Left Behind error

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sweetchuck

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I posted this on the non-Catholic forum too, but I thought some apologists might like to address this as well…

I wonder if the authors of the “Left Behind” series bothered to read the final chapter of Revelation that warns readers against altering the meaning of Revelation. If not, they could be in for a very unfortunate surprise. We should pray very hard for them!

Rev. 22:18-19 “I warn everyone who hears the prophetic words in this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words in this prophetic book, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city described in this book.”
 
Everything about Left Behind is an error. But, I don’t think the authors have added or subtracted to the book of Revelation. Misinterpreted it, of course. Changed the book, not really.

Coming from an Evangelical family, I have spent too many hours reading about and refuting LB and sundry other products of dispensationalism. My experience is that everything you need to know about LB in order to refute it can be found in Jimmy Akin’s “False Profit.” Beyond that, it becomes an enormous time sinkhole.
  • JP
 
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j_arden:
Everything about Left Behind is an error. But, I don’t think the authors have added or subtracted to the book of Revelation. Misinterpreted it, of course. Changed the book, not really.
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I think misinterpretating it is adding or taking away the true message that is there whatever that may be intirely. This has not yet been made explicit to even the Church.
 
‘This has not yet been made explicit to even the Church.’

what does that mean?
 
jeffreedy789 said:
‘This has not yet been made explicit to even the Church.’

what does that mean?
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Well, correct me if i’m wrong but i dont think the Church has the full interpretation of the Book of Revelation and all that is in it. Doesn’t even the Cathechism state that though Revelation is revealed it is not yet made explicit. Or does this mean only the Dogmas?
 
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Des:
Well, correct me if i’m wrong but i dont think the Church has the full interpretation of the Book of Revelation and all that is in it. Doesn’t even the Cathechism state that though Revelation is revealed it is not yet made explicit. Or does this mean only the Dogmas?
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No the church hasn’t an official interpretatiom of the Book of Revelation nor does it have an official interprettion of any book of the Bible.
She gives us clear direction of which boundaries we cannot cross though and the Left Behind novels have crossed them. The church admits we don’t know the final details of how the consummation will happen but we do know the order. Tribulation, then ressurection of the dead and then rasing up those alive, the final judgement, the end of time or the consummation of the earth and of man.
So they have added to scripture a rapture prior to a tribulation and a third coming. They have also grossly misinterpreted a secular millinial kingdom of Christ into Revelation which has been described as “intrinsically perverse”.

The Left Behind novels predict the new heaven and earth is one thousand years after the tribulation; the catholic church says otherwise.

1048 "We know neither the moment of the consummation of the earth and of man, nor the way in which the universe will be transformed.

The Left Behind novels teach a rapture of the church prior to the tribulation the catholic church teaches we must pass through the final trial of tribulation.

The Church’s ultimate trial

675 Before Christ’s second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers.574 The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth575 will unveil the “mystery of iniquity” in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth. The supreme religious deception is that of the Antichrist, a pseudo-messianism by which man glorifies himself in place of God and of his Messiah come in the flesh.576

The Left Behind novels teach that after the tribulation their will be a millinial, earthly and political kingdom of Christ where Christ rules on earth from Jerusalem for a thousand years where there is peace and perfection on earth. The catholic church teaches that such an understanding of the millinium is not only an error but “intrinsically perverse” so if you think the Left Behind novels are ok to read for a catholic remember that what they teach is “intrinsically perverse” to the Christian faith.

676 The Antichrist’s deception already begins to take shape in the world every time the claim is made to realize within history that messianic hope which can only be realized beyond history through the eschatological judgment. The Church has rejected even modified forms of this falsification of the kingdom to come under the name of millenarianism,577 especially the “intrinsically perverse” political form of a secular messianism.578

677 The Church will enter the glory of the kingdom only through this final Passover, when she will follow her Lord in his death and Resurrection.579 The kingdom will be fulfilled, then, not by a historic triumph of the Church through a progressive ascendancy, but only by God’s victory over the final unleashing of evil, which will cause his Bride to come down from heaven.580 God’s triumph over the revolt of evil will take the form of the Last Judgment after the final cosmic upheaval of this passing world.581
 
I was at the movie store yesterday and I saw this movie. They had the first two of them. Stars Kirk Cameron from Growing Pains. I can’t believe they’re actually making a movie about that.

How can you put a story like that into like 10 books? Are they gonna make 10 movies, one for each book?
 
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jimmy:
I was at the movie store yesterday and I saw this movie. They had the first two of them. Stars Kirk Cameron from Growing Pains. I can’t believe they’re actually making a movie about that.

How can you put a story like that into like 10 books? Are they gonna make 10 movies, one for each book?
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I’ve seen those two movies. The first was not as bad as expected, the second was worse - but far better than another end-times movie I saw which co-starred Mr. T from the A-Team. If you want to see them (unlikely!) they are available very cheaply at christianbook.com - why can’t Scott Hahn books be so cheap? - that’s not a serious question.

There doesn’t seem to be a Left Behind 3 movie for sale on video but I know there was one planned. Whether it’s just not been released yet or if they didn’t get the funding I don’t know.

Fitting the story in 11 (no. 11 is Armageddon) books is easy - there’s 7 years of massive events, and everyone’s back stories. So there’s plenty of material for each book. I’ve only read one chapter of the first book - that was quite sufficient. It’s not high class literature but reads like a very bad thriller that is very relaxing but involves disconnection of all mental faculties for full enjoyment.

What I totally fail to understand is the series of books called Left Behind: The Kids. This series is the adventures of children in the 7 year period and is aimed at children. Now, according to the first film and book all the children were raptured. There were no children left behind. Now, I may be missing something here, but if there were no children left behind, who are the people in these books forming the “Young Tribulation Force”? If the kids were all taken, who are these kids and how do they have 34 books worth of adventures?

The cynic in me calls that series “Left Behind: The Cash-in”.

Blessings

Asteroid
 
In the “Left Behind” universe, all children before the age of reason wee taken up. Those who know the difference between right and wrong remained. (Basically they used 13 as the ‘left behind’ cut off age).

The ‘Left Behind’ movies were pretty bad and could have been done much betters. Some of the events in the movies DID NOT follow the books, either film 1 or 2.

I gave away all my Left Behind items since I returned to the Catholic Church, but if I want to read some laughable material, I know where to go.

On the Catholic side, the book Pierced By a Sword by Bud McFarlane is MUCH better.
It’s a Catholic tribulation book mixed with Marian prophesy on the border of Mejoegorie prophecy. I personally don’t get into personal revelations NOT approved by the Church, but The McFarlane book is very exciting and you want to read all 571 pages in one sitting!

Go with God!
Edwin
 
I catagorize Left Behind and DaVinci Code as ‘exciting fiction, a good read, but not to be taken seriuosly’. The trouble is that LaHaye and Jenkins take themselve serioously.

David
Burnsville, MN
 
And they are extremely anti-Catholic…but to address the original post…yes, they have a severely distorted interpretation of the Book of Revelations…and it has misguided countless people…I know, my mom is one of them (I am trying to work on her)…but that is all it is, their interpretation…regardless of how false it is, I don’t think they are purposely trying to misguid people…that is to say, I don’t believe that they truly believe the Catholic interpretation, but purposely print lies to deceive and mislead the elect. If they did that, then I think they would be guilty according to that passage cited in the original posts…ignorance is not a mortal sin…but I agree, these lies need to be exposed and the world needs to know the truth.
D Bruce:
I catagorize Left Behind and DaVinci Code as ‘exciting fiction, a good read, but not to be taken seriuosly’. The trouble is that LaHaye and Jenkins take themselve serioously.

David
Burnsville, MN
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I know, my mom is one of them (I am trying to work on her)…
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Pray more.

The idea of the LB series is not Scriptural. Christ tells us that no one is greater than the Master. The master of Christians is Christ the Lord. If Christ suffered, humiliated, spat upon, kicked, persectuted, etc. etc., then all His followers should follow the footsteps of the Master. Even the Catholic Church will go thru that suffering, persecution, and eventually be crucified, just as the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified (see Catechism).

LB depicts the opposite for believers. It offers the “safe and unscathed” way to heaven.

Pio
 
“According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who ARE LEFT till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.” 1 Thess 4:15

34I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. 35Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.“4]
37"Where, Lord?” they asked.
He replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.” Luke 17

Seems to me the disciples are asking where the ones who are taken will go in verse 37 - “taken? Taken where?” IMHO, Jesus’ answer, “where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather”, is talking about heaven. Do a word study on “taken”, and you’ll find it generally doesn’t mean something good happened to those folks.

“And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” Is 39:7

"“And now what do I have here?” declares the LORD . “For my people have been taken away for nothing…” Is 52:5

Their tents and their flocks will be taken; their shelters will be carried off with all their goods and camels. Men will shout to them, ‘Terror on every side!’ Jer 49:29
 
While on this subject - I was wondering if anyone has read THE BOOK OF DESTINY (1955) by Rev Kramer published by TAN BOOKS. Its one of the few Catholic books on Prophecy. I dont believe it represents official teaching of the Church but it does have IMPRIMATUR. According to the back cover, Father Kramer believes were in 9th Chapter of REVELATIONS. I was wondering if anyone out there had read it and what they thought it.
 
SteveT said:
“According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who ARE LEFT till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.” 1 Thess 4:15

34I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. 35Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.“4]
37"Where, Lord?” they asked.
He replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.” Luke 17

Seems to me the disciples are asking where the ones who are taken will go in verse 37 - “taken? Taken where?” IMHO, Jesus’ answer, “where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather”, is talking about heaven. Do a word study on “taken”, and you’ll find it generally doesn’t mean something good happened to those folks.

“And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” Is 39:7

"“And now what do I have here?” declares the LORD . “For my people have been taken away for nothing…” Is 52:5

Their tents and their flocks will be taken; their shelters will be carried off with all their goods and camels. Men will shout to them, ‘Terror on every side!’ Jer 49:29
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All that sounds like anything from a pestilence or plague to something more modern such as abortion. All of those scenarios sound more applicable in this scenario than a mass exodus of righteous people from the Earth. This all goes back to the notion that you can take any idea, and, depending on your notion of what is biblical interpretation, justify it with the Bible.
 
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Edwin1961:
In the “Left Behind” universe, all children before the age of reason wee taken up. Those who know the difference between right and wrong remained. (Basically they used 13 as the ‘left behind’ cut off age).
…
Go with God!
Edwin
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Ok now where is this in the Bible?
Boy talk about hypocrites where does it say anything about a pass given to the age of accountability as being 13 years old?
If one where to follow their scenario the Bible says their will be rapture of bron again beleivers ok with some really bad exegesis maybe. But that is all the Bible can possibly say it doesn’t say a rapture except for those 13 and under. This is why the second coming makes so much more sense everybody is accunted for you either go to heaven or hell. Babies, Adults all will go somewhere no exceptions for those 13 and under surely such an important concept would have been included in the Bible if God intended a sola scriptura faith. That would be a big ommission no?
Surely he wouldn’t trust his church to tell us these details.
 
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