in the Arbor on Hill Difficulty ; and when he lost heart and almost turned back at the sight of the lions at the entrance to House Beautiful.

With each reminder of these failing Apollyon attempts to discourage Christian of any hope of reaching his destination. As a final blow to conclude his argument, Apollyon attempts to cast suspicion on the very motive for Christian seeking the City of Zion. He accuses Christian of venturing to Zion for selfish reasons—for vain-glory. Christian is not living to honor and glorify God, but for the hope of reward and pleasure.

So how does Christian resist the Devil and engage in spiritual warfare? Take note of three important lessons:. When Christian first sees the approaching fiend, he resolves to venture forward and stay in the Way. He realizes that he has no armor for his back.

If he chooses to forsake the Way and go back, he will make himself even more vulnerable and open to attack.

We must learn to stand our ground and stay in the fight against sin and temptation. We must not turn back from following Christ when the Way is hard and standing for truth is difficult.

To go back is Destruction and to play into the devil's hand. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world 1 Peter —9. Notice in the exchange with Apollyon that Christian does not dwell on his sin or his circumstances or himself.

Rather, as Apollyon continues to press him, he over and over again speaks of his King. He tells Apollyon: "But I have let myself to another, even to the King of princes;" "I have given him my faith, and sworn my allegiance to him;" "I count the Prince under whose banner now I stand is able to absolve me;" "I like his service, his wages, his servants, his government, his company, and country;" and "I am his servant, and I will follow him.

In the midst of temptation, Christian does not set his attention on himself, his foe or his struggle. He sets it firmly on His King. What causes most Christians to stumble in the Valley of Humiliation is pride; they exalt themselves in their thinking rather than Christ. Tom Ascol offers this helpful definition of pride: "What is pride but being full of yourself?

It is thinking too much of yourself or thinking of yourself too much" from a sermon given November 7, on 1 Corinthians —3. We can fall into pride when we are overconfident of our own strength and boast in ourselves.

Or we can fall into pride when we despair and speak only of our struggles and failures. In both cases we lose sight of Christ and make ourselves spiritually vulnerable.