Rating:  Summary: To everyone who bashes these books....CALM...DOWN!!! Review:
What is it with certain types of people who get fired up about
FICTIONAL STORIES!!!
I'm sure they are the same people who get fired up about the Da Vinci Code and Micheal Moore movies.
Relax folks. They are JUST FICTIONAL STORIES!!! Meant to entertain...not reality.
Please stop weaving fiction in to your perception of life!
I absolutely love the review on the 1st page from the "Christian Propoganda" guy. :) Take a look a all the books he has reviewed... He copied and pasted the same text to review EVERY Left Behind book. Funny. It makes me wonder if the words are his or if they were copied and pasted from a left wing nutjob website. :) I would hate to have to live my life with such hatred in my heart.
Rating:  Summary: Please, Oh PLEASE. . . Review: . . .LET THERE BE A "No Star" OPTION!!!
These books have gotten worse and worse -- and "Glorious Appearing" is the worst of all.
The writing has deteriorated over the series -- and never was that good to begin with.
The characterizations have gotten worse and worse -- and never were convincing from the start. The characters are now little more than caricatures of themselves.
The "Dispensational Pre-millenialism" -- a 19th century EXTREME minority viewpoint -- has gotten thicker and thicker.
The anti-Catholicism has gotten more and more nauseating.
And finally -- it's all over. The series is DONE!
The picture we're left with at the end of the book is one which alternates between cloyingly "soap-opera" sweet and almost frighteningly vengeful. As a conservative Christian, I do believe that "He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead" but here, you get the idea that Christ ENJOYS zapping the bad guys. (You also get the impression that the authors -- and readers who buy into their quasi-theology -- will also enjoy watching everyone who doesn't believe exactly as they do get zapped.)
My only fear? The Epilogue! A new series dealing with the release of Satan after the 1000 year reign? Don't bet against it!
Lousy. Absolutely lousy.
Rating:  Summary: Unfortunately most of these reviews are misleading you... Review: ...Don't be alarmed that many of the reviews for this book are bashing Christianity questioning the validity of Jesus and history.
I submit two items for the educated of you to grasp when considering the previous reviews:
1) Book: Evidence That Demands a Verdict(Tell me if these non-believers ever really spent time reading a book such as below and then really could makes comments such as "No historical facts that Jesus ever existed" - hilarious - People choose to read kiddie Fiction such as the Left Behind series and make comments in vain - read some Adult stuff and pray for Salvation)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0785243631/103-3673777-6300623?v=glance
2) Jesus tells us to expect the world's denial and hatred
"When the world hates you, remember it hated me before it hated you. The world would love you if you belonged to it, but you don't. I chose you to come out of the world, and so it hates you. Do you remember what I told you? `A servant is not greater than the master.' Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you!" (NLT) John 15:18-20
Summary:
Ignore the callous souls who would discount this and the novels in this collection. They are well written and "Exciting" fiction for believers. That's just what they are - "Fiction". The Book of Revelation is very complex and interpretation is difficult. One thing is for certain, and should be noted - JESUS is coming again...
Rating:  Summary: move over charles manson and jimmy jones! Review: A new cult is in town!It's not a question of "Who is this guy kidding?", because he's obviously suckered millions of people into his alternate reality. I am a Christian, and this book could make me want to convert - to ANY other religion. Muslim. Buddhist. Paganism, anyone? Fortunately, I have enough intelligence to know that LaHaye has written a piece of trash to make himself millions by tapping into our society's current fascination and ENJOYMENT of ultra violence (btw - I have refused to go see the Gospel According to Mel Gibson, who has also made millions on Christian violence. Gross - $354 million to date!) Is this a cult, or what? cult - Noun - 1a. A religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader. b. The followers of such a religion or sect. 2 Obsessive, especially faddish, devotion to or veneration for a person, principle, or thing. At the end of La Haye's ultra-violent portrayal of Jesus, the King of Peace, only those who meet the cult criteria set by Jesus are allowed to live. He first murders all of those who refuse to bow down and worship him. And then, to make it worse, he murders all of those who don't worship him the "right" way. All that remain are those who have allowed their brains and souls to be programmed identically to each other, to the point where they all hear Jesus talking to them personally. They all hear the same words, except their own names are used, and they hear in their native tongue. This is the reward for worshiping Jesus the "right" way. Plug me in and tell me what to do next! Their individuality is gone -the thing that makes our world so incredibly interesting. Besides the violence, this book portrays the single most intolerant society in the history of the world. This kind of genocide makes Hitler look like a peace loving person, since he was only going after one group of people. In Tim LaHaye's view of the future, Jesus goes after EVERYBODY BUT one group of people. Hitler wanted to murder 15 million or so Jews. Jesus decides to murder billions, and maybe only allow 15 million or so to live (these are all my estimates, by the way). I do believe that Jesus will forgive Tim LaHaye for using His name to spread such disgusting, violent misrepresentations of His peace loving teachings. After all, the CORE of Jesus' teaching includes "LOVE YOUR ENEMY", peace, and forgiveness. NOT - "Hate and murder all of those who disagree with you."
Rating:  Summary: Glorious Reading Review: I absolutely loved this book! It is one that can be read and re-read. It is so comforting and heartwarming.
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.
Rating:  Summary: Had to read it 'cause I'd already read the other 11 books! Review: I don't mean to slam LaHaye or Jenkins, because the series really was a good idea, however....
The series really dragged on towards the end - 8 books would have been plenty.
The theology is slavishly literal - even things that are obviously meant to be symbolic.
The characters are shallow and the writing is elementary.
The whole premise and execution becomes a caricature by the end. The writing is stilted and predictable.
I would recommend the Last Disciple by Brouwer as a much better written novel based on revelation prophecy - of course the theology is much different than LaHaye's
Rating:  Summary: Much too preachy for my taste... Review: I'm a big fan of this series. I am not, however, a big fan of this book. I found it to be long-winded and boring, not to mention anti-climactic. Maybe that's because I don't consider myself to be a religious person. When my step-son urged me to read the first book, I couldn't stop reading. My step-son liked them for the fast-paced action and excitement (he was 13 at the time). I liked them because they got me thinking about God, theology, and where I am in my life. The series had been out for a few years, so I had some catching up to do. I read the first 4 or 5 in succession and eagerly awaited the following publications. But with each new novel, I found them to be less dramatic, more unbelievable and a lot more sanctimonious. Thank God that was the last book of the series!
Rating:  Summary: Series limps to the finish line Review: It's probably inevitable that the 12th of a 12-book series ties up a lot of loose ends, concerning both plot and character. Some interesting images and thoughts here, but not very compelling.
Rating:  Summary: Writing leaves much to be desired Review: My problem with this book is the theology but rather its tone and literary style. I find the characters and dialogue shallow and trite. Maybe it's the desire to engage with pop culture immersed Americans- but frankly the emotional reaction to the second coming of Christ is described way too casually. This book seems to be aimed at people with an eighth grade education. There is excellent Christian fiction out there- unfortunately this is not it.
I think this series has been stretched into 12 (plus?) books for commercial reasons despite clear literary flaws. I do commend the authors for taking echatology into the mainstream but as an avid reader, I am once again disappointed.
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