“So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.”
~ 2 Thessalonians 2:15
Hi James and Ellen,
Are you scared of someone hurting you or something happening to you? Are you scared that you will one day be kidnapped and/or killed? The country where your grandmaa and grandpaa are living – which is Guatemala, has had at least thirty quick kidnappings that the police know of for sure in the past few weeks. A quick kidnapping is when despicable guys stop a car that a gal is driving. These nefarious guys then use the gal’s cellphone to call the gal’s husband or her family to demand that a ransom be paid or . . . these lowlifes will make the gal go to an ATM that will take her credit and/or debit card or cards where they will make her withdraw monies. These reprehensible guys tell the gals and the gals’ husbands or families that if they go to the police to tell the police what they made her and them do, that they will find her and/or them and . . . would you be okay with living in a country where debased guys are driving around looking for a gal – like your ma, to kidnap so that they can force the gal’s family to hand over to them money to get her released without hurting her? Are you scared that more and more reprobates will want to do what malevolent guys did when they hijacked planes to fly them into the Twin Towers in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington? The country where your grandmaa and grandpaa lived for twelve years – which was Bolivia, had during the first four years that they lived in Bolivia coups that overthrew Bolivian Presidents. Soldiers, police and civilian guys and gals were killed during some of the coups that overthrew Bolivian Presidents. The Bolivian army during the coups that overthrew Bolivian Presidents would set a curfew so that no civilian guy, gal or kid – on the threat of being shot and killed, could be outside their home walking the streets at night. Would you be okay with the country is which you are living – which is the United States, having guys and gals thinking that it is okay for them to decide that if they really do not like the way that a President of the United States is governing your country that they can kick him out of his elected job – or even kill him, that they can pick another guy – or a gal, to take on being the President of your country and that they can make sure that no guy will do to them what they did to the President who they kicked out or even killed by having armed guys and gals who have bought into removing the duly elected President of the United States set a nightly curfew so that no guy, gal or kid on the threat of being killed by them can go outside on the streets at night to go wherever they want to go?
Guys and gals – about 1950 years ago, who were a part of the Thessalonica, Macedonia Christ-follower community were scared. Paul during his second missionary journey stopped in Thessalonica. Even though Paul did not stay long in Thessalonica and even though there were guys who were living in Thessalonica who became really upset with him, Paul was able to start in Thessalonica a fellowship of Christ-follower guys and gals. When Paul heard that the guys and gals who were a part of the Christ-follower community that was in Thessalonica were scared regarding their understanding of Jesus’ imminent return to planet Earth, Paul had a missive that he wrote couriered to them to encourage them. In this second letter – in 2 Thessalonians 2, that Paul sent to the guys and gals who were a part of the Christ-follower fellowship in Thessalonica, Paul tells these guys and gals to not be so paranoid about Jesus’ impending return to planet Earth – which was what these Christ-follower guys and gals who were a part of the Christ-follower fellowship in Thessalonica were thinking might take place at any moment just as Jesus said that He would one day do soon. It was probably either Silas or Timothy who upon returning after taking the first letter that Paul sent to the guys and gals who were a part of the Christ-follower fellowship in Thessalonica, told Paul that Christ-follower guys and gals who were living in Thessalonica were already believing that Jesus may have returned to planet Earth where He had already spent over thirty years.
It does not take much sometimes to scare a guy, gal or kid. Do you get scared easily? Christ-follower guys and gals who were living in Thessalonica were scared that they were missing something special – which was to be a part of Jesus’ return to planet Earth to gather up His specially elected guys, gals and kids to take them back with Him to heaven. Paul told the Christ-follower guys and gals who were living in Thessalonica that Jesus would return one day to planet Earth to gather up all His specially elected guys, gals and kids but . . . Paul told the Christ-follower guys and gals who were a part of the Christ-follower fellowship that was in Thessalonica to not pay attention to guys who were deceiving or tricking them into believing in something that was not true. Paul told the Christ-follower guys and gals who were a part of the Christ-follower fellowship in Thessalonica that before Jesus returns to planet Earth that there has to be first a time of excessive lawlessness after which the lawless one will be revealed. The lawless one will be chosen by leaders who will be living on planet Earth to be their leader. Your grandpaa believes that the time is getting close when a one world leader will be chosen to rule over every guy, gal and kids who will be living on planet Earth. Your grandpaa believes that the guy who is chosen to be this one world leader will be a very evil guy who will have the ability to do miraculous and/or impossible things. Paul told the Christ-follower guy and gals who were a part of the Thessalonica Christ-follower fellowship – in verse 15, how to live their lives each and every day “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.” If you are scared about what life has ahead for you, do not need to be scared as God knows what He is doing.
2 Thessalonians 2 (384)