The thought of the second coming of Christ was more prominent in the minds of the early Christians than in our own. The Thessalonians were eager to know the exact day and hour of that coming so that they could be prepared. Apparently their idea was that, knowing the time of Christ's coming, they could do other things or idle away their time until a few days before the event. They were somewhat like those people who unwisely while away their time without carrying out their duties or obligations and then rush at the last minute to complete what they have to finish!

Paul's teaching is that we simply do not know when the second coming will occur. Christ, he said, will come like a thief in the night. The point of this comparison is to emphasize unpredictability, not fear.

Yet, modern man is riddled with anxiety. We are often filled with tensions and uneasiness about inflation and recession, about the future of our children, about the energy crisis, and an almost endless list of modern problems. In the midst of all these problems we should not abdicate responsibility, as apparently the Thessalonians wished to do, but we really ought to develop a peace of mind that all will be made right when "Christ will raise our mortal bodies and make them like his own in glory."