The Left Behind series has sold 80 million books across the 16-book epic end-times sage.

Which I’ve finally been reading the past few weeks.

I wasn’t a reader when it original came out 25 years ago, but I also didn’t want reading it to influence the writing of my own end times adventure series. Now that I’m finished with that 12th and final episode, I thought I would read book 1 in the run-up to the launch of End Times Chronicles.

It’s been a good read. And an interesting one. Especially given the theological context surrounding the story.

Because I want to engage like-minded religious fiction readers and explore the intersection of the sacred and story, I thought I would dive into this religious fiction phenomenon. Last week I laid out a bit of the historical and literary context of the story, and some of what I’ve appreciated about both related to the book(s).

This week we’re getting theological :)

Like diving into the meaning of “the rapture” and Great Tribulation, and where Left Behind theology came from. If you’ve ever wondered about the main premise of the book — that millions of people are left behind, while a whole bunch of people are disapperated — then take a listen. No critique here. Just a bit of a deep dive into the ideas behind the story.

And if you’ve ever wondered about an alternative to the rapture theology of Left Behind, next week I will offer a bit more interaction between those ideas and the ones that are central to my own end times apocalyptic series. I diverge from the authors’ perspective on the Book of Revelation and those end-times events, and you’ll see why and what others have said about the end of the world as we know it.

Don’t worry, these aren’t take-down, smack-down episodes. Just a way to engage a wildly popular apocalyptic series during what seem like apocalyptic times :) Should be fun!

Question: Have you read the series? If so, what did you think of it? Did it impact your own spiritual journey at all?

So far, I’m almost finished with it, and as a Christian I have appreciated their interest in people who say they are Christians to take their faith seriously. It’s also interesting as a writer to see how they weaved their theological perspective on the end times into the story line — and even promoted their view through the characters and events.

Always interested in the bigger picture behind stories, whether told by Christians or not. Which is why I’ve been poking behind the curtain these few weeks. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Very soon I am launching Antichrist Rising with a fun Kickstarter campaign that will get you mega discounts on ebooks and audiobooks, signed paperbacks and exclusive hardcovers, AND some pretty sweet End Times swag.

These are the final 4 books in the fast-paced 12-book adventure living the events from the Book of Revelation in the inventive global apocalyptic science fiction time-travel saga you may not even know about :)

Follow along >>> www.endtimesworld.com

ANNND because I think you all are pretty swell, I’m giving my superfans an EXCLUSIVE 50% off the series buying direct from my bookstore through the weekend. You can grab them on most online retailers for every ereading device, but CLICK HERE and drop discount code ENDTIMES50 at checkout to start the saga now on the cheap.

J. A. Bouma believes nobody should have to read bad religious fiction—whether it’s cheesy plots with pat answers or misrepresentations of the Christian faith and the Bible. So he tells compelling, propulsive stories that thrill as much as inspire, while offering a dose of insight along the way. Available at most online retailers and direct: shop.jabouma.com.

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