.......26 what distress was on them that isn't on Christians today?
I believe the Christians of that day understood the significance of the words of John the Baptist when he warned of the wrath to come, and told them that even now the axe lieth at the root of the tree. They understood, that meant soon. The Christians of that era never disputed or negated the words of Christ when He spoke of the days of vengeance and the end of the age that was going to happen before that generation passed away. They understood something huge was imminent. I've no reason to doubt that they were aware of these beginning of signs that were happening in and around Judea. JFB on the date of writing of 1st Corinthians: “...the date of the Epistle is fixed with tolerable accuracy, about Easter, certainly before Pentecost, in the third year of his residence at Ephesus, A.D. 57.”
Nero was emperor, Felix was procurator of Judea. Here are some events that were happening A. D. 52-60:
http://virtualreligion.net/iho/collapse.html#Egyptian
"Prophets" promise Signs: the Egyptian
160 Now
the affairs of the Jews grew continually worse and worse. For
the country was full of bandits and imposters who deluded the crowds.
161 Yet every day, Felix [procurator of Judea, 52-60 CE] captured many of these (
imposters) as well as the bandits and put them to death...
167 The bandits' deeds filled the city with such pollution [i.e., murders]. Moreover, sorcerers and charlatans called on the mob to follow them into the wilderness.
168 For they said that they would show them unmistakable
wonders and signs happening in accordance with the plan of God. Many, in fact, were persuaded by them and paid the penalty for their folly. For they were brought before Felix and he punished them.
169 At this time a man from Egypt came to Jerusalem. He
said he was a prophet and urged the masses of common people to go with them out to the mountain called the Mount of Olives which lies five furlongs from the city.
170 For he claimed that he wanted to show that at his command from there Jerusalem's walls would fall down. He promised to provide them entry to the city through them.
171 When Felix heard of this, he ordered his soldiers to take up their arms. Setting out from Jerusalem with a large force of cavalry and infantry, he overtook the Egyptian and his followers, slaying 400 of them and taking 200 prisoners.
172 But the Egyptian himself escaped from the battle and disappeared. And now
the bandits once more stirred up the populace for war with Rome by telling them not to heed them. They even
burned and pillaged the villages of the disobedient.
--- Josephus, Antiquities 20.160-161, 167-172
Procurators & Bandits
54 Now, in the meantime,
Felix incited crimes with untimely cures, the worst being copied by Cumanus, to whom the (other) part of the province belonged. It was divided thus: the
natives of Galilee were subject to the latter and the
Samaritans and
Judeans to Felix. They were at odds from of old; and now in contempt of their rulers their hatred was less restrained. Therefore,
they ravaged each other: sending out troops of bandits, they set up ambushes and sometimes came together in battle. Their spoils and prizes they brought back to the procurators. At first both were pleased. (Yet) soon, with the destruction spreading, they [the procurators] came between them [the bandits] with armed troops. But the troops were killed and the provinces would have burst out in war if Quadratus, the governor of Syria, had not intervened. There was no longer doubt that
capital punishment was in store for those Jews who broke out to slaughter (Roman) soldiers.
--- Tacitus, Annals 12.54
