Bruce Barnes is a supporting character in the Left Behind series. He is the associate pastor of New Hope Village Church in Chicago. After being left behind following the Rapture, becomes one of the founding members of the Tribulation Force.
Biography
Before the Rapture
Bruce, like many others, was left behind at the Rapture. He claimed to be a believer, but never really received Christ as his Lord and Savior. His wife, who became a true believer, was raptured along with his children. After the vanishing of Senior Pastor Vernon Billings, Bruce Barnes took over as the pastor, distributing copies of the video the previous pastor had made for those who were left behind, and forming the Tribulation Force along with Rayford Steele, his daughter Chloe, and news reporter Buck Williams. He was also the mentor for four young teenagers that formed the Young Tribulation Force.
After the Rapture
In The Kids series, he adopted Vicki Byrne who lost her parents in the Rapture. He also adopted Janie McCanyon from Northside Detention Center, but she was sent back there when drugs were discovered in her locker at Nicolae Carpathia High School.
Right before World War III, Bruce officiated the dual weddings of both Rayford Steele and Amanda White and Buck and Chloe. He was poisoned during his worldwide evangelizing trip to set up underground churches and died in Chicago during the start of World War III. After the resurrection of the Tribulation martyrs, Bruce worked to spread the gospel message to the nations in the Millennial Kingdom period.
Appearances
- 1. The Vanishings
- 2. Second Chance
- 3. Through the Flames
- 4. Facing the Future
- 5. Nicolae High
- 6. The Underground
- 7. Busted!Busted!
- 8. Death Strike
- 9. The Search (flashback)
- 40. Triumphant Return
Mentions
- 9. The Search
- 10. On the Run
- 11. Into the Storm
- 12. Earthquake!
- 13. The Showdown
- 14. Judgment Day
- 15. Battling the Commander
- 16. Fire from Heaven
- 18. Darkening Skies
- 22. Escape from New Babylon
- 23. Horsemen of Terror
- 34. Bounty Hunters
- 38. The Perils of Love
In other media
- In Left Behind: The Movie and Left Behind II: Tribulation Force, he is played by Clarence Gilyard.
- In Left Behind: World at War, he is played by Arnold Pinnock.
- In Left Behind (2014), he is played by Lance Nichols.
- In the 2016 spin-off film Vanished: Left Behind - The Next Generation, he is played by William Gabriel Greer for a brief scene.
- In Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist, he is played by Charles Andrew Payne.
- In the Dramatic Audio presentations, he is voiced by Jon Gauger.
Trivia
- Bruce's funeral was the last time the four original members of the Young Tribulation Force would be together until the Glorious Appearing.
- Bruce was the last member of the adult Tribulation Force to be seen in the Left Behind: The Kids series.
- Bruce was the only original Tribulation Force member to do anything significant in the Left Behind: The Kids series.
- Bruce was the first member of the Tribulation Force to die.
- He is the only character who has appeared in all six Left Behind movies and although depicted in the graphic novel comics as white, all the five actors have been African American.
Gallery
