Tribulation Force (group)

Last updated September 10, 2019

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. Jenkins.

The rapture is an eschatological concept of certain Christians, particularly within branches of American evangelicalism, consisting of an end time event when all Christian believers who are alive, along with the resurrected dead believers, will rise "in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air". This theory grew out of the translations of the Bible that John Nelson Darby edited to fit his doctrines. It was promulgated by the cult followers of Darbyism, a doctrine that has been deemed heretical by most mainstream Christians. Some adherents believe this event is predicted and described in Paul's First Epistle to the Thessalonians in the Bible, where he uses the Greek harpazo (ἁρπάζω), meaning to snatch away or seize. Though it has been used differently in the past, the term is now often used by certain believers to distinguish this particular event from the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to Earth, mentioned in Second Thessalonians, Gospel of Matthew, First Corinthians, and Revelation, usually viewing it as preceding the Second Coming and followed by a thousand year millennial kingdom. Adherents of this perspective are sometimes referred to as premillenial dispensationalists, but amongst them there are differing viewpoints about the exact timing of the event.

Tim Francis LaHaye was an American evangelical Protestant minister, speaker, author and conservative activist. He wrote more than 85 books, both fiction and non-fiction, and is best known for the Left Behind series of apocalyptic fiction, which he co-authored with Jerry B. Jenkins.

Jerry Bruce Jenkins is an American novelist and biographer. He is best known as writer of the Left Behind series of books with Tim LaHaye. Jenkins has written over 190 books, including romance novels, mysteries, and children's adventures, as well as non-fiction, including biographies and marriage & family titles. His fiction usually features evangelical Christians as protagonists.

In a series of events that followed the Rapture, in which Jesus Christ takes away members of his church from Earth, Rayford Steele, Chloe Steele, Buck Williams and Bruce Barnes 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.

The Christian Church, also called the holy catholic church, is a Christian ecclesiological concept of a church invisible comprising all Christians. In this understanding, "Christian Church" or "catholic church" does not refer to a particular Christian denomination but to the "body" of all "believers", both defined in various ways. Other Christian traditions believe that these terms apply only to a specific concrete Christian institution, such as the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, or the Assyrian Church of the East; or to a group of institutions, as in the branch theory taught by some Anglicans.

Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. According to radiometric dating and other sources of evidence, Earth formed over 4.5 billion years ago. Earth's gravity interacts with other objects in space, especially the Sun and the Moon, Earth's only natural satellite. Earth orbits around the Sun in 365.26 days, a period known as an Earth year. During this time, Earth rotates about its axis about 366.26 times.

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.

In the course of their study, they form a core group Chloe Steele christens the "Tribulation Force", dedicated to opposing the Antichrist. 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. Over time, some members of the Trib Force become martyrs for their faith and others come to join. In the end, only one of the original four Trib Force members lives through all seven years of the Tribulation and witnesses the reappearance of Christ, although the others are resurrected afterwards.

Martyr person who suffers persecution and death for advocating, refusing to renounce, and/or refusing to advocate a belief or cause, usually a religious one

A martyr is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, refusing to renounce, or refusing to advocate a religious belief or cause as demanded by an external party. In the martyrdom narrative of the remembering community, this refusal to comply with the presented demands results in the punishment or execution of an actor by an alleged oppressor. Accordingly, the status of the 'martyr' can be considered a posthumous title as a reward for those who are considered worthy of the concept of martyrdom by the living, regardless of any attempts by the deceased to control how they will be remembered in advance. Originally applied only to those who suffered for their religious beliefs, the term has come to be used in connection with people killed for a political cause.

Jesus, also referred to as Jesus of Nazareth and Jesus Christ, was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the central figure of Christianity. Most Christians believe he is the incarnation of God the Son and the awaited Messiah (Christ) prophesied in the Old Testament.

The Tribulation Force has been headquartered in a number of buildings

Books 1-2, New Hope Village Church, Mount Prospect, Illinois
Books 3-4, Loretta's House, Mount Prospect, Illinois
Books 4-7, Donny and Sandy Moore's, Duplex, Mount Prospect, Illinois
Books 7-10, Strong Building in Chicago, Illinois
Books 10-12, Petra

Mount Prospect is a village in Elk Grove and Wheeling Townships in Cook County, Illinois, about 20 miles (32 km) northwest of downtown Chicago, and approximately 4 miles north of O'Hare International Airport. As of the 2010 census, the village had a total population of 54,167.

Petra, originally known to its inhabitants as Raqmu, is a historical and archaeological city in southern Jordan. Petra lies on the slope of Jabal Al-Madbah in a basin among the mountains which form the eastern flank of the Arabah valley that runs from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. Petra is believed to have been settled as early as 9,000 BC, and it was possibly established in the 4th century BC as the capital city of the Nabataean Kingdom. The Nabataeans were nomadic Arabs who invested in Petra's proximity to the trade routes by establishing it as a major regional trading hub.

Members of the Tribulation Force includes:

Name	First Appeared	Main Role (Contribution)	Status (At Time Of Glorious Appearing)	Cause of Death (If Applicable)	Last Appearance (Excluding at Glorious Appearing)
Rayford Steele	Left Behind	Leader, Pilot, GC Mole	Alive	N/A	N/A
Chloe Steele Williams	Left Behind	CEO of International Commodity Co-op	Deceased	Beheaded, refused Mark of The Beast	Armageddon
Buck Williams	Left Behind	GC Mole, Creator/Writer/Editor of "The Truth"	Deceased	Casualty of War	Glorious Appearing
Bruce Barnes	Left Behind	Chaplain	Deceased	Seal Judgement 2 WW3/Poisoned by Antichrist	Tribulation Force
Amanda White Steele	Tribulation Force	N/A	Deceased	Seal Judgement 6 "The Wrath of The Lamb" earthquake, killed in plane crash	Soul Harvest
Loretta	Left Behind	Caregiver, Hostess	Deceased	Seal Judgement 6 "The Wrath of The Lamb" earthquake, crushed by her car	Nicolae
Tsion Ben-Judah	Tribulation Force	Chaplain	Deceased	Casualty of War, shot by enemy	Armageddon
Donald "Donny" Moore	Nicolae	Technological expertise and supplier	Deceased	Seal Judgement 6 "The Wrath of The Lamb" earthquake	Nicolae
Sandra "Sandy" Moore	Nicolae	N/A	Deceased	Seal Judgement 6 "The Wrath of The Lamb" earthquake, crushed by tree falling through her house	Soul Harvest
Mac McCullum	Nicolae	Pilot, GC Mole	Alive	N/A	N/A
Floyd Charles	Soul Harvest	Medical consultation and care	Deceased	Poisoned, contracted disease from Hattie Durham	Assassins
David Hassid	Soul Harvest	GC Mole	Deceased	Shot/Thrown off cliff	Desecration
Ken Ritz	Left Behind	Pilot, Creator of International Commodity Co-op	Deceased	Shot	Apollyon
Mr. Lukas "Laslos" Miklos	Apollyon	Financial donor to Co-op, Host	Deceased	Shot	Desecration
Mrs. Lukas "Laslos" Miklos	Apollyon	Hostess	Deceased	Beheaded, refused Mark of The Beast	The Mark
Leah Rose	Soul Harvest	Medical consultation and care	Alive	N/A	N/A
Tyrola "T" Mark Delanty	Apollyon	Pilot, Airport Facilities	Deceased	Plane Crash	The Indwelling
Abdullah Smith	Apollyon	Pilot	Alive	N/A	N/A
Annie Christopher	Assassins	Oversaw Delivery of Co-op Cargo, GC Mole	Deceased	Electrocuted (by lightning called down by Leon Fortunato)	The Mark
Ming Toy	Assassins	GC Mole, Co-op	Alive	N/A	N/A
Chang Wong	Assassins	GC Mole	Alive	N/A	N/A
Chaim Rosenzweig	Left Behind	Chaplain, Host	Alive	N/A	N/A
Albie	Soul Harvest	Black Market Provider	Deceased	Shot	Armageddon
Hannah Palemoon	The Mark	Medical consultation and care, GC Mole	Alive	N/A	N/A
Gustaf Zuckermandel, Jr.	Assassins	Disguise and Fake ID	Alive	N/A	N/A
Dwayne Tuttle	Assassins	Host, Co-op	Deceased	Shot	Assassins
Trudy Tuttle	Assassins	Hostess, Co-op	Deceased	Shot	Assassins
Steve Plank (a.k.a. Pinkerton Stephens)	Left Behind	GC Mole	Deceased	Beheaded, refused Mark of The Beast	The Remnant
Hattie Durham	Left Behind	N/A	Deceased	Consumed by fire (called down from sky by False Prophet)	Desecration
Jacov	Apollyon	Transportation, Host	Deceased	Hit/Broken Neck	The Indwelling
Stefan	Apollyon	Transportation	Deceased	Murdered	The Indwelling
Hannelore	Apollyon	Hostess	Deceased	Murdered	The Indwelling
Jonas	Apollyon	Protection	Deceased	Hit by car	Assassins
George Sebastian	Desecration	Arms provider	Alive	N/A	N/A
Marcel Papadopoulos	The Mark	N/A	Deceased	Shot	Desecration
Georgiana Stavros	The Mark	N/A	Deceased	Executed	The Remnant
Bernadette Rice	Desecration	N/A	Alive	N/A	N/A
Enoch Dumas	Desecration	Spiritual Support	Alive	N/A	N/A
Naomi Tiberias	The Remnant	Hostess, Technological Consultant	Alive	N/A	N/A
Eleazar Tiberias	The Remnant	Host	Alive	N/A	N/A
Lionel Whalum	The Remnant	Co-op Pilot	Alive	N/A	N/A
Felicia Whalum	The Remnant	Hostess	Alive	N/A	N/A
Ree Woo	The Remnant	Co-op Pilot	Alive	N/A	N/A
Razor	Armageddon	Military Support	Alive	N/A	N/A
Priscilla Sebastian	Armageddon	Hostess, Child care	Alive	N/A	N/A
Otto Weser	Armageddon	Military Support	Alive	N/A	N/A

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