Interview about the Left Behind Series

Jerry B. Jenkins, co-author of the Left Behind series, was interviewed by Companion editor Bob Smietana in July. The interview was conducted via email.

Companion: We understand that you received a letter from a man on death row in Texas who has been reading the series. What impact did that have on your life, and are there other people's stories that have moved you?

The contact from death row went to Dr. LaHaye, but I was moved by the story of an elderly gentleman who told a book dealer that his children gave him Left Behind. He said he had to read it through a magnifying glass because of his eyesight. He received Christ, he said, "not because of what I saw through the glass but because of what I saw through my heart."

We have heard from more than 2,000 readers who tell us they have become believers through reading the series. That is humbling and more exciting than any bestseller list. Writing the series has had the same impact on me that reading it has had on other believers. I am more aggressive about my faith, more expectant of Christ's return.

What's it like to write about the end of the world? Did you feel any added responsibility because you were trying to communicate truth about Christ, and not simply tell a good story?

I feel it is frontlines work and feel oppression from the enemy when I am working. I feel a great weight of responsibility to do justice to the biblical record, to Dr. LaHaye's vision, and to the greatest cosmic event that will ever happen. The success of the books adds to the pressure, because I am aware that I could write a mediocre or even bad book and it would still sell two million copies. It would be the end of the series and of my career, and millions would be aware of it.

What would you say to your critics, those who criticize your interpretation of Revelation or say that you are preying on people's fears?

Surprisingly few are critical of the interpretation. To those who criticize fear as a motivator, I say fear has gotten a bad rap. I never hesitated to use fear to keep my children out of the street when they were toddlers. I told them they could be run over. I told them not to get anywhere near the charcoal grill because they could be seriously injured. I told them never to investigate electrical sockets and told them why. I believe that people who die without Christ will go to hell and that if they are alive at the rapture, they will be left behind. That is something to fear.

What if, in the end, your interpretation of Revelation is incorrect--would you regret writing the books?

See number 1 above.

Even believers who disagree with our interpretation agree that Christ will return someday. If we're wrong about that, we're of all men most miserable.

When you sat down to write the books, what did you hope to accomplish and do you feel like you have accomplished your goals?

I tried to talk Tim LaHaye out of his dream to reach both the church and the unbelieving audience, trying to educate him in one of the cardinal rules of fiction (pick one audience). He would not be dissuaded, and so I wrote for the sake of the story, keeping both audiences in mind. To my amazement and thrill, these have become the biggest crossover successes ever.

We understand that you don't like to talk about the money, but also understand that you have made some substantial charitable contributions with your profits from the books. Why did you do that?

You're right: I don't like to talk about it because Scripture is clear that we are not to. I will say that I believe everything we have is God's and that we are mere stewards of it.

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