LEFT BEHIND BY TIM LAHAYE & JERRY B. JENKINS

LEFT BEHIND by Tim Lahaye & Jerry B. Jenkins is the first book in the Left Behind series.  I have read all the books in the series many times and can highly recommend them, but I feel that this first book can be read as a stand alone novel.  The others must be read in sequence to avoid confusion. It is an important book, as it explains the Rapture of believers and End Times in a way that makes it easier to understand Biblical prophecy.  This novel is a wake up call for all of us.  Whilst the characters are fictional, the novel portrays Biblical truth and strongly emphasizes the importance of being born again and having a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Rayford Steele is a successful pilot.  He is good looking and intelligent, has a lovely wife and two children.  Whilst all seems to be going well on the surface, he is unhappy and dissatisfied with his life.  He is selfish, spends little time with his wife and children, and is thinking seriously of having an affair with the beautiful air hostess, Hattie Durham, who is much younger than he is.  Since his wife, Irene, has become a born again believer, he uses her "fanaticism" to keep away from home as much as possible and he makes every excuse to miss church. His son Raymie is a believer, but his daughter Chloe, who is away at college, has stopped going to church as well as her father.

As Rayford is about to make a definite move on Hattie during a flight to Heathrow, he finds to his horror that people have disappeared all over the plane leaving their clothes and personal effects behind.  He enlists Hattie's help to keep the hysterical  passengers calm and is told to return to the States where he makes a difficult landing at the already full airport. 

Deep in his heart he knows that he won't find Irene and Raymie at home when he finally gets there.  He and Chloe are left to face things on their own.  Irene had told Ray many times about the Rapture of the church and about the teachings that she was getting from Pastor Billings of New Hope Church about End Times prophecy.  He knows now that he has missed out and is desperate to find out if he has a chance to make things right.

Ray, and eventually Chloe, listen to the tape that Pastor Billings left for those who were left behind and they join with Bruce Barnes, a pastor from the church who had been living a lie and was not raptured with the believers, and they form the Tribulation Force.  They are determined to make up for lost time and convert as many people as possible.  They realise that they are going to have a hard time as believers during the Tribulation, but they know that those without the Lord in their lives are going to suffer for all eternity.  Cameron (Buck) Williams is a young reporter who is also on the plane when the Rapture takes place, and once he believes he becomes a member of the Tribulation Force as well.

The world is in turmoil.  People have disappeared all over the world.  Traffic is gridlocked, airports are disaster areas, looting and vandalism is rampant.  Into this scenario comes a glimmer of hope in the shape of Nicolae Carpathia, the charismatic, young, newly appointed president of Romania, who dazzles everyone with his charm and his extraordinary intelligence.  Is he too good to be true or is he the answer to the world's problems?  Or is he, in fact, the Antichrist?  With his seeming humility he graciously "accepts" leadership of the United Nations and puts forward his plans for world peace.

The novel is fast paced and exciting and well worth reading.

MONDAY NIGHT JIHAD, BLOWN COVERAGE, BLACKOUT & INSIDE THREAT BY JASON ELAM & STEVE YOHN

These four books by JASON ELAM & STEVE YOHN are exciting thrillers with a strong Christian message. 
In MONDAY NIGHT JIHAD we are introduced to Riley Covington, defence player for the Colorado Mustangs.  Riley is not only an excellent football player, he has also spent time in the armed forces and has fought in Afghanistan.  We get to know his best friend in the army, Scott Ross, who is now in Homeland Security and who has a brilliantly analytical mind, and who works with a bunch of "misfit" analysts.  Sal Ricci is his best friend in the football team, and he spends a lot of time with Sal, his wife Meg and their daughter Alessandra.  We are also introduced to Hakeem, a militant Jihadist, who is seeking to avenge his family's death at the hands of the American army.
Riley comes from a strong Christian family, is close to his parents and to his granpa. Both his granpa and his father have been in the military.  Riley takes his Christian beliefs very seriously, and when he meets the beautiful Khadi he realizes that he can never be unequally yoked with a Muslim woman.
After the attacks at the Mall of America and the Platte River Stadium by members of the Cause, Riley joins Scott Ross, Jim Hicks,Khadi and others to capture those responsible.  The man in charge of the Cause is al'-Aqran, and they manage to take him captive.  He is put in a secret CIA prison in Poland, a prison that is not meant to exist!
Riley learns that things are not always as they seem, and he ends up killing his best friend who is  living a double life and is really his worst enemy.  He forgives him as a sick, brain-washed man, and we see the totally opposite nature of their religious beliefs.  



In BLOWN COVERAGE we find that al'-Aqran has been freed from prison by Abdalayev, a member of the Chechen Freedom Militia and is now in Istanbul.
Riley, Khadi and Skeeter, the latter army friend being Riley's bodyguard, are resting in Costa Rica after their ordeal in tracking down al'-Aqran, where they are attacked whilst having a meal.  Riley is worried that he is bringing danger to his friends and to his family, and he doesn't know what to do about his football career.  He decides to go back and there is a media frenzy when he goes to football camp, and he is afraid that wherever he is he will be a danger to those around him. 
The team  realize that al'-Aqran has escaped when they capture Naheed Yamani, after what seem to be random sleeper cell attacks.
When Riley's father is murdered by terrorists, he goes to his friend Simmons' cabin in the woods with Skeeter in order to draw them after him so that he doesn't put anyone else in danger.  The man who is after him's name is Abdullah, and Riley manages to escape.  He isn't even able to go to his father's funeral, but he is determined not to become vengeful or full of unforgiveness and hatred for his enemies, although it is quite a struggle for him.  He is helped a lot by good counsel from his grandfather.
The two "black ops" teams go after Abdalayev who tells them where al'-Aqran is, after being interrogated by Hicks.  Scott kills al'-Aqran.  While on this mission they hear that the Cause is planning attacks on schools in the U.S.  
Riley learns that things are not always as they seem, and he finds out that his best friend  is  living a double life and is really his worst enemy.  He forgives him as a sick, brain-washed man, and we see the totally opposite nature of their religious beliefs.  
Riley is tortured by Hakeem's men and learns Hakeem is planning another attack.  He is rescued by his team, and once back home, he tracks him down and is responsible for his best friend/worst enemy's death, saving many lives.






BLACKOUT is the third book in the Riley Covington series.
On the football front, Riley, Keith Simmons and Ashfin (an Arab Christian) are great friends and they pray together regularly.  Zerin is a Muslim Arab and is a rookie footballer who is living his dream, having always wanted to play professional football, until his father interferes with his plans.
Scott Ross is in charge of Homeland Security now that Jim Hicks is dead, and he arranges for Riley to be fetched from a holiday at his home in Alaska, where he and Skeeter are on a clam digging expedition, and taken directly to meet the president of the United States.  There is word of a threatened EMP attack against the United States and Scott wants Riley on his team, so he tells the president that Riley did research on EMT's when he was in college.  Scott needs him in Washington so he arranges for him to play for Washington Warriors instead of his beloved Mustangs.
He has made quite a name for himself on the football field as well as being a hero on the battlefield and is known as Captain America by many.  His new football boss uses the term in a derogatory manner, unless he is using Riley's fame to his own advantage. This upsets Riley, who just wants to get on with his life, following the Lord's leading and keeping his friends and fellow Americans out of danger wherever possible.
The ops team with Scott, Riley, Skeeter, Khadi and others, manage to destroy the second EMP after the first one hits the New York area.  The result of the New York hit is disastrous. There is mass hysteria, looting, lack of food and water, greed and selfishness.  Keith and Ashfin, who are trying to help where they can, are attacked when they are taking food that they have managed to buy back to the bus, and Ashfin is mistaken for a terrorist and killed by the crowd.  Keith is devastated. Ashfin is his friend and a really committed Christian who showed his Christian belief by the way he lived.  As he is dying, Ashfin forgives his attackers and tells Keith to run while he can.  Keith stays to help his friend but can do nothing help Ashfin as he is badly beaten up.  
After the disaster, Riley, Skeeter and Keith help with the general clean up and rescue. Keith feels he has found his real ministry amongst the homeless children at the refugee camps.  He goes on to take the children to his home until their parents can be found, and those who are apparently orphaned to live with him permanently.








INSIDE THREAT is the fourth book in the Riley Covington series.  In all four books of the series we see Riley trying to live out his Christian beliefs to the best of his ability, but this comes out even more in this book.  We see his patriotism and his preparedness to literally lay down his life for those he loves and for his country.  We see him make difficult choices as He follows in the footsteps of his Lord.  His motto is WWJD or "what would Jesus do".
Riley is back with the Washington Warriors after taking time to transport refugees of the EMP attack to safety.  Scott and Tara are married and have a baby son called James, named after Jim Hicks. Khadi has left SOG Bravo, as there are too many memories of Riley there, and is working security for Senator Andrews.  Khadi is trying to move on and even has a boy friend, as she realizes that she and Riley can never be together because of their difference in beliefs, even though they are desperately in love with one another.  She comes from a loving Muslim family and is totally against terrorism.  She is a loyal American citizen and her lifestyle and beliefs contrast drastically with those of the Jihadists.  The terrorists in Inside Threat are American citizens whose leaders have been trained in terrorist camps overseas.  They have been worked up to a frenzy of hatred towards Americans and Zionists by their leaders.  While it is true that they have often been unfairly treated by uninformed people because of their Muslim beliefs, they have been born and educated in America and are American citizens.
There is a lot of action in this book, and it finishes off the series with quite a climax, so I don't want to spoil it for anyone by giving any more details!  All I can say is that I thoroughly enjoyed the whole series, and whilst you could read each book as a stand alone,  you wouldn't get as much out of them as you will if you read them in sequence.

APPOINTMENT IN JERUSALEM BY DEREK PRINCE

APPOINTMENT IN JERUSALEM BY DEREK PRINCE is the story of his first wife Lydia's search for the truth.  It is a wonderful story, all the more wonderful because it is true, and I can't tell you how many times I have read it!  It is so encouraging as it shows how the Lord draws a young woman to Himself, saves her, fills her with His Holy Spirit and leads her to a life of fulfillment and ministry in Jerusalem.  He reveals Himself to her as not only her Saviour but also her Healer, Protector and loving Friend.  
Lydia is a successful school teacher in Korsor, Denmark, with the prospect of marrying a colleague who seems perfect for her, but she is determined to search for what is lacking in her life.  She is very self conscious as she prays and asks the Lord to show her if He is real, and promises to follow Him if He is truly God. Jesus reveals Himself to her and her life changes from that moment.  She comes to love Him and His Word and spends hours in prayer as He leads her every step of the way.  Hers is a childlike faith.  We see how her obedience leads to her being shunned by most of her colleagues and even the Lutheran church, but her joy in her newfound faith sustains her.  As she yields to the Lord, the Holy Spirit becomes her constant companion.
She leaves Denmark and her family and her comfortable life to move to Jerusalem, which was not a particularly attractive place at the time, nor was it at all safe, especially for a young woman on her own.  She comes to love the great City and her people, and it is there that she experiences the Lord's protection, His leading and miracle power in great measure.  It is in Jerusalem that she rescues a sick Jewish baby called Tikva, who becomes everything to her.  She has given up the chance for a teaching career in Lebanon, which seems ideal, and then the Lord asks her give Tikva back to Him.  She feels like Abraham on Mount Moriah, but her obedience and faith are well rewarded.
This book shows that it is possible for anyone who is willing to search for the truth to come to know Him who is all Truth, and for those who are obedient to know His fullness in their lives.  I cannot recommend this book enough!!

THE GREAT DIVIDE BY DAVIS BUNN

THE GREAT DIVIDE is the first of Davis Bunn's novels that I ever read, and I have read it several times with great enjoyment.  It is a really good courtroom drama and very exciting.  The characters are well portrayed and the issues raised give one much food for thought.  We feel for Marcus Glenwood, once a lawyer in a huge firm with a wife and two children, who has now returned to his grandparents' Victorian manor on the "wrong side" of town after a devastating family tragedy.  He is restoring the house and working from there, and it is through Deacon Wilbur, an African-American pastor who is working for him that he hears of the plight of Gloria Hall who has disappeared in China. He also comes to know her parents and her best friend Kirsten and he is lovingly drawn in to the congregation of the church which he has been instrumental in saving.  He takes on New Horizons, who were after the church and cemetery land, and whose factories are selling sports clothes made in the sweatshops of China - Factory 101 being one of the most infamous.
Marcus' life is in danger from those who have no desire for their illegal and inhuman business practices to be brought out into the open.  The opposing lawyers hate him because he used to work for their firm and they take great delight in trying to destroy him. They attack his personal life. They use the fact that his wife divorced him after  their children were killed in an accident when he was driving, and the fact that, although he hadn't been drinking at the time, he definitely used to have a drinking problem.  Although the accident wasn't his fault, he blames himself.
We see how Marcus relates to the Halls, having recently lost his own precious children.  We see the contrast between his sophisticated, moneyed, wife, who can't  bring herself to forgive him when he goes to say how sorry he is, and the down to earth, compassionate and loving people that have become his friends.  He is gradually restored as he puts his life on the line to help these grieving people, who others were too scared to help because of the power and brutality of the opposition.
We are held in suspense throughout, and we meet many colourful characters as the story unfolds.  I can highly recommend this book.

LION OF BABYLON BY DAVIS BUNN

 LION OF BABYLON BY DAVIS BUNN is very interesting, and a "must read" for those who are interested in Iraq and Iran and the plight of Christians in the Middle East.  It is a story of trust between different nationalities and beliefs, and of Christian love and compassion between believers of different backgrounds and traditions.  
Marc Royce is asked by Ambassador Walton to go into Iraq to look for Alex Baird, who has gone missing with two other Americans and an Iraqi pastor.  It is believed they have been kidnapped.  Alex Baird is his best friend, who helped him go on living when his wife had a stroke and died months later.  It is a dangerous mission but Marc is determined to get Alex out alive.  When he gets to Iran he finds that there are also children missing, and he and Sameh, a Christian lawyer who is most concerned about the missing children, and has been asked by Hassan to find his kidnapped son, build up a special relationship of trust.  Sameh welcomes Marc into his family, and his wife, niece, and her daughter, become very fond of Marc as well.  Sameh is a courteous man who loves his country and wants to make a difference.  He dreams of an Iraq where those of different Muslim sects work together with the Christians to make a better Iran.  He is amazed at this American, Marc, who has such compassion for  foreign children who he does not even know! 
Both the U.S. and Iraqi governments are afraid that if the Christian element gets involved in trying to solve the kidnapping of Alex Baird and his companions - all Christians - they will complicate an already explosive situation in the Middle East.  The moderate Muslims want to walk hand in hand with the Americans in order to make a better Iraq.  The Iranian leaders, on the other hand, are trying to cause discord amongst the Iraqis in order to be able to control a weak Iraqi government.  It is an exciting and well written story with a lot of Scriptural truth.

WONDERLAND CREEK BY LYNN AUSTIN

WONDERLAND CREEK by LYNN AUSTIN takes place during the Depression in America.  Alice Ripley, a pastor's daughter who lives with her parents in a small town, is a librarian who lives her life vicariously through the characters in the novels she reads.  She is devastated when her boyfriend, Gordon, breaks up with her for reading a novel during a memorial service (he is the son of the undertaker and is following in his father's footsteps) and when she loses her job at the library due to cutbacks.  She feels her life is over, but has no idea what is in store for her when she leaves the safety of home and sets off for Acorn, Kentucky, to take books that she has collected to the library there for distribution to the people who live in isolated areas.
Although she is horrified at the conditions in Acorn, and her living conditions in the library are extremely primitive, she gradually comes to love the people she interacts with there and realizes that at last she is living her own life instead of living in the pages of the novels she reads.  She has one adventure after another, is exhausted and terrified a great deal of the time, has to learn to cook, plant a vegetable garden and ride a horse, amongst other things.  The intrigue and danger she encounters are such that she knows that no-one at home will believe that she is telling the truth about her life in Acorn when she gets back.  There is mystery, attempted murder, missing treasure and even romance with a charming fiddle player - all the ingredients she would expect to find in a really good novel, only this time she is living it instead of reading about it!
Through Lillie, the ancient black woman who has brought Mack up and now lives at the library with him, she learns what true Christianity is - a relationship with Jesus and not a list of rules to follow.  She comes to realize that when we are in the Lord's hands He leads and guides us according to the plans He has for our lives and we don't have to try and "fix" everything ourselves.  
She loves books, and is thrilled to be able to take books to people in outlying areas, some of whom can't even read.  What starts out as a "do good" operation of collecting books for the less fortunate, leads to adventure and a life lived to the full. She comes to see what is really important in life, and is ashamed of the self-centredness and self-pity she indulged in when her life, as she knew it, was over.      
The colourful characters she comes to know, including Lillie's horse Belle, all play a part in her growth as a person.  She feels responsible for Lillie, Mack and June Ann, and knows she cannot go home until the mystery of who shot Mack is resolved. 
The novel is well-written and exciting and the characters are well portrayed.  There is humour and love and a good Christian message. 

THE TWELFTH IMAM & THE TEHRAN INITIATIVE BY JOEL C. ROSENBERG

THE TWELFTH IMAM & THE TEHRAN INITIATIVE by JOEL C. ROSENBERG can be read as stand alone novels, but I suggest that you will get more out of them if you read them one after the other.  These two books are very interesting as they are full of end time prophecy, both Christian and Muslim, politics - Middle Eastern, American and Jewish - and they take place mostly in Iran, America and Israel.

The Twelfth Imam starts in Iran with Charles and Claire Harper escaping Iran during the student uprising of 1979 and taking Dr Mohammed Shirazi and his wife with them.  David Shirazi and Marseille Harper meet when their fathers take them on an annual fishing trip in September 2001.  Claire Harper is killed in the 911 disaster and it affects both families very badly.  We follow David and Marseille's story through both books.
David goes through a rough patch, but he is recruited by the CIA due to the fact that he is an Iranian and speaks the language fluently.  He is a very patriotic American citizen and is thrilled to be serving his country in this way, and he also feels that he will be avenging the death of Marseille's mother.
The Iranians have built nine nuclear warheads, and have detonated one, causing an earthquake.  The Americans send out their agents, David Shirazi, who goes by the name Reza Tabrizi, and Eva Fischer, who have been told to find out where the warheads are and all they can about the situation.  David goes in as a German businessman selling state of the art phones to the Iranian Government.  These phones can actually be tapped by American intelligence, but the Iranians believe David when he assures them that they are absolutely secure.
David finds out as much as he can about the Twelfth Imam, and is sent by the head of Iran Telecom to an expert on the subject, Dr Alireza Birjandi.  Dr Birjandi is a secret follower of Jesus Christ, and he shows David the truth and urges him to accept Him as his Saviour.  However it isn't until David is going through all kinds of life threatening situations that he eventually surrenders his life to Christ.
The Twelfth Imam comes onto the scene, performing all kinds of "signs and wonders" and successfully drawing most of the Middle Eastern countries into the Caliphate, an autocratic Shia Muslim body ruled by him.  He radiates terror and expects absolute obedience.  He makes no secret of his hatred of the Jews and the Americans, but pretends that he is a man of peace!  He has the American president completely duped.
David saves the lives of the Malik family and helps them defect to America.  Najjar Malik is  the top physicist in the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran after his father in law is murdered.  Najjar wasn't aware that his father in law was in fact producing warheads and that Iran was going to use these weapons to annihilate first the Jews and then the Americans.  The Lord appears to him and to his wife and mother in law at the same time, although they are not in the same place, and he is miraculously delivered from those who are hunting him down. Once in America, he bravely and illegally leaves the safe house where he is staying and goes to two radio stations to tell the world what is happening in Iran and to tell his beloved Iranians that the Twelfth Imam is an imposter and that they should follow the One True God, before it is too late.  Many followers of Islam are converted to Christianity when they hear him speak to them in Farsi and other Middle Eastern languages.
The Tehran Initiative is the name given by the Iranians to their plan to wipe out Israel and America.  In this second book we see the world on the brink of war. The Americans are afraid that the Israelis will strike against Iran first in order to stop a second Holocaust, and the Israelis are disappointed in the non-committal attitude of the American president, who is more interested in not rocking the boat in order to make sure of an extra term in office. There is also the problem of the escalating oil price. David is upset that he is putting his life on the line getting information for the American government, and nothing is being done with it. 
He has to keep his cover and is not allowed to tell anyone that he works for the CIA, but he tells his father in confidence as his mother is dying of cancer and he feels awful that he has to give so many excuses as to why he can't stay with his parents at this very difficult time.  To his amazement and great relief his father is very proud of him and gives him his blessing.
He is sent back to Iran after a brief visit to his mother and father and an even briefer one with Marseille, his childhood sweetheart.  All hell is about to break loose in the Middle East and David bravely goes through torture and danger in order to stop the destruction that could be caused by Iran's nuclear warheads being loosed upon Israel and the rest of the world.  
The story is well told and is full of scriptural truth.  We are kept in suspense all the way, wondering when war will break out and who will strike first.  It is action packed and full of intrigue. We get an insight into the rise of the Antichrist and the struggle that will take place in the last days.  I feel that although these books are works of fiction they should be read by anyone who takes freedom seriously, and also by those of us who take Christianity seriously, who realize the importance of Israel and the Jewish people in God's plan for mankind, and who are interested in End Times prophecy.