Suicide is the act of self-terminating a life. It is usually done when one suffers such a depressive state of being that they can no longer stand to continue living. If carried out for medical reasons, it may be known as euthanasia or assisted suicide. Sometimes the act of sacrificing one's self for the sake of others' safety and well-being, or to serve as a martyr for a cause, is called this.
Opinions on the morality of suicide are divisive among Christians, as there are those who believe that suicide is an unforgiveable sin that can send a person straight to Hell; however, self-sacrificial heroic acts, such as Samson bringing down the entire temple of the Philistines with them inside the temple, are considered acceptable. There are characters in the Bible who have committed suicide such as King Saul, King David's former adviser Ahithophel, King Zimri of the northern kingdom of Israel, and Judas Iscariot, who has betrayed Jesus Christ for thirty pieces of silver and couldn't undo the damage he had done when he felt remorse for it.
In the Left Behind series, suicide is prominent among those who were left behind during the Rapture, and was also prominent among those who had to endure the Tribulation, especially for those who either had to work for Nicolae Carpathia or had taken the "mark of loyalty" and worshiped Carpathia's image, realizing in the latter instance that they are headed for the Lake of Fire and that there is no option left for salvation. During the time of the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Seal Judgments, Carpathia ended up encouraging assisted suicide as an option for dealing with the economic sanctions imposed on the countries that dared to rebel against the Global Community.
In Left Behind: World at War, United States President Gerald Fitzhugh committed suicide when he launched a missile at the Global Community headquarters, hoping that he would take Carpathia down with him.