Left Behind
Encyclopedia
Left Behind is a series of 16 best-selling novels by Tim LaHaye
and Jerry B. Jenkins
, dealing with Christian
dispensationalist
End Times
: pretribulation, premillennial, Christian eschatological
viewpoint of the end of the world
. The primary conflict of the series is the members of the Tribulation Force against the Global Community
and its leader Nicolae Carpathia—the Antichrist
. Left Behind is also the title of the first book in the series. The series was first published 1995-2007 by Tyndale House
, a firm with a history of interest in dispensationalism
.
The series has been adapted into three action thriller films with the fourth being discussed by Cloud Ten Pictures
. The films are Left Behind: The Movie
, Left Behind II: Tribulation Force
and Left Behind: World at War
. The series also inspired the PC game "Left Behind: Eternal Forces
" and its sequels, "Left Behind: Tribulation Forces" and "Left Behind 3: Rise of the Antichrist".
interpretation of prophecies in the Biblical books of Revelation
, Daniel
, Isaiah
and Ezekiel
, Left Behind tells the story of the end times, in which many have been "rapture
d," leaving the world shattered and chaotic. As people scramble for answers, a 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 from the Bible. Coming to grips with the truth and becoming born-again Christians, 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.
right after the Rapture
. They are to face the Antichrist
Nicolae Carpathia during the Tribulation
.
The most well known of the Tribulation Saints include Rayford Steele
, Chloe Steele
, Cameron "Buck" Williams
and Bruce Barnes
.
, and Publishers Weekly
.
One reason often cited for the books' popularity is the quick pacing and action. 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." The New York Times also compared the series to Clancy's works. But those views are not universally shared. Other reviewers have called the series "almost laughably tedious" and "fatuous and boring."
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." 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."
The popularity of this series has spilled over beyond the Americas and the English-speaking world. It has been translated to many languages including Chinese and Japanese. There is, however, a protracted lag in translation; as of September 2005, the Chinese version of Book 11 is in press and the Japanese version of Book 6 has been published.
In other areas, such as Europe—where dispensationalism
is largely non-existent—the books have been far less successful.
, an Iowan film-maker who directed a series of four low-budget feature-length films in the 1970s and 1980s about the Rapture
and Second Coming
. The films' popularity among Christians have led to increased study and speculation as to the events described in the Book of Revelation.
Crawford Gribben has shown that there were successful rapture fiction novels as early as 1913, with some earlier works identified as dating from 1905. Of the former, Sydney Watson's Scarlet and Purple (1913), The Mark of the Beast (1915) and In the Twinkling of an Eye are cited as examples of the genre.
characterized the books as an attack on Judaism
and 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.
The series has been criticized for the poor depiction of the pantheist and universalist belief that the Enigma Babylon One World Faith
indicates, which has overtones of Hinduism
and Buddhism
.
The series has also been accused of plagiarizing. One website states that:
"These similarities [with earlier novel 666] are noteworthy, I think, for a couple of reasons. The first has to do with Lahaye’s claim of originality for his series of books. In an interview in the March 28, 2000 issue of the Assembly of God magazine Pentecostal evangel, he insists that "Left Behind is the first fictional portrayal of events that are true to the literal interpretation of Bible prophecy. It was written for anyone who loves gripping fiction featuring believable characters, a dynamic plot that also weaves prophetic events in a fascinating story."
, 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. In Desecration
, the character's dual-marking was justified in the storyline. He was saved because he did not accept the mark of the beast; he was forced to receive it because he was involuntarily put to sleep and then given it. It was noted in one particular paragraph in the book Desecration, after hitting the "motherlode" as he called it, that Chang at one point attempted to mumble to his father that he was a "Believer" as he carried him into the room to receive his mark. This has led some readers to wonder how a Christian can have the mark of the beast and still be saved.
remains a minority view among theologians. 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 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 Behind novels 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." John Dart, writing in Christian Century, characterized the works as "beam me up theology".
, 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. 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.)"
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." In that same book 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."
, 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. 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
, details the series as anti-Catholic, while many other Catholics dispute these claims and state that the series is acceptable. On page 343 of Book 10, The Remnant, most of a Catholic church (including the priest and the catechism teacher) are raptured, similar to Tribulation Force's situation with their Protestant church: "He and some of his friends from childhood raced to their little Catholic church, where hardly anyone was left.". 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. According to LaHaye, "the books don’t suggest any particular theology
, but try to introduce people to a more personal relationship with Jesus
."
There are also graphic novel
s, CDs
, and a Left Behind series for teens. Audio dramatizations based on the first thirteen titles have also been produced for broadcast on Christian radio
. The series written for teens is called Left Behind: The Kids
. The plot of this series is the same as the adult series, but the main protagonists are teenagers. Several of the main books have also been turned into movies by the Canadian motion picture studio Cloud Ten Pictures
, including Left Behind: The Movie
, Left Behind II: Tribulation Force
, and Left Behind: World at War
.
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, and its sequel, Left Behind II: Tribulation Force
, was released in 2009.
, 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. 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
).
In 2002, the sequel, Left Behind II: Tribulation Force
, based on the first four hundred pages of the second novel, Tribulation Force
, was released. The film debuted at #2 on Nielson's video scan reports, behind Spider-Man
, and was #1 in terms of overall sales for two days on Amazon.com
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. The movie is based very loosely on the final fifty 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 Rayford Steele with Amanda White, the death of Bruce Barnes, and President Fitzhugh heading an attack, resulting in World War III
, with Great Britain
and Egypt
, 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.
The movies have been criticized for, among other things, low production values. A Slate
reviewer commented that in 2004, Cloud Ten Pictures
made a deal with Sony Entertainment to release all of its pictures under the Sony
banner and has been doing so ever since.
An episode
of The Simpsons
, "Thank God, It's Doomsday", portrays a parody of the Left Behind series called "Left Below", in which non-Christians, gays
and people who believe in science
are forced to live through Hell
on Earth while the evangelicals go to Heaven
.
Cloud Ten Pictures has announced that a remake of the Left Behind series is in development. Production on the remake is set to begin in late 2011.
and its two sequels, "Left Behind: Tribulation Forces" and "Left Behind 3: Rise of the Antichrist," were developed by a publicly traded company, Left Behind Games. The games are real-time strategy games where 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.
Although the original game was accused of encouraging religious violence, not all reviewers of the game or critics of the Left Behind series shared that view. 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. 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."
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.
Tim LaHaye
Timothy F. LaHaye is an American evangelical Christian minister, author, and speaker. He is best known for the Left Behind series of apocalyptic fiction, which he co-wrote with Jerry B. Jenkins. He has written over 50 books, both fiction and non-fiction.-Early life:LaHaye was born in Detroit,...
and Jerry B. Jenkins
Jerry B. Jenkins
Jerry Bruce Jenkins is an American novelist and biographer. He is best known as co-author of the Left Behind series of books with Tim LaHaye, Jenkins has written over 150 books, including romance novels, mysteries, and children's adventures, as well as non-fiction...
, dealing with Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
dispensationalist
Dispensationalism
Dispensationalism is a nineteenth-century evangelical development based on a futurist biblical hermeneutic that sees a series of chronologically successive "dispensations" or periods in history in which God relates to human beings in different ways under different Biblical covenants.As a system,...
End Times
End times
The end time, end times, or end of days is a time period described in the eschatological writings in the three Abrahamic religions and in doomsday scenarios in various other non-Abrahamic religions...
: pretribulation, premillennial, Christian eschatological
Christian eschatology
Christian eschatology is a major branch of study within Christian theology. Eschatology, from two Greek words meaning last and study , is the study of the end of things, whether the end of an individual life, the end of the age, or the end of the world...
viewpoint of the end of the world
Apocalypse
An Apocalypse is a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of mankind in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception, i.e. the veil to be lifted. The Apocalypse of John is the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament...
. The primary conflict of the series is the members of the Tribulation Force against the Global Community
Global Community
The Global Community is a the fictional world government/state described in the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. The Global Community was established as the successor of the United Nations by Nicolae Carpathia, the series' main antagonist.At its territorial peak, the GC...
and its leader Nicolae Carpathia—the Antichrist
Antichrist
The term or title antichrist, in Christian theology, refers to a leader who fulfills Biblical prophecies concerning an adversary of Christ, while resembling him in a deceptive manner...
. Left Behind is also the title of the first book in the series. The series was first published 1995-2007 by Tyndale House
Tyndale House
Tyndale House is a publisher founded in 1962 by Kenneth N. Taylor, in order to publish his paraphrase of the Epistles, which he had composed while commuting to work at Moody Press in Chicago. The book appeared under the title Living Letters, and received a television endorsement from Billy Graham...
, a firm with a history of interest in dispensationalism
Dispensationalism
Dispensationalism is a nineteenth-century evangelical development based on a futurist biblical hermeneutic that sees a series of chronologically successive "dispensations" or periods in history in which God relates to human beings in different ways under different Biblical covenants.As a system,...
.
The series has been adapted into three action thriller films with the fourth being discussed by Cloud Ten Pictures
Cloud Ten Pictures
Cloud Ten Pictures is a film production and distribution company located in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, specializing in Christian-themed films.- Overview :Cloud Ten was formed by brothers Peter LaLonde and Paul LaLonde in 1994...
. The films are Left Behind: The Movie
Left Behind: The Movie
Left Behind is a Christian based film released in 2000 and starring Kirk Cameron, Brad Johnson, Gordon Currie and Clarence Gilyard. It was directed by Vic Sarin. Left Behind was proclaimed by its creators as the biggest and most ambitious Christian film ever made...
, Left Behind II: Tribulation Force
Left Behind II: Tribulation Force
Left Behind II: Tribulation Force is a Christian Bible-based apocalyptic/thriller film, and the second in a series of films based on the Left Behind book series written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. It was produced and distributed by Cloud Ten Pictures and Namesake Entertainment. The film was...
and Left Behind: World at War
Left Behind: World at War
Left Behind: World at War is a Christian Bible-based apocalyptic/thriller film and the third in the series of films based on the Left Behind book series. It was produced by Cloud Ten Pictures. The film premiered in churches on October 21, 2005 before its release on DVD and VHS on October 25, 2005...
. The series also inspired the PC game "Left Behind: Eternal Forces
Left Behind: Eternal Forces
Left Behind: Eternal Forces is a Christian real-time strategy game developed and published by Inspired Media Entertainment for Microsoft Windows. It was released on November 7, 2006...
" and its sequels, "Left Behind: Tribulation Forces" and "Left Behind 3: Rise of the Antichrist".
Plot summary
Based on dispensationalistDispensationalism
Dispensationalism is a nineteenth-century evangelical development based on a futurist biblical hermeneutic that sees a series of chronologically successive "dispensations" or periods in history in which God relates to human beings in different ways under different Biblical covenants.As a system,...
interpretation of prophecies in the Biblical books of Revelation
Book of Revelation
The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament. The title came into usage from the first word of the book in Koine Greek: apokalupsis, meaning "unveiling" or "revelation"...
, Daniel
Daniel
Daniel is the protagonist in the Book of Daniel of the Hebrew Bible. In the narrative, when Daniel was a young man, he was taken into Babylonian captivity where he was educated in Chaldean thought. However, he never converted to Neo-Babylonian ways...
, Isaiah
Isaiah
Isaiah ; Greek: ', Ēsaïās ; "Yahu is salvation") was a prophet in the 8th-century BC Kingdom of Judah.Jews and Christians consider the Book of Isaiah a part of their Biblical canon; he is the first listed of the neviim akharonim, the later prophets. Many of the New Testament teachings of Jesus...
and Ezekiel
Ezekiel
Ezekiel , "God will strengthen" , is the central protagonist of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible. In Judaism, Christianity and Islam, Ezekiel is acknowledged as a Hebrew prophet...
, Left Behind tells the story of the end times, in which many have been "rapture
Rapture
The rapture is a reference to the "being caught up" referred to in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, when the "dead in Christ" and "we who are alive and remain" will be caught up in the clouds to meet "the Lord"....
d," leaving the world shattered and chaotic. As people scramble for answers, a Romanian politician named Nicolae Jetty Carpathia rises to become secretary-general
United Nations Secretary-General
The Secretary-General of the United Nations is the head of the Secretariat of the United Nations, one of the principal organs of the United Nations. The Secretary-General also acts as the de facto spokesperson and leader of the United Nations....
of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, 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 from the Bible. Coming to grips with the truth and becoming born-again Christians, Rayford Steele
Rayford Steele
Rayford Steele is a fictional character and the de facto protagonist in the Left Behind series of novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. He is the leader of the group known as the Tribulation Force, and is the most elaborated character in the series....
, his daughter Chloe
Chloe Steele
Chloe Steele, a fictional character from the Left Behind series of novels, was a Junior at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California until the disappearance of millions of people worldwide.-Fictional Biography:...
, their pastor Bruce Barnes
Bruce Barnes (Left Behind)
Bruce Barnes is a fictional character of the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins He is pastor of the New Hope Village Church in Chicago.-Fictional Biography:...
, and young journalist Cameron "Buck" Williams
Cameron "Buck" Williams
Cameron "Buck" Williams is a fictional character in the Left Behind series of novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. Buck is a celebrated news reporter who, after being left behind following the Rapture, becomes one of the founding members of the Tribulation Force.-Pre-Rapture:Buck was born 30...
begin their quest as the Tribulation Force
Tribulation Force (group)
The Tribulation Force is a fictional Christian-based group composed of those left behind after the Rapture, as portrayed in the fiction series Left Behind by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B...
to help save the lost and prepare for the coming Tribulation
Tribulation
The Great Tribulation refers to tumultuous events that are described during the "signs of the times", first mentioned by Jesus in the Olivet discourse...
, in which God will rain down judgment on the world for seven years.
Tribulation Saint
The tribulation saints are fictional characters who are converts to ChristianityChristianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
right after the Rapture
Rapture
The rapture is a reference to the "being caught up" referred to in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, when the "dead in Christ" and "we who are alive and remain" will be caught up in the clouds to meet "the Lord"....
. They are to face the Antichrist
Antichrist
The term or title antichrist, in Christian theology, refers to a leader who fulfills Biblical prophecies concerning an adversary of Christ, while resembling him in a deceptive manner...
Nicolae Carpathia during the Tribulation
Tribulation
The Great Tribulation refers to tumultuous events that are described during the "signs of the times", first mentioned by Jesus in the Olivet discourse...
.
The most well known of the Tribulation Saints include Rayford Steele
Rayford Steele
Rayford Steele is a fictional character and the de facto protagonist in the Left Behind series of novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. He is the leader of the group known as the Tribulation Force, and is the most elaborated character in the series....
, Chloe Steele
Chloe Steele
Chloe Steele, a fictional character from the Left Behind series of novels, was a Junior at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California until the disappearance of millions of people worldwide.-Fictional Biography:...
, Cameron "Buck" Williams
Cameron "Buck" Williams
Cameron "Buck" Williams is a fictional character in the Left Behind series of novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. Buck is a celebrated news reporter who, after being left behind following the Rapture, becomes one of the founding members of the Tribulation Force.-Pre-Rapture:Buck was born 30...
and Bruce Barnes
Bruce Barnes (Left Behind)
Bruce Barnes is a fictional character of the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins He is pastor of the New Hope Village Church in Chicago.-Fictional Biography:...
.
Response
In 1998, the first four books of the series held the top four slots in the New York Times best-seller list simultaneously, despite the fact that the New York Times ' best-seller list does not take Protestant bookstore sales into account. Book 10 debuted at number one on this list. 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 TodayUSA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, and Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
.
One reason often cited for the books' popularity is the quick pacing and action. Michelle Goldberg
Michelle Goldberg
Michelle Goldberg is a Brooklyn-based journalist and the author of the books Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism, and The Means of Reproduction: Sex, Power, and the Future of the World. She is formerly a contributing writer at Salon.com...
has written that, "On one level, the attraction of the Left Behind books isn't that much different from that of, say, Tom Clancy
Tom Clancy
Thomas Leo "Tom" Clancy, Jr. is an American author, best known for his technically detailed espionage, military science, and techno thriller storylines set during and in the aftermath of the Cold War, along with video games on which he did not work, but which bear his name for licensing and...
or Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
. The plotting is brisk and the characterizations Manichean
Manichaeism
Manichaeism in Modern Persian Āyin e Māni; ) was one of the major Iranian Gnostic religions, originating in Sassanid Persia.Although most of the original writings of the founding prophet Mani have been lost, numerous translations and fragmentary texts have survived...
. People disappear and things blow up." The New York Times also compared the series to Clancy's works. But those views are not universally shared. Other reviewers have called the series "almost laughably tedious" and "fatuous and boring."
In 2007 the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association
Evangelical Christian Publishers Association
The is an international non-profit trade association whose member companies are involved in the publishing and distribution of Christian content worldwide...
(ECPA) recognized the Left Behind series at its CBA & ECPA Awards Celebration in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
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." Jerry Falwell
Jerry Falwell
Jerry Lamon Falwell, Sr. was an evangelical fundamentalist Southern Baptist pastor, televangelist, and a conservative commentator from the United States. He was the founding pastor of the Thomas Road Baptist Church, a megachurch in Lynchburg, Virginia...
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."
The popularity of this series has spilled over beyond the Americas and the English-speaking world. It has been translated to many languages including Chinese and Japanese. There is, however, a protracted lag in translation; as of September 2005, the Chinese version of Book 11 is in press and the Japanese version of Book 6 has been published.
In other areas, such as Europe—where dispensationalism
Dispensationalism
Dispensationalism is a nineteenth-century evangelical development based on a futurist biblical hermeneutic that sees a series of chronologically successive "dispensations" or periods in history in which God relates to human beings in different ways under different Biblical covenants.As a system,...
is largely non-existent—the books have been far less successful.
Influences on the authors
LaHaye and Jenkins cite the influence of Russell S. DoughtenRussell S. Doughten
Russell S. Doughten Jr. is a film-maker and producer of numerous Christian short films and feature-length movies. His film work is credited under numerous variations of his name: with or without the "Jr." suffix or middle initial, and sometimes using the informal "Russ" instead of "Russell". ...
, an Iowan film-maker who directed a series of four low-budget feature-length films in the 1970s and 1980s about the Rapture
Rapture
The rapture is a reference to the "being caught up" referred to in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, when the "dead in Christ" and "we who are alive and remain" will be caught up in the clouds to meet "the Lord"....
and Second Coming
Second Coming
In Christian doctrine, the Second Coming of Christ, the Second Advent, or the Parousia, is the anticipated return of Jesus Christ from Heaven, where he sits at the Right Hand of God, to Earth. This prophecy is found in the canonical gospels and in most Christian and Islamic eschatologies...
. The films' popularity among Christians have led to increased study and speculation as to the events described in the Book of Revelation.
Crawford Gribben has shown that there were successful rapture fiction novels as early as 1913, with some earlier works identified as dating from 1905. Of the former, Sydney Watson's Scarlet and Purple (1913), The Mark of the Beast (1915) and In the Twinkling of an Eye are cited as examples of the genre.
Reception
While writing that the series fulfills the norms of mass-market fiction, as mentioned above, magazine writer Michelle GoldbergMichelle Goldberg
Michelle Goldberg is a Brooklyn-based journalist and the author of the books Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism, and The Means of Reproduction: Sex, Power, and the Future of the World. She is formerly a contributing writer at Salon.com...
characterized the books as an attack on Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
and liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
secularism
Secularism
Secularism is the principle of separation between government institutions and the persons mandated to represent the State from religious institutions and religious dignitaries...
, and suggested that the near-future "end times
End times
The end time, end times, or end of days is a time period described in the eschatological writings in the three Abrahamic religions and in doomsday scenarios in various other non-Abrahamic religions...
" in which the books are set seem to reflect the actual worldview of millions of Americans, including many prominent conservative leaders.
The series has been criticized for the poor depiction of the pantheist and universalist belief that the Enigma Babylon One World Faith
Enigma Babylon One World Faith
Enigma Babylon One World Faith is a fictional world religion in the Left Behind series that ostensibly seeks to harmonise the remaining faiths on earth after the Rapture as portrayed in the novel....
indicates, which has overtones of Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
and Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
.
The series has also been accused of plagiarizing. One website states that:
"These similarities [with earlier novel 666] are noteworthy, I think, for a couple of reasons. The first has to do with Lahaye’s claim of originality for his series of books. In an interview in the March 28, 2000 issue of the Assembly of God magazine Pentecostal evangel, he insists that "Left Behind is the first fictional portrayal of events that are true to the literal interpretation of Bible prophecy. It was written for anyone who loves gripping fiction featuring believable characters, a dynamic plot that also weaves prophetic events in a fascinating story."
From premillennialists
Some premillennialistsPremillennialism
Premillennialism in Christian end-times theology is the belief that Jesus will literally and physically be on the earth for his millennial reign, at his second coming. The doctrine is called premillennialism because it holds that Jesus’ physical return to earth will occur prior to the inauguration...
, 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
Chang Wong
Chang Wong is a fictional character of the Left Behind series of books. A brilliant young man with skills in computing, 17 at the time of Global Community Supreme Potentate and Antichrist Nicolae Carpathia's temporary death, he is groomed by David Hassid to replace him as the Tribulation Force's...
receives both the mark of the beast and the sealing of the Lord and he is later accepted into heaven, despite having the mark. In Desecration
Desecration (Left Behind)
Desecration: Antichrist Takes the Throne is the ninth book in the Left Behind series. It was published in 2001 by Tyndale House. It was on The New York Times Best Seller List for 19 weeks, It was the best selling Novel in the World in 2001....
, the character's dual-marking was justified in the storyline. He was saved because he did not accept the mark of the beast; he was forced to receive it because he was involuntarily put to sleep and then given it. It was noted in one particular paragraph in the book Desecration, after hitting the "motherlode" as he called it, that Chang at one point attempted to mumble to his father that he was a "Believer" as he carried him into the room to receive his mark. This has led some readers to wonder how a Christian can have the mark of the beast and still be saved.
Mainstream Christianity
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. DispensationalismDispensationalism
Dispensationalism is a nineteenth-century evangelical development based on a futurist biblical hermeneutic that sees a series of chronologically successive "dispensations" or periods in history in which God relates to human beings in different ways under different Biblical covenants.As a system,...
remains a minority view among theologians. For instance, amillennial
Amillennialism
Amillennialism is a view in Christian end-times theology named for its rejection of the theory that Jesus Christ will have a thousand-year long, physical reign on the earth...
and postmillennial
Postmillennialism
In Christian end-times theology, , postmillennialism is an interpretation of chapter 20 of the Book of Revelation which sees Christ's second coming as occurring after the "Millennium", a Golden Age in which Christian ethics prosper...
Christians do not believe in the same timeline of the Second Coming as premillennialists
Premillennialism
Premillennialism in Christian end-times theology is the belief that Jesus will literally and physically be on the earth for his millennial reign, at his second coming. The doctrine is called premillennialism because it holds that Jesus’ physical return to earth will occur prior to the inauguration...
, while preterist
Preterism
Preterism is a Christian eschatological view that interprets prophecies of the Bible, especially Daniel and Revelation, as events which have already happened in the first century A.D. Preterism holds that Ancient Israel finds its continuation or fulfillment in the Christian church at the...
Christians do not interpret the Book of Revelation to predict future events at all. Brian McLaren
Brian McLaren
Brian D. McLaren is a prominent, controversial evangelical pastor. He was recognized as one of Time magazine's "25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America" in 2005, and is the founding pastor of Cedar Ridge Community Church in Spencerville, Maryland.-Biography:Born in 1956, Brian McLaren...
of the Emergent Church
Emerging Church
The emerging church is a Christian movement of the late 20th and early 21st century that crosses a number of theological boundaries: participants can be described as evangelical, Protestant, Catholic, post-evangelical, anabaptist, adventist, liberal, post-liberal, reformed, charismatic,...
compares the Left Behind series to The Da Vinci Code
The Da Vinci Code
The Da Vinci Code is a 2003 mystery-detective novel written by Dan Brown. It follows symbologist Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu as they investigate a murder in Paris's Louvre Museum and discover a battle between the Priory of Sion and Opus Dei over the possibility of Jesus having been married to...
, and states, "What the Left Behind novels do, the way they twist scripture toward a certain theological and political end, I think [Dan] Brown
Dan Brown
Dan Brown is an American author of thriller fiction, best known for the 2003 bestselling novel, The Da Vinci Code. Brown's novels, which are treasure hunts set in a 24-hour time period, feature the recurring themes of cryptography, keys, symbols, codes, and conspiracy theories...
is twisting scripture, just to other political ends." John Dart, writing in Christian Century, characterized the works as "beam me up theology".
Violence
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 CoxHarvey Cox
Harvey Gallagher Cox, Jr. is one of the preeminent theologians in the United States and served as Hollis Research Professor of Divinity at the Harvard Divinity School, until his retirement in October 2009...
, 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. Time magazine said "the nuclear frights of, say, Tom Clancy
Tom Clancy
Thomas Leo "Tom" Clancy, Jr. is an American author, best known for his technically detailed espionage, military science, and techno thriller storylines set during and in the aftermath of the Cold War, along with video games on which he did not work, but which bear his name for licensing and...
's The Sum of All Fears
The Sum of All Fears
The Sum of All Fears is the best-selling thriller novel by Dan Fogelman and Tom Clancy, and part of the Jack Ryan series. It was the fourth book of the series to be turned into a film. An interesting historical note is that this book was released just days before the Moscow uprising in 1991, which...
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.)"
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." In that same book 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."
Catholicism
The books are written from a standpoint of the Protestant-style view of Christianity. As a result some believe the books are anti-Catholic, noting that many Catholics were not raptured (However many protestants are also left behind). and that the new pope establishes a false religion. While the fictional PopePope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
, John XXIV, was raptured, he is described as having embraced some of the views of the "Father of Protestantism
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
" Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
and it is implied that he was raptured for this reason. His successor, Pope Peter II, becomes Pontifex Maximus
Pontifex Maximus
The Pontifex Maximus was the high priest of the College of Pontiffs in ancient Rome. This was the most important position in the ancient Roman religion, open only to patricians until 254 BC, when a plebeian first occupied this post...
of Enigma Babylon One World Faith
Enigma Babylon One World Faith
Enigma Babylon One World Faith is a fictional world religion in the Left Behind series that ostensibly seeks to harmonise the remaining faiths on earth after the Rapture as portrayed in the novel....
, an amalgamation of all remaining world faiths and religions. Catholic Answers
Catholic Answers
Catholic Answers, based in El Cajon, California, is one of the largest lay-run apostolates of Catholic apologetics and evangelization in the United States. It publishes This Rock, a bimonthly magazine focusing on Catholic evangelism and apologetics...
, details the series as anti-Catholic, while many other Catholics dispute these claims and state that the series is acceptable. On page 343 of Book 10, The Remnant, most of a Catholic church (including the priest and the catechism teacher) are raptured, similar to Tribulation Force's situation with their Protestant church: "He and some of his friends from childhood raced to their little Catholic church, where hardly anyone was left.". 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. According to LaHaye, "the books don’t suggest any particular theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
, but try to introduce people to a more personal relationship with Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
."
Books
Note: The books are listed initially in story-line (chronological) order but then numbered in order of publication.| Chron Seq. | Pub Seq. | Title (with subtitle) | Pub Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 | The Rising The Rising (Left Behind) The Rising: Before They Were Left Behind is the thirteenth novel in the Left Behind series and the first prequel. It was written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins in 2005... : Antichrist is Born: Before They Were Left Behind |
2005 |
| 2 | 14 | The Regime The Regime (Left Behind) The Regime: Evil Advances is the second prequel novel in the Left Behind series, written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins in 2005. This book covers more events leading up to the first novel Left Behind.-Plot introduction:... : Evil Advances: Before They Were Left Behind #2 |
2005 |
| 3 | 15 | The Rapture The Rapture (Left Behind) The Rapture: In the Twinkling of an Eye / Countdown to the Earth's Last Days is the 3rd prequel novel in the Left Behind series, written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins in 2006. This book is the final of the three prequels and covers events leading up to the first book Left Behind... : In the Twinkling of an Eye: Countdown to Earth's Last Days #3 |
2006 |
| 4 | 1 | Left Behind: A Novel of the Earth's Last Days | 1995 |
| 5 | 2 | Tribulation Force Tribulation Force Tribulation Force: The Continuing Drama of Those Left Behind is the second novel in the Left Behind series, by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.-Plot introduction:... : The Continuing Drama of Those Left Behind |
1996 |
| 6 | 3 | Nicolae Nicolae Nicolae: The Rise of Antichrist is the third book in the Left Behind series. It was written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins in 1997.It takes place 18 months into the Tribulation, and at the start of the book 2 years since the rapture-Plot:... : The Rise of Antichrist |
1997 |
| 7 | 4 | Soul Harvest Soul Harvest Soul Harvest: The World Takes Sides is the fourth book in the Left Behind series. It was written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins in 1999.-Plot summary:... : The World Takes Sides |
1999 |
| 8 | 5 | Apollyon Apollyon (Left Behind) Apollyon: The Destroyer Is Unleashed is the fifth book in the Left Behind series. It was written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins in 1998... : The Destroyer Is Unleashed |
1999 |
| 9 | 6 | Assassins Assassins (Left Behind) Assassins: Assignment—Jerusalem, Target—Antichrist is the sixth book in the Left Behind series. It was written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins in 1999... : Assignment: Jerusalem, Target: Antichrist |
1999 |
| 10 | 7 | The Indwelling The Indwelling The Indwelling: The Beast Takes Possession is the seventh book in the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, published in May 2000... : The Beast Takes Possession |
2000 |
| 11 | 8 | The Mark The Mark (Left Behind) The Mark: The Beast Rules the World is the eighth book in the Left Behind series. It was published in late 2000 by Tyndale House. It was on The New York Times Best Seller List for 32 weeks-Plot summary:... : The Beast Rules the World |
2000 |
| 12 | 9 | Desecration Desecration (Left Behind) Desecration: Antichrist Takes the Throne is the ninth book in the Left Behind series. It was published in 2001 by Tyndale House. It was on The New York Times Best Seller List for 19 weeks, It was the best selling Novel in the World in 2001.... : Antichrist Takes the Throne |
2001 |
| 13 | 10 | The Remnant The Remnant The Remnant: On the Brink of Armageddon is the tenth book in the Left Behind series written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins and published in 2002... : On the Brink of Armageddon |
2002 |
| 14 | 11 | Armageddon Armageddon (Left Behind) Armageddon: The Cosmic Battle of the Ages is the 11th novel in the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. It was first published in 2002 and covers the final year of the Tribulation leading up to the Glorious Appearing of Jesus Christ... : The Cosmic Battle of the Ages |
2003 |
| 15 | 12 | Glorious Appearing Glorious Appearing Glorious Appearing: The End of Days is the 12th book in the Left Behind series. Released on March 30, 2004, this book sees the surviving believers awaiting the return of Jesus Christ as the war of Armageddon and the seven-year Tribulation period draws to its climax... : The End of Days |
2004 |
| 16 | 16 | Kingdom Come Kingdom Come (Left Behind) Kingdom Come: The Final Victory is the sixteenth and final book of the Left Behind series, released on April 3, 2007.-Just after the Glorious Appearing:... : The Final Victory |
2007 |
There are also graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
s, CDs
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
, and a Left Behind series for teens. Audio dramatizations based on the first thirteen titles have also been produced for broadcast on Christian radio
Christian radio
Christian radio is a category of radio formats that focus on transmitting programming with a Christian message. In the United States, where it is more established, many such broadcasters play popular music of Christian influence, though many programs have talk or news programming covering...
. The series written for teens is called Left Behind: The Kids
Left Behind: The Kids
Left Behind: The Kids is a series written by Jerry B. Jenkins, Tim LaHaye, and Chris Fabry. It is about teenagers during the Rapture, with background plots from the adult series....
. The plot of this series is the same as the adult series, but the main protagonists are teenagers. Several of the main books have also been turned into movies by the Canadian motion picture studio Cloud Ten Pictures
Cloud Ten Pictures
Cloud Ten Pictures is a film production and distribution company located in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, specializing in Christian-themed films.- Overview :Cloud Ten was formed by brothers Peter LaLonde and Paul LaLonde in 1994...
, including Left Behind: The Movie
Left Behind: The Movie
Left Behind is a Christian based film released in 2000 and starring Kirk Cameron, Brad Johnson, Gordon Currie and Clarence Gilyard. It was directed by Vic Sarin. Left Behind was proclaimed by its creators as the biggest and most ambitious Christian film ever made...
, Left Behind II: Tribulation Force
Left Behind II: Tribulation Force
Left Behind II: Tribulation Force is a Christian Bible-based apocalyptic/thriller film, and the second in a series of films based on the Left Behind book series written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. It was produced and distributed by Cloud Ten Pictures and Namesake Entertainment. The film was...
, and Left Behind: World at War
Left Behind: World at War
Left Behind: World at War is a Christian Bible-based apocalyptic/thriller film and the third in the series of films based on the Left Behind book series. It was produced by Cloud Ten Pictures. The film premiered in churches on October 21, 2005 before its release on DVD and VHS on October 25, 2005...
.
Two spin-off series have been written: a political series by Neesa Hart
Neesa Hart
Neesa Hart is an American author of romance novels and political thrillers.-Background:In college, Hart majored in geography and international affairs and did not take any classes that would lead to a career in writing. She was inspired to become a novelist after taking a political job with...
, and a military series by Mel Odom.
A video game, Left Behind: Eternal Forces
Left Behind: Eternal Forces
Left Behind: Eternal Forces is a Christian real-time strategy game developed and published by Inspired Media Entertainment for Microsoft Windows. It was released on November 7, 2006...
, was released for the PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
on November 6, 2006, and its sequel, Left Behind II: Tribulation Force
Left Behind II: Tribulation Force
Left Behind II: Tribulation Force is a Christian Bible-based apocalyptic/thriller film, and the second in a series of films based on the Left Behind book series written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. It was produced and distributed by Cloud Ten Pictures and Namesake Entertainment. The film was...
, was released in 2009.
Spin-offs
|
Neesa Hart Neesa Hart is an American author of romance novels and political thrillers.-Background:In college, Hart majored in geography and international affairs and did not take any classes that would lead to a career in writing. She was inspired to become a novelist after taking a political job with...
|
Movies
The success of the Left Behind books has led to the release of three motion pictures based on the series so far. The movies have been produced and released by Cloud Ten PicturesCloud Ten Pictures
Cloud Ten Pictures is a film production and distribution company located in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, specializing in Christian-themed films.- Overview :Cloud Ten was formed by brothers Peter LaLonde and Paul LaLonde in 1994...
, a Canadian Christian movie studio.
The first, Left Behind: The Movie
Left Behind: The Movie
Left Behind is a Christian based film released in 2000 and starring Kirk Cameron, Brad Johnson, Gordon Currie and Clarence Gilyard. It was directed by Vic Sarin. Left Behind was proclaimed by its creators as the biggest and most ambitious Christian film ever made...
, 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. The movie starred former Growing Pains
Growing Pains
Growing Pains is an American television sitcom about an affluent family, residing in Huntington, New York, with a working mother and a stay-at-home psychiatrist father raising three children together, which aired on ABC from September 24, 1985 to April 25, 1992.-Synopsis:The show's premise is based...
star Kirk Cameron
Kirk Cameron
Kirk Thomas Cameron is an American actor best known for his role as Mike Seaver on the television situation comedy Growing Pains , as well as several other television and film appearances as a child actor...
as Buck Williams. Cameron, who finds the series inspiring, is a practicing evangelist (and co-host with Ray Comfort
Ray Comfort
Ray Comfort is a New Zealand-born Christian minister and evangelist. Comfort started Living Waters Publications and The Way of the Master in Bellflower, California and has written a number of books.-Early life and career:...
on the TV show The Way of the Master
The Way of the Master
The Way of the Master is a United States-based Christian evangelism ministry, founded in 2002 and headed by American former child actor Kirk Cameron, New Zealand-born evangelist Ray Comfort, and American radio host Todd Friel...
).
In 2002, the sequel, Left Behind II: Tribulation Force
Left Behind II: Tribulation Force
Left Behind II: Tribulation Force is a Christian Bible-based apocalyptic/thriller film, and the second in a series of films based on the Left Behind book series written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. It was produced and distributed by Cloud Ten Pictures and Namesake Entertainment. The film was...
, based on the first four hundred pages of the second novel, Tribulation Force
Tribulation Force
Tribulation Force: The Continuing Drama of Those Left Behind is the second novel in the Left Behind series, by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.-Plot introduction:...
, was released. The film debuted at #2 on Nielson's video scan reports, behind Spider-Man
Spider-Man (film)
Spider-Man is a 2002 American superhero film, the first in the Spider-Man film series based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. It was directed by Sam Raimi and written by David Koepp...
, and was #1 in terms of overall sales for two days on Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
The second sequel, Left Behind: World at War
Left Behind: World at War
Left Behind: World at War is a Christian Bible-based apocalyptic/thriller film and the third in the series of films based on the Left Behind book series. It was produced by Cloud Ten Pictures. The film premiered in churches on October 21, 2005 before its release on DVD and VHS on October 25, 2005...
, 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
Clarence Gilyard
Clarence Darnell Gilyard, Jr. is a former American actor and a current college professor who has been featured in movies and television since 1980. He is sometimes credited as Clarence A...
, 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. The movie is based very loosely on the final fifty pages of Tribulation Force
Tribulation Force
Tribulation Force: The Continuing Drama of Those Left Behind is the second novel in the Left Behind series, by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.-Plot introduction:...
, 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 Rayford Steele with Amanda White, the death of Bruce Barnes, and President Fitzhugh heading an attack, resulting in World War III
World War III
World War III denotes a successor to World War II that would be on a global scale, with common speculation that it would be likely nuclear and devastating in nature....
, with Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, against the Global Community
Global Community
The Global Community is a the fictional world government/state described in the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. The Global Community was established as the successor of the United Nations by Nicolae Carpathia, the series' main antagonist.At its territorial peak, the GC...
. 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.
The movies have been criticized for, among other things, low production values. A Slate
Slate (magazine)
Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...
reviewer commented that in 2004, Cloud Ten Pictures
Cloud Ten Pictures
Cloud Ten Pictures is a film production and distribution company located in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, specializing in Christian-themed films.- Overview :Cloud Ten was formed by brothers Peter LaLonde and Paul LaLonde in 1994...
made a deal with Sony Entertainment to release all of its pictures under the Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
banner and has been doing so ever since.
An episode
Episode
An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program. An episode is a part of a sequence of a body of work, akin to a chapter of a book. The term sometimes applies to works based on other forms of mass media as well, as in Star Wars...
of The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, "Thank God, It's Doomsday", portrays a parody of the Left Behind series called "Left Below", in which non-Christians, gays
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
and people who believe in science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
are forced to live through Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
on Earth while the evangelicals go to Heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
.
Cloud Ten Pictures has announced that a remake of the Left Behind series is in development. Production on the remake is set to begin in late 2011.
Video game
The video game Left Behind: Eternal ForcesLeft Behind: Eternal Forces
Left Behind: Eternal Forces is a Christian real-time strategy game developed and published by Inspired Media Entertainment for Microsoft Windows. It was released on November 7, 2006...
and its two sequels, "Left Behind: Tribulation Forces" and "Left Behind 3: Rise of the Antichrist," were developed by a publicly traded company, Left Behind Games. The games are real-time strategy games where 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.
Although the original game was accused of encouraging religious violence, not all reviewers of the game or critics of the Left Behind series shared that view. 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. 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."
Track listing
- People Get Ready Crystal LewisCrystal LewisCrystal Lewis is an American contemporary Christian/Gospel vocalist, songwriter and author.-Early years:Lewis grew up singing in her father's church...
4:24 - UFO Geoff Moore & The DistanceGeoff MooreIn 1988, Geoff Moore and the Distance released their first official album together, entitled A Place to Stand. They also recorded Foundations in 1989 for Sparrow Records. After a while, they jumped to Forefront Records and recorded Pure and Simple in 1990.They followed in 1992 with A Friend Like U...
3:08 - Come Quickly Lord Rebecca Saint James 4:29
- I Wish We'd All Been Ready dc TalkDc TalkDC Talk , is a Grammy-winning Christian rock music trio. The group was formed in Lynchburg, Virginia in 1987 by Toby McKeehan, Michael Tait, and Kevin Max Smith. They have released five major studio albums together: DC Talk , Nu Thang , Free at Last , Jesus Freak , and Supernatural...
3:44 - Horses Margaret BeckerMargaret BeckerMargaret Becker is an American Christian rock singer, guitarist, and songwriter. She has had twenty-one No. 1 Christian radio hits, won four Dove Awards, and been nominated for four Grammy Awards.-Biography:...
4:05 - Eve of Destruction Barry McGuireBarry McGuireBarry McGuire is an American singer-songwriter best known for the hit song "Eve of Destruction", and later as a pioneering singer and songwriter of Contemporary Christian Music.-Early life:...
3:34 - People Get Ready ImpressionsThe Impressions (American band)The Impressions are an American music group from Chicago, originally formed in 1958. Their repertoire includes doo-wop, gospel, soul, and R&B....
2:38 - Thief in the Night Big Tent RevivalBig Tent RevivalBig Tent Revival was a five-time Grammy-nominated Christian blues rock band. They began in 1991 and disbanded in 2000. They did extensive touring in the U.S. and abroad and they were featured at the Harvest Crusades. Their music was known for catchy riffs, distortion, and softer acoustic...
3:38 - Elijah Rich MullinsRich MullinsRichard Wayne "Rich" Mullins was an American Contemporary Christian music singer and songwriter born in Richmond, Indiana. He had two sisters and two brothers....
5:14 - New Body Audio AdrenalineAudio AdrenalineAudio Adrenaline was a Christian rock band that formed in the late 1980s at Kentucky Christian University in Grayson, Kentucky. During the band's 17-year existence, they were awarded two Grammy awards, multiple Dove Awards and they released 17 number one singles. They were regular performers at the...
4:00 - I'll Lead You Home Michael W. SmithMichael W. SmithMichael Whitaker Smith is a Billboard top ten Billboard Hot 100 recording artist and Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. He is one of the best-selling and most influential artists in Contemporary Christian music. Smith also has achieved a considerable amount of...
5:22 - Jesus Is Waiting Al GreenAl GreenAlbert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
8:08
Books
Williams professor Glenn ShuckGlenn Shuck
Glenn W. Shuck is an Assistant Professor in the Religion Department at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. He received his Ph.D. from Rice University, and is best known as a scholar of North American evangelicalism....
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
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
on the Esalen Institute
Esalen Institute
Esalen Institute is a residential community and retreat in Big Sur, California, which focuses upon humanistic alternative education. Esalen is a nonprofit organization devoted to activites such as meditation, massage, Gestalt, yoga, psychology, ecology, and spirituality...
in California, published by Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
Press in 2005.
Graphic novels
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) said to be out of print. A compilation of the graphic novels for the first book was later released as one novel.See also
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Dispensationalism Dispensationalism is a nineteenth-century evangelical development based on a futurist biblical hermeneutic that sees a series of chronologically successive "dispensations" or periods in history in which God relates to human beings in different ways under different Biblical covenants.As a system,... Christian Zionism Christian Zionism is a belief among some Christians that the return of the Jews to the Holy Land, and the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, is in accordance with Biblical prophecy. It overlaps with, but is distinct from, the nineteenth century movement for the Restoration of the Jews... The Late, Great Planet Earth The Late, Great Planet Earth is the title of a best-selling 1970 book co-authored by Hal Lindsey and Carole C. Carlson, and first published by Zondervan. The book was adapted in 1979 into a movie narrated by Orson Welles and released by Pacific International Enterprises. It was originally... Hal Lindsey Harold Lee "Hal" Lindsey is an American evangelist and Christian writer. He is a Christian Zionist and dispensationalist author. He currently resides in Texas.-Biography:... |
Further reading
- Forbes, Bruce David and Jeanne Halgren Kilde (eds.), Rapture, Revelation, and the End Times: Exploring the Left Behind Series. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004. ISBN 1-4039-6525-0
- Frykholm, Amy Johnson. Rapture Culture: Left Behind in Evangelical America. Oxford University Press, 2004. ISBN 0-19-515983-7
- Reed, David A., LEFT BEHIND Answered Verse by Verse. Morrisville, NC: Lulu.com, 2008. ISBN 1-4357-0873-3
- Rossing, Barbara R., The Rapture Exposed: The Message of Hope in the Book of Revelation, New York: Basic Books, 2004. ISBN 0-8133-4314-3
- Shuck, Glenn W.. Marks Of The Beast: The Left Behind Novels And The Struggle For Evangelical Identity. New York University Press, 2004. ISBN 0-8147-4005-7
- Gribben, Crawford, Rapture Fiction and the Evangelical Crisis. Evangelical Press, 2006. ISBN 0-85234-610-7.
- Snow Flesher, LeAnn, "Left Behind? The Facts Behind the Fiction". Valley Forge, Judson Press, 2006. ISBN 0-8170-1490-X
External links
- Official website
- Archive of Left Behind radio shows in Real Audio