Stories like the popular {{Left Behind}} series, or really any eschatalogical – other than {{Jerusalem Countdown}} – story always has a rapture event in it somewhere.
Excepting the aforementioned movie (which was very good, in my opinion), I think there is a simple reason for this: if Jesus’ second coming is not presaged by a rapture – wherein all the elect are removed from the world and a short(ish) period of tribulation, anarchy, unification, and ultimate destruction of evil – the stories would be very short.
If Christ’s return is more in line with what I believe shall occur (that it will be sudden, unannounced, and not presaged by more than at most minutes by any other event such as a rapture (though I do believe we will be “caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” [1 Thes 4:17])), then movies about the end of time would be very lacking in their “crisis factor”. If there is no rapture in the way portrayed in movies like {{The Mark}} or {{Left Behind}}, there is no worldwide wondering what is going on, there is no wide-spread panic over where everyone has gone – it’s just done.
The crisis factor of having planes and cars crashing because some operators and passengers have suddenly been removed is a compelling part of a disaster movie – which is truly what most Christian end-times films are: they are disaster movies cast in a Christian light, from one (with slight variations) eschatological viewpoint.
One thing I do know about the end of time: when it happens, there will be no doubt in anyone’s mind what has happened. And when Jesus does finally return, it will be glorious for those who are His – and terrifying for those who aren’t.