Tribulation Force
Encyclopedia
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
.
from Earth
, some find themselves left behind. Eventually they meet at New Hope Village Church, located in the suburbs of Chicago
. They then meet from time to time and become immersed in study of prophecies contained in the Bible
. Their study reveals that the Antichrist
will establish control of the Earth, and the Tribulation
period lasting seven years will start after his covenant with Israel
. Jesus Christ's second coming will fall on the end of the Tribulation.
, Chloe Steele
, Buck Williams
and Bruce Barnes
find themselves left behind. This group of believers, as well as others left behind but becoming believers, are otherwise known as "Tribulation Saints", to differentiate from the pre-Rapture designation of Christian. The question of what to do in response to this radical change in situation arises. They propose to fight the perceived threat that Antichrist
Nicolae Carpathia poses in the form of eradicating all religion and establishing a single world religion. The dogma consists that "there is no heaven nor hell, just [the left-behind]." In addition, Nicolae twisted the message of world-famous rabbi
Tsion Ben-Judah
about Messiah
, in order to point to himself as thus. Buck flies to Jerusalem to meet Ben-Judah and present him to the two witnesses (described in Revelation
) stationed at the United Nations
-blockaded Wailing Wall. He converts to Christianity, believing that Jesus
is the one and only Messiah; thus disproving Carpathia.
During the prophesied eighteen months of peace following the covenant with Israel, Chloe and Buck are married, along with Rayford and new believer Amanda White. However, both Buck, who becomes publisher of Global Community Weekly, formerly Global Weekly, and Rayford, who is handpicked to pilot Carpathia’s jet, are in the distressing position of watching Carpathia, now Supreme Potentate of the U.N. - now reorganized into the Global Community
- strengthen his grip on the world, witnessing how he orchestrates World War III
to bring the former world powers under his heel and how he bamboozles Israeli botanist Chaim Rosenzweig
into giving the GC his illustrious Eden formula for a GC-guaranteed peace treaty with Israel, thus initiating the Tribulation
. As World War III breaks out, the Tribulation Force suffers its first casualty in the death of their pastor, Bruce Barnes
, who was killed in a bombing in the now-decimated city of Chicago.
, the Antichrist
, the Tribulation
, and the Millennium
...
and was produced by Cloud Ten Pictures
. This second film in the Left Behind film series did not complete the entire story of the novel, so it was needed to make a third film based on the last few chapters of 'Tribulation Force', Cloud Ten Pictures
did this with the third film in the Left Behind Series, Left Behind: World at War
.
Left Behind
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...
series, by Tim LaHaye
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...
.
Plot introduction
In a series of events that followed the Rapture, in which Jesus Christ takes away members of his churchChristian Church
The Christian Church is the assembly or association of followers of Jesus Christ. The Greek term ἐκκλησία that in its appearances in the New Testament is usually translated as "church" basically means "assembly"...
from Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
, some find themselves left behind. Eventually they meet at New Hope Village Church, located in the suburbs of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. They then meet from time to time and become immersed in study of prophecies contained in the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
. Their study reveals that 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...
will establish control of the Earth, and 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...
period lasting seven years will start after his covenant with Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Jesus Christ's second coming will fall on the end of the Tribulation.
Explanation of the novel's title
In the course of their study, some characters in the novel form a core group which Chloe Steele christens the "Tribulation Force", dedicated to fight the seven years' war with the Antichrist.Plot summary
Rayford SteeleRayford 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:...
, 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:...
find themselves left behind. This group of believers, as well as others left behind but becoming believers, are otherwise known as "Tribulation Saints", to differentiate from the pre-Rapture designation of Christian. The question of what to do in response to this radical change in situation arises. They propose to fight the perceived threat that 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 poses in the form of eradicating all religion and establishing a single world religion. The dogma consists that "there is no heaven nor hell, just [the left-behind]." In addition, Nicolae twisted the message of world-famous rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
Tsion Ben-Judah
Tsion Ben-Judah
Tsion Ben-Judah, pronounced "[z'ai-an]" or "Zion", who is a character in the Left Behind series, is a Jew, a rabbinical scholar, and former student of Chaim Rosenzweig. Ben-Judah was commissioned by the Israeli government three years before the Rapture to undertake a study as to how the Jews would...
about Messiah
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
, in order to point to himself as thus. Buck flies to Jerusalem to meet Ben-Judah and present him to the two witnesses (described in Revelation
Revelation
In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing, through active or passive communication with a supernatural or a divine entity...
) stationed at 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...
-blockaded Wailing Wall. He converts to Christianity, believing that Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
is the one and only Messiah; thus disproving Carpathia.
During the prophesied eighteen months of peace following the covenant with Israel, Chloe and Buck are married, along with Rayford and new believer Amanda White. However, both Buck, who becomes publisher of Global Community Weekly, formerly Global Weekly, and Rayford, who is handpicked to pilot Carpathia’s jet, are in the distressing position of watching Carpathia, now Supreme Potentate of the U.N. - now reorganized into 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...
- strengthen his grip on the world, witnessing how he orchestrates 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....
to bring the former world powers under his heel and how he bamboozles Israeli botanist Chaim Rosenzweig
Chaim Rosenzweig
Chaim Rosenzweig is a fictional character in the Left Behind series of novels. In the Left Behind films he is portrayed by Colin Fox.Dr. Rosenzweig is introduced as a chemical engineer and politician from Israel. The reader first meets Dr. Rosenzweig as he is being interviewed by Cameron "Buck"...
into giving the GC his illustrious Eden formula for a GC-guaranteed peace treaty with Israel, thus initiating 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...
. As World War III breaks out, the Tribulation Force suffers its first casualty in the death of 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:...
, who was killed in a bombing in the now-decimated city of Chicago.
Characters in Tribulation Force
- Rayford SteeleRayford SteeleRayford 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....
– main character, Pan-Continental Airlines pilot and new head of the "Tribulation Force" - Chloe Steele WilliamsChloe SteeleChloe 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:...
– daughter to Rayford, wife to "Buck" - Buck WilliamsCameron "Buck" WilliamsCameron "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...
– news reporter and confidant to Nicolae Carpathia - Bruce BarnesBruce 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:...
– spiritual guide to the "Trib' Force" - Amanda White (Steele) – new wife to Rayford
- Tsion Ben-JudahTsion Ben-JudahTsion Ben-Judah, pronounced "[z'ai-an]" or "Zion", who is a character in the Left Behind series, is a Jew, a rabbinical scholar, and former student of Chaim Rosenzweig. Ben-Judah was commissioned by the Israeli government three years before the Rapture to undertake a study as to how the Jews would...
– rabbinical scholar - Chaim RosenzweigChaim RosenzweigChaim Rosenzweig is a fictional character in the Left Behind series of novels. In the Left Behind films he is portrayed by Colin Fox.Dr. Rosenzweig is introduced as a chemical engineer and politician from Israel. The reader first meets Dr. Rosenzweig as he is being interviewed by Cameron "Buck"...
– Israeli statesman and botanist, created the Eden formula - Steve PlankSteve PlankSteven Plank is a minor character in the Left Behind series. At the outset of the original 12-book series, Plank is the executive editor of Global Weekly magazine, and the boss of Cameron "Buck" Williams...
– former executive editor of Global Weekly, now chief press secretary to Carpathia - Hattie DurhamHattie DurhamHattie Durham is a fictional character in the Left Behind series, by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.Hattie was a senior flight attendant, young and beautiful, working for Pan-Continental Airlines. She seemed to be attracted to Pan-Con pilot Rayford Steele, perhaps wanting an affair with him...
– former senior flight attendant with Pan-Con and Rayford, personal secretary of and romantically involved with Carpathia - Global Community Supreme Potentate Nicolae Carpathia
- Verna Zee, head of ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
Global Weekly office - Abbie, receptionist at the ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
Global Weekly office - Nicholas "Nicky" Edwards, Pan-Con First Officer, later Captain
- Peter Cardinal Matthews, ArchbishopArchbishopAn archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of Cincinnati - Earl Halliday, Pan-Con Pilot
- Marc Feinberg, rabbinical scholar
- Leonard Gustufson, President of Pan-Con
Major book themes
Christian prophetic themes are explored in a fictional context taking a particular position on such topics as the Second ComingSecond 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 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...
, 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...
, and the Millennium
Millennium
A millennium is a period of time equal to one thousand years —from the Latin phrase , thousand, and , year—often but not necessarily related numerically to a particular dating system....
...
Film Adaption
The story in this book has been adapted into two feature films in the same film franchise. The novel was adapted into Left Behind II: Tribulation ForceLeft 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 was produced 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...
. This second film in the Left Behind film series did not complete the entire story of the novel, so it was needed to make a third film based on the last few chapters of 'Tribulation Force', 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...
did this with the third film in the Left Behind Series, 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...
.