But some then refer to 2 Peter 3:8 which tells us: "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." This verse is used by many who teach, by inference at least, that the days in Genesis must each be a thousand years long. This reasoning, however, is quite wrong. Turning to Psalm 90:4 we read a similar verse: "For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night." In both 2 Peter 3 and Psalm 90 the whole context is that God is neither limited by natural processes nor by time. To the contrary, God is "outside" time, for He also "created" time. Neither verse refers to the days of creation in Genesis, for they are dealing with God not being bound by time. In 2 Peter 3, the context is in relation to Christs second coming, pointing out the fact that with God a day is just like a thousand years or a thousand years is just like one day. He is outside of time. This has nothing to do with the days of creation in Genesis.

Further, in 2 Peter 3:8 the word "day" is contrasted with "a thousand years." The word "day" thus has a literal meaning which enables it to be contrasted with "a thousand years." It could not be contrasted with "a thousand years" if it didnt have a literal meaning. Thus, the thrust of the Apostles message is that God can do in a very short time what men or "nature" would require a very long time to accomplish, if they could accomplish it at all. It is interesting to note that evolutionists try to make out that the chance, random processes of "nature" required millions of years to produce man. Many Christians have accepted these millions of years, added them to the Bible and then said that God took millions of years to make everything. However, the point of 2 Peter 3:8 is that God is not limited by time, whereas evolution requires time (a very great deal of it!).

DAYS AND YEARS

In Genesis 1:14 we read that God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years." If the word "day" here is not a literal day, then the word "years" being used in the same verse would be meaningless.

DAY AND COVENANT