Left Behind

I read this when I was far too young to grasp pretty much any of the references. That's alright though, because it leaves for the now humorous memory that I was sad for all the people who winked out of existence. How awful to just be gone and be... where? Seemingly nowhere. Made me anxious to imagine if that could happen to me. Thankfully I don't have to worry about that since I'm a heathen. Anyway, I remember rooting for all who were left to scrape together and rebuild since that's just what we do as a species.
Obviously I was reading this as any other post-apocalyptic novel and didn't have the wherewithal to recognize or be put off by the writing. I think I made it through a few of these books actually.

Oh. Wow. Just. Wow. I absolutely love this series! This story just grips you and stays with you forever. I really don't like re-reading books but I have re-read these books so many times and I love it each and every time! I can't say enough about this series, just wow. I love it so much

I read this series as a teenager. It's hard to rate because it is such a specific genre written for a specific audience. As a teen having been raised within the religious beliefs which this book (and series) was targeting I thought it was fantastic. Exciting, concrete and palpable retelling of such things as the rapture which I found to be such an unthinkable concept. Read this series for what it is meant to be. Basically a description of the end of times from a certain belief system written for a mass audience. The writing is not Shakespearian, nor is it meant to be. It is meant to carry a message and by the number of books sold and the 2 movies made LeHaye has accomplished that goal.

Gone

unfortunately

christ.

my head hurts now

I'd read this once before, quite a long time ago, but, I have to admit when I read it this time, I remembered nothing of the story. It's a good read and I will be reading more of the books in this series.

While I remember enjoying reading this series when it first came out, that was before I had spent much time studying Biblical Interpretation and Theology. At the time I didn't think I agreed with the way the authors were interpreting Scripture, but I didn't have much to go on.

The Left Behind Series is based on an extremely literal rendering of passages of scripture in the Bible, especially apocalyptic texts. People who embrace this interpretation of the text (premillennial dispensationalism) must be unaware or or choosing to ignore the fact that apocalyptic texts are known for using highly symbolic language to communicate truth and must be interpreted in light of the larger framework of the Judeo-Christian worldview. (Example: The plagues mentioned in Revelation echo the plagues in Exodus where God was rescuing his people and judging their oppressors.)

N. T. Wright said the dramatic end-time scenario of believers being snatched up into heaven is an incorrect interpretation of 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. That passage about meeting the Lord in the air “should be read with the assumption that the people will immediately turn around and lead the Lord back to the newly remade world” – similar to residents meeting a visiting emperor in open country, then escorting him into the city. Jesus never predicted such an event.

“The gospel passages about “the Son of Man coming on the clouds” (Mark 13:26, 14:62, for example) are about Jesus' vindication, his “coming” to heaven from earth. The parables about a returning king or master (for example, Luke 19:11-27) were originally about God returning to Jerusalem, not about Jesus returning to earth. This, Jesus seemed to believe, was an event within space-time history, not one that would end it forever.” - N.T. Wright