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Left Behind

October 19, 2023

For other uses, see Left Behind (disambiguation).

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 novel(s) are eschatological narratives inspired by the Book of Revelation in the Bible. The storyline focuses on a seven-year conflict between the Tribulation Force, an underground network of converts, and the New World Order-esque Global Community and its leader, Nicolae Carpathia, who is also the Antichrist. The primary element is a Christian dispensationalist view of the End Times; the pretribulation, premillennial, Christian eschatological interpretation of the Biblical apocalypse.

The series has been adapted into five films to date. 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 simply 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.

Books Edit

Main series Edit

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
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

Characters Edit

Main article: List of Left Behind characters

Influences on the authors Edit

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."

Reception Edit

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.[9]

In 2016, several books in the series were bestsellers and 65 million copies were sold in various languages.[10]

Critical response Edit

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."[11] The New York Times also compared the series to Clancy's works.[12] However, those views are not universally shared. Other reviewers have called the series "almost laughably tedious" and "fatuous and boring."[13][14]

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."[15]

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".[16]

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.[17]

Anti-Catholicism Edit

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[18] and that the new pope establishes a false religion.[19] 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.[20] 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.[18][21]

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.[22] According to LaHaye, "the books don’t suggest any particular theology, but try to introduce people to a more personal relationship with Jesus".[22]

End-times theology Edit

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.[23] Dispensationalism remains a minority view among theologians.[24] For instance, amillennial and postmillennial Christians do not believe in the same timeline of the Second Coming as premillennialists, while preterist Christians do not interpret much of the Book of Revelation to predict future events at all. Brian McLaren of the Emergent Church compares the Left Behind series to The Da Vinci Code, and states, "What the Left 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."[25] John Dart, writing in Christian Century, characterized the works as "beam me up theology."[24]

Violence and war Edit

Some practicing Christians, evangelical and otherwise, along with non-Christians have shown concern that the social perspectives promoted in the Left Behind series unduly sensationalize the death and destruction of masses of people. Harvey Cox, a professor of divinity at Harvard, says part of the appeal of the books lies in the "lip-licking anticipation of all the blood", and Lutheran theologian Barbara Rossing, author of The Rapture Exposed: The Message of Hope in the Book of Revelation, said the books glorify violence.[26][27][28] 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".[29] 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.)"[27]

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".[30]

Left Behind: The Kids series Edit

Main article: Left Behind: The Kids

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.

Spinoff books Edit

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
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

Graphic novels Edit

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 3 to 5 novels (each about 45–50 pages) for each book in the original series. However, after the fifth and final novel for Tribulation Force was released, the graphic novel series was apparently discontinued, and the novels that were released are now (as of December 2006) out of print. A compilation of the graphic novels for the first book was later released as one novel.

Film adaptations Edit

Main article: Left Behind (film series)

The success of the Left Behind books has led to the release of four motion pictures based on the series so far. All four have been produced by brothers Paul & 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.[31] 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,[32] and was #1 in terms of overall sales for two days on Amazon.com.[33]

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.[34]

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.[35] 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.[36]

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.[37]

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.[38]

Video game Edit

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.[39]

Although the original game was accused of encouraging religious violence,[40] not all reviewers of the game or critics of the Left Behind series shared that view.[41][42][43][44] 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.[45] 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."[46]

Music Edit

People Get Ready
Soundtrack album by
Various artists
ReleasedNovember 17, 1998
GenreChristian music
LabelForefront

People Get Ready: A Musical Collection Inspired by The Left Behind Series (1998) is "a musical collection inspired by the Left Behind series."

See also Edit

References Edit

  1. ^ Byle, Ann. "LaHaye, Co-Author of Left Behind Series, Leaves A Lasting Impact". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  2. ^ "Left Behind". www.tyndale.com. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  3. ^ "Watch Nicolas Cage in the Left Behind Trailer". Vulture. May 30, 2014. from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
  4. ^ "The Trials of the Tribulation - 00.01". www.theatlantic.com. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  5. ^ Bielo, James S. (2011). Emerging Evangelicals: Faith, Modernity, and the Desire for Authenticity. NYU Press. p. 141. ISBN 978-0814789551.
  6. ^ The Rising: Antichrist Is Born. Tyndale House Publishers. 2005. ISBN 978-0-8423-6193-4. OCLC 57124481.
  7. ^ Lahaye, Tim F.; Jenkins, Jerry B. (2005). (All Libraries). Tyndale House Publishers. ISBN 9781414305769. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
  8. ^ Anderson, Dean A. (March 7, 2012). "The Original 'Left Behind'". ChristianityToday.com. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  9. ^ "New York Times Bestsellers". New York Times. June 11, 2000. from the original on August 3, 2017. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  10. ^ Alissa Wilkinson, The ‘Left Behind’ series was just the latest way America prepared for the Rapture, washingtonpost.com, USA, July 13, 2016
  11. ^ Goldberg, Michelle (July 29, 2002). . Salon. Archived from the original on December 14, 2007.
  12. ^ LaHaye, Tim; Jenkins, Jerry B.; Swanson, Sandi (2005). The Authorized Left Behind Handbook. Tyndale House Publishers. p. 336. ISBN 9780842354400.
  13. ^ Dreyfuss, Robert Dreyfuss (January 28, 2004). . Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 6, 2007.
  14. ^ Haber, Gordon Haber (August 23, 2004). "The Ministry of Fear". New York Sun. Archived from the original on January 30, 2013.
  15. ^ . TIME. Archived from the original on February 3, 2005. Retrieved September 8, 2007.
  16. ^ Goodstein, Laurie (October 4, 1998). "Fast-Selling Thrillers Depict Prophetic View of Final Days". The New York Times. from the original on January 31, 2018. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  17. ^ [dead link]"Salon.com: Fundamentally unsound". July 30, 2002. from the original on August 31, 2011. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
  18. ^ a b Catholic.com – No Rapture for Rome July 6, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  19. ^ 'Left Behind' authors begin tour of the South, The Associated Press via USA Today, March 31, 2004.
  20. ^ Writing the Rapture: Prophecy Fiction in Evangelical America, Crawford Gribben, Oxford University Press, 2009.
  21. ^ Akin, Jimmy (2008). . Archived from the original on July 11, 2008.
  22. ^ a b . Catholic League. Archived from the original on June 29, 2007. Retrieved December 31, 2007. 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."
  23. ^ Boston, Rob (February 2002). . Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Archived from the original on November 18, 2011. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  24. ^ a b Dart, John (September 25, 2002). . Christian Century Foundation. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  25. ^ McLaren, Brian (May 9, 2006). "Brian McLaren on the Da Vinci Code". Grace Fellowship. Sojourners Magazine. from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  26. ^ Rossing, Barbara R. (March 1, 2007). The Rapture Exposed. Basic Books. ISBN 978-0-465-00496-6.
  27. ^ a b John Cloud and Rancho Mirage. "Meet the Prophet 2008-12-01 at the Wayback Machine". Time. June 23, 2002.
  28. ^ John W. Whitehead. "God So Loved the World that He Gave Us World War III 2008-01-12 at the Wayback Machine". OldSpeak. July 1, 2004.
  29. ^ "Re-Sacralizing Violence in Left Behind". girardianlectionary.net. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  30. ^ "Left Behind" and the Corruption of Biblical Interpretation". from the original on June 2, 2015. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  31. ^ "Imdb.com: Left Behind (2000) – Box-office/Business". IMDb. from the original on August 4, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
  32. ^ clarionledger.com: Audition for TV role or be 'Left Behind' Archived July 1, 2001, at archive.today
  33. ^ "End-Times Thriller Left Behind II: Tribulation Force Ousts Spider-Man Over the Weekend to Become the #1 Selling Video Overall on Amazon.com". Manta. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
  34. ^ Hendrix, Grady (December 1, 2005). "How to end the world on a budget". Slate Magazine.
  35. ^ (PDF). October 13, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 27, 2011. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  36. ^ "Left Behind". Retrieved October 4, 2014.
  37. ^ "'Left Behind' Author Tim LaHaye Worked on Gen X Apocalyptic Film 'Vanished' Before His Death". August 13, 2016.
  38. ^ "LB2 Day 1 | FINALLY!! | By Left Behind | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  39. ^ Jacobs, Stephen (2015). "Simulating the Apocalypse. Theology and Structure of the Left Behind Games". Online – Heidelberg Journal of Religions on the Internet. 7. doi:10.11588/rel.2015.0.18509.
  40. ^ "Critics blast 'Left Behind'". USA Today. December 14, 2006. from the original on August 31, 2010. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
  41. ^ . Adl.org. Archived from the original on March 7, 2012.
  42. ^ . IGN. November 14, 2006. Archived from the original on June 17, 2012. Retrieved October 27, 2007.
  43. ^ "Reviews: Games: Left Behind: Eternal Forces". Artstechnica. December 14, 2006. p. 1. from the original on December 4, 2008. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  44. ^ "Left Behind: Eternal Forces Review". GameSpy. from the original on August 25, 2012. Retrieved October 27, 2007.
  45. ^ Lelchuk, Ilene (January 9, 2011). "'Convert or die' game divides Christians / Some ask Wal-Mart to drop Left Behind". The San Francisco Chronicle. from the original on October 18, 2011. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  46. ^ . Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved October 27, 2007.

Further reading Edit

  • DeMar, Gary, Left Behind: Separating Fact from Fiction. Powder Springs, Georgia, 2009. ISBN 0-915815-38-9
  • Eford, James M. Left Behind? What the Bible Really Says about the End Times. Macon, Georgia, Smyth & Helys, 2006. ISBN 1-57312-461-3
  • 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
  • Monahan, Torin. (2008). "Marketing the Beast: Left Behind and the Apocalypse Industry" (PDF). Media, Culture & Society. 30 (6): 813–830. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.691.2622. doi:10.1177/0163443708096095. S2CID 143404910.
  • Olson, Carl E. Will Catholics be Left Behind? San Francisco, Ignatius Press, 2003. ISBN 0-898709-50-4
  • Standaert, Michael, 2006 Skipping Towards Armageddon: The Politics and Propaganda of the Left Behind Novels and the LaHaye Empire (Soft Skull Press)
  • 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
  • Tuley, Glenn, Not Left Behind: A Tribulation Survival Manual. Bedford, TX, Burkhart Books, 2015. ISBN 978-1-940359-25-0

External links Edit

October 19, 2023
left, behind, other, uses, disambiguation, multimedia, franchise, apocalyptic, fiction, written, lahaye, jerry, jenkins, released, tyndale, house, publishers, from, 1995, 2007, rising, regime, rapture, tribulation, force, nicolae, soul, harvest, apollyon, assa. For other uses see Left Behind disambiguation 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 Left BehindThe 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 ComeAuthorTim LaHayeJerry B JenkinsCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishGenreChristian novelsPublished1995 2007Media typePrint hardback amp paperback The bestselling premillennial novel s are eschatological narratives inspired by the Book of Revelation in the Bible The storyline focuses on a seven year conflict between the Tribulation Force an underground network of converts and the New World Order esque Global Community and its leader Nicolae Carpathia who is also the Antichrist The primary element is a Christian dispensationalist view of the End Times the pretribulation premillennial Christian eschatological interpretation of the Biblical apocalypse The series has been adapted into five films to date 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 simply 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 Contents 1 Books 1 1 Main series 1 1 1 Characters 1 1 2 Influences on the authors 1 1 3 Reception 1 1 4 Critical response 1 1 4 1 Anti Catholicism 1 1 4 2 End times theology 1 1 4 3 Violence and war 1 2 Left Behind The Kids series 1 3 Spinoff books 1 4 Graphic novels 2 Film adaptations 3 Video game 4 Music 5 See also 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External linksBooks EditMain series Edit 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 date1 4 Left Behind A Novel of the Earth s Last Days 19952 5 Tribulation Force The Continuing Drama of Those Left Behind 19963 6 Nicolae The Rise of Antichrist 19974 7 Soul Harvest The World Takes Sides 19985 8 Apollyon The Destroyer Is Unleashed 19996 9 Assassins Assignment Jerusalem Target Antichrist 19997 10 The Indwelling The Beast Takes Possession 20008 11 The Mark The Beast Rules the World 20009 12 Desecration Antichrist Takes the Throne 200110 13 The Remnant On the Brink of Armageddon 200211 14 Armageddon The Cosmic Battle of the Ages 200312 15 Glorious Appearing The End of Days 200413 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 200616 16 Kingdom Come The Final Victory 2007Characters Edit Main article List of Left Behind characters Influences on the authors Edit 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 Reception Edit 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 9 In 2016 several books in the series were bestsellers and 65 million copies were sold in various languages 10 Critical response Edit 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 11 The New York Times also compared the series to Clancy s works 12 However those views are not universally shared Other reviewers have called the series almost laughably tedious and fatuous and boring 13 14 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 15 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 16 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 17 Anti Catholicism Edit 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 18 and that the new pope establishes a false religion 19 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 20 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 18 21 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 22 According to LaHaye the books don t suggest any particular theology but try to introduce people to a more personal relationship with Jesus 22 End times theology Edit 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 23 Dispensationalism remains a minority view among theologians 24 For instance amillennial and postmillennial Christians do not believe in the same timeline of the Second Coming as premillennialists while preterist Christians do not interpret much of the Book of Revelation to predict future events at all Brian McLaren of the Emergent Church compares the Left Behind series to The Da Vinci Code and states What the Left 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 25 John Dart writing in Christian Century characterized the works as beam me up theology 24 Violence and war Edit Some practicing Christians evangelical and otherwise along with non Christians have shown concern that the social perspectives promoted in the Left Behind series unduly sensationalize the death and destruction of masses of people Harvey Cox a professor of divinity at Harvard says part of the appeal of the books lies in the lip licking anticipation of all the blood and Lutheran theologian Barbara Rossing author of The Rapture Exposed The Message of Hope in the Book of Revelation said the books glorify violence 26 27 28 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 29 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 27 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 30 Left Behind The Kids series Edit Main article Left Behind The Kids 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 Spinoff books Edit 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 PublishedMel Odom Apocalypse Dawn The Battle Begins 2003Mel Odom Apocalypse Crucible The Battle Continues 2004Mel Odom Apocalypse Burning The Battle Lines Are Drawn 2004Mel Odom Apocalypse Unleashed The Battle Rages On 2008Neesa Hart End of State Now All the Rules Have Changed 2003Neesa Hart Impeachable Offense The Conspiracy Grows 2004Neesa Hart Necessary Evils A Time For Treason 2005Graphic novels Edit 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 3 to 5 novels each about 45 50 pages for each book in the original series However after the fifth and final novel for Tribulation Force was released the graphic novel series was apparently discontinued and the novels that were released are now as of December 2006 out of print A compilation of the graphic novels for the first book was later released as one novel Film adaptations EditMain article Left Behind film series The success of the Left Behind books has led to the release of four motion pictures based on the series so far All four have been produced by brothers Paul amp 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 31 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 32 and was 1 in terms of overall sales for two days on Amazon com 33 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 34 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 35 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 36 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 37 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 38 Video game EditA 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 39 Although the original game was accused of encouraging religious violence 40 not all reviewers of the game or critics of the Left Behind series shared that view 41 42 43 44 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 45 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 46 Music EditPeople Get ReadySoundtrack album by Various artistsReleasedNovember 17 1998GenreChristian musicLabelForefrontPeople Get Ready A Musical Collection Inspired by The Left Behind Series 1998 is a musical collection inspired by the Left Behind series See also EditArmageddon Christian theology Christian Zionism Covenantalism Futurism Hal Lindsey Historicism Idealism The Late Great Planet Earth Summary of Christian eschatological differences Christian science fictionReferences Edit Byle Ann LaHaye Co Author of Left Behind Series Leaves A Lasting Impact PublishersWeekly com Retrieved June 27 2023 Left Behind www tyndale com Retrieved June 27 2023 Watch Nicolas Cage in the Left Behind Trailer Vulture May 30 2014 Archived from the original on October 6 2014 Retrieved October 4 2014 The Trials of the Tribulation 00 01 www theatlantic com Retrieved August 6 2023 Bielo James S 2011 Emerging Evangelicals Faith Modernity and the Desire for Authenticity NYU Press p 141 ISBN 978 0814789551 The Rising Antichrist Is Born Tyndale House Publishers 2005 ISBN 978 0 8423 6193 4 OCLC 57124481 Lahaye Tim F Jenkins Jerry B 2005 All Libraries Tyndale House Publishers ISBN 9781414305769 Retrieved October 4 2014 Anderson Dean A March 7 2012 The Original Left Behind ChristianityToday com Retrieved August 6 2023 New York Times Bestsellers New York Times June 11 2000 Archived from the original on August 3 2017 Retrieved February 19 2017 Alissa Wilkinson The Left Behind series was just the latest way America prepared for the Rapture washingtonpost com USA July 13 2016 Goldberg Michelle July 29 2002 Fundamentally unsound Salon Archived from the original on December 14 2007 LaHaye Tim Jenkins Jerry B Swanson Sandi 2005 The Authorized Left Behind Handbook Tyndale House Publishers p 336 ISBN 9780842354400 Dreyfuss Robert Dreyfuss January 28 2004 Reverend Doomsday According to Tim LaHaye the Apocalypse is now Rolling Stone Archived from the original on August 6 2007 Haber Gordon Haber August 23 2004 The Ministry of Fear New York Sun Archived from the original on January 30 2013 Tim and Beverly LaHaye TIME Archived from the original on February 3 2005 Retrieved September 8 2007 Goodstein Laurie October 4 1998 Fast Selling Thrillers Depict Prophetic View of Final Days The New York Times Archived from the original on January 31 2018 Retrieved January 29 2018 dead link Salon com Fundamentally unsound July 30 2002 Archived from the original on August 31 2011 Retrieved October 4 2014 a b Catholic com No Rapture for Rome Archived July 6 2007 at the Wayback Machine Left Behind authors begin tour of the South The Associated Press via USA Today March 31 2004 Writing the Rapture Prophecy Fiction in Evangelical America Crawford Gribben Oxford University Press 2009 Akin Jimmy 2008 Catholic Answers Special Report False Profit Money Prejudice and Bad Theology in Tim LaHaye s Left Behind Series Archived from the original on July 11 2008 a b Tim LaHaye The Left Behind Series Catholic League Archived from the original on June 29 2007 Retrieved December 31 2007 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 Boston Rob February 2002 If Best Selling End Times Author Tim LaHaye Has His Way Church State Separation Will Be Left Behind Americans United for Separation of Church and State Archived from the original on November 18 2011 Retrieved April 1 2015 a b Dart John September 25 2002 Beam me up theology The Debate Over Left Behind Christian Century Foundation Archived from the original on April 2 2015 Retrieved April 1 2015 McLaren Brian May 9 2006 Brian McLaren on the Da Vinci Code Grace Fellowship Sojourners Magazine Archived from the original on April 2 2015 Retrieved April 1 2015 Rossing Barbara R March 1 2007 The Rapture Exposed Basic Books ISBN 978 0 465 00496 6 a b John Cloud and Rancho Mirage Meet the Prophet Archived 2008 12 01 at the Wayback Machine Time June 23 2002 John W Whitehead God So Loved the World that He Gave Us World War III Archived 2008 01 12 at the Wayback Machine OldSpeak July 1 2004 Re Sacralizing Violence in Left Behind girardianlectionary net Retrieved August 6 2023 Left Behind and the Corruption of Biblical Interpretation Archived from the original on June 2 2015 Retrieved May 12 2015 Imdb com Left Behind 2000 Box office Business IMDb Archived from the original on August 4 2014 Retrieved October 4 2014 clarionledger com Audition for TV role or be Left Behind Archived July 1 2001 at archive today End Times Thriller Left Behind II Tribulation Force Ousts Spider Man Over the Weekend to Become the 1 Selling Video Overall on Amazon com Manta Retrieved October 4 2014 Hendrix Grady December 1 2005 How to end the world on a budget Slate Magazine Cloud Ten Plans Big Budget Left Behind Remake PDF October 13 2010 Archived from the original PDF on October 27 2011 Retrieved January 18 2015 Left Behind Retrieved October 4 2014 Left Behind Author Tim LaHaye Worked on Gen X Apocalyptic Film Vanished Before His Death August 13 2016 LB2 Day 1 FINALLY By Left Behind Facebook www facebook com Retrieved August 6 2023 Jacobs Stephen 2015 Simulating the Apocalypse Theology and Structure of the Left Behind Games Online Heidelberg Journal of Religions on the Internet 7 doi 10 11588 rel 2015 0 18509 Critics blast Left Behind USA Today December 14 2006 Archived from the original on August 31 2010 Retrieved May 7 2010 Left Behind Eternal Forces The Video Game Adl org Archived from the original on March 7 2012 Left Behind Eternal Forces Review IGN November 14 2006 Archived from the original on June 17 2012 Retrieved October 27 2007 Reviews Games Left Behind Eternal Forces Artstechnica December 14 2006 p 1 Archived from the original on December 4 2008 Retrieved June 14 2017 Left Behind Eternal Forces Review GameSpy Archived from the original on August 25 2012 Retrieved October 27 2007 Lelchuk Ilene January 9 2011 Convert or die game divides Christians Some ask Wal Mart to drop Left Behind The San Francisco Chronicle Archived from the original on October 18 2011 Retrieved November 15 2018 LB Games Newsletter Archived from the original on October 11 2007 Retrieved October 27 2007 Further reading EditDeMar Gary Left Behind Separating Fact from Fiction Powder Springs Georgia 2009 ISBN 0 915815 38 9 Eford James M Left Behind What the Bible Really Says about the End Times Macon Georgia Smyth amp Helys 2006 ISBN 1 57312 461 3 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 Monahan Torin 2008 Marketing the Beast Left Behind and the Apocalypse Industry PDF Media Culture amp Society 30 6 813 830 CiteSeerX 10 1 1 691 2622 doi 10 1177 0163443708096095 S2CID 143404910 Olson Carl E Will Catholics be Left Behind San Francisco Ignatius Press 2003 ISBN 0 898709 50 4 Standaert Michael 2006 Skipping Towards Armageddon The Politics and Propaganda of the Left Behind Novels and the LaHaye Empire Soft Skull Press 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 Tuley Glenn Not Left Behind A Tribulation Survival Manual Bedford TX Burkhart Books 2015 ISBN 978 1 940359 25 0External links EditOfficial website Archive of Left Behind radio shows in RealAudio WELS Topical Q amp A Left Behind Series a Confessional Lutheran perspective Slacktivist blog analysis and critique of Left Behind Left Behind series listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database Portal nbsp Christianity Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Left Behind amp oldid 1176219727, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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