The glorious message
It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you. These things have now been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—angels long to catch a glimpse of these things. 1 Peter 1:12 CSB
Peter finally closes his introduction with a statement that the prophets did all these things for the benefit of the future generations. Isaiah would prophesy of Jesus 700 years in the future (Isaiah 53:7 and Mark 14:61). Zechariah would have to wait 500 years for his prophecy of Jesus to be fulfilled (Zechariah 9:9 and John 12:15). Parts of Daniel are not yet fulfilled, awaiting Jesus second coming (Daniel 9:24’s second half of “to bring in everlasting righteousness” and Revelation 22:12). Yet, the prophets wrote these to be markers for us to see Jesus fulfill them. They were written for us to identify Jesus as truly the Messiah. In our modern era, we have science fiction in which time travelers would come from the future to tell present day characters of what to come. What is so fascinating [and “cool”] is that the prophets were given these detailed accounts of the future from the Holy Spirit, the same Holy Spirit that resides in every believer. They wrote these most likely knowing that these prophecies would not be fulfilled in their lifetime, yet they wrote for the benefit of the future readers. Thousands of years later, we are reading their writings, flipping a few pages, and read of Jesus fulfilling those very prophecies, confirming the truth of the Word of God. Not only did the prophets write these things, but we read from Peter that these things were “announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.” Preachers were now going to these churches scattered abroad sharing the message of the gospel and expounding on the Word. This is a great encouragement to these believers, knowing that they are still loved by God even though they are going through difficult trials. These believers are receiving encouragement from preachers to continue on in their walk with God. Not only that, but the angels are watching from heaven as history unfolds. The angels are watching to see how God works here on earth. These are all written down by Peter for encouragement. The prophets spent their entire lives to prepare the gospel, preachers are traveling around the world to share the gospel message, and the angels are excited to watch God work through our lives being transformed by the gospel. Whatever difficulties we are going through, we can be encouraged by the gospel message that has reached our ears and transformed our hearts.
Blessings,
Isaac De Guzman
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