Which two events must precede the Tribulation?

• A. The Rapture and the Resurrection
• B. The Millennium and the Judgment
• C. The Gospel to all nations
• D. A falling away/departure and the revealing of the Antichrist

Answer: (D)

The key idea here is what the New Testament says about what must happen before the Day of the Lord, often connected with the Tribulation. In Paul’s writing, two events are described as preceding that day: a falling away from the faith (an apostasy) and the revelation of the man of sin, the Antichrist. The apostasy signals a widespread turning away from the gospel, creating the conditions for deception and a leader who will oppose God. Then the Antichrist is revealed, the one who will embody opposition to Christ and set the stage for the Tribulation period. This sequence is specifically taught as the prelude to the Tribulation in the passage that says the day will not come unless these events occur first. The other options do not correspond to the explicit prerequisites described there, so the two events that must precede the Tribulation are the falling away and the revealing of the Antichrist.