“if this is so, then the LORD knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.”
~ 2 Peter 2:9
Hi James and Ellen,
Is there something that you have that you really like? Do you have a favorite computer game? Do you have a favorite toy? About a month after your grandmaa and grandpaa arrived in Guatemala and about ten days after they moved into the house in San Cristóbal where they lived for about three months, thieves in broad daylight climbed over the wall that surrounded the house where your grandmaa and grandpaa were living, jimmied open the house’s side door and . . . your grandmaa and grandpaa were upgrading their Spanish in a language school in Guatemala City at the time when the malevolent guys broke into the house where they were living. Your grandmaa and grandpaa had spoken very little Spanish from the time when your grandmaa and grandpaa left Bolivia in May of 1990 and when they arrived in Guatemala in October of 1995. The brazen robbers who broke into the house where your grandmaa and grandpaa were living stole a number of things that could easily be replaced but they also took several pieces of jewelry that your grandpaa over the years had given as gifts on special occasions to your grandmaa. Your grandmaa likes jewelry. Mementos and keepsakes that have been stolen can never be replaced. Have you ever lost something or had something stolen that you really liked?
You are living on a planet that is completely contaminated with evil. Evil’s first appearance on planet Earth took place when Adam acquiesced through his wife – Eve, to the lie of a fallen angel – Lucifer. Evil has disrupted life on planet Earth ever since Adam ate the fruit that God had told him that he was not to eat. Evil existed before God created the planet that you are living on right now. After an angel – Lucifer, decided that he should be like God, God allowed Lucifer’s pride to ruin and rule him. After pride took over ruling Lucifer, God completely severed Lucifer from His angelic army. After God removed Lucifer from His presence – which no guy or gal knows when this took place other than that it was before God created the cosmos – which includes planet Earth, God gave Lucifer guys, gals and kids who would live on planet Earth to rule over and dominate. Other angels who rebelled against God can be found in hell – in gloomy dungeons, waiting to be judged. Any guy, gal or kid who makes a decision of faith to believe in Jesus Christ as his or her Lord and Savior are no longer ruled over and dominated by Lucifer. Lucifer’s name today is known as Satan. What Satan wants to have happen more than anything else through by tricking them into doing evil is to have the life of each one of God’s specially elected guys, gals and kids corrupted. Satan does not want God’s specially elected guys, gals and kids experiencing peace and happiness. Satan does not want God’s specially elected guys, gals and kids worshipping God. God came to planet Earth about 2000 years ago as God the Son. God the Son while He was on planet Earth took on the form of an incarnated guy. When God came to planet Earth as God the Son or Jesus Christ, God the Son’s purpose was not to just spent time on planet Earth; God the Son came to planet Earth to suffer a horrific death while strapped and nailed to a crude cross so that His death might be a ransom payment for the sins of every one of God the Father’s specially elected guys, gals and kids.
While Jesus Christ – Who is the Son of God, was on planet Earth, He randomly chose twelve guys to disciple. One of the guys who Jesus chose to be one of His twelve disciples was a fisherman. The fisherman’s name was Simon. Your grandpaa pictures Simon as being a big dude. Simon had a habit of impulsively blurting out what he was thinking. Your grandpaa also pictures Simon – especially after Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter, to be really tuned into what Jesus was saying as Jesus taught in different places and as He talked as He walked from one place to another place with His disciples. Peter often heard Jesus talk about evil. Peter – in 2 Peter 2, wrote about the apostasy that had led God to completely cover 2500 years or so earlier planet Earth with a flood. Apostasy is not having faith in God. Peter was older than your grandpaa is now when he penned his second letter. Peter spent about three years walking around with Jesus on planet Earth. After Jesus was crucified on a couple of crossed timber beams, Peter became one of the early church spokesmen. Peter was never scared to speak about Jesus Christ. Peter understood what it means to have God – as God the Spirit, lead a guy, gal or kid to and then through the faith/grace door into the body of Christ. Your grandpaa is sure that Peter witnessed a lot of guys, gals and kids who came right up to the grace/faith door – and who maybe even wanted to go through the faith/grace door, but because they were not one of God’s specially elected guys, gals or kids who God had specially elected for Himself before He created planet Earth, God the Father would not let these guys, gals and kids through the grace/faith door. Your grandpaa is sure that a lot of guys, gals and kids who have ended up, are ending up and will end up in hell, know or will know that they really missed it when they did go through the faith/grace door into the universal Christ-follower fellowship or the body of Christ when they had or will have the opportunity at the faith/grace door to make a decision of faith to believe in Jesus Christ versus opting for trusting in self to do what they wanted to with their lives. Your grandpaa is absolutely sure that once a guy, gal or kid passes through the faith/grace door into the body of Christ that that guy, gals or kid will never be able to leave. Verse 9 says, “if this is so, then the LORD knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.” God’s salvation gift that is giving when a decision of faith is made to believe in Jesus Christ can never be lost or stolen by a thief.
2 Peter 2 (303)