WITH THE LORD, ONE DAY IS AS A THOUSAND YEARS AND A THOUSAND YEARS AS ONE DAY 

2 Peter 3:8(NKJV)

But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

This admonition to Christians by Apostle Peter was put forward in his defence of the soon coming of our Lord. It should not be misconstrued; he was simply stressing God’s faithfulness in fulfilling His promise of our hope of glory though it has tarried for over two thousand years now. 

Let's examine the text together. Shall we? 

2 Peter 3:1–2(NKJV)

1. Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder),

2. that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior.

Follow closely. 

3. knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts,

4. and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation."

Scoffers are mockers, people who would make mockery of Christians for their belief that “Jesus is coming soon.” Of course, we see this happen already in our day. 

5. For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water,

6. by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.

7. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

“...the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water...” 

World here is kosmos in the Greek. Unlike aiōn, which carries the context of time, kosmos carries the context of space and ultimately here refers to all men (of course, excluding Noah and his family), stressing the narrative in Genesis 7:17–24.

The heavens and the earth came into existence by the word of God (a reference to the creation story in Genesis 1). They will ultimately be destroyed by fire to give way for new heavens and a new earth free of corruption (2 Peter 3:13) when Jesus comes again. If the promise of the coming of Jesus is sure, then this is sure to happen as well. 

8. But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

The context of this discourse is THE PROMISE of His coming. 

So what is Peter saying here?

He is explaining that this promise still holds true despite how much time has passed. Unlike man who is bounded by time, a thousand years makes no difference to God. In essence, the validity of a human promise may be weakened by time (that is, the longer it takes, the lower its tendency of coming true) but NOT a Divine promise. It is not subject to the factor of time and its fulfillment is as certain in a thousand years as it is in one day. This is what Paul means when he says a thousand years and one day make no difference to God. His promise is not weakened by time. 

He goes ahead to buttress this:

9. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

The Lord is not slack. He is not being slow, sluggish, or late according to our standard. He is rather being extraordinarily patient. What is keeping Him waiting is His longsuffering. He desires more men (in fact, all) to be saved before He returns and it becomes too late. 

We are in the period of God's longsuffering today. Just like the while in which Noah was waiting for others to join him in the ark before the door was shut, the alarm of salvation is still being sounded for all men to believe the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Salvation through faith in Christ Jesus is the ark. This period of God's longsuffering will soon run out, and the Lord will return in a time men least expect. 

10. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

Until this day comes, salvation is still available for all. 

15. And consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation--as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you.

That's why we preach the gospel today, so we can save as many as possible as we prepare for the soon coming of our Lord. 

Remember, Jesus promised forgiveness for man's repentance, but he never promised tomorrow for man's procrastination. Believe in Jesus today and be saved. 

Amen. 

Victor Ibosiola © 2023