As we continue our look at the Building Blocks of the Christian Life through our series, “How Do I Read The Bible,” we take a look at the first of two weeks dealing with apocalyptic literature in the Bible. We are in chapters 12 and 13 of the Book of Revelation this week. A not-so-nice Dragon and 2 Beasts occupy the visions, and show us just how seriously Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins’ series entitled Left Behind not only misuses Scripture, but abuses the hearts and minds of Christians in the process. We will take notice that the primary purpose of these passages is to encourage followers of Jesus who may die for the sake of their faithfulness to Jesus – the message that is consistent throughout the Book of Revelation as indicated by the repeated use of the phrase, “patient endurance.”
