Bruce Barnes (Left Behind)

Bruce Barnes is a fictional character of the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins He is pastor of the New Hope Village Church in Chicago.

Fictional Biography

Before the Rapture of the world's millions of Christians, Bruce was assistant pastor at New Hope Village Church, serving with the then-senior pastor Vernon Billings. Though Bruce believed with his lips, he didn't truly believe in his heart. He later admits that he was a phony, and that he never received Christ's gift of salvation.

Following the Rapture, after he found that he lost his wife and his three children, Bruce almost fell into depression and disbelief, knowing that he had been weak in his faith. Despite his losses, Bruce was determined to start anew after the very next Sunday's standing-room-only turnout. He finds some new-found friends in Christ, namely Rayford Steele, his daughter Chloe, and Cameron "Buck" Williams, and together they form an inner core group with the name Tribulation Force, supplied by Chloe. Their mission is to help the lost prepare for God's Judgement that would follow the peace between Antichrist and Israel. Bruce acts as a spiritual mentor and adviser to the Tribulation Force, explaining the foretold prophecies of what is to come in the final days. Their study reveal that the peace covenant with Israel would mark the beginning of the seven years' war with Antichrist, known as the Tribulation.

After returning to the states from a mission trip, Bruce is killed by the Red Horse of the Apocalypse when World War III breaks. Bombs hit the hospital that he was admitted in for what was believed to be an over-seas bug but turned out to be poison from Nicolae Carpathia aimed to stop his world wide encouragement of "Tribulation Saints". Barnes was the first of many casualties the Tribulation Force suffers during the seven years. Even though Bruce is killed relatively early in the Tribulation, the Force he helped establish became a driving presence during the seven years of chaos.

He is resurrected at the Glorious Appearing, much to the joy of the Tribulation Force. In the Millennial Kingdom, he and his wife go with Rayford's missionary trip to Egypt and help spread the gospel. He is present at the final battle of the Millennium, watching from a safe distance in Jerusalem with the rest of the Trib Force.

In Other Media

In the first two "Left Behind" films, Bruce was portrayed by Clarence Gilyard, Jr., and by Arnold Pinnock in the third.