Daily life with Jesus by Grahame Howard: The Measure of Time

Monday 10 February 2020

The Measure of Time

"But beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day.' 2 Peter 3:8. NKJV

What happens to time when we die? Well, from today's reading, we can discern that time appears to stand still - it ceases. To God, time is not a problem. This may answer why we have to wait so long for answers to our prayers. A day to Him is like a thousand years and a thousand years, like a day. It is timeless because we're into eternity.

This explains why, when we read scripture, it seems like Jesus' coming is imminent. The early followers of Jesus believed this would happen in their lifetime. Yet it didn't.

In 2 Peter 3:4 we read that scoffers were saying:

'Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.'

Wherever you are, there will always be the people who raise difficult and contentious questions. Really though, the answer. is in today's text 2 Peter 3:8:

'with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day.'

To God there is no time, so for instance, Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected and ascended some 2000 years ago, but to Our Father, it is just like two days. To the observer it is a long time, to God hardly any time at all.

Jesus, when He was on the cross, had two criminals beside Him, who had suffered the same fate. One was blasphemous towards Jesus while the other defending Him said to Jesus, 'Lord, remember me when You come into Your Kingdom.' And Jesus said to him, 'Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.' Luke 23:42-43. Note the word, 'today.' Jesus confirmed that when we die, we go straight into Heaven.

Over the years, some have denied this, stating that we will be in the grave until all Christians are raptured, when Jesus comes for His church. However, this tells a different story. If there is no time attached to God then, when a person dies, time ceases to be for them. To the grieving family, that person is in the grave and as long as that family live, it appears that way. But that is only their shell, their old body. Time has ceased, the person who dies goes straight into Heaven, with a new body, to be with Jesus and the other Christians. To the one left behind, there is loneliness because they're in the grave. But to the person who has died, they have been instantly transported to Paradise.