BEMA Episode Link: 184: Revelation — Let the Games Begin
Episode Length: 27:57
Published Date: Thu, 03 Sep 2020 01:00:00 -0700
Session 4
About this episode:

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings put some context behind a cultural device that is setting up John’s Apocalypse, seeing the ancient Olympic Games and wrestling with John’s intent for the letter of Revelation.

Discussion Video for BEMA 184

Transcript for BEMA 184

Notes

*Note: The following notes are handwritten by me, Adam, and I reserve the right to be wrong.

BEMA Episode 184: Revelation - Let the Games Begin - Study Notes

Title & Source Summary

Episode: 184 - Revelation: Let the Games Begin Hosts: Marty Solomon and Brent Billings Focus: Revelation Chapters 8-9 (The Seven Trumpets) and the Ancient Olympic Games as a cultural framework

This episode explores the seven trumpets of Revelation while introducing a crucial cultural context: the structure of the ancient Olympic Games. Marty and Brent demonstrate how John’s apocalyptic vision is deliberately structured to mirror the opening ceremonies of the Roman Olympic Games, revealing that Revelation is not a futuristic prophecy but a message of hope to first-century believers experiencing persecution. The episode emphasizes the importance of understanding apocalyptic imagery, numerical symbolism, and the cultural backdrop of Rome’s imperial propaganda to properly interpret this complex biblical text.

Key Takeaways

  • Apocalyptic literature uses symbols and images to bring hope to the audience’s present-day circumstances, not to predict distant future events
  • The number seven (seals, trumpets, bowls) represents completion and finiteness, communicating that the tribulation believers face has an end
  • The recurring use of “thirds” throughout the trumpet judgments symbolizes the disruption of shalom (peace/wholeness) and the breakdown of community and order
  • The structure of Revelation chapters 1-9 deliberately mirrors the seven-step opening ceremony of ancient Olympic Games
  • In the Roman world, athletic performance at the Olympics was tied to the god or city one represented, not individual achievement
  • John is telling his audience that how they conduct themselves during persecution demonstrates to the world what their God is like
  • The imagery in Revelation extensively references Old Testament texts, particularly the Exodus plagues and the prophets

Main Concepts & Theories

Numerical Symbolism in Revelation

The Number Seven: Throughout Revelation, John uses the number seven repeatedly - seven seals, seven trumpets, seven bowls of wrath, seven churches. This number communicates completion and wholeness in Jewish thought. However, Marty notes an important nuance: seven also communicates finiteness. The tribulation, chaos, and suffering are not eternal but have a definite end point. This would have been tremendously encouraging to first-century believers enduring Roman persecution.

The Number Three and Thirds: Originally presented in BEMA as representing “community,” Marty refines this understanding to encompass the broader concept of shalom (wholeness/peace). In Jewish thought, relationship exists on three levels: relationship with God, relationship with other humans, and relationship with creation. When Revelation repeatedly mentions “a third” being affected by each trumpet judgment, it symbolizes the systematic disruption of shalom - order turning to chaos, community being pulled apart.

The Number Four: Represents the four corners of the earth and the Gentile nations. When four angels are released from the Euphrates, this imagery evokes the pagan nations from all corners overwhelming God’s people.

Large Numbers (10,000 x 10,000): The army of 200 million represents how the original audience felt - vastly outnumbered by the forces of evil, approximately 20 to 1 when compared to the 144,000 sealed believers. This is qualitative, not quantitative - expressing feeling rather than literal counting.

Apocalyptic Literature Principles

Marty emphasizes the definition: “Apocalyptic literature uses symbols and images to bring and communicate a message of hope to the audience’s present day.” This genre is not primarily about predicting the future but about providing perspective and encouragement to those currently suffering.

The imagery cannot be interpreted literally. When Brent notes that “a third of the sun was struck” followed by “a third of the day was without light,” he correctly observes this doesn’t work scientifically. These are symbolic images expressing the experience of chaos and darkness, not astronomical predictions.

Text-to-Context Interpretation

The trumpet judgments contain extensive references to earlier biblical texts:

  • The imagery of locusts, darkness, blood, hail, and boils recalls the plagues of Exodus
  • The army of locusts specifically echoes the prophet Joel
  • The pattern of judgment and call to repentance reflects the prophetic tradition

John is writing midrash - Jewish interpretive commentary that connects Scripture to Scripture, showing his audience that their current suffering fits within God’s larger redemptive pattern seen throughout Israel’s history.

The Olympic Games Framework

The ancient Olympic Games followed a seven-step opening ceremony structure that John deliberately mirrors in Revelation chapters 1-9:

Step 1: Presentation of the Emperor

  • Olympic Games: Caesar enters the arena to acclaim
  • Revelation 1a: God presented as Alpha and Omega, the Almighty

Step 2: Herald’s Announcements

  • Olympic Games: Recitation of Caesar’s mighty deeds
  • Revelation 1b: John hears a voice telling him to write down what he sees about God’s greatness

Step 3: Caesar’s Pronouncements

  • Olympic Games: Caesar addresses cities with “I’ve heard your positive traits, but I have this against you…”
  • Revelation 2-3: Seven letters to seven churches following exactly this format

Step 4: Imperial Praise Song

  • Olympic Games: Chorus led by 24 priests of the 24 legal Roman religions, crowd dressed in white robes
  • Revelation 4 and 7: Crowd in white robes singing, led by 24 elders

Step 5: Games Officially Opened

  • Olympic Games: Herald reads scroll extolling greatness of gods and Caesar
  • Revelation 5: The slain Lamb found worthy to open the scroll with seven seals

Step 6: Chariot Races

  • Olympic Games: Black horse, white horse, red horses, pale/spotted horses (consistent colors at every games)
  • Revelation 6: The four horsemen appear in exactly these matching colors

Step 7: Trumpets Sound

  • Olympic Games: Trumpets signal the beginning of competition
  • Revelation 8-9: Seven trumpets sound and the spiritual battle begins
The Meaning of the Olympic Framework

This deliberate structural parallel was not accidental or coincidental. John’s original readers would have immediately recognized the pattern. The implications are profound:

  1. A Spiritual Olympics: Believers are engaged in a cosmic competition, but the rules are different from Rome’s games
  2. Representing Your God: Just as ancient athletes represented their city’s god through their performance, how believers conduct themselves during persecution reveals what their God is like
  3. Subversive Counter-Narrative: While Rome uses the Olympics for imperial propaganda, John uses the same structure to show God’s ultimate victory
  4. Perseverance as Witness: The way believers “run the race” in the midst of suffering is their testimony to the watching world
The Connection to Hebrews 12

The passage from Hebrews 12:1-3 takes on new significance when understood against this Olympic backdrop: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus…”

This is not generic athletic metaphor but specific Olympic imagery. The “cloud of witnesses” are spectators in the arena. The race is the great cosmic competition. Jesus is both the pioneer (one who ran before us) and the perfecter (the one who will bring our race to completion). Believers are to run their race well, knowing the outcome is already determined by Jesus’s victory.

Examples & Applications

Ancient Context: Imperial Propaganda Through Athletics

In the Roman world, the Olympics were not merely entertainment or athletic competition - they were a tool of imperial propaganda. When an athlete from Philippi won a race, it proved that Jupiter (or whatever god that city honored) was powerful. The athlete’s individual talent was secondary to what their victory said about their god.

This meant the games were high-stakes religious and political theater. Caesar’s appearance, pronouncements to various cities, and the elaborate ceremonies all reinforced Roman power and the imperial cult. Citizens attended dressed in white robes, creating a visual spectacle of unity under Rome.

First-Century Application: Persecution as Platform

For John’s original audience - believers suffering under Nero or Domitian’s persecution - this Olympic framework would have been instantly recognizable and deeply meaningful. They lived in a world where they felt:

  • Vastly outnumbered by opponents (20 to 1 imagery)
  • Their shalom was being systematically disrupted (the thirds)
  • Chaos and darkness were overwhelming (trumpet judgments)
  • Death and suffering were all around (locusts, scorpions, plagues)

John’s message: You are not in a random, meaningless struggle. You are in the great Olympic Games. How you conduct yourselves - with faithfulness, endurance, love, hope - that is how you show the watching world what your God is like.

Modern Application: Witness Through Suffering

While most modern Western Christians do not face the level of persecution John’s audience experienced, the principle remains: how we respond to difficulty, injustice, and suffering reveals what we truly believe about God.

Our “race” might involve:

  • Maintaining integrity in corrupt systems
  • Showing love to enemies
  • Enduring illness or loss with hope
  • Serving others when it costs us
  • Speaking truth when it’s unpopular

The “cloud of witnesses” watching our race includes not just heaven but our communities, coworkers, families - all seeing whether our lives match our claims about God.

Potential Areas for Further Exploration

  1. Detailed Study of Exodus Parallels: A comprehensive comparison of the trumpet judgments with the ten plagues of Egypt would reveal deeper layers of meaning about God’s pattern of deliverance

  2. Joel’s Locust Army: Examining Joel’s prophecy in detail and how John applies it to the Roman context would illuminate John’s midrashic method

  3. The Other Numerical Patterns: Marty mentions that mystical schools of Judaism and Christianity see significance in many details (like the ages in Genesis genealogies). What other numerical patterns exist in Revelation’s trumpet sequence?

  4. The Seventh Seal: The transition from seals to trumpets (Revelation 8:1) deserves closer examination - how does the seventh seal relate to the seven trumpets?

  5. Roman Religious System: Deeper research into the 24 legal Roman religions and how the 24 elders in Revelation function as a counter-image

  6. Ancient Olympic Variations: While Marty acknowledges some liberty in reconstructing the Olympic ceremony, studying primary sources about ancient games could refine our understanding

  7. Athletic Metaphors Throughout Paul’s Letters: Paul frequently uses Olympic imagery (1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Philippians 3:14, 2 Timothy 4:7-8) - how does this connect to Revelation’s framework?

  8. Wormwood Symbolism: The star called “Wormwood” that makes water bitter (Revelation 8:10-11) likely has specific Old Testament and cultural significance worth investigating

  9. The Abyss in Jewish Thought: The shaft of the abyss, Abaddon/Apollyon, and the demonic imagery in Revelation 9 connect to broader Jewish apocalyptic literature

  10. White Robes in Revelation: The motif of white robes appears throughout Revelation - tracing this symbol through the entire book would be valuable

Comprehension Questions

  1. How does understanding the number seven as representing both “completion” and “finiteness” change the way we read about the seven trumpets, and what hope would this have offered John’s original audience?

  2. Explain how the imagery of “thirds” throughout the trumpet judgments relates to the concept of shalom. What is being communicated when “a third of the earth,” “a third of the trees,” “a third of the waters,” etc. are affected?

  3. Walk through the seven-step structure of the ancient Olympic Games opening ceremony and identify where each step appears in Revelation chapters 1-9. Why would John structure his apocalypse this way?

  4. In the ancient Olympic Games, athletic performance was tied to the god or city one represented rather than individual achievement. How does this cultural context help us understand what John is saying about how believers should conduct themselves during persecution?

  5. Marty identifies several Old Testament texts that John references in the trumpet judgments, particularly the Exodus plagues and the prophet Joel. Why is it important to recognize these Text-to-context connections rather than reading Revelation as prediction of future literal events?

Personalized Summary

This episode fundamentally reframes how we should read Revelation by introducing the ancient Olympic Games as the cultural backdrop John intentionally employed. Rather than a mysterious code about future events, Revelation emerges as a carefully crafted message of hope to believers experiencing real persecution in the first century.

The key insight is that John structures his apocalypse to mirror the seven-step opening ceremony of the Roman Olympics, which his audience would have immediately recognized. This wasn’t just a clever literary device - it carried profound meaning. In the ancient world, the Olympics were about proving which god was greatest through the performance of athletes representing different cities. John is saying to his suffering audience: you are in the great cosmic Olympics, and how you run your race - with faithfulness, endurance, and love despite persecution - is what demonstrates to the watching world what your God is like.

The numerical symbolism reinforces this message of hope. Seven (appearing in seals, trumpets, bowls, churches) communicates both the completeness and the finiteness of their suffering - it will end. The recurring “thirds” show that shalom is being disrupted, but not completely destroyed. The overwhelming numbers of the enemy army help believers name their experience: yes, you feel outnumbered 20 to 1, and that feeling is valid.

The extensive references to Exodus plagues and the prophets (especially Joel’s locusts) remind the audience that this pattern of suffering-leading-to-deliverance is woven throughout their sacred history. They are not experiencing something random or meaningless, but something that fits within God’s larger redemptive purposes.

The connection to Hebrews 12 beautifully ties this together: “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus.” This is Olympic language. Believers are athletes in the cosmic games, surrounded by a cloud of witnesses, running to show the world what Jesus is like through how they endure suffering.

This episode exemplifies BEMA’s approach: taking a text that seems scary and impenetrable, and through cultural and historical context, revealing it as a profound message of hope perfectly designed for its original audience - and still powerfully relevant for us today.

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