One Day Is With The Lord As A Thousand Years

The phrase “one day is with the Lord as a thousand years” in II Pet 3:8 is used by many as an excuse not to believe what God says when He specifies a time frame on an event mentioned in the scriptures. For example many misconstrue II Pet 3:8 in order to refuse to believe what God said – that the events prophesied by the book of Revelation (as a whole) were to “shortly come to pass” (Rev 1:1,22:6). When they do this, they are missing the whole point of II Pet 3:8.

II Pet 3:8 is not saying we are free to disbelieve God when he specifies a time period for some event. What it is saying is when God does not specify a time (like for the second coming of Christ), we are not free to assume a time limit on it (that is the context). God has promised Jesus will come back a second time, and the scoffers of the context were wrongly assuming that would happen soon. God’s response is that just because you think it has been a long time and Jesus should have already come, God is eternal so what we consider to be a long time is not necessarily long for Him.

But it is a whole different matter when God does specify a time for us. Then He is communicating to us in our language, and in our terms. If He says “the time is near” regarding the book of Revelation (Rev 1:3,22:10 – NKJV), then He means just that. And we know for sure this is the case – that the 1000 year kingdom reign mentioned in Rev 20:4 started in the first century timeframe (not at Jesus’ second coming) because:

· Matt 3:2 talks about the kingdom being “at hand”

· Mark 9:1 says the kingdom would come during the lifetime of some of those listening to him preach

· Acts 2:30-33 shows Christ’s reign on His throne would begin in conjunction with His resurrection and ascension to the right hand of the Father

· Dan 7:13-14 also teaches Jesus’ kingdom reign would begin with his ascension to the Father (not his descent at His second coming)

· Col 1:13 and Rev 1:9 speak of Jesus’ kingdom as already being in existence as of the time of the writing of those books

So confirmed by the above verses – “shortly” in Rev 1:1 has to mean “shortly” not “longly.”

Another way we know “one day is with the Lord as a thousand years” doesn’t mean one day in Bible terminology is equal to a 1000 years in real time, is because just the opposite is stated next in II Pet 3:8 “a thousand years as one day.” Is that saying if the Bible specifies a 1000 years, that means only one day in real time? No, the verse is obviously just saying what seems like a long time to us is not necessarily a long time to God, and what seems like a short time to us is not necessarily a short time to God. So this verse does not affect the truth that if God tells us something is going to happen soon, it will happen soon. And the book of Revelation itself clearly says the events it describes therein will happen soon. So they did. To say otherwise is to call God a liar.

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