The Prophets Longed For What We Have Now
Praised (honored, blessed) be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)! By His boundless mercy we have been born again to an ever-living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 [Born anew] into an inheritance which is beyond the reach of change and decay [imperishable], unsullied and unfading, reserved in heaven for you, 5 Who are being guarded (garrisoned) by God’s power through [your] faith [till you fully inherit that final] salvation that is ready to be revealed [for you] in the last time. 6 [You should] be exceedingly glad on this account, though now for a little while you may be distressed by trials and suffer temptations, 7 So that [the genuineness] of your faith may be tested, [your faith] which is infinitely more precious than the perishable gold which is tested and purified by fire. [This proving of your faith is intended] to redound to [your] praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) is revealed. 8 Without having seen Him, you love Him; though you do not [even] now see Him, you believe in Him and exult and thrill with inexpressible and glorious (triumphant, heavenly) joy. 9 [At the same time] you receive the result (outcome, consummation) of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:3-9 AMP
All those, who have received Jesus as Lord and Savior, have every reason to rejoice and praise the Father for the great things He has done for us through Jesus. By His boundless mercy, we are born anew into an imperishable inheritance, reserved in heaven for us. We are being guarded by God’s power through our faith until we get to heaven and enjoy the fullness of our salvation. This great future should give us hope and make us glad, even though we may go through trials and suffer temptations here on earth. The genuineness of our faith is being tested like gold, which is purified by fire, and will be commended by Jesus when we see him. We haven’t seen Him and yet He is real to us through faith – we love Him and believe in Him and exult with heavenly joy. At the same time, His Spirit is working in us and bringing us closer to Him.
The prophets, who prophesied of the grace (divine blessing) which was intended for you, searched and inquired earnestly about this salvation. 11 They sought [to find out] to whom or when this was to come which the Spirit of Christ working within them was indicating when He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that should follow [them]. 12 It was then disclosed to them that the services they were rendering were not meant for themselves and their period of time, but for you. [It is these very] things which have now already been made known plainly to you by those who preached the good news (the Gospel) to you by the [same] Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Into these things [the very] angels long to look! 1 Peter 1:10-12 AMP
The prophets who prophesied about Jesus – His life, death, burial and resurrection – prophesied by the Spirit of God; not by their own will. 2 Peter 1:20-21 AMP says: “[Yet] first [you must] understand this, that no prophecy of Scripture is [a matter] of any personal or private or special interpretation (loosening, solving). 21 For no prophecy ever originated because some man willed it [to do so — it never came by human impulse], but men spoke from God who were borne along (moved and impelled) by the Holy Spirit.”
The Spirit of Christ worked in them and predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. They searched and earnestly inquired and sought to find out who the Messiah was and when He would appear, but it was revealed to them that it was not for them or for their time period. How blessed are we, that we should be so privileged to live in this Church dispensation! What a privilege we have, to not only be able to have seen the fulfillment of these prophecies, which have already taken place, and passed down to us by those who actually walked with Jesus; but to be recipients of God’s grace and to experience the brand new heart that King David and the prophet Ezekiel spoke of!
Even the angels long to look into these things and experience what we experience, but they cannot. We are the redeemed of God! How truly blessed we are! Words could never express the blessing and privilege of this new life: being washed in His blood, the forgiveness of sin, sin having no more power over us, walking in His grace and resurrection life, filled with His Spirit, seated in heavenly places with Jesus, anointed with power and authority, children of the Most High and welcomed into His family.
For all that God has done for us – the least we can do is to fully appreciate what we have and to serve Him with all of our heart. We are purchased with the precious blood of Christ! He is holy and so we must be holy, too.
So brace up your minds; be sober (circumspect, morally alert); set your hope wholly and unchangeably on the grace (divine favor) that is coming to you when Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is revealed. 14 [Live] as children of obedience [to God]; do not conform yourselves to the evil desires [that governed you] in your former ignorance [when you did not know the requirements of the Gospel]. 15 But as the One Who called you is holy, you yourselves also be holy in all your conduct and manner of living. 16 For it is written, You shall be holy, for I am holy. 17 And if you call upon Him as [your] Father Who judges each one impartially according to what he does, [then] you should conduct yourselves with true reverence throughout the time of your temporary residence [on the earth, whether long or short]. 18 You must know (recognize) that you were redeemed (ransomed) from the useless (fruitless) way of living inherited by tradition from [your] forefathers, not with corruptible things [such as] silver and gold, 19 But [you were purchased] with the precious blood of Christ (the Messiah), like that of a [sacrificial] lamb without blemish or spot. 1 Peter 1:13-19 AMP