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This is the one that gets you started and you will want to read every single book in the series. I HIGHLY recommend reading this book and I guarantee you will be HOOKED.
Obviously, this book was written for a particular type of audience: the born-again Christian. The scenarios are simply stupid; for instance, Rayford worries about his 21 year old daughter dating a man ten years her senior. The most exciting action involves a reporter having a woman wait for him in a taxi, worrying about her waiting for him in the taxi, having her call him to yell at him that she is waiting in the taxi, having him worry some more, and then FINALLY, tell her to go on without him. The characters are creepily syrupy. Unfortunately, the passages pulled for the book are those which serve the purpose of the authors. The women are depicted as weak and in desperate need of a great man to take care of them. And while I'm not counted in their numbers, I was curious to read about the Christian perspective on the "Rapture." The premise of this book is an intriguing one: millions of believers are summoned to heaven in a split second to wait out the "End Times." Now, irrespective of the fact that the Bible doesn't mention any "Rapture" anywhere, and that it says that the "bad guys" are supposed to be ripped away from the earth, I have to say that this might be one of the worst written books I've ever read. I kept asking myself why he would worry when he's already accepted the world is going to end in seven years.
(The flight attendant was actually worthy of a place in "Coffee, Tea or Me.") The men are ridiculous characterizations of everything "macho" and they are, of course, holier-than-thou.even when they are examining their failings (which they do with no depth whatsoever). The dialogue is forced and unrealistic. The best written parts of the book are actually those written by whoever wrote the Bible. Which, I think, is that there really will be a Rapture -- and I just don't know how they could know that.
Rayford Steele--a commercial pilot who is contemplating infidelity to his wife, Chloe--his "typical teenage" daughter, Buck Williams--an unconventional journalist, and Nicolae Carpathia--the antichrist.I want to first acknowledge that the book, as well as the series, is enjoyable. What I could not get past, as a Roman Catholic myself, was the less and less subtle anti-Catholicism in the series.Let me first say, at the very least, the authors' position is an honest one; either the Catholic Church is the One Church founded by Christ, or it is the Whore of Babylon mentioned in the Book of Revelation. "Left Behind: A Novel of the Earth's Last Days" is an eschatological thriller portraying a contemporary evangelical Christian end-times scenario, where authentic believers are "raptured" (essentially, being removed from the Earth by Christ before the prophesied time of the antichrist and tribulation) while the non-believers/lukewarm Christians are left to fend for themselves in very difficult times. The characters were, for the most part, one dimensional--the "good" pretty much stuck with doing good things, and the "bad" did bad things; the interior struggle between good and evil which we all face in our day-to-day lives was not very evident, and therefore, not very realistic (this could be, however, deliberate in light of the anticipated audience). Judging it strictly from the perspective of fictional writing, no one would question that it is a huge success. Its popularity--especially among those who subscribe to belief in the rapture--is quite evident, and I would expect that this readership finds the message edifying. I could even excuse--for the sake of enjoyment--the standard evangelical end-times scenario based on the questionable theology known as "Dispensational Premillenarianism" (for a good explanation and refutation on this, I recommend "The Rapture Trap: A Catholic Response to End Times Fever Study Guide" by Paul Thigpen).
The authors' perspective is clear (though they may try to initially mask it, having the Pope raptured, yet stating he had "stirred up controversy" by promoting doctrines more in line with Martin Luther), and I cannot fault them for promoting what they believe--though I CAN do my best to make it clear to prospective readers that there is an agenda here--one that is not only unfavorable to the Catholic Christian Faith, but which can cause confusion and division among those not proficient in sound Christian theology and beliefs of both the Apostles and early Church Fathers. The characters include Capt. Case in point, the Eucharist is either the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ (as reflected in John 6) or Catholics engage in idol worship, the worst of all sins cited the Hebrew Scriptures. The subject matter is intriguing, and the authors' are very creative in playing out numerous subplots that add to the overall story.That being said, there were several areas of difficulty I found with the book/series. The writing would not be classified as "great literature", though I hasten to add that literary merit is not a requirement for effective written communication. It is difficult for me to recommend this series, though its popularity is unquestionable--it has sold over 40 million copies. Though from both the reading of the book(s) and the authors' own public comments on the series, I suspect they were shooting for a much loftier goal--and while we cannot judge the hearts of anyone, I think it is a hard argument to suggest that such a significant segment of the world population is now living a more Christ-like life due to the series.For those interested in the genre (faith-based end-times fiction), they may find the following to their liking:Dominion I: Seed (First of a Seven-Book Apocalyptic series)Father Elijah: An Apocalypse (Possibly the finest Faith-based Apocalyptic book written)Pierced By A Sword (Writing style more akin to "Left Behind", yet with clearer theology)
Left Behind is filled with action and suspense. Great charater development too. You'll love Rayford, Buck and Chloe. Highly recommended.
this is a great book number one in a series and i sent it as a gift
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