History YMMV / LeftBehind

** The AntiChrist being [[HasTwoMommies the child of two gay men]] would seem like ''accidental'' UnfortunateImplications, but is actually an [[AvertedTrope aversion]], since those supposedly unintentional UnfortunateImplications were in fact fully intended. However, other things, such as God smiting the unbelievers and torturing them in hell for eternity simply for being ignorant or wanting to support global peace, tends to imply that GodIsEvil, which was [[GodIsGood not the author's intention.]]

* HilariousInHindsight: In the first novel Nicolae is described as being a "Young [[Creator/RobertRedford]]". Come 2014's [[Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier]], Redford played the villain who was focused on instilling a New World Order.

** The first book features a pretty genuinely scary moment where a pregnant woman having an ultrasound together with her husband see their baby disappear from her womb. The scene could have left it there and wound up with some decent NightmareFuel -- but the wind completely goes out of it when the wife immediately afterwards proceeds to [[AngstWhatAngst tell her husband she's divorcing him]].

* NightmareFuel:
** The description of the final fate of Carpathia and Fortunato after 1,000 years in the Lake of Fire (writhing in torment in fire and brimstone and continuously crying "Jesus is Lord" over and over) with the understanding that they will spend eternity like that, not to mention all the unbelievers who are doomed to join them.
** When Steele had a handshake with Carpathia. You don't want to see the latter's face.

* EndingFatigue: The last several books of the ''Left Behind'' series suffer from this problem. After the Antichrist comes back from the dead, kills people with fiery pillars from the sky, and desecrates the Temple in Jerusalem, there just isn't anything more evil for him to do. And that's Book Eight of a 13-book series (not counting the three prequels). It doesn't help that anyone who will read that particular series through Book Eight already knows the ending (spoiler: [[spoiler:Satan loses]]) and is just slogging along to see exactly how they're going to get there.
* EnsembleDarkhorse: A unique case: Outside of the target audience, ''any'' character with a significant fanbase arguably stands out.

** There was also arguments even within those who do believe in the kind of eschatology that the authors do, one of the fiercest being what would be the fate of a person who was a christian but was then forcibly given the Mark of the Beast without their consent. Some feel that the Bible says that the person is doomed, whilst others (including the authors) point to the bit that says that everyone will be given a choice.

** In general, many Fundamentalist Protestants ended up not liking this book series, for different reasons. Some don't agree on the eschatology. Some feel that the Christians in the book really don't act very morally or lovingly. Others are unhappy that the Catholics got lumped in with the syncretic one world religion, since the number of Protestants that think that Catholics are not Christian has generally reduced, drawing the line in the sand at Nicean Christianity.)

* MisaimedFandom: One common complaint against the ''Left Behind'' series by secularists is that the bloody divine judgments against the evil atheists (which, to be fair, [[ShownTheirWork are taken straight from the Bible]]) can be read as a sort of [[WishFulfillment revenge fantasy]] on the part of Christians for alleged or real oppression by the atheists in real life. In fact, according to the authors, some readers do seem to read it that way. However, they go on to say that this is a misunderstanding of what they are trying to present. To them, it's an immense ''tragedy'' when untold millions of people are smitten or condemned to Hell, and we are supposed to consider their fates with charity and empathy. In an interview, co-author Jerry Jenkins says it "should break our hearts" when people misread his and [=LaHaye's=] books that way. A big part of this perception is that the [[DesignatedHero story's supposed heroes]] [[UnderminedByReality never express any sadness over the subject]].

* MisaimedFandom: One common complaint against the ''Left Behind'' series by secularists is that the bloody divine judgments against the evil atheists (which, to be fair, [[ShownTheirWork are taken straight from the Bible]]) can be read as a sort of [[WishFulfillment revenge fantasy]] on the part of Christians for alleged or real oppression by the atheists in real life. In fact, according to the authors, some readers do seem to read it that way. However, they go on to say that this is a misunderstanding of what they are trying to present. To them, it's an immense ''tragedy'' when untold millions of people are smitten or condemned to Hell, and we are supposed to consider their fates with charity and empathy. In an interview, co-author Jerry Jenkins says it "should break our hearts" when people misread his and [=LaHaye's=] books that way.

* MarySuetopia: Jesus Christ's Millennial Reign in ''Kingdom Come'' is a utopia for "naturals" [[ReligionIsRight as long as they obey God's laws]]. They have all the amenities of the technological world (Sort of: the book was written in 2007, but with a few exceptions the tech level is firmly stuck in the mid-90s, when the series began), have eternal life, perpetual sunshine, no war or violence. Even non-believers can live for a hundred years in perfect health.

* RelationshipWritingFumble: As noted above, the unintentional HoYay between Buck and Ray. Ironically, the fact they're both married just makes it ''more'' blatant.

** The first book features a pretty genuinely scary moment where a pregnant woman having an ultrasound together with her husband see their baby disappear from her womb. The scene could have left it there and wound up with some decent AdultFear NightmareFuel -- but the wind completely goes out of it when the wife immediately afterwards proceeds to [[AngstWhatAngst tell her husband she's divorcing him]].

* EightDeadlyWords: Even if the good guys and bad guys weren't [[TooBleakStoppedCaring largely indistinguishable]].

* IdiotPlot: The series is meant to be a literal translation of The Revelation of St. John, as interpreted through the modern lens of the Rapture. Unfortunately, the Revelation of St. John wasn't written with anything resembling a modern story structure, much less [[CharacterDevelopment character arcs,]] and as a result the story [[MindScrew comes across as nonsensical]]. Characters react in [[CozyCatastrophe entirely]] [[EasyEvangelism unbelievable ways]], events happen for [[DeusExMachina seemingly no reason,]] and we are expected to root for (or against) characters [[ProtagonistCenteredMorality based entirely on which side they're fighting on]], [[MoralDissonance regardless of how they act]]. Is it any wonder that this book series isn't really liked outside of its target audience?

** A 4Chan quest appropriately titled [[http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=left%20beyond Left Beyond,]] which takes the last 100 years of the Millennial Kingdom and attempts to build a scenario in which The Other Light fight back through AwesomenessByAnalysis - given the significant time span, what starts off as a semi-realistic scenario ends with a NinjaPirateZombieRobot or two.

* CriticalResearchFailure: See [[CriticalResearchFailure/LeftBehind the subpage]].

* EightDeadlyWords: Even if the good guys and bad guys weren't [[DarknessInducedAudienceApathy largely indistinguishable]].

** The blackmail plotline itself reveals even more ValuesDissonance between the writers and a large chunk of contemporary society, namely that blackmailing someone about being a lesbian would even ''work''. Even in the mid-1990s, when the series started publishing, most professionals could live openly gay without fear of damaging their careers. A journalist in Boston (which is largely liberal) would almost certainly have nothing to fear. [[SocietyMarchesOn This is even more true in modern times.]] Today, trying to maliciously out one's superior would ruin ''your'' career.

* NewerThanTheyThink: The doctrine of the Rapture as presented in the series really only came into being 2 centuries ago at most.

** To say nothing of poor Verna Zee, Buck's boss.

*** You know it's bad when ''[[http://disq.us/p/e7tyk6 one of the people in the comments section]]'' is able to write a more convincing version ''off the top of their head'' (written by one Calum Cameron)[[note]]Carpathia becomes more and more addicted to the fact that even when just reciting country names, people are cheering and applauding, and his control makes him feel like a god[[/note]].

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy:
** Both "sides" in the series have exactly the same goals and use pretty much the same methods. On top of that, [[BecauseDestinySaysSo everything that happens is part of God's plan]], and as such, the characters have no free will and [[YouCantFightFate nothing they do at any point in the series makes any difference whatsoever]]. Put this together and it's really rather difficult to root for them.
** The fact that thanks to massive ValuesDissonance, GodAndSatanAreBothJerks, and like their minions have nearly the exact same goals: Nicolae wants to kill everyone who doesn't worship him, as does Jesus. Nicolae wants to take over the world and establish a one-world religion comprising people who worship him. Jesus also wants this (and gets this in the 13th book in the series, ''[[Recap/LeftBehindBook13KingdomCome Kingdom Come]]''). The only difference between the two is power-levels, and it is a massive difference. Jesus is really powerful, while Nicolae is an IneffectualSympatheticVillain. Rather than choosing Jesus out of moral conviction, it seems quite likely that anybody who joins the "good" side after the Rapture is simply joining the side that ''cannot lose'', which is hardly proof of virtue.

* PeripheryDemographic: According to the research the publisher, Tyndale House, carried out to identify their target audience, the books were actually more popular with Jews, atheists and agnostics than mainline Protestants.

** This is more ValuesDissonance: to the writers, and many in their particular brand of Christianity, "intelligence and growing independence" are not positive qualities. Intellect is seen as an enemy of Faith (the books state this outright many times), and "independence" is seen as "willful disobedience".

** Rayford seems to considers himself a hero for refusing to ride on a bus from his plane to O'Hare Terminal, even though this requires him to walk around plane wrecks and ignore the dead and wounded inside.

* PeripheryDemographic: Many -- if not most -- of the books' readers were just mainstream agnostic Americans looking for a good supernatural thriller, like ''Literature/TheStand'' or ''Literature/TheLangoliers''. The first book even has a very similar setup to ''The Langoliers'', where people on an airplane awakening to find many passengers missing.

* MisaimedFandom: Among non-fans, it's hard not to feel more sympathetic for non-Christian characters (Chloe before her conversion, back when she was tough, independent and questioning), and to dislike the heroes, who come off as rather arrogant.

* CriticalResearchFailure: Now has [[index]][[CriticalResearchFailure/LeftBehind its own page]][[/index]].