Revelation is not chronological from ch 1 directly to ch 20. Revelation repeats Itself and shows us different 'revealings' as it goes along.
The Day of His Coming is the Day of the LORD
His first Coming - One Coming with only Two Outcomes = Eternal Life or Wrath
Second Coming - One Coming with only Two Outcomes = Eternal Life or Wrath
1 Thess 1:10 and to await His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead—Jesus our deliverer from the coming wrath.
A.) wait for the Son
B.) the Resurrection/rapture = deliverance from
C.) His coming Wrath
1 Thess 4:13-18
A.) God brings with the LORD the spirits of the Saints who are now in Heaven waiting for the Day of 'His Coming'
B.) FIRST Resurrection, the spirits of the Saints are now joined to their New Glorified Resurrected Body
C.) those whom the LORD 'kept' alive on earth unto His Coming are raptured
2 Thess 2:1-3
A.) Do not believe 'pre-trib rapture lies from anyone - it will not happen until
B.) the 'Falling Away' comes first and
C.) the 'man of sin' - Antichrist
Continued:
It is an ambiguous passage, for in verse 3, “that day shall not come” was left out by Paul and added by translators. However, the added text seems to fit the contest of the verse. Next, some Greek texts show in verse 2, “the Day of Christ” while other texts have “the Day of the Lord.” We don’t know which term Paul had in mind. Since Paul used “the day of the Lord” in his first letter, I believe that is what Paul wrote here.
Next, it seems as if Paul wrote this passage to conceal his real meaning, not show it clearly. Notice verse six: Paul wrote, “and now you know what withholdeth” (who is restraining). How Paul? How do we (the reader) now know what or who that restraining power is? It must be that Paul just told us but did it in a cloaked way, so the reader would go back and study it. I can only guess that Paul wrote this passage so that if his letter fell into Roman hands they would not understand it. Only those who had his first letter could understand it. It is only a guess.
6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
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) (Emphasis added.)
Verses 6 through 8 are fairly straightforward. There is a force or power that is holding back or restraining the man of sin, keeping him from being revealed until God’s perfect time. Therefore, the man of sin cannot be revealed when he or Satan behind him imagine it is time; the revealing can only come when God chooses the time and removes the restraining power. This hints strongly that it will be God “taking” the restraining force out of the way. God must have something to do with it. He is the only one who knows the proper time. It is not something that “just happens” such as a falling away.
3 Let no man deceiue you by any meanes for that day shal not come, except there come a departing first, and that man of sinne be disclosed, euen the sonne of perdition. (1575 Geneva Bible)
(2 Thessalonians 2) (Emphasis added.)
CEB: and the person who is lawless is revealed
CSB: and the man of lawlessness is revealed
EHV: and the man of sin is revealed
ESV: and the man of lawlessness is revealed
(I counted 34 translations that have “is revealed”)
Now, look closely at the last half of verse 3. Notice that in Paul’s argument, the man of sin “is revealed.” (The King James shows “be revealed” but many other translations show “is revealed.”) Verse 4 proves he is revealed (not in reality but in Paul’s argument) because he will then enter the temple and declare to the world that he is God. The question then is, how did the man of sin get revealed in 3b? Verses 6-8 tell us he cannot be revealed until the power restraining him has been taken out of the way.
The obvious answer is, somewhere in the first half of verse 3, the power restraining the man of sin has been “taken out of the way,” and that is why Paul wrote, in verse 6, “and now you know…” Could a “falling away” be God taking the restraining power away? No, because God would have nothing to do with people “falling away.” However, a significant departing or departure (of the church at the rapture) could certainly be something “taken out of the way.”
If we consider Paul’s theme for this passage, His coming, and the gathering, it makes sense that a significant departing would be the rapture or gathering of the church. That would mean that Paul did tell us who the restraining force is: the church, or the Holy Spirit working through the church. This fits God having something to do with the restrainer being taken out of the way. It would also be a very significant departing that all would recognize. The rapture will be God’s doing. And it makes sense that God the Holy Spirit would be the restraining force. He knows the will of God, being a part of God.
Putting it all together, the Thessalonian church was deeply troubled. It seems they had begun to believe that the Day of the Lord had started and they were at that time in it. Apparently, they asked Paul to clarify it. Paul could have said, “no, you are not in the Day of the Lord,” or something similar, but he did not. The question must be asked: why did their believing that the day of the Lord had already come, trouble them? I can only guess because Paul had taught them that the rapture would come first and then the Day of the Lord—as his first letter shows us. That would explain why they were deeply troubled—they may have thought they had missed the rapture.
On the other hand, if they had been taught that the rapture would not come until some unknown time into the Day of the Lord, and when they heard that the day had started and they were now in it, why should that trouble them? They should have been excited, knowing they were getting close to the rapture. Again, Paul could have just written and told them that they had not missed the rapture, but Paul went much deeper.
In short, Paul told them the departing must come first, then, after the departing, if anyone saw the man of sin revealed, they would then know that the Day of the Lord had started and they were in it. I am convinced that Paul wrote, “and now you know,” to cause the reader to back up and read it again, wondering where Paul told them who or what the restrainer was. What is amazing is that there is still much disagreement in the church today as to who or what this restraining power is.
This same order is what John shows us in Revelation: by the time the 7th trumpet sounds, marking the moment the man of sin enters the Holy of Holies in the temple and declares that he is God—the day he is revealed—the Day of the Lord will have already begun and the world is then inside the Day.
Many people mistakenly believe that the Day of the Lord starts with the rapture. Yet every Old Testament passage on the day of the Lord has it starting with wrath and destruction. Many believe that two events must come before the rapture: a great falling away (from what, the passage does not tell us), then the man of sin revealed, and then the rapture (as the Day of the Lord or the Day of Christ).
Some people make fun of pretrib saying something silly like “the rapture cannot come until the rapture comes first.” No, it is the departing that must come first, then the man of sin revealed (because the restrainer has now been “taken out of the way”), and then that day of destruction will begin with God’s wrath behind it. In short, the rapture will trigger the start of the Day.
If you reject all this, you will have to come up with another reason why in 3b the man of sin "IS revealed."