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Continuing our discussion of the various forms of the name Apollo that are found in the Scriptures, the second one is the name Apollonia. Thayer's Greek Lexicon informs us that this name means "belonging to Apollo", and that it was a maritime city of Macedonia which was located about a day's journey from Amphipolis. In Acts chapter seventeen we learn that Paul and Silas passed through Apollonia on their way to Thessalonica, as we see here:

"Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews:"


As you can see by the previous definitions, in both cases, the Greek lexicon makes a direct reference to the false god Apollo. There should be no doubt that Apollos and Apollonia are derived from this Greek god's name. So the question is this: How does Tom Horn -- and perhaps other writers -- make their connection between the Biblical Beast of Revelation -- and the Greek god Apollo? What method does Horn use in order to convince his readers that, according to his belief, at some undetermined point in the future, Apollo is going to rise from the dead, or at the very least, the spirit of this Greek god -- if he truly ever existed -- and is going to possess the physical body of the Beast, who some people refer to as the Antichrist? Allow me to explain it to you.

In the New Testament of the King James Version of the Bible, we find the word "perdition" used eight times. This word is derived from the Greek "apoleia" according to Thayer's Greek Lexicon. It means destroying, utter destruction, perishing, ruin or destruction. It is interesting to note that in the first instance where the word "perdition" is used, it's used by Jesus in a phrase to describe Judas Iscariot, who, as we know, betrayed the Lord, as we see here:

"While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled."


Exactly why the Lord referred to Judas Iscariot as the "son of perdition" is a matter of personal speculation. It may be because Judas indirectly tried to destroy Jesus through his betrayal. Another possibility is that Jesus was emphasizing the fact that Judas was lost, and also doomed to destruction because of his betrayal of the Lord. After all, Jesus did say of Judas:

"The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born."


"And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined: but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed!"


This second possibility is supported by the fact that where the Lord states "none of them is lost", the word "lost" is derived from the Greek word "apollumi", which Thayer's Greek lexicon defines as meaning perish, destroy, lose, be lost or ruin. Furthermore, according to the lexicon, "apoleia", the word that we looked at previously, is presumed to be derived from "apollumi". Finally, it's a Biblical fact that after he had betrayed the Lord, Judas realized the grave error that he had committed; and thus, perhaps out of feelings of remorse, he went and destroyed himself by hanging himself, as we see by these verses:

"And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself."


"Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus. For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry. Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood. For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take."


Clearly then, "apoleia" and "apollumi" are both associated with destruction. What I also want to call to your attention is the fact that in the Greek lexicon, unlike the two names "Apollos" and "Apollonia", there is no reference made to the false deity Apollo for either "apoleia" or "apollumi". Why this point is important will be made clear to you shortly.

As I point out in my 1998 article entitled "Who Hindered the Antichrist?", there is one other place in the KJV Bible where the mysterious phrase "son of perdition" is used, and that's in the second chapter of Paul's second Epistle to the Thessalonians, where Paul discusses the coming of the evil one, who we Christians refer to as the Antichrist. Consider the following two verses:

"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God."


Here again, the word "perdition" is derived from "apoleia", which means "destruction". We know for a fact that this is the intended meaning of the word, because only a few verses later, the Apostle Paul clearly tells us the fate of this evil man: he is destroyed by the brightness of Jesus's Coming, as we see here:

"And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,"


As I mentioned earlier, this word "perdition" is used eight times in the New Testament. Following are the other verses where it's found. What I would like for you to notice as you read these verses is that in each case, the word "perdition" is referring to destruction, loss and ruin, and has nothing to do with the false god Apollo:

"And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God."


"But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition."


"But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul."


"But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men."


"The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is . . . And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition."


The final verse of Scripture that we are going to examine in the New Testament is found in the Book of Revelation. After telling us about the demonic horde which rises out of the Bottomless Pit, the Apostle John then informs us that this infernal army is led by a Fallen Angel. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, which means "destruction", while in the Greek language it is Apollyon, which means "destroyer". In short, they are synonymous terms. Here is the verse:

"And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon."


Upon examining Thayer's Greek lexicon, we see that the name Apollyon is derived from the Greek "Apolluon". This word is in turn a derivative of "apollumi", which we examined a bit earlier. If we summarize all of the information that I have just shared with you, what we see is that the proper names Apollos and Apollonia are the only words that are directly associated with the false Greek god Apollo in Thayer's Greek lexicon. While similar in appearance, all of the rest of the words have absolutely no connection with the deity, but rather are associated with destruction, ruin and loss.

So why is this information so important to us? Because quite simply, in order to try to substantiate his claims regarding the ancient Greek god Apollo either physically rising from the dead and assuming the identity of the Antichrist, or at the very least, possessing the body of the man who becomes the Antichrist, Tom Horn uses some of the very same verses that I just shared with you. According to Mr. Horn, Apollo's return from the dead, whether it is in physical form or just spiritual form, will result from a ritual that is performed by the Freemasons known as the "Raising Ceremony". Mr. Horn claims that the dome of the White House and the spire of the Washington Monument are integral parts of this secret ritual. Furthermore, Horn states in his writings that this ritual is performed in Washington each time that a new president takes office. In essence, Mr. Horn suggests that each new president becomes possessed by the spirit of Apollo, who continually rises and dies, similar to the myths of old concerning Apollo and the Egyptian false god Osiris, who Horn views as one and the same deity.

As I explained to you in part one, some writers who promote this 2012 hype, grab information from ancient mythology, and stretch the meanings of some words and events that are found in the Bible, so that it will fit their particular theory, and then they piece it all together into a hodgepodge of New Age nonsense. If I have understood him correctly, Mr. Horn appears to be convinced that the angel which rises out of the Bottomless Pit -- that is, Apollyon or Abaddon -- is in fact Apollo, even though I have clearly shown you that the Greek lexicon does not make a reference to Apollo for that verse. Furthermore, Mr. Horn takes some of the previous verses, and replaces the word "perdition" with the name "Apollo". More specifically, in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, where the Apostle Paul refers to the Antichrist as the "son of perdition", because the word "perdition" is derived from "apoleia", Horn believes that the correct translation is the "son of Apollo", which is contrary to what I explained to you earlier.

Mr. Horn takes the very same approach with the following two verses that are found in the Book of Revelation:

"The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit and go into perdition . . . And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition."


Where those verses say "into perdition", Mr. Horn interprets it as meaning "into Apollo". In other words, Mr. Horn appears to be convinced that this dark spirit which rises out of the Bottomless Pit, enters into the body of a resurrected Apollo. To be quite honest, I am somewhat confused myself; because in one place in his writings, Horn seems to believe that Abaddon -- a.k.a. Apollyon -- is actually Apollo, while in yet other places, Horn seems to suggest that Abaddon/Apollyon enters into or possesses the body of Apollo; which is how I imagine the world will end up with a "real" Apollo in the flesh; at least according to Horn's interpretation of events.

Now, aside from Mr. Horn's unusual interpretation of those previous verses, not to mention the liberal way in which he weaves ancient mythology into his Christian beliefs, one of the problems that I have with his particular approach to understanding the Scriptures, is that he is not consistent. In other words, I shared eight verses with you from the New Testament where the word "perdition" is used. They are all derived from the same Greek word "apoleia", which, as we've already seen, means destruction or ruin. Now, if Mr. Horn is going to replace the word "perdition" with the name "Apollo" in two of those verses so that they fit his theory, then he must be willing to do the same thing with the remaining six verses in order to maintain interpretive consistency. If we take that approach, we begin to run into serious problems. For example, Judas is no longer the "son of perdition" as Jesus said he was, but rather, Judas becomes the "son of Apollo". Oh really?

If we follow Mr. Horn's method of exegesis, the same kind of problem also occurs with the other verses. For example, in the verse of Scripture where the Apostle Peter discusses the fiery destruction of the heavens and Earth, and the perdition -- or destruction -- of ungodly men, if we replace the word "perdition" with the name "Apollo", we end up with one very unusual-sounding verse, as we see here:

"But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and [Apollo] of ungodly men."


By this time, I hope that you are able to see my point. In short, in my opinion, Mr. Horn has resorted to some rather sloppy exegesis in his efforts to convince his readers of what he believes, and what he wants them to believe as well. While he presents compelling arguments in certain cases, in the end, he relies too little on Biblical sources, he relies much too heavily on questionable external sources -- such as all of the ancient mythology and the Freemasonry -- and even when he does decide to quote from the Bible, quite often, he takes words and verses out of context in an attempt to prove his point. As I've often explained over the years, our faith is supposed to be derived from, and grounded in, God's Word, the Bible, and nothing else. The Scriptures clearly tell us the following:

"Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."


"LAMED. For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven."


"I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name."


"Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you."


"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."


"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."


So it is only the Word of God which can truly touch people's lives, reveal the sins in their hearts, cleanse them of sin, and transform them into new creatures in Jesus Christ; and not ancient mythology, or conspiracy theories which revolve around the Freemasons and the Illuminati, or the so-called prophecies of the Cumaean Sibyl, who, according to Tom Horn, predicted the return of the false god Apollo, or the Mayan calendar, or anything else. If we honestly expect to win the world for Christ, then we must rely on the tools that He has given us. Questionable theories and speculations regarding December 21, 2012 are certainly not one of those tools.

Putting aside these interpretation issues -- and there are others that I haven't even discussed here -- as I explained in part one, one of my biggest complaints concerning writers such as Mr. Horn -- and there are many like him -- is that they seem to lose their first love for feeding God's sheep, and they become entrapped in the business of selling books. Sadly, it seems that like so many other Christian websites which I have visited, Mr. Horn's website is nothing more than a vehicle for enticing and baiting his readers, so that they will purchase his books, such as his "Apollyon Rising 2012". This is clearly evident by the fact that on the top of each blog entry, he has a string of text which encourages his site visitors to read his blog entries before they are banned by the U.S. government. Clearly, Mr. Horn has a problem with his ego, self-aggrandizement and his own assumed self-importance.

By the way, for the record, those blog entries have been on Mr. Horn's website since April of 2009; and as of the date of origin of this series -- May 20, 2010 -- they are still there. It becomes apparent then that Horn's claim that the information might be blocked, banned or removed by the U.S. government because it exposes the evil machinations of the Freemasons and the American elite, was, and continues to be, bogus, and just another sales gimmick.

If one really stops and thinks about it, if what Mr. Horn is saying is really true, and if it really threatens the agenda of the New World Order crowd, surely they would have shut him up a long time ago. However, quite to the contrary, by his own words, Horn states that he has been appearing on hundreds of television and radio talk shows, he has held meetings with a number of U.S. government officials, and he has engaged in other forms of public dialog as well, since first publishing "Apollyon Rising 2012" in 2009. Does this sound like a man who is running for his dear life because he has said and written things which aren't supposed to be made known to the general public? Use your head!

Returning to the issue of commercializing our Christian faith, I fully understand that, like other Christian authors, Horn needs to earn a living; but as I have already clearly demonstrated through the Scriptures, we are not supposed to make a worldly business out of God's Business of preaching the Gospel to the lost. The First Century Apostles frowned upon this practice, as we have already seen. Of course, the question which then arises is whether or not Horn is really preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, or just some trendy New Age psychobabble that will attract readers and put some money in his bank account. If you have read his work, and observed him in real life or online, what is your opinion concerning this matter? Do you believe that he is genuine, or do you think that he is just another charlatan who knows how to work a crowd?

Another point which I would like to share with you is that it did not escape me that Mr. Horn liberally quotes from sources of like-minded individuals who validate his views, while he chooses to ignore those sources which reveal the flaws in his own theories and speculations. Now, of course, I think that it's safe to say that most people behave in a similar manner. In other words, we like to associate ourselves with people who usually agree with us, and ignore and distance ourselves from those people who don't share our views. It's just a part of our human nature. However, in my view, it is a bit crafty the way that these online authors band together when they're trying to sell their books and other media. In other words, by promoting other authors on their websites, they not only create the impression that a lot of important people agree with their views -- which adds a great deal of credibility to their work -- but the end result of such tactics is that it also encourages and motivates more people to purchase their books; and that is what these money-minded Bible hucksters are all about; that is, turning a handsome profit.

As is quite evident in my articles, I have long believed, and continue to believe, that the Christian Gospel should be free to everyone, without charge. Furthermore, I believe that it's morally wrong to withhold Biblical truth, and to entice folks with only small pieces of it, unless they are willing to pay us money for it as so many of these so-called Christian sites do, including Mr. Horn's site. When we start charging money for what we believe to be the truth, we are purposely setting up barriers, and declaring that some people deserve to have the truth -- that is, those who have money -- while the poor are not deserving of the same. That certainly isn't how Jesus operated, is it? Didn't the Lord clearly teach us "Freely ye have received, freely give"?

That's precisely why anyone can visit my Bill's Bible Basics website; they can read everything that I have ever authored over the past twenty-six years; and they can likewise read it for absolutely free. By God's Grace, I will never charge any money for any of my work. I will never place any kind of limits on my work. Whether you are rich or poor, you can read my work, and even download it in PDF format, if you so desire.

Sales-wise, I honestly don't know how well Mr. Horn's book, "2012 Apollyon Rising", has done. But no matter how well it does, my suspicion is that Horn and his faithful followers are going to be rather embarrassed when his predictions fail to come to pass in December, 2012. If that indeed turns out to be the case, do any of you honestly believe that Mr. Horn will be so kind as to offer reimbursements to the people who foolishly purchased his book? A more likely scenario is that Mr. Horn will offer no apologies. He may possibly offer some kind of weak explanation, such as suggesting that his readers simply misunderstood what he was saying in his book.

Sad to say, this is a very common reaction with cults and other manipulative groups. In other words, when a leader is exposed as a false prophet, the more dedicated followers will simply forgive him for his blunders, wash over his mistakes, and they will continue to place their faith in his writings, until the time arrives for them to purchase his next book, which many of them will gladly do. Some people just never seem to wake up, no matter how often they have been duped by one of these crafty deceivers.

I hope that you can see the danger by now. Unless a person has spent years studying God's Word, how can they possibly know if what they are being spoon-fed, and for a price no less, is really God-inspired truth? Obviously, they cannot know. They are basically accepting that writer's words on blind faith. They are trusting that the writer is an expert in his field and really knows what he is talking about. But sadly, therein lies the problem, because a number of these so-called Christian leaders and writers are feeding their flocks dangerous junk food which is slowly poisoning their souls. They certainly aren't feeding them with the pure, unadulterated Word of God. They are in fact polluting God's Word with toxic, deceptive, spiritual waste, and this can lead to nothing good. To make matters worse, just like the junk food industry, they are charging money for it.

No matter how you try to disguise it, junk food is still junk food. Period. You can try to disguise it by putting it in a pretty, colorful wrapper with all kinds of modern lingo -- or in a fancy book cover, or in a stylish DVD sleeve -- but it still is not nutritional in the least. Just as junk food can give you a temporary sugar buzz, the spiritual junk food that is dished out by these New Age gurus and misguided Christian writers can also give you a temporary spiritual high. But in the end, once the buzz passes, you are left with nothing.

Having said that, I again advise all of you to beware of the 2012 gurus, whether they are Christian or not. Don't fall into their traps, and don't be foolish enough to buy their books and DVDs. If you think that the Nephilim are going to rise in 2012, or that the fabled planet Nibiru will return in 2012, or that the false god Apollo will be returning in 2012, or that the Earth is going to be struck by an asteroid in 2012, or that the world will come to an end in 2012, or any of the other 2012 nonsense that these opportunists are currently preaching and selling, then you may be in for a big disappointment if nothing extraordinary happens in 2012. Just as ten years ago I warned everyone about the "Jesus is coming in 2,000" nonsense, now I am doing the same thing yet again regarding the 2012 New Age psychobabble. No doubt, I will be forced to do it again at some point in the future. Why? Because these deceivers just never seem to give up.

When will people ever learn to stop falling for the slippery words of these manipulative deceivers and slick profiteers? Insofar as the aforementioned events are concerned, let me say this. Based on my personal understanding of the Bible, I can say with almost one hundred per cent certainty that none of them are going to occur in 2012.

Note: 07-26-2020: And absolutely NONE of them ever did occur.

Concerning the popular belief that the Nephilim may possibly return to rule the Earth -- supposedly under the rule of the false god Apollo -- who Horn equates with Nimrod and Osiris, and with Abaddon/Apollyon -- personally, I am fully convinced that this is yet another false doctrine. Why? Because the Old Testament makes it very clear that they were all thoroughly destroyed by way of the Genesis Flood. God plainly declared that all air-breathing life would perish, and that is exactly what happened. To believe otherwise is to call God a liar. If they were to somehow return to the Earth at some point in the future, as Tom Horn, Chuck Missler, and a number of other misguided people claim, it would mean that God failed, which I for one do not believe. In Genesis, we read as follows:

"And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die . . . And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life . . . All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died."


Please go to part three for the conclusion of this series.

⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .

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