Rayford Steele

Leader of the Tribulation Force and a pilot, Rayford is battling rage as the story opens. He is dealing with the loss of his first wife and their son during the Rapture as well as the death of his second wife, Amanda, during an earthquake. Rayford seems to be having difficulty dealing with these losses and with the demands placed on him in his role as leader of the Tribulation Force. While he sees his weaknesses in his inability to cope, he seems powerless to do anything about them. Rayford becomes convinced that he is the person who will bring a particular piece of prophesy to fruition in the assassination of Nicolae Carpathia, head of the world government. Rayford decides to insert himself into the situation in order to be in the correct place at the correct time, though it means he leaves another member of the...