Left Behind
The Rising, The Regime, The Rapture, Left Behind, Tribulation Force, Nicolae, Soul Harvest, Apollyon, Assassins, The Indwelling,The Mark, Desecration, The Remnant,Armageddon, Glorious Appearing, Kingdom Come
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| Author | Tim LaHaye
Jerry B. Jenkins |
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| Country | United States |
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| Language | English |
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| Genre | Christian novels |
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| Published | 1995 – 2007 |
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| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
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Plot summary[edit]
Based on
dispensationalist interpretation of prophecies in the Biblical books of
Revelation,
Daniel,
Isaiah and
Ezekiel,
Left Behind tells the story of the end times (set in the contemporary era), in which true believers in Christ have been "
raptured", (taken instantly to heaven) leaving the world shattered and chaotic. As people scramble for answers, a relatively unknown Romanian politician named
Nicolae Jetty Carpathia rises to become
secretary-general of the
United Nations, promising to restore peace and stability to all nations. What most of the world does not realize is that Carpathia is actually the Antichrist foretold of in the Bible. Coming to grips with the truth and becoming
born-againChristians, airline pilot
Rayford Steele, his daughter
Chloe, their pastor
Bruce Barnes, and young journalist
Cameron "Buck" Williams begin their quest as the Tribulation Force to help save the lost and prepare for the coming
Tribulation, in which God will rain down judgment on the world for seven years.
Characters[edit]
Tribulation Saints[edit]
The most well known of the Tribulation Saints include Rayford Steele, Chloe Steele, Cameron "Buck" Williams, and Tsion Ben-Judah.
Response[edit]
Multiple books in the series have been on the
New York Times best-seller list. Starting in 2000, Books 7 and 8 reached number one on the list followed by book 10, which debuted at number one.
[3] Total sales for the series have surpassed 65 million copies. Seven titles in the adult series have reached #1 on the bestseller lists for the
New York Times,
USA Today, and
Publishers Weekly.
[4]
One reason often cited for the books' popularity is the quick pacing and action, and reflects the public's overall concern with the Apocalypse, as portrayed in the Book of Revelation in the Bible.
Michelle Goldberg has written that, "On one level, the attraction of the
Left Behind books isn't that much different from that of, say,
Tom Clancy or
Stephen King. The plotting is brisk and the characterizations
Manichean. People disappear and things blow up."
[5] The
New York Times also compared the series to Clancy's works.
[6]However, those views are not universally shared. Other reviewers have called the series "almost laughably tedious" and "fatuous and boring."
[7][8]
In 2007, the
Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) recognized the
Left Behind series at its CBA & ECPA Awards Celebration in
Atlanta, Georgia with the ECPA Pinnacle Award. ECPA President
Mark Kuyper said, "In many ways this series established Christian fiction as a significant category in publishing in general."
[4] Jerry Falwell said about the first book in the series: "In terms of its impact on Christianity, it's probably greater than that of any other book in modern times, outside the Bible."
[9]
Influences on the authors[edit]
Reception[edit]
While writing that the series fulfills the norms of mass-market fiction, as mentioned above, magazine writer
Michelle Goldberg characterized the books as an attack on
Judaismand
liberal secularism, and suggested that the near-future "
end times" in which the books are set seem to reflect the actual worldview of millions of Americans, including many prominent
conservative leaders.
[11]
Christian criticisms[edit]
From Catholics[edit]
The books are written from a Protestant viewpoint. As a result, some believe the books are
anti-Catholic, noting that many Catholics were not raptured
[12] and that the new pope establishes a false religion.
[13] While the fictional
Pope, John XXIV, was raptured, he is described as having embraced some of the views of the "Father of
Protestantism"
Martin Luther and it is implied that he was raptured for this reason.
[14] His successor, Pope
Peter II, becomes
Pontifex Maximus of Enigma Babylon One World Faith, an amalgamation of all remaining world faiths and religions.
Catholic Answers describes the series as
anti-Catholic.
[12][15] On page 343 of Book 10,
The Remnant, most of a Catholic church (including the priest and the catechism teacher) are raptured. The co-author of the book, Jerry B. Jenkins, as well as LaHaye, stated that their books are not anti-Catholic and that they have many faithful Catholic readers and friends.
[16] According to LaHaye, "the books don’t suggest any particular
theology, but try to introduce people to a more
personal relationship with
Jesus."
[16]
From Orthodox[edit]
David Carlson, a Professor of Religious Studies and a member of the
Greek Orthodox Church, wrote that the theology underpinning the
Left Behind series promotes a "skewed view of the Christian faith that welcomes war and disaster, while dismissing peace efforts in the Middle East and elsewhere--all in the name of Christ".
[17]
From Protestants[edit]
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From premillennialists[edit]
Most historic
premillennialists consider the basic belief system behind the series to be flawed because it picks and chooses Scriptures to come to the conclusion that the Jesus will "gather the elect" before the Tribulation, contrary to what Jesus teaches in Matthew 24:3-31, Mark 13:3-27, and Luke 21:5-27.
[18]
Some
premillennialists, while accepting many of the basic beliefs behind the series, describe problems with specific prophetical teachings in the
Left Behind books. For instance, in
The Mark,
Chang Wong receives both the mark of the beast and the sealing of the Lord and he is later accepted into heaven, despite having the mark, because he was drugged and forced to have it against his own free will. This has led some readers
[19] to wonder how a Christian can have the mark of the beast and still be saved.
[20]
From others[edit]
Along with some other rapture fiction novels, the
Left Behind series demonstrates a specific understanding of the Gospel and the Christian life, one with which many have taken issue theologically. The books have not sold particularly well outside of the United States.
[21] Dispensationalism remains a minority view among theologians.
[22] For instance,
amillennial and
postmillennial Christians do not believe in the same timeline of the Second Coming as
premillennialists, while
preterist Christians do not interpret much of the Book of Revelation to predict future events at all.
Brian McLaren of the
Emergent Church compares the
Left Behind series to
The Da Vinci Code, and states, "What the
Left Behindnovels do, the way they twist scripture toward a certain theological and political end, I think
[Dan] Brown is twisting scripture, just to other political ends."
[23] John Dart, writing in
Christian Century, characterized the works as "beam me up theology."
[22]
Violence[edit]
Some practicing Christians, evangelical and otherwise, along with non-Christians have shown concern that the social perspectives promoted in the
Left Behind series unduly sensationalize the death and destruction of masses of people.
Harvey Cox, a professor of divinity at Harvard, says part of the appeal of the books lies in the "lip-licking anticipation of all the blood," and theologian Barbara Rossing, author of
The Rapture Exposed: The Message of Hope in the Book of Revelation, said the books glorify violence.
[24][25][26] Time magazine said "the nuclear frights of, say,
Tom Clancy's
The Sum of All Fears wouldn't fill a chapter in the Left Behind series. (Large chunks of several U.S. cities have been bombed to smithereens by page 110 of Book 3.)"
[25]
Paul Nuechterlein accused the authors of re-sacralizing violence, adding that "we human beings are the ones who put our faith in superior firepower. But in the Left Behind novels the darkness of that human, satanic violence is once again attributed to God."
[27] In that same book ("Glorious Appearing") Jesus merely speaks and the bodies of his enemies are ripped open, forcing the Christians to drive carefully to avoid "hitting splayed and filleted bodies of men and women and horses."
[28]
Note: The books are listed initially in story-line (chronological) order but then numbered in order of publication.
Two spin-off series have been written: a political series by
Neesa Hart and a military series by
Mel Odom.
A video game,
Left Behind: Eternal Forces, was released for the
PC on November 6, 2006. Its sequel,
Left Behind II: Tribulation Force, was released in 2009.
Spin-offs[edit]
- Left Behind: Apocalypse, by Mel Odom[32]
- Apocalypse Dawn
- Apocalypse Crucible
- Apocalypse Burning
- Apocalypse Unleashed
- Left Behind: The Kids by Jerry B. Jenkins & Tim LaHaye with Chris Fabry
- 1 The Vanishings
- 2 Second Chance
- 3 Through The Flames
- 4 Facing The Future
- 5 Nicolae High
- 6 The Underground
- 7 Busted!
- 8 Death Strike
- 9 The Search
- 10 On The Run
- 11 Into The Storm
- 12 Earthquake!
- 13 The Showdown
- 14 Judgment Day
- 15 Battling The Commander
- 16 Fire From Heaven
- 17 Terror In The Stadium
- 18 Darkening Skies
- 19 Attack Of Apollyon
- 20 A Dangerous Plan
- 21 Secrets Of New Babylon
- 22 Escape From New Babylon
- 23 Horsemen Of Terror
- 24 Uplink From The Underground
- 25 Death At The Gala
- 26 The Beast Arises
- 27 Wildfire!
- 28 The Mark Of The Beast
- 29 Breakout!
- 30 Murder In The Holy Place
- 31 Escape To Masada
- 32 War Of The Dragon
- 33 Attack On Petra
- 34 Bounty Hunters
- 35 The Rise Of False Messiahs
- 36 Ominous Choices
- 37 Heat Wave
- 38 The Perils Of Love
- 39 The Road To War
- 40 Triumphant Return
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In other media[edit]
The success of the
Left Behind books has led to the release of four motion pictures based on the series so far. The movies have been produced and released by
Cloud Ten Pictures, a Canadian Christian movie studio.
The first,
Left Behind: The Movie, was based on the first book of the series and was released in 2000. In a very unusual marketing scheme, the studio released the movie on video and DVD first, and then released it to the theaters. The movie fared poorly in theaters.
[34] The movie starred former
Growing Pains star
Kirk Cameron as Buck Williams. Cameron, who finds the series inspiring, is a practicing evangelist (and co-host with
Ray Comfort on the TV show
The Way of the Master).
The second sequel,
Left Behind: World at War, was released first to churches on October 21, 2005 for church theatrical viewings and was released to DVD and video on October 25, 2005. Except for
Clarence Gilyard, the entire cast of
Left Behind and
Left Behind II: Tribulation Force reprised their respective roles for
Left Behind: World At War. Clarence Gilyard, who played Bruce Barnes, was unable to return for the third movie due to a scheduling conflict with a play in New York.
[citation needed] The movie is based very loosely on the final 50 pages of
Tribulation Force and features
Louis Gossett Jr. playing the President of the United States, Gerald Fitzhugh. The third movie was the least identifiable with events in any of the books. Recognizable events were the marriages of Buck with Chloe Steele, and of Rayford Steele with Amanda White; the death of Bruce Barnes; and President Fitzhugh's heading an attack, resulting in
World War III, with
Great Britain and
Egypt fighting against the
Global Community. Major parts of the movie, however, were taken from subsequent books in the series. These events include the poisoning of Barnes by GC forces, instead of Nicolae Carpathia himself, and an attempt by Fitzhugh to assassinate Nicolae Carpathia. Buck's meeting with the President in the books makes it into the movie, but in a totally different form.
In 2010, Cloud Ten Pictures announced that a remake of the
Left Behind series was in development, with production set to begin in late 2012 for an October 2014 release date.
[37] The movie, starring Nicolas Cage (
Con Air,
Ghost Rider) as the protagonist, along with Chad Michael Murray (
One Tree Hill,
A Cinderella Story) was released to theaters October 3, 2014. The film is rated PG-13. It earned overwhelmingly negative reviews and flopped at the box office.
[38]
Video game[edit]
The video game
Left Behind: Eternal Forces (2006) and its three sequels,
Left Behind: Tribulation Forces,
Left Behind 3: Rise of the Antichrist, and
Left Behind 4: World at War, were developed by a publicly traded company, Left Behind Games. The games are real-time strategy games wherein the player controls a "Tribulation Forces" team and allows the player to "use the power of prayer to strengthen your troops in combat and wield modern military weaponry throughout the game world." The original game was released in the United States on November 14, 2006, and received mixed reviews. Distribution was initially planned to work through churches and
megachurches.
[citation needed]
Although the original game was accused of encouraging religious violence,
[39] not all reviewers of the game or critics of the
Left Behind series shared that view.
[40][41][42][43]Representatives of the company have responded that the game's message is pacifist, because shooting nonbelievers instead of converting them costs the player "spirit points", which can be recovered by pausing to pray.
[44] The company also responded to these criticisms in an online newsletter,stating, "There is no violence, only conflict," and, "The most successful way to fight, is through the means of spiritual warfare; PRAYER and WORSHIP. Soldiers and military weaponry are available, but once anyone plays the game, they’ll see how difficult it is to succeed by using these less effective means of warfare."
[45]
People Get Ready: A Musical Collection Inspired by The Left Behind Series (1998) is "a musical collection inspired by the Left Behind series".
[46]
Track listing[edit]
- "People Get Ready" Crystal Lewis 4:24
- "UFO" Geoff Moore & The Distance 3:08
- "Come Quickly Lord" Rebecca Saint James 4:29
- "I Wish We'd All Been Ready" dc Talk 3:44
- "Horses" Margaret Becker 4:05
- "Eve of Destruction" Barry McGuire 3:34
- "People Get Ready" Impressions 2:38
- "Thief in the Night" Big Tent Revival 3:38
- "Elijah" Rich Mullins 5:14
- "New Body" Audio Adrenaline 4:00
- "I'll Lead You Home" Michael W. Smith 5:22
- "Jesus Is Waiting" Al Green 8:08
Williams professor
Glenn Shuck has written the book
Marks of the Beast: The Left Behind Novels and the Struggle for Evangelical Identity, published by
NYU Press in 2005. He followed this with a collection of original essays co-edited with Jeffrey J. Kripal of
Rice University on the
Esalen Institute in California, published by
Indiana University Press in 2005.
Robert M. Price has written the book
The Paperback Apocalypse published by Prometheus Books in 2007 which reviewed the whole genre of apocalypse fiction.
Graphic novels[edit]
In 2002 a series of
graphic novels was launched that comprised the first two books in the series,
Left Behind and
Tribulation Force. The original idea was to release sets of 3 to 5 novels (each about 45–50 pages) for each book in the original series. However, after the 5th and final novel for
Tribulation Force was released, the graphic novel series was apparently discontinued, and the novels that were released are now (as of December 2006) out of print. A compilation of the graphic novels for the first book was later released as one novel.
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