Working Assumptions about Revelation

“Assumptions” to be proved
1. Definition: church age=time between 1st and 2nd comings of Christ
Church age =Millennium (thousand years in 20:6-7)
=42 months (11:2)
=1260 days (11:3)
Note: 3 &1/2 days (11:9 & 11:11)
=1260 days (12:6)
[12:14 uses expression time, times, and half a time as period church
nourished from presence or face of the serpent
time, times, and half a time also found in Daniel 7:25 as length of time
saints given into hand of 4th beast]
=42 months (13:5)

2. the Sea beast(s) comes from in 13:1 & Daniel 7:3 = abyss; in other words sea represents home of Satanic forces; home of those who oppose the true God

3. Forces of Satan can go into and out of abysss; Satan is bound in abyss for almost the entire church age; comes out at the end for the final great battle and his utter defeat.
[ABYSS (#12—abussos: bottomless depth, abyss (a) as the place of the dead, Rom. 10:7;
(b) as the prison of demons (Luke 8:31, Rev. 20:3)—found 9x in NT]
(1) Luke 8:30-31--And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" And he said,
"Legion"; for many demons had entered him.’/ And they were entreating Him
not to command them to depart into the abyss.
(2) Romans 10:6-7-- But the righteousness based on faith speaks thus, "DO NOT
SAY IN YOUR HEART, ‘WHO WILL ASCEND INTO HEAVEN?’ (that is,
to bring Christ down), or ‘WHO WILL DESCEND INTO THE ABYSS?’
(that is, to bring Christ up from the dead)."
(3) Rev. 9:1-3-- And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which
had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit (#12) was given to
him./And he opened the bottomless pit (#12); and smoke went up out of the
pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened
by the smoke of the pit./And out of the smoke came forth locusts upon the
earth; and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
(4) Rev. 9:11-- They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name
in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon.
(5) Rev. 11:7--And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that
comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them
and kill them.
(6) Rev.17:8— "The beast that you saw was and is not, and is about to come up
out of the abyss and to go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth
will wonder, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the
foundation of the world, when they see the beast, that he was and is not and
will come.
(7) Rev.20:1-3-- And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key
of the abyss and a great chain in his hand./ And he laid hold of the dragon, the
serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand
years,/and threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that
he should not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were
completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.

4. White horse in Rev. 6:2 represents Satanic force and its weapon is deception.
A. Why does Swartz say white horse in 6:2 represents Satanic forces?
(1)Chiasm: 1. white horse (6:2)
2. red, black, and ashen horses (6:3-8a)
3. authority …..to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence
(6:8b)
4. authority…..to kill by the wild beasts of the earth (6:8c)
Therefore white horse and wild beasts of the earth go together
(Ez. 14:21 lists these same 4 judgments—sword, famine, wild beasts, plague)
B. Why does Barry York say the white horse is Christ? (cf. Beale 375-377)
(1) Promise is Christ’s: I even I will punish you (Lev. 26:28) [The judgments are clearly coming from heaven when Christ breaks a seal—therefore all are from the throne—punishment is from God even if the white horse is not Christ]
(2) Color is Christ’s: white is color of righteousness throughout Revelation—used 14 other times and in each clearly refers to holiness of God, Christ, or the saints.
[Bible does tell us that Satan comes disguised as an angel of light—2 Cor. 11:14; note also the synoptic gospels in their accounts of the 2nd coming each warn about false Christs at the beginning—Mark 13:5-6; Matt. 24:4-5; Luke 21:8; also Rev. 12 & 13 shows an imitation trinity in dragon, beast from sea, and beast from the land]
(3) Weapon is Christ’s: Christ is the one with all military power; He is in the habit of using weapons every day against those who refuse to repent; see Ps. 7:11-13
(4) Crown is Christ’s: Psalm 132:18 [locusts from abyss have same crown—9:7]
2 Greek words for crown: diadem (#1238)—12:3 (dragon); 13:1 (dragon);
19:12 Christ)
stephanos (#4735)—used in Rev. 2:10 (saints);
3:11 (saints); 4:4 (twenty four elders); 4:10 (24 elders); 6:2
(rider on white horse in 1st seal); 9:7 (locusts from abyss); 12:1 (woman
who I think represents the church); 14:14 (one like a son of man)
diadem is usually crown of royalty &
stephanos is usually earned crown
(5) Victory is Christ’s: over and over already church has been pictured as overcomers if they obey (i.e. victors) [cf Dan. 7:21; Rev. 11:7; Rev. 13:7]
(6) Additional argument from Beale (not made by York): if one doesn’t accept the chiastic structure Swartz gives for the 4 horsemen, white horse is only one not linked to a specific woe

5. Rev. 20:1-3 and Rev. 12:9 are both talking of the dethronement of Satan after the
crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.