Left Behind: A Novel of the Earth's Last Days

This section of the novel begins with an abrupt shift from the action of the previous chapter and introduces a more introspective interlude that details Rayford and Chloe’s conversation with Pastor Bruce Barnes. The pace slows significantly in order to allow for a more serious tone and a detailed overview of the novel’s central message. Thus, the authors employ dialogue to create a comprehensive presentation of the gospel message of Evangelical Christianity. As Bruce tells his story, his position as a spiritual seeker-turned-believer renders him an avatar of the Evangelical view on salvation.

The novel’s theme of Human and Divine Manifestations of Forgiveness is also developed throughout this chapter, primarily though Bruce’s monologue. Throughout the novel, the authors include both person-to-person and religious instances of forgiveness. Such scenes are often characterized by misunderstanding, suggesting the complexity of the topic. The authors’ intention with this pattern is to enable their readers to indirectly participate in the characters’ process of questioning and gaining a deeper understanding of the version of forgiveness espoused in Evangelical Christianity. To this end, Bruce’s internal conflict regarding forgiveness involves debate and is similar to Rayford’s process of questioning his faith. Bruce and Rayford are therefore portrayed as having similar temptations to overcome, for both have indulged in lustful desires for extramarital affairs, and their intelligence causes them both to question and struggle with the more complex aspects of their faith.

Within this context, the narrative structure of the novel depends on the fact that the protagonists are on the same trajectory toward conversion, even if their individual conversions take place at very different times. For example, Bruce undertook this spiritual debate prior to his appearance in the novel, and Rayford’s conversion experience soon follows. Chloe’s version of this crisis follows that of her father’s, and her conversion is soon followed by Buck’s. This staggered timing takes place over the course of the novel and has two main effects. First, it facilitates variations in genre and pacing. The more internally focused conversion experiences are interspersed between the inclusion of thriller tropes that reveal the broader view of global politics and Buck’s strategic actions. Second, the staggered timelines represent the deeply personalized nature of the progression from disbelief to faith. Thus, The Balance Between Skepticism and Faith is a prevalent theme throughout the novel, and it epitomizes the characters’ various trajectories toward a more deeply faith-based worldview. This pattern suggests that doubt is an important part of the process, and the authors’ nuanced approach therefore legitimizes any potential doubts on the part of their readers. For example, after Bruce finishes speaking, Rayford reflects that although “he didn’t put this on the same scale as dealing with a salesman, he needed time to think” (202) and engage in “a cooling-off period” that will allow him to remain “analytical” (202) in his approach. The choice of the word “salesman” in this passage connotes the belief that preaching can be similar to aggressive sales tactics, but this interpretation is undercut when Rayford suggests that he does not think of Bruce’s arguments in this way. The passage also foreshadows Rayford and Chloe’s eventual conversions.

In addition to the shifts in pacing, shifts between the Steeles’ narrative and Buck’s activities foreshadow the eventual meeting between the two sets of characters. During the chapter in which Rayford watches the pastor’s tape, the narrative switches briefly to an interlude in which Buck and Steve discuss Carpathia. Because this interlude comes soon after the pastor’s statements about the “deceiver” of biblical prophecy, the scene foreshadows the realization that Carpathia’s true identity as that of the prophesied Antichrist. Short sections within these chapters also facilitate the gradual building of intrigue and a balance between scenes that feature action and those that feature internal debate.