Others say...

"I enjoyed every minute...could not put the book down!"
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's a reason this is soooo bad"
Both Lahaye and Jenkins are primarily non-fiction writers.

It is very difficult for a non-fiction writer to write fiction well. I have never seen it done well. You either end up with fiction and non that are superficial and bland (ala Asimov and Clarke) or non-fiction that is reasonable but fiction that is boring and uninteresting (ala Buckley or Steve Allen). These men join that list, though I would say their non-fiction works are equally dreary.

It's because fiction is an art, non-fiction is not. It's the difference between framing a house or doing the intricate finish work. They both deal with wood-working, but one is production, the other is (or can be) an art. It is much more difficult for the framer to do the finish work if he's never done it before, much easier the other way around. And having read some of Jenkins and LeHaye's non-fiction, it is easy to see why their novels fall so far short.

The success of this book--nay, the entire series--is no surprise. Christians don't read generally read fiction, and the fiction that is published as "Christian fiction" has been so hideously bad (except for the old standby's, Tolkein and Lewis) that when a Christian does read a novel it becomes, by default, the best thing they've ever read. It's like showing a man who grew up on a desert island any Adam Sandler movie. It will be, again, by default, the best movie he's ever seen. After viewing a few more films his taste must change. (If not, death must be considered.) The dilemma of the Christian concerning fiction is in finding something of quality that is not worldly. Since writers of any worth don't want to be stuck in the box of Christian fiction (from which no man escapes), good writers don't flock to that genre. Therefore, quality remains low.

Christian writers of today can't write about realistic characters because they have either: a) have shut themselves off in a "spiritual" bubble from the rest of the world, or b) they feel that writing realistically about the world makes one "worldly." There is a balance, and it isn't hard to reach. But this book (and the entire series, as much as I could stomach reading) is below mediocre, i.e., in the forefront of Christian fiction.

(A personal aside: I have met both of these men and they are personable and accessible. And my or anyone else's criticism will not affect their paychecks one iota. Still, creating a novel of quality is well beyond their combined talents.)

"Perfectly entertaining:))"
I loved the whole series... giving a modern spin on the old biblical prophocy. This one will stick out to me because of the two witnesses at the Wailing Wall. They are the most interesting characters in the series. I am now on number 4

"Leave this false teaching behind..."
Leave this false rapture teaching behind. Read Carl Olson's "Will Catholics be left behind?" Totally debunks the "Rapture" and these books.

"Enjoy, but beware"
The novel follows two mens' lives who have been transformed from the darkness of self-centeredness to the light of the Lord, and have vowed to warn the world. They are part of the "left behind", after the world has just befallen to the tribulation and the Anti-Christ begins his reign. The rest (which I think the authors gave too high a percentage) were swept off in the rapture, leaving all their articles where they once stood.

The story is mediocre; the writing and characters are lacking in depth. It does have the unusualness to draw you in, and one almost has to fight the impulse of buying the next book in the series. The story did get better as it drew on.

The problem with these interpretations of the Bible, which is called Dispensationalism or Millenniumism, is that LaHaye and Jenkins have taken literally what is meant to be taken in a figurative way----they have not allowed scripture to interpret scripture. They have also twisted the meaning of "born again".

Even though the authors have misinterpreted scripture there is a message that comes through: faith in Christ and to repent now, before it is too late; there is no second chance as espoused here. Know what it is; read it as interesting fiction.

Wish you well
Scott


 

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  Left Behind: A Novel of the Earth's Last Days (Left Behind #1)

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What our customer's say!

"One of the worst books I've ever laid eyes on", 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 Like It", 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.


"Don't Take This Book Too Seriously!!!", 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.

"You'll need the patience of an angel to get through these books", 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...

"Not the quality novel it's made out to be.", 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.)



 
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Read this reviews before You buy...

"Captivating", I really liked this book and think I will like the entire series. I enjoy the mystery, action, captivation and budding romance. This book left me on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next. I really couldn't put it down. It has really made me look at my faith and where I stand and question things in my own life. I think all would enjoy this book whether you are a christian or not.

"Once you set aside any religious beliefs, you can effectively read this book...", The mysterious book that is the Book of Revelation is one that may not be realized until we are in the midst of it, much like the tellings of Left Behind. Whether or not you believe in the Bible, Left Behind does make for an interesting tale of comfort through crisis (especially post 9/11), conspiracy, a father's relationship to his daughter, and how a newsman deals with removing his feelings to get to a story. The only thing that held be back from giving it 5 stars was in the middle of it came almost a preachy story from the pastor of the New Hope church, almost as if they were speaking to the reader rather than a character in the story. However, the best way to read that is that you are reading a fiction novel in which extraordinary events have happened, people will start to believe in religion. Also, another knock I have on the book is a small detail snuck in there regarding Catholics versus the obvious Protestant church that represents the protagonist side. They claim that only the Pope disappeared in the Rapture. I feel this was an unneeded dig against the Catholics. In addition, I can see some Jewish readers might become offended with the detail that they would be "converted" to Christianity. Keep in mind though this book along with the series takes details out of the Book of Revelation, then adds fiction to keep the action moving. I still enjoyed the book and the intense action and feeling within this book made it a page turner.

I recommend anyone this book who goes into reading it with an open mind as I did.

"decent action and suspense but don't believe all the hype", I'll start off with the positive. In spite of the relative predictability and shallowness of the characters, I find that Mr. Jenkins does keep my interest in this book. The action and the suspense are pretty well-done. If one ignores the anti-Catholic and anti-nonChristian bias, there is actually an entertaining story in there. Plus, another reviewer's comment about margins is valid. There is an unncecssary amount of left and right margin, making these books thicker than their content would require. Pathetic...
Theologically, I should point out that the Rapture is not a belief supported by most Christians. Certainly this 'doctrine' is rejected by Catholic and Orthodox believers as well as most mainline Protestants. Read The Rapture Trap by Paul Thigpen (sp?) for an explanation of why such a literal interpretation is not consistent with the rest of Scripture. LaHaye's work also shows a surprising lack of knowledge about Scripture in general and the writing style of prophetic works. It makes for an interesting story, but please don't label this as "Christian fiction" because it gives the wrong impression of Christian beliefs and embarasses most of us. It is blatantly offensive to Catholics and Orthodox (at least to those who understand their faith). BTW, it is NOT the beilef of Christians that all non-Christians will go to Hell. That is a frequent misunderstanding. Such a belief is un-Christian and contrary to Biblical teaching. Do not confuse LaHaye's beliefs with Christian beliefs - they are not the same...

"Embarrassing.", One of the promotional editorial blurbs (I won't embarrass the source by citing it) says, "It's not your mama's Christian fiction anymore."
Too bad. Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Tolkien, Lewis, Endo, and other [Christian] literary giants have produced brilliant works of fiction that have wrestled with various aspects of Christian thought. If that was `mama's Christian fiction,' please give me more of that instead!

Most popular fiction is junk--in my humble opinion (I won't get too worked up if you disagree), and the "Left Behind" `literary' phenomenon testifies to this. But it sure is lucrative junk! Curiosity over its bizarre level of commercial success, and the commercial whirlwind it has spawned, has driven me to start reading the book several times (I picked up a copy in a second-hand store). I've never gotten very far though. This (and I expect that this holds for the entire explosion of LB products) is embarrassing to the Christian community on two levels. (1.) Beaming prominently from booksellers' shelves, this is very pedestrian writing at best; suggesting that much of `the Christian market' today sets its aesthetic bar quite low. (2.) Its contentional eschatology is not representative of Christianity apart from certain sectors of American evangelicalism.

As regards the second point: There is probably no greater area of disagreement within Christianity, than is to be found in eschatological theories (having to do with chronologies and details of ultimate outcomes, as mysteriously alluded to in certain prophetic texts). This is certainly an area in which no single voice or view can claim to represent the whole, or even the majority, of the Christian religion. These books have probably misled the popular [non-Christian] view of this simple fact. Apart from the `authority of the church' issue, which seriously divides Catholicism, Orthodoxy, and Protestantism, there is no greater divergence of views than one finds regarding these ("end times") doctrines. Perhaps only soteriological and `nature of divine sovereignty' disagreements (such as those between Calvinists [a large, outspoken minority] and non-Calvinists [most Christians]), and divergent views regarding interpretation of the Genesis creation account, are anywhere near as widely disagreed upon within the Christian church.

While any eschatological theory may displease, or even offend, those Christians who do not hold to it, the Darbyist theory presented by LaHaye/Jenkins will particularly embarrass those who do not hold to it. This might be said of other theories, of course, but the view presented in these books is that Christians are actually desirous of a full-blown Middle East conflict, as they think scripture demands it. Speaking from this inflammatory viewpoint, Pat Robertson suggested (Jan '06) that God `smote' Israeli Prime Minister Sharon with a stroke because of his peace efforts! Yikes! Christians who do not embrace Darbyist eschatological interpretations will find these ideas and `rapture' stories (and the interpretational theory that underwrites them), both scripturally dubious and perhaps morally repugnant. Not to mention politically foolish.

It is not my desire to offend those who believe differently than I--it is obvious that eschatologically oriented texts can be, and have been, interpreted in various ways (!). Too bad that LaHaye and Jenkins could not have been more seriously cognizant of this fact. Obviously that was not important to them, but `holy cash!', they sure have generated revenues!

"GREAT!", To be honest, I'm not a big reader. However, these books are just great! I'm half way done with the second book in the series right now. The first book in the series, "Left Behind", was awesome. It was probably one of the best books I've ever read. It was a really fast read, and worth re-reading. This is a must get!

 
 
 

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