GOD’S TIME AND OUR TIME

(2 Pet 3:8 NIV) But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.

This is a verse that, it seems to me, is not very well understood. Well, perhaps I am not right, but I feel compelled to explain my view of it as best as I can.

As I examine the verse it seems to me that God is saying that a thousand of man’s years is like only a day in His time.

He says this from His angle, “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years” and then turns the same concept around and states the same thing from man’s point of view, “a thousand years are like a day”.

Now, God does not say that one of His days is exactly a thousand of man’s years. He plainly says “like” a thousand years. In other words, it seems to me that He is saying one of His days is a very long time, when compared to our standard of time.

God says the same thing in Psalms (Psa 90:4 NIV) For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.

One can see that there is no standard set that man’s time can be converted into God’s time. Man’s time is based on the sun and the moon (Genesis 1:14-18).

It seems to me that God’s days are based on what He wants to accomplish and not on any set standard.

I say this because I understand that the seven days that the Bible starts with are God’s days and not man’s days.

First, notice that two days had past before God made the sun and moon to govern man’s days. Also man was yet to be created, so even though the standard for man’s days was created, without man, the days cannot be man’s days.

As you contemplate the days of creation please notice that there is no night. The verses all say “And there was evening, and there was morning”. There is no mention of night. Light is a symbol of God. Where there is light, there is God.

There is more that I see in these verses. In verse 5 God says, “And there was evening, and there was morning–the first day” (NIV). I see that as saying what came after this was the first day and what was before it happened before God made time. This is important for understanding.

As I walked through the days of creation, it seems to me that man was made on the fifth day and the Old Testament describes everything of importance that happened in the sixth day.

Genesis 2:1-3 are prophecy about the future. We know this because Jesus said, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.”

If the days in the first chapter of Genesis were man’s days, God would have entered His rest every sixth day and then came back to work on Sunday, only to repeat the ritual.

We know that God gives life and God takes it away, and we know that there is no day in our time that these two things do not happen. So, it is clear to me that God has not entered His rest.

I believe that we are in the seventh day. I think that the seventh day began when Jesus was born (Mat 4:16 NIV) the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” I think that was a description of the dawn of the seventh day. It is a different day. A day that everyone, who wants light, may have light. That was not possible before Jesus came.

The Jews were told, “(Exo 16:23 NIV) He said to them, “This is what the LORD commanded: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.'”” They were told “Tomorrow” would be a day of rest and I believe that “Tomorrow” is the seventh of the days of creation: not the next day in their (man’s) time.

I could go on and on. The Jews were told not to work on the Sabbath and we are told that works do not save. The Jews were told to eat the bread from Heaven and we are told to eat Communion. I will only confuse you, if I attempt to tell you everything that I understand.

I probably already confused most.

By the way, if you understand that the days of creation in Genesis are God’s time, then you can see that scientists are correct when they say the universe is millions of years old.

THE PUZZLE

I believe that God has given me an illustration to explain the importance of searching out His Word, which is the Bible.

I am posting this for those who do not follow all of the comments. (I really don’t blame you if you do not)

Our Father has given us a great gift in the Bible, and as one studies it, one of the things that stands out is that we must search out understanding. (Prov 25:2 NIV) “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.”

You see, God hides understanding and wisdom from everyone. One must search it out to acquire it. That is not too hard to understand if you look at it through the eyes of our Father. He has given us everything that we have. Even the lost has been given all that they have, though they do not grant God the least respect or gratitude. If one doesn’t care to search out wisdom and understanding, then he or she, in my opinion, just doesn’t care very much about God.

I believe that God wants children. Not just any children, but children that want to be His children. Eternal life is one of the rewards of becoming a child of God, but that is a reward, not the goal of becoming a child of God. The goal is to love God and to reach that goal requires understanding God. God is only revealed completely in His Word: the Bible.

Everyone wants to live forever. I believe that it is wrong to turn to God if the only reason is to acquire eternal life. It is true that eternal life is one of the reasons that humans turn to God, because His Word says “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (Psa 111:10 NIV) and we all fear death. Even the Muslim that states he loves death shows that he does not, because he wants to live forever in a paradise of his own desires, but the fate of anyone else is of no concern to him. That is not the kind of children God wants. The person that has no regard for others would have no regard for God, when they did not get what they want.

Well, enough of the lead in, here is the illustration.

The Bible, which is the Word of God, is like a jigsaw puzzle. This puzzle is offered to everyone, but those who do not care or appreciate the God of the universe will not even take the gift. Some will take the gift, but will not even try to assemble it!

The picture that is produced when the puzzle is assembled is shown plainly on the box that the puzzle comes in. It is the same puzzle, with the same picture, that is offered to all mankind: each individual. It should be obvious that one does not assemble a jigsaw puzzle in order to discover what the picture looks like, because the picture is on the box. A jigsaw puzzle is assembled to see how the pieces fit together, that is the challenge; not to just see the picture. The picture can sometimes be used as a clue and other times as proof of proper assembly.

God’s jigsaw puzzle is the Bible and the pieces are the verses. The proper thing to do is to take the Puzzle to a quiet place, dump it out and start to assemble the pieces (verses) so that you can understand how they fit together. God even numbered the pieces of the Puzzle and we call the pieces verses.

This blog is an attempt, by me, to show you how I have put the pieces of my Puzzle together. It is only an attempt to help you solve your Puzzle. No one can put your Puzzle together but you.

If I could assemble your Puzzle for you, I would be responsible to do so, but then you would place your trust in me and not the Lord. So God will not allow it, and rightly so, as I am only a man, full of sin, defiled, and not worthy to reveal God to anyone.

So you might say that it is not important to put the pieces together, because you already know the picture. The picture on the box shows that there is a God and that God loves man and saves those who turn to Him. Well, even the lost can see that.

As I assembled my Puzzle I found that oil represents understanding and understanding is worth all that I have.

Then there is the parable, the part of the picture that indicates oil is important. That is Matthew 25:1-12.

Do not be found to be without oil. Get as much as you can.

Consider the part of my Puzzle that God has shown me.

(Prov 4:1-7 NIV) “Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding. I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching. When I was a boy in my father’s house, still tender, and an only child of my mother, he taught me and said, “Lay hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands and you will live. Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” Do not stop at verse seven, but read the rest of the chapter as it supports the first part, “Though it cost all you have, get understanding”.

So, do not look for wisdom in me, or your friends, or your favorite preacher, or any Commentary, or anything but the Word of God. That is your Puzzle and the greatest gift God gives to the living. Appreciate it, study it, live it as best as you can, even if it cost all that you have.

Aw, but what do you own but yourself? Give everything back to God, because you really do not own anything and God will honor your truth and your trust.

The best advice that I can give is for you to go to a quiet place, dump out your Puzzle, and begin to put it together.