48 pages • 1 hour read
Jerry B. Jenkins, Tim LaHayeLeft Behind: A Novel of the Earth's Last Days
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1995A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Cultural Context: American Evangelical Christianity
Evangelical Christianity is a subset of Protestantism that stresses the gospel of Jesus as Christ. The word “evangelism” is derived from Greek and Latin words for “good news,” and the religion stresses the importance of sharing the “good news” and converting others to the same faith. A scripture-based religion, Evangelical Christianity centers around the Bible as an authoritative and literal text and emphasizes the theological importance of Jesus’s death on the cross as a sacrifice for humankind. The term “born again” is important to the belief system and indicates a transformational experience of salvation.
Evangelical Christianity plays a prominent role in the history of the United States and first emerged from a fundamentalist controversy in the early 20th century. Fundamentalism was a reaction against theological modernism, which attempted to incorporate contemporary scientific developments such as Darwin’s theory of evolution into Christian beliefs. The fundamentalists split into two general groups: the separatists, who left the old denominations; and the conservatives, who remained. The latter group dubbed themselves Neo Evangelicals. Billy Graham, the charismatic Baptist evangelist, became an important face of the Evangelical movement. In the late 20th century, Evangelical Christianity became increasingly connected to political conservativism and the “Religious Right” as a reaction against issues like abortion and LGBTQ+ rights. Right-wing Evangelical Christian entities include the Moral Majority, Focus on the Family, and the Christian Coalition (Melton, J. Gordon. “Evangelical Church.” Britannica, 11 Jan. 2024).
Authorial Context: Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins
Tim LaHaye has a D. Min. degree from Western Theological Seminary and was the pastor of a San Diego church for 25 years. His primary theological interest is Biblical prophecy, and he founded “The Pre Trib [tribulation] Research Center.” Jerry B. Jenkins is a prolific author who has written more than 200 publications spanning Christian fiction, mystery, biography, and books focused on marriage and family. LaHaye originally created the idea for the series, and Jenkins was responsible for the writing process.
The co-authorship of Left Behind is central to the series’ success and the content of the texts themselves. The novel’s premise is based upon biblical prophecy of the apocalypse, and as such, it includes explanations of the core belief of Evangelical Christianity: that salvation from sin and death can only be achieved by genuine belief in Jesus’s sacrifice, rather than through actions or inherent goodness. The text itself is therefore an evangelical project; the co-authors combine biblical material with a “hook” and utilize common tropes of the mystery, thriller, and romance genres to relay the gospel message to as broad an audience as possible.
Religious Context: Biblical Source Material
The speculative “end times” elements of Left Behind are based on biblical source material, primarily from the books of Daniel and Revelation. From the perspective of the Bible as literature, both books belong to the “apocalypse” literary genre. Such texts generally feature a first-person narration of the future or of heaven and use the name of a biblical figure as a pseudonym. Jewish apocalypse texts are also characterized by imagery and symbolism, and they often feature an angel or other heavenly being who explains the meaning of such symbols and images (Aune, David E. “Introduction to ‘The Revelation to John.” The Harper Collins Study Bible. New Revised Standard Version. Edited by Harold W. Attridge and Wayne A. Meeks, HarperCollins, 2006, p. 2087).
The book of Revelation contains descriptions of the seal, trumpet, and plague judgements that herald the apocalypse, and within the context of the novel, the pastor Bruce Barnes alludes to these details in his videotaped explanation of the events surrounding the Rapture. These passages foreshadow several plot events that occur throughout the remainder of the series. The biblical scripture most pertinent to Left Behind include passages about the Antichrist and the prophets in Israel.
The book of Daniel alludes to the Antichrist, suggesting that there “shall arise a contemptible person on whom royal majesty had not been conferred; he shall come in without warning and obtain the kingdom through intrigue” (Dan. 11.21, The Harper Collins Study Bible. New Revised Standard Version. Edited by Harold W. Attridge and Wayne A. Meeks, HarperCollins, 2006, p. 1190). The plot of Left Behind draws on the ambiguity of this passage to introduce the character of Nicolae Carpathia and chart his ominous rise to power. Intrigue is also present in the actions of financial power players Todd-Cothran and Stonagal, whose machinations aid Carpathia’s ascendancy. Significantly, Carpathia becomes President of Romania without an election, and the title of UN Secretary General is passed to him by a predecessor influenced by bribery. Both of these events echo the biblical idea of a lack of “royal majesty.”
Similarly, material in Revelation about the two witnesses is relevant to the emergence of the prophets “Eli” and “Moishe” in the plot of Left Behind. The prophets are granted authority “to prophesy for one thousand two hundred sixty days, wearing sackcloth” (Rev. 11.3, The Harper Collins Study Bible. New Revised Standard Version. Edited by Harold W. Attridge and Wayne A. Meeks, HarperCollins, 2006, p. 2100) and are described thus:
These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes; anyone who wants to harm them must be killed in this manner. They have the authority to shut the sky, so that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have authority over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire (Rev. 11.4-6, The Harper Collins Study Bible. New Revised Standard Version. Edited by Harold W. Attridge and Wayne A. Meeks, HarperCollins, 2006, p. 2100).
In Left Behind, the news reports of Eli and Moishe at the Wailing Wall align with their foretold appearance in sackcloth. When two assailants attempt to attack them, the metaphorical fire in the passage from Revelation takes the form of silent, unexplainable death. When the weaponed men attempt to attack them, both crumple and die of apparent heart attacks. The news reports also mention that it has not rained in that part of Israel since the men began speaking.
Biblical source material provides both a theological framework and definitive elements of plot structure for Left Behind and the subsequent books in the series. The alignment between plot events and biblical source material is significant to the characters’ trajectories as well. For Buck in particular, perceiving biblical prophecy in alignment with his observations in Israel, with Carpathia, and in the news reports of the prophets is central to his decision to accept the Christian faith.
The book of Matthew provides a description of the Rapture that is also relevant to that event’s representation in Left Behind. A section on the “Necessity for Watchfulness” notes that “two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming” (Matt. 24.40-42, The Harper Collins Study Bible. New Revised Standard Version. Edited by Harold W. Attridge and Wayne A. Meeks, HarperCollins, 2006, p. 1711). LaHaye and Jenkins draw extensively on the selectivity and immediacy evidenced in this passage to engineer the worldwide crisis that precipitates the primary plot of the novel. Many of the novel’s events directly address the impact of the Rapture on people who have seen loved ones disappear or have realized that they have been left behind. Thus, the novel encompasses both the practical concerns and the spiritual crises inherent in such an event, in accordance with the central beliefs of Evangelical Christianity.
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