I am not convinced that the rapture is going to happen, because the Biblical evidence to support that idea is pretty weak and vague. And the very idea is not very consistent with most of the other stories and principles found in the Bible. But I am aware of the fact that what I believe about the rapture has no effect on whether or not it actually may happen at some point in the future.
The movie was widely panned by critics and viewers alike, and I don't disagree with their assessment of its quality and message, but there are a few points that it brings up that I think are worth examining. First off, all of the children disappear as well as the Christians. It doesn't get very detailed about where the age cutoff for that is, but the idea is that "all children go to heaven." This is fairly contrary to the Catholic idea of original sin, but fits with the protestant idea of the "age of reason" being the point at which people are capable of sinning. It is the "feel good" way of approaching the issue in that context.
It also assumed that most people had no idea what was actually happening, even when it took place in a very dramatic fashion. I would have assumed that most people have some inkling of the idea of the Christian rapture, but then maybe I am "sheltered" in that regard. I am aware that based on our education system, there is a lot that most people graduating high school don't know. (Recent example: "What is 4th of July celebrating?") But I have always assumed that enough people are aware of the idea, that it would quickly become clear what really happened, if it ever took place. It would be hard to deny that reality if it happened in the way people claim it will, but people find ways to deny all sorts of things regardless of the evidence, and God doesn't usually do things the way we expect he will. So those two concepts can easily account for the reason why everyone wouldn't necessarily repent immediately after observing the rapture taking place around them.
I was introduced to an incomplete knowledge of those types of ideas at too young of an age, resulting in an overly strong preoccupation with the fear of it happening. That has eventually faded away over time, for a couple of reasons. One is more confidence in my own faith in God, while another is a better understanding of various alternate interpretations of prophesy. Getting older has an interesting effect on one's perspective on that idea as well. I have talked to some people who look forward to it happening, an attitude I still can't account for. But others have explained to me that it eventually seems like a positive alternative to dying. I view the concept with dread because it seems in all practical ways to be identical to dying at a young age, which I am not in favor of. The older you get, the less you have to lose in that regard, because the more of your life you have already lived. Having hope of positive things still to come in the existing world is what makes the end of the world such an unattractive proposition.
I read "Win the World or Escape the Earth" a while back, which contends that God probably won't bring the world to an end in the way the church has traditionally expected him to. Instead he will be refining and purifying it, similar to the way metal is refined in fire, and that the new creation will take place here, in the same way that Christians are made into a new Creation by Jesus, without actually replacing their physical bodies. (At least not immediately) Basically it foresees the Christians as the ones "Left Behind" as God's Kingdom. This approach to eschatology is much more conducive to trying to overcome evil in the world we live in, instead of just abandoning it because "it is all going to burn anyway."
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