Irene Steele
Encyclopedia
Irene Steele is s a fictional character
in the Left Behind
series of novels by Tim LaHaye
and Jerry B. Jenkins
. The character is featured heavily in three Left Behind prequel
s The Rising
, The Regime
, and The Rapture
.
, Rayford Steele
and have two children together, Chloe Steele
and Raymie Steele
. After becoming a born-again Christian, Irene becomes desperate for her family to have the same salvation she has. She eventually gets through to her son, Raymie, who becomes a Christian and helps her cope with Rayford and Chloe's indecisiveness towards God. She even counsels Rayford's parents, who are struggling with Alzheimer's, leading them both to salvation before their deaths. Through the councelling of her friend Jackie, Irene tries to turn the rest of her family towards Christ, but to no avail.
Rayford becomes more and more distant over the years, and Irene suspects he is having an affair. Chloe leaves home to go to college, having never let go of her "show me" attitude. Just as Irene is at the height of her desperation, the Rapture
of the church occurs and Irene, Raymie, and countless other believers are taken up into the House of God, where the Bema Seat Judgment takes place. At first, Irene is nervous when her works are tested by the fire because of her short time as a Christian, but her efforts are praised by Jesus for turning Raymie and the elderly Steeles to Him.
After the marriage supper of the Lamb, Irene and the rest of the raptured saints wait and enjoy life in heaven. On earth, the cosmic battle of the ages takes place as the Tribulation ravages the planet. Irene returns with the heavenly hosts at the Glorious Appearing
of Christ, reuniting with her husband, her daughter, and her young grandson, Kenny Bruce Williams
. She is also thrilled to meet Cameron "Buck" Williams
, Chloe's husband.
In Kingdom Come
, she and her husband lead a missionary trip to Egypt, where they lead many to salvation during the Millennial Kingdom. She is present at the final battle at the end of the Millennium where Christ overthrows evil once and for all and welcomes all believers into the Kingdom of Heaven.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the Left Behind
Left Behind (series)
Left Behind is a series of 16 best-selling novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, dealing with Christian dispensationalist End Times: pretribulation, premillennial, Christian eschatological viewpoint of the end of the world. The primary conflict of the series is the members of the Tribulation...
series of novels by Tim LaHaye
Tim LaHaye
Timothy F. LaHaye is an American evangelical Christian minister, author, and speaker. He is best known for the Left Behind series of apocalyptic fiction, which he co-wrote with Jerry B. Jenkins. He has written over 50 books, both fiction and non-fiction.-Early life:LaHaye was born in Detroit,...
and Jerry B. Jenkins
Jerry B. Jenkins
Jerry Bruce Jenkins is an American novelist and biographer. He is best known as co-author of the Left Behind series of books with Tim LaHaye, Jenkins has written over 150 books, including romance novels, mysteries, and children's adventures, as well as non-fiction...
. The character is featured heavily in three Left Behind prequel
Prequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
s The Rising
The Rising (Left Behind)
The Rising: Before They Were Left Behind is the thirteenth novel in the Left Behind series and the first prequel. It was written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins in 2005...
, The Regime
The Regime (Left Behind)
The Regime: Evil Advances is the second prequel novel in the Left Behind series, written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins in 2005. This book covers more events leading up to the first novel Left Behind.-Plot introduction:...
, and The Rapture
The Rapture (Left Behind)
The Rapture: In the Twinkling of an Eye / Countdown to the Earth's Last Days is the 3rd prequel novel in the Left Behind series, written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins in 2006. This book is the final of the three prequels and covers events leading up to the first book Left Behind...
.
Biography
Before the Rapture, Irene is married to the series' chief protagonistProtagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
, Rayford Steele
Rayford Steele
Rayford Steele is a fictional character and the de facto protagonist in the Left Behind series of novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. He is the leader of the group known as the Tribulation Force, and is the most elaborated character in the series....
and have two children together, Chloe Steele
Chloe Steele
Chloe Steele, a fictional character from the Left Behind series of novels, was a Junior at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California until the disappearance of millions of people worldwide.-Fictional Biography:...
and Raymie Steele
Raymie Steele
Rayford "Raymie" Steele is a fictional character in the Left Behind series sequel, Kingdom Come.Raymie is the second child and only son of Rayford and Irene Steele. He was raptured, along with his mother, when Jesus returned before the Tribulation. Throughout the Left Behind Series, he frequently...
. After becoming a born-again Christian, Irene becomes desperate for her family to have the same salvation she has. She eventually gets through to her son, Raymie, who becomes a Christian and helps her cope with Rayford and Chloe's indecisiveness towards God. She even counsels Rayford's parents, who are struggling with Alzheimer's, leading them both to salvation before their deaths. Through the councelling of her friend Jackie, Irene tries to turn the rest of her family towards Christ, but to no avail.
Rayford becomes more and more distant over the years, and Irene suspects he is having an affair. Chloe leaves home to go to college, having never let go of her "show me" attitude. Just as Irene is at the height of her desperation, the Rapture
Rapture
The rapture is a reference to the "being caught up" referred to in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, when the "dead in Christ" and "we who are alive and remain" will be caught up in the clouds to meet "the Lord"....
of the church occurs and Irene, Raymie, and countless other believers are taken up into the House of God, where the Bema Seat Judgment takes place. At first, Irene is nervous when her works are tested by the fire because of her short time as a Christian, but her efforts are praised by Jesus for turning Raymie and the elderly Steeles to Him.
After the marriage supper of the Lamb, Irene and the rest of the raptured saints wait and enjoy life in heaven. On earth, the cosmic battle of the ages takes place as the Tribulation ravages the planet. Irene returns with the heavenly hosts at the Glorious Appearing
Glorious Appearing
Glorious Appearing: The End of Days is the 12th book in the Left Behind series. Released on March 30, 2004, this book sees the surviving believers awaiting the return of Jesus Christ as the war of Armageddon and the seven-year Tribulation period draws to its climax...
of Christ, reuniting with her husband, her daughter, and her young grandson, Kenny Bruce Williams
Kenny Bruce Williams
Kenny Bruce Williams is a fictional character in the Left Behind series, by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.Kenny is the son of Cameron "Buck" Williams and Chloe Steele Williams, named after martyred believers Ken Ritz and Bruce Barnes. He is born during the Tribulation, in the book Apollyon...
. She is also thrilled to meet Cameron "Buck" Williams
Cameron "Buck" Williams
Cameron "Buck" Williams is a fictional character in the Left Behind series of novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. Buck is a celebrated news reporter who, after being left behind following the Rapture, becomes one of the founding members of the Tribulation Force.-Pre-Rapture:Buck was born 30...
, Chloe's husband.
In Kingdom Come
Kingdom Come (Left Behind)
Kingdom Come: The Final Victory is the sixteenth and final book of the Left Behind series, released on April 3, 2007.-Just after the Glorious Appearing:...
, she and her husband lead a missionary trip to Egypt, where they lead many to salvation during the Millennial Kingdom. She is present at the final battle at the end of the Millennium where Christ overthrows evil once and for all and welcomes all believers into the Kingdom of Heaven.