That movie or series that promoted it probably helped popularize it as well.
Discussion
Yeah, the Rapture craze really hit in the 70s low-budget films too. Televangelists laveraged this be able to comment on how every headline was aCkShUaLlY a fulfillment of some obscure prophesy. The grift has been enormous. We in the U.S. have been a modern-day Corinth.
Pretty much, if not worse.