Authors Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins have been topping the best-seller charts since the first book in their “Left Behind” series was released in 1995.
According to LaHaye, an important factor in every book was to include “a believable conversion experience that was repeatable in the heart of the reader.”
To date, more than 3,000 readers have contacted the authors to let them know that reading a “Left Behind” book led them to faith in Jesus Christ.
The latest in the series, “Armageddon,” hit the stands in April.
LaHaye also has teamed up with Gary Frazier, founder of Discovery Ministries, and Ed Hindson, a faculty member at Liberty University in Lynchburg., Va., to present “Left Behind” conferences across the nation.
Their goal is to teach and encourage believers to prepare themselves and others for what they believe to be the imminent return of Jesus Christ for His Bride.
Gardendale’s First Baptist Church (FBC) recently hosted the only “Left Behind” Conference scheduled for Alabama.
Steve Gaines, pastor of Gardendale’s FBC, said, “This conference was so important. 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us that ‘All Scripture is inspired of God and is profitable for teaching.’
“That includes the book of Revelation‚ the most ignored book by preachers and laypeople. God didn’t end the Bible with a fizzle but with a shout that Jesus is coming back.
“The devil hates Revelation,” Gaines said. “Genesis tells how God began everything, and Revelation shows how He’ll end it. In Genesis, the sin of Satan is revealed. In Revelation, the doom of Satan is revealed. Revelation depicts his payment.”
All three team members led portions of the conference. LaHaye titled his first session “God’s Plan for the Ages” and detailed how prophecy throughout the Bible points to the coming end times and to the deity of Jesus.
“Concerning his second coming alone, the Bible has 329 prophecies,” LaHaye pointed out.
Frazier spoke on “The Signs of the Second Coming,” emphasizing the importance of understanding the difference between the rapture, the taking out of the Church and Christ’s second coming.
“I’ve heard it said,” Frazier commented only half-jokingly: “that the greatest sandstorm in history will be when all the Baptists blow the dust off their Bibles at the same time.”
Hindson walked participants through the entire book of Revelation.
Members of the “Left Behind” team conducted all three Sunday morning services and the evening service at Gardendale’s FBC.
When asked what he believed the conference would do for those who attended, Gaines gave a three-fold answer:
“Make us want to live holy lives, win souls and want to be involved in worldwide missions. You’re going to want the whole world to know that Jesus is coming back,” Gaines said.
Millie Caffee, a member of Westwood Baptist Church in Forestdale, said attending the conference gave her a whole new lease on life.
“What I need to do as a Christian is to get everybody I know prepared. I don’t care if it makes somebody mad,” she said. “I don’t care if it hurts their feelings. I need to say what I need to say. I want everybody to know. I want them to go to heaven. We need to win people to Christ, and we don’t have much time.”
Share with others: