A thousand years is the same as one day.

[Tellyontellyon]

Peter said that for God, a thousand years is the same as one day, and one day the same as a thousand years.

Quick and slow lose their meaning in the light of that.

What consequences does that have for understanding things like creation?

If Jesus rises in three days, does that mean it will be another 1000 years before Armageddon.

I hope so too be honest... it's annoying to watch some of these evangelicals getting so tumescent about the destruction in Israel/Palestine, thinking that this is it and they are about to get 'Raptured' or something.

 

[MForbes]

... it's annoying to watch some of these evangelicals getting so tumescent about the destruction in Israel/Palestine, thinking that this is it and they are about to get 'Raptured' or something.

Getting folks all stirred up about the "end times" definitely puts money in the evangelical leader's coffers.

 

[Laodicean60]

I hope so too be honest.

If you are young I feel you, have been there. Now that I'm old I feel like leaving this hate-filled world that I helped create.

 

[Margaret3110]

I think this verse means that time is different for God than it is for us, not necessarily that every day for God is exactly 1000 years. So Jesus could return at any time ... it could be more or less than 1000 years. I think probably less at the rate we're going, but that's my opinion and could be totally wrong.

As far as creation goes, yes, I'd say we shouldn't assume that a "day" in which God created something was the same as what we consider a "day".

 

[eugene.lee]

Wow! This Apostle Peter really say this? If so, then could you show me Scripture as to where you found what he had said? This is similar to along the lines of what I prayed for! Please, let me know!

 

[Margaret3110]

Wow! This Apostle Peter really say this? If so, then could you show me Scripture as to where you found what he had said? This is similar to along the lines of what I prayed for! Please, let me know!

2 Peter 3:8

 

[BobRyan]

Peter said that for God, a thousand years is the same as one day, and one day the same as a thousand years.

Quick and slow lose their meaning in the light of that.

What consequences does that have for understanding things like creation?

If Jesus rises in three days, does that mean it will be another 1000 years before Armageddon.

I hope so too be honest... it's annoying to watch some of these evangelicals getting so tumescent about the destruction in Israel/Palestine, thinking that this is it and they are about to get 'Raptured' or something.

As you note -- 2 Peter 3 says it BOTH ways so it can't be used as a rule for time.

If it had said "every day is a literal thousand years" or something like that and left it that way -- then we would have the expansion rule and could use it - - but the text has it BOTH ways so you can't simply contract or expand time to get a translated result. The text is not trying to get you to expand every day in the Bible - to one thousand years.

But in the case of the "Day of the Lord" it is doing that very thing - making it encompass the entire millennial period in Rev 20.

 

[Laodicean60]

I think this verse means that time is different for God than it is for us, not necessarily that every day for God is exactly 1000 years.

I read it as a metaphor and it might have meaning prophetically. If I was Peter I'd say, a day is a drop in the bucket compared to eternity.

 

[-=H=-]

Peter said that for God, a thousand years is the same as one day, and one day the same as a thousand years.

Quick and slow lose their meaning in the light of that.

What consequences does that have for understanding things like creation?

If Jesus rises in three days, does that mean it will be another 1000 years before Armageddon.

I hope so too be honest... it's annoying to watch some of these evangelicals getting so tumescent about the destruction in Israel/Palestine, thinking that this is it and they are about to get 'Raptured' or something.

You are correct. God made the end known from the beginning. What is the beginning. Genesis 1. 6 days of man 1 day sabbath rest holy to god

The earths chronology to the Bible is close to 6000 years. There is a sabbath rest for the earth, a 1000 year reign of Christ on the earth (in person) where Satan is locked up. This is known as the day of the Lord.

I remember in the year 2000 on the Gold Coast in Australia we were doing missionary work. We broke into teams of 5-7 to pray for spheres of influence in society such as govt, education, science etc. I had been learning how the Garden of Eden was modeled after heaven.

As our group walked and prayed we stopped in one spot on Orchid Avenue that is known for strip clubs and all sorts of sexually immoral businesses. I asked God what HIS plan for the street was. He said it would be a street full of churches. I was shocked and shared it with my group. They all had the same leading from God themselves. We looked at each other baffled (I’m getting goosebumps in summer here retelling this).

We walked further down the street and ran into another team praying. We told them what God spoke to us. They said they heard the same thing too!!! Our jaws dropped open. We continued walking and praying and another group walks past us praying “God, may this be a street full of Churches, may it be Churches Paradise” (we were in Surfers Paradise). We just about fell on the floor!

A couple of days later at a testimony time (at Impact Summer), I got up and shared what we experienced. There were 100 missionaries in the room. I said I don’t know how many others heard the same thing from God. 100 hands shot up into the air!!!!!!!!!

God promises that one day the glory of the lord will cover the earth like the waters cover the sea (that is as in the global flood in Noah’s day). The fact that this street will be a street full of churches means it will exist once Jesus returns to reign for 1000 years.

It is after the millennium reign of Jesus that Armageddon will come.

 

[eleos1954]

Peter said that for God, a thousand years is the same as one day, and one day the same as a thousand years.

Quick and slow lose their meaning in the light of that.

What consequences does that have for understanding things like creation?

If Jesus rises in three days, does that mean it will be another 1000 years before Armageddon.

I hope so too be honest... it's annoying to watch some of these evangelicals getting so tumescent about the destruction in Israel/Palestine, thinking that this is it and they are about to get 'Raptured' or something.

Peter said that for God, a thousand years is the same as one day, and one day the same as a thousand years.

God don't have any time constraints ... He lives in the eternal (without end or beginning) ... so God's perspective is different than ours and Peter was making that point. We are not to apply this thinking to time (days, months years etc) in His Word.

 

[AlexB23]

Peter said that for God, a thousand years is the same as one day, and one day the same as a thousand years.

Quick and slow lose their meaning in the light of that.

What consequences does that have for understanding things like creation?

If Jesus rises in three days, does that mean it will be another 1000 years before Armageddon.

I hope so too be honest... it's annoying to watch some of these evangelicals getting so tumescent about the destruction in Israel/Palestine, thinking that this is it and they are about to get 'Raptured' or something.

1000 years is a metaphor for God's eternity, as 1000 is an arbitrarily large number. For God, an infinite time to us is 0 seconds to Him.

 

[Aussie Pete]

Peter said that for God, a thousand years is the same as one day, and one day the same as a thousand years.

Quick and slow lose their meaning in the light of that.

What consequences does that have for understanding things like creation?

If Jesus rises in three days, does that mean it will be another 1000 years before Armageddon.

I hope so too be honest... it's annoying to watch some of these evangelicals getting so tumescent about the destruction in Israel/Palestine, thinking that this is it and they are about to get 'Raptured' or something.

If you don't agree, ignore them. And who knows, you may be wrong. Some believe that the third day points to the millennial reign of Christ. I don't get overly fussed. However, the odds on the world surviving a thousand more years are about zero in my estimation. It's like a pot of stew that is simmering. It does not take a lot of heat to get it to boil over.

 

[Sketcher]

Peter said that for God, a thousand years is the same as one day, and one day the same as a thousand years.

Quick and slow lose their meaning in the light of that.

What consequences does that have for understanding things like creation?

That is cited when it is taught that God exists outside of linear time. Any speculation as to understanding anyone or anything outside of linear time gets pretty wild pretty fast because humans don't intuitively understand reality outside of linear time.

If Jesus rises in three days, does that mean it will be another 1000 years before Armageddon.

That kind of calculation is too convenient to be true (Matthew 24:36-44).

I hope so too be honest... it's annoying to watch some of these evangelicals getting so tumescent about the destruction in Israel/Palestine, thinking that this is it and they are about to get 'Raptured' or something.

Eh, there's always someone wanting to whip up excitement about the end times coming soon. I remember with the first Gulf War, there was speculation on the news of Saddam Hussein being the Antichrist. And that was minor compared to the stupidity of concern about the year 2000, or Harold Camping's 2011 prediction. One has to blatantly disregard the words of Jesus himself (Matthew 24:36-44 again) to fall for that, yet these people thought that was a good idea and predicted his coming at those times anyway. However, most evangelicals didn't fall for that. And since there is no third temple standing in Jerusalem at this time, I wouldn't expect truly large percentage of evangelicals to be concerned about the end of the world - though if the Dome of the Rock is destroyed and that temple gets built, or if a 3.5 year or 7 year treaty concerning Israel and Palestine is signed, then there's going to be a much bigger concern. Those are much more common markers in modern eschatology that people are taught to look for.

 

[TPop]

Peter said that for God, a thousand years is the same as one day, and one day the same as a thousand years.

Quick and slow lose their meaning in the light of that.

What consequences does that have for understanding things like creation?

If Jesus rises in three days, does that mean it will be another 1000 years before Armageddon.

I hope so too be honest... it's annoying to watch some of these evangelicals getting so tumescent about the destruction in Israel/Palestine, thinking that this is it and they are about to get 'Raptured' or something.

Hello, my friend.

Scripture must harmonize with other scripture. When it does not, we are not at the truth or all of the truth.

Context is needed. And in many places regarding 'time' context is provided, even if we don't immediately see it as such.

During creation, each period of time is a Day. There is zero indication to read that some days are this long and other days are a different length. So we have days. All the same length.

Next, during creation, Jesus creates the Sun, Moon, and Starts.

[Gen 1:14-19 KJV] 14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: 15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. 16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: [he made] the stars also. 17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, 18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that [it was] good. 19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

Sun, Moon, and Starts is a celestial clock. 24 hour days. 7 days a week. 365.25 days a year. The days before this were the same as the days after. There is no indication this is not true.

That is context and scripture harmonizing with scripture. It is hidden. It does not jump out at you. You have to learn to look for it. I know I did.

Days, Generations, and other 'time' oriented words need to be looked at in light of their Hebrew meanings for OT excluding some parts of Danielle in Aramaic. And Greek in NT. Plus context with other verses.

Make no mistake. The time is nigh. It has always been nigh. Because time is short. God is outside of Time. We are currently in it. The small picture is its taking 'forever'. Big picture is it is a blink in time. God is outside of that time, we are not, and to God it comes at the perfect moment.

Edit- I left out scripture.
[Jas 5:7-8 KJV] 7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. 8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

Edit- Also, I see people responding about 1000 years. You cannot read that one verse as a standalone. It requires other verses to establish it's meaning. Do not read one word in a verse "1000" and think it explains the use of another word "Day" in other verses. You must look at all verses and find the ones that come first, seconds, etc.

If I say you can come over anytime you wish. And then I tell you that you can come over anytime after 9am and before 7pm. Which statement is true? Which one modifies the other? Which one negates the other?
They are both true. The time restrain modifies the open-ended with more clarity, and neither are negated.

Peace and Blessings.

 

[food4thought]

Peter said that for God, a thousand years is the same as one day, and one day the same as a thousand years.

Quick and slow lose their meaning in the light of that.

What consequences does that have for understanding things like creation?

If Jesus rises in three days, does that mean it will be another 1000 years before Armageddon.

I hope so too be honest... it's annoying to watch some of these evangelicals getting so tumescent about the destruction in Israel/Palestine, thinking that this is it and they are about to get 'Raptured' or something.

In it's context it is just saying that God's view of time is very different than ours because He dwells outside time, although He does interact with it. I wouldn't read too much more into this statement.

 

[Strong in Him]

Peter said that for God, a thousand years is the same as one day, and one day the same as a thousand years.

No he didn't - he said "1,000 years are LIKE a day and a day LIKE 1000 years." 2 Peter 3:8.
He is saying that God is outside time. What might seem, to us, like 1,000 years is only a day for God, and vice versa - in other words, we don't have the same timescale or perspective.
God existed before time, and creation, began. He is infinite, we are finite, he is the Creator, we are the created - of course he is going to view things differently than we do.

 

[Strong in Him]

2 Peter 3:8

He says it is AS, or LIKE, a day - not exactly the same as. "As" and "like" are similes; comparisons which do not use "as" or "like" are metaphors.
But God existed before time did and he is outside time.

 

[Margaret3110]

He says it is AS, or LIKE, a day - not exactly the same as. "As" and "like" are similes; comparisons which do not use "as" or "like" are metaphors.
But God existed before time did and he is outside time.

I agree ...

 

[John Lamb]

Time in heaven, with God, goes faster than here I believe. It’s what the Bible states which doesn’t lie. One thousand years is just like a day.

 

[ViaCrucis]

Peter said that for God, a thousand years is the same as one day, and one day the same as a thousand years.

Quick and slow lose their meaning in the light of that.

What consequences does that have for understanding things like creation?

If Jesus rises in three days, does that mean it will be another 1000 years before Armageddon.

I hope so too be honest... it's annoying to watch some of these evangelicals getting so tumescent about the destruction in Israel/Palestine, thinking that this is it and they are about to get 'Raptured' or something.

Peter's meaning is simply that time doesn't have the same meaning for God as it does for us. For God there's no difference between a day and a thousand years; God is entirely outside of time. It's not a kind of magic decoder ring or cipher to interpret the use of "day" and "thousand years" in Scripture in funny ways; it simply means that while for us human mortals a day and a thousand years are vastly different in scope and significance, for God these are irrelevant.

Additionally, this is all said in a particular context, the context is that some were mocking Christians who were looking forward to Christ's return. In that very early time it is quite likely that many Christians thought that Jesus would return within their lifetime. But as the decades went on after Jesus' ascension, and Christians were still talking about His return as soon, there were those who mocked them, who scoffed at the idea of Jesus coming back. If He hadn't returned yet, then He wasn't going to return at all--that was their mockery of the Christian hope. Peter, understandably, wants to reassure his readers that God is not slow in keeping His promises, that God will be faithful in His promise: Christ will return. Just because, from the perspective of a human lifetime the years keep going, years turn into decades, and decades may become centuries, and centuries may become millennia, we should not lose faith, we should not despair, or start to question God's promise. Jesus will return. For God does not regard time the way we do. We, from our short time on earth, may see years, decades, centuries, millennia as long; for God even the longest unit of time measurement is as the shortest of time measurement--a day and a thousand years are of no significance to Him. So whether Christ returns in a day, or in a thousand years (or thousands of years) God is not being slow, God is not failing His promise, God is not being idle--He will do what He said, what He said will come to pass. Thus we should reassure ourselves in God's faithfulness, in our hope of Christ's return. It may not happen in our lifetime, but the Lord will return. The day will come when all that was said would happen will happen, and God will do right by what He has said.

Even today, two thousand years later, these words still resonate. For even two thousand years is hardly but a blip in the long span of cosmic time. And we should not doubt, or stress or be anxious over these things. For it is God's will that all should come to repentance and find life in Christ, so that when He does come, they too should share in the blessings of His promises. Here, today, there is still time to repent, to hear the Gospel and believe, to receive life from God and to share in the joys of that life everlasting. Rather than stress or be anxious, take today as the time to remember God's promise, and to have faith. To those who would scoff and make mockery, even still this is a temporal gift, a time to hear, to repent, and to receive God's gifts and promises--for what has been given to us who believe is also for those who, not believing now, should still come to faith.

Christ may return in a day. Christ may return in a thousand years. Or even ten thousand years. Or may in ten seconds from now. But all the same, trust in the promise, trust in His grace, trust in what He has said. For shall certainly come the morning which shall end the long night of a groaning, aching creation laboring under the sorrow of sin and death; Christ shall come, the dead shall rise, and God shall set all things to rights and make all things new. Believe, and be assured; rest in the mercy, goodness, and promise of His grace.

-CryptoLutheran