In a letter to General Alexander Smyth dated January 17, 1825, Thomas Jefferson wrote that he "considered it [the Book of Revelation] as merely the ravings of a maniac."

Timothy Chey, who wrote and directed the film, and his wife Susan, the film's producer, call the Book of Revelation - the ultimate End Times scenario -- the inspiration for making their Christian-themed disaster film.

According to Religion News Service (RNS), "Chey said he's comfortable with the Christian horror movie label, or even `Christian disaster movie.'" He told RNS that the purpose of the film was "to scare the living daylights out of nonbelievers. ... If it means I have to make a horror film to make it realistic to win people to Christ, then so be it."

"Final: The Rapture"

Chey's "Final: The Rapture," "is a modern-version of the book of Revelation, the last New Testament book that describes the world's end after the faithful are taken up to heaven," RNS pointed out. "'Final' imagines the apocalyptic chaos for four nonbelievers: an African-American, an Asian, a Hispanic and a white man living in Los Angeles, Tokyo, Buenos Aires and on a South Pacific island."

From the looks of the trailer and recent interviews with Chey, who attended University of Southern California's film school, has a Harvard MBA and a law degree from Boston University, the film provides plenty of catastrophe and chaos, but seemingly no way out - other than accepting Jesus -- for non-believers.

Striking fear into the hearts of believers and non-believers alike is a time-honored Christian tradition. "From church-sponsored, Halloween `Hell Houses' -- designed to dramatize the wages of sin -- to the best-selling `Left Behind' pulp novels and movies, evangelical Christians have had an ambivalent relationship with horror and terror in their home-grown popular culture," RNS pointed out.

A poster for "Final: The Rapture" promises: "When the Rapture strikes ... all of hell will break loose." The Trailer for the movie starts with a cooking show being interrupted by a "Special Report":

"Good morning everyone. We have breaking news from downtown L.A.," an astonished news anchor reports. "We have several unconfirmed reports that several hundred people have vanished, yes that's right, have vanished throughout the city."

People are stunned; traffic is piling up; airplanes are crashing; fires are out of control; the military is in the streets. The seven-year Great Tribulation seems to have begun.

"What if You woke Up And It Finally Happened?," a message flashes across the screen. "For Four People It Just Did."

The Rapture has "finally happened."

While many Christians who have already seen the film have positive reviews, some folks at the mainstream horror site, Dread Central, called the movie "stupid" and "really bad." "It has to be the most unintentionally hilarious trailer I've ever seen. Is the terrible acting there to make it feel more 'real'?"

Chey's film, which was released in mid-September, and whose production budget was around $7 million, had grossed a little over $100,000 as of Valentine's Day. But that doesn't seem to bother Chey, who is on a city-to-city promotion tour.

"Final" will open in New York and Los Angeles, Chicago and the Midwest in April, Texas in May, and then moves to the Northeast.

How far is Chey willing to go in his filmmaking? "I can be as violent as I can, without being gratuitous," Chey said. "Anything goes."

He apparently draws the line at profanity and nudity, so while The Rapture unfolds and chaos abounds, the audience should rest easy, knowing that no one is going to scream out "What the F**K is happening?," nor will anyone be ascending towards the heavens sans clothing.