This weekend, Hollywood tried to tackle one of the most intriguing and controversial topics in Biblical eschatology: “The Rapture.”

A new motion picture — Left Behind — starring Nicolas Cage and based on the best-selling novel series by Dr. Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins was released on more than 1,700 screens nationwide. It depicts the sudden and cataclysmic disappearance of Christ-followers in the last days of human history.

I have not seen the film, and likely won’t for several months at least given my schedule here in Israel, so I cannot review or comment on it.

But I do want to discuss the concept upon which the novels and the film are based, and several related questions. Among them:

• What exactly is “The Rapture”?
• Is “The Rapture” a Biblical concept, or merely a fictional plot device?
• What does the term mean?
• What are the implications of “The Rapture”?

While the Bible does not indicate precisely when the Rapture…