WWUTT 373 A Day is as a Thousand Years?

In 2 Peter 3 .8 we read, Do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. This is not an argument for theistic evolution when we understand the text.

Many of the Bible stories and verses we think we know, we don't. When we understand the text as an online ministry committed to teaching sound doctrine and exposing the faulty, visit our website at www .utt .com.

Now here's our host, Pastor Gabe Hughes.

Peter’s Opening Reminder About the Day of the Lord

Thank you, Becky. We are in 2 Peter 3 again today, beginning in verse 8. Yeah, we've covered 7 verses this week already, moving a little bit faster than we were in chapter 2. In fact, we'll finish our study of 2 Peter next week.

Let's look at 2 Peter 3, verses 8, 9, and 10. But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

So, Peter is continuing something that he began at the start of the chapter by talking about the return of Christ. But he means first for his readers to understand that they will be ridiculed for the faith that they have, the expectation of the return of our Lord, which is the hope of every believer.

So he says, remember this first, that with the last days there will come scoffing, and these scoffers following their own evil desires, and they will say to you, where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.

For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these, the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished.

But by the same word, the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. That's the first fact that Peter mentions here in chapter 3.

And then we get to the second fact in chapter, or I'm sorry, in verse 8. But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. So we see the fact that the godless deliberately overlook that God created all things by a word that He brought wickedness to destruction by His word.

And it is by that same word that all things will be brought to an end and the wicked will be judged again, the first time by water, the second time will be by fire. These things are evident. They are facts.

They are laid down for us in the scriptures. There is no denying it. And they will be judged as those who were not ignorant, because again, they deliberately overlook the fact. And we have it written for us as well in Romans one, 19 and 20, which we read yesterday for what can be known about God is plain to them because God has shown it to them for his invisible attributes, namely his eternal power in divine nature, have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made.

So they are without excuse and because they love their sin more than they love God. As the chapter goes on to say that, uh, that they suppress the truth with their unrighteousness. So they, they love the passions of their flesh instead of obeying God.

And God is storing up wrath until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly second Peter three, seven. So Peter means to assure his readers, first of all, that they're going to be mocked for their faith, but secondly, assuring them the day of the Lord will come verse 10, but the day of the Lord will come like a thief.

Six-Day Creation and the Rejection of Theistic Evolution

Let's get back to verse eight here. First of all, the affectionate language that Peter uses with his readers, but do not overlook this one fact, beloved the first fact that there will be scoffers. The second fact that the day of the Lord will come, but addressing his readers once again as beloved.

We had that at the start of the chapter. This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. And then verse eight, but do not overlook this one fact, beloved. This is like a parent soothing a child, uh, the affection that Peter has for his readers and the affection that he has for us even 2000 years into the future, stirring up our sincere mind by way of reminder.

But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. And this verse tends to get taken out of context to imply something about creation.

And you probably already know where I'm going with this. When we read the creation account as given to us in Genesis chapter one, we read a six day creation. That's how you understand the creation story.

That's how anybody would understand the creation story, whether they had read a single passage of scripture or not. The very first words that they ever read are going to be Genesis chapter one. You would come away from that chapter believing that God created the entire universe in a span of six days.

There is simply no other way to read that. And a consistent theology is built from understanding that God created all things in six days. We talked about this a year ago when we were in Romans, where Paul says in Romans chapter five that death came into the world because of sin.

So if we if we believe that God created all things over a course of millions and millions of years, we have an inconsistent theology because you would have to believe that death was in the picture before sin came into the world.

But it's stated plainly in Romans 623 that the wages of sin is death. Death did not come into the world until man sinned. So a consistent theology can only be obtained by believing that God created all things over a span of six days.

It's very popular to believe in theistic evolution, to believe that God did this over a process of millions and millions of years, to even believe that, hey, Darwin got it somewhat.

Right.

He just had the beginning of all things wrong. He thought it all came about by naturalism and not that it was started by God. Tim Keller is one such person that believes in theistic evolution. J .D. Greer is another.

There are teachers that I admire that believe this. And then there are other teachers that they believe in a six day creation, but they'll just kind of shrug off those who believe in theistic evolution and say, oh, you know, it's not really that big a deal.

It's a pretty big deal. This is an idea that has been imposed upon Christianity by the world, and it comes from no other place. We do not read the scriptures and come up with this idea that God created all things over a span of millions or even billions of years.

It simply is not there. It is a secular concept that has been imposed by the world onto the scriptures, worldly thinking that is being imposed upon the scriptures. It does not come out of the scriptures.

So we need to have a consistent theology. There was the debate that Ken Ham had with Bill Nye at the Creation Museum a few years back. Ken Ham blew up that whole debate with his with his first presentation, because the whole point of the debate was to prove that you could teach a young earth creation model to a student and they would still be able to succeed at science.

And Ham showed with his with his opening presentation how there are many great scientists who have achieved many great things and they believe in a young earth creation model. So Ken Ham really won the debate from the very beginning.

It rabbit trailed off into a whole lot of whole lot of other places. And Bill Nye almost looked like he was completely unprepared for all of that. In fact, I know that he was unprepared because as a matter of fact, on the following Valentine's Day, I don't know how I remember this, but on the on the following Valentine's Day, which which would have been, you know, anniversary was yesterday.

Bill Nye appeared with Bill Maher. I'm getting the name right. I'm not confusing my bills. OK, Bill Maher and Bill Nye were together on on Bill Maher's program. And Nye said to Maher following the debate with Ken Ham, he said to Bill Maher that he was unaware that Ken Ham actually believed what it is that he was preaching.

Like Nye went into the things thinking that Ken Ham was a charlatan, but came out of that going. Ham really actually believes what it is that he is preaching. So Nye really had no idea what he was even getting into was totally unprepared, which is very unscientific for him to do that.

Ken Ham's slides were so much more professional and I look like he put them together on PowerPoint on the plane, plane ride over or something anyway. But like I said, I think that Ken Ham completely destroyed that, completely destroyed Bill Nye's arguments, even with his opening presentation affirming that a scientist can succeed, believing in a young earth creation model.

It simply is not necessary. It is not necessary for anyone to believe in old earth creationism, theistic evolution, any of those other things. It is not necessary for anyone to believe that the reason why you believe it is because the world has imposed upon you something to believe that is a that they make a mockery of the Bible over.

Oh, look at how mythological the Bible is because they believe the world was created in six days and it's only six thousand years old. Great. That's a consistent theological perspective to believe that God created all things in six days and that the earth is really only a few thousand years old.

There's consistent theology in that there's inconsistent theology. If you try to adopt a theistic evolution model and read that onto the text, which simply is not there, it is not in the Bible. And don't worry about the science.

There is science that affirms the young earth creation model. Two different scientists can look at the same data and come up with two completely different conclusions. And their worldview is being formed by the by the foundation of their beliefs.

Either a person who believes in naturalistic processes or a person who believes in what the Bible says and will choose to look at the science through the lens of the Bible rather than through the secular lens of naturalism.

So fear not. The science does exist. It is there again. Second, Peter three eight. But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day.

Psalm 90 and the Meaning of “A Thousand Years”

Couple of points to make about this. First of all, Peter is drawing from something that Moses said. Moses wrote in Psalm 90. Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations before the mountains were brought forth or ever.

You had formed the earth and the world from everlasting to everlasting. You are God. You return man to dust and say, return, oh, children of man, for a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is passed or as a watch in the night.

You sweep them away as with a flood. They are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning. In the morning, it flourishes and is renewed in the evening. It fades and withers. So here Moses is talking about judgment, and Peter is using the same words that Moses used to talk about the coming judgment of the Lord.

Do not overlook this one fact that with the Lord, just as Moses said in Psalm 90, verse four, with the Lord, one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years is one day. Vody Bokom, as he's been going through the book of Revelation, or he went through it anyway, it's a great series over the book of Revelation.

In fact, if you go to our website, WWUTT .com and you click on our links tab, you scroll down where it has notable sermons. And there is a link to all of the sermons that Vody Bokom did in his series through Revelation.

I highly encourage you to listen to it. It is a terrific series. But one of the things that Bokom drew out of that series is that the number 1000, as it appears over and over again in Revelation, and we have it appearing all the way through scripture, Psalm 90, second Peter, chapter three being another couple of locations.

It's just a reference to a large number. But we who live in an American culture today, we're hearing huge numbers get thrown out and we've kind of become jaded about the number 1000. Like every day we hear about how much debt we're in as a nation, and it's in the trillions of dollars, a number that is so huge that if that you could never count that many seconds in your lifetime.

I think one billion seconds is even over 30 years or something. And so we have these huge numbers that we're inundated with on a regular basis that the number 1000 seems kind of small by comparison. But you think of how much a thousand is like you don't regularly write checks for a thousand dollars.

And if you do regularly spend that amount of money, go to our website, WWUTT .com and click on the give tab and send us a donation. Anyway, so, so this is just a large number, it's a nondescript number, it's not literally 1000 years.

And we are being told by Peter that time exists different for God than it exists for us. We're going to exist on this earth for what, 70, 80, 90 years maybe is how long your lifespan is going to be. But with God, he has been from everlasting to everlasting.

He is the Alpha and Omega with no beginning and no end. So one day is as a thousand years, a thousand years is one day. And the Lord is slow to anger and not slow to fulfill his promises. He will wait hundreds of years as a nation is in rebellion before he enacts judgment upon them, at least as we see God bringing his judgment about upon sinful nations in the Old Testament.

They had been in those sins for hundreds of years before judgment came upon them. And so Peter is reminding us of this once again, the Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient towards you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Now, we know that not every single person will repent, but this is specifically all those whom God knows are going to come to repentance. He is staying his hand, which we all deserve the judgment that the whole world.

Deserves.

He is patient and loving and merciful because his ultimate plan is not yet fully fulfilled. And so the day of the Lord will not come until the last soul that God means to be saved is saved and then Christ will return.

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promises. Some count slowness, but is patient towards you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief and the heavens will pass away with a.

Roar.

The Day of the Lord Will Come Like a Thief

This reference to the Lord coming back like a thief is this is another reference that tends to get abused. There was the movie from back in the 70s, A Thief in the Night, the apocalyptic film about the return of Christ, a rapture is going to happen and it's going to be secret and unannounced.

People are just going to vanish and everybody who's left on earth is going to be looking around going, what just happened? But the Bible does not create this picture of a rapture happening that way. It is not going to be the secret, unannounced disappearance of people.

It's going to be bright and loud, according to the way that that Paul put it with the Thessalonians. But this this idea of a secret rapture comes from this reference of a thief, and it's just misunderstanding what is being meant here by that day coming like a thief.

Jesus used the reference. Paul used the reference. Peter is using it here as well. The first time we see it come up is in Matthew chapter 24, where Jesus says,. But concerning that day and hour, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven nor the Son, but the Father only.

For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away.

So will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field. One will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill. One will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.

But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore, you also must be ready for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.

There are many who will look at this section and they will read into it a secret rapture, but we have it reminded of us three times in these verses, 36 through 44, that this is what will happen at the coming of the Son of Man.

This is not about a secret rapture. And every other indication that we have in scripture about that day is it will be bright and loud and everybody will see it and know exactly what is going to happen.

Even Peter here is saying that the heavens will pass away with a roar and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. This is all what is going to happen at the day of the Lord's return.

So this reference to a thief is not some secret, silent rapture. It means that those who do not know that the Lord is going to return, that are not looking for his return and are not ready for that day, his return is going to be like a thief, just like somebody you would, you do not expect a thief to come into your house, that that thief comes unexpectedly and unannounced.

But to the person who is expecting the Lord to return, who is anxiously awaiting that day, that day will not come upon them as a thief. And so that's simply the reference. As Jesus made it in Matthew 24, as Paul made it with the Thessalonians, as Peter is making it here in second Peter, chapter three, the day of the Lord will come like a thief and the heavens will pass away with a roar.

The heavenly bodies burned up and dissolved and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Nothing is hidden from God. The scriptures say that the eyes of God are searching the minds and hearts of every single person.

So let us turn from our sins and seek the forgiveness of God as given to us in the sacrifice of his son, Jesus Christ. By Christ, our sins are forgiven and we stand before God as justified. To Christ, all things are given in heaven and on earth.

And it is Jesus who will judge the living and the dead at the end. So let us place our faith in Christ, our Savior, being reminded that there are those who are going to scoff us because of the faith that we have.

But the day of the Lord is coming. Praise be to God. Let us pray. Our great God and Savior, we thank you so much for the words of your apostles that remind us that there are going to be those who will ridicule us for our faith.

But we are reminded also that the day of the Lord is coming when we will be delivered from the trials and tribulations of this world. Help us to also see that because of this coming judgment, there are those who are living in this world that presently stand under the wrath of God.

So we take the gospel to them that they may hear and repent and believe and thus be spared on that day when God brings his judgment upon the world. We praise you and we thank you for your steadfast love, your mercy and your faithfulness and pray that we would exercise that same love and mercy with those who are around us as we hold forth the gospel until the day of Christ's return.

In whose name we pray.

Amen.

You've been listening to When We Understand the Text with Pastor Gabe Hughes. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, Gabe will be going through a New Testament study. Then on Thursday, we look at an Old Testament book.

On Friday, we take questions from the listeners and viewers. Tomorrow, we'll pick up on an Old Testament study, When We Understand the Text.