1 Thessalonians

This letter is like reading a frantic parent's text message checking if their child is okay. Paul had been forced to leave the new church in Thessalonica abruptly due to a riot. He was terrified that the persecution had destroyed their faith. When he finally gets news that they are standing strong, he writes this letter in an explosion of relief and joy. It is one of the warmest letters in the New Testament.

However, the Thessalonians had a major question: "What happens to believers who die before Jesus returns?" They were worried their loved ones would miss out. Paul comforts them with the famous description of the "Rapture," assuring them that the dead in Christ will rise first. He encourages them to live holy lives and be ready, because the Lord will come like a "thief in the night." But some people took this "coming soon" message the wrong way and stopped working, which Paul has to correct in 2 Thessalonians.