lanthano – Ministry of Grace Church

But do not let this thing be hidden from you, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.

Truth to Learn

God is always present … everywhere and at all times.

Behind the Words

The word “hidden” is translated from lanthanō, which we looked at back in verse five. It means “to lie hidden” or “to be unaware of.” So, a better translation of the beginning of this verse would be, “But do not ignore this one thing …”

Meaning Explained

Today’s verse is one of those which people seem to delight in pulling out of context and using as a proof text for bizarre doctrines (like the earth wasn’t really created in seven days but in seven eons). However, instead of talking about what this verse doesn’t mean, let’s talk about what it does mean.

First of all, Peter is refuting those who claim that the Messiah (the Christ) is not coming because the message of His coming has been proclaimed for thousands of years, and there is no more evidence of it today than there was when it was first proclaimed. These scoffers claim that everything is continuing on without change for all this time, and there is no chance for a change any time soon.

Peter first refuted this by saying that things have not continued in the same way always, and he cites the flood of Noah’s day as an example. He also warns that there will be another judgment of the earth and its inhabitants; this time by fire.

Now for Peter’s second rebuttal of the scoffers’ belief in uniformitarianism. First, though, he warns his readers, “Do not ignore this one thing.” It is his way of saying that the following is a very important thing to learn: “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.”

So what does this phrase really mean? Just this: God is not bound by time. It’s as simple as that! He is right now in eternity past, He is also in eternity future, and He is everywhere in between. Christ, Himself, expressed it when He was arguing with the Jews:

Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am." (John 8:58)

The expression “I am” means that in every point of time, God is there in the present. It is not just a matter that God has always existed and will always exist but that He simultaneously exists in all points of time and eternity. Therefore, to Him, a moment in time is the same as a thousand years, is the same as a day. That’s what Peter is saying. And, since God is not bound by time, the argument (that it has been thousands of years since the message was first preached and He still hasn’t come) has no bearing in the matter at all.

Application

The next time you find yourself getting impatient with God, wondering why He hasn’t answered your prayers yet, keep in mind that God knows the end from the beginning. He is already there and He knows precisely the right time to help you in your “hour” of need.

In God's service, for His glory,

For this is hidden from them by their own determination, that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by the word of God.

Truth to Learn

The world system today chooses to ignore God’s truth.

Behind the Words

“Determination” is translated from a form of thelō, which means “to wish or to will.” But it implies more than simple desire because it carries an intention with it. Hence, it is often translated as “to determine.”

The word “hidden” is translated from the Greek word lanthanō, which is from a primitive root lath, meaning “to escape notice.” The word lanthanō means “to lie hidden” or “to be unaware of.”

The words “long ago” are from ekpalai, meaning “from a long time ago.”

Meaning Explained

Today’s verse is a very difficult one to translate accurately as evidenced by the wide variety of translations that exist. It literally starts out with, “for determining to be unaware of …”

The thing that they are intentionally unaware of is explained in the following phrase: “that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by the word of God” This, too, is a difficult phrase to translate, but it appears to mean that the heavens were created a long time ago by the word of God, the earth was once formed by the word of God out of water.

The first of these is pretty easy to understand. “Long ago by God's word the heavens existed;” that is, they existed, or came into being, a long time ago, and the instrument which brought the heavens into being was the Word of God. The next phrase, “and the earth was formed out of water and by the word of God,” This is explained in the second verse of Genesis, “And the earth was without form and empty. And darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved on the face of the waters.” In this verse from Genesis, the word translated “the deep” can be referring to “surging waves of water.” We can clearly see from Genesis 1:2 that the earth was covered with water, and land was formed from the midst of it.

What today’s verse is telling us is that these scoffers have made a conscious decision not to believe reality because they don’t want to admit that God exists. They cannot understand the reality of God’s creation because they willingly ignore the truth. As a result, they have to make up theories that explain all that exists around us apart from a creator God.

Application

Just because all of our public schools teach that all matter spontaneously came into being at the Big Bang doesn’t make it so. Just because they teach that life spontaneously came into being and evolved into all life forms we see today, without God, doesn’t make it so. People don’t have to believe these lies, but they choose to because they reject God. Do you choose to believe the Word of God or humanistic lies?

In God's service, for His glory,

Ministry of Grace Church

Tag: lanthano

2 Peter 3:8 – He Always Is

2 Peter 3:5 – Intentional Ignorance