27 | THESSALONIANS AT-A-GLANCE & N.T. BOOK #13 AUTHOR: APOSTLE PAUL WRITTEN: 51 AD Old Testament: 39 Books New Test 13 nt: 27 Books CLAIMS TO FAME: Famous for a verse that talks about Christians meeting Jesus in the sky. PROBLEMS OR ISSUES THIS BOOK IS ADDRESSING: MOST FAMOUS VERSES: Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 • Paul spent around three months in Thessalonica when it was a small and new church. He wanted to check up on their faith, fearing that false teachers might have infiltrated their number. He sent back Timothy, who gave a surprisingly good report. That prompted Paul to write 1 Thessalonians as a letter of encouragement. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. 1 Thessalonians 5:6 Important points about the Book: • Paul uses this book to encourage the church in their pursuit of holiness, diligence, love, and hope. He tells them to walk in the light and makes many mentions of the Second Coming of Jesus. One passage, Christians look at a lot today. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 states, “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.” Many Christians hope they are the ones who will get to meet Jesus in the sky. Some feel it will happen before a great period of tribulation. Others feel it is as the Second Coming.