When Will the Antichrist Be Revealed and the Rapture Occur?

"Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him. Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us. Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction. He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God. Don’t you remember that I told you about all this when I was with you? And you know what is holding him back, for HE CAN BE REVEALED ONLY WHEN HIS TIME COMES." (2 Thessalonians 2:1-6)

The "man of lawlessness" Paul is speaking about is the Antichrist. There will be a final government of humanity during "his time" and he will begin as one of the "seven heads" of that final government. The book of Revelation calls this government a "beast".  The Antichrist will become the leader of the "beast" government in the middle of the 70th week of Daniel. I believe the "day of the Lord" that Paul is speaking of is the final year of the 70th week of Daniel, a 7 year period of time immediately before the return of Jesus. Many refer to this seven years as the Tribulation. I will use this term hereafter.

"Then I saw a beast rising up out of the sea. It had seven heads and ten horns, with ten crowns on its horns...and the dragon gave the beast his own power and throne and great authority." (Revelation 13:1-2)

This final powerful government comes to great power during the Tribulation. It gets its power from the dragon/Satan who will be "throne to the earth" together with his angels in the middle part of the Tribulation. 

"Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. And the dragon lost the battle, and he and his angels were forced out of heaven. This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels." (Revelation 12:9)

The Antichrist is revealed as the "man of lawlessness" sometime after he receives a deadly wound and miraculously recovers. He takes total control of the beast government with the help of a strong religious leader called "another beast" and the "false prophet". The seven leaders that at first share power in the government are reduced to one  - the Antichrist.

"I saw that one of the heads of the beast seemed wounded beyond recovery—but the fatal wound was healed! The whole world marveled at this miracle and gave allegiance to the beast. They worshiped the dragon for giving the beast such power, and they also worshiped the beast. “Who is as great as the beast?” they exclaimed. “Who is able to fight against him?”" Then the beast was allowed to speak great blasphemies against God. And he was given authority to do whatever he wanted for forty-two months. And he spoke terrible words of blasphemy against God, slandering his name and his dwelling—that is, those who dwell in heaven. And the beast was allowed to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And he was given authority to rule over every tribe and people and language and nation. And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in the Book of Life that belongs to the Lamb who was slaughtered before the world was made." (Revelation 13:1-8)

"Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon. He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life." (Revelation 13:11-14)

It seems to me that until the middle of the Tribulation, the seven headed beast government is the "white horse rider" of what is known as the four horseman of the apocalypse. They most likely establish policies that bring the world together into a new world-wide order - these policies seek to establish peace, heath, environmental protection and equal financial prosperity for all humanity, ignoring national boundaries, sexual preferences, and racial differences.

"I looked up and saw a white horse standing there. Its rider carried a bow, and a crown was placed on his head. He rode out to win many battles and gain the victory." (Revelation 6:2)

The process is greatly helped when this final government body negotiates a seven year alliance between Israel and its enemies. Daniel tells about this so we know the "alliances" have to do with Israel and its place of worship. These seven year alliances begins the Tribulation. 

"Then for one seven, he will forge many and strong alliances, but halfway through the seven he will banish worship and prayers. At the place of worship, a desecrating obscenity will be set up and remain until finally the desecrator himself is decisively destroyed.’” (Daniel 9:27)

And then all hell breaks loose bringing in rapid succession the last three horsemen of the apocalypse, war, famine, and death. Under the afflictions brought on by the Antichrist, the pale green horse rider (death) kills one-forth of humanity by the the sword, famine and disease. Another one-third of humanity are killed by the "Four Angels" God has prepared for that purpose when He pours out His wrath on the kingdom of the Antichrist.

"I looked up and saw a horse whose color was pale green. Its rider was named Death, and his companion was the Grave. These two were given authority over one-fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword and famine and disease and wild animals." (Revelation 6:8)

"The sixth Angel trumpeted. I heard a voice speaking to the sixth Angel from the horns of the Golden Altar before God: “Let the Four Angels loose, the Angels confined at the great River Euphrates.” The Four Angels were untied and let loose, Four Angels all prepared for the exact year, month, day, and even hour when they were to kill a third of the human race." (Revelation 9:15)

That means one out of every two people on earth will die during the Tribulation. Jesus Himself said unless that time was cut short everyone would die and that one of every two will be taken.

“The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about—the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place."...For there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again. In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones." (Matthew 24:15,21-22)

"When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day...People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes." “Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.  “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming." (Mathew 24:37-42)

As best I can tell from the chronology recorded in the Masoretic Text of the Old Testament, the 6,000th year from the creation of Adam to the return of Jesus will be 2035 AD.

The beginning of the Tribulation would then START in 2028 AD.

INTERESTING NOTE: The last US President's administration negotiated what is called the Abraham Accords: The Abraham Accords are a joint statement between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States signed on Septembe15, 2020, three days before Rosh Hashana 2020.  Something broader will have to be accomplished by the beast government in the fall of 2028 AD for my views to be accurate, at least as to the exact date of the beginning of the Tribulation.

If the start of the of the Tribulation turns out to be 2028, the Antichrist will be revealed between 2031 and 2034 AD. And I think believers will be Raptured to meet the Lord in the air during 2034, one year before the return of Jesus to earth.

“When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense ascended from the angel’s hand with the prayers of the saints before God. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar and hurled it to the earth; and there were peals of thunder and sounds, and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.” (Revelation 8:1-5)

From this point on is what the Bible calls  "the favorable YEAR of the LORD" for the people of God. It will be “a YEAR of retribution” against the kingdom of the Antichrist.

Again, Paul is speaking to believers when he says “God has not destined us for WRATH”. 

"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep (dead or alive when Jesus returns), we will live together with Him. Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up.” (1 Thessalonians 5:8-11)

Therefore, in my view, the Rapture will occur during the “half an hour of silence” just before the “YEAR of retribution” when the wrath of God is poured out on the Antichrist. And I think it will occur in 2034 AD.