"Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?"
Paul believed that those alive in 49 CE would live to see Jesus come. 2:19
"We told you before that we should
suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass." Paul thought that the tribulation that he believed would
precede Jesus' coming had
already passed. 3:4
Paul expected Jesus to return within the lifetime of his followers. 3:13
Paul thought he would live to see the rapture. 4:15, 17
Paul prays that the Thessalonians will be good until Jesus returns,
implying that he expected this to happen within their lifetimes. 5:23