The Rising, The Regime, The Rapture, Left Behind, Tribulation Force, Nicolae, Soul Harvest, Apollyon, Assassins, The Indwelling, The Mark, Desecration, The Remnant, Armageddon, Glorious Appearing, Kingdom Come | |
Author | Tim LaHaye Jerry B. Jenkins |
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Country | United States |
Language | English |
Genre | Christian novels |
Published | 1995–2007 |
Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
Left Behind is a multimedia franchise of apocalyptic fiction written by Tim LaHaye [1] and Jerry B. Jenkins, released by Tyndale House Publishers from 1995 to 2007. [2]
The bestselling premillennial novels are Christian eschatological narratives inspired by the New Testament's Book of Revelation. The storyline focuses on a seven-year conflict, the post-rapture Great Tribulation, between an underground network of Christian converts and an oppressive new world order led by the Antichrist. The series expounds a Christian dispensationalist view of the End Times, specifically LaHaye's pretribulation and premillennial eschatology.
The series has been adapted into five films. The original series of three films are Left Behind: The Movie (2000), Left Behind II: Tribulation Force (2002), and Left Behind: World at War (2005). A reboot starring Nicolas Cage, entitled Left Behind , was released in 2014 through Cloud Ten Pictures. [3] A sequel, Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist , directed by and starring Kevin Sorbo, was released in 2023. The series inspired an audio drama as well as the PC game Left Behind: Eternal Forces (2006) and its several sequels.
Left Behind tells an apocalyptic story about the ending of Earth (set in the contemporary era) over a period of seven years. The true believers in Jesus Christ have been raptured (taken instantly to heaven), leaving non-believers behind on Earth, now a shattered and chaotic world. [4] As people scramble for answers, an obscure 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 in the Bible. Coming to grips with the truth and becoming born-again Christians, airline pilot Rayford Steele, his daughter Chloe, their pastor Bruce Barnes, and young journalist Cameron "Buck" Williams begin their quest as the Tribulation Force to help save the lost and prepare for the coming Tribulation, in which God will rain down judgment on the world for seven years.
According to James Bielo, it is based on a dispensationalist interpretation of prophecies in the Biblical books of Revelation, Daniel, Isaiah and Ezekiel. [5]
Published order | Chronological order | Title (with subtitle) | Published date |
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1 | 4 | Left Behind: A Novel of the Earth's Last Days | 1995 |
2 | 5 | Tribulation Force: The Continuing Drama of Those Left Behind | 1996 |
3 | 6 | Nicolae: The Rise of Antichrist | 1997 |
4 | 7 | Soul Harvest: The World Takes Sides | 1998 |
5 | 8 | Apollyon: The Destroyer Is Unleashed | 1999 |
6 | 9 | Assassins: Assignment: Jerusalem, Target: Antichrist | 1999 |
7 | 10 | The Indwelling: The Beast Takes Possession | 2000 |
8 | 11 | The Mark: The Beast Rules the World | 2000 |
9 | 12 | Desecration: Antichrist Takes the Throne | 2001 |
10 | 13 | The Remnant: On the Brink of Armageddon | 2002 |
11 | 14 | Armageddon: The Cosmic Battle of the Ages | 2003 |
12 | 15 | Glorious Appearing: The End of Days | 2004 |
13 | 1 | The Rising: Antichrist is Born: Before They Were Left Behind | 2005 [6] |
14 | 2 | The Regime: Evil Advances: Before They Were Left Behind #2 | 2005 [7] |
15 | 3 | The Rapture: In the Twinkling of an Eye: Countdown to Earth's Last Days #3 | 2006 |
16 | 16 | Kingdom Come: The Final Victory | 2007 |
LaHaye and Jenkins cite the influence of Russell Doughten, an Iowa-based filmmaker who directed the Thief in the Night series, a series of four low-budget but popular feature-length films in the 1970s and 1980s about the Rapture and Second Coming, starting with 1972's A Thief in the Night . [8] Indeed, the title Left Behind echoes the refrain of Thief's early Christian rock theme song by Larry Norman, "I Wish We'd All Been Ready," in which he sings, "There's no time to change your mind, the Son has come and you've been left behind."
The success of Frank Peretti's pioneering Christian spiritual warfare thrillers in the 1980s and 1990s was a significant influence on the authors as well. [9] [10]
Multiple books in the series have been on the New York Times Bestseller List. Starting in 2000, Books 7 and 8 reached number one on the list followed by book 10, which debuted at number one. [11]
In 2016, several books in the series were bestsellers and 65 million copies were sold in various languages. [12]
One reason often cited for the books' popularity is the quick pacing and action, and that they reflect the public's overall concern and fascination with the Apocalypse as portrayed in the biblical book of Revelation. 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 Manichaean. People disappear and things blow up." [13] The New York Times also compared the series to Clancy's works. [14] However, those views are not universally shared. Other reviewers have called the series "almost laughably tedious" and "fatuous and boring." [15] [16]
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." [17]
Laurie Goodstein, writing in 1998 for The New York Times, placed what she called the "Left Behind phenomenon" in the calendrical context of the approaching year 2000. Goodstein noted a 'proliferation' of similarly apocalyptic texts appearing at that time, by authors such as Jim Bakker and John Hagee. Goodstein cited the opinion of University of Wisconsin historian Paul Boyer, who described such authors as "cashing in on the public preoccupation with the year 2000". [18]
While writing that the series fulfills the norms of mass-market fiction, as mentioned above, magazine writer Michelle Goldberg characterized the books as an attack on 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. [19] Similarly, Glenn Shuck contends that Left Behind "does not...describe an other-worldly dystopia: it provides the shock-value of uncanny recognition of the present in a different form." [20]
The books are written from a Protestant viewpoint.[ citation needed ] Some believe the books are anti-Catholic, noting that many Catholics were not raptured, concluding that no religion is free of false converts [21] and that the new pope establishes a false religion. [22] While the fictional Pope, John XXIV, was raptured, he is described as having embraced some of the views of the "Father of Protestantism", Martin Luther, and it is implied that he was raptured for this reason. [23] His successor, Pope Peter II, becomes Pontifex Maximus of Enigma Babylon One World Faith, an amalgam of all remaining world faiths and religions. Catholic Answers describes the series as anti-Catholic. [21] [24]
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. [25] According to LaHaye, "the books don't suggest any particular theology, but try to introduce people to a more personal relationship with Jesus". [25]
Along with some other rapture fiction novels, the Left Behind series demonstrates a specific interpretation 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. [26] Dispensationalism remains a minority view among theologians. [27] For instance, amillennial and postmillennial Christians do not believe in the same timeline of the Second Coming as premillennialists, while preterist Christians interpret the Book of Revelation as events that have already been fulfilled in the 1st Century. 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." [28] John Dart, writing in Christian Century, characterized the works as "beam me up theology." [27] University of Notre Dame religion scholar Jason Springs argues that evangelical beliefs on the role of the modern state of Israel have been shaped by the books. He also regards the series' apocalypticism as one aspect that would later feed into the evangelical adoption of QAnon. [29]
Some practicing Christians, evangelical and otherwise, along with non-Christians have shown concern that the social perspectives promoted in the Left Behind series unduly sensationalize the death and destruction of masses of people. Harvey Cox, a professor of divinity at Harvard, says part of the appeal of the books lies in the "lip-licking anticipation of all the blood", and Lutheran theologian Barbara Rossing, author of The Rapture Exposed: The Message of Hope in the Book of Revelation, said the books glorify violence. [30] [31] [32] Additionally, 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". [33] Time 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.)" [31]
Religious studies scholar Mark Juergensmeyer argues that the Left Behind books are seen as fictional representations of future events, drawing a connection between the future violence portrayed in the books and "the violence in imagined worlds in the here-and now". [34]
David Carlson, a Professor of Religious Studies and a member of the Greek Orthodox Church, wrote that the theology underpinning the Left Behind series promotes a "skewed view of the Christian faith that welcomes war and disaster, while dismissing peace efforts in the Middle East and elsewhere—all in the name of Christ". [35]
B. D. Forbes "locates the series in the context of a well-established tradition of American popular culture...that presents the good-evil struggle as 'evil [coming] from the outside' with 'the solution [as] the destruction of the evil-doers". [36]
Left Behind: The Kids is a series of forty novellas written for teenagers. It has the same plot as the adult series, but the main protagonists are teenagers.
Williams professor Glenn Shuck has written the book Marks of the Beast: The Left Behind Novels and the Struggle for Evangelical Identity, published by NYU Press in 2005. He followed this with a collection of original essays co-edited with Jeffrey J. Kripal of Rice University on the Esalen Institute in California, published by Indiana University Press in 2005.
Starting in 2003, the series was expanded upon by Mel Odom with his Apocalypse military series and Neesa Hart with her political thriller series, both taking place concurrently with the main series.
Author | Title (with subtitles) | Year published |
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Mel Odom | Apocalypse Dawn: The Battle Begins | 2003 |
Mel Odom | Apocalypse Crucible: The Battle Continues | 2004 |
Mel Odom | Apocalypse Burning: The Battle Lines Are Drawn | 2004 |
Mel Odom | Apocalypse Unleashed: The Battle Rages On | 2008 |
Neesa Hart | End of State: Now All the Rules Have Changed | 2003 |
Neesa Hart | Impeachable Offense: The Conspiracy Grows | 2004 |
Neesa Hart | Necessary Evils: A Time For Treason | 2005 |
In 2002, a series of graphic novels published by Tyndale House was launched that comprised the first two books in the series, Left Behind and Tribulation Force. The original idea was to release sets of three to five novels (each about 45–50 pages) for each book in the original series.[ citation needed ] However, after the fifth and final novel for Tribulation Force was released, the graphic novel series was discontinued, and the novels that were released are as of December 2006 out of print.[ needs update ] A compilation of the graphic novels for the first book was later released as one novel.
The success of the Left Behind books has led to the release of five motion pictures based on the series so far. All four have been produced by brothers Paul and Peter LaLonde, and have been released through Cloud Ten Pictures, an independent Canadian-based Christian film 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 film on home video, and then theatrically. It fared poorly in theaters. [37] The film starred former Growing Pains star Kirk Cameron as Buck Williams. Cameron, who praised the book series as "inspiring", became a practicing evangelist (and co-host with Ray Comfort on the TV show The Way of the Master ).
The sequel, Left Behind II: Tribulation Force , based on the second book, Tribulation Force , was released in 2002. The film debuted at #2 on Nielson's video scan reports, behind Spider-Man , [38] and was #1 in terms of overall sales for two days on Amazon.com. [39]
The second sequel, World at War , was released first to churches on October 21, 2005, for church theatrical viewings and was released via home media on October 25. Much of the main cast from the previous two films, excluding Clarence Gilyard, reprised their respective roles for World at War. Gilyard, who played Bruce Barnes, was unable to return due to a scheduling conflict with a play in New York.[ citation needed ] It is based very loosely on the final 50 pages of Tribulation Force and features Louis Gossett Jr. as the President of the United States, Gerald Fitzhugh. The third installment was the least identifiable with events in any of the books. Recognizable events were the marriages of Buck with Chloe Steele, and of Rayford Steele with Amanda White; the death of Bruce Barnes; and President Fitzhugh's heading an attack, resulting in World War III, with Great Britain and Egypt fighting against the Global Community. Major parts, however, were taken from subsequent books; these events include the poisoning of Barnes by GC forces, instead of Nicolae Carpathia himself, and an attempt by Fitzhugh to assassinate Carpathia. Buck's meeting with the President in the books takes a different form in the film.
The film series 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 Pictures Entertainment to release all of its pictures under their banner and has been doing so ever since. [40]
In 2010, Cloud Ten announced that a remake of the Left Behind series was in development, with production set to begin in late 2012 for an October 2014 release date. [41] The reboot, starring Nicolas Cage as Steele and Chad Michael Murray as Buck Williams, was released to theaters October 3, 2014. It focused mainly on the very beginnings of the first book and added much to the plot. The remake focuses on the experiences of the passengers on the plane and partially on Chloe Steele as she comes to terms with her missing family. It earned overwhelmingly negative reviews and flopped at the box office. [42]
Vanished – Left Behind: Next Generation , a spin-off film based on the spin-off series Left Behind: The Kids released on September 28, 2016. The film was developed by Tim LaHaye's grandson, Randy LaHaye and was well received by the book author. [43]
In November 2021, LaLonde announced the beginning of production on Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist , with Kevin Sorbo directing and replacing Nicolas Cage as Rayford Steele. The film is set six months after the events of the 2014 film and is an adaptation of the rest of book one in the series. The film makes a few small changes to be more relevant for modern times. [44]
A video game, Left Behind: Eternal Forces , (2006) and its three sequels, Left Behind: Tribulation Forces, Left Behind 3: Rise of the Antichrist and Left Behind 4: World at War, were developed by a publicly traded company, Left Behind Games. The games are real-time strategy games wherein the player controls a "Tribulation Forces" team and allows the player to "use the power of prayer to strengthen your troops in combat and wield modern military weaponry throughout the game world." The original game was released in the United States on November 14, 2006, and received mixed reviews. Distribution was initially planned to work through churches and megachurches. [45]
Although the original game was accused of encouraging religious violence, [46] not all reviewers of the game or critics of the Left Behind series shared that view. [47] [48] [49] [50] 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. [51] 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." [52]
People Get Ready | |
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Soundtrack album by Various artists | |
Released | November 17, 1998 |
Genre | Christian music |
Label | Forefront |
People Get Ready: A Musical Collection Inspired by The Left Behind Series (1998) is "a musical collection inspired by the Left Behind series."[ This quote needs a citation ]
The Rapture is an eschatological position held by some Christians, particularly those of American evangelicalism, consisting of an end-time event when all dead Christian believers will be resurrected and, joined with Christians who are still alive, together will rise "in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air."
Dispensationalism is a theological framework for interpreting the Bible which maintains that history is divided into multiple ages called "dispensations" in which God interacts with his chosen people in different ways. It is often distinguished from covenant theology. These are two competing frameworks of Biblical theology that attempt to explain overall continuity in the Bible. Coining of the term "dispensationalism" has been attributed to Philip Mauro, a critic of the system's teachings, in his 1928 book The Gospel of the Kingdom.
Timothy Francis LaHaye was an American Baptist evangelical Christian minister who wrote more than 85 books, both fiction and non-fiction, including the Left Behind series of apocalyptic fiction, which he co-authored with Jerry B. Jenkins.
Jerry Bruce Jenkins is an American writer. He is best known for the Left Behind series, written with Tim LaHaye. Jenkins also writes the novels following the TV series about Jesus, The Chosen. Jenkins has written more than 200 books, in multiple genres, such as biography, self-help, romance, mystery, and young adult fiction. Nineteen of his 130+ novels have explored eschatological themes and settings.
Cloud Ten Pictures is a Canadian film production and distribution company located in St. Catharines, Ontario, who specialised in producing "end times" Christian films.
Futurism is a Christian eschatological view that interprets portions of the Book of Revelation, the Book of Ezekiel, and the Book of Daniel as future events in a literal, physical, apocalyptic, and global context.
Glorious Appearing: The End of Days is the 12th book in the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. Released on Tuesday, 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. It was on The New York Times Best Seller list for 22 weeks.
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 and published by Tyndale House. This book is the final of the three prequels and covers events leading up to the first book Left Behind. The narrative of the novel The Rapture includes events that take place during the first chapters of Left Behind and provides a backdrop story for the book Left Behind. The book was released on Tuesday, June 6, 2006 (6/6/6), which is the Number of the Beast, a concept that plays a large part later in the series. It takes place from 14 months before to the day of the Rapture. For the week of June 19, 2006, Publishers Weekly ranked it the 10th best selling book in the U.S.
Left Behind: The Kids is a series of young adult speculative fiction novellas based on the Left Behind series, published by Tyndale House from 1998 to 2005. Written by Jerry B. Jenkins, Tim LaHaye, with uncredited contributions from Chris Fabry, The Kids follows a group of young Christians as they experience the Rapture and Great Tribulation.
Left Behind: The Movie is a 2000 Christian apocalyptic thriller film, based on the novel of the same name by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. It is directed by Vic Sarin and stars Kirk Cameron, Brad Johnson, Chelsea Noble, Janaya Stephens, Gordon Currie, and Clarence Gilyard.
Tribulation Force: The Continuing Drama of Those Left Behind (1996) is the second novel in the Left Behind series, by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. It takes place from two weeks after the Rapture to 18 months into the Tribulation.
Left Behind: A Novel of the Earth's Last Days is a best-selling novel by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins that starts the Left Behind series. This book and others in the series give narrative form to a specific eschatological reading of the Christian Bible, particularly the Book of Revelation inspired by dispensationalism and premillennialism. It was released on Sunday, December 31, 1995. The events take place the day of the Rapture and the two weeks following.
Desecration: Antichrist Takes the Throne is the ninth book in the Left Behind series. It was published on Tuesday, October 30, 2001, by Tyndale House. It was on The New York Times Best Seller list for 19 weeks, and was the best selling novel in the world in 2001. It takes place 42–43 months into the Tribulation and 25 days to a month into the Great Tribulation.
Left Behind is a series of 16 best-selling novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, and the title of the first novel in the series.
Left Behind is an American religious thriller series based on the Left Behind book series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. The series consists of five films and two spin-offs.
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 fully developed character in the series.
Chloe Steele is a fictional character from the Left Behind series of novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. Chloe was a junior at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, during the vanishing of millions of people during the Rapture.
Left Behind is a 2014 American Christian apocalyptic thriller film directed by Vic Armstrong and written by Paul LaLonde and John Patus. Based on the 1995 novel of the same name written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, the film stars Nicolas Cage, Chad Michael Murray, Cassi Thomson, Nicky Whelan, Jordin Sparks, and Lea Thompson. The second film adaptation of the first Left Behind novel but not following the book's chronology, it depicts the Christian Rapture as a worldwide disaster, which is shown from the perspective of one family, a husband and wife facing marital difficulties, and their two children.
Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist is a 2023 Canadian apocalyptic thriller film directed by Kevin Sorbo and co-written by Paul Lalonde. It stars Sorbo, Neal McDonough, Bailey Chase, Corbin Bernsen, Greg Perrow, Sarah Fisher, Sam Sorbo, Charles Andrew Payne and Stafford Perry. It serves as a sequel to 2014 reboot Left Behind, which itself is based on the 1995 novel of the same name written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.
When a reader complained online that Tribulation Force was anti-Catholic, Left Behind co-author Jerry B. Jenkins vehemently insisted that the books are "not anti-Catholic" and that "almost every person in the book who was left behind was Protestant. Astute readers will understand where we're coming from. True believers in Christ, regardless of their church 'brand' will be raptured" (Amazon.com, August 26, 1999). LaHaye responded by insisting that "our books are not anti-Catholic. In fact, we have many faithful Catholic readers and friends" (Religion News Service, June 26, 2003). "The books don't suggest any particular theology," he said, "but try to introduce people to a more personal relationship with Jesus."