Hi guys
I hope you do not mind if I throw in my 2 cents.
 
I will print the verses below and then chime in.
2Thessalonians 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2 That ye be not 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. 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; 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. 5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 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:
 
I think Paul is talking about the rapture AND the Second Coming. He is saying that 2 things must happen before Jesus returns to earth or should I say the Day of the Lord.
First thing is the falling away or departure. I do not see how this can possibly be a falling away from the faith. We would never know when that had taken place. Think if we were living back in the dark ages. Remember that the Holy Roman Empire killed Christians. The Roman Catholic and all their idols fell away from the true faith. So anyway the point I am making is how could we know when that happened?
 
Then you have the anti-christ being revealed. verse 3
 
Now to know what he is talking about we need only go to verse 6,7,8. He is clarifying here that something must be "removed" or taken out of the way. Then notice what happens next. The antichrist will be revealed. and then the Lord will come and destroy.
 
Looks like to me the events are as follows.
!- The rapture takes place
2-The antichrist is revealed
3-The Lord comes back.
 
Thanks
Mike W