Kingdom Come: The Final Victory: The Final Victory (Left Behind Sequel) Reviews

• Please Tell Me This is the End

  
  By A2I6MHMAZZDCRX on 2007-04-14
  The tribulation is over and the millennium is beginning. Christians who have died have returned to earth in their glorified state to help those Christians who are still alive rule the earth. The earth's population is made up entirely of adult Christians and children who haven't yet made up their mind.
  
  There is a huge need to evangelize the children, so Chloe and Buck, both glorified, set up a day care. They children play games and learn Bible stories. Rayford, the only surviving member of the original Tribulation Force, reunites with old friends and works to further Christ's kingdom by doing whatever is needed. 100 years in, he leads a group that sets about revitalized Egypt after it is judged for turning from God.
  
  But in the background, there is resistance building. Calling themselves The Other Light, they set about convincing unbelievers that, if enough of them believe, Satan can win when he is freed. Is there anything our heroes can do to stop them?
  
  Okay, I'll admit I have had a love/hate relationship with these books. Some books I've loved, some I've hated, and some I've loved and hated. This book definitely falls into the hated category.
  
  After some boring set up, we advance to almost the 100 year mark, where we spend almost the entire time. There really is no central villain to the story, which makes the conflict very weak. As with GLORIOUS APPEARING, there are long passages that are direct quotes from the Bible but do nothing to advance the story. And this includes three times they stop their story to tell us a Bible story quoted almost completely from the Bible. The characters seem even weaker then normal, too.
  
  And that leaves out my biggest complaint. A major plot point is that all people who haven't accepted Christ will die on their hundredth birthday. I've been asking around, and no one I've talked to has ever heard that before. Furthermore, the verse they use to justify it sure doesn't seem to say that to me.
  
  Now all this sounds like I hated it. The last 100 pages had some great conflict that almost redeemed the book for me. If the rest of it had been that way, I would have enjoyed the book more.
  
  GLORIOUS APPEARING felt like a great conclusion to the series. I should have stopped there.
  
  

• Bad -- Really Bad!

  
  By A3MSB482DIB9SL on 2007-04-04
  As I have in the past, I begin with a caveat, for those who will wish to immediately bash me as an anti-Christian kook. I am a devout Christian, and have been all my life. I am a lecturer on the University level and a children and youth minister. I run the Christian Formation program at my church for both children and adults. I am well-trained in Scripture, Church history and theology. I want to share the love of Jesus Christ to a broken world. Furthermore, I believe that "Jesus will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and that His Kingdom will have no end."
  
  This being said: As anyone who has read my reviews knows, I am not a fan -- to say the least -- in the "Left Behind" series, and have bothered with the books only because of the number of students who have asked questions. In my review to "Glorious Appearing" I predicted that this book would eventually be written.
  
  I could re-hash my criticisms of the entire series here -- but this is not the time nor the place. Suffice it to say that the premillenial dispensationalism which this book (and the entire series) touts is a recent historical anomaly (mid 19th century) and represents an understanding of "Last Things" which was unknown to the Early Church; was unknown to the Protestant Reformers; was unknown to the leaders of the Great Awakening. Today, this view is limited to a particular form of biblical fundamentalist. This view is not now, nor has ever been the Faith of the Church.
  
  Criticisms particular to this book:
  
  1) The padding: Readers of this review will recall my earlier review of "John's Story" in which I criticized the authors for "padding" the length of the book. I see the same sort of "padding" here. Much of the early material is repeated from "Glorious Appearing". Another example of padding would include Jesus reciting lengthy passages of Scripture. (The Hebrews 11 scene comes to mind.) One gets the feeling that the authors really didn't know where to go with the plot, yet had to fill out a requisite number of pages.
  
  2) Character silliness: One of the most irritating parts of the 2nd "Left Behind" novel was the Jr. High "puppy love" type of relationship between Buck and Chloe. (Remember the "eating cookies over the phone" episode?) Frankly, Buck and Chloe may now have "glorified bodies" but the level of their emotional depth has not seemed to noticeably increase. The little conversation in which Buck marvels at his lack of a sex drive toward Chloe, yet rejoicing that they will still be living together, raising their son in platonic happiness was, frankly, nauseating.
  
  3) Interpolations: Several times within the novel, the action stops suddenly, and the reader is "treated" to a exhortation on LaHaye's views of the End Times, and how the next chapter will fit into those views. Um, excuse me "Dr." LaHaye -- if you need to continually stop and explain details of your views, perhaps either your views -- or your plot -- was not well planned out.
  
  4) Weird time sense: Okay, let me see if I get it. Those who had been raptured, or who died as martyrs during the tribulation get "glorified bodies" which do not age and do not reproduce. Those still alive at the Glorious Appearing, still have natural bodies which can age (and presumably reproduce) but not die. Children born to those witnesses of the Glorious Appearing have to accept Jesus Christ by their 100th birthday or they will die. Where do you find all this in the book of Revelation? You don't. Where do you find all this in the commentaries on Scripture by the Early Church Fathers? You don't. Which of the great Reformers would have bought into this? None of them. This is made up of whole cloth out of the imagination of the authors.
  
  Conclusion: Why do I think that these books are so dangerous? Because the uninformed reader -- Christian or otherwise -- will read these, and believe that this represents "What Christians Believe". And it doesn't. It presents a distorted view of a tiny minority. It is NOT the "Faith Once Delivered To The Saints".
  
  Not at all recommended.
  
  

• The final adventures of the Trib Force

  
  By A2GPEV42IO41CI on 2007-04-07
  The sixteenth book in the "Left Behind" series covers the one thousand years after the Glorious Appearing. Jesus reigns from the holy temple in Jerusalem, David is his prince, and peace prevails throughout the world. All adults in the world are either "naturals" (believers who were alive at the time of Jesus' coming), or "glorifieds" (those who returned to earth from Heaven), and will live out the Millennium and then proceed to heaven. Children (those under the age of 100) must make the choice to be followers of Christ, or die on their 100th birthday. The members of the Tribulation Force have a children's day care ministry which serves hundreds of children and aims to bring the youth to Christ. But there are pockets of dissent, even in this paradise. A growing number of hedonistic "children" are members of The Other Light, a group that rejects Christ and longs for the return of Satan.
  
  I found this book poorly written and disappointing. The narrative is awkward, the dialogue is stilted, the characters are stereotypes, and the plot suffered without a villain. The authors admit there is scant scriptural information about the Millennium, so their detailed description of events come across as fantasy not grounded in prophesy. The first hundred years is described in excruciating detail, and then in one sentence, 900 years passes and it's time for everyone on earth to either ascend to heaven or descend to the lake of fire with Satan. The earlier "Glorious Appearing" was a good book that wrapped up the series for me; this book was shallow, dull, and pointless.
  
  

• Banal and Superficial

  
  By A12CSYZGBVA0LX on 2007-04-04
  The Left Behind series has always been polarizing to the masses, but I've always found myself sitting somewhere in the middle. The prose is utterly pedestrian and the characters sometimes ridiculous, but I've always found the series appealing because of the sheer scope of the apocalyptic vision. Even though I believe all of this to be nonsense, as fiction its generally been entertaining. The imagery in the middle books in particular was fascinating and captivating, and the 11th title was a great build up to an explosive finale. Unfortunately, the 12th and supposedly final installment was a bit of a letdown and came off as very hokey to me.
  
  Anyway, after the two spin off series and the prequel series, it should surprise absolutely nobody that LaHaye and Jenkins dove back in for one final cash-in. And also not surprisingly, it's easily the worst book in the series. This is really nothing but a glorified rehash of the first twelve books. At first its a treat to see all of the characters in the series alive and talking to each other, but the novelty wears thin very quickly, and then you're left with nothing but (as usual) painfully bad dialog. And what does it lead to? A rehash of book 12's finale, only vastly inferior and a couple hundred pages shorter. The Final Battle(deja vu, huh?) lasts about two pages(Jesus says a few words, and Satan's army is vaporized, and then Satan joins the Beast and the False Prophet), then the earth is destroyed and and everyone lives forever in the New Temple.
  
  There is almost nothing compelling in this last installment of the series, only fleeting novelties. For the most hardcore of the hardcore followers only.
  
  
  

• Save your money

  
  By AHGIZV7ECX27B on 2007-04-17
  Like several of the books in this series, this should have been a chapter instead of the book. Long re-tellings of Hebrews 11, Noah, Joshua and David are used as filler, but add nothing to the development of the characters or the plot.
  
  
• It's really just too bad...
  By AMCAID3LTHKEC on 2007-06-04
  I absolutely loved the original 12 books of the Left Behind series. Yes, some of them were better than others (my personal favorite was I think the second book, Tribulation Force), but as a whole the series has been a huge part of my life, because it not only allowed me to learn more about what the end times will probably be like, but it also offered an easy and interesting way for me, as a young and sometimes shy person, to witness to others.
  
  From what I always heard, this series was originally supposed to be only twelve books--then they pushed out the prequels, which were terribly boring, and now...this. I didn't even know this book was coming out until I saw it in the bookstore, which led me to believe that it was probably rushed to publication, and after reading it, I feel that that has to be the case. I also wanted to stay away from accusing the authors of "cashing in" on the success of the original twelve books, but at this point it's nearly impossible for me to NOT believe that that is what they are doing with Kingdom Come (and most likely the prequels, as well).
  
  I'm not saying it wasn't interesting to get an idea of what the Millennial Kingdom will be like--it was. However, the fact that this book spent a few pages covering the days right after the Glorious Appearing, then leapt forward nearly 100 years, spent most of the novel discussing the happenings of a few months' time, and then leapt forward to the end of the Millenium in order to cover the true battle of the end of the world in just a couple pages, was ridiculous. Also, throughout the "meat" of the book, Biblical heroes would show up to tell their stories, which seemed to literally be taken out of an "easy" version of the Bible, such as the New International Version. I understand not wanting to mess with Biblical accuracy, but the authors did not try in the least to make them even the slightest bit more dramatic. These parts were obviously used as filler and I would rather pick up my Bible and read these stories there.
  
  As a whole, I am severely disappointed in the authors. I am glad I did not purchase this book, and while I might force myself to read any others they come out with for old times' sake, I will certainly not purchase any future Left Behind books.
  
  
• Worst book of the series
  By AYEOWI52X5U74 on 2007-04-30
  I was eagerly waiting for this final book in the series only to be profoundly disappointed. The storyline is at best contrived and uninspired. Hundreds of pages are used within the book to retell the stories of famous Bible heroes, such as Noah, David, Joshua. While these highlight great feats of faith they added nothing to the plot. It seemed that they were thrown in their as filler since there was little else to wrote about. Instead of having a climatic storyline that held you in the edge of the seat as many of the other left behind books did this lacked emotion, even the end was anti-climatic, it all felt like LeHaye and Jenkins went through the motions just to churn the last book of the series out.
  
  
• Unsatisfying Conclusion - WARNING: SPOILERS
  By A2F3KLGIV273CW on 2007-04-13
  While I cannot say that I didn't like "Kingdom Come," it certainly left me wanting, which was unfortunate since this is the grand conclusion of the Left Behind series. Overall this was by no means a poorly written book as I truly enjoy Jenkins' style of writing and his use of imagery in not just the LB series, but also the "Soon" series. But I didn't care for the novel's progression and several series of events that took place.
  
  The book begins well, with our usual crew about to enter the Millennial Kingdom and the theological explanations by Tsion Ben-Judah on what to expect as far as the early deaths of non-believers, everyone's new eating habits, the constant brightness, animals of all kind living in peace with people, and of course the physical presence of Jesus on his throne in Jerusalem. These were very helpful in setting the tone. We see Rayford, Irene, Tsion and co. assigned to various ministries throughout the world and Buck and Chloe have founded a millennial day care called Children of the Tribulation (COT). In addition, Jesus has cleaned up the whole earth after the horrors of the tribulation and has set up his new temple in Jerusalem where he will rule forever.
  
  After establishing these initial key elements, the book jumps to 93 years into the Millennial Kingdom, where we learn about the formation of The Other Light (TOL), which is a Lucifer-worshipping cult whose followers hope to overthrow Christ in the final battle. After quickly reaching year 93, I thought the story would keep moving quickly throughout the Millennium in order to spend a good amount of time on the final battle between Satan and Jesus. However, the next 300 pages or so covered only years 93-97 in the Kingdom, which I found extremely tedious.
  
  At one point, we see Rayford requesting to King David that some major biblical characters come and speak at COT, which he obliges. When Noah visits and tells his story, I found it to be a nice filler, but nothing really special. But the fact that later on, Joshua and Caleb and then later David himself each come and share their stories in excruciating detail (when one can just pick up a Bible and read the same things) was pretty disappointing and way too page consuming when other storylines could have been pursued.
  
  One aspect that I truly did enjoy was that Buck & Chloe's son, Kenny Williams was the unofficial main character of this book at the tender age of 97. The formation of the Millennium Force was a bit cheesy, yet nostalgic to faithful LB readers who journeyed along with the original Tribulation Force. And Kenny and Ekaterina's romance was well done and makes you feel like a grandparent after having read the Buck & Chloe saga from early in the series. A big conflicting issue for me was when TOL infiltrator Qasim planted false evidence implicating Kenny as an unbeliever and a mole at COT. Kenny then loses his girlfriend and his Uncle Raymie (who has a glorified body and mind for crying out loud) initially turns on him as do several others. Kenny agonizes and feels totally alone and ostracized, which I find pretty jacked up considering this is a time of global peace and tranquility. It shouldn't have been hard for Kenny to prove his loyalty to Christ, especially with Jesus physically present right in his home town. Somehow I'd like to think Jesus wouldn't be some unaccessable VIP, sitting in his temple all alone, which is pretty much how he was portrayed in this book. Believers prayed to him, but even then, they didn't know if they were receiving his answers or making up their own. Why couldn't Kenny have said, "You don't believe me? Let's go see Jesus and he'll tell you I belong to him!" I'd like to think that Jesus would never have a problem with his own children coming to him for counsel, especially now that he was physically present with them.
  
  Also, throughtout the Left Behind series, believers had seals of the cross spiritually placed by God on their foreheads identifying them as followers of Christ - why were they now absent?? This could've saved a lot of confusion in identifying true believers. A redeeming storyline was Abdullah's ministry to the TOL, which showed a really gracious picture of how we are to love our enemies. But throughout it, he seemed to keep second guessing himself, wondering if he was really supposed to be there. And again I wondered, why didn't he simply go and meet with Jesus and ASK him?? Rayford's kidnap and subsequent miraculous release were entertaining and brought back small flashbacks of the action in the original series. However, we know he couldn't be harmed or killed so it was a bit pointless. And it was also interesting to find out exactly who it was that blessed Tsion on the bus instead of arresting him in "Nicolae" (book 3), though I think this was done for Mr. Jenkins' own amusement as one could have gathered much earlier on that his guardian was obviously not a mere man.
  
  Most unfortunately however, at the end of the second to last chapter, in a matter of two pages and in completely past tense, we find Kenny exonerated, and the next 900 years quickly glossed over in minor detail, disappointingly bringing us to the final battle in the last few pages of the book. This makes no sense to me since the 7 year tribulation took up 12 books, yet 900 years in the Millennial Kingdom took 2 pages?! The final battle with the armies of Satan, the casting of Satan into hell, the Great White Throne Judgment, and the creation of the new heaven and new earth were quickly done in a few paragraphs and much of it was by directly quoting Revelation. I mean, I understand that the final battle won't even be a true fight, but this is a fictional account and as the CLIMAX of the whole SERIES, it should have been drawn out and paraphrased rather than spending so much time early on, rehashing old stories by not one, but four Old Testament characters. I was glad however, to see the final moments in the book being told from Rayford's viewpoint, as he is the star of the series.
  
  Overall, this was not a horrible book, but I expected much more from the finale to this amazing and heartwarming series. "Kingdom Come" is certainly a must if you have read all the previous books in the series, though on its own, it's not very strong. My overall thought, as others have also stated, is that if a trilogy was going to be written, it should have been done on the Millenial Kingdom, with perhaps only a single book for the prequel after the initial series was complete.
  
  
• Yet another ending
  By A3745JUJ4V3VU2 on 2007-04-27
  I have read the first 12 books in the Left Behind series multiple times. They are fantastic! The first books I ever read that I could not put down.
  The prequels were boring.
  
  This book is entertaining in parts, and sometimes interesting. But in the end, it's a big wasted oppurtunity. Why give the final battle only one chapter in the book? 95% of the book takes place about 100 years into the millenium. Why? The most important and interesting stuff is the final victory. Why not spend time on the huge army building up, instead of skimming over it in a few paragraphs? Not to mention cramming the final judgements and victory into a couple pages. Why skim over all the most interesting parts, but spend endless pages on Biblical characters telling their stories? And endless detailed description of life during the millenium? I really can't figure out what the point of the book was. I thought it would tbe about the final victory, as the cover says. But so little of the book is actually about the final victory.
  
  I don't want to consider this the last book in the Left Behind series. It's more like a postquel (haha). This is a hard review to write because I just love the series. As bad as this book was, it can't change the first 12 books, which are simply amazing reads.
  
  
• Ouch!
  By A3E6L8BTQ4U41C on 2007-06-04
  Jesus wins. We knew it from the very first Left Behind book. Some of us knew it even before that. So...the fact that Jerry Jenkins was able to put even a LITTLE bit of suspense in this story shows what a masterful writer he is.
  
  However...the set up should have been incorporated into the story instead of long descriptions of temples, etc. in the beginning. The Rapture happened in the blink of an eye? Well so does nine hundred years of the Millenium. We jump from 100 years to Satan shaking on his knees in front of Jesus in the year 1000. Uh...excuse me? Nothing exciting happened for nine centuries?
  
  Then again, how could it? No harm could come to any believer. Any non-believer would die at age 100.
  
  Something that does not ring true is the doubt felt by those with glorified minds and bodies when confronted with "evidence" that one Trib Force-associated "natural" is a non-believer. Would God not have given them knowledge and peace about the topic?
  
  "Glorious Appearing" was fantastic. If Jerry Jenkins had just focused on the character development and relationships instead of telling what essentially amount to "bible stories", this book could have been just as good. Anyone reading this book has probably read all the other Left Behind books and we already KNOW the bible stories.
  
  I enjoyed the book because it was fun to see the characters again and when it was good (about half way through) it was because Jenkins had a conflict building - not an easy thing to produce in the Millenium.
  
  It was just one book too many for this series.
  
  
• Great laugh on a rainy day.
  By A3SYT3AMEMB4RH on 2007-07-21
  Funniest book I've read in ages. The slavish dedication to Biblical literalism and the frequent insistence on God's love and mercy in the midst of brutal smiting of skeptics had me howling with laughter.
  
  Then I remembered it's not meant to be a parody, and I just felt depressed.
  
  
• Potter is Hotter!
  By A2PR6NXG0PA3KY on 2007-08-29
  As a work of fantasy, the Left Behind series is third-rate. It lacks the humor and exuberance of the Harry Potter books; the magical acts it portrays are quite simply boring. It lacks the sparkling darkness of language that makes the His Dark Materials books a delight to read. It lacks the sweep and grandeur of the Lord of the Rings series. Note please that I'm reviewing Left Behind merely as escapist fantasy literature. As theology, it's too contemptible to need reviewing. As a morality tale, it's even more contemptible, an interminable drone of bigotry, sexism, self-righteousness, and exploitation of the decent folk who congregate in America's churches.
  
  
  
  
• Kingdom Come is better than expected.
  By A3PHM3ANENDGCF on 2007-04-13
  I was unsure what to expect with the 16th and final book of the Left Behind series. Prequels never seem to be as good as the original, and the only prequel book I thought should have been written was "The Rapture." Still I was pleasantly surprised with this final book. I actually think they should have made a sequel trilogy of the melenial kingdom instead of a trilogy on pre-rapture. I loved the private story or Kenny and Kat and even tho they became the main characters, they included many of our favorites from the original series. They kept it exciting by making us doubt the loyalties of some of the main characters, but it's not overdone either. They also tackle some big and popular issues and questions people have with God. Such as, "If he is all powerful and all loving why do people still go to Hell and why doesn't he fix all of my problems." I loved that this book tackled such issues, and as Abdullah did, treated those asking with love and respect.
  The one thing I didn't like with the book was the portrayal of Jesus. He just lives in the temple like an untouchable king and does not seem to have much interaction with believers. He quotes himself a lot from the Bible and when he isn't quoting himself, he talks in flowery language like he popped out of the NIV version of the 4 gospels. I understand if they did anything else people may think of it as sacrilegious, but Jesus was as relate able as possible 2,000 years ago, and I happen to think he will be exactly that same way during the Melenium. He is God but that doesn't mean he has to talk the such distinguished snob. I think Jesus will be one of the most relatble persons you'd ever meet, and I can't wait to meet him in person. But I hope he won't be as boring as he was in this book. The book also treats the OT Biblical Heros in this exact same fashion, and when they tell their own stories, they don't expand on the bible at all on each story. I also don't think Satan seems very scary. He just walks around and seems like a raving lunatic if anything, but I've thought that since "The Indwelling". I'd recomend this book because the story is good, but now I wish there was more books. Oh well I can always re-read them.
  
  
• Leave It Behind
  By A1AT0GONN4A9NA on 2007-05-06
  I don't like anything that tries to instill fear. Whether it be a church, or a book, or another person. Fear does not acquaint you with Love. Fear only begets more fear. This book and the pre-quels that were written before it want you to believe more in fear than in God and Jesus the Christ said that God is Love. In fact, Scripture tells us that Perfect Love casts out all fear. Why? Because Perfect Love (God) cannot recognize anything but what It is.
  
  I read this book to see if there was anything uplifting and inspiring in it. Nope. Sorry. I have two questions to ask all of you; Why are you waiting for Jesus to come back and why does he need to come back? I'm not being irreverent here, I really want to know. Jesus left behind (no pun intended) some great examples for us to follow. Have we done this? I don't think we have. I don't consider myself a Christian because I think it is a title so lofty and so beautiful that I cannot call myself one in good conscience. Besides, Jesus wasn't a Christian, either, just a good Jew who decided to follow and embody the spirit of the Law rather than subscribe blindly to creeds and dogmas based on the law. I think a lot of churches and teachings and books got the letter of the Law perfect, but are hung up on the spirit part. They focus more on the crucifixion rather than the resurrection, they focus on sin more than on love, on hell more than on heaven. Little do they know that what these people focus on, it will grow and become their reality.
  
  I'm sorry. I really don't believe that Jesus is going to come back. He was here and he did wonderful work while he was here. So much so that if we really believe in his teachings, there is no real reason for him to come back. But will Christ come back? Absolutely. For those of you who are confused, hang on. Jesus and Christ are not the same thing. Christ is a Presence...it is who we are in Spirit...and this living Christ lives in us now and we live in it and the more we become aware that beloved, now are we the children of God (Love), the more conscious we become of the Truth that God moves, and lives, and has His Being in all and we are to pick up where Jesus left off. "This and even greater things shall you do." Jesus said this through a "Christed" awareness.
  
  Of course, you are always free to choose but I would suggest choosing Love (God) rather than fear. Heaven and hell are states of coinsciousness and not actual places. So choose what frees you. Choose what blesses you. Don't just ask what would Jesus do, but ask yourself sincerely, Who would Jesus be in this moment, in this situation, with this person, in this experience? The Christ is present. Just accept it, already.
  
  So, no, I am not recommending this book or any book where the focus is on fear. My God is a God of Love and through this Love, anything is possible.
  
  Peace & Blessings,
  john, "the Light Coach"
  
  
• Annoyed
  By AJOLIPDIS7I9B on 2007-05-14
  Let me begin by saying that I am a hardcore fan of the left behind series, having read them all including the prequels. I loved each and every book in the main series...UNTIL 'Kingdom Come'. What an anti climax to years of reading a book series. Most of the book covers the first 100 years of the millenial kingdom and then...in a few brief pages, 900 years have passed, it's the final day of the millenium , the Lord Judges the wicked and welcomes the saved to the new heaven and earth. the end!!! I was so annoyed that a lot of the book was just 'filler', for example long, drawn out chapters of old testament biblical heroes telling their stories to children in the day care centre buck and chloe are running. This made me feel ripped off as much of the endless pages of text in these parts of the book were taken right from scripture.
  If you are a left behind fan and have not yet read Kingdom Come - DONT!!! It will ruin the series for you. Read 'Glorious appearing' and leave it at that- trust me!
  
  
• tribulation series comes to a glorious end
  By AFVQZQ8PW0L on 2007-04-04
  With Lucifer locked away for a thousand years, Jesus Christ's reign over the inhabitants of the Earth for the next millennium begins. At the beginning it is a beautiful place where rivers of milk, wine, and purified water flow freely in Jerusalem. David is the prince who answers only to Christ and all the people are believers. Cameron and Chloe Williams run the Children of the Tribulation school that teaches all the youngsters who were alive at the Glorious Appearing to give their lives to Christ. Each person has until the 100th birthday to be saved otherwise they will die.
  
  As the death of the non-believers rise, a cult comes into being, the Children of the Light who not only turn their back on Christ but worship Satan. They believe their children's children will keep the faith so that when Satan is freed, their side will win. Kenny Bruce, the leader of the Millennium Force, doesn't trust Qasin Marid who wants to not only be a member but an infiltrator. Kenny, Cameron and Chloe's grandson believes he is behind all the bad things that are happening to him, making Kenny look like a false believer. Time will prove he is on the right side. Rafe, Mac, Tsion, Irene, and Chaim are rebuilding the infrastructure of the various countries while Abdullah is in Amman being a preacher to the COL. As time passes and the millennium kingdom ends, everyone is looking forward to be lifted up to heaven.
  
  With the publication of KINGDOM COME, the tribulation series comes to a glorious end. Readers will enjoy seeing their favorite characters in the millennial kingdom and enjoy watching the children of the tribulation force take way to make of their parents. The descriptions of a hundred years of paradise are beautiful and makes one think earth should be like that. Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins are marvelous storytellers who appeal to both secular and Christian audiences.
  
  Harriet Klausner
  
  
  
• Why I like and I dont like this book
  By AE8LL9S715YTE on 2007-04-08
  Please understand that I consider myself, as a seminary student and future teacher of Old Testament theology, a PreMill. I come to this through strong and long study daily of Scripture because I believe that the Word of God, the Bible, is true concerning God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Kingdom of God, both now found in the Church and in the future realized Kingdom. That is from studying, through the few years that I have been a Christian, both Old Testament and New Testament prophetic theology--not just the Olivette Discourse and the Book of Revelation, but also books like Isaiah, Ezekiel, and that like. With that under my belt I'd like to give my views toward this book, the final book of the extremely long running Left Behind series. So please understand: I agree with the theology. I agree with the interpretation of scripture as far as it goes (though I might have some disagreements here and there with the authors). The reason for my beliefs does not rely just on listening to LaHaye and saying "he's right" but from my own studies and prayer and classes. I belief in PreMill interpretation of Scripture because of the key component of Scripture: Israel and Israel's fate as found in prophetic scripture, both OT and NT. I believe that, as Paul indicates and as Scripture fully indicates, Israel's Jews are still God's chosen people. We all, Jew and Gentile, make up the church and there is no barrier between us, but still prophetically speaking we have our own roles to play in the meaning of God's Kingdom and Kingdom Come in Christ Jesus. I believe that, of course, there are no barriers between Jews and Gentiles, but still, just like a hand has its own mission in life, so too does an ear, or an arm, or a leg. We all make up the body of the Bride of Christ and this will have full vitalization and revelation in the Rapture, the Seven Years of Tribulation, and from there the Millennial Kingdom and from there the New Heavens and the New Earth.
  
  Now, to the book. Let me honestly say, I don't care for Jenkin's style of writing. And I don't feel that comfortable in how LaHaye has turned prophecy into pop culture. For me it is too simple in construct and it takes the energy away from Scripture's prophecies. Sentences, paragraphs, chapters. They'll all too simple for me. That's just my opinion. Of course. I consider myself some what of a writer. And I tend to like more in-depth exploration and examination of plots. The story goes by too fast. Which, then again, leads to another problem. The entire series was way too disproportional. There was no structural balance. One book might only be about three days (I believe it was the Indwelling), while another book might deal with a whole year or two. Then there's the prelude trilogy. Not really needed at all. In terms of this book, which I do say I enjoyed as much as I would enjoy Jenkins' style of storytelling, it seems that the bulk of the story dealt with a few years, while the first few chapters and the last few had several paragraphs going over entire years. Again, if the Indwelling was a book about three days, I'd wish that the writers would have put at least three books (but no more) to go over the entire Millennial Kingdom. The Millennial Kingdom is important in terms of prophecy for both Jews and Gentiles alike, for those who have been Raptured before the Tribulation and for those of faith living through and after the Tribulation. The Millennial Kingdom has important concrete importance for those Jews, especially, who live through the Tribulation and have come to trust in the truth of Jesus Christ as Son of God and King of Kings, the Lion of Judah and the Lamb of God. Thus for me the story seems to go by way to fast, I've been able to read it in about a day's worth of time. I want something that is this important, at least to me, to be a strong and powerful and long read...something akin to, say, Randy Alcorn's Deadline novel. A story like Alcorn's lasts for days, hours, powerful emotional reading, that is how this book should have been. It wasn't. I liked it, I recommend all to read it, but man, please, more too it than what I have here, please!
  
  
• Enough Already!!!!!
  By AACJUKY3XO20Q on 2007-05-07
  I've been a longtime fan of the series, and I do usually like Jerry Jenkins' writing style, but I have to say I did not enjoy any of the prequels and I definitely did not like this book. It read to me like a blatant attempt to use brand recognition to cash in one more time. Of course, I'm not entirely unbiased. After reading Dr. LaHaye's interview in a national magazine--I believe it was Newsweek--he lost all credibility as far as I'm concerned. When questioned about whether or not he followed Jesus' mandate regarding the sale of all worldly possessions to care for the poor (it's Matthew 19:21, Doc, in case you don't remember!), his answer was that he felt he could best do God's work by doing just what he was doing. I take that to mean he considers himself the exception to the rule. That's spelled H-Y-P-O-C-R-I-S-Y!
  
  I didn't buy this book. I've learned not to buy a book unless I'm sure I want it in my permanent collection. I got it at the library--and took it back before I reached the halfway mark!
  
  
• 1000 years reign.
  By A3G87KNRCLDF4K on 2007-06-14
  Another great book from Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. The first one I have read that gives you some suggestions of what life will be like during the 1000 year reign.
  
  
• Thank God it's over...
  By A31IPJA5MI4R4K on 2007-08-08
  As another reviewer said, this book could have been a chapter instead of a book. After the first Hebrews 11 character showed up, I learned to skim quickly through those chapters. I also skipped the lengthy Bible quotations. Filler, filler, filler and so little real substance. And then just when you think the plot is getting good, the authors tie it all up within a few pages!
  
  I have really enjoyed the series, but this was the worst book yet, on a par with "The Rapture," my other least favorite book in the series.
  
  The authors would have done well to write 10 good books instead of stretching it out and making the last couple books downright horrible.
  
  
• Nice ending to a excellent series
  By A2FV7DAZPENINZ on 2007-04-18
  I really enjoyed this book. It was fun and presented the same ole' cast of the Trib Force in a different light. I thought this was going to be mainly about the kids (Kenny) and it was, but not exclusively. I found myself praising God a few times when certain folks accepted the gift of Christ.
  
  Hey let's face it, after the rapture, then what? I always wondered why Satan would be released again after a 1000 years after all the trouble he caused in the tribulation. And why do we go to New Earth instead of just staying in Heaven. Tim and Jerry sewed together a good story without losing any of the main folks we got to know over the series.
  
  I am sad it is over, however, it certainly ended very well.
  
  
• This series ended four books ago...
  By A3R19YKNL641X3 on 2007-05-16
  So we come to the end (I *really* hope!) of the Left Behind series with Kingdom Come: The Final Victory by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. This series was done four books ago, but it was being kept alive with artificial life support. That's too bad, as it's tarnished what was a good concept...
  
  In this final book, the action shifts to the millennial kingdom after the end of the Tribulation. The plot, such as it is, revolves around man's rebellion during that time, leading up to the final showdown between Christ and Lucifer. There's a basic espionage/infiltration story with some romantic bylines, but it's something that could have been done in 100 pages or less. The vast portion of the book involves retelling of Old Testament stories and quotations of prophecy related to end times.
  
  On the positive side, this is one of the few treatments I've read of what life during the 1000 year period after the Tribulation could be like. LaHaye and Jenkins interpreted some Old Testament passages in ways I had never considered. Not that I think they were right or wrong... it's just an angle I had never heard. Christians who read this will have some room for their imaginations as to what that life will be like. Having said that, this book is bad from a literary standpoint. The plot is thin, to say the least. The stories and Scripture don't add much of anything to the story-line other than from a theological viewpoint. There was a small sliver of hope that the espionage plot was going to turn into something, but it was getting very late in the book (and my fears were that they were going for yet another volume). In the last few pages, they just jumped ahead a few hundred years, wrapped everything up in about 10 pages, and that was it! You could almost hear the editor saying "you're late" or "you're over your page count".
  
  At least with the prequels (which I also thought were ill-advised and full of filler), I felt there was a bit of background that made them marginally entertaining if you had read the entire series. There's nearly nothing here from a literary perspective that I'd recommend. Yes, I believe the underlying message. But LaHaye and Jenkins went to the well far too many times in this series. This series *should* be done, as there's nowhere else to go with it. But if they figure out some way to stretch out another title out of it, they'll do it without me.
  
  
  
• This book was wonderful!
  By A2LTB4QTC6MHIY on 2007-05-28
  This book was absolutley wonderful! I loved every minuite of it and I was very sad that I finished it so quickly (about a day in a half!)
  This book is full of Bible and gives you and excellent picture as to what the Milleniell reign with Christ will be like! If you do not like Bible, than this book is not for you, because is is full of Scripture to give you a better understanding of why Tim Lahaye and Jerry Jenkins believe what they do about the thousand year reign with Christ. I highly recommend this book! I have grown closer to the Lord and look forward more to His promises than ever before!
  
  
• Lots of filler not much suspense.
  By A1X1X8QYT2C3I6 on 2007-08-14
  Like others I enjoyed the beginning of the series, but this book is filled with pages and pages of direct bible quotations that don't add much to the story. I was over half way through the book before there was even any tension, and even that did not feel real unlike the other books.
  
  
• Jerry Jenkins: Master of the Missed Oppurtunity
  By A2HEETS5292XQN on 2008-02-01
  This isn't so much a review of in-depth thought; it's just a few impressions.
  
  I read this book on a flight back from Sweden, and it was pretty interesting for the first few pages. I didn't necessarily agree with the theology, but it was interesting nonetheless.
  
  Then the first death happens and things get very interesting; girl dies, people realize that there is still deception and evil in the world, even without satan, and then, ultimately, the interest lessens. This is due mainly to the fact the book's main conflict centers on a friggin' daycare.
  
  A good (not great, but good) prequel trilogy about the upheaval of world government, rise of antichrist and subsequent rapture. One awesome book about being 'LEFT BEHIND'. Nine entertaining books about the struggles of living during the tribulation. Two more really cool books about the war of war of Armageddon and return of Christ. And then this flat, missed oppurtunity.
  
  Don't get me wrong, the book touches goodness a few times throughout. There are some really moving scenes with Abdullah. Other than that, though, the book SCREAMS boredom, which is funny because LaHaye's theology dictates that Jenkins has to envision the most boring and unexciting vision of post-Christ world that I think anyone could ever imagine. It felt like an insult, as a Christian, to read this. Then again, why write a book without much conflict? Well, they try. Try is the key word here, because the central villains are some illogical atheists in France (who attempt to overthrow a government that is run by the well-established and pretty well-known, invincible, undefeatable Lord Jesus.. it's stupid) and this punk kid named Qasim, who is even more of an insult to those people who read the ENTIRE series, in order, every one of them (including the prequels). To go from the smarmy and over-the-top Nicolae, who would gladly drop the blade of the neck of his mother and bite out the eyes of children and animals, to this new little turd of a teenage punk, it was just such a step down.
  
  ANOTHER complaint... and it kind of ties into the Qasim complaint... is that this book leads up to the FINAL final battle, against the lord of pain, the man of the evil hour, the host with the horrible most, the satanman. And well, I'm sure someone's already spoiled it for you, but if not, let's just say that I almost forgot about him by the time I got to his part. Details below:
  
  SPOILER ALERT
  
  
  Satan, master of evil, is written pretty well for the short time he's in here, and Jenkins is great at building up the conflict against...
  
  oh, wait, maybe I should have stated, REALLY REAAALLLY short time that he's in the book...
  
  Did you see the subject heading? Jerry Jenkins = Tool of LaHaye and master of missed oppurtunities.
  
  I've forgiven Jenkins before for skimming over the most hotly anticipated parts of his novels, but this.. this is unforgivable. Basically, we spend over 300 pages wondering whether or not some kids in a daycare are going to be compromised by some insecure little tool named Qasim, who's more upset about not getting the booty of the hot Christian Greek girl than he is about anything else, and darn it, he's out for vengeance! A whole series of subversion, explosions, spirit warfare, angels, demons, techno-gadgetry, crumbling buildings, rivers of blood and really technical explanations of how to escape disaster in Chicago allllll leads to a compromised daycare. By God, it's epic.
  
  So after we trudge all that high school melodrama (which is really all this book is), we FINALLY get to the main event of the entire series: Jesus v. Satan. And in typical Jenkins style, he takes a steaming dump all over the opportunity to give us something special. It sucks; and what sucks even worse is that I read these books all over again when I heard that a new final novel was coming out. Needless to say, I wasn't happy with the outcome. I mean, you can kind of pretend that the ending of the book (and series) is good if you read it slow, I mean, really slow; which you will need to since it's over faster than the Rapture. I can understand that it's deliberate in its brevity since they are fighting the human form of God and all, but come on.. they could have tried harder. This epic series has an end so abrupt it's insane. They had a goldmine of conflict for this book, and they chose to focus elsewhere. Epic fail.
  
  Plus, when you take into account the 100 year death thing for the unbelievers, well, the retardation increases. What's the point of conflict when the unbelievers die out so quickly? And if they die so quickly, then just how the heck did such a massive army (in the multimillions, people) assimilate at the end? It makes no logical sense. What were they thinking???
  
  So, now that I've read the whole series, I can try to give you an idea of how they ranked with me. Opinions will no doubt differ, but nonetheless, here it is.
  BEST
  Left Behind LB1
  Armageddon LB11
  Desecration LB9
  Nicolae LB3
  Glorious Appearing LB12
  Appollyon LB5
  The Regime P2
  The Rising P1
  Tribulation Force LB2
  Assassins LB6
  The Rapture P3
  Soul Harvest LB4
  ------------
  The Remnant LB10
  The Indwelling LB7
  The Mark LB8
  Kingdom Come FINAL
  WORST
  
  How about that?, haha.
  
  My final thought: if you want to read the series, go for it - it's good stuff. However, when the war in 'Glorious Appearing' is over, skip the whole friggin ending. Then, pick up 'Kingdom Come' and start reading around the third-to-last chapter, basically when the war with satan starts. There you go. Much better! All the confusing and stupidly drawn-out contrivances are skipped and you get to the good stuff. Then, if you dare, you can go back and read the deleted scenes, haha.
  
  Still, the book wasn't so bad that it ruined the series. Like I said, it's just a missed oppurtunity.
  
  Alright, thanks for reading!
  
  
• Fiction based fiction
  By A3ISC1EEYQDVE on 2007-05-07
  Christian propaganda has always amused me, and even the 'Left Behind' series provided some good humor moments for me, but this last book in the series (which is very well critiqued here by other readers) just seals the deal for me. Since most of Christianity is fiction, this is simply fiction about fiction...make sense? The 'last book' in the series is even more outlandish than the premise of the series, or of core evangelical Christian beliefs...leave this one behind!
  
  
• Mediocre storyline
  By A3QOTM2X502AJ8 on 2007-05-21
  It was nice to read about some familiar characters as well as some new characters but overall the story was not strong and the 1000 years passed by with not much of a story.
  
  
• Excellent Series
  By A2P4DQLDG5UAQD on 2007-06-26
  Excellent book especially with limited books on eschatology out there makes you really think about what its or could be and going to be like,
  will make a good movie for sure and another good tool to get the MESSAGE across
  
  
• Millenial kingdom or Thousand Year-reich?
  By A1TROXJ8R2BZ4Z on 2007-08-03
  The millenial kingdom turns out to be even more boring, lifeless, nightmarish and trite that the world that can before it.
  
  All disenting thought is automatically removed when an individual turns 100. Most of the action and dialogue comes from concerns over whether someone is turning 100, because Jesus kills all dissenters over one hundred years of age, and sends their souls to Hell. The villians, called 'The Other Light', are utterly powerless and aren't really that evil.
  
  
• Thank God It's Over!
  By AZISI1KCI4KSI on 2007-11-07
  When the Left Behind series began it was fun to read. The plots were predictable but still able to hold the readers attention. As the volumes increased, it became clear that LaHaye/Jenkins were just cashing in on early success by slowing the pace thus increasing the number of books to be read to reach the final piece of the saga.
  
  I read Kingdom Come out of a sense of obligation. Having read the previous fifteen volumes I wanted to finish the series. The storyline is just plain dull. Jenkins spent more time copying verses from the Bible than in original writing. What was original is an insult to readers. He offers us regurgitated ideas (i.e the Millennium Force) in a plot that is childish and incomplete. Kingdom Come proves that suckers are born every minute. Anyone purchasing this book needs their head examined. In two years they will offer us a volume describing events a million years into eternity,please ignore them when they do.
  
  

• Glorious Appearing (Left Behind)
• Armageddon (Left Behind #11)
• The Rapture: In the Twinkling of an Eye--Countdown to the Earth's Last Days (Before They Were Left Behind, Book 3)
• The Regime: Evil Advances (Before They Were Left Behind, Book 2)
• The Rising: Antichrist Is Born (Before They Were Left Behind, Book 1)