Rating: 
Summary: move over charles manson and jimmy jones!
Review: A new cult is in town!It's not a question of "Who is this guy kidding?", because he's obviously suckered millions of people into his alternate reality. I am a Christian, and this book could make me want to convert - to ANY other religion. Muslim. Buddhist. Paganism, anyone? Fortunately, I have enough intelligence to know that LaHaye has written a piece of trash to make himself millions by tapping into our society's current fascination and ENJOYMENT of ultra violence (btw - I have refused to go see the Gospel According to Mel Gibson, who has also made millions on Christian violence.
Gross - $354 million to date!) Is this a cult, or what?
cult - Noun - 1a. A religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader. b. The followers of such a religion or sect.
2 Obsessive, especially faddish, devotion to or veneration for a person, principle, or thing. At the end of La Haye's ultra-violent portrayal of Jesus, the King of Peace, only those who meet the cult criteria set by Jesus are allowed to live. He first murders all of those who refuse to bow down and worship him. And then, to make it worse, he murders all of those who don't worship him the "right" way. All that remain are those who have allowed their brains and souls to be programmed identically to each other, to the point where they all hear Jesus talking to them personally. They all hear the same words, except their own names are used, and they hear in their native tongue. This is the reward for worshiping Jesus the "right" way. Plug me in and tell me what to do next! Their individuality is gone -the thing that makes our world so incredibly interesting. Besides the violence, this book portrays the single most intolerant society in the history of the world. This kind of genocide makes Hitler look like a peace loving person, since he was only going after one group of people. In Tim LaHaye's view of the future, Jesus goes after EVERYBODY BUT one group of people. Hitler wanted to murder 15 million or so Jews. Jesus decides to murder billions, and maybe only allow 15 million or so to live (these are all my estimates, by the way). I do believe that Jesus will forgive Tim LaHaye for using His name to spread such disgusting, violent misrepresentations of His peace loving teachings. After all, the CORE of Jesus' teaching includes "LOVE YOUR ENEMY", peace, and forgiveness. NOT - "Hate and murder all of those who disagree with you."
Rating:
Summary: Don't waste your valuable time!
Review: To put it bluntly, this book was more tedious than a bad church sermon. I'm not a christian, and after reading this book, would definetly be less inclined then ever to convert! If I wanted a book which quoted scripture verbatim, and read like a sunday school primer, I would have bought one. To say this book is simple minded is to pay it a compliment! If heaven is filled with morons like this, sign me up for the flames baby....
Rating:
Summary: Much too preachy for my taste...
Review: I'm a big fan of this series. I am not, however, a big fan of this book. I found it to be long-winded and boring, not to mention anti-climactic. Maybe that's because I don't consider myself to be a religious person. When my step-son urged me to read the first book, I couldn't stop reading. My step-son liked them for the fast-paced action and excitement (he was 13 at the time). I liked them because they got me thinking about God, theology, and where I am in my life. The series had been out for a few years, so I had some catching up to do. I read the first 4 or 5 in succession and eagerly awaited the following publications. But with each new novel, I found them to be less dramatic, more unbelievable and a lot more sanctimonious. Thank God that was the last book of the series!
Rating: 
Summary: Book #12 grabbed my heart like none of the others.
Review: When I first discovered the LB series, books 1-4 were already out. I loved them, passing them on to friends and family. We have all eagerly awaited each new book, but none more than this one. Usually, I stay up all night when I get the latest book and devour it. With this book, I couldn't. Several times throughout, I had to put the book down as I was crying so hard. If you know Jesus and hunger to be with him, and with other loved ones who have gone ahead, you will have the same experience. Yes, these books contain fictional characters, but they are built on very real Bible prophecy. You may not agree with LaHaye's and Jenkins' interpretations, but neither of them put these books out as gospel. And their love of God, His Son, and His Word, come through on every page, which is what they're really trying to share with their readers. I don't know if their interpretations are all correct. But their message of God's love and redemption will speak to any reader who wants to open their heart and mind to Him. One problem. I don't want to pass this book around, so I must get another one to share!
Rating:
Summary: A glorious ending...
Review: Glorious Appearing is the 12th and final book in the "Left Behind" series. For those not familiar with the series, Left Behind is based on the book of Revelation- it is a fictionalized account of the end times, loosely based on scripture. Prior knowledge of the series is a must before attempting this book- but I must confess, that I read only some of the series (books 1/2/4) and skipped a bunch of the middle ones. I got the last book this week and couldn't put it down, it concludes the series brillantly. In Glorious Appearing, the earth looks like it is at its end. Nicholas Carpathia, the anti Christ, has taken over and amassed the largest army, the Global Community's Unity Army. This Unity Army is laying siege on Jerusalem, where the last of the Jews and believers have sought refuge. Other Believers, including the Tribulation Force, have sought sanctuary in Petra-a fortified place. But Rayford Steele and Buck Williams are missing; Tsien Ben Judah has been killed. It seems dire for the Tribulation Force and the rest of the believers, but God has his own plan. He again sends Jesus to return to earth and defeat his enemies.
Glorious Appearing is a superb ending to this series. Longtime readers wil not be disappointed to find out that the 7 years of Tribulation ends with the return of Christ. It is great to read the ending chapters and get reacquainted with past characters like Chloe, Bruce,Hattie, Albie and even Irene. Even casual readers, like myself, will find satisfaction and triumph in the ending of the book. I have read alot of criticisms of the series because it does not adhere strictly to scripture, but it is Fiction..and should be read as such. The book of Revelation itself is symbolic and open to interpretation and is available for everyone to read and interpret on their own. The Left Behind series is a great work of fiction...that can inspire its readers to explore their faith further and pick up their own Bible.
Rating:
Summary: Glorious Appeasement and Disappointment
Review: The plot weaves like an intricate children's bedside story. But the book is not literature by any means or definition. When people are too ignorant to read history and theology, you concoct a fable written to the sixth grade reading level based on two men's interpretation of the Bible. It's kind of like 'Religion For Dummies', or 'Compassion - For Members Only.' Holy Blood - Holy Grail is a superior read. The KJV Bible is the True Word of God! Or is it? Inspired? Or not? I believe all of the five star ratings and rantings are from uneducated Protestants. For example:
In 'Acts 5:30; 10:39.' the KJV, in speaking of Jesus' death, reads, "Whom ye slew 'and' hanged on a tree." The word "and" is 'not' in the Greek text, and by adding it to the text at this point in the verse it leads to some confusion on the part of the readers. The conjunction "and" indicates grammatically that one action followed another (i.e.: two separate actions independent of one another). Some unbelievers have tried to use this verse to demonstrate that Christ was killed first, 'and then' His dead body was hung on a 'tree'. By inserting the word "and," numerous complications have arisen which could have been prevented by a correct translation of the original text.
The tip of the iceberg: Numerous authorities who had noted the errors in the K.J.V. such as William Kilburne (1650's) 20,000 errors, John Wesley (in 1755) 12,000 changes in the New Testament alone, the Revised Version of 1881 consisted of 36,000 errors and on and on. The NIV, RSV and The Living Bible are also replete with thousands of errors. Do some research!
The KJV translators also did not know what the "Asherah" was (a wooden idol representing a Canaanite goddess), so they translated the word repeatedly as meaning a "grove" of trees. In 'I Kings 16:33' they state, "And Ahab made 'a grove," which provoked the Lord God to anger. In point of fact, Ahab made an 'idol' here (the Asherah); his sin was 'idolatry', not planting a grove of trees!! In Deuteronomy 33:17 the KJV speaks of "the horns of unicorns." There are two mistakes in this passage: (1) The animal mentioned here in the original text is the "wild ox" and not the mythical "unicorn," and (2) in the original text the passage speaks of one animal (singular) with horns (plural). In Luke 18:12 the KJV reads, "I give tithes of all that I possess." The Law did NOT require one to tithe a tenth of all that he "possessed" (all his capital holdings), but rather a tenth of his increase (that which he acquired in addition to his possessions). This is clearly stated in the Greek word used in this passage. The authors claim this is not speculative fiction, but what will happen, more or less, when the rest of us are 'Left Behind.' Good riddance, I say. And take all the fundamentalist Muslim fanatics, who are of the same blind ilk, with you. This is a must read for skeptics of truth and devout fundamentalist zealot Christians alike. "He who believes blindly sees not the truth." If you are open minded and looking for those books begging for its pages to be turned...look no further. More conspiracies: I just read a copy of Edgar Fouche's 'Alien Rapture,' which also blew me away. Fouche was a Top Secret Black Program 'insider', whose credibility has been verified over and over. Want to be shocked, check out Dr. Paul Hill's 'Unconventional Flying Objects' which NASA tried to ban.
Rating:
Summary: They Wheeze To The Finish Line
Review: The final book in the "Left Behind" series finally allows this tired saga to wheeze to a end. The La Jenkins duo just plain ran out of ideas. If it is possible to to make their characters even shallower than before, they have succeeded. You just don't care about any of these people. The authors have their characters wise cracking through the appearance of Jesus and treating the end of the world like a drive in movie show. Their main motivation is to get a good seat for the pre-scripted demise of satan and the anti-christ. It's bad enough they make the antichrist into a buffoon, similar to Captain Binghamton in the old McHale's Navy sitcom, but then they don't even try to formulate a plot for the spectacular end of the world. It's just Bible prophecy without embellishment- not that interesting. Instead they present a rather lame bible study sequence which is thinly disguised propaganda and little else. The main characters are reduced to asking what happens next. I understand that the main purpose was to promote their point of view regarding end times but they owe me a refund; they didn't even try to make this entertaining. Some of the more philisophical issues as to why God would allow Satan to exist (he created him and can make him go away any time), why God beats the tar out of the world in an attempt to "save people" when a simple command would change minds, or even why a omnipotent deity would go through the sham of this end times is never discussed. I suspect the authors never considered that aspect. These books need to stand on their own literary merit, having characters we care about, a plot that is engaging, and minimal pounding of the theological themes. These guys are amateurs and this needs to be considered when reading the series.
Rating:
Summary: This book was painful to read
Review: After following this series from the beginning, and finding it at times enthralling, this final installment was so anticlimatic it was painful. The entire sub-plot following the believers in Chicago was a total waste of time and so uninteresting, I couldn't even remember who they were from the previous books. I found myself skimming over the massive dialogue issuing forth from the mouth of Jesus for the entire last 1/3 of the book as it was extremely repetitive and actually boring. Spare us from authors who think they can do credit to an event that is surely outside the realm of human comprehension.
Rating: 
Summary: Good ending...but not what I was expecting
Review: When I started the Left Behind books, I got into them because they were full of action, great characters, and what really got me was that everything was based on prophecy from the Bible. I loved them because it worked, and they didn't over-do it. However, as the books progressed, in my opinion, they became preachy, rather than action/suspense novels. If I wanted to read the scripture alongside the story, just give me the passages and I'll read them to make sense of it all. It seemed to me that half the book were passages taken directly from the Bible, and the action spread so narrowly between these, that I became rather irritated. If I wanted to pay $14 for something I already owned, I'd just read that. I want to know what happens to Rayford, Buck and others, and what's going on in the world at the time. I guess the other complaint I've had about the last few books is that the characters became so generic, and some of the main characters were pushed to the side. It seemed they put a name to whomever was the "subject" of that section, and told the same thing from that point of view. Reptition of events was a major problem. I think they tell the reader that Jesus' light came from everywhere at least five times in a short period, as if we couldn't figure it out the first time. And the actual reunion of the martyred and the living was so short I felt cheated. In short, the ending was good, but not as spectacular as the genius of the inception. Overall, a disappointing end to what was once a superb series.
Rating:
Summary: Would Be Too Expensive If It Were Free!
Review: If you're looking for an absurd fictional account of Jesus, just read the Bible. Heck, they hand those out for free!
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