LEFT BEHIND: Trials & Tribulations

Picture of the two witnesses of Revelation from TRIBULATION FORCE Vol #4

"The Future Is Clear..."

You may have heard this from the hard-core "bible thumpers" out there about the "end times", the "rapture", and the appearance of "the Antichrist" many times before over the past few decades. Now imagine it all coming true in the fashion that has been revealed almost 2000 years ago by the spirit of Jesus Christ to his beloved disciple John, which was then recorded in the Book of Revelation. People suddenly vanishing right in front of your eyes or right behind your back in "the twinkling of an eye", leaving behind friends and family to be with Christ for a time in preparation for the ultimate war of good versus evil.

Can this scenario actually happen? Who truly knows but God, who gave us but a preview of this potential future. Now theologian Dr. Tim LaHaye and writer Jerry B. Jenkins bring to fictional life the events of "the Great Tribulation" unfolding in the modern age with the LEFT BEHIND story series, which began in 1995 and continued on to this day, leading up to its inevitable conclusion in Glorious Appearing and Kingdom Come. One can only hope and pray, though, that such an event happening in reality will bring all of us together in the spirit of the Lord's love and holiness to combat the greatest force of evil.

The Characters

These are not all the characters that appear in the story series, but they are the focal characters:

RAYMIE STEELE — the son of Rayford and Irene Steele who was raptured along with his mother and other believers, and has now returned with Jesus Christ and all the saints who have been raptured or died as martyrs.  He is now one of the workers of the Children of the Tribulation school and one of the founding members of the Millennium Force.

CHLOE STEELE WILLIAMS — the daughter of Rayford Steele who was left behind with him and became a member of the Tribulation Force. She was the mother of Kenny Bruce Williams and was heading an underground co-op for the believers. She was captured by Global Community forces and publicly executed.  She is now currently resurrected and heads the Children of the Tribulation school.

BUCK WILLIAMS — a reporter for the Global Weekly magazine who also had witnessed the disappearances on the same flight and became a member of the Tribulation Force. He is currently the author of an underground Internet website countering the Global Community's media propaganda with the truth. He was last seen defending Jerusalem from the Global Community Army at the battle of Armageddon.  He is now currently resurrected and heads the Children of the Tribulation school.

KENNY BRUCE WILLIAMS — the only child of Buck and Chloe Williams who was born to them halfway during the Tribulation.  He is currently working alongside his parents at the Children of the Tribulation and is one of the founding members of the Millennium Force.

BRUCE BARNES — a visitation pastor who worked for the New Hope Village Church, who not only knew about the disappearances, but had also distributed the message left behind by its vanished pastor Vernon Billings. He became for a short time the leader of the Tribulation Force. He had died from poisoning while returning home from a worldwide tour of evangelism. He is now resurrected and currently helping to rebuild countries that have been devastated by the Tribulation judgments.

TSION BEN-JUDAH — a Jewish rabbi of Israel who had been studying who the real Messiah is (or was) at the time of the disappearances. He became a member of the Tribulation Force, and was last seen in Petra with Chaim Rosenzweig leading the Israeli/Jewish refugees in devoted worship to the Lord in Petra. He had died defending Jerusalem from the invading Global Community Army at the battle of Armageddon. He is now resurrected and currently helping to rebuild countries that have been devastated by the Tribulation judgments.

CHAIM ROSENZWEIG — an Israeli scientist who invented a very important synthetic fertilizer, which has made his country a prime target for countries that wanted to get its hands on it. Chaim's former alliance with Nicolae has allowed Israel to enjoy peace under the protection of the Global Community. However, Chaim began to learn over time the true nature of Nicolae's plans and became a believer, leading the Israeli/Jewish refugees in Petra during Tsion's absence. He is now currently helping to rebuild countries that have been devastated by the Tribulation judgments.

HATTIE DURHAM — a former flight attendant whom Rayford Steele almost had a relationship with, until the vanishings took place. She later met Nicolae and became his secretary and his lover, carrying his child. She had broken off her relationship, had delivered a stillborn child, and was looking for revenge against Nicolae. She had since then become a believer and had sacrificed her life in openly opposing the Antichrist and the False Prophet. She was resurrected along with others who had been martyred during the Tribulation.

MAC McCULLUM — another former pilot for Nicolae Carpathia, who was later working with fellow believers and members of the Tribulation Force in Petra. He had rescued more than a hundred believers hiding out in New Babylon prior to its destruction. He is now currently helping to rebuild countries that have been devastated by the Tribulation judgments.

DAVID HASSID — a high-level director for the Global Community who was an expert computer hacker and bug planter, last seen working with fellow believers and members of the Tribulation Force in Petra. He sacrificed his life while setting up a computer system in Petra for the Israeli/Jewish refugees. He was resurrected along with others who had been martyred during the Tribulation.

LEAH ROSE — a former hospital nurse who became a believer and a member of the Tribulation Force, working alongside former New Babylon nurse Hannah Palemoon as part of the underground co-op until the time of the Glorious Appearing.

ABDULLAH SMITH — a former Muslim Jordanian pilot who was working with Mac McCullum and other members of the Tribulation Force in Petra.  His two children, Zaki and Bahira, who were both raptured, are the founding members of the Millennium Force.  He himself currently works as a chaplain for a group of The Other Light members in Amman.

ALBIE (Real name unknown) — a former Middle East black marketeer of weapons who became a believer and has been working with members of the Tribulation Force. He was killed at the hands of another black marketeer named Mainyu Mazda in a private mission. He was resurrected along with others who had been martyred during the Tribulation.

CHANG WONG — a teenage computer expert who was working in New Babylon, taking over where David Hassid left off, keeping the Tribulation Force well informed of all monitoring events of the Global Community up until the "plague of darkness" struck New Babylon. He was in Petra monitoring events leading up to the battle of Armageddon.

MING TOY — Chang's sister, who was a former prison guard for the Global Community who has now gone underground with the Tribulation Force. She is currently married to Ree Woo, another new member of the Tribulation Force.

GEORGE SEBASTIAN — a Tribulation Force member who had helped with the airlifting of Israeli/Jewish refugees to Petra and has headquartered some of its members in an underground San Diego safe house. He was in charge of operating defense systems and personnel around Petra at the battle of Armageddon up until the time of the Glorious Appearing. He is the father of Beth Ann Sebastian, one of the children born during the Tribulation.

NICOLAE CARPATHIA — a newly-elected president of Romania who had emerged at the time of the disappearances to take over as the secretary general of the United Nations, and later potentate of the Global Community. He had been revealed to be the Antichrist in this story series and had declared himself a god, intending to ascend to the highest heavens and be like the Most High. He has been defeated by Jesus Christ and is now spending all of eternity in the Lake of Fire.

LEON FORTUNATO — the second-in-command to Nicolae Carpathia in what becomes the Global Community organization. He had been resurrected from the dead by Nicolae himself and has emerged into the role of the False Prophet, the High Father Reverend of Carpathianism. Like Nicolae, Leon was defeated by Jesus Christ and is now spending all of eternity in the Lake of Fire.

PETER MATHEWS — a Roman Catholic archbishop from the United States who had been nominated as pope and has eventually become the leader of the amalgamated world belief system known as Enigma Babylon. He was later murdered by the ten subpotentates at the Global Gala.

VIVIANA IVINISOVA (a.k.a. VIV IVINS) — a very close family friend of Nicolae Carpathia who had helped implement the "mark of the beast" system. She had remained very devoted to Carpathia despite indignities she had suffered from him. She plays an important part in the prequel book, The Rising. In the Glorious Appearing Dramatic Audio presentation, Viv Ivins was killed by one of the hailstones of the final Bowl Judgment.

SUHAIL AKBAR — Nicolae Carpathia's chief of Security Intelligence who was in charge of maintaining order in the Global Community through the Peacekeepers and Morale Monitors. He was later replaced and murdered by Commander Tenzin of the Global Community Unity Army for insubordination

JONATHAN STONAGAL — an international businessman whose relationship is linked to the financed fathering of Nicolae Carpathia for his own personal ends in the LEFT BEHIND prequel books. He was killed along with his partner Joshua Todd-Cothran at the hands of Carpathia when he had chosen his ten subpotentates for the emerging Global Community.

The Books In The Series

LEFT BEHIND The Kids Series

There is also a series of LEFT BEHIND books written for young readers, based on the events in the adult LEFT BEHIND series, that follow the adventures of four devoted teenagers who form their own version of the Tribulation Force to combat the forces of evil in their own neighborhood and beyond. Here is a list of all releases of the book series:

There are also hardcover collections of the LEFT BEHIND: The Kids series books which contain the following stories:

LEFT BEHIND In Audio & Video

Other films you may want to check out that are related to this subject are:

 LEFT BEHIND The Graphic Novels

Tyndale has released a ten-issue limited series graphic novel based on the first two books of the LEFT BEHIND adult book series, with excellent comicbook-styled art (though it doesn't beat the artistic styling of Alex Ross, whose talent is featured in DC Comics' unrelated Kingdom Come series). Frankly, I would like to see Tyndale continue the series in graphic novel format for the rest of the books in the adult book series.

 LEFT BEHIND: Eternal Forces

 Left Behind Games has released a Windows PC-compatible game called LEFT BEHIND: Eternal Forces, a real-time strategy game where players help the Tribulation Force members reach out to the unbelieving masses while dealing with the forces of evil and Nicolae Carpathia's Global Community agents.  The game was released in November 2006.

 Other Related Fictional Literature

• The APOCALYPSE series by Mel Odom — A military-themed thriller series set within the events of the LEFT BEHIND story series.  The third book in the series, Apocalypse Burning, is its current release.

• SOON and SILENCED by Jerry Jenkins — Part of a trilogy of stories which investigates a coming world where religion is outlawed. The third book of the series, Shadowed, is its last and current release.

• The END OF STATE series by Neesa Hart  — A political-themed thriller series set within the events of the LEFT BEHIND story series.  The third story in this series, Necessary Evils, is its current release.

• THE LAST DISCIPLE by Hank Hannegraaf and Sigmund Brouwer — A dramatic fictional story based on the preterist interpretation of Revelation. It is followed by The Last Sacrifice, which continues its story, and is concluded with The Last Temple. (This webpage author doesn't support this view!)

• THE CHRIST CLONE TRILOGY by James BeauSeigneur — A compressed tale of the rise of the Antichrist who was a clone of Jesus Christ created from a living tissue sample preserved within the Shroud of Turin.

• THE LAST DAYS TRILOGY by Paul Bortolazzo — Where the Great Tribulation happens, but the Rapture takes place between the 6th and 7th trumpets. (This webpage author doesn't support this view!)

• CHRISTIAN NATION by Frederic C. Rich — A dramatic fictional story of how Christian fundamentalists take over America in an alternate history where John McCain becomes President instead of Barack Obama, leading the country toward a theocracy. (Sort of like LEFT BEHIND with the roles reversed.)

• RIGHT BEHIND by Nathan D. Wilson — A satirical book that produces its own humorous spin on the events depicted in LEFT BEHIND. (Read this book if you can handle it!) It has been followed by Supergeddon.

  Related Articles

• About Holy Communion

• How To Be Saved