When will the rapture happen in relation to the Antichrist?
The believer will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air before the Antichrist appears as the world ruler. Though the day and hour are unknown and dates are not set, the rise of globalism and global government signals that the Antichrist's appearance is near, but the rapture occurs first.
Les explains that creation itself waits for the manifestation of the children of God, the believer's Blessed Hope, when believers are suddenly translated from this life to eternal life with new bodies in an instant. The timing is unknown—it may be today, tomorrow, or later—and no dates are set. The globalism, global religion, global economies, and global government now appearing are a sure sign that the Antichrist's appearance as world ruler is very close. But before that happens, believers will be snatched away, caught up as in 1 Thessalonians, and meet the Lord in the air. That day triggers the final days of the curse, the seven-year tribulation, God's way of paying off Satan's mortgage, as studied in Revelation chapter 5.