Those two sequential events are: 1.) A falling away from the truth of God’s Word 2.) The arrival of the “man of sin” the “son of perdition,” which is Satan in his role as the false Christ. But let’s allow our Father’s Word to do the talking. Let’s take a look at Paul’s writing in the Second book of Thessalonians: II Thess 2:1 – Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, Here Paul sets the subject: Christ's coming, and our GATHERING TOGETHER unto Him. II Thess 2:2 – 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. In other words, Paul says “Don't let ANYTHING shake you up into thinking the day of Christ is at hand.” 6 II Thess 2:3 – 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; Here are the TWO SEQUENTIAL EVENTS Paul admonishes us to understand; he states in no uncertain terms that Christ's coming and our gathering together unto Him simply CANNOT happen until there is a falling away first, and then that man of sin, the son of perdition is revealed.
The phrase "falling away" is #647 in the Strong's Concordance. It is the Greek word apostacia, and it means "a defection from the truth." It is very straightforward. There is no need to try to stretch it into any other meaning. To repeat what I stated at the beginning of these verses, Paul simply states that two sequential events MUST happen before Christ can come: 1.) There will be a massive defection from the Truth – i.e., a defection from God's Word, and… 2.) The "man of sin" the "son of perdition," which is to say, Satan himself in the role of the false messiah, will be revealed. Let’s continue with Paul’s admonition: II Thess 2:4 – 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. Paul says that when Satan in his role as the antichrist arrives to this earth, he will seat himself in the Temple of God (i.e., at Jerusalem) and will proceed to show himself off as if he were "God." Again, carefully note that Paul is strongly emphasizing the fact that Christ Jesus CANNOT arrive and our gathering together unto Him CANNOT take place until first a defection from the truth occurs, and then the antichrist seats himself in the temple of G 7 Word in favor of the unscriptural “any moment now” rapture doctrine.
So, is there a second witness in the Holy Scriptures to what Paul has taught? Of course there is. And Christ Jesus Himself gives us that second witness. So, let's pick up on this exact same event in Mark 13:14-27, where Christ is teaching His disciples (and therefore, us) the chronological order of events leading directly to His arrival and to our gathering together unto Him. In the verses below, antichrist has already arrived and set up shop in Jerusalem. Remember, there has been a great falling away (a defection from the truth), and the "man of sin" the "son of perdition" is now sitting in the Temple at Jerusalem proclaiming that he is "God." We have been told by Paul in no uncertain terms that these are the two events which MUST happen BEFORE Christ can return and gather together His saints unto Himself. With that in mind, here is Christ Himself, as written of in the 13th chapter of the great book of Mark, teaching the exact chronological order of events that will take place once antichrist arrives to this earth and seats himself in Jerusalem:
Mark 13:14 – But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains: Dr. Moffatt, one of the greatest Christian scholars of all times, accurately translates the phrase "where it ought not" as "where HE ought not." This brings the verse into the correct context with the Scriptures that follow. The “he” is the antichrist himself. Keep in mind that Christ is teaching His disciples, and He states plainly in this verse that we will actually SEE the "abomination of desolation" standing "where it ought not" (i.e., in Jerusalem/Judea). That means Christians will BE HERE on this earth when this event takes place. There is NO rapture before the “abomination of desolation” stands in the Holy Land, claiming he is “God.” In other words, this verse tells us that when the antichrist has arrived and seats himself in the Temple in Jerusalem -- i.e., the place where HE “ought not" -- then it is time for the locals to get out of Dodge, i.e., flee to the mountains. Why? Because the wrath of God is about to strike Jerusalem to cleanse it of the abominable stench caused by antichrist sitting there proclaiming himself to be "God."
Indeed, we know from Revelation chapter 9, verses 5 and 10, that Satan will have only five short months at maximum on this earth, to pull off his great deception. In the Book of Revelation, the conclusion of his reign as the false Christ at Jerusalem is called 8 the battle of Armageddon. That great battle takes place the moment our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ arrives to this earth with that heavenly army, and destroys the reign of the antichrist and the multitudes who have aligned themselves with him, as described in Rev. 19:11-21. On the deeper spiritual level, we are being admonished here by Christ to flee from the deception of false religion ushered in by the antichrist, and reject this guy pretending to be the "Messiah." More on that shortly... Mark 13:15 – And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house: Christ says we’re not to hang around even long enough to gather our belongings. We’re not going to need fleshly goods anymore, anyway, for Christ Himself is about to arrive shortly and we will all be changed into our spiritual bodies "in the twinkling of an eye." Your fleshly goods will be completely useless to you in your new spiritual body, so there’s no use trying to preserve them at that time. Mark 13:16 – And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment. You won't even need a change of clothing. Don't go back into Dodge. STAY IN THE FIELD, doing the Lord's work. He will take care of you, just as He took care of His apostles when He sent them forth. More on that, in a moment... Mark 13:17 – But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! Pretty hard to flee into the mountains when you are pregnant with a child, or nursing one, right? However, there is a deeper spiritual connotation to this verse.
In short, it means that if you, as part of the Bride of Christ, have become spiritually impregnated with the lies and deception of anti-Christ as he sits in Jerusalem telling you "I am your God," or if you’re already "giving suck," that is, nursing others along in that false belief, then "woe" to you, because you’re going to be in some pretty deep doo-doo when the True Christ arrives in short order and discovers that you’ve been spiritually whoring around with His arch-nemesis. Mark 13:18 – And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. The word "winter" is translated by Strong's as "stormy weather." Again, the harsh stormy winter months are not the best of times to be fleeing into the mountains. But on the deeper spiritual level, if you’ve waited until the stormy weather of antichrist's great flood of deception strikes Jerusalem before attempting to "come out of her, My People" (Rev. 18:4), you might get bogged down in this awful deception. 9 Antichrist’s deceptive reign in Jerusalem IS the tribulation. His mimicry of Jesus Christ, indeed, his claim to be “God,” will be so great, it will deceive the whole world (Rev. 12:7-12), with the exception of that remnant of Christ who have taken the time to study their Father’s Word, and to prepare themselves mentally in advance for the arrival of the false one.
In short, it’s better to know your Father's Word on the subject IN ADVANCE, so the spiritual storm caused by anti-Christ's flood of lies doesn't suck you in. Mark 13:19 – For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be. The word “affliction” should be translated "tribulation." Indeed, the Greek word thipsis used here (see Strong’s G-2347) means tribulation, and it’s the very same word translated “tribulation” in Matthew 24 where Christ also speaks of that time of Satan’s deception. In other words, the tribulation Christians will go through IS the deception unleashed when anti-Christ, "the abomination of desolation" seats himself in the Temple of God, announcing to the world that he is God, just like Paul told us he would in 2 Thessalonians. Unfortunately, all too many Christians who have been taught all of their lives that “Jesus can come any moment now” will fall for this great lie, and worship Satan himself, thinking he is their Lord and Savior. And again, Revelation 12:9 (as well as Revelation 13:4) tell us that Satan is so good in this role, he’s actually able to "deceive the whole world," except for God’s faithful elect who will not be deceived and will not bow a knee to the false messiah (Romans 11:4-5). Note that in the Scriptures we’re studying here, there’s been NO RAPTURE yet described by Christ Jesus in this chronological, event-by-event teaching He’s giving us. As you’ll see, He’s taking us through the events completely chronologically, from the point that antichrist sets up shop in Jerusalem (in vs. 14 above), to the point that He (the True Christ) arrives to gather us together unto Himself (in verses 25 and 26 below).