All about: Left behind book series

The Left Behind book series is inspired by evangelical Christianity's belief in the tribulation and the rapture, and it deals with the coming and defeat of the Antichrist in the last days of Earth. It is centred on those left behind after the rapture. There are three sections: Before they were Left Behind, Left Behind and Kingdom Come.

The underlying thinking

Evangelical beliefs The authors, Jerry Jenkins and Tim la Haye, were inspired by evangelical thinking about the last times. The key concept is the rapture, the idea that the elects, those chosen by Christ, will suddenly be taken from Earth. Those left behind will endure great tribulation, but will have a second chance, which some will take. During this period, the Antichrist [God's enemy and Satan's representative] will arise to fight God. There will be an immense battle of Armageddon, at which God will be victorious and then Christ will return. Signs of the end The series deals with this perennial question asked in Christianity, "Are we in the end times?" Evangelicals think that we are and that the signs can be read in coded or implicit warnings present in the Bible, particularly the book of Revelations, the Bible's final book. The idea of the rapture is taken from Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians, chapter 4.

The components of the series

The Left Behind series list The first three books are a prequel called Before they were Left Behind. They are The Rising, about the birth of the Antichrist; The Regime; The Rapture. The latter sets the scene for the bulk of the series. The next twelve books are the Left Behind series proper. Their heroes are people who will be saved, but who have to repent. These books are: - Left Behind
- Tribulation Forum
- Nicolae, which deals with the rise of the Antichrist
- Apollyon, subtitled the Destroyer is Unleashed
- Assassins
- The Indwelling, which deals with the way in which the Great Beast, another figure in the Book of Revelations, takes over. The series follows on with The Mark of the Beast, the way in which Satan puts his sign on his chosen; the Desecration, when the Antichrist takes the throne; and The Remnant, this being an evangelical idea that only a small remainder of good people will be left to fight the battle of Armageddon, the final clash between good and evil. It culminates in Glorious Appearing, which deals with the Parousia, the Second Coming, the belief that Christ will return to put all to rights. The final book is Kingdom Come, which occurs in a the world that follows and wraps up all the loose ends.