The third book in the Left Behind series that continues to follow Rayford Steele his family, friends, and the events following the rapture. Amazing that as events occur that appear in the Bible, many believe that the events happening have no relation to what is in the Bible.

Like the previous two books this one moves at a quick pace with very few slow spots. ( )

The story gets more interesting and people are turning on people. This third installment is more interesting than Tribulation force. In this installment we start to see what Nicolae is really about and that Tsion is noticing his actions and so are others around him. ( )

I didn't like this book quite as much as the other two I've read in the series. It just felt like there was too much going on in this book and that it took forever to get through. It was not a *bad* read, however. ( )

This is probably my fourth time reading through the Left Behind series. They're not super well-written but I was in a mood.

Probably the best part about reading these 25 or so years after publication is that all the "high-tech" that the authors had to make up because it didn't exist is now come and gone and remains obsolete. I was cracking up over the Range Rover with the phone inside! Oooh and electrical outlets in the dash! Ahhh the 90s... Funny big names for non-existent technology like "deluxe universal cell phones" or "mega laptops". They've got the ability to connect to "the Net" from anywhere in the world AND they feature "video conferencing"---ha!

I know it was all just a different time... For instance, an Israeli was able to enter the US without documents and without question because the airport personnel "were not in the habit of processing international passengers". Ha! Those were the days...

Like I said though....the books are not well-written. Information is repeated way too often and sometimes the authors' self-righteousness shows through. I've never felt comfortable with the way the characters make light of Verna being a lesbian...making fun of her really. That was inappropriate and has always bothered me. I think the authors did lousy justice to the real story of the events that are spelled out in Revelation. I think they rush-jobbed these books to feed a Year 2000 alarmist populace, not realizing the damage they were doing to the future of the integrity and believability of the Christian fiction genre. ( )

This is 3 of 8 in the series, and not the most interesting. I found the dialogue between individuals long and not very natural. I started counting pages...a sign of boredom. I'll shoot for one more, #4, to get me halfway there and then maybe give it a rest for a while. I'm not much into series but wanted to challenge myself with this one.

Revelations 6:3-4: The Red Horse of the Apocalypse - Eighteen months into Tribulation, peace is taken from the earth. World War III begins. Nicolae's globalist drop nuclear bombs all across the US, and Manhattan is annhialated. CNN's news base in Chicago and O'Hare International Airport are taken out, with greater destruction on the way. Washington DC has been destroyed. All major cities are hit by the globalists with 20-megaton atomic bombs: Dallas, San Francisco, Los Angelos, New York, Chicago, Mexico City, Montreal, Toronto. Everyone is confused and aren't sure if this is the militia or the globalists retaliating. American militia forces are now considered enemy.

With global war, comes the black horse of plague and famine, and also the pale horse of death wipes out 1/4 of the population. Once the Four Horsemen have visited, this will also endicate the end of the first through fourth Seal Judgements. Then begins the fifth, sixth and seventh Seal Judgements that will last to the end of the Tribulation and the reappearing of Christ.

Under the fifth Seal Judgement, 1/4 more people will die as martyrs for their religious beliefs for Christ.

Revelations 6:12-17: The 6th Seal opened brings on one of the greatest world earthquakes ever, the sun will become black, the moon like blood. Many will try to hide and would rather be crushed by rocks than face this wrath of the Lamb, and many will die. Several main characters go missing in the earthquake: Rayford's new wife, Amanda, was supposed to have arrived at the Bagdad Airport (which is completely destroyed now); Chloe, Buck's wife, was at the safe house when the earthquake occurred; and Hattie, Nicolae's pregnant, now ex-girlfriend, had just arrived back in New Babylon. Tsion, one of the 144,000 saved Jews from Israel, survives, but is trapped in the safe house buried beneath the church on Mount Prospect, Illinois.

Then begins the next 21 month period and the opening of the mysterious 7th Seal, which opens up the 7 Trumpet Judgements. (Revelation 8:1-6) The 7th Seal Judgement is mysterious because it is not clear just how this will enter the world, only that silence will fill heaven for 30 minutes before each of the 7 angels begin to blow their horns. ( )