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The Left Behind series of novels about events following the Rapture has been a phenomenal commercial success. The authors are Jerry Jenkins, writer-at-large for the neo-evangelical, psychoanalyzed Moody Bible Institute, and Tim LaHaye, well-known author (over 40 books), "noted authority" on Bible prophecy (e.g., Revelation Unveiled), and promoter of the heretical "Four Temperaments" Theory. The books have doubled both the profits and staff of Tyndale House Publishers (Wheaton, Illinois). More than 30 million copies have been sold, generating more than a quarter of a billion dollars in sales in just five years. Twelve volumes are proposed. The seventh, The Indwelling, released in May of 2000, pre-sold 1.4 million copies before it was even released, and some stores opened at midnight to long lines of fans. It immediately hit number one on the New York Times best seller list. The same was true for the eighth volume, The Mark. In addition to the more than 30 million books, Tyndale House has sold 10 million related items, such as computer screensavers and postcards. There is a Left Behind kids series (Left Behind: The Kids—ten books planned), an audio series, a movie, and an upcoming television series. The Left Behind website attracts 60,000 hits a day. There is a serious problem with fictionalizing Bible subjects. Fiction, by its very nature, is not truth. At best, it goes beyond truth and reality. It is not wise to fictionalize the Bible. The Scriptures tell us exactly what God wants men to know, no more and no less, about future events. "The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law" (Deut. 29:29). The Left Behind series goes far beyond what the Bible says, and instead, speculates about things God has not said. Revelation 22 warns about adding to or taking away from the words of God in prophecy. Why would that warning not apply to the Left Behind series? One can argue that the books are only fiction, but will the intermingling of Bible truth and fiction not leave wrong impressions in the minds of people? Will the average reader be able to tell truth from fiction? The fictionalizing of Scripture is an egregious offense in and of itself, but the theology presented in the books is intolerable (despite the publisher's claim that "The series is guaranteed to be theologically sound."). Following are just a few examples of the unscriptural things found in just the first four volumes: (1) Large numbers of relatives and friends of Christians are saved after the Rapture occurs. This sends the message that it is possible to wait and get saved later. But the Bible never offers such hope. Second Thessalonians chapter two describes the coming of the Antichrist, and it plainly states that those who are left behind who have rejected the truth will not be saved, but will be deluded by God Himself.
While it is true that many people will be saved during the Tribulation (i.e., Revelation 6:11; 7:14), it would appear that these are people who did not have opportunity to hear the Gospel before the Rapture. There are multiplied millions of people in the world today who have not heard a clear and true presentation of the Gospel. While we do not know enough perhaps to be dogmatic about exactly who will and will not be saved after the Rapture, it is irresponsible on the part of the Left Behind authors to present a position on this that at least appears to be directly contrary to 2 Thessalonians 2:8-11. (2) The books feature the formation of a "Tribulation Force" to resist the Antichrist. There is nothing like this even hinted at in the Bible. (3) Prayers to the dead is taught in one of the books. During the funeral for a Tribulation-era pastor, one of the leaders of the Tribulation Force is depicted as praying to the dead man (vol. 3, Nicolae, p. 315). (4) Satan is in charge of the weather. One of the key figures in the Left Behind books is the supposed leader of the 144,000 Jews. In book four, he sends out a message to believers throughout the world via the Internet and makes the following statement: "Eons ago, God the Father conceded control of earth's weather to Satan himself, the prince and power of the air" (vol. 4, Soul Harvest, p. 232). The Bible does not say that Satan has been given control of the weather. When the Bible mentions thunder and hail and such things, it refers to them as coming from the hand of God (i.e., Job 38:22-29; Ps. 77:18). Psalm 104 describes the various aspects of this present creation and attributes the control of everything to God. Satan is not called the "god of this world" because God turned the world over to him, but because mankind in general has rejected God and believed the serpent's lie. (5) The Christians in the books make major decisions based on their intuitions and human reasoning rather than on Bible precepts. For example, two of the heroes of the Left Behind series become romantically involved. Though they discuss the matter and wonder if it is God’s will, they get married and have a child in the midst of the Great Tribulation, with no apparent consultation of the Scriptures. First Corinthians 7:29-35 would have settled their question. Another example of this is the decision made by two of the members of the "Tribulation Force" to work for the Antichrist, one as his pilot and one as the head of a news magazine. They question the propriety of their decision, but instead of consulting the Scriptures, they "feel" it is God’s will. One would think that 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 and Revelation 18:4 would easily have settled that question. (6) Female Bible Teachers are acceptable. Book three has two female members of the "Tribulation Force" trained to teach the Bible to mixed groups of people (vol. 3, Nicolae, pp. 354,355). Contrast this teaching with 1 Timothy 2:12. (7) Book 4 teaches the error of infant baptism. In volume 4, one of the key characters of the series is pregnant with the child of the Antichrist! She wants a member of the Tribulation Force to be the "godmother" of the child (vol. 4, Soul Harvest, p. 390). That is language, of course, which pertains to the unscriptural practice of infant baptism. (8) The pope is raptured away! The books depict the Roman Catholic pope as a saved man who is taken away in the Rapture. This is perhaps the most serious and dangerous error in all the books. It encourages the ecumenical movement and its powerful back-to-Rome emphasis. It adds support to the false ecumenical concept of "evangelical Catholism." Of course, for any pope to be saved, he would have to reject what his own church teaches. The Roman Catholic Church dogmatically teaches that works and sacraments are necessary to salvation, and that man cannot be saved by the grace of Christ alone. So with this series, LaHaye and Jenkins help Chuck Colsom, Billy Graham, and Charles Stanley and the rest of the Catholic sympathizers to further blur the clear line of demarcation between true Christianity and apostate Christianity. In summary, the Left Behind series may be tolerable fiction, but it is definitely intolerable theology, and thereby, must be rejected by true Christians. [This article (and the Editor's Notes below) was excerpted and/or adapted from the following sources: (1) "Left Behind: Tolerable Fiction, Intolerable Theology," 6/28/01, FBIS, David Cloud, Way of Life Literature, and (2) "Left Behind: One of Satan’s Latest Wiles," Raymond Blanton, The Perilous Times, Feb/Mar 2001.] [Editor’s Note#1: Books in the Left Behind series thus far: Left Behind, Tribulation Force, Nicolae, Soul Harvest, Apollyon, Assassins, The Indwelling, and The Mark. The Left Behind: The Kids series will include the following titles: The Vanishings, Second Chance, Through the Flames, Facing the Future, Nicolae High, The Underground, Busted!, Death Strike, The Search, and On the Run.] [Editor’s Note#2: In the Fall of 2000,
co-author Tim LaHaye filed suit in Los Angeles Superior Court against
Namesake Entertainment, the Kentucky-based firm that originally bought the
film rights to Left Behind, and Peter and Paul Lalonde's Cloud Ten
Pictures, claiming breach of contract and requesting unspecified damages.
At the time film rights were sold in 1997, fewer than 100,000 books in the
Left Behind series had been purchased, and some believe the suit is
an attempt to renegotiate the terms. LaHaye’s suit alleges that Namesake
representatives pledged to spend $40 million on a major motion picture
that would be released in theaters before 1/1/00, the time when the public
was most interested in the millennium. Namesake reportedly was unable to
interest a major Hollywood studio in the project, and with its option for
the film rights due to expire, contacted Cloud Ten. LaHaye’s suit also
states that he has been "caused … to suffer 'emotional and mental
distress, including anxiety, worry, mental anguish and
sleeplessness.'" Apparently, LaHaye’s "all-inclusive"
contract with Namesake and Cloud Ten will also cost him millions in
potential revenue from the planned movie of the Left Behind: The Kids
series. (Fighting the pain of this potential revenue loss, Tim and Beverly
LaHaye still managed to scrape together enough cash to give Jerry
Falwell's Liberty University $4.5 million toward a new student
center; in return, the new School of Prophecy will be named after LaHaye,
and he will serve as its president.) The question one has to ask is:
"If Tim LaHaye is primarily concerned for lost souls and the imminent
return of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, why is he suing for more
money? Does he plan to take it with him, or does he fear being 'left
behind' and needing it?"] |