The Book of Revelations is a difficult book to understand. The end times in the Left Behind series has really left me baffled. I thought I knew what was going to happen during the 7-Years Tribulation and the Coming of the Lord. Most of the calamities prophesied are set to destroy the unbelievers and ones with the mark of the beast, not the ones with the mark of Christ. Although, many will be martyrs for Christ during this time and tortured and killed by the Antichrist's army. I definitely see an in-depth study is in order for the coming year. Sorry for the long and drawn-out notes below. I don’t want to forget, and I will need to compare what the novel says against what the Bible says, when that time comes.

This book actually gives a pretty good account of what it could possibly be like at the end of the 7-Year Tribulation, fighting the Armageddon War, and when Jesus returns to reign over the earth for a thousand years, called the Millennium.

It starts with the ruin of New Babylon, which meant more than just smoke and ashes. New Babylon was responsible for food distribution, commerce and pay for the entire world. It has come to a complete halt. But Carpathia plans to re-establish his throne in Jerusalem. And since now in the middle of the Armageddon War, he believes that by annihilating ALL the Jews and revolters, there will be peace and paradise here on earth.

(Just a note that Satan wasn't some hideous looking monster in the novel. When he exited Carpathia's body while in Solomon's Stables underneath Jerusalem to express his disgust with Carpathia, he was a bright golden angel with a beautiful white light and long blond hair. (Satan can change into many forms to deceive the people.) But, he also contained heat, enough for it to feel like a fire underground. The horses and forces stampeded out in a panic, trampling all over and killing each other.)

As Carpathia prepared for the final positioning of the Armageddon War, the clouds began to gather. The sun and the moon lost their light as unseen meteors screamed down to earth worldwide. Once again, Christians would be protected from their impact. A stall, then lightning followed...thousands of bolts per second filled the sky, hit the earth. Thunder so loud you had to cover your ears. Carpathia's army sitting and waiting for him and his word to attack outside Petra, were in a chaotic state. The lightning stopped just as suddenly as it began. Thick boiling clouds hung low in the eerily quiet atmosphere, and pitch blackness, except for the artificial lights on earth, returned.


A great light in the shape of the cross appeared in the sky for the world to see. Even Carpathia’s GC army of millions surrounding Jerusalem and Petra with their atomic bombs could see this and all the promises God has promised, yet still refuse to recognize Him. Carpathia remained so vain and arrogant, he had the news media GCNN following him around and shining a great light on him as he continued to lie about his winning the war and pronounced the end of the Jews. Meanwhile, ¾ of his army had been annihilated just by Christ’s Words. Seventy-five ton hail fell to earth crushing millions. As it melted with the blood of the millions slain, blood filled the valley 4 feet deep. Then the great earthquake rocked the world and flattened mountains into the sea as the Mount of Olives was raised above the earth and became Christ's new throne from which he will reign the world for 1000 years.

There seems to be several periods of resurrection. The first resurrection of life (all those who have died before the Rapture) will rise at the time of the Rapture. Between a short interval of the Glorious Appearance of Jesus descending from the clouds and the actual start of the Millennium, the first resurrected of those who made it into the Millennium, and the Old Testament saints and the ones who were killed or were martyrs during the 7-Year Tribulation will be judged. These will have glorified bodies, aged to the prime of life. Those killed will receive special recognition and eternity with Christ, but those who were martyrs for professing God’s words and drawing other’s to Christ, will receive an eternal crown and live as prophets with the Lord. NOTE: There will still be millions who make it through the 7-Year Tribulation who will still be sentenced to hell. They will line up on Jesus’s left side and with His Word, the ground will open up and the masses drop into the earth, and into Hades until the last and final judgment after the 1000 years of Christ’s reign here on earth. The new heaven and earth comes after this.

Christ throws the Antichrist and the False Prophet into the pits of hell, and throws Satan into a cage in Hades (kind of a temporary holding place in hell), for the next 1000 years. This Millennium period is not “Heaven on earth” just yet. People who entered this Millennium alive will be able to still procreate. Those who arrived alive, and those born during the Millennium, will age, but age very slowly as in the days of Noah. Life will be lived as usual, except Christ will be center of this world. They will work the ground and grow food, each for their own family. They will build homes for their own family, not for others to inhabit. EVERYONE WORKS ! (Isaiah 65:18-24). Sin will still be able to enter into this period of time. It is believed that if you are born in the Millennium, that child will grow up to 100 years, and if found disobedient and unbelieving to Christ and His laws, he or she will presumably drop dead at that time. Otherwise, believers will live throughout the 1000 years and enter into a second and final judgment for the actual Heaven on earth. This judgment is called the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelations 20). ( )

This is surprisingly boring for how glorious the content is. But it's like the authors ran out of ability to create a story (note: I skipped books 2-10. Maybe they never had it.) so they spend the second half of the book having characters just quote scripture and have Bible studies. It really needed an editor to cut the length in half, as there just isn't enough that actually happens to be 400 pages long. The characters don't really _do_ much of anything. They think and talk, correctly, about how wonderful Jesus is, but that's about it.

One of the more frustrating things is that Jesus and the angels have very little personality. They mostly just quote scripture while moving from event to event. I counted up a good 33 pages of it. My heart longs, very imperfectly, for the Jesus who's good and creative and surprising enough to create a universe from nothing, complete with platypuses and black holes and sports teams. Such a God does not appear here. Mostly He is just an audiobook of the Bible that can deliver salvation (in every sense) and smite the wicked. Wonderful and necessary things, but such a letdown. ( )

Believers look to the heavens for the Glorious Appearing of Christ as the world stands on the brink of the end of time.

The smash hit Left Behind saga, the best-selling inspirational series of all time, comes to its extraordinary conclusion in this thrilling audiobook. Glorious Appearing picks up the action following the cosmic battle of the ages, and not all the members of the Tribulation Force have survived!
The Antichrist is assembling his massive armies and preparing for one final struggle. Hunkered down at Petra with more than one million members of the Jewish Remnant, the Tribulation Force joins the believers in turning eyes to the heavens. For only the Glorious Appearing of Christ can stop the Antichrist from ascending the throne of God. ( )

Amazing! ( )