Very good book. Everyone should read this book and the rest of the series. I have a very hard time putting these books down.

This is a great series! These books minister to every Christians every where.

The books reads like a TV series, you can't put them down! As you look at the world around you, the signs of the coming of the Lord God is soon at hand! Change your life and walk with him. Nothing is impossible.

Embrace The Change!

This is a great series! These books minister to every Christians every where.

The books read like a TV series, you can't put them down! As you look at the world around you, the signs of the coming of the Lord God is soon at hand! Change your life and walk with him and say "Yes, I can!" Nothing is impossible. Don't be fooled by pettiness and things of this world. It's a new day my people...

Change is coming! And is coming in the form of Christ our Lord and Savior.

Embrace Change!

May God love you and Keep you.

must read for adults and teens. must read the entire seriesin order. i read all the books in 2 weeks. life just had to be put on hold.

what a spectacularly awful reading experience ... i am a christian and have studied the very complex book of the bible upon which this claptrap is based ... to so mislead the ignorant folks who read this is an injustice to them ... they would be better served going to bible study group0s in their church ... i cannot believe that the avg review is 4.5 stars ... i looked at the 1st 115 pges of the 554 pages of reviews and at least 90% of the reviews i looked at were one star ... what gives?

For concept alone, I would give the "Left Behind" series five stars. The way the Rapture is imagined (people disappearing into thin air, an anti-Christ in the form a charismatic political superstar on the world stage, miraculous events in Israel including a defenseless win of a war) is outstanding. What is far less thrilling is the plotting and characterization. Although this series does more psychological plumbing than the usual thriller, the characters are flat and the pacing of the books is maddening at times.

Since I had seen the movie, I started the series with "Tribulation Force" and read through "Desecration." I slowly grew tired of the enterprise, never even getting to the final two volumes. This is a series that goes on way too long and at times gets petty and petulant in making its theological points. The general vibe is, "We're right, everyone else is wrong. End of story." Certainly people are entitled to their opinions, but the hectoring "always right" tone gets annoying after a while.

Recently I found myself curious again and decided to read the first volume. I would say my review remains the same: brilliant concept, plodding delivery. I particularly dislike Hattie's one-dimensional character. There is a sequence in this volume in which she tells of desiring unwanted pregnancies so that her sister, who works at an abortion clinic, can keep her job. I mean, really? That is just plain misogynistic. Hattie is always, throughout the volumes, the harlot in contrast to Chloe's virtuous foil. So much more could be done in creating nuanced characters.

Sometimes the writing (as contrasted with the characterization) is fine. This is a thriller after all, not literary fiction. I would say Jerry Jenkins is no worse than Dan Brown when it comes to prose styling. At times he chokes on poorly written sentences. Sample: "Irene stayed home, uncomfortably past her ninth month carrying their surprise tagalong son, Ray Jr." Overall, though, the narrative moves along smoothly.

Based on this reading experience, I have no desire to finish off the series. There are some very good things in "Left Behind" but there is also much that could be improved.

No need here for another synopsis, rather a few words on the widely varying reviews. This isn't 'great literature' nor the finest whatever. What it is is a very interesting read with a fascinating premise. Those of you offended by any positive take on religion probably can't enjoy this. The book could reasonably be reviewed at 3-4 stars based on quality and certainly similar level books are often 'generously' rated at 5 stars by many of the more enthusiastic folks out there. But the 1 and 2 star reviews merely reflect the political 'axe to grind' anti-christian attitudes manifested by a ever growing crowd who apparently are more than ready to bring back book burning and perhaps their own modernized version of the Inquisition. Enjoy!

This part of the series was poorly written. Sort of like a story by a middle school kid who is a really good writer. Paper thin, inconsistent characters, rambling in spots and never able to capture the reader. A predictable plot that twists and turns to no good end.
I couldn't stand how the characters went from these strong personalities to complete indecisive, insecure wimps as soon as finding Jesus ... who then rebel against the anti-Christ. By the way ... think of it ... the anti-Christ. Imagine the fun you could have writing that character. Nope, not in this collection. Not fun at all. I was hoping for him to be a real grab you by the throat and throttle you character ... no depth to the character at all. He constantly sounds like a whiny preschooler. Very disappointing.
I really thought this collection was going to go somewhere ... I kept hoping. But as I moved from book to book it just got weaker and weaker until I just didn't care what happened to the characters. Just get it over with. Let the 1000 year reign begin already.

This is a great start to a series of books , thanks to a friend this is a great book, can't wait to read the rest.. I really enjoy the surprises and twists along the way ....
Nicole (NY) Author Rainy Day Poems and more book 1 and 2

i loved this book. all the books in this series are very well written and keep you glued to the books. i ordered several for my brother and he loved them. his friends are reading them as well. they are always asking when i am going to send the next book in the series. these are sure to entertain you and keep you wnating more wondering what's going to happen next. the authors did an excellent job in my opinion. i hope they keep them coming.you will surely love them.

I really, really wanted to like this as I love religious fiction and those titles dealing with end times in particular though. There is no getting around it, however - this is one of the most poorly written books to have ever been published, period.

I love this book. I had to force myself to but it down so I don't read though it all at once. I find that the characters are very real, and other than the initial event (the Rapture) all of the following events sound realistically possible (in a novel). I have read many negative reviews from Christians denouncing that it doesn't exactly follow the Bible. And from others saying that it's nothing but religious evangelicalism. To all of those I say "It's a novel". It's fiction. It doesn't have to follow other sources and the writers can say what they want.
To me it is a perfect mix, not too far out there and not too much preaching.
I would recommend it to anyone interested. If you don't like the first book then don't read the rest.

If you want soap opera-style melodrama with a "Christian" twist, then maybe this series is for you. If you want the truth, then keep right on walking. I have studied Bible prophecy for the past 40 years, and though I do lean toward a belief in a "catching away" of believers (rapture) and a seven year tribulation on earth, this book is about 10 percent truth and 90 percent total balderdash. There is no reason to get so wrapped up in something that will not happen the way the authors describe. What we as Christian believers are to do is to live our lives loving the Lord and our fellow man and leave the rest to Him. I'm sorry I read this book, it was a waste of my precious time that could have been spent doing something productive.

The Rapture and biblical prophecy are fascinating subjects that could be the basis for a roller coaster modern story. Unfortunately the authors dilute the potential with long, boring, inconsequential text. I trudged through the first 2 books, then finally threw in the towel on the 3rd after reading a *chapter* describing a traffic jam! The best of this series could be distilled to just a few books but, keeping with the theme, it's already too late...

I have no idea why this book has been acclaimed by so many people-- even by many Christians-- as a great work of literature. The plot is weak and chock-full of bland, superfluous details. Buck's part of the story is particularly uninteresting. There are just too many things going on all at once. His part of the story gives us the specifics of how he plugged in his computer to an outlet and how his subconscious waking system didn't work one day when he wanted to get up at 8 and instead woke up 45 minutes later.

I also believe that the end-times view this book supports has no biblical backing, though this is not the reason why I gave this book only one star. I hold to the Postmillenialist viewpoint and would love to have a discussion if you have any questions/arguments about this particular viewpoint or end-times in general. (In the comment section, I have posted a short paper about end times.)

I could not put the first book down. I enjoyed all the characters and looked forward to each adventure. I ran through all 12 books in record time. If you are real serious then don't get the book. But if you like to read books that try to show the book of Revelations in a literal way and also explore the effects of the church being raptured then have fun. People have been talking about the rapture for years...and we are still here...so don't go selling all you have or running up the credit cards just yet. the books did help me more with having faith and about praying more. The Left Behind Series also made me get the Holy Bible out and read it more. In both cases that ends up being a good thing.

There were so many questions I couldn't seem to get answered, what ifs and whatnot but I found this book and couldn't help but read the entire series. There are I think 13 or more books in the set and well worth the read. In some cases a little more scripture than I wanted at the time but the storylines were great and followed my Bible.

This in the end actually taught me a lot about what is to come and reinforced my beliefs and I've actually gotten more involved in attending church, all due to this series.

Have you ever wondered what will happen during and after the rapture? Well this book takes a look at the rapture through the eyes of those who are left behind after God vacuums up all the righteous people with an 800 horse power whisper quiet shop-vac.

The main characters include an airline pilot, his daughter, a journalist, a flight attendant, and a new world leader with devilishly good looks and charm. The main characters are all intelligent people who are trying to figure out what happened to there loved ones and what that great sucking noise was right before a third of the populace vanished. The people left behind theories seem to include alien abduction, spontaneous combustion, and God. But since all the righteous religious people are gone they are a little fuzzy on the god theory.

The book is entertaining enough, but it is mostly build up with no satisfactory release; a bit of a tease if you will. For my money I want something a little more satisfying, like a manwich or a 16 oz steak of a story. In the beginning there does seem to be the promise of steak but all you get in the end is a tiny greasy vegetarian appetizer and a bill for $ 14.99.

I like this book because it had excitement throughout this story. Throughout this book it was sad. I like how all of the people disappeared. I did not like how some people stayed back because of their religious beliefs. If they would have become children of God, they would have disappeared too; which means they would have gone to Heaven. A part in this book that was sad is when Lionel's family disappeared. Another is when one day on a plane, all of the people were gone. The book made me feel and think about my future and how I wanted to be a Christian before its time to go. I dont know when that is but I want to be ready when it happens. I try to tell lots of people about Christ so they can get closer to God and accept Him in order to have eternal life.

I really enjoyed this book and its contents, making me reflect on my christianity. I know that the end may be near, which this book really puts it in perspective for me, that us as christians need to rethink how we are so obliviant to the fact the end could come at any time. When Ryans' dad was on the phone with Ryan, he told Ryan "Your mom didn't make it". That really saddens me that will really happen to kids, and their parents who are non-christians who will spend eternity in hell, who dont know the true love of God.

To cover all the problems with continuity, logic, theology, geography and plain common sense in _Left Behind_ would take a whole book. One hardly knows where to start.

Perhaps it is too early to assess the damage that will be done to Christian religion by this trashy novel. As such, it isn't even a decent trashy novel; instead of steamy sex scenes, we get sanctimonious sermonizing. Worse than that, what the authors have done is to turn the powerful imagery of the Bible into a cheap comic book, ignoring its spiritual messages in favor of promoting a self-centered preoccupation with getting a ticket to heaven before it's too late.

The comic book aspect can not be overemphasized. Even if you suspend disbelief enough to accept the rapture scenario (an idea with virtually no scriptural support), little in the characters' actions, thought processes or dialog rings true. One gets the impression that the book was hastily thrown together by a junior high school student. God ends up looking like the ultimate villain, demanding that you hurry up and get yourself and your friends on his side Or Else.

Whatever happened to the inspiring Christian writers of yesteryear? Who is the present-day equivalent of C. S. Lewis, or Catherine Marshall, and why aren't they getting more attention? These were writers who actually made you THINK. LaHaye and Jenkins seem to believe that thinking is the last thing God wants us to be doing; they hardly miss a chance to put down anyone with any hint of intelligence or independent thought. They show no interest in answering the sort of hard questions that surviving non-believers in such a world might ask. One wonders if they have ever met a non-believer at all, or witnessed the aftermath of a disaster for that matter.

These days, it seems as if all the media attention is on the likes of Ann Coulter or Pat Robertson, whose mission seems to be to turn Christianity into a twisted, bigoted caricature of what it once was. Perhaps all the great religious thinkers really have been raptured. If _Left Behind_ is an example of the sort of writing that we can expect from Christian writers, then it is the church itself that is in danger of being left behind.

Ok, I don't mean to be rude, but if you think this is great writing you are woefully uneducated. It is almost a sad confirmation of the common stereotype of fundamentalist Christians being uneducated yokels that so many of them think this is great writing. Here's my take: I'd enjoy a good "end of times" story - this just isn't it. The Left Behind series is amateurish and poorly written and just plain astonishing to me that it has had such huge success. P.T. Barnum once said that no one ever went broke understimating the intelligence of the American public and this series proves it. Christians should demand better writing from their revered authors. Go read some C.S. Lewis or something - please.

Even the avid "trekie" reader of the Star Trek science fiction novels, movies and television series will suspend disbelief, when he finds Captain Kirk saying "Beam me up, Scotty." But the biblical literalist reading this book need make no such effort, when he reads in this book that Jesus will effectively beam millions of true Christians up to heaven in the world-wide "Rapture." Though the characters and their roles are fictitious, the book specifically references the relevant biblical passages for the believer.

The story line opens with the moment of discovery after the historic mass Rapture event, and the remainder is a moral melodrama concluding with emotional born-again conversions.

In the September/October 2006 issue of Foreign Affairs Walt Mead writes that fundamentalists are not hospitable to the idea of gradual progress toward a secular utopia driven by technological advances and the cooperation of intelligent people of all religious traditions.

Instead fundamentalists separate themselves from the world and have a premillennial pessimism about prospects for social reform. Billy Graham's biography by Strober notes that they criticized Graham's "new evangelism" for its inclusiveness and for its involvement in social problems. Yet their separatism does not preclude proselytizing as portrayed in these novels by the "Tribulation Force" or as exemplified by Jerry Falwell's Moral Majority.

They are also committed to an apocalyptic vision of the end of the world and are hostile to international institutions such as the United Nations. Mead notes that it is no coincidence that the Left Behind novels show the Antichrist rising to power as the secretary-general of the United Nations.

The U.S. Statistical Abstract reports that the per capita numbers of fundamentalists are growing exponentially, while evangelicals and liberals - e.g. Southern Baptists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists - and Catholics are continuing their per capita declines. Such data and the reported popularity of these Left Behind novels indicate fundamentalism's growing appeal in contemporary American society.

I see readers who seriously respond to this book as the "left behind" in the backwash of the tidal flows of cultural change in modern American society, and as the conservative Christians who believe it is better to stay behind.

Even the avid "trekie" reader of the Star Trek science fiction novels, movies and television series will suspend disbelief, when he finds Captain Kirk saying "Beam me up, Scotty." But the biblical literalist reading this book need make no such effort, when he reads in this book that Jesus will effectively beam millions of true Christians up to heaven in the world-wide "Rapture." Though the characters and their roles are fictitious, the book specifically references the relevant biblical passages for the believer.

The story line opens with the moment of discovery after the historic mass Rapture event, and the remainder is a moral melodrama concluding with emotional born-again conversions.

In the September/October 2006 issue of Foreign Affairs Walt Mead writes that fundamentalists are not hospitable to the idea of gradual progress toward a secular utopia driven by technological advances and the cooperation of intelligent people of all religious traditions.

Fundamentalists separate themselves from the world, are committed to an apocalyptic vision of the end of the world, are pessimistic about prospects for social reform in American society, and are hostile to institutions such as the United Nations. Mead notes that it is no coincidence that the Left Behind novels show the Antichrist rising to power as the secretary-general of the United Nations.

Yet the separatism does not preclude attempts at redemption as portrayed in these novels by the "Tribulation Force" or as exemplified in American politics by Falwell's Moral Majority.

The U.S. Statistical Abstract reports that the per capita number of fundamentalists are growing exponentially, while evangelicals and liberals - e.g. Southern Baptists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists - and Catholics are continuing their per capita declines. Such data and the reported popularity of these Left Behind novels indicate fundamentalism's growing appeal.

I see the readers who respond to this book as the "left behind" in America's culture wars, and as Christian believers who seek the fortitude and vision to stay behind.

Left Behind book one is by-far the best book out of the first five adult books that I have read. This book is science-fiction and is a fast reader. The Left Behind collection is about the Earths last days when Jesus comes from heaven and chooses the chosens one. If you believe in the bible and know Jesus is real you will not be Left Behind. It starts out with Rayford steele in countrol of a 747 passanger Jet flying over the Alantic. As he is doing that he is thinking about the Senior Flight attendent, Hattie Durham. She is young and atractive. But he is loyle to his wife, Irene, so he wont ruin there relationship. Rayford has two kids. Ray JR. age 12 and Chloe, coming home from college. When Rayford isnt working he never really goes to church. Only ray Jr. and Irene every sunday and Chloe is always at college. But to know the rest you must read the book. Left Behind is Kinda hard to understand and has some hard words in it. (Recommened age group 8th grade-13 years of age.) Craig- Monticello,Illinois

The story opens over the Atlantic, on a 747 enroute to London. The pilot, Rayford Steele, is daydreaming about pretty flight attendant Hattie, and rationalizing the end of his marriage. In first class sits Buck Williams, a respected journalist on the way to his next big story. Suddenly, chaos erupts on the plane: Dozens of people are missing! And millions more are missing from every country on earth. Over the next few days, Ray, Hattie, and Buck will meet again and deal with these disappearances, as well as mind-boggling changes in the world of international politics.

I'd heard about this book, of course, but had never been interested in reading it, until I picked up a used copy on a whim. After just a few pages, I was hooked. It's full of action and drama, told in an easy-reading style that makes the pages fly by. I expected it to be preachy, but it wasn't; it was thought-provoking and intense and left me almost breathless at the end, eager to read the next book in the series. It's an entertaining tale about the end days predicted in the Bible. Highly recommended.

The story opens over the Atlantic, on a flight enroute to London. The pilot, Rayford Steele, is daydreaming about pretty flight attendant Hattie, and rationalizing the end of his marriage. In first class sits Buck Williams, a respected journalist on the way to his next big story. Suddenly, chaos erupts on the plane: Dozens of people are missing! And millions more are missing from every country on earth. Over the next few days, Ray, Hattie, and Buck will meet again and deal with these disappearances, as well as mind-boggling changes in the world of international politics.

I'd heard about this book, of course, but had never been interested in reading it, until I picked up a used copy on a whim. After just a few pages, I was hooked. It's full of action and drama, told in an easy-reading style that makes the pages fly by. I expected it to be preachy, but it wasn't; it was thought-provoking and intense and left me almost breathless at the end, anxious to read the next book in the series. It's a down-to-earth tale about the end days predicted in the Bible that can also be enjoyed as an entertaining story. Highly recommended.

The story opens over the Atlantic, on a flight enroute to London. The pilot, Rayford Steele, is daydreaming about pretty flight attendant Hattie, and rationalizing the end of his marriage. In first class sits Buck Williams, a respected journalist on the way to his next big story. Suddenly, chaos erupts on the plane: Dozens of people are missing! And millions more are missing from every country on earth. Over the next few days, Ray, Hattie, and Buck will meet again and deal with these disappearances, as well as mind-boggling changes in the world of international politics.

I'd heard about this book, of course, but had never been interested in reading it, until I picked up a used copy on a whim. After just a few pages, I was hooked. It's full of action and drama, told in an easy-reading style that makes the pages fly by. I expected it to be preachy, but it wasn't; it was thought-provoking and intense and left me almost breathless at the end, anxious to read the next book in the series. It's a great story, entertaining and down-to-earth, about the end days predicted in the Bible. Highly recommended.

Really, really, really, not a good book. It's not terrible per se, written in an understandable manner, in fact written like the authors were five. It's overly simple and if not for the wholesome Christian, "we hate everyone else who doesn't believe in Christ and unborn children are alive" vibe, it would easily be dismissed as a trashy romance novel, which is probably about the level the authors are on. How many other genres can you get away with naming a character Rayford Steele, god, I can't believe they don't talk about throbbing things all over the place. Additionally, the constant need to drop the phrase "Left Behind" like it had some sort of scary imposing music behind it just gets obnoxious, with he vibe of B horror movies, you know, the type everyone laughs at because they are so bad, and that's the only reason to watch them? Well that really sums up this book, kind of funny if you want to see the world as a B movie crossed with a romance, while being smacked in the face with good wholesome Christian values, that every character seems to accept without a thought after they go "Hey it's the end times." Really don't read this, go rent "dawn of the dead" or "them" or "It" it will really get through to the only possible pleasure centers that this book could stimulate much more enjoyably.

After finishing it, you will ask yourself why. Not only because it is just plain bad, but because there is no ending. All of the books characters that began as agnostics suddenly see Christ as the only reasonable and logical answer to the mysterious disappearance of people, and that's it. The authors were obviously intent on milking it for everything it was worth and making a sequel, and then another and another.... Really just a bad ending. Additionally, that brings up probably the one largest, of many, plot holes in the book. Everyone starts out agnostic and sees the "logic" in the end times explanation. Except there is no logic, at least no more logic to it than to the space alien explanation they laugh about throughout the book. There is no scientific evidence and there is no logical support for it, other than the characters all have this logical jump, no different from the people standing on the street corner saying random things are signs of the end. This book is about a bunch of street corner lunatics. I am not saying all Christians are etc, but that people in real life who jump over any little pattern and call it the end times, when its only human nature to see these patterns and link them in our minds, are wacko. The only reason the characters in the books having these Paul on the road to Damascus moments aren't in nut houses is because the authors are shoving a specific, relatively scholarly unsupported, version of Christianity down your throats. It is also really noxious that they place the scientists in the hands of the Antichrist making his statements and such, effectively demonizing science and eliminating the possibility of presenting a real reasonable means of the disappearance. In short, the authors take there characters, who should by the end of book two be in padded cells in a hospital, makes them Ivy League intellectuals who are very logical and agnostic (not that any of them seem to come from a science background, or anything along the lines of giving a reasonable sounding to the events of the disappearance), and saying that their thoughts turning to Yhwh is the only logical conclusion, to attempt and put this forward as an example, which really just creates illogical, unbelievable, cloned characters.

To finish up: pedantic writing, "Steele", and Christianity forced on you so hard that Billy Graham looks subtle.

PS: as an actual scholar of religion and ancient Judaism specifically, there is no reason to ever use the OT in support of revelation or the messianism in Christianity. It was written before it was thought of as the NT does and was concerned only with a temporal eschatology, not a new world, and messiah meant only an annointed leader, not a Christ figure. The resurection and gathering of Exekial was a figurative one for the nation of Judah, not its people. Of the OT, Danial is possibly the only book that touches on this, and it was really only concerned with a period much more limited than later beliefs, probably just its author's present. This is not to say Christianity or Judaism or any other faith is wrong, but as a scholar it bugs me to have these texts missinterprated and missused. Don't believe me? Read Hansons "Dawn of the Apocalyptic" or any of countless others.

Lionel, Judd, Vicki, and Ryan come from separate worlds. Vicki's considered trailer trash, while Judd's wallet has plenty of plastic. Ryan is an only child and Lionel grew up in a big family. But they have one thing in common. They aren't Christians until the Rapture which is prophecised in the Bible and tells about Jesus coming back for his church. Since all of these kids are above the Age of Accountability and they all lose their families, they're on their own. While people around the world are looking for answers, they wind up in New Hope Village Church where Pator Bruce Barnes, who was left behind, helps them. They become brothers and sisters in Christ but they have a long journey ahead of them. The Bible prophecizes that there will be seven years of Tribulation after the Rapture and before the coming of Heaven on Earth. The kids decide that they need to share their faith with other people but the Antichrist won't let them. While the entire world is being hoodwinked by an evil Nicholae Carpthia, these kids are spreading the Word through an illegal news paper they call the Underground. Soon the Underground is discovered by authorities and Vicki gets caught. While it isn't just she who is making it, she refuses to betray her friends. The Global Community, who are Nicholae Carpathia's police force, sends Vicki to Northside Detention Center. The GC is striving for global unity. Carpathia wants ONE community, ONE capital, ONE government, ONE ruler and ONE RELIGION: the Enigma Babylon Faith. This faith says that God can be found in all of us and that there is not just one way to heaven. The Christians contradict that in their preaching and get in trouble for it. Still, these kids and the people they meet continuously put others before themselves because they know that is what Jesus did for them. Bruce continues to tutor them in Bible studies for the group they call the Young Tribulation Force. They find that all the things that the Bible is predicting are coming true. One of those things is that only a fourth of the world's population will survive to see God coming back to earth. Naturally, the kids all want to live through the hardships but no matter how well the Bible predicts the events, it doesn't give clues as to how to stay alive.

I figured I'd check this book out just based on its sales (10 million people can't be wrong etc...) However, sadly I found it to be very poorly written and really really cliched. There was never a scene where I didn't feel like I had read it somewhere else before. I was amazed when I saw all the writing credits the co-authors had, considering how poorly written and constructed it was. The dialogue was so bad that I was laughing to myself. However, if you want to learn vaguely about "the rapture" in a well worn fiction format and haven't seen the omen then have a field day...

I've read plenty of end-of-the-world stories and don't mind having a bit of theology or philosophy mixed in with my action/thrillers (see, for example, my novel, Forced Conversion). I also know that Left Behind has sold a zillion copies and spawned eleven sequels, so I had high expectations for this book. Unfortunately, I was disappointed, not because of the preachiness (which is not obnoxious, just very repetitive), but because of the lack of suspense, weak writing, flat characters, and constant plot conveniences. Like too many apocalyptic stories, the focus is on a very narrow core of characters, leaving out the complex stuff about how society as a whole is realistically dealing with the crisis at hand. There is a naivete' and lack of realism about how things happen in the real world of politics (e.g., the Arab/Israeli crisis is resolved in a sentence ("Flush with cash and resources, Israel made peace with her neighbors."; Has money ever been the issue there?); Russia attacks Israel for no explainable reason; and not once is there mention of the disproportionate impact of a Christian rapture on the populations and military preparedness of Christian vs. non-Christian countries). Other disconnects include the treatment of emergency management (despite premising that O'Hare is the only airport open in the eastern third of the country because of all of the plane crashes, accidents, and disappearances of personnel, a helicopter is conveniently available to fly pilots to their suburban residences) and interpersonal relationships (all of which occur at warp speed and include such incongruities as a top reporter mixing meetings with the new world leader with introductions to a stewardess he just met and wrestling in the hallway with a rival reporter). If you are reading primarily for the religious message, add a star to my review; if you are reading primarily for an apocalyptic action/thriller, drop a star and look elsewhere.

I approached this book with a bit of trepidation. I don't believe that the Bible is meant to be interpretted literally, and that the apocalyptic books (such as Revelations) are particularly difficult to properly understand. Because the entire premise of this story is built around such a literal interpretation of these apocalyptic writings in the Bible, I was a little concerned that this book would be little more than a vehicle to convey the Funadmentalist Christian message.

While the book does become a bit preachy in a few places, for the most part it does a pretty good job of just telling its story. The action is pretty well paced, and this 450+ page book was a surprisingly fast read. While a few of the plot points did feel a bit forced, the book is mostly believable (within its premise), and certainly is an exciting ride. The characters felt a bit flat, but I expect that they will continue to develop in the subsquent books. The book was better than I honestly expected, and I might even look for the next one to see how the story continues.

Side note: This book was obviously written for Christians only. It portrays non-Christians as ignorant people who are too proud to realize the Bible is right and tries to prove this point by setting the story in a world where biblical prophecies are coming true. Of course if prophecies came true you could believe in it, but not in the real world where the Bible - or any other scripture for that matter - doesn't hold up to critical analysis.

As for the book itself, it is mildly interesting and it sets up for some interesting adventures to come, and it is obvious that it was written as a first part in a series, so it doesn't quite stand up as a good book on its own. If it had been a trilogy, I might have thought it interesting enough to read the other two volumes, but this book was definately not good enough for me to want to continue for more than ten more volumes.

"Left behind" is the first of a twelve-book series bearing the same name. It was, since its release, a great success, with related movies and other literary spinoffs series. Plainly speaking, this series tells the story of the prophecies told in the christian Bible, from Revelations on, I think. In this first book - in the very first pages, in fact - the main feature is the Rapture, where the good girls go to heaven and the bad girs have to go everywhere else, searching for their loved ones, looking for other people that were left behind, and, most of all, wondering why God has not chosen them.

This discussion is interesting, although, in this first installment, at least, there are no answers to most spiritual questions. The book concentrates in two groups of people, obviously drawn together for plot's sake: Captain Ray Steele and his family, mostly his amazingly beautiful daughter Chloe. Captain Steele sees the Rapture as a sign that his previous life was as sinful as a whorehouse in Amsterdam. Seeking redemption, he joins the remaining pastor of his wife's Protestant church. Steele's daughter is not that convinced that she's done something wrong and is reluctant to join her father's religious efforts. On the other hand, there's Buck Williams, a wonder-kid journalist, known in powerful circles. Studying the biblic prophecies, they learn that a certain fast-rising eastern-european politician may be a powerful power of darkness and intend to form a Task Force to combat the forces of evil on Earth.

Anyway, it may seem strange - in the light of what I have written so far in this review -, but I enjoyed the book, especially when I remembered that this is only the first part of a series. What I mean is, the authors take their time to present the characters, to explain what is happening and to cast glimpses of what may happen next. This is good, because the reader enjoys the story and never seems at a loss of what is really going on. The characters are stereothypes, all right, but they are convincing ones. There are no Deus-ex-machina (no pun intended) situations going on. The book is consistent on what is purposed to be.

The problem is, there are some missing points... as some other reviwer said, this is a book by christians, for christians. Other religions are hardly mentioned, if not mentioned at all. What happened to all budhists, and brahmanists, and animists? I don't know. And there are other little, annoying things. Written more than a decade earlier, this book seems already a little outdated, and risks being unreadable some 50 years from now.

I'ts hard to review a single book of such a series, when the plot continues with no interruptions from book to book. This one is kind of slow, but I understand it has to be so, being the first one. That's why I give it 4 stars instead of 3.

This series is wonderful. I really loved all of the books, when they would come out I would buy AND read the whole book the day it came out

I stopped after the third book in the series, but my husband continued. For a serious reader or student of the Bible, these books are an insult. They are repetitive and drawn out to the point of boredom. The only possible purpose for the additional books is the greed of the authors. I realize its only fiction, but its not even good fiction. If you're that interested in "end times" read the book of Revelations.

I am on book three of the series. I have seen the first two movies. I understand that the story is fictional and that what happens in the book to fictional characters in a fictional world is what will happen when the time comes. The flaw I find is that all will see Christ when he returns, people will not just up and disapear. I believe the series is telling of things that could happen but I don't expect the anti christ will have the name of the character in the series or anything. I think the book helps bring to life the information listed in Revelation and it shows, through the characters how faithful christians should be. I can read this series and take out of it what I think God wants me to. What I want to say is that I love this book and the ones of the series so far. They are not perfect but neither am I. God Bless.

I bought this because '20 million can't be wrong' - but post reading, my theory is most of these 20 million copies were bought by people who couldn't believe how poor the reviews were.

Ok. I read A LOT. I believe in God and consider this to be a personal thing - I don't need to go on a crusade. I help others and I try and live in a caring, thinking, considerate way. I see my 'neighbours' as everyone in the world; regardless of colour, race, wealth or religion. I'm struggling not to write some inflammatory things about this book and be kind about the authors!

The plot had potential but the delivery was beyond dreadful. The sub plot could have been interesting, but the writers felt that leaving it floundering was the way to go. The characters are abysmal to weak. i've seen better dialogue written by my cats. The basic continuity is flawed: there are other examples, but specifically, Buck gets out of a 'beat up coupe' and goes to the bar. The car that blows up on their return is a 'Scotland yard issue sedan' Eh? The lack of care in the detail throughout is shocking. The UK does not have a 'central business district' - a UK financier would work in the 'city' or in the 'stock exchange' and there is no 'culpable homicide' in th UK. It's manslaughter...

These are small details BUT very distracting indeed and SO easily checked. This leads me to think that the biblical references were inserted in the same spurious manner and undermines the book for me.

The message? I'm afraid that I've tried very hard to like and understand this particular version of Christianity. Sadly, I've failed. Viciously black and white. Santimonious. Bigoted. This is my failure to find anything nice in this book and its stance.

Alternatively, the authors have done their cause and religion an enormous disservice by alienating swathes of people. I know many good people of all religions, or of no religion. And several bad folks who wave their banner in the name of Christ.

Sure, it's 'just a story' - propaganda is most effective in this context perhaps? the *only* highlight is some unintentional comedy.

In England this book might be offensive to many due to its message of incitement.

Awful.

. . . there still wouldn't be enough to make a good book I read `em all. All 12. It wasn't worth it. I can't really say that I was robbed because it wasn't like anyone put a gun to my head to keep reading these, and the truth is, I could tell where this was all going and what the problems were by the fourth book. I started in on these because I had read Brian Caldwell's We All Fall Down, which covers Revelation the same as Left Behind. Caldwell's book is only one, and the ideas and descriptions really stuck with me, so I thought I'd try this out. At 12 books, I figured it would really have the ability to go into depth with some of the religious questions and ideas Caldwell touched on.

Boy was I wrong. It's 12 books, but the same idea over and over again. Good people are Christians, bad people aren't. That's it. Seriously. Now, I'm a Christian, and I know good people who are not. People of other faiths, or of no faith, people who would give you the shirt off their back. There's some real questions as to why good people don't choose God, why some bad people choose God and do wrong in His name, and everything in between. Nothing like that in any of these 12 books. All there is is boring, repetitive, one-note conversations between people who behave as if they're in the middle of a high school fire drill rather than the end of the world, which, as depicted here, frankly doesn't seem that bad.

Skip these. If you're a Christian and all you want is to be told, "you're good, everyone else is bad," over and over again, fine, but if you want to seriously explore Christianity, if you have a brain that advanced past a third-graders, read C.S. Lewis or Brian Caldwell's We All Fall Down. Both authors are challenging and can actually write for adults. Their books change lives, these just waste them.

"Left Behind" is not too bad as fantasy goes. The premise is interesting. Unfortunately, many people seem to take the End Times part of this way too seriously.

The Book of Revelations is essentially a collection of predictions, mostly of disasters, worded in highly symbolic language. This is the same trick that Nostradamus used in his prophecies. Since the language is so symbolic, the predictions can be applied to nearly anything. Wait long enough and bad things are, of course, sure to happen. Vague disaster predictions therefore tend to come true all the time. Since the day Revelations was written, people have popped up constantly claiming that now, at last, the predicted events are all happening, and Christ's kingdom is at hand. Is the Rapture coming this time? I don't think so. Are we likely to have some bad times ahead? Yes, but not because God planned it that way. It is humans who are now causing the biggest disasters.

As an atheist, I find the fundamentalist brand of Christianity, which loves to focus on the Rapture, even less appealing than the more ordinary kind. Fundamentalists seem to assume that "God will provide" and that we don't need to think about humanity's future.

If Christianity really worked to make bad people good and good people better, I would be the first to sign up. If Christianity was an effective way to relieve poverty and bring peace, I would definitely consider it. If Christianity were just a silly hobby that made people feel good and harmed no one, it wouldn't bother me. Unfortunately, that isn't what I see. Even when in power, Christianity has made little or no progress in solving the social problems that it deals with, such as poverty and violence. Christianity systematically ignores the most serious problems of our times: overpopulation, exhaustion of resources, and pollution, among others. Why does Christianity ignore these problems? Because they receive little or no attention in the Bible, a book written thousands of years ago.

If you are inclined to believe in the Rapture, I beg you to at least consider some contrary viewpoints. Christ said He would come as a thief in the night. Consider the possibility that He might not come for 500 more years, or 1000. Remember the parable of the talents. Do you want to face Him having ruined the planet He gave us to live on? As far as other fiction, I would suggest Heinlein's book "Job: A Comedy of Justice," which takes belief in the Rapture to its logical conclusion.

Tim LaHaye, Jerry Jenkins, and others in the Pre-Trib circle, such as Ed Hindson, Tommy Ice, Chuck Missler, etc., continue to put forth the same deceptions that Hal Lindsey popularized decades ago. The notion of a pre-tribulation rapture is foreign to scripture, it is foreign to the teachings of the early Church, and it is grooming the Church for destruction through ignorance and lack of preparation for what is really coming. These men are novices and not prophecy "experts" or "scholars" by any stretch of the imagination; they are those who tickle the ears of gullible Christians. Why continue to be deceived? Tim Cohen, in his excellent book, "The AntiChrist and a Cup of Tea," provides biblically sound and testable evidence to show that the coming AntiChrist is known NOW. Not only that, the same author (Tim Cohen) has now put out the strongest presentation on the whole issue of the rapture EVER offered to the saints of God in Christ: "The REAL Rapture". If you really want to know the truth about the timing of the coming rapture, then you need to hear Tim Cohen's "The REAL Rapture" (based on a volume in his forthcoming "Messiah, History, and the Tribulation Period" series (see Prophecy House's web site, prophecyhouse dot com, for details on these items).

This series may be good for a laugh. Some of the writing is engaging.

But the premise is absurd.

WHY, in this day and age, should anyone accept the world-view of the Bible? A book that tells us to buy and sell slaves, stone our wives to death if they accept some other tribe's beliefs, and subordinate our minds to an absolute despot up in the clouds of Mt. Sinai?

In a sense, Bible believers have been "left behind" since the 1700s Enlightenment. Tom Paine's "The Age of Reason" showed the God of the Bible to be a cruel, vindictive monster. And what did Thomas Jefferson call the book of Revelations? "The ravings of a madman."

Read this series, if you like. Enjoy parts of it. But make no mistake: to take any of this seriously, you have to regress to a prehistoric world-view, before men learned to think, to ask questions; before logic or science -- a time when dazed, superstitious primitives believed stars could fall to the earth, if they didn't grovel humbly enough to their supposed god.

Do the absurdities and contradictions bother no one? When the "sheep" are raptured up to heaven, their clothes are left behind. So heaven is a nudist colony?

The basic contradiction, of course, lies in using worldly action (some of it exciting) to proselytize for the unworldly, the supernatural.

But why should we care whether any of the "good" guys gets killed? And why should THEY mind -- won't they go straight up to heaven? That's what they WANT, isn't it? Why even lift a finger against the "bad" guys -- didn't Christ say, "Resist not evil"?

Worried about who will win? "God" is infinitely powerful. So Jesus (who is 1/3 of God -- or something like that) is sure to win when Armageddon rolls around, in book 12 of the series. And the "sheep" -- the believers -- will happily worship him, looking just like the pictures of dim-witted, bovine people you see in the tracts Jehovah's Witnesses leave at your door.

The going price for a used copy of "Left Behind" is one cent. Does that tell you something?

Actually, the story-telling is worth more. The basic premise is worth less. Perhaps it averages out.

This, and the other books in the series, are well worth reading. I never fail to enjoy them, no matter how times I read them. Also I believe it accurately portrays the major points of the Tribulation period, and helps put the prophecy of Revelation into novel-form.

If you want an enjoyable Christian book to read, don't hesitate to read this series.

I must agreee with Tiffany, anyone who reads this series must realize that the books are fictional and that in order to fully understand the story line, one must read The Book of Revelations. Too much has been made of this series and the DiVinci Code and their relatrionships to the Bible, they are both FICTIONAL works written for mass appeal. I have enjoyed this series and it has caused me to go back to the Bible to real the real story.

This series of books is definately for the Christian followers. Catholics, Baptists and those who take the book of Revelations in the literal sense would be very drawn to this story line.

As a Lutheran, I was taught to view the Bible as a series of metaphors, but this series brings the book of Revelation to life almost word for word. Christ raptures his church. Millions of believers vanish into thin air leaving nothing but their clothes behind.

Millions of believers go to heaven to live with God while those without God in their hearts are left to live on earth during the most terrifying times the world has ever seen.

Will they get a second chance at heaven? You'll have to read the books to find out.

Needless to say, I was a bit skeptical when I picked up the first book, but I finished the first five books in this series within three weeks time. I could not put these books down.

The writing could be better and at times is sophmoric, but I believe that these books were written for everyone and so the language is to meet everyone's level.

Decent read, fast paced, involved characters, interesting premise. A must have for the Christian fiction lover.

Left Behind really started a fascinating story for Christians on what the authors believe the bible teaches as the end times. It is a great fictional read and very though provoking.It tells about what the earth would be like if all true Christians were raptured up suddenly,and how the anti-Christ began his rise to power.This books whole story is about the shock and fear of the people left behind. However I would advise that true scholars do not take pieces of the books of Daniel, Revelation, and Isaiah and try to string them together in an end times story. This is done by teachers who do not know the Hebrew and Greek originals. So enjoy the story but do not let it become your Theology. Read the Hank Haanegraf fiction if you want to know what true orthodox Christians believe the bible really teaches through a fictional account. I personally was appalled that the Left behind book grew into so many books, it appeared to me from the beginning as a money making scheme not something christians should be apart of. So I never bought any of the other books.But that is my opinion I do not know what is in their hearts.

This book is a fantastic start to a very intriguing series.

However, I've heard many people criticize this book for practically shoving beliefs down readers' throats. I've even seen criticism of the book's Christian readers for their own beliefs (which isn't even relevant to the book itself!) In response to these reviews, I just have to ask: are you really that unintelligent? Readers have to realize that these books are fiction; they were not meant to predict in exact detail the events of the end times. They were meant to be interesting reads, and I think it's safe to say that for the most part, they accomplished this goal.

That being said, the books themselves as literary works are most definitely worth reading. Just be sure to keep in mind that they are only stories and never claim to be cold, hard facts. If that's what you're looking for, read the book of Revelation itself.

This book can be taken so many ways. Some people may take it as a good possibility of what may happen when Christ returns; others may take it just as a good piece of fiction. And still others may consider it neither. Myself, while I understand that it is considered a book of fiction, it did make a great impact on my life. While I consider myself a believer in Christ, I have at times questioned my faith. This series of books has ended that questioning. While I do not believe in the Rapture, per se, I can tell you that this book made me think twice about how I wanted to live my life. While it is considered fiction, there is a great amount of truth within it. Many things mentioned in the Left Behind books you can look up directly in the Bible. So in a way, this book, and the entire Left Behind series, woke me up and led me back to the way I should have been leading my life. If you are a believer in Christ and have ever questioned your faith, you should greatly enjoy this book, as well as the entire Left Behind series. If you are not a believer in Christ, but are curious or interested in the idea or possibility of becoming a believer, you will probably enjoy this book. If you are not a believer in Christ, and do not think you ever will be, then this is probably not a book that you would enjoy.

This is frightning

not the book, but the fact that tens of millions of americans actually believe the same way as this mental case called LaHaye. Evangelicals are racist, homophobic, anti-intelectual, anti-democratic, and anti-free thought. there is no difference between Lahaye and Osama Bin Laden....they are the same mental cases on the opposite side of the same coin. How can any sane person believe the crap out of revalations in the bible? and most importantly, why would a so-called loving god take up his "chosen ones" and essentially torture those who dont believe into believing? where is this so called "free will" that these idiots claim God gives them? especially when God knows all? if he knows all, then he knew that when he sent the devil to earth, he knew everything that would happen as a result, which makes this god a sadist. If God is so all powerful, why are childre dying of cancer? Why did God sit on his ass while 6 million Jews were slaughtered in the Holocaust? You cant get these mental cases to think logicly because in order to believe the garbage they do, you have to kill your own cognitive abilities. I'm so sick of these christian evangelicals in america....mental cases like LaHaye and the rest of the evangelicals need to be treated like Ebola...confined and isolated.
If there is any "end days" it will be a "self-fulfilling prophecy" carried out by lunatics like LaHaye....it goes back to what I always said...religion will lead to our extinction

Update
Seems the christian evangelican fascists are getting a little pissed....well, the truth always hurts!