Desecration (novel)

Desecration: Antichrist Takes the Throne is the ninth book in the Left Behind series. It was published on Tuesday, October 30, 2001 by Tyndale House. It was on The New York Times Best Seller List for 19 weeks, and was the best selling novel in the world in 2001. It takes place 42–43 months into the Tribulation and 25 days to a month into the Great Tribulation.

Plot summary

Nicolae Carpathia stages a gruesome and evil desecration of the temple. Hattie publicly confronts him and is burned to death by Leon, the False Prophet. As millions take the Mark of the Beast, the first Bowl Judgment rains down as foul and loathsome sores appear on the bodies of all who have taken the mark, including Nicolae's inner circle. When the temple is defiled, millions of Jews and Gentiles rebel against Nicolae and many of them become believers.

The Tribulation Force launches "Operation Eagle", a mass exodus of the believers to the refuge city of Petra. Leading them is none other than Dr. Chaim Rozensweig turned into a modern-day Moses, who, calling himself Micah, and along with Buck Williams, confronts Nicolae and leads the faithful to refuge. Meanwhile, David Hassid, the first to arrive at Petra, is murdered by two renegade GC soldiers left over from a confrontation between the Trib. Force and the GC. The second Bowl Judgment hits as all the oceans and seas turn into blood.

In Chicago, Chloe wanders off into the night and finds a group of believers (whom she eventually aids) hiding in a basement near the safe house. In Greece, the rescue of the two teenagers that Buck helped escape is attempted by the Trib Force's newest man: George Sebastian. One of the teens is replaced with a look-alike who kills the other teen, along with Lukas "Laslos" Miklos. George is captured and taken away. Tsion Ben-Judah arrives at Petra to address the throng as the Antichrist launches an all-out attack against them.

The book ends with Nicolae hysterical as he believes he is about to wipe out one million believers, Rayford Steele and Tsion Ben-Judah among them.

Characters

• Rayford Steele
• Cameron "Buck" Williams
• Chloe Steele Williams
• Dr. Tsion Ben-Judah
• David Hassid, dies in this book
• Mac McCullum
• His Excellency Global Community Potentate Nicolae Carpathia
• Most High Reverend Father of Carpathianism Leon Fortunato
• Dr. Chaim Rosenzweig aka: Micah
• Hattie Durham, dies in this book
• Leah Rose
• Kenny Bruce Williams
• Lukas "Laslos" Miklos, dies in this book
• Gustaf Zuckermandel Jr. (aka "Zeke" or "Z")
• Ming Toy
• Chang Wong
• Guy Blod
• Al B (aka: Albie)
• Abdullah Smith
• Viv Ivins
• Hannah Palemoon
• Pinkerton Stephens, aka Steve Plank
• Marcel Papadopoulos and Georgiana Stavros, freed by Buck from loyalty mark center, dies in this book

In Popular Culture

On the fourth episode of Season 4 of Glee, the Left Behind series, including the book Desecration, is discussed. The book was used to draw parallels between being left behind after the rapture and being left behind in life by those we love.