Left Behind II: Tribulation Force is a 2002 Christian thriller film and the second in the series of films based on the Left Behind book series. It is a film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. It was directed by Bill Corcoran and was released directly to home video on October 29, 2002. The film stars Kirk Cameron, Brad Johnson and Clarence Gilyard, Jr..
Plot[]
It's a week after the rapture and the millions of people who vanished into thin air are still missing. Chaos rules the world as panic and grief-stricken survivors continue to search for their lost loved-ones. Suicide rates are skyrocketing, businesses and homes are being looted, and martial law is in effect. A desperate world looks to the leadership and guidance of UN President Nicolae Carpathia, the only person offering any answers, hope, and plans to restore peace and order.
While Carpathia has the world's adoration and trust, he is seemingly unaware of a small group of rebels spreading the truth that he is in fact the Antichrist. Leading this group of rebels is Pastor Bruce Barnes (Clarence Gilyard Jr), whose in-depth understanding of biblical prophecy helps demystify the present and future events that the world will face in the next seven years, known as The Tribulation.
Buck Williams (Kirk Cameron) is a highly respected television journalist who has seen firsthand Carpathia's manipulative and deadly powers. His position allows him special access to a global audience through the media and to Carpathia himself. Airline pilot Rayford Steele (Brad Johnson) and his 20-year-old daughter, Chloe (Janaya Stephens), make up the rest of this group. Ray is still struggling to come to grips with the loss of his wife and son, but his recent salvation and friendship with Pastor Barnes have brought him back to the church and closer to his feisty daughter. Chloe finds her purpose by tending the sick and wounded as well as a burgeoning love relationship with Buck.
As the Tribulation Force struggles to open the eyes of the world to the truth, Global events get even stranger when word leaks out that three men have mysteriously burned to death at one of the holiest sites in Israel: the Wailing Wall. At the same time, Rabbi Ben Judah, one of the leading religious scholars of his time, plans to make a world-altering announcement based on years of research. Pastor Barnes believes both events are linked to Carpathia, signaling the oncoming terror of The Tribulation. He acts quickly by getting Ray and Buck to embark on a dangerous mission to infiltrate Carpathia's organization. They must get to Ben Judah before he makes his announcement.
Buck goes to meet Rabbi Tsion Ben-Judah. They go to the Wailing Wall to meet the two witnesses. Buck and Rayford learn the teachings, but when they are attacked, the two witnesses breathe fire at their attackers. Ben Judah has learned the truth. When it's the day to make the speech Ben Judah tells the truth. He announces to the whole world that Jesus is the savior. Carpathia filled with rage tells God that it is his time to rule the Earth.
Cast[]
- Kirk Cameron as Buck Williams
- Brad Johnson as Captain Rayford Steele
- Gordon Currie as Nicolae Carpathia
- Janaya Stephens as Chloe Steele
- Clarence Gilyard, Jr. as Bruce Barnes
- Chelsea Noble as Hattie Durham
- Krista Bridges as Ivy Gold
- Lubomir Mykytiuk as Rabbi Ben-Judah
- David MacNiven as Chris Smith
Awards[]
The film was nominated for Best Live Action DVD Premiere Movie, by the DVD Premiere Awards and for Best Sound Editing by the Gold Reel Awards.
In other media[]
Christian minister Ray Comfort, wrote a memoir about the publication of this film called Miracle in the Making: The Incredible Story of the Making of Left Behind II: Tribulation Force. Comfort's book tells the incredible inside story of the making of the 2002 movie.