1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 In the days of the Roman Empire, death was a part of daily life for most Roman citizens. If you survived childhood, you could expect to live around 45-50 years. The young church in Thessalonica was experiencing the death of some of their members, but to them, this was completely unexpected. For some reason, they thought Jesus would return for them before any of them faced death, so as their fellow believers died, they were becoming more and more confused and disillusioned. In this section of his letter, Paul addresses all of this and gives them reason for hope in the midst of their mourning.