Nicolae: The Rise of Antichrist (Left Behind No. 3)

Rating:
Summary: Non-Stop, Edge of your seat thriller
Review: The third installment of the Left Behind series starts at the begining of the tribulation. After the start of World War III, the Tribulation Force struggles for survival as Nicolae Carpathia (The Antichrist) unleases his war machine against those who oppose the newly formed Global Community (formally the UN). Adding a particularly good twist to the story. two of the core members of the Tribulation Force are now employed buy the Antichrist creating a high amount of tension that serves to be very infomative for the reader. The members of the trib force in this third installment are now without a leader due to their previous leader dying under mysterious conditions. The book escalates and proves to be a page turner that you will find difficlut to put down. Action and suspense are ever present, as the reader is taken to locales such as Iraq were the throne of the antichrist is, Chicago, and a harrowing escape/rescue from Isreal which is perhaps some of the best suspenseful writing of our time.

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Summary: This book changed my life
Review: I received the first book of the "Left Behind" series as a gift from a concerned friend. I read it only because of my love of reading and my desire to read books from different subcultures within our society - not because I believed myself to be a Christian. I was intrigued by the book and continued with the next one because I was curious about the fate of those who did not disappear with the others. When I expressed my curiosty to my friend who had given the book, he pointed me to the Bible and showed me sections of it that related to the events of the books. I began to read more for myself. I began to attend a Bible study with my friend. While I was reading this book I was struck by the family-like concern that the characters had for one another that seemed to grow from their faith in Jesus. I had a desire to know this kind of relationship. I am happy to say that I now have this relationship with Jesus Christ. Thank you Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. I will see you in paradise!!!

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?

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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.


Rating:
Summary: Dracula on speed
Review: As I write this, the FDA has just dropped its previously strict packaging regulations in order to give pharmaceutical companies (like the one George Bush the First had a huge stake in) the opportunity to plant radio frequency identification (RFID) chips into packages of medicine. Last year the FDA authorized their use in human beings. Why, I wonder, haven't Tim LaHaye, Hal Lindsey, and the other right wing fear mongers who terrify people with stories of the imminent "end times" told their readers to do something PRACTICAL to stop the real-life, non-fiction, happening-as-you-read-this implementation of a system which would allow the denial of access to medicine and medical services to people based upon whether or not they have the "correct" microchip implanted in their bodies? Do the chips have to have "666" stamped on them before these guys start telling people that George Bush the Second has implemented more Antichrist-like policies than any fictional Romanian? By "something practical" I mean counseling their readers to maybe ... oh ... maybe ... NOT VOTE FOR THE POLITICAL PARTY WHICH IS DOING THIS? Until they do THAT, I'll continue to regard LaHaye, Lindsey, and others like them as fear-mongering hucksters making millions from rubes who are so busy reading this FICTION that they don't pause a moment to look at the real world around them. (As for the villain in this book: Oooh! A monster from Transylvania! How original.... Bah! I'm *through* with these lousy LaHaye books.)

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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".

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Summary: ROMANIA IS CONSIDERED THE GARDEN OF THE HOLLY MOTHER OF GOD
Review: Dear Friends,

I am so sadened to see that the name of my country is identified as being the place from where the AntiChrist will come... I am stuned to see the degree of ignorance of this man...not only related to my country but also to Christian values.

He tipically promotes a mental excitment based on western cultural templates (see Dracula, etc) without considering for a moment to take some time and read about the country he indentifies as birth place of AntiChrist. I invite you all to have a look at our Romanian Christian-Orthodox Church website, there is an english version there. Please read WHO WE ARE: http://www.crestinism-ortodox.ro/. People in Romania are 88% Christian-Orthodox, there are 12% from our population which are Catholic and Protestant.

We are the OLDEST of Christians, on our lands had preached the Saint Apostle Andrew, in south of our country. A land where the churches are built on top of the Holly remains of Saints and Martyrs of Christianity. A place where many Saints which died like martyrs in other parts of the world, and they could not be buried in their homeland (their coffins could not be lifted for burial), but when they tried to cross them over the Danube river their coffin could be lifted and passed into Romania... That's Romania... We have been the defenders of Christianity for centuries. Read the history Mr. Lahaye... and don't spill your ignorance over the name of OUR NATION.

I think people should be free to write but NEVER TO TOUCH the sacred simbols of a nation such as:
1. Name of the Country
2. Faith
3. History
4. Language
5. Culture
6. And other cherised simbols

When you read these books ask yourself if is Christian to demonize a country like Romania which in fact is exactly the oposite which this man describes.

+In Iisus Hristos Our Lord and Savior+
Your Christian Orthodox brother Gheorghe




Rating:
Summary: great series, best book of the first three
Review: I started the Left Behind Books a couple weeks ago and I love this series so far. I have really enjoyed the first three and this was my favorite so far. I disagree with people when they say it is, or these books are slow. I think there is always something happening of some importance or some new secret revealed making it hard to put the book down.

These books are so easy to read, which I think is a good thing. They way they are written is perfect for the message they are getting across. Sure, I suppose they could have been written better, but still, they are excellent books.

Not only have these books been very entertaining but they have really helped me along in my Christian walk. I want to be sure than I am not "left behind". I think these books are a great tool for spreading the word. I would believe that if a non-believer were to read these books they would have to be curious about what they've read and search for some more answers. I really enjoy them for that fact and I recommend these books to everyone.

I really enjoy the characters in these books. I feel like I know them personally and I've only read the first three. I can't wait to finish the series and read it again. They are so enjoyable and easy to read.

I noticed on thing about this book though. It is called Nicolae - The Rise of the Antichrist, but I think this book had the least of Nicolae in it so far. I thought that was kind of strange. Not that it really matters, I guess they could have chosen a better title for the book, one that matched the plot.

Anyhow, read Nicolae and all the other Left Behind books. If you wanted to, and I know people who have, you could read the entire 12 books and about 2 weeks, they're that easy. But I guarantee you'll be hooked on each book.

Rating:
Summary: A Little Quicker Paced Than The First Two
Review: The third book in the "Left Behind" series. Fast-paced novel which moves even quicker than the first two books. Some definite, well-written action - especially in the desert chase and evasion sections and the earthquake sections. The character development is slowed a bit with more emphasis placed on the action of the books - and on some rather preachy sections. Aside from those preachy sections (one disturbing section involves a rather slanted abortion view - but this is a book written by a pair of Right-Wing Christians, so what should one expect?), this particular book raises the bar from the first two. It will be quite interesting to see where the writing style will go, especially now that some action has been injected heavily into the storyline.

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Summary: No Compromising!
Review: I loved this 3rd installation to the "Left Behind" series. What keeps me so interested is not the action scenes or sometimes long dialogue. It is the fact that the premise of the book is based on basic biblical Christian principals. We as Christians have been charged by God to spread the good news of the gospel and the authors, through their dialogue, allows an unsaved person to examine themsleves and say the sinners prayer if they feel led to do so, while at the same time entertaining them. Some may disagree with their stands, ie abortion, but if God said it (Bible) then we as Christians beleive it and do not have to apologize for it, alter it, compromise our stand, or be politically correct. I think the real point behind these books is that although entertaining to some, these events will happen because scripture tell us so. The question is, will you believe or will you be left behind.