Left Behind Books in Order
There are 56 Left Behind books, published between 1995 and 2007. The first book is Left Behind (1995) and the newest is Kingdom Come (2007). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 56
- Published
- 1995–2007
- Confirmed
- 56 of 56 titles
- Pages on record
- 9,314 in 40 of 56 books
- Reading time
- 155–233 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 9,314 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 40 of 56 titles with a page count on record.
Left Behind is a catalogue entry for 56 books of Christian fiction published between 1995 and 2007. Jerry B. Jenkins is credited on 36 of the books and Tim LaHaye on 24, among them Left Behind (1995) and Tribulation Force (1996). Nicolae (1997) follows, and Kingdom Come (2007) ends the run. Subjects include the Rapture, the Tribulation, the end of the world, survival and good versus evil, with Rayford Steele named among the subject headings. Jenkins's listing also contains a Left Behind: The Kids line. No title has appeared since 2007.
How many Left Behind books are there?
Left Behind has 56 books, released between 1995 and 2007.
Left Behind Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 56 Left Behind books in the order they were released, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 11995–4/4
- 219964804/4
- 319974484/4
- 41998–4/4
- 51998–4/4
- 61998–4/4
- 71998–4/4
- 81998–4/4
- 919994324/4
- 101999404/4
- 1119994484/4
- 121999–4/4
- 132000–4/4
- 1420004324/4
- 152000–4/4
- 162000–4/4
- 172000–4/4
- 182000–4/4
- 1920001494/4
- 2020001383/4
- 212001–4/4
- 2220011324/4
- 2320011304/4
- 242001–3/4
- 2520011424/4
- 2620011504/4
- 272001–4/4
- 2820024484/4
- 292002–4/4
- 3020021524/4
- 3120021334/4
- 3220021464/4
- 3320021484/4
- 3420021254/4
- 3520034324/4
- 3620031474/4
- 3720031464/4
- 3820031464/4
- 3920031464/4
- 4020031474/4
- 4120031474/4
- 4220031464/4
- 4320031504/4
- 4420043944/4
- 4520041764/4
- 4620041764/4
- 4720041834/4
- 4820041924/4
- 4920041834/4
- 5020041864/4
- 5120042084/4
- 5220041984/4
- 5320053803/4
- 5420053914/4
- 5520053514/4
- 5620074164/4
Left Behind Books in Chronological Order
In story order, The Rising comes first and Kingdom Come comes last. Chronological order follows the events inside the story rather than the release dates. The 16 books with a recorded story position run in that sequence below.
- 1The Rising2005 · 380 pages · confirmed 3/420053803/4
- 2The Regime2005 · 391 pages · confirmed 4/420053914/4
- 3The Rapture2005 · 351 pages · confirmed 4/420053514/4
- 1Left Behind1995 · confirmed 4/41995–4/4
- 2Tribulation Force1996 · 480 pages · confirmed 4/419964804/4
- 3Nicolae1997 · 448 pages · confirmed 4/419974484/4
- 4Soul Harvest1998 · confirmed 4/41998–4/4
- 5Apollyon1999 · 432 pages · confirmed 4/419994324/4
- 6Assassins1999 · 448 pages · confirmed 4/419994484/4
- 7The Indwelling2000 · 432 pages · confirmed 4/420004324/4
- 8The Mark2000 · confirmed 4/42000–4/4
- 9Desecration2001 · confirmed 4/42001–4/4
- 10The Remnant2002 · 448 pages · confirmed 4/420024484/4
- 11Armageddon2003 · 432 pages · confirmed 4/420034324/4
- 12Glorious Appearing2004 · 394 pages · confirmed 4/420043944/4
- 16Kingdom Come2007 · 416 pages · confirmed 4/420074164/4
Do you have to read Left Behind books in order?
You should read the Left Behind books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Left Behind book also stands alone.
What order should you read Left Behind books in?
Read them in publication order, starting with Left Behind (1995), the earliest published title. After it come Tribulation Force (1996), Nicolae (1997), The Vanishings (1998) and Second Chance (1998); the numbered table above continues from there. In the chronological order, The Rising comes first.
What is the first Left Behind book?
Left Behind (1995) is the first Left Behind book, and the numbered table above starts with it.
What is the newest Left Behind book?
Kingdom Come (2007) is the newest Left Behind book released so far.
Is there a new Left Behind book coming?
No next Left Behind book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Printable Left Behind Books in Order Checklist
A printable checklist of all 56 books in publication order is on the Left Behind reading checklist, with a tick box beside each title.
Left Behind at a glance
- No recent titles
- The newest Left Behind title on record dates from 2007, 19 years ago. No later title is catalogued.
- Release pace
- Left Behind books have appeared more than one a year on average.
- Length
- 9,314 pages across the 40 of 56 books with a recorded length, a median of 164 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Left Behind books, 44 of 56, were published in the 2000s.
- Corroboration
- 53 of the 56 titles appear in all four independent book listings, and every one of them in at least three.
- Attribution
- Of the 56 titles, 36 are credited to Jerry B. Jenkins and 24 to Tim LaHaye.
What the Left Behind books are about
49 of the 56 Left Behind books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: rapture (christian eschatology) is tagged on 33 of 49. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Rapture (Christian eschatology) 33 of 49 books
- Christian life 32 of 49 books
- Good and evil 29 of 49 books
- End of the world 26 of 49 books
- Adventure stories 23 of 49 books
- Children's fiction 22 of 49 books
- Christian fiction 17 of 49 books
- Suspense 14 of 49 books
- Christian, futuristic 9 of 49 books
- Steele, rayford (fictitious character) 9 of 49 books
- Tribulation (Christian eschatology) 9 of 49 books
- Good vs Evil 8 of 49 books
Series that include Left Behind books
The series linked below has its own reading-order page.
- Left Behind: The Kids books in order 40 books