Studying the answers to these questions will help prepare you to disccus the influence of the Left Behind series on American domestic and foreign policy.

Chapter 1, The Rise and Fall of the Left Behind Series
1. Why should an informed American be interested in books of fiction about end times?
2. Is the Left Behind series based on a valid interpretation of Bible prophecy?
3. What is the purpose of Flesher's book? Does she achieve it?
4. What is premillennial dispensationalism? What is its sociocultural agenda?
5. What are LaHaye's and Jenkins's doctrines of "the rapture" and "the tribulation"?
6. What are the implications for a contemporary world of LaHaye's and Jenkins's interpretation of Revelation? How can this increasingly popular interpretation be challenged?
7. What is "prophecy belief"? What is the relationship between it and 9/11? Does the Bible foretell events that will herald the end of the world? After 9/11 why did so many folks turn to fiction for help?
8. What social and political ideologies are formed by bible prophecy?
9. Why is the eschatology of the Left Behind series problematic?

   Chapter 2, What is Premillennial Dispensationalism?

10. What is the difference between premillennial, postmillennial, and amillennial; pretributionalists, posttribulationists, midtribulationalists?
11. Why is one's interpretation of biblical prophecy (futurist, historicist, preterist, or idealist) important for understanding eschatological belief?
12. Explain the chart on page 23.
13. What is the origin of premillennial dispensationalism? What are its seven dispensations? What is the Scofield Reference Bible? What is the effect of laypeople being "illuminated beyond their own pastors"? What is the effect of Scofield's authoritative attitude?
14. In addition to the seven dispensations, what are the key features of dispensationalism?
15. Explain the dispensational dichotomy between Israel and the church?
16. How does the "true church" differ from the church?
17. How does the literal, rigid reading of Scripture coupled with the idea of distinct dispensations lead to the conclusion that God treats Jews and Christians differently?
18. Is premillennial dispensationalism a marginal belief in Christian eschatology?
19. Agree or disagree with the conclusion of Albertus Pieters (1938).
20. What are the consequences of LaHaye's and Jenkins's three times of judgment?

    Chapter 3, The War Against Secular Humanism

21. Why does a premillenialist like Eli Reese oppose science, good legislation, education, and social improvement? Is he really an evangelist?
22. What are secular humanism and the social gospel?
23. What is the Darbyite view of the Israel-Church divide?
24. How are secular humanism and Roman Catholicism depicted in the Left Behind series?
25. Agree or disagree with Flesher’s contentions that LaHaye and Jenkins are ethnocentric and sexist.
26. How do LaHaye and Jenkins treat China and Greek philosophy?
27. What does Flesher mean when she calls LaHaye and Jenkins “self-designated literal readers of the Bible?
28. What does she mean when she writes that they have done more than deal with end times?

    Chapter 4, The Battle for the Bible

29. According to Flesher, what is wrong with the “direct application” method of reading scripture?
30. How do prestanding commitments “overpower our ability to read the Bible as it is written”? Why is it important to be a self-aware reader?
31. What are hermeneutical systems?
32. Why is it unacceptable to read all the Bible literally as though it has something to say for us today? Consider the case of levirate marriage and the principles of equity and justice.
33. What is the role of the Holy Spirit in reading the Bible?
34. What are two crucial assumptions behind the Left Behind series? Do you agree or disagree with those assumptions?
35. What was the focus of most prophetic speech?
36. What is apocalyptic literature and apocalyptic eschatology? How is eschatology related to politics?
37. How do prophetic and apocalyptic literature differ regarding enemy attacks? How did Bush, Falwell, and Robinson interpret 9/11? How would you interpret it?

    Chapter 5, The Biblical Books of Daniel and Revelation

38. What is the significance of Flesher insisting that Daniel is apocalyptic not prophetic? What is the purpose of historical apocalypse?
39. How do Daniel and Macabees treat Roman oppression of the Jews?
40. What is the major focus of Revelation? Is it typical? To what was it a response?
41. What is the symbolic meaning of 144,000, of fornication, of virgins,?
42. In conflating Biblical images, does John offer richer metaphors or create more confusion?
43. Why does Flesher say that 666 refers to the Roman Emperor Nero?
44. What is the relationship between harlotry and Pax Romana?
45. What is the symbolism of the millennium?
46. How do the faithful defeat evil? What is the power that ushers in the kingdom of a new and just social order?

    Chapter 6, Before the Tribulation Begins

47. What are the two core principles of Darby’s premillennial dispensationalism? Where do they come from? What was Darby’s new doctrine?
48. Has the church fallen away from the true faith in America? Are liberal policies evidence of this?
49. Why do LaHaye and Jenkins consider mainline churches apostate? Is their loss of membership evidence that we are approaching end times?
50. Do LaHaye and Jenkins argue that unless one is a premillennialdispensationalist he or she is has no faith? Or do they merely assert it?
51. Why do LaHaye and Jenkins ignore chronology in interpreting Ezekiel 38 and 39? Where is Magog?
52. Where in scripture does it state that the Third Temple will be built? Is it a literally a building or a metaphor for the community of worshippers? Was Saddam Hussein the modern Nebuchadnezzar who was rebuilding Babylon?
53. Is the Left Behind idea that God treats the church and Israel differently based on scripture or fiction?
54. Evaluate the Left Behind idea of a Rapture.
55. Where does the notion of a “divine counter” come from? Is it a literal reading of scripture?
56. How does Flesher describe “anointed one”?

    Chapter 7, The Left Behind Story and the Book of Revelation

57. Agree or disagree with Flesher that LaHaye and Jenkins commit theological and methodological errors in the treatment of Revelation.
58. Why spend time examining a series of fiction books?
59. Evaluate the assumptions underlie LaHaye’s and Jenkins’s interpretation of Revelation.
60. How is Revelation changed from a non-violent text into a militaristic one?
61. How are Anti-Christ and Satan conflated by the Left Behind series? Is the defeat of Satan a past or future event?
62. What, according to LaHaye and Jenkins, are signs of a world economy and a world religion?
63. Does the book of Revelation mention destruction of the third temple?

    Chapter 8, Implications for the Church

64. How is the community of faithful called to resist evil? What is evil?
65. What are signs of the end times?
66. Compare what it means for premillennialdispensationalists and for the broader Christian community to be faithful witnesses?
67. How does the Left Behind series treat theologians and others who reject premillennialdispensationalism?