BIBLICAL & SCIENTIFIC ANSWERS

Is One Day “As a Thousand Years”?

God is not limited by natural processes and time. God is outside of time. He created time.

“But how can the days of creation in Genesis 1 be ordinary days when the Bible says a day is like a thousand years?” Over the next few days we’ll look at eight major problems with this argument. 1. They are quoting a small section from 2 Peter 3:8. Now this is a passage from the New Testament, and you cannot use such a passage (originally written in Greek) to determine the meaning of a Hebrew word. The meaning of a Hebrew word in Genesis (e.g., yom used for the word day in Genesis 1) depends on the Hebrew language. One needs to use a Hebrew lexicon (dictionary) to determine the meaning of a Hebrew word. 2. When I’ve been asked this question, I can’t remember a time when the person asking actually quoted that passage correctly. They usually say, “But a day is like a thousand years.” That is not what the Scripture states. Let’s look at 2 Peter 3:8: “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8). Now note that the text actually states, “With the Lord one day is as a thousand years.” In other words, the reference is to God, telling us that to God a day is like a thousand years. God is not limited by natural processes and time. God is outside of time. He created time. So, to God, a day is no different than a thousand years because God exists in eternity and is not bound by time. Part 2 tomorrow.

— Ken Ham (@aigkenham) October 9, 2026