Paradise Cafe Discussions - A Place For Bible Research And Christian Encouragement

Good Morning, Everyone! :hibye: Daily Scriptural Text for Monday, February 12, 2007:

8 Don't overlook the obvious here, friends. With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. 9 God isn't late with His promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining Himself on account of you, holding back the End because He doesn't want anyone lost. He's giving everyone space and time to change.--2 Peter 3:8 (and 9), The Message Bible.

Complementary Scriptures:

78 Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us.*
--Luke 1:78, New Living Translation.

*Or, "the Morning Light from Heaven is about to visit us."
(See also 2 Peter 1:19, Revelation 2:28, Revelation 22:16, and Ephesians 3:17.)
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8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. ... 16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in His love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.--1 John 4:8 (and 16), ibid.
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9 For evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait and hope and look for [YHWH] [in the end] shall inherit the earth.

10 For yet a little while, and the evildoers will be no more; though you look with care where they used to be, they will not be found.

11 But the meek [in the end] shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
--Psalm 37:9-11, The Amplified Bible.
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My comment: As has often been discussed here and on other DB's previously, any attempt to establish an actual correlation between the Infinite Sovereign Creator and God, who is from eternity to eternity (on the one hand), and the physical phenomenon of time (on the other hand), is an exercise in futility. (Other than the obvious fact that God created time.) The simple truth is that, ... God exists outside of time. We understand that the Bible is written in such a way as to do the best possible job of conveying spiritual thoughts and matters so that we humans, with all of our limitations, can manage to at least get a conceptual grasp of what is being discussed.

The "creative days" of Genesis, chapter one, for example, are believed by many (including myself) to have each covered thousands of our earth years. Indeed the entire creative "week" of Genesis, chapter one, is itself also spoken of as a "day."

4 This is a history of the heavens and the earth in the time of their being created, in the day that Jehovah God made earth and heaven.--Genesis 2:4, New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.

(This particular "day" would be "the longest day" in terms of physical things; since it would stretch all the way back to "the beginning," spoken of in Genesis 1:1, when God Willed the physical universe and the physical realm into existence. Scientists offer compelling evidence that such may have occurred around fourteen to sixteen billion years ago.)

So, anytime we encounter the word "day" in the Scriptures, -- especially such references as "the Lord's Day" (Revelation 1:10), we need to keep these things in mind.

But, what is the main point of our Scriptural text for today? To me, it is the fact that God is gracious, merciful, patient, compassionate, and understanding toward the severe plight of mankind. In fact, some (including me) see Peter's reference to "a day," and "a thousand years" in the same context (verse 8 above) as a direct reference to the Millennial Reign (meaning "thousand-year reign") of Jesus Christ; which, then, if that be true, would be the exact same thing as "the Lord's day," already mentioned above.

I do realize that some consider that the "one thousand years" of Christ's reign and the abyssing of Satan must be a symbolic (non-literal) number, since Revelation 1:1 (ibid.) tells us:

1 A revelation by Jesus Christ, which God gave him, to show his slaves the things that must shortly take place. And he sent forth his angel and presented [it] in signs through him to his slave John.

I understand their thought process; but, I don't happen to subscribe to that conclusion. My reasoning from the Scriptures on the matter would be a bit too involved to go into right here, right now. Subject matter, perhaps, for another day.

In the meantime, as we ponder and search for accurate understanding of all things spiritual, which God and Christ have seen fit to make available to us (through the Helper) right now, let us rejoice in the Surpassing LOVE, Mercy, Tender Compassion, and Complete Understanding of our nature and our plight, ... which flow to us from our Heavenly Father and our precious Lord and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

Have A Marvelous Monday, Everybody! :ok:
We Thank You, Father, For Your Patience and Understanding! :clap:

Much LOVE to ALL! :love: isomam