Triumphant Return: The New Jerusalem

Left Behind: The Kids #40

by Jerry B. Jenkins, Tim LaHaye, Chris Fabry

An enormous army gathers in the Middle East to destroy rebels against the Global Community. Nicolae Carpathia and his followers expect overwhelming victory.

But Judd, Vicki, Lionel, and the rest of the Young Trib Force have waited more than seven years for this moment. Since the disappearances of their family and friends, they have looked forward to the Glorious Appearing.

Join the Young Trib Force as they look to the heavens for the greatest moment in history—the return of Jesus Christ.

Genres: Christian, Christian Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Childrens, Faith, Apocalyptic

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 20, 2004

About the author

Jerry Bruce Jenkins is an American novelist and biographer. He is best known as the writer of the Left Behind series of books for Tim LaHaye and The Chosen novels to accompany his son Dallas's TV series. Jenkins has written more than 200 books, including mysteries, historical fiction, biblical fiction, cop thrillers, international spy thrillers, and children's adventures, as well as nonfiction. His works usually feature Christians as protagonists. In 2005, Jenkins and LaHaye ranked 9th in Amazon.com's 10th Anniversary list of Hall of Fame authors based on books sold at Amazon.com during its first 10 years. Jenkins now teaches writers to become authors here at his website. He and his wife Dianna have three sons and eight grandchildren.

Reviews

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was nine I snuck into my mother's library under the cover of night and pilfered the first book of the Left Behind; Kids series. My mother had specifically banned me from these books until I was ten but I was just too curious. By the time I turned ten she had given up and was giving me new books from the series before my older brother got them.

This book, #40 came out when I was a Sophmore in High School. I was so excited to read it that I took the book to school and got in trouble in no less than three classes for reading it instead of paying attention. But, despite the trouble, the book was totally worth it. A wonderful way to finish one of the best series I've read in my life... and that's a lot.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books are totally Amazing, and if you read all of these series then this last book absolutely finishes the whole story off with an Awesome finish...
Jesus WILL return!

[Neka · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was the perfect touch to finish off this series. This book/series was one of the best series I have ever read. I would highly reccommend this book and series to anyone in between the ages of ten and 14. This is one of the only books that I would rate a five-star. It was great!

[Karah Sommer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovedddd this! God is so amazing! :)

[Lindsey (Books for Christian Girls) · Rating 4 out of 5]

About this book:

“An enormous army gathers in the Middle East to destroy rebels against the Global Community. Nicolae Carpathia and his followers expect overwhelming victory.
But Judd, Vicki, Lionel, and the rest of the Young Trib Force have waited more than seven years for this moment. Since the disappearances of their family and friends, they have looked forward to the Glorious Appearing.
Join the Young Trib Force as they look to the heavens for the greatest moment in history—the return of Jesus Christ.”


Series: Book #40 (of forty) in “Left Behind: The Kids” series. (Reviews of books #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26, #27, #28, #29, #30, #31, #32, #33, #34, #35, #36, #37, #38, and #39.)


Spiritual Content- The Rapture has happened (all main characters were left behind); All about the Rapture, the Antichrist, Tribulation, & telling people about Christ; Scriptures are read, quoted, mentioned, & discussed; Seeing Jesus; Messages/Lessons; Many Prayers; Lots of witnessing, discussing, & sharing testimonies; Many talks and discussions about God, faiths, & trusting; ‘H’s are not capital when referring to God; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of Bibles & Bible reading; Mentions of those & places in the Bible; Mentions of churches & pastors; Mentions of martyrs; Mentions of Jesus, Jews, rabbis, & the Messiah; Mentions of miracles & angels; Mentions of religions & religious people; Isaiah 11:6 at the end;
*Note: The lake of fire; People think Carpathia is god & worship him.


Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘blah blah blah’ and three ‘shut up’s; Mentions of curses (said, not written); Many mentions of executions, beheadings, guillotines, & deaths (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of blood, battles/wars, gunfire, & deaths; Many mentions of blood, pain, injuries, & bullets (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of tortures; A few mentions of drug addicts; A couple mentions of suicides; A couple mentions of parties & drunks; A couple mentions of cigarettes.


Sexual Content- A barely-above-not-detailed kiss; Mentions of attraction; A mention of prostitute.

-Judd Thompson Jr., age 21 (?)
-Vicki Byrne, age 19 (?)
-Lionel Washington, age 18 (?)
P.O.V. switches between them & Conrad
198 pages

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- Three Stars
Early High School Teens- Three Stars (and a half)
Older High School Teens- Four Stars
My personal Rating- Three Stars (and a half)
{These ratings are for content, since everyone has a different opinion on the Rapture and how it will happen.}
The last chapter is perfect with the reunions, and while I know this is just the authors’ thoughts on how all of this will happen, it’s an interesting series and now fully reviewed on this blog.


Link to review:
Coming soon.


*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gave me goosebumps with the "Glorious Appearing", Something to think about.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is one of my favorite series people have asked how i read all those books the truth is once you start your hooked,its very eye opening,

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am just gonna write a review for this one, ‘cuz honestly, i don’t want to write one for each book (it would take to long). I loved these books so much! My favorite character was Ryan, and I seriously started to cry when he died. No joke! My second favorite character was Viki because she was a girl for God. She wanted to serve him and do what’s right. She also was so real to me that she reminded me of my friend. (Kinda...) anyway, these books were awesome and I was sad that the series ended! I recommend these books to any one and everyone! Please read these books!!!!!!

[meloh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not like how many liberties this book took on what is one of the most debated topics of theology: the meaning of Revelation and the return of Christ.

What saved this book from the one star I wanted to give it is that parts of the book did remind me of the beauty of our promise for eternity.

[EmilyKate · Rating 5 out of 5]

FAVS!!!!!!! I love it, it is my favorite series

[Ella · Rating 5 out of 5]

BEST SERIES EVER!!!!! YOU HAVE TO READ THIS SERIES!!!!! BEST SERIES EVER!!!!!

[Alexis Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read these as a kid and loved them, so when I was reading revelation today, I thought it would be a nostalgic way to wrap up my reading goal!

[Sera]

I wish this book was white like the adults' version

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful end to a thrilling story.

[Andrew Sparks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why was this ending more satisfying than the adult books?

[Chewie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Road to War and Triumphant Return
By Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins



The Road to War, and Triumphant Return, books number 39 and 40, are the last two books of the “Left Behind: The Kids Series” by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. These two books came out in 2004. These two books talk about the last year of the seven-year tribulation period before the second coming of Jesus Christ.
As throughout most of the series, these books tell us who’s who in a series of apocalyptic events in the seven-year tribulation period. Judd Thompson, his wife, Vicki Byrne Thompson, Lionel Washington, and others make up the main body of believers called, the Young Tribulation Force. Other believers include, Chang Wong, a Chinese computer technician, Naomi Tiberius, a Jewish woman who is also a computer whiz, and Marshal Jameson, leader of the Avery, Wisconsin group of believers.
These two books talk about the war between good and evil. The Antagonists of the stories are Nicolae Carpathia, leader of the Global Community, and Leon Fortunato, the false prophet. Nicolae is also known as the Antichrist. Book number 39’s “Chapter 12: The Evil Trio,” goes into detail of how evil Carpathia really is. On page 133, Tim LaHaye, and Jerry B. Jenkins tells us about a meeting Carpathia is having with his ten regional potentates. Carpathia is quoted as saying, “Ladies and gentlemen. The time has come for me to take you into my confidence. We all must be on the same page in order to win the ultimate battle. Look into my eyes and listen, because what you hear today is absolute truth, and you will hear no trouble believing every word of it. I am from everlasting to everlasting. I was there at the beginning, and I will remain through eternity future.” This tells us the he is laying claim to the title of God. He even told them that he withdrew a third of the heavenly hosts out of heaven. He even actually thought that he can beat God. On page 139, Nicolae even mentioned that he will rally his soldiers, planes, tanks, and weapons to the valley of Megiddo, known as Armageddon, thus, making “Revelation Chapter 16:16” come true: “And he gathered together, to a place called in the Hebrew tongue, Armageddon.” Things get really serious when Nicolae Carpathia and Leon Fortunato spat out three unclean spirits. The two that came from Nicolae were named, Ashtaroth and Baal; and the third one that came from Leon Fortunato was named, Cankerworm. The work of these spirits was to gather the armies to the place of battle.
“Left Behind: The Kids” were presented as books that are informative, that is, letting people know what to expect. The Holy Bible, and the computer are the two tools that the kids utilize; for example, on pages 140-141, Lionel reads from “The Book of Revelation Chapter 16:13-14.” LaHaye and Jenkins write, “And I Saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and the whole world, to gather them to the battle of the great day of God Almighty.”
Throughout the last three and a half years, the Young Tribulation Force has seen their friends get their heads chopped off, because they would not take the mark of Carpathia. The mark of Carpathia is 666. Two of their best friends, Cloe Steele Williams, and Mark Eisman, died for Christ. Mark was captured by a group of GC guards led by Commander Kruno Fulcire. Before he was executed, Mark let Fulcire know that he was fighting a losing battle. In The Road to War’s “Chapter 10: The Blade,” page 117, Mark says, “One day soon, New Babylon’s going to be destroyed.”
The Triumphant Return is the climactic ending to “Left Behind: The Kids.” Vicki and Judd are in Israel, trying to get as many unbelievers to believe in Christ as they can.
It is in Triumphant Return that fate plays an important role. Despite this, Carpathia and the rest of the Global Community chose to fight on. In Triumphant Return’s “Chapter 10: The Edge of Time,” Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins give us a description that transcends beyond all human understanding, as the Battle of Armageddon continues to rage. They write, “When Jesus spoke his first words, Lionel glanced at the Unity Army as thousands of soldiers fell like a sea of dominoes. At first, it looked like their bodies sank into the sand, but as Lionel looked closer he noticed bodies ripping open, and blood pouring out.” This motif will continue to repeat itself in the next chapter; for example, in “Chapter 11: Death in the Desert,” page 118, Lionel was unnerved by the scene before him. He saw piles of dead bodies everywhere, trucks and tanks in the sand, dead horses, and skeleton-like creatures in a daze. Lionel Washington will continue to witness this even down to the last minute, literally.
In Time, everyone will face the judgement of God, according to how he or she lived his or her life. And Triumphant Return reinforces this idea. Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins used a theme known as impression; for example, they let us know that five scenarios will play out. In Triumphant Return’s “Chapter 15: Carpathia’s Demise,” pages 164-174, Nicolae Carpathia, Leon Fortunato, Ashtaroth, Baal, and Cankerworm stood before Christ, ready to be judged. The heavenly lawmaker, Gabriel says, “As fulfillment of age-old scriptural prophecy, you kneel before Jesus the Christ, the son of the living God, who, though he was God, did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form.” Though the evil spirits acknowledged Jesus Christ as lord, Jesus knew it was too late. Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins write, “’But for you, it is too late,’ Jesus said with sorrow in his voice. ‘You were once angelic beings in heaven with God. Yet, you were cast down because of your own prideful decisions. Rather than resist the evil one, you chose to serve him.’” After Jesus punished the unclean spirits, Leon Fortunato and Nicolae Carpathia were brought before him. The following passage proves how much of a coward Leon really is:
“’Do you know who I am?’ Jesus said. ‘Who I truly am?’
‘Yes! I have always known, Lord! You are the messiah, the son of the living God!’
‘You would blaspheme by quoting my servant Simon, whom I had blessed,’ Jesus said, ‘because my father in heaven revealed this to him? He did not learn this from any human being.’
‘No, Lord! Your father revealed it to me, too.’
‘I tell you the truth, woe unto you for not making that discovery while there was yet time. Rather, you rejected me and my Father’s plan for the world. You pitted your will against mine and became the false prophet, committing the greatest sin known under heaven: rejecting me as the only way to God the Father and spending seven years deceiving the world.’
‘Jesus is Lord! Jesus is Lord! Don’t kill me! I beg you! Please!’
‘Death is too good for you. How many souls are separated from me because of you and the words that came from your mouth?’
‘I am sorry! I renounce all the works of Satan and Antichrist! I pledge my allegiance to you!’
‘You are sentenced to eternity in the lake of fire.’
‘Oh, God! No!’
‘Silence!’ Gabriel said, and Leon crawled away, sobbing.”
The next three scenarios described what happened next:
“Michael grabbed the elbow of a defiant Carpathia, and spun him around. ‘Kneel before your Lord!’
Carpathia sneered and wrenched away from Michael.
Jesus said, ‘Lucifer, leave this man!’
With that, the air seemed to go out of Nicolae. His hands and fingers became bony. He looked like a helium-filled balloon a week after the party, all shriveled and shrunken. When Gabriel ordered him to kneel, the potentate got on all fours.
As Nicolae lowered his head, Jesus said, ‘You became a willing tool of the devil himself. You were a rebel against the things of God and his kingdom. You caused more suffering than anyone in the history of the world. God bestowed upon you gifts of intelligence, beauty, wisdom, and personality, and you had the opportunity to make the most of these in the face of the most pivotal events in the annals of creation.
Yet you used every gift for personal gain. You led millions to worship you and your father, Satan. You were the cunning destroyer of my followers and accomplished more to damn the souls of men and women than anyone else in your time.
Ultimately, your plans and your regime have failed. And now, who do you say that I am?’
Silence. Then a week voice said, ‘You are the Christ, the son of the living God, who died for the sins of the world and rose again the third day as the scriptures predicted.’
‘And what does that say about you and what you made of your life?’
‘I confess that my life was a waste.’ Nicolae whispered. ‘Worthless. A mistake. I rebelled against the God of the universe, whom l now know loved me.’
With sadness Jesus said, ‘You are responsible for the fate of billions. You and your false prophet, with whom you shed the blood of innocents-my followers, the prophets, and my servants who believed in me-shall be cast alive into the lake of fire.’”
After hearing their sentences, both Nicolae Carpathia and Leon Fortunato were thrown into the lake of fire.
The next scenario shows Jesus judging Satan. Here is a passage from pages 173, and 174:
“Jesus gave Satan’s history as the being writhed silently. ‘You have opposed my Father and me from before the creation of man. A third of the angels in heaven and most of the population of the earth followed you model of rebellion and pride. This will for them and for you separation from almighty God in the everlasting fire prepared for you and your angels.’
Jesus accused Lucifer of deceiving Eve, putting murder into Cain’s heart, causing suffering of mankind, blinding the minds of millions who did not believe in the gospel, and many more sins.”
Despite the fact that Jesus has won the fight; and Gabriel forcing him to acknowledge Jesus as Lord, Satan continued to fight. Eventually, Satan was put in chains, and was imprisoned for a thousand years.
In Conclusion, the series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins was meant to be a warning about what’s in store for those who do not repent and accept Jesus Christ as Lord. The authors want us to accept Jesus Christ today, and become part of his family.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is nothing of value in this book. The Jesus presented by this book is nothing like the one presented by the Bible. Instead of being a loving person who is willing to sacrifice for his children, he is a warmonger who demands blood in payment for crimes and is willing to murder millions for next to no reason.

I sincerely question anyone who believes this to be an accurate interpretation of Revelation. LaHaye and Jenkins twist the Scripture out of its historical and cultural context and warp it beyond recognition in order to fit their version of theology that is predicated by the barest form of Biblical truth.

In addition, the characters are terribly written. None of them had any life, and all of them were nothing more than mouthpieces for whatever the authors wanted them to say. There was no investment for me in their growth, and I found myself not caring whether any of them lived or died. Even their Jesus was nothing more than a wooden figure regurgitating out-of-context Scripture passages and serving as the be-all and end-all of the slaughterfest the authors call the return of Christ.

Simply put, don't bother with this book. If you've made it this far, through the other thirty-nine, you may as well, but there is honestly nothing worth reading here. It's a thinly-disguised revenge fantasy version of the Second Coming and the only value in it is a satisfaction for LaHaye and Jenkins that they were right and everyone else was wrong. If you are purchasing this book for children... just don't. Find something else. Whatever you do, stay away from this one.

[Jeremiah Jefferson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing, this series was amazing. You would have to read it from the beginning or else you wouldn't understand it. The series is mostly about the book of revelation in the holy bible. this book was about the return of Jesus. So if u like to read about God in a more interesting way i would really recommend this book/series for you.

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED THIS SERIES!!! Don't let the "Kids" part fool you. I wouldn't recommend it for kids younger than 12. Maybe 11 depending on maturity. The series made me laugh and made me cry. The authors are AMAZING writers.

[Jessica Klco · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is just like intense. after i read this i have read the hole young tribe force. Next is the adult series!!!

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

See the first book in the series for a full review.

[The Third Place A Teen Library]

F JEN bk.40

[Lucinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

It made me cry, an awesome ending.

Especially Uncle Andre and the dog. ^_^

[Goku 2019 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book where Jesus Christ comes back to Earth to set up his kingdom.