“...one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”(2 Peter 3:8b)

As the new year ticks in, think about time. The verse above does not say that with the Lord, one day is a thousand years. Neither does it say that a thousand years is one day. The little word “as” appears twice, and that’s important. You’ve probably heard someone say, “Well, with God, you know that one day is a thousand years, and a thousand years is one day”. The problem, of course, is that the Bible doesn’t say that. “As” means there is a comparison of a day and a thousand years. (Your English teachers called such comparisons similes, remember?)

A day and a thousand years are not the same, but because God has His own way of looking at time, the two are similar to Him. They’re not the same, but from God’s perspective they might as well be. That brings up a key question. How do you view time? The Apostle Peter urges us to view it as God does. Peter cautions that scoffers will want us to doubt whether Jesus is really coming back. They imply that if Jesus were returning he would have done so by now (2 Peter 3:3-5). The scoffers miss the mark, though, because they misunderstand time (and God). Just because something hasn’t happened for a long time, we should not assume that it won’t happen at all. What seems a long time to scoffers–a thousand years–might as well be a day. Why? Because the return of Christ is settled, even if there is a long wait for its arrival.

Don’t give up. If God has promised that something will come to pass, it will. Peter’s warning is severe: “...beloved, be not ignorant of this” (3:8a). The return of Christ is so certain that it might as well be a day away. Whether it’s a thousand years or a day from now, God’s promise is sure. Maybe we should change our greeting from “Happy New Year” to “Get Ready”.