Rapture Timing

The Thessalonians were worried about having missed the rapture. Check 2 Thessalonians 2:2. V. 1 “Now we request...
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.”

Paul is writing to reassure them that they had not missed the rapture and that the Tribulation, the day of Christ had begun. Someone had written them a letter stating that the Tribulation had begun and signed it with Paul’s name. If we consider the assumptions involved here, we can see that they believed that the Rapture preceded the Tribulation. (Pre-Tribulation Rapture)

Paul explained: 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;

The “falling away” or apostasy is also predicted, but we will pass over that right now. “That day” will not come until the man of sin is revealed. 

Paul proceeded to explain that the Man of Sin (anti-Christ) is being restrained and he has to be released before the Tribulation begins. The Restrainer is the Holy Spirit, and He will not leave the Church. So When He stops restraining and leaves, the Church goes too. The language is that the restrainer will be taken out of the way. Thus we understand Paul’s reassurance that the Thessalonians are not, and will not be in the Tribulation. (Day of Christ)

Here is Paul’s arugment. V. 6-8
And you know what (Holy Spirit) restrains him (anti-Christ) now, so that in his time he (a-C) will be revealed. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains (HS) will do so until he is taken out of the way. 8 Then that lawless one (a-C) will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth....

Read on through the chapter and it becomes even more clear. The Tribulation is a time of punishment for not believing on Christ. So does it make sense that the Church, the ones who do believe on Him, would be punished for not believing? No, it does not make sense.

As our friend, Adrian Rogers, who is now with the Lord, used to say, “We are not looking for the Tribulation, we are looking for Jesus. Even so come, Lord Jesus.

Keep watching, working, and waiting.