But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. 2 Peter 3:8-9
The time-space continuum is a mathematical model that requires the joining together of time and space to accurately describe places, events, action, and history. It was posited in 1906 by Albert Einstein’s math professor Hermann Minkowski, after Einstein announced his theory of relativity. This time-space continuum is a creation of God for us as humans living on earth. A distortion or disruption of the time-space continuum is known as a time warp. While described as hypothetical, the time warp is a popular phenomenon in science fiction. In a time warp, time itself can be lengthen or shortened.
Peter tells us in today’s verses that God is not bound by the time-space continuum. Because of this, God operates totally in a self-regulated time warp. For God, one day is as a thousand, and a thousand as one day. This helps us to understand why the “soon” spoken of by Jesus and others in reference to Christ’s return lingers on for thousands of years. He is not being slow, time is meaningless to Him. He is being patient to give more opportunity for repentance and salvation.
Peter reminds us at the end of his letter that God’s patience is a good and merciful thing. As we wait for His perfect timing, we are challenged to live peaceful, pure and blameless lives.
Personal reflection: Are you eagerly anticipating Christ’s return? Let us wait patiently and live our lives to please Him.