I’ve been Left Behind.

Literally.

While entranced readers (63 million and counting) have made Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins’ ‘Left Behind’ series one of the most popular book series of our generation, I am still rather indifferent about the whole thing.
Yes, Publisher’s Weekly says it’s the most successful Christian fiction series ever, the New York Times and Chicago Tribune have said positive things about them, and many people, maybe even you, think these are the most influential books we’ve seen since the Bible. Yet little old me, with a library of chock full of hundreds of Christian books, has yet to crack the spine of even one (of about 20) of these bestsellers.

Sure, I have never been much into fiction, even science fiction, but I must say that the biggest reason I’ve steered away is because this series is based on the biblical book of Revelation, and more to the point, an interpretation of apocalyptic writings that just doesn’t sit very well with me.

This Sunday many of us will hear Mark 13 read from our pulpits – this is a ‘mini-apocalypse’ that is full of Revelation-like images, symbols and warnings. Just like Revelation, it mimics Old Testament and Apocryphal imagery with dire warnings of the coming day of the Lord. Through the centuries interpreters have had a field day concocting kooky links between modern events with apocalyptic writings. Martin Luther thought it so full of potential pitfalls he suggested removing Revelation from his New Testament Canon. John Calvin simply avoided it all by writing commentaries on every New Testament book except Revelation.

Colorful, mind-stretching, difficult to interpret – sure. But apocalyptic writings continue to keep their place in the canon because each generation seems to figure out what the real purpose of this kind of literature is. It’s not really about foretelling the future. It’s about encouraging faithfulness, patience, discipline and single-mindedness through tough times.

Sure, no one at my suburban church is facing the kind of serious persecutions that the first hearers of Revelation or Mark 13 were facing – the only time I see Christians going to the Lions here in Detroit is on game day. However, we are all still facing the kinds of things that Jesus warns us about when he says, “Beware that no one leads you astray.”

For then, as now, we are tempted to lose sight of the goal. Every day we face a myriad of distractions and diversions that keep us from keeping the main thing, the main thing. Just like Mark’s audience, we face the real peril of amnesia – forgetting who we are, and assuming a different identity simply because we want to avoid pain or amass worldly gain. What are some of the things tempting to lead us astray today? How are we addressing them? Are we cool with it?

Reading
The Book of Revelation (Commentary) – Robert Mounce
The Book of Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary – Leon Morris
Strength for the Journey – Peter Gomes