Rating: 
Summary: He will stand in the Holy Place and proclaim himself God.
Review: .
The new Jewish Temple has been rebuilt, and the next step in fulfilling the Book of Revelation prophecies about the antichrist (Carpathia, in this series), is that he will defile this temple. He has now raised himself from the dead and called forth his dead prophet to life; many false prophets have arisen and performed acts of sorcery in his name. It is, however, when the antichrist goes into the temple and proclaims that he is God that brings forth the wrath of God.
This proclamation causes an uprising in the Jewish community and blood baths in streets all around the world. Many Carpathian believers, who had not yet taken the mark, begin a journey to discover who will own their souls. However, the Carpathians are targets as the plagues begin. God protects his own which are those who have not taken the mark of the beast and bear the believer's cross.
This is where Chang Wong, the young Chinese man who was drugged by his father and given the mark, flirts with suicide. He is the only one who has both marks, and it is a fascinating concept. Since he did not choose the mark of the beast, God keeps him protected with the cross of the believers. His passage through his crisis is powerful.
Water turns to blood. This was fascinating when cases of bottled water became blood, but not in the hands of those who believed. Demonic creatures attack everyone with the mark of the antichrist that causes boil like sores. What did Carpathia do during this time? He hid out in a completely self-contained building so that he would not be attacked. When the moon turns to blood and 1/3 of the sun is darkened, he can do nothing for those who accepted him as God. He can do nothing period except require that his loyal army seek and destroy any who do not have the mark. This is rather humorous since most of them cannot move without severe pain and pustules that break open.
Do not start with this book. If the series interests you, then you must start with Left Behind, otherwise no one will matter and the continuity is gone.
Each book seems richer than the last to me. I must read the next. When a book or series catches my attention like that, then I must give it five stars. Remember, it is only one person's opinion.
Victoria Tarrani
Rating:
Summary: Better than people give it credit for
Review: A lot of the reviews I have read of these books tend to put it down by comparing it to other end of the world books. And while I will admit that these are not as smart or engaging as some of the the better books that cover the same topic like Fire of Heaven or We All Fall Down, I still really enjoyed them. A friend introduced me to the first book and I cut through all 12 books over the past two months. In a way, it's not really fair to compare them to some of the other books because they are trying to do different things. Left Behind seems to me to try to simply tell a great story about the end of the world. It's light, but what's wrong with that? I really felt like I NEEDED to know what was going to happen next when I finished a book and the very next day would order the next one. I call that a success. A book like We All Fall Down is obviously much more intense and thoughtful, the characters seem much more like real people, and it gives you more to think about, but why does that make Left Behind bad? Can't The Ten Commandments and The Passion both be good movies?
Rating:
Summary: Better than people give it credit for
Review: A lot of the reviews I have read of these books tend to put it down by comparing it to other end of the world books. And while I will admit that these are not as smart or engaging as some of the the better books that cover the same topic like Fire of Heaven or We All Fall Down, I still really enjoyed them. A friend introduced me to the first book and I cut through all 12 books over the past two months. In a way, it's not really fair to compare them to some of the other books because they are trying to do different things. Left Behind seems to me to try to simply tell a great story about the end of the world. It's light, but what's wrong with that? I really felt like I NEEDED to know what was going to happen next when I finished a book and the very next day would order the next one. I call that a success. A book like We All Fall Down is obviously much more intense and thoughtful, the characters seem much more like real people, and it gives you more to think about, but why does that make Left Behind bad? Can't The Ten Commandments and The Passion both be good movies?
Rating:
Summary: BOOK NINE: DESECRATION
Review: At long last, the Antichrist takes the very throne of God and makes a gory mockery of the Temple of the Jews. Those who finally see Carpathia's diabolical nature for what it is cannot bring themselves to follow him any longer--but for those who already have the mark of loyalty, it's far too late. God's wrath begins to be poured out on an evil world in earnest, first in the form of excrutiating boils on all unbelievers and then the oceans of the world are turned to blood. An enraged Carpathia launches an all-out offensive against the followers of Tsion Ben-Judah and Chaim Rosenzweig, and the Tribulation Force must decide if it will fight...or die. Perhaps the most exciting book in the series to this point, DESECRATION piles one thrilling plot point on top of the next, making for a read that absolutely flies past. Interesting subplots involve Hattie Durham, who suddenly steps *very* much out of character, and teenage genius Chang, the only person in the world with BOTH marks. Chloe Williams goes out on a risky limb, and it appears that the Trib Force's invisibility is finally waning. Like most of the other books in this series, this one climaxes with a major cliffhanger, though a decidedly grimmer one than has come before. Fans of the saga will absolutely LOVE this entry, and I really can't help but wonder why those who profess to hate the whole story continue to "torture" themselves by reading each and every book! Go figure. Greatly enjoyable and an irresistible lead-in to THE REMNANT (Book Ten), DESERECATION is certainly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Best of the Series Thus Far
Review: Definitely the best of the series thus far. Book 9 takes the excellent plot and character growth from books 6 through 8 and expounds on them even further. Simply one of the best books in the series - the plot will leave you wanting to turn the pages even faster. Be forewarned, this particular book is very difficult to put down - and the character growth is phenomenal with some of the best "second-guessing" on G-d's Will by the characters as they encounter death, destruction and mayhem as never before. A real page-turner, that's for sure.
Rating: 
Summary: check your library first
Review: I'd check them out from the library first to see if you like them. There are some nice things about this series, and I've mostly enjoyed them. However, I do agree that the series is dragging somewhat. (For the people who want to know what will happen..... read Revelation...) There's enough happening in this particular one, however, to keep things interesting.I'm not sure I'd want to own the books myself. I've been reading them from the library, and that's just fine. They seem somewhat preachy to me, even though I am a Christian. I put up with it because I see part of their reason for wanting to write these books is to witness to non-Christians, but it seems as if they're just trying to sell more books now. They could use less of the sci-fi elements, even though I like sci-fi myself. The computers are given far too much importance. Actually, listening to them on tape or CD is great. I found that more fun than reading the book, because some of the drama comes through better. Frank Muller is great, though I understand he's now seriously injured, so I don't know who's going to read the other books. I hope they get someone good, or that Mr. Muller recovers soon.
Rating:
Summary: Great book
Review: In this book, the gloves come off and the Antichrist goes from mean to really mean, parodying every move made on Jesus's own trip to Jerusalem. To my taste, it's far too relentless. In the Garden of Eden, the serpent was subtle. Here, he's surrounded himself with incompetent minions who he keeps assassinating for their incompetence. This book does itself a disservice by portraying the Enemy as stupid. I'm also getting tired of the Tribulation Force smart-mouthing everyone they meet. Apparently, a lot of people find that funny, but if you're on a life-or-death undercover mission, why taunt EVERYONE you encounter? And my Bible says something about loving your enemies, not treating them with contempt. But the main problem with this book is that as the Antichrist turns up the pressure, the Tribulation Force gears up to fight back. Logically, it doesn't all make sense: we have scenes in this book where angels materialize to smite the Force's enemies for them, so why bother with those 50-caliber explosive rifles, especially when the other side has tanks? Instead of shooting, I'd be waiting for the angels. Worse yet are the book's ethics. To me, putting faith into practice involves prayerfully trying to figure out your basic principles, then doing your best (with God's help) to put them into practice. But this book teaches something quite different. Two issues that keep coming up are whether Tribulation Force members should lie to the enemy's minions, and whether they can shoot them. A case can be made for either answer. But part of any sensible person's preparation for an ordeal such as these people face is figuring out their answers. These people don't, and to the extent they have views, they change with the situation. Consider this exchange from p. 274: "Arms?" Buck said. "... Count me out."
"You might change your mind if the GC opens fire."
I just might, Buck thought. That comes prominently at the end of a chapter, so it's not simply an slip on the part of authors trying to write 12 books in a hurry. It's how they think one of their central characters would react in that situation. And it sounds a lot more like the "if it feels right, do it" attitude that characterizes the New Age, rather than Christianity. If you want a book that better addresses human behavior in the face of apocalyptic events, try Connie Willis's Doomsday Book, a time-travel story centered on the Black Death. The people of that era really did believe the world was coming to an end, and reacted accordingly. It's a secular book (albeit by a Christian author), but I find far more of Christ in it than in this one. And you can get it for well under $10.
Rating: 
Summary: How very sad
Review: The Left Behind series is an unfortunate symptom of hubris running amuck.
Two questions for you Christians who believe that everyone except you are damned: Do you actually think if Jesus returned to earth, he'd damn everyone who didn't accept him as God's only son? Why do you insist on interpreting the Bible to say that -- when other, more Christ-like interpretations are possible?
But when people like me say things like this you immediately go to Biblical judgment, don't you? It's easier to close your mind than open yourself to the message Jesus tried to spread: Patience, understanding, forgiveness, and tolerance.
This series goes to show that fear and ignorance sell.
Rating:
Summary: Great book
Review: this book my be boreing at times but it is a sequel of other books and the ending books the ones after this are great. This is a goog one but i sitll love it.
Rating:
Summary: Christian Propaganda
Review: This series of novels is inspired by "The Revelation to John", the last book in the New Testament, the third section of the Bible, the Christian holy book. "The Revelation to John" (which is often misnamed "The Book of Revelations") tells the Christian myth of what will happen at the end of the world. Basically, the authors took this story, which is barely 20 pages long, and turned it into a series of 12 novels plus a spin-off series that deals with kids. The Christian view is that only the people that believe that Jesus lived 2,000 years ago and died for their sins will be saved and receive an eternal reward in Heaven. What makes this worse is that individual merit based on good or evil deeds is not taken into consideration, because Christians believe that human beings cannot be put right with God except through Jesus. Christians believe that they are saved through faith alone; no amount of good works can win God's approval. So, all of the people that don't believe in Jesus will receive an eternal punishment in Hell, regardless of how many good deeds they do and how caring they are to other people. Meanwhile, the Christians will be saved no matter how evil they behave, because they've got Jesus on their side. "The Revelation to John" tells of an event known as the Rapture: all of the Christians are taken up to Heaven, and everyone else is left behind on Earth. After an event known as the Tribulation and world rule by someone known as the Anti-Christ, Jesus finally returns to Earth and defeats his enemies. Then the old Heaven and the old Earth go away, and a new Heaven and a new Earth are established - with God as King, of course. This took 20 pages in the Bible. Imagine reading the same story stretched over thousands of pages. As a non-Christian, I'm alarmed at what I consider to be an evil religion perpetuated by zealous idiots. Christians base their beliefs on documents that are close to 2,000 years old but don't quite date back to the time period that the events within allegedly occured. There is no physical evidence of the existence of Jesus. There are no non-Christian records of Jesus (not even in Roman execution records). There are no records by astrologists of the time period that describe such an event as that which supposedly occured during Jesus' crucifixion. I belief that the reason that Christianity has endured and grown as much as it has is because it's the only religion in the world that threatens the non-believer with an eternal punishment. Christianity is, at its core, a religion that rewards the "yes" people and punishes the nonconformists. The Bible itself orders Christians to spread the religion throughout the world. Christians feels that it's their duty to convert all non-Christians to Christianity. They pity non-Christians and "pray for their souls". They place themselves into a group of the elite - the saved. They start missions to convert the "heathen" non-Christians and "bring them over to Jesus". The Roman Catholic Church even has a division, called Propaganda, that specifically tries to establish churches in non-Christian nations. An example of a Christian mission is this book series. The authors are trying to bring readers to Jesus through these novels, which have, sadly, become best-sellers. I think that Christians should abort their missions and just leave people of other religions in peace. I'm so glad that there are billions of non-Christians in the world. It would be horrible if the Christians converted everyone. The world needs a balance of beliefs. Otherwise, it would lose its diversity. If you want to read a good book of a battle between good and evil, then read "The Stand: The Complete & Uncut Edition" by Stephen King. It tells a similar story, only better and in only 1,000 pages. The premise is that a superflu kills millions of people (we don't see what's going on in the whole world, just the United States), and those that are left band into two opposing camps of good and evil. The thing that makes King's book a lot better than this series is that no explanation is ever given for why these people are immune to the superflu. All types of people are left behind, both Christians and non-Christians. The authors of the "Left Behind" series make it seem like the world would fall into chaos if all of the Christians disappear, which is ludicrous. King wisely avoids this in his book. Buy it and enjoy it. Skip the "Left Behind" series. If you want to know what happens, take an hour to read "The Revelation to John".
|
