Bible Answer: Yes, the events depicted in the "Left Behind" series of books are all in the Bible. Though the characters in the books themselves are all fictional, the events depicted in the series are all accurately based on the events predicted in many prophetic scriptures in the Old and New Testaments in the Bible.

The "Left Behind" series of novels are conceived by Dr. Tim LaHaye, noted prophecy scholar, minister and educator; and written by author Jerry B. Jenkins. He took LaHaye's concept as the basis for the fictional characters he created to tell the story of the last seven years before the return of Christ.

As for the rapture and the tribulation both being in the Bible, the answer is also yes to both those questions. The word rapture itself if not in the Bible, but the events which are referred to as the rapture - the miraculous removal of all true believers in Christ from the earth in a single worldwide event - is described in many verses.

Perhaps the most familiar "rapture" verses are 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, which include "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. "Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air," in verses 16-17.

Another "rapture" scripture is 1 Corinthians 15:50-55. "Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed - in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall all be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality," Paul writes in verses 51-53.

The tribulation period, the last seven years before Christ returns, is also described in many scriptures, including the entire book of Revelation. The Old Testament prophetic writings of Daniel and Ezekiel in those two books are also often cited as describing the events of the tribulation, as well as many New Testament passages.

Jesus says in Matthew 24:21-22, "For then shall be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor shall ever be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved: but for the elect's sake, those days will be shortened."

I don't know how you could state any stronger than that how bad the tribulation will be - unless Christ comes, "no flesh would be saved," or in other words, every soul on earth would be killed.

I have personally read all eight of the "Left Behind" books written in the series to date, and found all of them to be accurate portrayals of the events they describe in the Bible. I taught a Bible study series on the first seven books in the series this spring in Southern Pines, and have information about that study and the first eight books in the series on our church website at: www.newfreedomchurch.com/leftbehind.html.

Submit Bible questions by email to writeme@johnwmyers.com