1. six
   seven
2. twelve
   sixteen

The "Left Behind" series is more than a dozen books strong. It's undeniably the most successful series in Christian fiction in the 21st Century.

1. LaHaye/Osteen
   LaHaye/Jenkins
2. Lincecum/Lewis
   Lewis/Clark

Tim LaHaye was a Christian minister and speaker; Jenkins is a professional writer who brought his ideas to life. LaHaye died in 2016 at the age of 90.

1. the Happening
   the Expressing
2. the Rapture
   the Winnowing

The Rapture is a theoretical future event in which truly faithful Christians are taken directly to heaven. Whether this idea is supported by scriptural evidence is debated among Christian scholars.

1. a single white feather
   their clothes, eyeglasses, etc
2. ghostly outlines of themselves
   nothing

The stewardess on Rayford's flight is upset because people have disappeared from the plane mid-flight, leaving clothes behind in their seats. And jewelry, and even dental fillings.

1. he was a drive-time radio host
   painted houses
2. piloted airplanes
   taught at a high school

Rayford Steele is an airline pilot at the controls of a New York - London flight when the Rapture occurs. This plays off a classic what-if: What if an airplane is being piloted by two Christians when the Rapture occurs, leaving no one at the controls? Fortunately, Rayford is a nonbeliever at this point.

1. money problems
   Irene's conversion to born-again Christianity
2. Irene's attraction to Pastor Barnes
   the age difference between Rayford and Irene

Irene and their son, Raymie, have become devout Christians. Rayford and their older daughter have not. This causes a certain amount of tension in the family.

1. Amy
   Chloe
2. Joelle
   Susan

Chloe is an independent thinker who got into a prestigious college. But in the world of "Left Behind," skepticism and studiousness won't get you very far, as Chloe will soon find out.

1. Chicago
   Los Angeles
2. New Orleans
   New York

The flight Rayford Steele is piloting in the first book, during which the Rapture occurs, is a New York to London flight. Don't be fooled, though; he's based in Chicago.

1. another name for the Rapture
   a 7-year period of suffering for those left behind
2. an underground news website
   a book passed around among believers

In general, the word "tribulation" means trying times or events. In Christian theology, the Tribulation refers specifically to a period of great crisis just before the return of Christ.

1. convicted criminals
   dogs
2. cats
   unborn babies

Pregnant women suddenly find their wombs empty, meaning the unborn babies have evidently been taken to heaven. In Christian theology, it's a matter of debate whether unborn babies are in a "state of grace;" LaHaye's books seem to vote "yes."

1. Buck
   Cat
2. Cameo
   Scoop

Cameron Williams is a reporter for Global Weekly, and his nickname is "Buck." Happily, it wasn't "Scoop" -- even in 1995, nobody thought that was a cool nickname for reporters anymore.

1. the U.S. President
   former president Jimmy Carter
2. the Pope
   the Queen of England

The books explain that the Pope appeared to have embraced some tenets of Protestantism. This was likely to appease evangelical readers who see Catholics as "not really Christian," and would have otherwise seen the rapturing of the Pope as an appeasement to Catholics and secular-media critics (which it likely was).

1. he accidentally received the Mark of the Beast
   God left him behind to shepherd the lost
2. he didn't really believe what he preached
   this is never fully explained

Barnes never truly believed what he preached, resulting in him being around to counsel Rayford and other brand-new believers. A video explaining the Rapture -- left by a truly faithful Christian minister -- helped Barnes to understand what happened and to commit fully to God.

1. University of Illinois - Urbana
   University of Texas - Austin
2. Stanford University
   Reed College

It's a good bit harder to get into Stanford than modern fiction would have you believe. It seems to be a go-to West Coast school for writers creating relatively-smart, straight-arrow characters like Chloe Steele.

1. Nicolae Carpathia
   Ming Toy
2. Jonathan Stonagal
   Joshua Todd-Cothran

Nicolae Carpathia is a Romanian politician who becomes the Secretary-General of the United Nations and then the de facto leader of the entire world. The books might have been using his Romanian name to evoke dictator Nicolae Ceaucescu, or Carpathian legend Vlad the Impaler, or both.

1. it lasted only seven days
   she was inseminated with a genetically-engineered child
2. she was impregnated by a demonic figure
   she gave birth by Caesarian

Though most of their fictional conflict is driven by scripture, the "Left Behind" books sneak in a little modern technophobia by having Carpathia be the product of genetic engineering. Could this be a point of agreement between Christian conservatives and GMO-fearing liberals? Peace in our time!

1. an underground Christian organization
   a news network
2. the anti-Christian one-world government
   a relief organization during the Tribulation

"Global" is a world with a bad rap in "Left Behind." Though on its surface it just means "worldwide," it's both the name of Buck WIlliams' secular/godless media outlet and of Nicolae Carpathia's godless one-world government.

1. the New Disciples
   the Leftovers
2. the Promise Keepers
   the Tribulation Force

The Tribulation Force grows throughout the series, gathering members who have converted to Christianity. One criticism of the books, made by Christians themselves, is that The Book of Revelation does not allude to any such Christian resistance during the End Times -- it's portrayed simply as a time of suffering for those who would not accept the message of salvation.

1. he swallows a cyanide pill rather than give up secrets
   he's killed in a hospital bombing
2. he's killed in the battle for Jerusalem
   he doesn't; he makes it to Christ's return

Pastor Barnes gets sick on an overseas mission, then is killed when the hospital in which he's staying is bombed. However, the film, "Tribulation Force: World at War," shows Barnes dying from a virus, not in a bombing.

1. America
   Iraq
2. Romania
   Switzerland

Both Israel and Iraq are important to the "Left Behind" series. Iraq is home to a city called "New Babylon," which in turn is home to Carpathia's "Global Community."

1. he's afraid of heights
   he is dyslexic
2. he is a vegetarian
   he is a virgin

A romantic relationship develops between Buck and Chloe Steele, and he tells her that he's still a virgin at 30. This is somewhat surprising given that Buck wasn't a Christian before the events of the first book, making it unlikely that religious beliefs got in the way of sex.

1. Annie Christopher
   Hattie Durham
2. Hannah Palemoon
   Chloe Steele

Poor Hattie doesn't have much luck with men. Early in the book, she's crushing on the married Rayford Steele. Then she gets pregnant by Carpathia, who kills their unborn child by poisoning her. Harsh!

1. Annie Christopher
   Hattie Durham
2. Hannah Palemoon
   Chang Wong

Hannah Palemoon was David Hassid's love interest. She met him while treating him for sunstroke, which he suffered while searching for another Tribulation Force member in the desert.

1. Chang Wong
   Chloe Steele
2. Leon Fortunato
   Tsion ben-Judah

Leon Fortunato is the secret power behind Carpathia's rise. Satan later gives him the power to call down lightning, and Fortunato uses it to kill Tribulation Force member Annie Christopher.

1. the Mark of the Beast
   a guillotine
2. torture
   alcohol

The Antichrist and his followers often use a kind of Orwellian doublespeak, such as "loyalty enforcement facilitator," for guillotine. This might have been LaHaye's way of poking fun at educated liberal elites, a common target of Christian conservatives.

1. he was both gay and Christian
   he was Christian, but not raptured
2. he murdered someone as a Tribulation Force member
   he received both the Mark of God and the Mark of the Beast

According to Revelation, no one who receives the Mark of the Beast can be saved. But Chang seems to be an exception, because he was drugged and given the Mark against his will. Afterward, believers can still see the Mark of God on him, suggesting that he is still in a state of grace.

1. a children's army
   a daycare/school
2. a rock group
   a competing novel series to "Left Behind"

Late in the series, Buck and Chloe open the school to teach children born after the Rapture about Christ. This happens during the Millennial Kingdom, a 1,000-year period in which Christ reigns on earth.

1. gifted, athletic fighters
   naturally good people who don't need to be saved
2. people who lived to see the return of Christ in their real (not resurrected) bodies
   people who eat really healthy food, believing their body is a temple

The opposite of the Naturals are the Glorifieds -- believers who have been resurrected and given "glorified" bodies that cannot age. In the final book of the series, Rayford Steele is a "natural" while his daughter and son-in-law are in glorified bodies.

1. the angel Gabriel
   Lucifer
2. Nicolae Carpathia
   Baal

Even after Christ has returned to earth, some people just can't get with the program. They follow Lucifer, who leads their army in the final battle.

1. one
   two
2. three
   four

The first book has been made into a film twice: in 1999 and again in 2014. LaHaye expressed disappointment with the first film version, saying the film studio promised to spend $40 million but instead only put $17 million in, resulting in an unimpressive final product.

1. Buck Williams
   Bruce Barnes
2. Rayford Steele
   the Antichrist

Kirk Cameron, the onetime star of "Growing Pains," largely left Hollywood to pursue his Christian faith. He co-hosts the show, "Way of the Master," on TBN.

1. Nicolas Cage
   Kirk Cameron
2. David Hasselhoff
   Chad Michael Murray

If Cage is an evangelical Christian, he's keeping it pretty close to the vest. It seems more likely that he took the Steele role as part of an anything-for-a-paycheck ethic that saw him take lead roles in dismal "Ghost Rider" and "Wicker Man" remakes around the same time.

1. one
   two
2. three
   none of them do

LaHaye and Jenkins wrote three prequels, stories about the events leading up to the Rapture. These books were published late in the series, just before "Glorious Appearing," the book about Christ's return.

1. Soul Harvest
   Assassins
2. Provenance
   The Remnant

"Soul Harvest," "Assassins" and "The Remnant" are just a few of the compelling subtitles in the series. However, "Provenance" wasn't (though it was an episode title on "Supernatural.")

1. Genesis
   Jeremiah
2. Revelation
   Zechariah

The Book of Revelation is the last in the Bible, said to be the result of a vision given to St. John of Patmos. How much of the tale is supposed to be taken as prophecy is debated by theologians.