i’m not saying that at all. I was saying that Peter is referring to Moses Psalm as a reminder not to lose hope like others might do. Don’t start saying as the scoffers do “where is the promise of his coming?” Because to God, time is nothing. A couple of thousand years is virtually nothing to him.

I wasn’t referring to Jesus talking in the same mode at all. I’m really not sure what you mean about twisting things to appear right. What Peter says regarding God’s sense of time has nothing to do with what Jesus said about the last days at all—-and I wasn’t inferring such at all.

I meant to say “not for what you want God to do for you”

But Jesus was in human form, and he was talking to humans so that they could pass this word on to other humans so that more humans could learn about what exactly Jesus came to Earth for — to preach and teach and save humans. There’s no reason to believe that all of the times Jesus mentions the second coming being immediate and happening within his disciples’ generation and lifetimes that he is speaking in God years, because that would be misleading.

Matthew 12:40, “40For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

Using your logic, Jesus shouldn’t have been resurrected three human days after he died, he should be resurrected in about a thousand or so years, give or take a few centuries. But of course, you wouldn’t apply that thousand years is but a day to this verse, but you would apply it to another verse but a few chapters away, for no reason other than to twist clear-cut sentences to make yourself appear right. I find this silly word-bending by apologetics to be extremely dishonest and a cowardly way to hang on to one’s fallacious beliefs. Regardless, I now realize that what I’m doing is an exersise in futility, so I’ll stop. Good day.

What I find interesting about that is that I can look back on my own prayer life, and my “walk with the Lord” as we Christians like to call it, and see that love for the Lord is what should be the motivating factor of prayer. When I have lived carnally in the past (and I admit this has happened), attempting to be a Christian, and still holding onto things I know in my heart are not right, my prayers are much different. Because of conviction of conscience I approach God for “things”, and complain a lot. “Why don’t you do this? Why don’t you do that? How could you let this happen to me? What are you doing? etc. etc. I am literally demanding that God answer me, or do things the way I want them done. I can remember saying to God “You have power over everything—you have power over billions and billions of dollars. All I need is $30,000.00 grand and I could start all over again. Why won’t you give it to me?? A good father would help his kid out–why won’t you!!??” LOL LOL LOL I actually prayed that prayer a few years back. Like some little kid “demanding” a new bicycle from his father.

But when I am walking “in the Spirit” (again as we Christians refer to it) my prayers are very much different. I want to please God and love God and do what’s right by God. I don’t care about what I get—–I want what He wants for me, because I know it will be best. My prayers are not about “things”—they are for salvation of family and friends, and for open doors for the Gospel in other countries, and for co-workers who have problems, and that in all of it God might get the glory. What I ask for myself is that he will use me. I ask God for a heart like David (when he was a shepherd), or Daniel, or Joseph, or Job—that I might do all for the glory of God. And in this I draw so much closer to the Lord.

If we approach God in unbelief, “demanding” answers, how is he possibly going to respond? It is not according to his Word or his promise, or his very nature to do so. I often have to remind myself “Humble yourselves under the Mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in “due time”, casting ALL your cares upon Him, for he cares for you” (1 Pet. 5:7). Humbling
oneself, and realizing that God really does care for us, despite what we feel, despite our doubts, will lead to peace and greater faith. And you will begin to pray for what God wants—-not what you want—what God wants to do in the world, not for what I want God to do for you.

I know this will most likely be met with scoffing, but I can truly look back, and see how differently I have prayed at times, and how much unbelief resulted in one direction, yet how much joy and faith came from walking and praying in the right way.

Actually Peter is quoting Moses from Psalm 90:

For a thousand years in your sight
are like a day that has just gone by,
or like a watch in the night. (90:4)

The reason being that God is outside of time. We are like people standing on a parade route—-we only see what is directly in front of us. We see one float at a time, one band at a time pass by. We an remember what has passed by, and see just a bit of what is coming.

But God is like a person above the parade in a helicopter–he can see the beginning of the parade all the way to the end all at the same time. Time is nothing to Him whatsoever. When He makes a promise it may take two thousand years to be fulfilled–but IT WILL be fulfilled. He tells you what is at the end of the parade, because He knows.

I’m familiar with Peter’s verse. However, he was offering up an excuse to the skeptics of his day to counter scoffers, as you say. His assertion that Jesus meant anything other than what he and all of the other disciples had been constantly repeating throughout the New Testament is unfounded and baseless. Jesus said that the time was near multiple times. Paul said it, multiple times. James said it. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John said it. What reason do I have to take Peter’s word for it over 6 other people and one God?

I have no reason to believe that Jesus was being willfully ambiguous and misleading by not clarifying what he meant to his disciples, and Peter’s verse is the sole one that makes such an excuse, because all of the others are telling believers to essentially pack their things and be ready to move — Paul even tells believers to cease having sex with their wives to await Jesus’ return.

James 5:7-9, “ 7Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. 8You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. 9Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!”

It really doesn’t get much clearer than that. Also, even Peter seems confused, and by reading his previous epistle, it becomes clear that he was merely engaging in baseless apologetics.

1 Peter 4:7, “ 7The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.“

I agree with what you are saying. There is an urgency mentioned about Christ’s return. Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians is one of the few, or maybe only time he says that they should not be deceived because Christ is NOT coming as quickly as they think he is.

But one thing to remember—they often say things such as “we are in the last time” or “children, it is the last time”. Peter talks about the scoffers in the “Last Days” who will ask “where is the promise of his coming”? But he then adds “remember, a day with the Lord is like a thousand years, and thousand years as one day”. To US, 2000 years is a very long time to be waiting, but to Jesus it has only been a couple of days since he ascended. (not that I think 1000 years is literally one day in “God time” LOL—it’s a reference meaning that a 1000 years is a drop in the bucket to God—it is no time at all).

So the urgency is in the Scriptures, as the scriptures will be used by all generations of Christians, none knowing exactly when he will come. There is still an urgency though—to be watchful—to look for the signs of his coming. As I mentioned, Israel’s return as a nation, and the huge increase of Islam and terrorism, and the hatred of Israel and threats to destroy her, are extremely important signs of prophecy being fulfilled.

If you don’t believe, then of course this is all hogwash—granted. But if you are a believer, knowing that time is nothing to God, and the signs are being fulfilled right in front of you, it is a time of great excitement to be alive.

I guess we’re all safe to ignore you, then, as the Antichrist hasn’t appeared.

Snuggly–

I was referring to Paul (circa AD 60) telling them that many things had to happen before Jesus would return. It has been almost 2000 years since he told them that. He was simply stating to them that it was way too early at that point to be looking for the return of Christ.

So now we need to learn Greek to understand the Bible?

No—I didn’t say that. But it is important to listen to scholars who know Greek who can interpret verb tenses—-or different meanings of one word used. “This generation” could refer to a future generation, the generation then in existence, a specific group of people (the Jews perhaps)–a Greek scholar can interpret the verb tense being used, or the various defintions of the word that can be used. That’s why on difficult passages it can be good to read a few commentaries to see what scholars who know Greek have said. You don’t need a Greek scholar to know that God says he loves the world in John 3:16, but in a difficult passage like the one we are discussing in Matthew, a Greek scholar can definitely help.

There are numerous verses regarding the urgency and immediacy of the second coming that was felt during the early Church. They most definitely interpreted Jesus words correctly; he stated that he was coming within their lifetimes, and they wrote as so.

1 Corinthians 7:29-31, “What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.”

Matthew 10:21-23, ” 21″Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 22All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 23When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.”

Hebrews 10:32-37, “32Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. 33Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.

35So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 36You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37For in just a very little while,
“He who is coming will come and will not delay.”

Regarding the requirement of a huge apostasy, read this verse in 1st John.

1 John 2:18-19, ” 18Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. 19They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.”

It’s quite explicit that he’s detailing apostates who went out from us, because they did not belong to us. This is a clear-as-day description of a mass apostasy that is being described, and which fulfills the requirement that you mention that Paul outlined. Furthermore, the writer of this passage laces it with mentions of the last hour.