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Scripture Reading: 1 Pet. 1:10-12
In 1:10 and 11 Peter says, “Concerning which salvation the prophets, who prophesied concerning the grace unto you, sought out and searched out, searching into what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ in them made clear, witnessing beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories after these.” In the foregoing message we pointed out that in verse 11 Peter refers not only to what time but also to what manner of time Christ would suffer and be glorified. It is rather easy to understand what time, but it is difficult to understand what Peter means by what manner of time.
Genesis 3:15 says, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; and it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” According to this verse, the seed of the woman would bruise the head of the serpent, and the serpent would bruise his heel. This means that Christ would bruise the head of Satan and that Satan would bruise Christ’s heel. To bruise the head is to kill, but to bruise the heel is to hurt. This word concerning the serpent bruising Christ’s heel points to His suffering. When Christ came to deal with Satan on the cross, He suffered. If we research Genesis 3:15 carefully, we shall see that this verse speaks of the suffering of Christ. What is described in Genesis 3:15 is exactly what Christ did to Satan, and what Satan did to Christ.
Isaiah 53 speaks of what manner of time Christ suffered. If you research Isa. 53, you will see that this chapter reveals the manner of time of Christ’s crucifixion. This chapter speaks clearly about Christ’s death in plain words, just as the New Testament does. But probably none of us has searched this chapter to find out the manner of time in which Christ died.
The first verse of Isaiah 53 says, “Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?” This verse indicates that Christ came to suffer at a time that was full of unbelief, at a time when God’s people were not believing in Him. The prophet asked the question: “Who hath believed our report?” The prophet reported, preached, made an announcement, but no one listened to him. This means that when Christ came, the people of God were full of unbelief. That was the manner of time. Christ did not come at a time when the people of God were filled with faith and everyone had a strong belief in God. No, He came at a time when God’s people did not have belief in Him. The prophets knew this. They knew what manner of time Christ would come.
In Isaiah 6 the prophet indicates that God’s people were not willing to listen to His word: “And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.” (Isa. 6:9-10). The Lord Jesus quoted this word in Matthew 13, and Paul also quoted it in Acts 28. The quotation of this word by the Lord Jesus and by Paul indicates that the time Christ came to suffer for the accomplishment of God’s redemption was a time of unbelief.
Furthermore, according to Daniel 9, it was a time of captivity. If we read concerning the seventy weeks and study the context, we shall understand that the seventy weeks are a time of captivity. This is a further indication of the manner of time when Christ would come. It was to be a time of captivity. Christ actually did come at such a time. According to Daniel 9:26, “after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off.” This refers to the crucifixion of Christ, which was during a time of captivity. Both Isaiah 53 and Daniel 9 indicate the manner of time Christ would come to suffer for us.
Peter may have been a fisherman, but he was also an excellent writer. He spent a great deal of time studying the Old Testament. He found out into what the prophets had searched, and he had the boldness to say that while the prophets were searching, the Spirit of Christ was in them. As we pointed out in the previous message, the constitution of the Spirit of Christ is dispensational. This means that the Spirit of Christ was constituted dispensationally through and with Christ’s death and resurrection. However, the function of this Spirit is eternal, because He is the eternal Spirit (Heb. 9:14). Regarding the constitution of the Spirit of Christ, time is a factor. But regarding the function of the Spirit of Christ, time is not a factor. The Spirit of God was sufficient and adequate for creation, but for the carrying out of God’s full salvation and for the application of this salvation, there is the need of the Spirit of Christ. When the Old Testament prophets were searching into what manner of time Christ would come to suffer, the Spirit of Christ was working in them. This means that the Spirit of the Triune God — the all-inclusive life-giving Spirit of Christ — was operating in them. According to function, there is no difference between the Spirit’s work in the prophets and His work in the apostles. It was the same Spirit with the same function.
First and 2 Peter were written to Jewish believers. The Jews knew God, and they trusted in the sprinkling of animal blood. Although they knew God, they did not know Him as the Father of Christ. Furthermore, they knew the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Jehovah, but they did not know the Spirit of Christ. In 1:2 Peter purposely uses the expression “sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ” to differentiate this sprinkling from the sprinkling of animal blood in the Old Testament. Furthermore, in 1:3 he speaks of “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” to distinguish the God of the Christians from the God of the Jews. Now we see that he even used the term “the Spirit of Christ” instead of the Spirit of God in order to make yet another distinction. Peter was seeking to convince the Jewish believers that even the Old Testament prophets were the same as New Testament Christians. The Spirit of Christ who is in New Testament Christians was also working in the Old Testament prophets.
As a rule, in the Old Testament times the Spirit was upon the saints, not in them. But here, based on the principle of the eternal function of the Spirit of Christ, is an exception: we are told that the Spirit of Christ was working in the Old Testament prophets. Peter says that the Spirit of Christ in them made the prophets clear concerning what manner of time Christ would suffer. It is a shame that so many of the New Testament believers are not clear about this. Probably only now do you understand what Peter means by what manner of time Christ would suffer.
Peter’s expression “what manner of time” implies a great deal. It indicates to the Jewish believers that the manner of time of Christ’s coming was a time of unbelief. This is also the manner of time in which we live today. In Peter’s day not many Jews believed in the Lord Jesus. Rather, those who believed suffered persecution. The unbelieving Jews challenged the Jewish believers, saying, “Look, what a small number believe in your Jesus! Why are you so foolish as to believe in a Nazarene who was put on the cross?” The manner of time of Christ’s coming surely was a manner of unbelief. It is the same today. We should not expect many Jews to believe in the Lord Jesus. The manner of time of Christ’s coming is unbelief. This means that unbelief is a characteristic of the time of Christ’s coming. Isaiah asked, “Who has believed our report?” Peter certainly saw this unbelief in those of his day. Peter reported, but very few Jews responded. That was the manner of time. Many Christians today expect to have a great revival. That, however, is against the principle that the manner of time of Christ’s coming is characterized by unbelief.
Peter’s composition may not be refined, but he was nevertheless a giant in spiritual experiences. He may not have had a thorough knowledge of the Greek language, but he surely knew spiritual experience. In using his limited knowledge of the Greek language, Peter tried his best to put the aspects of his experience into words. In particular, he put a lot in 1:11. I would like to follow Peter in caring for spiritual experience and for the riches of Christ rather than for language.
In verse 11 Peter says that the prophets witnessed beforehand “the sufferings of Christ and the glories after these.” Christ first suffered and then entered into glory (Luke 24:26). We should follow Him in the same steps (1 Pet. 4:13; Rom. 8:17). The sufferings of Christ, as revealed to the prophets and prophesied by them in Psa. 22:1, 6-8, 12-18; Isa. 53:2-10a, Isa. 53:12b; Dan. 9:26 and Zech. 12:10 and Zech. 13:6-7, are for the accomplishment of God’s redemption, which has solved all the problems between man and God, and terminated the old creation on the negative side, and has released the eternal life of God for the fulfillment of His eternal purpose on the positive side.
The glories of Christ are for His glorification, which He asked of the Father before His crucifixion (John 17:1), and which is for the execution of God’s New Testament economy for the carrying out of God’s eternal purpose. The sufferings of Christ and the glorification of Christ with the glories in different steps — the factors of God’s full redemption and salvation — being applied to us and experienced by us, equal the salvation mentioned in 1 Peter 1:5, 9-10. This is what the prophets in the Old Testament sought and searched out, what the Spirit of Christ revealed to them, what the apostles preached in the New Testament by the Holy Spirit, and what the angels longed to look into (v. 12).
Literally “of Christ” is “unto Christ.” The sufferings Christ endured were sufferings assigned to Him by God (Isa. 53:10). Hence, they are of Him, belonging to Him.
The glories are in different steps: the glory in Christ’s resurrection (Luke 24:26; Acts 3:13), the glory in His ascension (Acts 2:33; Heb. 2:9), the glory in His return (Rev. 18:1; Matt. 25:31), and the glory in His reign (2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 20:4, 6), as revealed in Psa. 16:8-10; 22:21-22; 118:22-24, 118:26; 110:1, 4; Zech. 14:4-5; Dan. 7:13-14 and Psa. 24:7-10; 72:8-11.
It is unusual for the word glory to be used in the plural. Do you know of another writing that speaks of glories? Abstract nouns are not usually used in the plural. Solid nouns, however, are often used in the plural. Glory is an abstract noun. But to Peter glory is not abstract; on the contrary, it is very solid.
According to Peter’s understanding, Christ has many glories, one glory after another. He has a glory in resurrection, another glory in ascension, and other glories in enthronement, lordship, kingship, and reigning. He has a glory in His humanity and another glory in His divinity.
Christ does not have only one kind of glory; He has many glories. The prophets searched into these glories. They learned what time Christ would come to suffer and what time He would enter into all His glories.
In verse 12 Peter goes on to say, “To whom it was revealed that not to themselves, but to you they ministered these things, which have now been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven; which things angels long to look into.” “These things” refer to the sufferings of Christ and His glories. The Old Testament prophets ministered the sufferings and glories of Christ to the New Testament believers.
These things have been announced to us through those who preached the gospel. The ones who preached the gospel were the apostles of the New Testament. The prophets searched and prophesied; the apostles preached. The preaching of the apostles is the Spirit’s practical application of God’s salvation in the New Testament. Both the prophesying of the prophets and the preaching of the apostles were the application of the Spirit. This means that the Spirit applies God’s full salvation by two instrumentalities, the prophesying of the prophets and the preaching of the apostles.
In my ministry I am preaching. I believe that through this preaching the Spirit is applying God’s full salvation to you. It is not my goal actually to train anyone. Instead, I simply preach Christ, the death of Christ, and the different glories of Christ. Each preaching is an application of the Spirit. Those who attend the meetings of the ministry are under the application of the Spirit of Christ. My greatest joy is to see the saints receive Christ through the application of the Spirit. I am especially happy to see the second generation growing up in the church life. My heart leaps when I see that they are receiving the application of God’s salvation through this ministry and by the Spirit.
I encourage you all to go forth and preach Christ. The apostles are not the only ones who can preach. As long as you preach Christ, you are included among those who preach the gospel by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.
Peter ends verse 12 with the words “which things angels long to look into.” The Greek word rendered “look into” portrays one stooping and stretching the neck to look at some wonderful sight. This shows how interested the angels are in observing the things concerning Christ for God’s salvation. They declared and celebrated the Savior’s birth (Luke 2:8-14), they rejoice over the sinner repenting to receive salvation (Luke 15:10), and they are happy to serve those who inherit salvation (Heb. 1:14; Acts 12:15; Matt. 18:10).
After speaking concerning the prophets in the Old Testament and the preachers in the New Testament, Peter suddenly speaks concerning the angels. While the angels are serving us, they are stooping down to look into the situation. As part of one sentence concerning God’s full salvation, we have the prophets, the preachers, and the angels. This is characteristic of Peter’s writing.
