3:8-9 What does Peter mean that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day?
3:8-9 What does Peter mean that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day?
While the false teachers scoffed at the promise of Christ's second coming because of the time that had elapsed, Peter reminds believers that the delay only seems long because of our time perspective.
But God is not subject to time as we are; He inhabits eternity, and the passing of a thousand years is no different to Him than the passing of one day so far as the events He foretells are concerned (CP V1-4 with Psa 90:1-4; Isa 57:15).
It is not slackness on God's part that delays Christ's second coming, but His "longsuffering" - His patience toward sinners. By delaying the second coming, God provides further opportunity for sinners to repent and be saved (CP 2 Pe 3:15 with Psa 86:15; Isa 30:18; Mt 24:14; Ro 2:4; 9:22).
God does not wish anyone to perish (CP Eze 33:11; Ro 11:32; 1Ti 2:1-4).
The only way to hasten Christ's second coming is for believers to continue faithfully in the work He has assigned to them and to persevere in prayer, in spite of continued opposition and rejection, for God's will to be done on earth (CP 2Pe 3:10-12 with Lu 17:20 - 18:8).
See also comments on Mt 24:1-3, 25:14-30, Lu 18:1-8, 19:11-27.
(Evolutionists cite 2 Pe 3:8 to show that the six days of creation in Gen 1 are only symbolic and represent long periods of time, even billions of years, but Peter is not saying here that a day equals a thousand years with God.
He is simply making the point that God is outside of time as He is the creator of time, and so the passage of a real, literal day is like a thousand years to Him.
Peter is not talking about creation at all here anyway, but of the Lord's patience toward sinners).