Well, the standard pre-fab answer to this is that God is transcendental and therefore knows and sees everything as "present" (that "eternal [aoristic] present").
The other answer is historic and factual: pagans, Jews and Gnostics believed in the pre-existence of the souls. The Church doesn't. This was one of those points of departure of Christianity with these groups. Now, some cults, such as LDS, spout pre-existence of the souls, but that just makes them members of the same non-Christian club mentioned above.
So it stands to reason that who we are in the flesh is a reflection upon who we were in the first heaven/earth age (IIPeter 3: whole chapter), wherein there were no flesh humans
2 Peter is a 2nd century fraud in my opinion, but it was very useful to the early Church, and now it would be difficult to go back and toss it away. It took the Church a long time to accept is as "inspired." I can see why.
That being said, your particular references has some important, even essential 2nd century Christian material: one is the fact that the expected second coming "before this generation will taste death" had to be redefined to an unspecified time in the future.
It is well known that early Chritsians did expect the second coming of the Messiah within their lifetime as the New Testament suggests.
Dispelling these beliefs and leaving the door open was crucial to the survival of the the Christan sect, so I can see why some in the Church found 2 Peter necessary.
The book was also necessary because of its reconciliatory tone with Paul. The Pauline and Petrine factions of the Church were still at odds with each other despite claims to the contrary in Acts. So the sect took on Pauline garments but remained Petrine inside.
Likewise, 2 Pet is asking people to be patient, to live righteous lives and trust that God will spare the righteous, etc. He reinforces this appeal with threats and imagery of a catastrophic end of the world.
All this was needed to keep the faith going despite some setbacks.
But I certainly cannot find any evidence of "pre-existing" bodiless souls in 2 Pet 3.
Well, the standard pre-fab answer to this is that God is transcendental and therefore knows and sees everything as "present" (that "eternal [aoristic] present").
John 1:1 says 'IN the beginning', (that means Genesis 1:1), was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. This was and is the purpose of the Church to know preach and teach the WORD or as some call it the Gospel... good news. Moses penned Genesis without his own personal foreknowledge up until he came of age to write the rest of the Torah. So what Moses penned would have come directly from the Heavenly Father if we this day are to have that instruction of the WORD or at most what we are given to understand.
There is no such thing as free will if God being transcendental and knows and sees everything as "present". It is Written that we were created for the pleasure of the Heavenly Father and given what misery chaos and insanity this world over does not paint a loving image of the Heavenly Father to oversee.
The other answer is historic and factual: pagans, Jews and Gnostics believed in the pre-existence of the souls. The Church doesn't. This was one of those points of departure of Christianity with these groups. Now, some cults, such as LDS, spout pre-existence of the souls, but that just makes them members of the same non-Christian club mentioned above.
Moses pens not one word regarding the creation of the devil but yet the devil was there in the Garden and beguiled Eve with knowledge of good and evil.... So when was the devil created as Ezekiel and Isaiah describe of him, and when did he turn evil and decided that he would be god and rebelled. There is nothing in the Bible or in historical record that presents evidence of the devil rebelling and taking with him a third of the stars also know as the sons of God since the Garden of Eden. Paul's words *foundation of the world* (Ephesians 1:4)are actually a verb meaning to cast down - overthrow. And according to Genesis 1:2 this took place before this flesh age.
Solomon described two different bodies this flesh one and the spirit/soul body in the book of Ecclesiastes and he says there is no remembrance of the former things in the flesh body.
According to Paul not all in his time believed in the pre-existence of the souls... and Paul used their countering beliefs to get them at each other so he could leave. As far as what other cults believe regarding pre-existence of the souls I have no clue, I get my instruction from the WORD.
2 Peter is a 2nd century fraud in my opinion, but it was very useful to the early Church, and now it would be difficult to go back and toss it away. It took the Church a long time to accept is as "inspired." I can see why.
I would not call II Peter a fraud, as that to me would be like saying the Heavenly Father, Christ as well as allllll those holy prophets Peter refers to are frauds as well.
That being said, your particular references has some important, even essential 2nd century Christian material: one is the fact that the expected second coming "before this generation will taste death" had to be redefined to an unspecified time in the future.
Christ listed the signs that would need be prior to his return and in the midst he said to learn the parable of the fig tree.
It is well known that early Chritsians did expect the second coming of the Messiah within their lifetime as the New Testament suggests. Dispelling these beliefs and leaving the door open was crucial to the survival of the the Christan sect, so I can see why some in the Church found 2 Peter necessary.
Based upon my study a generation has not passed since Christ left this earth, that has not thought they were in that generation. That is part of the reason why so many cults have power over so many through deception, just as Christ warned would be.
The book was also necessary because of its reconciliatory tone with Paul. The Pauline and Petrine factions of the Church were still at odds with each other despite claims to the contrary in Acts. So the sect took on Pauline garments but remained Petrine inside. Likewise, 2 Pet is asking people to be patient, to live righteous lives and trust that God will spare the righteous, etc. He reinforces this appeal with threats and imagery of a catastrophic end of the world. All this was needed to keep the faith going despite some setbacks.
Strange that Christ said that Peter would be the rock upon which the Church would be build and yet even the few words that Peter penned get such a slight of hand.
But I certainly cannot find any evidence of "pre-existing" bodiless souls in 2 Pet 3.
The soul has a body, Christ Himself demonstrated that in His visible to that group could go through a wall... Both exist, just that the flesh eye unless given that sight cannot see that dimension. The flesh is given but for a very short time and as it is written to be absent from this flesh body is to be present with the Lord. Even that rich man could see Lazarus in Abraham's bosom across that proverbial gulf and none of them were in flesh bodies.