Left Behind

For some of you it might surprise you that I have not even mentioned Left Behind since I started this blog (and some of you might even be glad - you know who you are). But I recently came to this realization, and thought that it was about time I wrote a review about one of my favorite series of all time.

Now the first question you may ask me about this series is if I agree with everything that is presented in these 15 books. My answer to you would be yes and no. I would answer yes because I believe that they do a fairly good job of giving readers their own personal interpretation of Scripture. I would answer no because the Scripture they are trying to interpret is vague. They could be very close to the correct interpretation in some ways but wrong in others. No one truly knows what "earth's last days" will be like. We can only make our best predictions about the mysterious prophecies from Daniel and Revelation. But I do feel that Jenkins and LaHaye did a good job in writing those ideas into a fictional account. I think that some people forget that these books are truly fiction. They take this series as Scripture, and that is something I have tried to refrain from in reading these books. I believe that it is a fictional account of Biblical prophecy, but it is still a good fictional story.

So what is it about this series that makes it so good? The action never stops! The series begins with Ray Steele on an airplane with his flight attendant Hattie when the Rapture occurs. Chloe Steele is at college, and she later realizes that her mother and brother are gone. Buck Williams is a young journalist who gets wrapped up in the political aspects of the Rapture. He soon meets up with Nicolae Carpathia (the Antichrist) and realizes the extent of Nicolae's powers. Through it all they meet up with Bruce Barnes and discover the truth. These four, Ray, Chloe, Buck, and Bruce, create the Tribulation Force and go on the offensive to spread the Gospel to all who are willing to hear. Events continue to unfold, and things only get worse. Bruce is the first to die through the chaos, and the Tribulation Force continues to grow, especially with the help of Tsion Ben-Judah. In the end, Ray survives through it all, the only one of the original four.

These are 15 action packed books, filled with cliff hangers. Do not get comfortable with anything, because the story is constantly changing. You will encounter many humorous scenes along the way, but there are also many upsetting scenes (like when a favorite character dies). I remember reading Armageddon and getting really mad because of a bad decision by one of the characters. I put the book down and came back to it later. It is these various aspects that make it such a great series.

So if you have always thought that this is a "bad" series, then I encourage you to change your mind. Give these books a chance, and if nothing else, read it for the entertainment. You may not agree with the authors' interpretation of Scripture. But remember that it is their opinion on a very vague topic. It is OK to disagree, but that does not make this a "bad" series. I have always enjoyed the Left Behind series and always will. If you have not read them before, go out and get book 1.

Matt