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These are passages that cause me to believe that we who have the indwelling Spirit will be raptured in advance of the Great Tribulation.
In this passage, I believe that the Holy Spirit is the one whose presence prevents the anti-Christ/false prophet from being revealed (emphasis mine):

Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and [by] our gathering together unto him, 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.
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; 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. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [will let], until he be taken out of the way.
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 2:1-8

Alamo-Girl, thank you for sharing this! I do not believe in a pre-trib rapture. I used to, back years ago, but as I have been reading and studying the Bible more, I found the pre-trib rapture scenario to be unbiblical. As a matter of fact, I find it to be contrary to the plain meaning of scripture.

What is more, is that passage you quote, 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8, plainly contradicts the pre-trib position!

Paul is clearly warning the Thessalonians that there will be certain events that happen before the return of Jesus, and "our gathering together unto him" --the rapture.

As a rememdy for their confusion surrounding the "Day of the Lord," Paul gives the Thessalonians a simple outline of events that must happen first before the rapture takes place. Here is a simple outline of those things Paul mentions, in the order that he mention them:

1. "A falling away" must occur. (the word "rebellion" is used in other translations.) --People will openly deny and rebel against God, perhaps even in a violent fashion. This also might be speaking of a falling away of believers, as per Matthew 24:10.

2. "...that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition..." --this is the coming of the antichrist, and his taking power on earth.

3. "He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God..." --the antichrist will reveal his true identity, by setting himself up to be God!

4. "...he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way..." Whomever "he" is, he will be removed, so that the antichrist will have the ability to reign on earth.

5. "Even him [the antichrist], whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders..." We will know it's the antichrist because he will able to perform miraculous signs and wonders. (as so to decieve the very elect!)

Assuming what Paul is telling us is accurate, (a rather safe assumuption IMHO....) then there is no way there could possibly be a pretribulation ratpure, since Paul is clearly telling believers that the antichrist must come into power, and be enthroned as God on earth before any sort of coming of Jesus or rapture occurs.

In the pre-trib position, the revealing of the antichrist happens after the rapture, not before. But this passage from 2 Thessalonians clearly refutes that idea.

Paul is paraphrasing the outline of the end-times given by Jesus in Matthew 24 and Mark 13. The sequence of events here in 2 Thessalonians, and those two gospel accounts are identical. The antichist, and the tribulation must occur before the rapture. All three accounts are unanimous on this point.

In all three accounts where the rapture in mentioned in context with the tribulation and the antichrist, (Mt 24, Mk 13, 2Thes 2)--it is clear that there is no rapture until both the tribulation and the revealing of the antichrist have occured. Scripture is very clear on this point, there is no other way to interpret the chain of events given by either Jesus or Paul (who is just parphrasing Jesus).

What is more, both Paul and Jesus are paraphrasing and retelling the prophecies of Daniel. Specifically those things Daniel says in 7:23-28, 8:9-14, 9:26-27, 11:36-12:3. In Daniel verses 12:1-3, there is something along the lines of a rapture event. However, this comes at the end of reign of the antichrist, and after the archangel Michael "arises." In fact, the best solution for the mysterious "he" of 2 Thessalonians may be Michael, who God removes from his position of guarding Isreal so that the antichrist might come to power in Jerusalem.

In every place I look in the Bible where the rapture is mentioned in context with other end-times events, the rapture always occurs after the tribulation and after the antichrist is revealed.

Thank you so much for your reply!

I believe there are several raptures involved, not just one. In fact, the first rapture in Scriptures was Enoch (Genesis 5:24). The church of Philadelphia will be spared altogether:

Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. – Revelation 3:10

I believe the parable of the ten virgins also indicates that not all will be taken at the pre-trib rapture. This is also apparent in Matthew 24, if the tribulation had already started, things would not be normal – at least not in the second 3.5 years.

For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two [women shall be] grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. – Matthew 24:38-41

There is a separate rapture in Revelation 11 for the two witnesses though the martyrs start coming out of the tribulation in chapter 6.

So it is possible there is a pre-trib, mid-trib and post-trib rapture of believers.

But I hold to the pre-trib rapture for Spirit filled Christians (albeit not all who profess Christianity) for all the reasons I’ve given plus this (emphasis mine):

But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

Therefore let us not sleep, as [do] others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, - 1 Thessalonians 5:1-9

For Lurkers still considering the various interpretations, here is 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 which you mentioned above:

Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and [by] our gathering together unto him, 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.

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; 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. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [will let], until he be taken out of the way. 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:

[Even him], whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Your #11 and others: "our gathering together unto him" --the rapture

I would suggest in the interest of clarity that the Biblical phrasing be used rather than the word "rapture" which is not found in the Bible, because "gathering" is obviously not in every case "caught up to meet Him", and I think it is best to call it "gathering" where the Bible says "gathering".

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

We believe what the Bible says about the Second Coming. We believe that the Lord also said this:

D&C 88:95-98
95 And there shall be silence in heaven for the space of half an hour; and immediately after shall the curtain of heaven be unfolded, as a scroll is unfolded after it is rolled up, and the face of the Lord shall be unveiled;
96 And the saints that are upon the earth, who are alive, shall be quickened and be caught up to meet him.
97 And they who have slept in their graves shall come forth, for their graves shall be opened; and they also shall be caught up to meet him in the midst of the pillar of heaven—
98 They are Christ’s, the first fruits, they who shall descend with him first, and they who are on the earth and in their graves, who are first caught up to meet him; and all this by the voice of the sounding of the trump of the angel of God.

Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

As I think about the saints, both living in mortality and newly resurrected, being caught up to meet Him, whose right it is to reign, as He descends, I also think about the wicked being burned by the brightness of His Coming (see also Malachi 4), and I wonder if the two are connected, in other words, the righteous are caught up to meet Him in order to be entirely separated from the wicked at that time.