Armageddon (Large Print)

Rating:
Summary: Also read CONQUEST OF PARADISE
Review: The LEFT BEHIND SERIES is one of the best series of Christian books I've ever read, and certainly, it's one of the best end times fiction series, although IN HIS IMAGE and THE CHRIST CLONE TRILOGY by James BeauSeigneur are also good. So far, the series has zoomed since book one, when the rapture occurred and those "left behind" were forced to grapple with the implications of missing friends and family members. I love this series, and I can't wait for the conclusion. Left Behind fans should also read CONQUEST OF PARADISE. It does in one book what Left Behind has taken many to do, and the book presents ideas for the possible rise to power of the antichrist that I've never heard before. If you even like the LEFT BEHIND SERIES just a little bit, then you'll love CONQUEST OF PARADISE! I'm looking forward to reading ARMAGEDDON. It should be one of the most exciting books in the series.

Rating:
Summary: A very easy read, but potentially hazardous as doctrine
Review: As an example of uneven writing, this is one that would fit well on any creative writing course. The character development can best be described as shallow, and the action highly unrealistic given the premise. The Antichrist and False Prophet come across as buffoons, whilst many of their minions are far more nasty. And I find it hard to believe that the devil incarnate would be unable to prevent Christians from piloting aircraft all over the world undetected (just try taking a nail clipper through any airport nowadays). For all that, you do want to know what happens, if only to have the satisfaction of one particularly annoying character getting the chop.

Jenkins seems to take great pleasure in creating uneccessary secondary characters, whose task is merely to get in the way and make the main characters roll their eyes and press on with what they were doing anyway. Well, that's how the reader feels too! However, when something truly significant happens, Jenkins resorts to description in note form. The destruction of Babylon (literalised as the real Babylon in this series) covers all of an unconvincing half page.

More concerning about this Christian pulp series, are the dual facts of its staggering misinterpretation of Bibilical prophecy, and creation of a self-perpetuating book and church resources franchise. I greeted the Left Behind series with curiosity, only to find the latest addition to this money spinner is yet another book series detailing the Antichrist's early life! I guess that means twelve more volumes about Old Nick in Junior High?

This book series is potentially dangerous, since it encourages blithe belief in the doctrine of a rapture, and reorders prophecy to fit. A secret rapture was not preached by the early church, and only came into being as a doctrine in the late Nineteenth Century, through one prophecy given in a Brethren church. It then made its way into mainstream consciousness through the annotated Schofield Bible. Buttressed by this series of popular books, there could be many Christians who fail to recognise the Antichrist when he comes, simply because no rapture has yet taken place.

Best just to treat these books as pulp fiction, and then go and get some proper teaching.



Rating:
Summary: A LOOK AT THE NOVELS OF REVELATION
Review: I am a very big fan of novels that deal with the Biblical Apocalypse and, with so many different types, thought it would be worthwhile to give an overview of the ones I have read.

Left Behind, by Tim Lehay- The series that started it all. These novels are, in truth, somewhat boring, but it covers the bases with a depth that none of the others do, probably owing to the fact that there are so many of them. They lack character development and deep theology, but are a fun, if shallow read

The Christ clone Trilogy by James Beauseigneur- Well written novels that focus on the scientific and political. Tom Clancy meets Left behind is not too far off the mark. I greatly enjoyed these books although I felt a little let down by the ending. Overall, a good political take on the End.

We All Fall Down by Brian Caldwell- Certainly the most controversial of these novels. The focus here is the individual and why someone would ever in their right mind reject salvation. Very brutal, although probably more realistic, in its depiction of the End. This is certainly not a book for the timid, but for the rest, I found it the most intelligent, well written, and, oddly enough, spiritual of the bunch. It's hard to walk away from this book with feeling to need to take a fresh look at one's own relationship to Christ.

Blood of Heaven, by Bill Myers- These are intelligent, character focused novels. I found the theology again to be a little weak, but really enjoyed following the distictive characters.

The Last Gentile Trilogy by Cary Bybee- Better written than Left Behind, but lacking the scope of that work. Like conquest of Paradise or Christ clone, it it based in science, but perhaps too much. Not enough religion for my taste.


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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".

Rating:
Summary: I don't know.
Review: At first, I thought this book was a little bit like blasphemy. For a while I thought that it was God's job to explain how armageddon will happen, and not LaHaye and Jenkin's job. But then I found out from Jenkin's School of Prophecy that it isn't false prophecy if your novels are based on the word of God and if you use Jesus' name a lot.

Rating:
Summary: Worst Book of the Series Thus Far...Only One More To Go
Review: The absolute worst of the series. The book starts with some good action and some slight character development - a big change from the disappointment that Book Ten was. However, halfway through the book, it changes from a decent book into nothing more than an extremely preachy bible tract. The character development goes right out the window, the plot development resembles something closer to a ride at Disneyland than a rolling, churning adventure at the End Times. Absolutely disappointing work from these two authors.


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Summary: BOOK ELEVEN: ARMAGEDDON
Review: The end of the world draws nigh, and believers and non-believers alike are making their ultimate preparations. Nicolae Carpathia rallies his armies for what will be the final battle, and the Tribulation Force mobilizes for one last mission as Petra and Jerusalem brace for impact. The eleventh entry in the Left Behind saga based on Revelation, ARMAGEDDON takes more than a few unexpected turns, ratcheting the excitement to new highs. Many readers may be shocked by some of the plot twists in this novel, but the underlying postitive message of the Gospel itself trumps even the grimmest disaster. The authors rely somewhat less in ARMAGEDDON on a number of devices that have been overdone in previous entries, and the result is a more fresh, lively, and believable narrative than some of what has gone before. Fans of the series who have made it this far shouldn't be disappointed in this entry (though they may be in for a surprise or two), but critics will probably not find anything to change their minds, either. Why the latter insists on reading something they so clearly despise I cannot fathom, but the rest of us are happy to have them along for the ride! Despite the action-laden script, the story remains largely character-driven. We've seen Rayford Steele, Buck Williams, Tsion Ben-Judah, Chloe, George, Chang, Albie and all the rest go through a lot to reach this point, but the biggest thrills are yet to come and it's hard not to cheer for each of them to make it through to the end. ARMAGEDDON is yet another fast, easy read in this amazing end-times saga, and this time all eyes are on the heavens and the promised return of Jesus Christ. The Glorious Appearing is at hand...

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Summary: This One Speeds Up the Pace!
Review: This 11th book in the series moved much faster than the previous ones. I really enjoyed the fast-paced events in this book and I anxiously await the next book, which I am starting to read tonight.

Since the first few books in the series, the story has not been fast-moving, gripping, or eyes-glued-to-the-page action, which I can't put down. It took me a week to read the first book, 3 days to read the 2nd, a week to read the 3rd, and each one after that was between 1-2 weeks for me. This book, #11, took about 4 days. I could not put it down.

There are some pivotal events in this first few chapters of this book and some martyrdom scenes that moved me. I enjoyed the story, even after losing some major characters.

My favorite thing in the world is to see prophecy fullfilled, which is why I have enjoyed these books so much. Yes, they are fiction, but to see the words of Revelation put into modern, hypothetical circumstances, really gets my blood pumping. I have greatly enjoyed this series and I thank the authors for their hard work!

Rating:
Summary: I have read eleven books; do I want to read the last one?
Review: .
If you have not read this book, please do not spoil your enjoyment by reading my review. My opinions may reveal details and events that await your own journey through this book.
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The slow start of this novel picked up about mid-way through. From there it was a page-turner filled with surprises that equal those of powerhouse writers: Tom Clancy, Robert Ludlum, Clive Cussler, Stephen King, et al.

One of the aspects that I enjoyed was the build up for the war at Armageddon. I often wondered how so many people would gather on the planes for this battle, and who they would be. These novels provided insight for me that made a lot of sense.

As prophesied in the Book of Revelations, many will die during the End Times, and the ones they love will mourn them. However, in a novel, particularly a series, it is imprudent to destroy all of the protagonists before the series ends. Imagine Lord of the Rings without Frodo Baggins, or Star Wars (4-6) without Luke Skywalker and Han Solo? Where would the entire series be without Darth Vader? Removing the main characters, in my opinion, is very poor writing that can bring about the loss of readers.

Even though these are Christian novels about the end of the world, they character driven. Through eleven books, I have grown to know and care about these characters as people not simply protagonists, etc., on pages in books, what is the hook to keep me reading now?

Although from Book One (Left Behind) forward, we knew that the death of the Tribulation Forces could happen, I did not think the main characters would cease to exist before the series concluded. These deaths ended the chronicles for me. I thought I would wait in avid anticipation for book twelve, but that is not the case. This book should have been it.

Another problem is viewing the deaths of the four through a narrator's eyes. A basic principle of good writing is to show not tell. I would rather experience at least one of the main characters making it through to the Glorious Appearing and be able to show his emotions at each death, and the mighty coming of God's Armies. This would make me want to read the next book.

Many characters dominated the latter books of this series, but the strength of their continuity required their connections to the main characters. However, there were too many individuals to whom to build any emotional connections. Right now, I can tell you who died, but not who lived to see the end. I do not care.

Book Twelve must drift more into the author's own speculations than scriptures. John the Revelator and other Biblical prophets told us that the Armies of God descend from the clouds in heaven and save Jerusalem. Satan will be bound for 1000 years, and then given freedom for a short time among men. This is, I assume, the ultimate plot of book twelve.

Since I am a believer, this series does not stretch credibility for me. Many coincidences fill the books, but many philosophers do not believe in coincidence, and I agree with them, thus I can easily accept the connections between all of these individuals and events. Therefore, even though I found this book to be of a lesser quality than the previous books, it is still worth three stars to me.

Victoria Tarrani


Rating:
Summary: Best book since the first one.
Review: I flew through the first 250 pages in I think about 3 days. LOVE the Left Behind series, this book has me excited about being a Christian again! This book was very hard for me to put down.

Non-Stop action like and good Clancy book, plenty of Biblical references for those that doubt God's love for them. Grateful I don't have to wait a year like other readers for the Glorious Appearing to come out, I picked up the series at the right time.

Do I sound like a Bible thumper yet, apologize if I do, but don't mind being called a Jesus Freak either...

Odd how this series grew on me, even from the beginning of the series I said to myself "Great I get to red Christian related stuff -like reading the bible without having to read the Bible." Enjoying the Word of God w/o having to REALLY read His Words... Now that I'm almost through with the series I almost look forward to reading the Bible...