NBC's Revelations skewed, Left Behind authors warn

WHEATON, Ill. (BP) - Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye, whose Left Behind series made end-times theology a nationwide topic of discussion, have expressed wariness of NBC's apocalyptic mini-series Revelations, which premiered April 13.

One of the series' main characters, "Dr. Richard Massey," a skeptic Harvard professor played by Bill Pullman, looks as though he is headed toward becoming "a firm believer," as Jenkins put it, during the course of the six-hour series.

But, said Jenkins, who has viewed the first Revelations episode, "[W]hat he promises to come to believe is a mishmash of myth, silliness, and misrepresentations of Scripture."

LaHaye, the creator of the Left Behind series and a prophecy scholar, described the show as "unbiblical" and "weird."

"This story is based on some writer's imagination about the Book of Revelation," LaHaye said. "However, the writer clearly has not studied the book or maybe even read it."

Jenkins noted that the series' other lead character, "Sister Josepha" played by Natascha McElhone, a nun who is assigned to study the end times, is involved in a search for a baby Jesus.

"Regardless of where people stand on the interpretation of biblical prophecy, no one believes Jesus will return again as a baby," Jenkins said. "Beyond that, Sister Josepha states that her intention is to 'protect' Jesus, as if the Son of God would need human help."