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Summary: A twelve book series with 5 books content
Review: The last three books in this series, have massive volumes of scripture, with very little character development. I guess I am like the marathon runner. After spending so much time with the ten other books, I felt forced to continue with the current edition. This book's ending was very poorly conceived. It felt like the bell rang in an exam and everyone had to put down their pencils. I almost started to root for Nicholas to end the torture of waiting for the final installment. Lahaye should do everyone a favor and write the final book in a more concise fashion. Yes, I am a junkie, I will force myself through the final book. This is my punishment on earth.
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Summary: The Final Battle of the Ages Is About to Begin
Review: 'Armageddon,' book #11 of the 'Left Behind series' is coming to a close. It's coming to less than a year until the greatest final cosmic battle of the ages begins. Armageddon is the final stand between good versus evil. Led by AntiChrist Nicolae Carpathia the evil forces have mobilized an enormous army in the Middle East and the faithful of God seem to be outnumbered. The Tribulation Force (Rayford, Buck, Bruce and Chloe) struggle to stay alive until the Glorious Appearance (Second Coming) of the Lord Jesus Christ. Through their ordeal they push onto their mission to minister the gospel to as many souls as possible. Enduring this time is difficult when three friends are murdered [Revelation 17: 6]. A plague of Darkness falls on Carpathia's city of New Babylon, but nothing will stop him. Only now the Hope that is to come will keep the Tribulation Force through the trial of their lives. The same Hope that kept them alive throughout the Tribulation, their redemption is close at hand [Revelation 18: 5-24].
(PERSONAL NOTE: Even though I've enjoyed the 'Left Behind series' I feel that somehow it could have been shorter. Maybe it could have been told in just half the time in six (6) books instead of the soon to be twelve (12) books. But then I could be just bias.)
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Summary: Trapped by Success
Review: The authors had an excellent idea, to write a novel about the Apocalypse, with true believers taken away into heaven and the rest 'Left Behind.' The characters were interesting, the action terse, and the story believeable if you accept the premise. This book was highly successful with a limited audience, primarily 'born again' Christians. The success, of course, inspired sequels, which have now stretched to 11 volumes.
Lacking good ideas for these sequels, the authors have proceeded to fictionalize the Revelation of St. John, the last book of the Protestant bible. This book is full of plagues and catastrophic events which befall earth in the period before the millenium, when the risen savior is to return to earth to claim his kingdom forever. Revelation has always struck me as wildly fantastic, and one wonders if the good saint may have been using some biblical mushrooms or other drugs.
Sadly, in most of the series the writing is quite flat. In this book, the narrative fails to convey the drama and emotion to be expected as the band of heroes faces war with the Anti-Christ and the end of our world. In addition, the story is loaded with extended quotations from the bible. This is a lazy way to put together a book, similar to the strategy many of us used in writing papers for undergraduate courses when we didn't have much to say.
Perhaps the authors expected the millenium to occur on December 1, 2000, and are now tap-dancing waiting for the actual event. Whether this is true or not, this entry is at best, disappointing.
The translators who developed the King James version of the bible all those centuries ago had a much better command of the language, and they kept the length to a small fraction of the wordiness of LaHaye and Jenkins.
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Summary: The Thrill is Gone
Review: I'm a firm believer that the scriptures are actually sets of possibilities based on our choices and our spiritual connection to God and each other. The prophets recorded what they saw and always asked "Will you change it?"
Thus I was reading this series as a very well-written fiction filled with many great truths and possible events. But the good writing ended, the drama fell flat, the preaching became overbearing and shakily supported. So, although I'll regret not knowing how the characters fare in the end, I'm walking away. I'm also walking away because I realized the authors' true view (and the basic plot of the novels) of the Jewish/Israel nation--that either they "convert" or die. This is not the wonderful bmessage of my Master Jesus the Christ at all! You'll find if asked, He would that "we all GO!" And the Peacemakers are blessed above all.
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Summary: An improvement on the last
Review: I thought that Armageddon was an improvement over the last Left Behind book, The Remnant. I enjoyed that the authors are speeding things up(no, not with action, I mean time-wise)and I thought that the book had some of the spark from the first few Left Behind books. Overall, it was a quick and enjoyable read, and I think the series is ready to be over with the next book.
MY GRADE: B+
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Summary: WOW!
Review: I don't want to spoil it for you, but the major characters from the earlier books have a lot go on! It's one of the better ones!
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Summary: Fair book, Series is treading water
Review: I'm not sure if the authors have tired now and wish they hadn't planned on a series of twelve books or not. The last two books seem as if the authors have taken a small premise and stretched it so very thin almost to the point of breaking. The pattern of chopping scenes is becoming very tiring and cliched. When taken for so long, you feel as if you deserve a better reward at the end than you are getting. The climax is so abrupt and has become more disappointing with each book. Major character defections are going to make the next book probably more interesting than the last few, but then it almost has to be. I've enjoyed the series overall, but have been greatly disappointed by each of the last three.
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Summary: Boring...Boring
Review: That's it for me! I have been reading the series since its inception and have had enough of the EXTENDED version. This book has been dragged out to earn MONEY, not reach Christians. What a joke! Instead of being stupid and buying the book this time, I borrowed it from my aunt! I put it down after 70 pages...same old stuff and more new characters. When authors' start describing an Apple in detail, they lost the essence. You sold us Out Jenkins & LaHaye.
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Summary: When Shall We be Delivered?
Review: It amazes me that two people who teach the Bible can produce this series. I expect the more educated among us to see the obvious, and even the not so obvious. The eschatology in this series has NO support in scripture when scripture is not eisegeted (that means when one doesn't insert their own ideas into the text). If these men claim the view of sola scriptura, or that all we teach must be based on the Bible as the only and final authority, then we would know that they didn't use the Bible to write this series, or they were deceiving us.
I have to wonder how they will present the so-called millennial kingdom. There are two main views in the dispensational camp. One is that during this 1000-year period, people will be saved by animal sacrifices. If they teach this, it will show that either they haven't read the Letter to the Hebrews and some other passages, or they don't believe all the Bible. The Bible teaches that anyone who reverts back to sacrifice crucifies the Son and God afresh and is sealed off from ever being saved. The other view is that people will be saved by works. No one in the Old or New Testaments was ever saved by works, save those perfect works of Christ credited to believing sinners (read Romans). And the Bible is clear that no one will ever be saved by the works of sinners; not even faith plus works. So if they teach that works will save people in this 1000-year period (a period the Bible never talks about), then they will be teaching a false Gospel. Then, Galatians 1:8, 9 will be true of them, these verses being the introduction to a heresy being taught about salvation by works and law. As one once said, this is good reading if you enjoy stories like Buck Rogers. But from the standpoint of people's eternal souls and where they will be for eternity, these books are spiritually dangerous in the extreme.
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Summary: In Response to "Grinding to a Standstill" in Cleveland
Review: Jerry Jenkins has done a phenomenal job once again! As a friend of Jenkins, I feel compelled to respond to the reader who complained about the amount of scripture included in "Armageddon". A major reason best-selling author Jenkins and prophecy expert LaHaye teamed up to write this series was to reach non-belivers. These books present the message of the Gospel in a clear manner in hopes that people would become Believers and be spared from the wrath of God, which will take place one day, and will most likely be worse than described in this book. This series has been an eye-opener to both Christians and non-Christians and has changed many lives. I am sad to hear that you do not take the message to heart. "Armageddon" is one of the most exciting of the series. Though I will agree, Chloe was pretty stupid and I don't like what they have done to her character in this book. Other than that, 5 stars for the incredible action!
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