Tribulation Force Essay, Research Paper

Tribulation Force

Tribulation Force written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. It was published in association with the literary of Alive Communications, INC. in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1996. I got this book at the Thomasville Public Library.

Jerry Jenkins is an experienced author. He has written or co-written more than one hundred books. His works have appeared in a variety of publications, such as Reader’s Digest, Parade, and many Christian periodicals. He writes his books in four genres: biography, marriage and family, fiction for adult, and fiction for children. Mr. Jenkins also writes the Gil Thorp comic strip. Jerry Jenkins has worked on this series with Dr. Tim LaHaye. Dr. Tim LaHaye is an author, minister, and counselor. Dr. LaHaye came up with the idea to put the rapture and tribulation into a book. He has written over forty books with a wide range of subjects such as, family life temperaments and Bible prophecy. Tribulation Force is part of a continuing series of those left behind. In the first book, Left Behind, the rapture took place. The rapture is when God takes his people or the people who has asked Jesus into their hearts up to heaven. This book is about the people that have been left behind and there struggle to survive.

The book’s main characters are Rayford Steele, Chloe Steele, Buck Williams, and Bruce Barnes. Rayford Steele is a PAN-continental airline pilot. Rayford lost is wife and son in the disappearance (the rapture). Rayford was on his way to Israel when the disappearance took place. When he was on the plane he met Buck Williams, a newspaper journalist. They became fast friends. Chloe Steele, Rayford ‘s daughter, is a collage student at Stanford University. She has moved back home to be closer to her father in their time of need. Chloe meets a journalist, named Cameron (Buck) Williams. They are currently going out and are eventually getting married. Buck Williams works for the New York Global Weekly, a newspaper, as their senior writer. At home in Rayford’s wife’s church, New Life Community Church, they search for the reasons why their families were gone and not them. They turned to Bruce Barnes, a minister at New Life Community Church, for the answers. Bruce has told them that Jesus has came and took his people and that there will be an anti-Christ that will try to rule the world. Bruce said it would all happen in a seven-year period called the Tribulation. During this time the earth will change and go through wars and plagues. The newly born Christians will have to fight very hard in order to survive. The anti-Christ will seem like a good person and promise peace and happiness, but not fulfill his promise. The anti-Christ will try and unite the world and create one world currency and religion. Bruce told Rayford, Chloe, and Buck all of this. They got together and formed the Tribulation Force. They all think they know who the anti-Christ is but are afraid that no one will believe them, so they keep it to themselves. They have all agreed to learn all they can about the anti-Christ and what the bible says about what is coming there way. Chloe is busy helping Bruce run the church and researching about the tribulation. Rayford has been offered a job flying a plane for Nicholas Carphathia. That is who they think the anti-Christ is. Carphathia is head of the United Nations. So he has some power and is greatly respected by the people around the world. He has united the newspapers so that they are all working for him. He has made Buck and Rayford his personal friends. He is aware of Rayfords religion but not Bucks. Carphathia has moved his head courtiers to New Babylon. Therefore Rayford has to move too. Buck and Chloe are going to move to New York. Bruce is staying at the church to help out all the others.

They all plan to meet at the church one day, when all of a sudden there are air attacks all around the world destroying hospitals and important buildings. Bruce had gotten sick and is in the hospital. They have all gone to see him, but he was in one of the hospitals that have been attacked. When Rayford goes to look for Bruce and finds out that he has died in the attack. He returns to the group and tells them the bad news. They all agree that they should continue with the Tribulation Force group and continue learning all they can about the tribulation. They find Bruce’s old research and continue where he left off. They still have a long way to go till the end of the tribulation. They have to stand and fight the enemies of God.

That was the end of the book. The book was really hard to put down. It kept my attention on what was going to happen next. It sounded so real and scary. It got me thinking about what is going to happen when the rapture actually comes. I can’t imagine what I would do if I were to be left behind. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to get an idea of what the rapture is all about.