They had strong faith in the second coming of Christ, and greatly feared that they might not live to witness the event. Paul, however, did not give them the impression that Christ would come in their day. He referred them to coming events which must transpire before that time should arrive. Writing to them afterwards, he warned them that they should “be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means; for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.”{LP 83.3}

De havde en stærk tro på Kristi andet komme, og var bange for at de ikke lever til at bevidne den begivenhed. Paulus gav dem dog ikke det indtryk at Kristus ville komme i deres tid. Han henviste dem til de kommende begivenheder, som måtte udspille sig før tiden kom. Han advarede dem om at de ikke skulle "bringes fra besindelsen eller skræmme hverken ved nogen ånd, noget ord eller noget brev, der foregives at være fra os, som om Herrens dag var lige forestående. Lad ingen vildlede jer på nogen måde. Først må jo frafaldet komme, og lovløshedens menneske, fortabelsens søn, åbenbares."