Glorious Appearing: The End of Days (Lahaye, Tim F. Left Behind Series.) [Hardcover]

Jerry B. Jenkins (Author), Tim F. Lahaye (Author)

Book Description

Series: Lahaye, Tim F. Left Behind Series. | Publication Date: March 2004

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. After seven years, the remaining members of the Tribulation Force are gathered at Petra, trying to find a way to stop Nicolae Carpathia, the Antichrist, and his forces, while awaiting the return of Christ.

--This text refers to the Library Binding edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Jesus returns at last in this 12th novel in the phenomenally popular Left Behind series, vanquishing his foes and ushering in a new millennium of peace and righteousness. Ray Steele is the only member of the original Tribulation Force alive to see it, however, since Buck Williams endures a bloody death in the opening pages. The novel’s pacing suffers greatly from its own foregone conclusion. Antichrist Nicolae Carpathia, once a fearsome and suave foe, is reduced to shrill hysteria in this installment, and seems more of a cartoon character than a credible instrument of Satan. And the final wars (there are four of them in quick succession) add no drama to the plot, since believers are by that point impervious to harm; neither the bullets from the Unity army or the supernatural lightning raining down from the sky can touch the Christian holdouts. It must have been difficult to imagine the words that Jesus would speak on such an occasion, but the authors’ cautious solution-to draw almost solely on the statements spoken by or about Jesus in the New Testament-feels wooden. However, the book is not devoid of humor, and fans of the series will enjoy the gentle, affectionate camaraderie that exists among the excited members of the ragtag brigade of believers. For readers who have stuck with this soap opera through thick and thin, there is a real emotional payoff in seeing the characters’ reunions with their loved ones who died during the Tribulation.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From the Back Cover

Unity Army destroys Petra. Armies amass at Megiddo for ultimate showdown. Cross-shaped lightning illuminates night sky.

Storm clouds gather over the Valley of Megiddo as the fiercest military battle in history is about to commence. The lone surviving member of the original Tribulation Force lies broken and bleeding. Can he rally one more time before the Unity Army annihilates Petra, killing the believers seeking refuge?

Antichrist Nicolae Carpathia vows a decisive victory, ensuring his ascension as divine ruler over the new world order. But in a blinding instant, a strange, shadowless light blankets the earth as the true Victor comes at last to claim His throne.

Glorious Appearing is #12 in the phenomenal New York Times best-selling Left Behind series that rocked the publishing world and made millions think seriously about the future and their places in it.

With special features relating to current events and end-times prophecy. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 398 pages
• Publisher: Tyndale House Pub (March 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0842365613
• ISBN-13: 978-0842365611
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (319 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,506,014 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, July 28, 2004

By 

David Benjamin (Oregon, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Glorious Appearing: The End of Days (Left Behind #12) (Hardcover)

Just as a preface, I found the previous books in the Left Behind series flawed but engaging enough to warrant reading. For a lengthy and relatively faithful rendition of how Revelation might play out in our world, I thought the books were suitable--though I would love to see this story retold more realistically and not in a preaching-to-the-choir sort of way.

All that said, Glorious Appearing was a large disappointment for a variety of reasons, most of which are problems in the writing rather than the content of the source material. The first major problem is that there is zero dramatic tension once Jesus shows up. You know the good guys won't get touched and you know all the bad guys will get what's coming to them. You also know exactly what's going to happen, because all the characters have been studying the Scriptures and talking about the prophecies which will be fulfilled. I know that the fulfillment of prophecy is very important for eschatological writing, but novels need dramatic tension to keep the reader's interest. I think it would have been much more interesting to have the focal point characters NOT always in the know, and have them struggle through these experiences without knowing all the answers before hand.

The second major problem is how Jesus and the angels speak: almost entirely in passages lifted straight from the Bible. I'd imagine Lahaye and Jenkins wanted to err on the side of caution here, not wanting to ascribe to Jesus anything that he might not say. That was a mistake for two reasons. From a dramatic standpoint, it made Jesus and the angels dull, their dialogue stale and tedious because we've heard it before (and in this very book series, too). From a theological standpoint, it's troubling because it feels like it's limiting Jesus. A better solution would be to have Jesus speak original, modern dialogue that fits with who he is (as presented in the Bible) and is tied closer to the context of the book.

The third problem is that individual perspective is all but obliterated. Very often there will be a six-page section during which the focal character's name is mentioned once... and then somehow he or she is able to witness things such as mountains splitting in two and entire cities raised hundreds of feet. This book is written like a summary rather than a personal experience. If I wanted the broad picture from a distant point of view I would read Revelation or one of the hundreds of commentaries written on that book. When I'm reading a book--particularly one labeled as FICTION--I want to know and feel what the characters are going through. To this extent, I would rather the characters and myself know less about what's going to happen, so I can experience a much richer and less predictable drama.

There are other problems with this book but those are the primary ones. If you've read most of the previous books in the Left Behind series, then you should definitely read through this one just to complete the story. If you haven't read any of the series or you've only read a book or two, you might want to reconsider before you invest your time in 12 books with a disappointing payoff.

The books are based on worthwhile material (Revelation--which I'd recommend over these books any day) and the authors seem to have good intentions (though I question why they had to stretch this out over so many books if not for money-making reasons), but the execution really falls short in the end. Hopefully the financial success of this series will pave the way for another, better fictional rendering of Revelation.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing... at best., May 7, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Glorious Appearing: The End of Days (Left Behind #12) (Hardcover)

I was looking forward to the release of this book for almost a year. I was at the bookstore on the day it came out. Unfortunately, Glorious Appearing left much to be desired. It is full of filler, quotes from The Bible, and nothingness. I wanted so badly to enjoy reading it, as I have read the previous books and loved them. But this is not impressive.

The wars are fought. Of course, we win, since nothing can harm the children of God. The Lord returns. And that is it! THE END!

I am a born-again Christian who believes that the order of events in the books are correct. I know much about the Bible, and have done my homework when it comes to The Gospel. I am thankful that the series has led people to Christ, but I am sorry to say that this book has failed to entertain me.

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Like waiting for paint to dry, May 20, 2005

By 

Wayne L. Faust - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Glorious Appearing: The End of Days (Left Behind #12) (Hardcover)

Whoo boy, what can I say about this one? I am a Christian and it's nice that Christian themes are getting a lot of attention these days. But this book committed a cardinal sin in fiction - it bored me nearly to death. The writing is so poor that during the reading of the book on a CD version my daughter and I listened to on a cross-country car trip, we ended up fast-forwarding lots of it, and even skipping whole CD's, just so we could finally hear what happened at the end.
I read several of the early books in this series, and they seemed to get more padded with each installment. I gave up in frustration some time around book 7, but decided to try this one to see how the whole thing ended. That turned out to be a mistake.
As far as what exactly is wrong with this book, it's hard to know where to begin. The characters are all two-dimensional for starters. They talk in speeches and platitudes for pages at a time. When they are brief they sound like comic book characters, and poorly-written ones at that.
In stories like this, the villain is very important. He provides the sense of menace that gives the story its tension. One wonders how the heroes are going to defeat such an awesome adversary. In this story the villain, Satan himself, comes off as a buffoon. He is mostly comic relief, thus depriving the reader of any sense of foreboding.
Any other possible drama is diffused by the characters in this book telling us ahead of time exactly what is going to happen. And they're usually right. So where's the drama? It's like watching a football game where the good guys are ahead 1 million to zero in the 4th quarter. And we're supposed to be holding our breath.
Read your Bible instead. It's written a whole lot better.