Empire's End was a quick read for me. Maybe even more so because I have been studying the life of Paul. It was enjoyable in the fact that it opens the door for the imagination to explore the life of Saul, his beginning as he persecuted Christians, and his experience on the Damascus Road, when was changed from old flesh to brand new as Paul. The story flowed, but I found myself stopping frequently to ponder the mysteries that we can only experience through imagination.
Paul is one of my favorites to study. To truly ponder all that his life entails for us. God brought this sinner to find grace and to live an extraordinary life as he surrendered all for his Savior. So, to read a novel about the life of Paul brings me to open my Bible even more, to dig deep, and find the details for myself.
And that brings me to explain that is exactly what this book is. A novel about the life of Paul. It's Jerry B. Jenkins, who I admire greatly as a writer, bringing to us truths of the Bible, and pondering as to what Paul's daily journey was all encompassed with as he traveled miles in sandal feet sharing the love of Jesus.
For me, this novel is in the same premise as the new series, A.D. There are biblical truths throughout the novel, but that is exactly what this is, a novel. It's to touch our hearts, broaden our scope of imagination, and bring us closer to experiencing a life where we are focused on growing in our own spiritual journey.
I encourage you to open up the Word if you want to learn about the life of Paul. The Bible, as we know, gives us so much information. Some things are simply left out. We don't get to know every detail. So, yes, picking up this new novel will give your imagination a new ride into what it could have been like for Paul in his daily life, his struggles, his family, and his blessings. There's nothing wrong with pondering. It's through our questions that we grow in faith and closer to the people God has created us to be.
This novel was a gift from Worthy Publishing for sharing my review with you.
Jerry B. Jenkins is a New York Times best-selling novelist (Left Behind Series) and biographer (Billy Graham, Hank Aaron, Walter Payton, Orel Hershiser, Nolan Ryan, Joe Gibbs and many more), with over 70 million books sold. His writing has appeared in Time, Reader's Digest, Parade, Guideposts, and he has been featured on the cover of Newsweek.
