The "Left Behind" series is inspiring, in that it makes people
think about serious, life-and-death situations. Yet it tends to
assume that, even in the face of disaster, life for
fundamentalist American Christians will center around the
same values and goals that have dominated their lives up
until now. In other words, people will still go to church on
Sundays and work in system jobs the rest of the week, right
through the Tribulation and all that comes with it. They will
still be loaded with money, and they will still jet around the
world at will. There is nothing in the book that speaks to the
condition of poor Christians. This materialistic philosophy is
practised at a time (in the story) when people should be
seriously considering whether the values they lived by
before the trouble began were really the right ones.
In desperate circumstances, people often see the futility of
so much that they did before disaster struck. But the "Left
Behind" series fails to suggest that there may be anything
wrong with the materialism of evangelical fundamentalism.
Even in the face of a choice between serving Jesus or
serving the Antichrist, the book's two heroes both find
themselves very much in the employ of the Antichrist. There
is reflected in them the same double-mindedness that so
many Christians evidence when it comes to trying to work
for God and work for money at the same time. They are
forced to admit that they work for money because they fear
being without it, and they justify being in their jobs, on the
grounds that they may one day be a "witness" where they
are.
In war type movies, where people are displaced and fighting
for their lives, talk of paid employment becomes fairly
meaningless. Yet, the first six books in the Left Behind
series suggest that paid employment is the norm for
Christians during the time of great trouble. Not only are the
heroes expected to keep working for money, but they are
seen as getting the best jobs with the highest salaries.
Against all reason, they are seen as being divinely protected
in their work for the Antichrist, who, for no clear reason,
keeps them on his staff even when he knows they are
supposed to be representing his arch enemy, Jesus.
While Rayford Steele and Buck Cameron (the heroes of the
"Left Behind" series) continue to serve the Antichrist, they
gain nothing from it that affects their ability to serve Jesus.
Because they fear opposition if they speak out for their faith,
their on-the-job "witness" is also ineffective. They appear to
be there for one reason, and that is for the money that it
brings in. The book itself is fairly clear about that (see
below).
God could call someone to infiltrate the enemy's camp for a
specific purpose. But that is not so with Buck and Rayford.
Year after year they do and say nothing of any spiritual
significance. Consequently, they are tormented by guilt,
which they (or their authors) brush aside with faint hints that
they have no other choice.
The first chapter of Soul Harvest (volume 4) is amazingly
honest in depicting Rayford's double-mindedness with
regard to his service to the Antichrist. Because he is the
series hero, his eventual caving in to fear and selfishness
tends to justify similar gutlessness on the part of other
Christians, both now and presumably in the future, when the
real Tribulation begins.
Soul Harvest starts with these words: "Rayford Steele wore
the uniform of the enemy of his soul, and he hated himself
for it." Rayford rips the coat off and beats it on the ground, in
anger that the Antichrist has just destroyed thousands of
lives in a needless war.
A strange sentence appears on the next page: "Rayford
considered abandoning all vestiges of his connection to
Nicolae Carpathia's regime, but his attention was drawn
again to the luxuriously appointed arm patches." Why
should luxurious arm patches cause him to change his
mind
A second explanation is given for Rayford's change of mind:
"As he knelt to retrieve his coat, Rayford's maddening logic
returned--the practicality that made him who he was. Having
no idea what he might find in the ruins of his condominium,
he couldn't treat as dispensable what might constitute his
only remaining set of clothes."
So, whether Rayford decides to continue serving the enemy
of his soul because he needs the clothes or because he
craves the luxuries and power that go with them, he never
really considers the possibility of trusting God to provide his
material needs. Nor does he face the possibility of God
asking him to live without luxuriously appointed arm
patches.
On pages three and four Rayford threatens to tell the
Antichrist what he thinks of him; but when faced with the
opportunity to do so, he caves in again. Here is the phone
dialogue between himself and his co-pilot:
"Don't put Carpathia on or I swear I'll..."
"Stand by for the Potentate."
Rayford switched the phone to his right hand, ready to
smash it on the ground, but he restrained himself. When
avenues of communication reopened, he wanted to be able
to check on his loved ones.
First it is clothing, and then it is loved ones. In both
situations, the Antichrist has him in his grip, because
Rayford, like so many others, has never considered obeying
Jesus when he said to put him before loved ones, before
clothing, and even before food.
Food also gets a mention, on page 62 of the same volume.
Rayford is feasting at a sumptuous buffet at the Antichrist's
private hideout while the rest of the world is being
decimated. Referring to his faith, Rayford says to Mac,
"Carpathia knows where I stand." Mac replies, "He likes you.
Maybe he feels secure knowing you don't hide anything from
him."
Next paragraph: "It might be the enemy's food, [Rayford]
thought, but it does the job." The italics in are not
mine. The authors obviously do not want readers to miss
the point. The "job" is his need for food. Compromise with
the enemy had met that need. It did the job.
His decision to join the Antichrist in the shelter was made
with full knowledge that Rayford was turning his back on the
suffering that was taking place outside. The closing words
of the first chapter of Soul Harvest state: "He'd seen awful
things in his life, but the carnage at this airport was going to
top them all. A shelter, even the Antichrist's, sounded better
than this."
In his "heart", of course, Rayford is always convinced that
his true loyalty is to Jesus. But in his actions, everything he
does is a total contradiction. His guilt leads him to
experience so much hatred for the Antichrist that he
personally plots to kill him. Powerless to wage a proper
spiritual battle for truth, Rayford Steele contents himself with
fighting a useless battle with a carnal weapon.
If we study the behaviour of the hero, to find the underlying
lesson in the "Left Behind" series, we learn that Christians
can (and probably should) serve the Antichrist in order to
save themselves and their loved ones, and in order to live a
more comfortable life in this evil world. As long as they
profess loyalty to Jesus with their lips (out of earshot of the
AC of course), it matters little what their actions say.
The enemy of our soul wants us to praise him too, and so
the series is loaded with titles that the Antichrist and his
cohorts give themselves, each one more pompous than the
one before. This too angers Rayford, but he continues to do
whatever it takes to keep his job.
The nearest thing to insubordination is when he refuses to
return to base immediately, because he is looking for his
wife amongst the ruins. The Antichrist says he will overlook
such behaviour; but he notes that Rayford has not used the
term Potentate (most powerful one) when referring to his
leader. Carpathia says: "Now is no time to neglect protocol,
Captain Steele. A pardoned subordinate is behooved to
address his superior..."
Rayford shoots back, "All right Potentate Carpathia..."
(Again, the emphasis is not mine.)
On page 142, Rayford objects to calling Carpathia His
Excellency. "You are using a title that has for generations
been limited to religious leaders and royalty," he says to an
A.C. assistant.
But in the end Rayford uses that title as well. (e.g. page 423:
"Your Excellency," he said, swallowing any vestige of pride,
"I'm assuming you'll need Mac and me to get you to Israel
tomorrow.")
All of this is done in contravention of the fact that Jesus
specifically instructs his followers NOT to use titles of
respect for "any man on earth."
Rayford and his co-pilot discuss the expediency of sharing
their faith on their job, and they decide that they should not,
despite an earlier statement that Christians must be
prepared to confess their faith publicly to be saved.
(Romans 10:9-10) "You're supposed to tell lots of people,"
Rayford had said. (page 133) But he admits that the other
hero, Buck Cameron, kept his faith secret outside of church
meetings. "He thought it best to keep that to himself, so he
could be more effective," Rayford explained. He suggests
that Mac do the same. (page 183) Mac asks, "What about
that verse about confessing with your mouth " Rayford
replies, "I have no idea. Do the rules still stand at a time like
this Are you supposed to confess your faith to the
Antichrist I just don't know."
After a particularly sinister speech from the Antichrist, their
fellow employees are drawn to almost worship him. This is
recorded on page 214: When the Global Community
employees in the mess hall leaped to their feet, cheering
and clapping, Rayford and Mac stood, only to keep from
appearing conspicuous. Mac's attention was drawn to
someone else who was slow to stand; it is a clue that the
other employee must also be a secret believer.
What would Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego have
thought of such faith If they had merely gone through the
motions (somewhat hesitantly) when ordered to bow down
to the image of the Antichrist in their day, they could have
escaped the fiery furnace. (Daniel 3:10-18) But what kind of
a witness would it have been
The kind of faith that Rayford Wetnoodle practises is the
kind of faith Satan would like to see more of in the church.
The Left Behind books are just another part of Satan's
worldwide deception, teaching even supposedly staunch
fundamentalists that compromise is OK in any situation
where it may cost you something to obey God.
Dave McKay is the author of the endtime novel, "Survivors",
which uses characters with similar names and similar
backgrounds to the characters in the "Left Behind" series,
except that he tells the story as it would occur if these
people really took the teachings of Jesus seriously. The
book has sold nearly one million copies. If you would like a
free copy, write to the author at fold@idl.net.au giving your
postal address so it can be sent to you. Other articles on
the Left Behind series include: Left Behind... Who , The
Prince of Peace, The Jews, The Supernatural, and Wells
Without Water. Another article in this series, "The Mark",
appears elsewhere on this website.
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