First, let us read verses one to three:

• 1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
• 2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
• 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
  
• (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3)

It is clear that "our gathering unto Him" (verse 1) refers to the rapture. In fact, Paul is writing to Christians who either believe that the rapture is about to occur, or has already occurred (see various translations of verse 2). In either case, Paul is saying that this is NOT POSSIBLE, since certain events must precede the rapture. He assures them this CANNOT happen until the man of lawlessness IS REVEALED (vs. 3). In other words, the Apostle Paul did NOT teach an "imminent" rapture. There was an essential event that must occur BEFORE the rapture.

What is that event ? "...that man of sin will be revealed..." and UNTIL THAT HAPPENS, THAT DAY SHALL NOT COME ! The Greek word used for "revealed" means to be unmasked or unveiled...to be positively identified.

When will that occur ? The Apostle Paul provides that definition for us in the very next verse:

• 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
• 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
  (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4)

It is perhaps shocking to some that the positive identification of the antichrist is never taught to be at the time of the instituting of the seven year treaty. All Scriptures that speak of this identification state he will be revealed when the antichrist moves his headquarters to Jerusalem, and raises the abomination in the temple -- a sign unmistakable, an event never to occur prior to that time. This is a TIMEPOST of prophecy. Notice the words "When ye see" in the text:

• When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
  (Matthew 24:15)

• But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand)
  (Mark 13:14)

(Just a parenthetic note: Jesus, though speaking verbally to His hearers, is addressing these remarks to the READER, knowing that His words would be written and preserved for that generation that will be alive when this event occurs; if He is speaking to the CHURCH of the last days -- the obviously intended readers of the words of Jesus — then

He is saying that the church will be here to see this event. When we come to study these portions, we will indeed find that the description of the rapture FOLLOWS this event.)

To complete the picture, we instantly think of the portions in Daniel, chapters 9, 11 and 12,

• And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate.
  (Daniel 9:27)

• And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.
  (Daniel 11:31)

• And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up...
  (Daniel 12:11)

Notice the first text clearly states the abomination raised in the temple that identifies (unmasks, unveils) the antichrist occurs "IN THE MIDST OF THE WEEK" -- not at the beginning.

The New Testament speakers and writers NEVER use the treaty as a TimePost. It is NEVER stated, "When you see the treaty signed of which Daniel spoke...". But Jesus and other Scripture writers use the "abomination" event to positively identify the antichrist -- something to happen only once in the last days. The person who does THIS (abomination)...IS...the antichrist. God's people will know beyond a shadow of a doubt who the antichrist is by this event. We are GUARANTEED that "watching Christians" will know when the abomination appears in the temple -- for it is their sign. It will be a public event. And that event will signal for absolute certain that THIS is the man of sin. Suspicions will be confirmed -- and will NOT be absolutely confirmed until this event !

And that sign must happen BEFORE our gathering unto Him (the rapture), and that will not happen until the "midst of the week"!

Now look at verses 7 and 8:

• 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
• 8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
  (2 Thessalonians 2:7,8)

The Holy Spirit now holds back this event and other major evil events; there is coming a day when the Holy Spirit is "pulled back" to allow this event to take place in God's sovereign will and timing. This "pulling back" is not to be interpreted as being taken out of the earth, any more than the "backing away" of God's protection around Job signalled God's forsaking of the earth.

So this is a permitting of an event that the Holy Spirit has been hindering, as when Satan was not allowed to afflict Job because of the "hedge" God had put around him, which was then withdrawn to ALLOW Satan to do his evil work -- a work, by the way, which ended up accomplishing the purposes of God. So the Spirit will withdraw to allow the evil antichrist to do what is in his heart -- and ultimately fulfil both the prophecies and the purposes of Almighty God.

This withdrawal is similar to the military strategy of pulling back a section of the front to lure the enemy forward into an ambush. Satan and the antichrist will seize what looks like an opportunity, when it is really God's "end time ambush"... as at Ai (see Joshua 8).

Some have taught that it is the church that is withdrawn, but note the male pronoun ("he") which is NEVER used of the church, the bride of Christ; the Holy Spirit is ALWAYS referred to as "He". Therefore, using this verse to teach the rapture of the church is not consistent with the rest of Scripture, and contradicts what was said is vss. 1-3. The rapture CANNOT happen until the antichrist is revealed, and that CANNOT happen until "He" is withdrawn.

OUR CONCLUSION: Our "gathering to Him" (the rapture) CANNOT happen until the antichrist is identified by the abomination in the temple. Daniel says this does not happen until the middle (midst) of the seventieth week.

So we have an order of events; there may be other events that intersperse with these, but they do not change the order of these three events. They are, in order:

• The Spirit terminates his "restraining", which allows the antichrist (who is already in power) to proceed with a part of his program that he has not been able to accomplish up to this point.

• The raising up in the Jerusalem temple of the "abomination that causes desolation" -- a public event and well understood by watching saints.

• The rapture, our "gathering unto Him".

Let us, then, remember two terms:

"Post-restraining": the rapture is AFTER the Restrainer pulls back.

"Post-abomination"; the rapture is AFTER the abomination.

We now look at another TimePost that explains further the sequence of events that includes the rapture.

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