Left Behind: The Kids

Left Behind: The Kids is a series written by Jerry B. Jenkins, Tim LaHaye and Chris Fabry. It is about teenagers during the Rapture, with background plots from the adult series.

"In one shocking moment millions around the globe disappear. Those left behind face an uncertain future—especially four kids who now find themselves alone. As the kids search for help and for answers, they are told the truth behind the disappearances. But are they ready to believe it?"

List of books

1. The Vanishings
2. Second Chance
3. Through the Flames
4. Facing the Future
5. Nicolae High
6. The Underground
7. Busted!
8. Death Strike
9. The Search
10. On the run
11. Into the Storm
12. Earthquake!
13. The Showdown
14. Judgment Day
15. Battling the Commander
16. Fire from Heaven
17. Terror in the Stadium
18. Darkening Skies
19. Attack of Apollyon
20. A Dangerous Plan
21. Secrets of New Babylon
22. Escape from New Babylon
23. Horsemen of Terror
24. Uplink from the Underground
25. Death at the Gala
26. The Beast Arises
27. Wildfire!
28. The Mark of the Beast
29. Breakout!
30. Murder in the Holy Place
31. Escape to Masada
32. War of the Dragon
33. Attack on Petra
34. Bounty Hunters
35. The Rise of False Messiahs
36. Ominous Choices
37. Heat Wave
38. The Perils of Love
39. The Road to War
40. Triumphant Return

There are also 12 volumes containing a number of these books in each to be more similar to the original series:

Book #1: Taken (Left Behind: The Kids) contains the first four books in the Left Behind: The Kids series and features background plots from Left Behind in the adult series.

Book #2: Pursued (Left Behind: The Kids) covers books 5-8 with background plots from Tribulation Force.

Book #3: Hidden (Left Behind: The Kids) covers books 9-12 with background plots from Nicolae.

Book #4: Rescued (Left Behind: The Kids) covers books 13-16 with background plots from Soul Harvest.

Book #5: Stung (Left Behind: The Kids) covers books 17-19 with background plots from Apollyon.

Book #6: Frantic (Left Behind: The Kids) covers books 20-22 with background plots from Assassins.

Book #7: Shaken (Left Behind: The Kids) covers books 23-25 with background plots from Assassins and The Indwelling.

Book #8: Unmasked (Left Behind: The Kids) covers books 26-28 with background plots from The Indwelling and The Mark.

Book #9: Deceived (Left Behind: The Kids) covers books 29-31 with background plots from Desecration.

Book #10: Protected (Left Behind: The Kids) covers books 32-34 with background plots from The Remnant.

Book #11: Hunted (Left Behind: The Kids) covers books 35-37 with background plots from Armageddon.

Book #12: Arrived (Left Behind: The Kids) covers books 38-40 with background plots from Glorious Appearing. The Young Trib Force makes their final attempts to reach those not saved before meeting Christ face-to-face.

Also, LaHaye and Jenkins with Chris Fabry in 2000 wrote A Kids Guide to Understanding the End Times, which helps readers of the series to understand the end times events, similar to Are we Living in the End Times? by the original authors.

Characters

Original members of The Young Tribulation Force

• Judd Thompson Jr.- Age at time of the rapture: 16 First Appearance: Book #1

Judd was born into a Christian family, and was once fairly devout, but never made the commitment to Christ. He received a letter containing a typo-ed credit card—supposed to be for his dad.He confirmed it at the company—using his intellect and sheer common sense, he remembered to use his grandmother's maiden name and his father's birthday—and knew he was free to use it. On the night of the Rapture, he took the credit card, packed a few things such as clothes and other necessities in his backpack, and ran away, telling his parents that he was going to the library to study. He instead went to O'Hare airport and boarded a one-way flight to England. When some of the people on board the plane disappeared, leaving only their clothes, Judd realizes that what he heard all the time in church was true—Jesus had come back and he had been left behind. When he returned home and discovered that his entire family had disappeared in the Rapture—this did not surprise him at the least—he became a believer in Christ. He went to his old church, where he met Bruce Barnes—the visitation pastor, and the only member of the staff left behind—Vicki Byrne, Lionel Washington, and Ryan Daley. The four kids form the Young Tribulation Force as a co-op group with the original four adults. He allowed Vicki, Ryan, and Lionel to stay at his house until they were forced to flee because of the Global Community. Until Bruce catches a virus and is hospitalized, he and Judd go on a few international trips.Following the earthquake and Ryan's death the Young Trib force live in a cave until they escape. Zeke then gives them a new ID. He resists going to the schoolhouse,as he and Vicki have a massive falling out.He eventually goes in order to warn the kids about Wormwood.Due to their disagreements Vicki lets him and Lionel go to the Gala in Israel.The trip was meant to last a week but actually lasted around three years. He fell 'in love' with a young woman he meets in Israel named Nada.However,his true love is Vicki,whom he actually began to have interest in early on, and yet he did not show his love for her until much later in the series. He married her about a year before the Glorious Appearing of Christ.

• Vicki Byrne (Thompson)-Age at time of the rapture: 14 First Appearance: Book #1

Vicki grew up in a trailer park, Prospect Gardens in Mount Prospect. Vicki hated where she lived because people regularly made fun of her and the others who lived in Prospect Gardens, calling them names such as "Trailer Trash". Her parents smoked, drank, and fought constantly. Every Friday, the trailer park inhabitants would go to a dance held at the trailer park (these more often than not ended up with huge fights breaking out and the police having to break it up). Vicki would usually have to baby-sit her sister Jeannie, however, occasionally she would ditch her and run off to smoke, drink or do dope with her friends. When Vicki was twelve, a man asked to speak at the dance. Everyone was first irritated, and then quiet as he told all present the truth—that Jesus had loved them enough to die for them and He wanted everyone to accept His gift of grace and eternal life. Vicki's parents and her sister all accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, along with her brother Eddie in Michigan, while a defiant Vicki refused. Following her parents' conversion, Vicki became even more rebellious. Even though she could see the changes in her parents' lives, she refused to believe. Her parents would even have force her to go to church and Vicki would often end up being taken kicking and screaming and sulking the whole way. She refused to change, and one night she came back from partying to find the house quiet, under the impression that they had fallen asleep waiting for her. When she woke up the next morning, all her family were gone because they had been raptured. Though her best friend Shelley wondered what happened, Vicki knew the truth—Christ had come back for His own. She then accepted Christ upon meeting Bruce Barnes, Judd Thompson, Lionel Washington, and Ryan Daley, formed with them the Young Tribulation Force, and spent the next seven years spreading the message, including interrupting a concert by Z-Van (lead singer of the Four Horsemen and one of Nicolae Carpathia's false messiahs), titling herself "Vicki B," and giving the message to a crowd of thousands. She fell in love with Judd early in the series and the two were married a year before the Glorious Appearing, with Vicki herself at about age twenty-one.

• Lionel Washington-Age at time of the rapture: 13 First Appearance: Book #1

His whole family, even to the largest extent, were the most devout Christians he knew, and he pretended to go along with them. The only one he could connect with was his Uncle André, who would turn into a drunk and a gambler one week and a "devout Christian" the next. All of his family (including his mother, Lucinda, who also worked as a coworker of Cameron "Buck" Williams at Global Weekly) disappeared in the Rapture except André, who died after being shot by LeRoy Banks and being caught up in a fire in his apartment complex (at the end of the series Lionel discovers that Uncle André became a believer). Lionel became a believer in Christ—he, like Judd and Vicki, knew that Jesus had raptured His church. He spent the next seven years spreading the message, spending most of his time with Judd and, until his death in World War III, Bruce Barnes. He lost his left arm in a rock slide while he and Judd were traveling back to the rest of the Young Tribulation Force from their adventures in the Middle East, but gained it back when Jesus's very presence healed it as it did all wounds.

• Ryan Daley- Age at time of the rapture: 12 First Appearance: Book #1

His mother and father, who were confirmed unbelievers, died in the Rapture; one died in an explosion and the other in a plane crash. He was the last one out of the four to become a believer. He was best friends with Rayford "Raymie" Steele Jr., Rayford Steele's son, and the two often had much fun together, but disagreed on faith—Raymie was devout in his relationship with Jesus, while Ryan was much more skeptical. As he and Vicki were walking, he went into an abandoned house, found a dog, and named it Phoenix. He and Lionel often clashed to the point of a brawl, yet they were still very close. Ryan died a couple days after the Wrath of the Lamb earthquake because as he was in Vicki's house, a chunk of debris fell on him and the cut was badly infected. He died in a makeshift hospital, but he stayed alive long enough for Vicki to be with him while he did so.

Other members

• Shelly Brown- First Appearance: Book #1 Old friend of Vicki's who lived in the same trailer park with her. She was babysitting during the Rapture and the two children vanished as she was holding them. This frightened Shelly, and she was reclusive for a long time until Vicki helped her become a believer after she tried to commit suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills. Shelly was a believer in Christ and one of the first unoriginal members of the Young Tribulation Force. She later fell deeply in love with Conrad.

• Mark Eisman- First Appearance: Book #5 an incoming senior at the time of the Rapture who met Judd and Vicki at Nicolae High. After graduation he joined the militia in the uprising against Carpathia (lead by former United States President Gerald Fitzhugh), but after World War III, Mark permanently joined the Young Trib Force. He was also one of the first unoriginal members and was influential in the making of an online newspaper that was originally printed and handed out at Nicolae High that was aptly entitled The Underground. He was decapitated about a half a year before the Glorious Appearing for refusing the mark of the beast. He fell in love with Vicki, but she was in love with Judd and he was well aware of it, so he took his jealousy out on her, which resulted in many fights between the two.

• John Preston- First Appearance: Book #5 Mark's cousin who also met Judd and Vicki at Nicolae High. After graduation, he attended engineering college until he was forced by the GC to work for them. He worked on the GC ship Peacekeeper 1 until the meteor—the second Trumpet Judgement—killed almost everyone on board. The exceptions were those in a submarine, including Carl Menninger, a young man who was a friend of John's and a later believer.

• Conrad Graham- First Appearance: Book #11 A Global Community Morale Monitor until he met Lionel, who had amnesia as a result of a blow to the head from the Wrath of the Lamb. Lionel, upon regaining his memory, convinced him that Jesus was God, and Conrad became a believer in Christ and member of the Young Tribulation Force. He fell in love with Shelly.

• Janie McCanyon- First Appearance: Book #7 Skeptical in the beginning and was placed in North Side Detention Center where she met Vicki. Janie was later adopted by Bruce Barnes, though she eventually left the group. She met the group later in their hideout at the schoolhouse in Illinois and kept on traveling with them, though she spent the whole time complaining about it all. Though she still supported Carpathia, she at last became a believer after hearing Vicki talking with a Global Community Morale Monitor, Marjorie Amhearst. Janie became a believer and a member of the Young Tribulation Force, and was one of the many Young Tibulation Force members to make it to the Glorious Appearing.

• Melinda Bentley- First Appearance: Book #13 Former Global Community supporter and Morale Monitor. She was taken in by the Young Tribulation Force at the schoolhouse when her partner Felicia died because she drank water that had been poisoned by Wormwood. She was stung by the locusts and was unsure of becoming a believer, but finally made the decision to follow Christ.

• Carl Meninger- First Appearance: Book #16 Worked for the Global Community. He was on Peacekeeper 1 with John Preston, and was saved by John when John gave Carl his place on the escape submarine. Carl set out to find John's cousin, Mark, who helped him become a believer seconds before the locusts attacked him. Vicki taught him all he needed to know about the Bible, then he went back to the GC to work on the inside and help the Young Tribulation Force. Carl also helped the kids show thousands around the world see the truth through Vicki's broadcast at Z-Van's concert.

• Natalie Bishop- First Appearance: Book #24 A Global Community Morale Monitor and believer in Christ. She met Vicki at a presentation of Global Community schools and help her escape the GC. From then on until Book 29, she was the Young Tribulation Force's link inside the GC. She helped many membres of the Young Trib Force, as well as Co-ops, escape from GC clutches. She was executed by guillotine (aptly named loyalty enforcement faciliator) for refusing to take the Mark of the Beast.

• Sam Goldberg- First Appearance: Book #8 Friend of Judd and Lionel in Israel and a believer in Christ. Sam's father worked for the Global Community, and attempted to use Sam as bait to catch Lionel and Judd several times before Sam left Israel with them. Sam also fell in love with a much older girl in Petra named Naomi, but she did not feel the same way for him. He was one of the Many Young Tribulation Force members to make it to the Glorious Appearing of Christ.

• Nada Ameer- First Appearance: Book #18 Also a friend of Judd and Lionel in Israel. Judd and Lionel stayed at her house for much of their stay in Israel. She fell in love with Judd, and Judd, while claiming that he did not love Vicki, fell 'in love' with her as well. The love was one-sided. She was shot by the GC while trying to save Mr. Stein from a GC prison.

• Chang Wong- First Appearance: Book #29 Met Judd and Lionel by asking for help on the Underground website. His father was pressuring him to work for the GC, but he felt he could not because he was a Christian. His father knocked him out with a drug and had the Mark of the Beast put on him, but he did not choose it, so in the end it was prayed off of him by the elders in Petra.This was an event that puzzled many. Believers could still see the mark of the true believer on him while Carpathia's mark was on him as well.

• Charlie- First Appearance: Book #13 A young boy who did not know what happened when the Rapture occurred. He met Vicki at the shelter that had survived the Wrath of the Lamb earthquake and helped Vicki carry Ryan Daley's body. He met the other members of the Young Tribulation Force and wondered what the mark of the believer was that the others were talking about. He became a believer in Christ and a member of the Young Tribulation Force after mysteriously escaping the demon locusts.

• Darrion Stahley- First Appearance: Book #9 Became a Christian after talking with Ryan Daley while they were being held hostage by two men who wanted a ransom from Darrion's father. Her father was killed by the captors, and Darrion and her mother were taken in by the Young Tribulation Force.They used her family's cabin in Wisconsin as a hideout from the GC before it was burned down.

• Tanya Spivey -First Appearance: Book #32 Daughter of Mountain Militia leader, Cyrus Spivey. While being held by the Mountain Militia leader, Vicki convinced Tanya, her brother Ty, and a few others in the group that Jesus, rather than the good works that Cyrus urged them to do, would allow a person entrance into heaven.

• Chaya Stein- First Appearance: Book #7 Mr. Stein's daughter, who was the first in their family to become a believer. Because of this her Jewish parents disowned her and told everyone that she died. She led her mother to Jesus right before she died, and helped Vicki escape her parents' house when they took her in as a foster child. Chaya is killed in the Wrath of the Lamb Earthquake while trying to convince her father that Jesus is God. She was also a member of the Young Tribulation Force.

Adult Tribulation Force and Co-op members

• Rayford Steele - Former pilot for the Global Community, and a believer.*Loretta- secretary of Bruce Barns, also a believer helps the core trib force out from time to time.
• Cameron "Buck" Williams- Former writer for Global Weekly, and a believer.
• Chloe Steele - Rayford's daughter, Buck's wife and a believer. Head of Commodity Co-Op, which sends food and other provisions to believers around the world.
• Bruce Barnes – Pastor, and a believer. He helps the kids come to know Christ.
• Tsion Ben-Judah – A Messianic Jew A rabbinical scholar. He is the main target for Carpathia.
• Mac McCullum - Pilot for Global Community. Flies plane for Co-Op.
• Chaim Rosenzweig – a.k.a. Micah, a prophet of God. He is a famous Israeli scientist. He is also the one who stood up to Carpathia. In Assassains He murders Carpathia by stabbing him through the head.
• Hattie Durham - Was once the girlfriend of Carpathia. She stood up to Leon and Carpathia. She is killed by Leon Fortunato when he calls down a ball of fire that vaporizes her.
• Ken Ritz- Pilot and friend to Buck Williams. Nicknamed "Dr. Airplane" by Chloe Williams after Buck Williams and Ritz rescued her from a hospital after the earthquake.
• Kenny Bruce Williams- Buck and Chloe's baby that was born right after Ken Ritz was killed.
• Westin Jakes- Signed up for the Co-op after Judd and Lionel's arrival at South Carolina. Former pilot for the singer Z-Van.
• Lionel Whalum- Flies Judd and Lionel Jr. to South Carolina. Takes over Chloe's co-op after her death.

Other Believers

• Jim Dekker- First Appearance: Book #28 GC satellite operator helping the kids.

• Josey and Tom Fogarty- First Appearance: Book #3 A police officer and his wife who helped the kids capture burglars after the Rapture; their children were raptured.

• Coach Handlesman- First Appearance: Book #5 An employee at Nicolae High that acts as if he works against the kids but actually is trying to help them. He took the blame for Vicki and the Underground

• Pete- First Appearance: Book #12 A biker friend of Vicki and Judd that help them with many of their recon works.

• Zeke Jr.- First Appearance: Book #16 He gave the core trib force fake identities and gave them the schoolhouse to live in. He often helps them by bringing them food and other supplies.

• Cheryl Tiffane- First Appearance: Book #29 A pregnant young woman from Iowa. She gives her child to Josey and Tom. She has a nervous breakdown. One of the main criticisms of the series results from this controversial plot with a mother, unsure about her feelings whilst pregnant, giving up her child and being barred from seeing it. This resulted in her kidnapping her son just so she could see him.

• Colin and Becky Dial- First Appearance: Book #27 A Wisconsin couple with an underground hideout. Colin disguised himself as a Supreme Commander of the GC to break the believers out of jail.

• Bo and Ginny Shariton- First Appearance: Book #25 Helped the kids hide from the GC. They were closest to Charlie and treat him like a son.

• Maggie Carlson- First Appearance: Book #27 Helped Vicki and Darion escape the GC.

• Mr. Mitchell Stein- First Appearance: Book #7 A Jewish friend of Young Trib Force and one of the 144,000 witnesses.

• Naomi Tiberius- First Appearance: Book #33 Works with computers in Petra.

• Marshall Jameson- First Appearance: Book #35 Leader of the Avery, Wisconsin believers.

• Lenore - First Appearance: Book #19 A woman the young trib force takes in. She becomes a believer right as the fifth judgment, locusts that will sting any non-believer, are unleashed. When Vicki, Shelly and Conrad leave, she takes care of everyone at the schoolhouse.

• Pavel Rudja- First Appearance: Book #11 Judd's friend from New Babylon. They meet on Tsion Ben-Judah's web site, and he helps Judd and Lionel while they are in Israel. He dies from the condition that put him in a wheelchair while Judd, Lionel, Sam, and Nada visit him in New Babylon.

• Ty Spivey- First Appearance: Book #32 son of Mountain Militia leader Cyrus Spivey and brother to Young Trib Force member Tanya Spivey

• Manny Augilara- First Appearance: Book #29 escapee from GC jail, is shot and beaten to death by former gang members.

• Chad Harris- First Appearance: Book #31 A fellow believer who secretly gets a GC Peacekeeper uniform from Z. He helps hide Vicki and her friends on the way back to WI. Later, he tried to get Judd for Vicki but is executed by the guillotine before he finds Judd.

• Tom and Luke Gowin- First Appearance: Book #20 Two brothers who saved Judd and Lionel's life while in South Carolina. The two die trying to kill members of the GC.

• Jacques Madeleine- First Appearance: Book #33 A French man who saved Westin Jakes from an execution onstage orchestrated by Z-Van. His son, Perryn, dies instead of Westin.

• Jamal and Lina- First Appearance: Book #18 A couple in Jerusalem who accommodate Judd and Lionel during their stay in Israel. Parents of Nada and Kaisim.

Global Community and Unbelievers

• Nicolae Carpathia- Antichrist (also known as the Beast), Romanian, and head of Global Community. He brainwashes non-believers. After he is killed and comes back to life through Satanic possession he claims he is God. He is thrown into the Lake of Fire at the end of the series.
• Leon Fortunato- The False Prophet, assistant to Carpathia, Supreme Commander of the Global Community, and the Reverend Father of Carpathianism. Claimed that Carpathia raised him from the dead in book 13. He is thrown into the Lake of Fire with Carpathia.
• Marjorie Amhearst- A loyal Global Community Peacekeeper. Once prayed to receive Jesus in her heart, but she didn't get the mark. It was determined after she said she wanted to go into the Global Community as a 'secret informent' that she wanted to sabotage the Young Tribulation Force.
• Dr. Neal Damosa- Has the power of brainwashing, and is head of Global Community schools.
• Z-Van- Lead singer for the popular group The Four Horseman. Judd saves him from death. He is one of Carpathia's false messiahs.
• Suhail Akbar- Head of GC Security and Intelligence. He is killed by order of Carpathia shortly before Jesus' return.
• Peter Mathews- He is Head of Enigma Babylon One World Faith, a collection of most of the religions in the world except Christianity and Judaism. He is killed by order of Carpathia.
• Commander Fulcire- A loyal Global Community commander who causes great death and pain to non-believers. Is feared by many.
• Taylor Graham- Brother of Conrad. He was against the GC,and got killed with his girlfriend, Hasina, by the GC.
• Cyrus Spivey- Mountain Militia leader. He had taught the Mountain Militia that only good works could get you into heaven. He was caught by the Global Community and was executed.
• Commander Blancka- a GC commander, at the heart of the failed morale monitor scheme. Lionel's old commander. He is most notable for saying the most preposterous quote of the series- "People don't just disappear!
• Claudia Zander- Morale Monitor Natalie Bishop's roommate. True-blue Carpathia follower.

Other information

These books were written from 1998 to 2004 and are still in print today with over 11,000,000 sold in series. Unlike the adult series, Left Behind, they have no prequels or sequels (and none will be written), but are a set of 40 books focused on the Tribulation. The series was originally due to have 48 books but was cut to 40 as the huge 2 year jump in Ominous Choices cut out a lot of possible material. The Left Behind: The Kids series was originally written for teen and young adult readers. However, the audience has grown to include adults. The Kids series has, like the adults, a dramatic audio series aired and adapted for Christian radio. These are now available as audiobooks and are also available on iTunes. The authors are also entertaining the idea of videos/movies for the series.

External links

• Left Behind - The Kids Web page on LeftBehind.com