Antichrist revealed only after the Rapture?
Summary
According to 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3, the Rapture can only take place when the Antichrist is revealed. The Rapture has preconditions.
2 Thess 2:1-3 1 Now we ask you, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him,
2 that you not be quickly shaken from your mind, nor be troubled neither by spirit nor by word nor by letter as if from us,
as though the day of Christ is at hand.
[since Darby: as though the day of the Lord has come.] *)
3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that day will not come unless the falling away [= apostasy] comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition [or: destruction],
*) The Bible translations before Darby are different from those after Darby.

According to the doctrine of Pre-Tribulation Rapture, the rapture, which is the subject of verse 1, is to be distinguished from the Day of the Lord in verses 2 and 3.
Many proponents of the pre-tribulation doctrine say that the Day of the Lord begins with the Rapture.
The Antichrist will only be revealed AFTER the Rapture, but BEFORE the Day of the Lord.
Answer
It is true that the Day of the Lord (the great judgment day of God announced in the Old Testament) only begins with the Rapture.
The question is, however, when will the Rapture take place? If it takes place at the end of the great tribulation, the Day of the Lord will not begin until the end of the great tribulation.
With the statement: "the Day of the Lord begins with the Rapture", a contradiction arises:
Then 2 Thess 2:3 means (see above):
3 ... that day will not come unless ... first, ... the man of sin is revealed, ...
the same as:
3 ... the Rapture will not come unless ... first, ... the man of sin is revealed, ...
This means that the man of sin - the Antichrist - must be revealed BEFORE the Rapture.
However, this is the opposite of what the doctrine of Pre-Tribulation Rapture claims. According to the pre-tribulation doctrine, the Antichrist will only appear AFTER the Rapture, because no event necessarily has to happen beforehand.
Why is this problem neglected by many Bible commentaries?
Conclusion
Many proponents of the pre-tribulation doctrine say that the Day of the Lord begins with the Rapture.
Thus the statement:
"The Antichrist will be revealed before the Day of the Lord."
is equivalent to:
"The Antichrist will be revealed before the Rapture."
However, this invalidates the argument of the doctrine of Pre-Tribulation Rapture that no event must necessarily occur before the rapture.
----> The Rapture does have preconditions:
BEFORE the Rapture must come first
the apostasy and
the Antichrist be revealed.
Thus the church of Jesus will come under the Antichrist, i.e. be confronted with his rulership (persecution) and the mark.
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Below are two examples of outstanding personalities who argue that the Day of the Lord begins with the Rapture:
- Scofield and
- Walvoord
Scofield Study Bible (New Scofield Reference Bible 1967)
Footnote Revelation 19:19 (quote):
THE DAY OF THE LORD, SUMMARY
The Day of the LORD is that period of time when God openly intervenes in the affairs of men - in judgment and in blessing. See Joel 1:15, note. It will begin with the translation of the Church and will terminate with the cleansing of the heavens and the earth preparatory to the bringing into being of the new heavens and the new earth.
The order of events appears to be:
(1) the rapture of the Church just preceding the beginning of the Day of the LORD (1 Th. 4:13-17); …
Footnote to Joel 1:15 (quote):
1:15 THE DAY OF THE LORD
The term "day of the LORD [Jehovah]" is that period of time when the LORD openly intervenes in the affairs of men, when man's day has closed ("man's judgment" of 1 Cor. 4:3 is literally "man's day."). It will be inaugurated with the rapture of the Church (1 Cor. 15:50-58; 1 Th. 4:13-18). …
The Bible Knowledge Commentary by John Walvoord (and Roy Zuck), approx. 2500 pages, 1985, President Dallas Theological Seminary 1952-1986
On 1 Thess 5:2 (quote):
… As these and other Old Testament verses indicate, the day of the Lord will include both judgment and blessing. That day begins immediately after the Rapture of the church and ends with the conclusion of the Millennium. This day is a major theme of prophecy with its fullest exposition in Revelation 6–19.