Customer Reviews

The Left Behind Collection II boxed set: Vol. 5-8 (Vols 5-8)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

With all the end-times novels on the market it's probably useful to see a comparison from someone who has read most of them. So here's my take on the matter.

LEFT BEHIND is an action adventure written primarily for Christians with a huge cross-over into the secular market. It sticks very closely to scripture and to prophecy of the time during the Tribulation. There is never any doubt of the authors' position and which characters are good and which are bad. Beyond that, there's been so much said about Left Behind that probably every possible opinion has been expressed. Some love it. Some hate it. Personally, I like the Left Behind series a lot.

THE LAST DAY makes no attempt at all to adhere to scriptural prophecy. It is, in fact, less accurate scripturally than The Omen movies or End of Days. If you want a fun read and don't care whether the story has any connection to scripture, it's probably okay.

THE CHRIST CLONE TRILOGY, my definite favorite among the list, is written for a secular audience with a big cross-over into the Christian market. Through most of the 3 books you don't know what the author's position is or which (if any) of the characters speak for him. Only in the last book do you find out he is a Christian and that he is using his story telling ability to reach the lost with the Gospel and the danger that faces them if they do not accept it.

WE ALL FALL DOWN is a story of a man forced to make decisions about himself and God when faced by undeniable evidence (living through the Tribulation) that the Bible is true. It's an interesting exploration in character but the author's development of the events of the Tribulation is muddled and very thin. The thing most Christians object to about We All Fall Down is the non-stop use of extreme profanity by the main character. It was hard for me to get past all the f-words, and I certainly would not say I enjoyed it, still it made me think.

I have grown up in a christian household and rejected god and christ all along. After becoming interested in the book as an intereting story that i might be able to get a scare out of, a devout believer and good friend of mine gave me the first book, Left Behind, for my birthday.
As i read, i became a believer and i believe the books, even though they are a work fiction, are masterfully written for the very purpose in which i became involved in. I have read quite a few of these reviews, and these books are written not aimed at children, but at ppl who need everything spelled out for them in order to embrace christ.
I am not saying that these books should be considered a replacement for the bible or even taken at face value. But simply they are a tool (one of many) for non-believers to start a journey. A place where annonomously they can learn the basic fundamentals what christianity is about and decide for themselves if this is what they want in their lives.
And of course, once non-belivers have read these books, their own path and study will lead them in a direction that either mirrors the teachings and ideas of LaHaye and Jenkins or some other variation of this faith or not at all. Either way, these books are a tool that will lead ppl to discover their own unique relationship with god, not necisarily a tool for the authors to recruit members to thier own faction, as some have claimed.

First let me say that I do enjoy this series so far. It is very entertaining and provides a good "modern" interpretation of The Holy Bible and the Book of Revelation in particular. These books are quick reads and the story flows very well. My only problem with the series is that the authors cleary use these books to preach their beliefs. While I probably should have expected it, it was never the less dissapointing. That in it self would not be that bad, except for the fact that they write situations and events into the story (that, in some cases, provide nothing and take a way from the story as a whole) that simply do not reflect real life(like one of the main couples that get together in the story, one is a 20 year old college student, the other a 30 year old international writer, both virgins....I'm sure it happens every day). The authors make their views clear on things like pre-marital sex, abortion, and others and also appear very condescending toward other religious faiths and belief systems. I consider myself a very spiritual Christian who shares many of their beliefs but finds myself disturbed by what I perceive as their attitude toward other ways of thinking. I KNOW THAT THAT IS THE POINT BEHIND THESE BOOKS. My point is that the story suffers because of the authors attempt at preaching to the reader. I've met, know, and am friends with many people who share the same beliefs as those "True Christians" in these books, are very active in their respective churches, and take their Bible study very seriously, and truthfully, a small portion of them are some of the worst people I know. My point to the authors is that if God would accept into Heavan, those who trully accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and believe in his forgiveness, but abandon say, a Zulu cheiftan who had never heard the name Jesus before but is an unbelievable human being who helps his fellow man and leads a blessed life.......I don't know if I want to be in that Heavan.

If you like LEFT BEHIND try THE CHRIST CLONE TRILOGY by James BeauSeigneur. It's like LEFT BEHIND on steroids!

I have been a Christian for 24 years. Like any other Christian I have gone through my phases of learning and growth. One of the most freeing experiences of my Christian life was when I realized that dispensationalism is hogwash. That is the theological basis for all of LaHaye's series. Personally I believe he is a sincere Christian man. I just think that on this subject he is sincerely wrong. LaHaye wrote another book called How To Read the Bible for Yourself. It is to be wished he'd done that in the area of eschatology. It is WAY past time for the church to stop offering up this bilge of people disappearing and planes crashing as a way to get the attention of sinners. The Bible speaks of graduating from being a milk drinker to a meat eater. The church is full of those (and dispensationalism has helped in this regard) who remain in the milk drinking nursery. They don't want to graduate to meat eating, and instead of being strong enough to give intelligent reasons for the hope that is in them they rely on end times science-fiction. It is not worthy of a Christian. If you ever want to grow up I suggest you steer clear of of this end times overdosing and learn how to divide the word of God like the Berean Christians did in the book of Acts. I have found that learning new things is not the difficulty. It is the tearing down of old established error that makes learning new things difficult. The Left Behind series is one of those things that will leave you with a lot more that will need to be torn down if you ever intend to be more than an anemic Christian. God deserves our best efforts to understand Him and how we should mirror His words in our lives. Left Behind is the sincere but wrong reflection of a viewpoint that is a liability and an embarrassment to the church. In this day and time of great troubles we don't need something that contributes to Christian uncertainty. The church is full of enough fables that cannot actually be found in Scripture. Use the mind God gave you for something besides a hat rack and read something useful...like your Bible.

Whereas the Left Behind series holds one's attention from page to page like a good novel, much of it is similar to what we see in our daily TV soap operas less the sordid sexual experiences. The story switches from one set of characters and scenes to another and to some extend would portray a believable story.
The problem is that one book continues into the next and one wonders what the final conclusion will look like. I am debating whether to spend the money for the other books as I have already read 8 of them. Perhaps I will luck out and find the rest of the books on a yard sale.
Some have questioned the theological basis behind the Left Behind series, but it is yet another scenario. Every generation has had their theology regarding the end times and have pointed to different events as portraying the second coming of Christ. The theological basis of a "secret" rapture is not the view of the historical church; that view being developed sometime during the 19th Century by some theologians in their study of the end times. Who knows but God as to what the final events will truly be. For the Christians, this will be something to look forward to.

The "Left Behind" series is the best series of any books I have ever read. Although they are fiction, the authors based the books on biblical prophecy. I don't know why I took so long to start reading them. I bought them to donate to our High School library as a witnessing tool.

I've completed reading volumes 1-4 and about 1/2 way thru volume 5.

I'm quite late picking up on this series (I think volume 1 was released in 1994). No matter the time frame...everyone, EVERYONE should read this collection...at least volume 1. (I have not talked to anyone who could resist reading additional volumes.)

Whether for the "spiritual reinforcement", prophecy, or simply for fictional novel entertainment, these books will make you think, AND keep the pages turning! Jenkins' and LaHaye's writing styles work so well in a series, but individually each volume is thought provoking and entertaining!

Thank goodness Amazon still makes these books available!

My son loved these books. This series is a wonderful series. I received my order fast and have been very please with Amazon.

LaHaye and Jenkins have chosen a divine source for their series. With the choice came a HUGE responsibility with regard to how public perception of this interpretation could shape readers' views on Christianity. While religion is generally an important factor in most people's lives, it's not the only one that deserves attention. Getting involved with this series not only challenges the reader to consider their religious beliefs on a more comprehensive level, but it also demands that consideration be allowed for how differently the same text can be relayed via the mind of an author. If you choose to follow these books, please remember that they are BOOKS, not the Bible, or for that matter, anything remotely deserving of absolute faith. Read for pleasure, and think for yourself.