The Left Behind books are all fiction books based on the Book Revelations Second Coming. They refer to the belief of the Rapture, that the saints would be raptured. The hugely popular books have overcome the stereotype of Christian books and crossed into the mainstream of booksellers. The books managed this jump with fast pacing of the plot and well-written characters. The books contain violence, as they are a struggle against the Christians and the Antichrist and his followers. The Rapture is the belief that Jesus Christ will descend from Heaven in the company of the Saints of God, at the same time the true Christians will be raptured into heaven to meet God. The Second Coming from the Book of Revelation is the belief that Christ will return to earth after the opening of the Seventh Seal to fight and defeat the Antichrist and his followers at the end of the world.

The Controversy Swirling Around the Left Behind Books

The controversy over the Left Behind books has not hurt their popularity, and we aren’t going to discuss it here, other than to list them. The Rapture is not specifically in the Book of Revelations, the authors are writing this books just for money, the books are an attack on Judaism and Catholicism, the books are anti-liberal secularism, bad biblical scholarship, the books sensationalize violence and plagarism. These criticisms have not slowed down the Left Behind books popularity.

The Left Behind books are fiction, and are designed for be both entertainment and to provide the authors’ views of The Rapture and the Second Coming. They meet both of these goals. Like much of the Christian based books, films and other entertainment items, there has been much criticism. However, it is argued that the purpose is to be entertained, and if you are entertained the purpose has been met. If you are looking for scholarship, fiction is probably not the reading you want to choose. As with all fiction books, you will have to make the decision for yourself, were your entertained.